Archive for category General
The Mystery of the Rising Stock Market
Posted by David Hazi in General on November 6th, 2009
Here’s a puzzle: The stock markets are doing very well, yet the performance of the underlying economy doesn’t seem to justify optimism. The buoyant S&P 500 has risen 53 percent since the March bottom. And while the economy expanded at a 3.5 percent rate in the third quarter, unemployment is high, incomes are stagnant, and consumers are shaky.
It’s possible that the stock market is just getting it wrong again. After all, the markets, which are supposed to process investors’ attitudes about the future, hit record highs in October 2007, just as the U.S. economy was about to pitch into recession. But it could be that the notion the stock market is an accurate gauge of the domestic economy’s temperature is outdated.
To read the entire article click here.
I have returned
Posted by David Hazi in General on October 16th, 2009
To those of you who follow The Final Prayer on a consistant basis, I apologize for the lack of content being posted over the past two weeks. I had taken a trip to Hungary with my grandparents. I had a great time and now I am back, ready to rock out against every form of tyranny facing our once, great nation.
Unemployment for young Americans is at 52.2%
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 27th, 2009
The unemployment rate for young Americans has exploded to 52.2 percent — a post-World War II high, according to the Labor Dept. — meaning millions of Americans are staring at the likelihood that their lifetime earning potential will be diminished and, combined with the predicted slow economic recovery, their transition into productive members of society could be put on hold for an extended period of time.
Click here to view the entire article.
I really don’t understand why all these experts just cannot understand economics.
History has always told us that economic success is directly related to having output. For your economy to do well you have to produce something of wealth. In addition, having a currency that inflates faster than the population can save will eventually cause even a great nation and economy to go bankrupt. The government needs to support the growth of businesses; not by over regulating industries to try and force the market to swing in a certain direction, but by stepping out of the way and making sure businesses have lower taxes so they can hire workers and have the necessary capital to finance operations.
All the problems we are seeing now is directly related to government arrogance. Not every politician knows how to run a business. Yet every single one is willing to pretend to know how if it means large donations from giant corporations. Meanwhile, the rest of us lose our jobs and further become slaves to debt.
Is Pelosi trying to tell us something?
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 18th, 2009
When do we the people say enough is enough? When do we decide that we will no longer be slaves to a welfare state? When do we say to those who wish to steal the fruits of our labor, we will not recognize your right to tax? When will we decide that our sons and daughters will no longer be sent to far off lands, only to be killed, for the interests of corporations?
When will we say, we will not stand for despots and tyrants? When will we say, we are not your slaves?
Republicans Denounce Pelosi for Warning Against ‘Incitement’
By Paul Kane
The House Republicans’ top campaign chief strongly denounced Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments th
Why medical costs are so high
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 17th, 2009
Before the advent of Medicare and Medicaid and the HMO Act of 1973, the private sector funded over three quarters of the country’s health care expenditures, individuals paid nearly one-half of total costs out-of-pocket and health care inflation was in-line with the consumer price index (CPI).
The introduction of these government insurance programs in 1967 fundamentally changed the way health care was purchased. As the government began to insert more regulation over the health care market and cover a growing percentage of health care spending, total out-of-pocket expenditures fell. Today, out-of-pocket expenses account for only 1/10 of total health care expenses.
The HMO Act of 1973 provided grants and loans to provide, start, or expand a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO); removed certain state restrictions for federally qualified HMOs; and required employers with 25 or more employees to offer federally certified HMO options. The Act gave HMOs greater access to the employer-based market, providing for the rapid expansion of HMOs and was synergistic with Medicare and Medicaid in decreasing out-of-pocket expenses.
In addition, state regulations have increased and now require health insurance companies to cover a ridiculous range of health care services including but not limited to: acupuncture, breast reduction, contraceptives, dieticians, drug abuse treatment, hair prosthesis, in vitro fertilization, massage therapy, etc. and this has had a profound effect on health care inflation. All these policies have had the net effect of changing the way Americans pay for health care services, by precipitating the change from catastrophic medical insurance to “comprehensive” health care coverage.
