HIGH PRICE INFLATION

Prices have gone up a lot in the past year.

“The U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years, and analysts expect new data due on Wednesday to show it’s getting worse. That’s putting the squeeze on poor families and forcing bakeries, bagel shops and delis to explain price increases to their customers.

U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse, with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent.” (U.S. seeing worst food inflation in 17 years, MSNBC, 15 April 2008 ) (emphasis added)

GLOBAL “SQUEEZE” ON THE POOR PEOPLE

In these days of globalization, small people are being squeezed all around the world. Even in Malaysia:

Malaysian activists have threatened to stage a naked protest over a sudden hike in rental rates for government housing, drawing criticism from Muslim leaders and police Tuesday.

Ramlan Abu Bakar of the Malaysian People’s Reform Movement said its members were prepared to strip off outside the offices of the chief minister of Selangor state, after it more than doubled the cost of low-income housing.

“Protesting naked is our final act of desperation as the state government is literally stealing the clothes off our backs with this price increase,” Ramlan told AFP.

“They are not helping the poor people here who barely make enough to afford the present rental of 124 ringgit (34 dollars per month) so how can we afford to pay 250 ringgit?” he said. (Malaysian activists threaten naked protest over rent hikes, AFP, 18 November 2008 ) (emphasis added)

CUTTING OFF INCOME

There’s also been plenty of pressure on the income (revenue) side:

“The U.S. economy fell into a recession last spring and will contract sharply this quarter as more than 200,000 workers per month are added to the rolls of the unemployed, a survey said on Monday. “(Burton Frierson, Forecasters: U.S. in 14 month recession, Reuters, 17 November 2008 ) (emphasis added)

PAINFUL MEMORIES

The pain has even spread to Judah.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein and six other top executives at the bank will not be receiving cash or stock bonuses for 2008 (Madlen Read, No bonus this year for Goldman Sachs CEO Blankfein, AP, 16 November 2008 )

This hardship situation means that the Jew Mr. Blankfein will have to make do with just his salary:

Last year, Blankfein received total compensation of $54.0 million, according to calculations by The Associated Press — making him the 6th highest paid CEO at a Standard & Poor’s 500 company in 2007. His salary that year was $600,000. (id.)

Imagine taking a $54 million pay cut! That’s about a 99% cut.

CHATROOM

Even the G20 has been talking about these problems.

The market in America is drying up. So the exporters from China to Malaysia are noticing fewer orders. And they’re hurting.

And so these old men (and women) gather around the table and talk.

Maybe the economy needs a stimulus package. Or how about a new Hollywood film on pulling together?
THE COMING OF THE DARK KNIGHT

How fortunate that the Dark Knight (read this for background) has taken note of the situation.

 

President-elect Barack Obama said the U.S. government will do “whatever it takes” to revive the economy, and that means “we shouldn’t worry about the deficit next year or even the year after.” (Edwin Chen, Obama Says He Will Do `Whatever It Takes’ on Economy, Bloomberg, 17 November 2008 )

 

So what does “whatever it takes” look like?

He said that after he takes office, he will begin executing a plan to draw down U.S. troops in Iraq and send some to Afghanistan, “which has continued to worsen.” (id.) (emphasis added)

Mind you, the dark knight doesn’t always understand how these wars get started:

“I don’t understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11” (Barack Obama cited in Gil Kaufman, John McCain And Barack Obama Slug It Out In Aggressive Second Debate On Economy, Foreign Policy, MTV, 8 October 2008 ) (emphasis added)

but once they’re on, why not keep them going?

WAR MEANS SAFETY OR RUIN

And this is why more trouble is on the way.

“Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.” (SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR, translated by Lionel Giles) (following dark green text all from this source)

As we’ve noted above, the economy is on a road to ruin.

You see, with war, there are a lot of expenses:

Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.

The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and anti terrorist efforts abroad could cost the country $2.4 trillion over the next ten years, according to a report Wednesday.

The money, over 70 percent of which would go to support operations in Iraq, includes the estimated $600 billion spent since 2001, Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag said in testimony before the House Budget Committee. That estimate includes projected interest, since the government is borrowing most of the funds required. (Steve Hargreaves, ‘War on Terror’ may cost $2.4 trillion, CNNMoney.com, 24 October 2007)

So its a lot of money on the table.

RESOURCES EXHAUSTED

2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.

The Jewish president of America has been running his terror war for more than 7 years now. No victory in sight.

And, of course, the resources of the State are not equal to the strain.

Sure they run up debt with no end, but the more debt money gets spread around, the less earned money is worth.

And that’s the cause of the really high inflation (discussed above, and more completely here).

Every component of the economy feels the strain. The real resources go for foreign wars, so there are fewer real resources for things like new cars.

“Prospects dimmed on Monday for the $25 billion bailout that U.S. automakers say they desperately need to get through a bleak and dangerous December.

Though all sides agree that Detroit’s Big Three carmakers are in peril, battered by the economic meltdown that has choked their sales and frozen loans, the White House and congressional Democrats are headed for stalemate over the government money that might go toward helping them.” (Julie Davis, Aid prospects darken for desperate US carmakers, AP, 17 November 2008 ) (emphasis added)

4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

How long has war against Iraq been running? Since 1988, or 1984, or 1920, or just since 1991?

However you run the calcs, its been a “prolonged warfare”. And no country has ever benefited from this sort of thing.

In other words, “cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays“.

Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

The homeless population of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina has reached unprecedented levels for a U.S. city: one in 25 residents. (Rick Jervis, New Orleans’ homeless rate swells to 1 in 25, USA Today, 17 March 2008 )

So the people are getting impoverished.

11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people’s substance to be drained away.

Its happening.

HOMES STRIPPED BARE

12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.

13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare,

“The US housing market is still experiencing fallouts from the credit crisis, according to information made available earlier today. The Mortgage Banker’s Association has reported on Thursday that the amount of foreclosures has risen by more than 70% during the first quarter of 2008. That data reflects the fact that almost 1% of all mortgages in America have been foreclosed during the months of January, February, and April of 2008. For the same months of 2007, that figure was at 0.58%. Indeed, the foreclosure rate for the first quarter of 2008 is a 29-year record: the last time quarterly foreclosure rates were this high was 1979.” (US Foreclosure Rates at Record High, Rebuild.org, 30 June 2008 ) (emphasis added)

The homes are being “stripped bare” at record rates.

BROKEN CHARIOTS EXPENSIVE

and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.

More than a quarter of the money the Bush administration is requesting in the 2008 fiscal year for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere would go toward repairing and replacing military equipment, according to budget figures released Monday by the Pentagon. (David Cloud, Bush’s 2008 Budget Request Doubles Spending on Replacing Military Equipment, New York Times, 6 February 2007)

SUN TZU WAS RIGHT

19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. 20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

And now the nation is in peril. Its official. The recession is on. People are being turned out of their jobs and houses at record rates.

The leader of the armies has failed. And we’re not just talking about the American armies here. The various “coalitions” involve many countries, like Canada, England, France, etc.

in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: Daniel 11:38
yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Daniel 11:45

And that’s why the recession is global.

Long wars. Far from home.

The treasure of the states has been spent. The people are impoverished.

And now the Dark Knight (pictured at right with one of his Jewish handlers) has arrived on the scene. He promised “change”, the sort “we can believe in”.

And it is change. For the worse.