What to do? Advice to those at the bottom...

Penang, Malaysia, September 30, 2008

Many people are asking what's going to happen with the economy and the US dollar.

Near-term, I have no idea; long-term, I've been saying that the global elitist system of money, banking and finance is unsustainable, not to mention unfair and corrupt.

I see it as a good thing that Congress has refused to pass the bailout bill, but that may be just a temporary setback for the powers that be. [CB: It was of course, as we know in the meantime!] We could be in for a wild ride.

Just remember, whatever happens in the realm of human structures, like money and finance, does not necessarily need to disrupt our ability to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves if we do not allow fear to separate us.

Sharing and cooperation will be the way toward survival and a better world.

20 October 2008

The Great Wake-up Call

Sometimes it's a severe pain in the chest, sometimes shortness of breath, other times dizziness, numbness, disorientation or loss of muscle control. These are symptoms of something seriously wrong, a warning of impending health crisis, a signal that something needs to change.

In our collective experience known as political economy, we are experiencing symptoms of distress. The real estate bubble and subsequent bust, the financial meltdown, deepening recession and inflation are all telling us that something is wrong, that something needs to change.

The mainstream media don't tell us what or how. They are part of the system that is trying to maintain the status quo. They will give space to minor policy adjustments and legislative proposals, but not to the kinds of deep structural changes or emergent systems that can make a real difference.

Fortunately, there are independent media and information sources that are devoted to providing the kinds of information people need.

Back in June of this year I viewed an amazingly good documentary film titled, Zeitgeist. I recommend it highly. Get it at http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Most of the information in it was already known to me, and includes much of what I've been trying for years to tell people in my own humble way. This film is well put together and pretty accurate as far as I can tell. One aspect that was somewhat new to me was the material that shows the congruence among the various "redeemer" myths going way back B.C. That part, and some of the political material, won't go down easily with true believers of any stripe -- the devout and patriotic, but if one can keep an open mind, there is much to be learned - much that could save our lives.

Now there is an addendum to the Zeitgeist movie that focuses more attention on the "money problem," economic imperialism, and emerging sustainable technologies. The Zeitgeist: Addendum can be downloaded from: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/; also at, http://video.google.com/...

The first twenty minutes do a creditable job of describing how our conventional political money is created. It's a good supplement to the films Money as Debt and The Money Masters that I previously recommended.

The next part of the film features John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. He does a superb job of clearly explaining how the empire achieves dominance over other countries, giving examples from his own experience. As he describes in his book, there are three levels of action. The imperial forces first try to corrupt the country's leaders and get them to play along, saddling their people with huge debt loads and selling off government owned assets. If that fails, they will stir up internal opposition and either overthrow or assassinate a recalcitrant leader. If that fails, the military will be sent in as a last resort.

In recent years, the reluctance to use the last option seems to have diminished, as war affords opportunities for great profits to be amassed by political cronies and well-connected companies, and the power of Congress to mount opposition to military adventures has all but evaporated.

The original Zeitgeist movie contains important information about the central banking system and the Federal Reserve. If you don't have time to watch the entire film, a relevant seven minute excerpt can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/....

My new book will give a different perspective on the global problematique, and is unique in offering practical approaches that will enable us to "escape from the matrix." I still expect it to be out by early next year.

Hal Turner Shows the new Amero Coin and Describes the Impending Collapse of the Dollar

For the past several months the internet has been abuzz about the elitist plans for the North American Union and the new Amero currency. Now Hal Turner shows a coin which he purports to be an Amero coin issued by the US government. Is it? You decide.

Whether or not that coin is authentic, one thing seems certain: the US dollar is headed for oblivion and a new monetary regime is being prepared by the powers that be. Wars and bank bailouts are being paid for with increasing amounts of "empty dollars." The money supply is being inflated with legalized counterfeit at an unprecedented rate. Besides ballooning budget deficits, there is the chronic trade deficit. The US continues to import more than it exports, relying on foreign governments to buy US government bonds to finance the deficits. The value of the US dollar must therefore shrink ever more rapidly. The savings of the middle class will be wiped out. Dollar denominated assets, like bank accounts, CD's, bonds will become increasingly worthless while your debts will remain. Price increases may be temporarily held in check by the credit crunch as more businesses fail and more people lose their jobs. But the handwriting is on the wall. It's a credit crunch for main street but a lavish abundance of credit for Wall Street. Much higher prices and lower dollar values must follow.

What to do?

Mike Adams provides some pretty good advice on his website, NaturalNews.com. Take a look at his comprehensive special report, How to Build Your Financial Safety Net.

The thing that's missing in Adams' report is how to protect a nest egg. How do you protect the value of the assets you have? Here are my thoughts on that.

As prices bottom out, use your money to buy selected real estate and useful things of real value.

Get out of dollar denominated securities - bank deposits, CD's, bonds, etc. Keep only enough liquid to satisfy demands for payment of taxes, utilities, etc.

What are the alternatives?

Buy anything that can support you and your family directly - a home, productive land, gardens, orchards, woodlots, durable clothing, equipment, knowledge, skills, books, computers, etc. Buy selected foreign currencies. Above all, make friends, nurture your communities and form new ones. As my good friend Sergio Lub says, our best security is not in money or gold or material things, but in our relationships and our willingness to help each other. The effectiveness of actions by isolated individuals is severely limited. It will take organized cooperative action to really protect ourselves and get through this transition stage. Organize mutual support networks, including local credit clearing unions and currencies. My upcoming book will provide detailed advice on how to do that, but many of the ideas are already available at my blog Beyond Money and website.

WIR - Current Operational Realities

Susan Witt of the E. F. Schumacher Society has recently filed a report on her trip to Basel, Switzerland, during which she queried fellow Rotarians about their experience with the WIR Bank and WIR credits. It makes for some interesting reading. I've posted it with her permission on my blog at http://beyondmoney.wordpress.com/.... WIR is an important case to study. Read the other documents about it that are on my blog Beyond Money and website.

And here's a bit of levity:

Uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last seven days, Origami bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank has announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was also announced that Karaoke Bank will go up for sale and will likely go for a song, while shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended today after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on after sharp cutbacks, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank, where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Q: George Bush was asked today “what did he think of the Credit Crunch?”

A: He replied: “It was his favorite Candy Bar.”

Koh Phangan, Thailand, October 28-29, 2008

The Bank Bailout Scam

What can you expect when a fox is appointed to manage the hen house? Our current Treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, was formerly the CEO of Goldman Sachs, one of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. His appointment to that post was clearly intended to enable a continuation of the long trend of greater concentration of power and wealth in elite hands.

Recent moves by the U.S. Treasury make that ever more obvious. In an article in Saturday's (Oct. 25) New York Times, Times economic columnist, Joe Nocera, reveals what he calls "the dirty little secret of the banking industry" -- namely, that "it has no intention of using the [government bailout] money to make new loans."

Nocera explains that the Paulson plan to hand over $250 billion [in money borrowed into existence by the government] to the biggest banks, in exchange for non-voting stock, was never really intended to get them to resume lending to businesses and consumers, as was stated. That was just window dressing. The real purpose of the bailout is to engineer a rapid consolidation of the banking industry by enabling at public expense a wave of takeovers of smaller financial firms by the most powerful privileged banks. Examples, so far:

JPMorgan's recent government-backed acquisition of two large competitors, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual; the takeover of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, Wachovia by Wells Fargo and, National City by PNC.

There's more to come, and by deciding which banks get handouts and which don't the entire consolidation process is being orchestrated from the top.

Keep smiling,

Tom