Financial crisis creates gigantic cargo ship graveyard
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 14th, 2009
WOW THIS IS AN AMAZING ARTICLE! It really shows the reality of the global financial crisis.
Ah Wat says: ‘We don’t understand why they are here. There are so many ships but no one seems to be on board. When we sail past them in our fishing boats we never see anyone. They are like real ghost ships and some people are scared of them. They believe they may bring a curse with them and that there may be bad spirits on the ships.’
Just 12 months ago these financiers and brokers were enjoying fat bonuses as they traded cargo space. But nobody wants the space any more, and those that still need to ship goods across the world are demanding vast reductions in price.
Do not tell these men and women about green shoots of recovery. As Briton Tim Huxley, one of Asia’s leading ship brokers, says, if the world is really pulling itself out of recession, then all these idle ships should be back on the move.
‘This is the time of year when everyone is doing all the Christmas stuff,’ he points out.
‘A couple of years ago those ships would have been steaming back and forth, going at full speed. But now you’ve got something like 12 per cent of the world’s container ships doing nothing.’
Click here for the entire article.
Nobel Prize-winning economist: The problems are worse than they were in 2007
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 14th, 2009
Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) — Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
“In the U.S. and many other countries, the too-big-to-fail banks have become even bigger,” Stiglitz said in an interview today in Paris. “The problems are worse than they were in 2007 before the crisis.”
Stiglitz’s views echo those of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who has advised President Barack Obama’s administration to curtail the size of banks, and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, who suggested last month that governments may want to discourage financial institutions from growing “excessively.”
A year after the demise of Lehman forced the Treasury Department to spend billions to shore up the financial system, Bank of America Corp.’s assets have grown and Citigroup Inc. remains intact. In the U.K., Lloyds Banking Group Plc, 43 percent owned by the government, has taken over the activities of HBOS Plc, and in France BNP Paribas SA now owns the Belgian and Luxembourg banking assets of insurer Fortis.
While Obama wants to name some banks as “systemically important” and subject them to stricter oversight, his plan wouldn’t force them to shrink or simplify their structure.
Stiglitz said the U.S. government is wary of challenging the financial industry because it is politically difficult, and that he hopes the Group of 20 leaders will cajole the U.S. into tougher action.
Click here for the entire article.
Medicare for Dummies
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 12th, 2009
The thing about the bully pulpit is that Presidents can make the most fantastic claims and it takes days to sort the reality from the myths. So as a public service, let’s try to navigate the, er, remarkable Medicare discussion that President Obama delivered on Wednesday. It isn’t easy.
Mr. Obama began by depicting a crisis in the entitlement state, noting that “our health-care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers,” especially Medicare. Unless we find a way to cauterize this fiscal hemorrhage, “we will eventually be spending more on Medicare than every other government program combined. Put simply, our health-care program is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close.”
On this score he’s right. Medicare’s unfunded liability—the gap between revenues and promised benefits—is currently some $37 trillion over the next 75 years. Yet the President uses this insolvency as an argument to justify the creation of another health-care entitlement, this time for most everyone under age 65. It’s like a variation on the old Marx Brothers routine: “The soup is terrible and the portions are too small.”
Click here for the entire article.
Ten Bubbles in the Making
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 12th, 2009
Yahoo! had a great article today. If you think we are in a real recovery than you are severely mistaken. Don’t take advice from people who are only out to make a quick buck. The long term future of this country must be secured by individuals who have actual foresight.
One year after America’s brush with economic catastrophe, there’s plenty of looking back at the bubbles that caused financial chaos.
But what’s next?
There are surely dangerous economic bubbles forming as we speak. As Alan Greenspan warned this week, “They [financial crises] are all different, but they have one fundamental source,” he said. “That is the unquenchable capability of human beings when confronted with long periods of prosperity to presume that it will continue.”
The trick, of course, is spotting them. By definition, most people don’t spot a bubble before they form and burst.
Click here for the entire article.
You do lie Mr. Obama
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 10th, 2009
In case you didn’t hear. South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson shouted “You lie” after Obama said extending health care to all Americans would not mean insuring illegal immigrants.
The chamber groaned and several Republicans looked at Wilson in disgust. Several members of the House and the Senate blasted Wilson after Obama’s speech.
