Below are two MSM stories that have been put out in the last three days. Remember the massive MSM public relations campaign about the FANTASTIC Black Thursday/Friday sales. The projections for retail sales were parabolic. The optimism from the “neutral” National Retail Federation was bubbly. This was surely going to be the best holiday shopping season in years. The MSM dutifully transmitted all of the propaganda designed to excite the ignorant masses into a buying frenzy. But a funny thing happened on the way to retail riches – the middle class ran out of money.
This Christmas retail season is turning out to be a disaster. Not only aren’t sales rising by the 4% to 5% predicted by the corporate media and the mouthpieces on Wall Street and at the NRF, they have fallen in December versus last year. Considering that real inflation is running over 5%, a sales decline of 1% is a real decline of 6%. These are the type of results you’d expect during a recession. Of course, in six months, when the government and MSM finally acknowledge that a recession began in July of 2012, this will all make sense.
If real, honest, non-captured journalists existed in the MSM, they would have questioned the false storyline from the beginning. Why would a rational person expect retail sales to be strong when:
- Americans will have paid the highest average price for a gallon of gasoline in history in 2012.
- Real wages have fallen for 22 consecutive months.
- More people left the workforce (2.4 million) than got full-time jobs in the last year.
- An additional 1.4 million people were added to the food stamp rolls, bringing the total to 47.7 million (20% of all households in the U.S.)
- The number of people getting extended unemployment benefits has declined by 1.4 million (luckily most just signed up for SSDI).
- With a savings rate of 3.6%, the disposable income has about run out.
- There are 10,000 Boomers turning 65 per day and realizing they haven’t saved shit for their retirement. This realization tends to reduce spending.
The MSM has no rational critical thinking journalists. They have corporate mouthpieces spewing the company line and attempting to convince the sheep that a recovery is underway and it is their duty to spend. The intelligencia actually believe that increased consumer spending using credit is self sustaining and desirable. They believe it is beneficial to their own agenda of enriching bankers, mega-corps, and the politicians in DC. They don’t care that debt financed spending has ruined the middle class.
The results of three major consumer oriented companies this week were downplayed. Bed Bath & Beyond, Darden and Walgreens all reported terrible results:
- Bed Bath and Beyond has been one of the best run retailers in the country for years. They always had comp store sales of 5% to 10%. This past quarter their comp store sales were 1.7%, less than inflation. Traffic was negative. Their profit was flat. Their inventory grew 50% greater than sales. If housing is truly recovering, why wouldn’t their sales be growing?
- Same store sales at Darden (Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse) were down 2.7% and traffic was plunging by 4% to 8% in the last two months. These are the restaurants of the middle class and their results reflect a consumer collapse.
- Walgreens profits plunged by 25% with a 4.8% decrease in traffic and prescription sales down by 7%. They have overexpanded and have hit the wall. The Walgreens near my house has been open for two years. It has a parking lot with 50 spaces. I’ve never seen more than 5 cars in the lot. It will be closed within the next two years.
These are three of the biggest retail/restaurant chains in the country. They are sucking wind. The false storyline of economic recovery is revealed by these results. These companies have the benefit of massive advertising budgets and economies of scale. If they are struggling, this means the mom and pop retailers and restaurants are closing up on a mass scale. You may have noticed the Space Available signs dotting the landscape.
Now we are being provided with the bogus excuses to cover-up the fact we are in recession. The poor sales are now being blamed on Sandy, the fiscal cliff, and the Connecticut shooting. This is nothing but a load of bullshit. Sandy occurred a week before Thanksgiving. The Keynesians assured us that the pent up demand and sales related to rebuilding would actually increase sales after the storm. Now it is an excuse for poor national sales, even though it only impacted portions of a few states in the Northeast. This is pure crap.
Next we have the fiscal cliff crapola. At least 80% of the morons in this country don’t even know how to spell fiscal cliff, let alone understand enough about it to keep them from buying an iPad. More people watched the grand finale of Jersey Shore than care about the fiscal cliff. Only the talking heads and government weasels are consumed by this fake crisis. Not one person in this country has changed their Christmas purchase plans due to the fiscal cliff.
Lastly, the MSM is blathering about the clueless consumers being deterred from hitting the mall because some kids were slaughtered by a madman. Yeah, the nation paused for about 10 hours on Friday to mourn for the children. Do you honestly think the malls were less crowded on Saturday due to the mourning? If so, you don’t realize how shallow Americans are. There was probably a surge in Call of Duty PS3 game sales.
Now for the good news. The bargains in January are going to be epic. The going out of business sales in March will be even better. And then next November the MSM will tell you we’re going to have great holiday sales. And so it goes.
Retailers may see disappointing holiday sales
ShopperTrak cites school shooting, Sandy and fiscal cliff as it cuts holiday forecast
By Andria Cheng, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — A leading tracker of shopper traffic on Wednesday cut its seasonal sales forecast, saying the holiday selling period would have “a different tone” in the aftermath of the school shootings in Connecticut, superstorm Sandy and as talks drag on over avoiding the fiscal cliff.
“It’s a change in mind-set,” said Bill Martin, founder of ShopperTrak, which follows shopper traffic in malls. “Gifts may not be as important as spending time with family. This holiday season is just not going to be as robust.”
ShopperTrak cut its holiday season forecast to a 2.5% increase in November and December, down from its original projection of a 3.3% gain in September, Martin said in an interview.
