Welcome to Olympic opening Friday! In Russia they're killing dogs, oppressing minorities, and thieving the people's money and possessions to line their pockets and show off in front of the rest of the world. Oh, how O'Bomber must be jealous…
Want to join in the discourse? Send your questions, comments, queries, and concerns to tdv@dollarvigilante.com, comment on a post, or get on the forums.
On to the feedback…
WORLD PASSPORTS
Dear TDV,
Can you comment sometime on the "World Passport"? Is it a scam? Is it useful at all? Please let us know.
Tim L.
Jeff’s Response:
Thanks for writing in, Tim. We are well-aware of the "World Passport," and have even covered it here on the TDV blog. You see, as the issuers of the World Passport are aware, this particular passport is only valuable when authorities accept it as appropriate for international travel. Think this through for a second: you approach a TSA agent and hand them the World Passport. They rifle through it, having never seen one before, and then go and speak to a supervisor. After some due dilligence on the World Passport, and what it represents, the TSA agents invite you back to a room seperate from the rest of the travelers.
They're not looking to grab a cup of Joe with you to discuss the World Passport. Most likely you've tipped off their anar-radar. Realistically, though, the World Passport is quite cheap – $100 – so it might be worth having one. But using it is quite the risk. It is quite "official" looking, sure. But maybe they will think you're trying to pass off a counterfeit document as a valid passport? I do know that it used to work for some a couple decades back, but I don't see that being the case now.
You're much better off with a bona-fide passport from any one of these countries.
JOE ROGAN
Dear Jeff,
Dollar Vigilante you are so close…
"…they manipulate and use violence (government) and theft (government and central banks) to impoverish others while enriching themselves."
So Joe [Rogan] was saying rich=bad, you are saying cronyism (banks, corporations, government) = bad another way is rich (banks, corporations) * (crony government) = bad so distilling this pseudo equation down, aren't you both saying the same thing? Dollar Vigilante provided details of the cause and makeup of these 85+ rich people, and Joe makes it easy for the masses to understand. Unfortunately, nobody in government would dare make a taxing law that says…for those making over 1 billion annually, will now pay a 90% wealth tax. So, keep on fucking us all over to your hearts content, we'll just take it all back at the end of the year.
But I do appreciate your attempt to distinguish that we are not in healthy capitalist society, we are in a crony capitalist society, a very different animal altogether.
Jeff’s Response:
What we experience everyday, no matter where we are on Planet Earth, is not capitalism and it is not a free market. If it is, then it is illegal. Really, the system today is a type of socialism. After the Berlin Wall fell there was a sort of synthesis between the Communist society of what had hitherto been the Soviet Union and "the West". This resulted in a sort of "third way" – a compromise between Western crony capitalism and the communist design of the Soviet Union. There have been lots of names given to this system, but some of the more established technocrats refer to it as "commercial communism." Same system is in China, you'll notice. It's really all over. Hegemony is the rule, and there are really few escapes from the myriad traps laid before us by the state hiding behind the big lie that this the economy is free market. That's why we research and write the TDV Newsletter: to get actionable information into folks' hands so that they can take action to protect themselves and/or their family.
BANKRUPTCY, USA
Dear Wendy,
Pretty amazing: for generations people elected politicians pledging to not raise taxes. Those politicians kept their promise and the city (like much of the US) allowed its physical and social infrastructure to decay while the debt increased. The past mayor actually came up with a novel idea – let's rebuild and make the place attractive. It is good and getting better but now voters returned to a mayor who appears to be out of ideas or plans. The voters are appalled that they may have to actually pay for the services they receive, and received below cost in the past. The last tax reassessment was literally decades ago. FYI: Evans is no longer on City Council Her last dumb act was forcing the city to actually default on authority debt – destroying any credit rating
Hal D.
Wendy’s Response:
I'm pleased to hear Evans is no longer on the city council. It is good to hear there are consequences of *any* sort to a politician's actions. What a wreck Scranton is…along with so many other cities. I rarely travel down to the States (from Canada) these days but when I do, the quality of the infrastructure is remarkable. Low quality, that is. If you drive from Ontario into New York, the road surface goes from smooth to treacherous. The difference is amazing. BTW, I am not touting the Ontario government. It should sink into perdition like all other governments. But the spending (or not) on infrastructure is apparent with every turn of the tire.
TOO LATE TO LEAVE?
Dear TDV,
We live in B.C Canada My husband is always following the news of Doug Casey and Jim Sinclare and you. Can you tell me if our funds will be safe in the smallerCredit Union bank This is one bank you dont have listed. Im a very destressed wife as we have worked hard to build up some funds like many other people out there. Thanks for all your hard work to keep us all informed.
Susan
Jeff’s Response:
Hello Susan, thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee your funds will be safe in any credit union or bank. Such is banking at The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It. I can say that it is probable you are way better of with your funds in a credit union than any bank in Canada. As for the stress you endure, I understand where that comes from. It is stressful having someone steal 50% of your hard-earned income annually, and then some more in the form of inflation! Although I understand, it is a stress I have not felt for many years because I have diversified and internationalized my assets in such a way that I know no matter which way the markets turn, I am sufficiently diversified to withstand volatility. For everyone this means something a bit different, but I suggest looking into our newsletter to learn of new, cutting-edge ways to secure your financial portfolio with proven strategies and assets, as well as traditional assets like gold and silver.
Boooo Russia! Boooo USA!!
As I watched preliminary Olympic coverage last night, many things crossed my mind: for one, how can programming – any programming whatsoever – keep viewers watching when it goes from extreme snowboarding one moment, with snowboarders landing 70 foot jumps, to figure skating the next? Is there a target demographic which enjoys both extreme snowboarding and figure skating? If so, I've never come across anyone from it.
After pondering that, I wondered if anyone could go five minutes watching the US coverage of the Olympics without discovering that they are watching some pretty obvious propaganda. It's quite endearing watching our favorite anchors go out their and give it their best, doing everything last thing they can to convince us that "the land of the free, home of brave" exists.
The Americentrism is like a throwback to the the early 2000s, at the beginning of the War Of Terror or the Cold War. For instance, many Americans have been complaining about the murdering of dogs by Russian authorities.
Yet, no US citizen has mentioned that the Russian policy is actually MUCH, MUCH more humane than the US's. Whereas in Russia, generally speaking, the dogs roam free, here in the US any-and-all stray dogs are rounded up and given thirty days to be really, really cute or killed. Roll the dice!
We also hear out of Sochi of unfinished hotel rooms in disrepair. Apparently, according to mainstream networks, Sochi is like a Third World country. But there too we can tease out hypocrisy on behalf of the media. Most people by now know the US is falling apart, not only socio-economically and politically, but also its' infrastructure. Joe Biden recently mentioned he couldn't believe how poor LaGuardia airport in New York looks. So, there again, we find some misleading Americentrism in regards to US-based Sochi reportages.
In a piece aired last night, which I cannot currently find, CNBC interviewed the lead designer at Sochi, claiming that he was "the perfect artist" to represent the Sochi 2014 Olympic games because "he lived in New York." How about that for logic? The perfect artist for the Russian olympics must have lived in the US.
But it isn't just the Americans who are throwing dirt. So too are the Russians: apparently we're too fruity and stupid for them.
Such is life in the game of nationalism. It's all fun-and-games until millions of people die. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Weekend Vigilante, and then on Monday (barring any even bigger news) we will bring you an update on the brain-drain currently handicapping the US.