I could point out what Obama did lie about in his speech, but I am going to take the course Joe Wilson did.
I would like to blast the members of Congress who scorned Wilson. While I respect the civility of the chambers and I know its rude to just blurt things out, it is time to stand up for what is right. Obama is standing in front of the entire country lying to them. Take a look at my post on the health-care analysis if you don’t believe me. Anyone who thinks yelling, “You lie.” is actually worse than lying, is just a flat out idiot.
Obama is on a mission to destroy this country under the auspices of trying to take care of the poor. I am sick and tired of this, quite frankly, bullshit argument. Joe Wilson did what was right. He called a spade a spade. There comes a time when enough is enough and being polite MUST take a backseat to securing the freedom and liberty of our country.
Kudos to you, Joe Wilson, for having the balls to stand up for what is right.
Great Quote
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 3rd, 2009
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” – Thomas Jefferson
Obama profitting from H1N1 vaccines?
Posted by David Hazi in General on September 2nd, 2009
Did you know you have a 40 times greater chance of being struck by lightning at some point in your life than having your life saved by the swine flu vaccine? (Source: National Weather Service statistics.)
Did you also know that at $25 a shot, vaccine makers will be pulling in nearly $3.7 billion if they vaccinate only 50% of the American population?
So why is it that President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to get the H1N1 shot when it becomes available as the nation prepares for a second wave of swine flu as autumn approaches in the the Northern Hemisphere?
Maybe because the government announced deals with vaccine manufacturers including Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc. to make up to 90 million dosages of a vaccine as a precaution against the swine flu.
Obama owns stock in a company owned by Baxter International and company employees were size-able contributors to Obama’s campaign.
It appears we have become conditioned to allowing politicians to get away with crimes. Cheney was in bed with private defense contractors and now Obama is in bed with big pharmaceuticals. When will say, “Enough is enough?”
Cyber Bill gives President Emergency Powers of Internet
Posted by David Hazi in General on August 29th, 2009
Earlier this year I had reported about the Cyber Security Act of 2009 and how un-Constitutional it is. Now its back again, this time just a tad bit revised…still un-Constitutional.
To view the entire article click here.
Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.
They’re not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.
The new version would allow the president to “declare a cybersecurity emergency” relating to “non-governmental” computer networks and do what’s necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for “cybersecurity professionals,” and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.
Massachusetts to people: Vaccinate or go to prison
Posted by David Hazi in General on August 29th, 2009
Massachusetts has passed legislation that would imposes fines of up to $1000 per day and up to a 30 day jail sentence for not obeying authorities during a public health emergency. Thus, if Massachusetts authorities tell you Swine Flu vaccination is mandatory and you refuse, you will be arrested.
According to the following article, http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/08/13/state_asks_volunteers_to_aid_flu_vaccinations/, Mass. has also deputized dentists, paramedics, and pharmacists to help administer vaccines against both the seasonal flu and the novel swine strain expected to make a return visit in the fall. In case you do not understand what deputizing means, I’ll fill you in.
Deputizing according to Merriam-Webster a deputy is “1 a : a person appointed as a substitute with power to act b : a second in command or assistant who usually takes charge when his or her superior is absent” So what does that mean in legal terms in relation to Mass. law? Well, basically the state has given authority to medical officials to serve the same function a police officer would. Thus if you refused a vaccination from your doctor, he could detain and arrest you on the spot with legal authority.
Mass. is also bringing people out of retirement and deputizing them, because they are trying to vaccinate over 9 million people this fall.
I understand you are afraid for yourself and your families. Nobody wants to die from H1N1. So what should you do? Refuse the vaccine period. If you truly want to stay healthy and avoid becoming sick there are other methods you can choose to do. For starters, begin exercising. Exercise has long been known to bolster immune systems. Secondly, begin eating correctly. Put down the burgers and pizzas, and begin eating fruits and vegetables. Nutrients such as Vitamin D and Vitamin C have also long been known to protect the body against diseases such as the cold and the flu.
Experimental H1N1 vaccine testing on children
Posted by David Hazi in General on August 29th, 2009
To follow up on my previous article about Swine Flu vaccinations, I would like to post the following video. I am completely and utterly appalled by this. The government is taking advantage of the economic crisis to bribe parents into letting their children become medical experiments for the H1N1 vaccine for a whopping $250. Since when have we become a society that uses innocent children for experimentation? There are plenty of consenting adults who would probably love to help out with this research.
In the 1970’s, the Swine Flu vaccines killed quite a few people and gave serious brain diseases to many others. We need to ensure that the cure is not more dangerous than the disease. I pray that none of these children are harmed by this testing. However, if any children are harmed, I believe both parents should be tried in court for child abuse.
Real US unemployment rate at 16 pct: Fed official
Posted by David Hazi in General on August 27th, 2009
I had been claiming this months ago. I still believe that the real unemployment rate is around 19%.
For the full article click here.
The real US unemployment rate is 16 percent if persons who have dropped out of the labor pool and those working less than they would like are counted, a Federal Reserve official said Wednesday.
“If one considers the people who would like a job but have stopped looking — so-called discouraged workers — and those who are working fewer hours than they want, the unemployment rate would move from the official 9.4 percent to 16 percent, said Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart.
1,000 Banks to Fail In Next Two Years: Bank CEO
Posted by David Hazi in General, Videos on August 27th, 2009
http://www.cnbc.com/id/32581463
Swine Flu: To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate
Posted by David Hazi in General, Videos on August 23rd, 2009
I am posting this because I believe that massive vaccinations and mass quarantines are un-Constitutional. The government has zero right, or authority, to force you to be vaccinated without due process. Even with this being said, we are talking about the flu here, not Ebola or some other massive virus or plague. WHO and CDC estimated that nearly 80,000 people a year die from the normal flu already. The following article says you basically have nothing to worry about. Click here for the full article.
So far, the deadliness of swine flu pales in comparison to heart disease, cancer, and other flu pandemics like the Spanish flu of 1918, which wiped out 50 million people worldwide and the Asian flu of 1957-58, which killed about 2 million people. Furthermore, the swine flu appears to be behaving like a regular seasonal flu, with mild symptoms and many full recoveries.
That’s not to say that the seasonal flu is harmless. It’s the eighth-leading killer in America, with approximately 1 out of 5,000 dying from it. But deaths from the flu mostly occur because of complications like pneumonia or underlying chronic diseases like diabetes. Of the 56,326 people that died from the flu in America in 2006, only 849 of those deaths were caused directly by the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so if you’re young and healthy—or even older and healthy—you’re in good shape.
The swine flu vaccine has been proven not to be safe in the past. Click here for the full article.
HEALTH officials have warned doctors of possible similarities between the new swine flu vaccine and a jab linked to 25 deaths in America in the 1970s.
The government’s Health Protection Agency (HPA), said in a letter to neurologists that they needed to look out for increases in cases of a brain disorder that might follow the launch of the immunisation programme.
The government is planning a vaccination campaign that has never been done before in history.
Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope — and in the potential for complications.
The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country’s population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.
As a society we have become less vigilant and more trustworthy of strangers. I am not saying our government is planning Nazi style exterminations, but the Holocaust was only 60 years ago. Millions of others have been killed in countries such as Sudan, Congo, Mao Zedong’s China, USSR, Kosovo, among many others. Also, our own government has been responsible for Gulf War Syndrome, Agent Orange, and the most famous Tuskegee Airman Experiment where they injected our own American military members with syphilis without their consent.
In order to prevent these things in America we need to be asking several important questions such as, how many people do they expect to die from Swine Flu? Are the vaccines completely safe? What company or organization is responsible for creating these vaccines? Is the vaccine needed for over half the population or is a company just profiting from this?
Some people believe we should not have the death penalty if any innocent people are killed. Nobody is asking or concerned about whether or not they might actually die or develop a serious brain disease from an inoculation. I myself, do not want to play Russian Rouellette with a vaccine. Nor do I think most people would feel confortable with the possibility of their child becoming autistic because of vaccine complications.
We need more answers, period.
The Washington Post reports, ”
Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope — and in the potential for complications.
The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country’s population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.”
I think we need more answers. I will personally refuse any sort of Swine Flu vaccination.