ShopperTrak’s numbers show sales and foot traffic in the week ended Dec. 15 were down 4.3% and 4.4% respectively, while ShopperTrak had expected both measures would increase with less than two weeks to go before Christmas. Traffic and sales also were down in the week ended Dec. 8.
Despite strong Thanksgiving week sales, including the crucial Black Friday, retailers’ November sales have already turned out disappointing as they weren’t able to make up for lost demand from superstorm Sandy. Retailers’ November miss raises holiday stake.
Friday’s school shootings in Connecticut, superstorm Sandy and fiscal cliff discussions “have put a damper on the holiday season,” Martin told MarketWatch. “We would have expected sales and traffic to go up (by now), but we’ve not hit that.”
National Retail Federation said on Wednesday it isn’t revising its holiday outlook at this time. It had projected holiday sales to rise 4.1% to $586.1 billion.
Because of the disappointing sales, retailers may now begin to change their plans and start to promote more heavily to lure traffic the next few days, Martin said.
“It’s going to be at the expense of deep discounts,” he said.
It remains to be seen how the discounts and promotions will shape up.
So far, retailers including Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT) , Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SHLD) , Best Buy Co. (NYSE:BBY) , Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M) and Toys “R” Us have planned extended hours or different last minute sales heading to Christmas to draw shoppers. Stores won’t rest till you’ve bought your gifts.
However, many of those promotions so far look to be part of their normal plan as the industry has controlled inventory better to reduce profit-eroding discounts, analysts have said.
Procrastinating shoppers also may deliver another wildcard to retailers. Industry giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) said its customer survey showed 68% of shoppers haven’t completed their shopping. One of its last-minute strategies is to ensure it’s well stocked on popular holiday gifts including Wii U console and iPad mini as each of its stores has received truckloads of those new products the past week, the company said.
Retailers turn to discounts to boost holiday sales
Shoppers wary of spending as fiscal cliff looms
By Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. retailers looked to revive flagging holiday sales on the last shopping weekend before Christmas.
With the fiscal cliff and other economic jitters dampening prospects for the sector, shopping centers, malls and storefront establishments geared up Saturday for the heaviest sales weekend of the year ahead of Tuesday’s gift-giving.
The peak of the holiday shopping season came as concerns mount over a downward move in the economy if lawmakers don’t agree on a package of tax hikes and spending cuts to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. See Friday’s story about stalled fiscal cliff efforts.
Expectations remained less than rosy since shoppers have already been putting the brakes on spending. Ree: Retailers may see disappointing holiday sales
“I don’t think we’re going to get a great pickup in the last few days here,” retail analyst Ronald Friedman of Marcum LLP told Reuters.
Sales growth for the week ended Dec. 15 is running about 4% behind last year’s pace, according to ShopperTrak data released Friday.
U.S. retail sales fell 1.2% below 2011’s level in the first half of December, causing a downward shift in expectations.
In one hopeful sign, retail sales jumped 16.4% over the previous week.
“Shoppers took advantage of the mild weather in most parts of the country to shop for gifts and other seasonal merchandise,” ShopperTrack said.
Retailers are expected to turn to deep discounts to lure Americans into more spending as the holiday shopping season comes to a climax.
But recent setbacks in Washington won’t provide much of a lift for flagging consumer sentiment.
The drama took a turn for the worst on Friday, with no resolution reached ahead of the holiday break and only a few days of negotiations left before automatic spending cuts and tax increases take effect on Jan. 1.
President Barack Obama asked lawmakers to accept a scaled-back deal to extend unemployment insurance and tax cuts for those making $250,000 or less. He then headed off for his annual Christmas trip to Hawaii.
On the Republican side, House Speaker John Boehner earlier this week canceled the so-called “Plan B” tax vote linked to fiscal-cliff talks. See related story.
The failure to reach a resolution on the fiscal cliff has apparently impacted consumer confidence, according to data released Friday. See related story on consumer confidence.
“What could have been a merry Christmas is going to turn to a ho-hum Christmas, and we can thank our, you know, politicians for getting in the middle of it all,” NPD analyst Marshal Cohen said in comments to Reuters in an article published on Saturday.
Davos says:
Ha. Saw a Reuters article on this. Posted a comment and was informed that I was banned from commenting.
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22nd December 2012 at 10:40 pm
OUTTAHERE says:
Don’t feel like a lonesome dove in this situation. Seems that there are several sites out there that do the same thing. Try commenting something negative about Gonzalo on Gonzalo Lira’s site. The next time you try to post anything it won’t accept your post. Period. Ain’t Freedom Of Speech grand?
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22nd December 2012 at 2:40 am
marissa says:
Bed Bath and Beyond is ridiculously overpriced for their CheapshitfromChina. I already have a plastic salad spinner, thanks.
Darden restaurants suck. Haven’t been in one in ten or 15 years.
I don’t take prescription meds so I never have a need to go into Walgreens.
Next!
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22nd December 2012 at 3:21 am
Bruce says:
Davos,
It’s easy to get banned these days. The last place I got banned from was Crooks and Liars for pointing out that one of their esteemed contributors was “just another pig eating out of the left side of the same trough of bullshit as Ann Coulter.” I had commented there back when Bush was in office and much of what they were saying was true. I got along fine, but that changed when Obama came into office. Truth and reality when right out the window overnight, It took longer but the same thing has happened to The Raw Story as well.
Very thin skinned these folks on the left and they have the same disdain for facts and reality as the morons on the right. I don’t even bother to comment at Raw Story anymore as it has become almost totally populated by whining FSA campus indoctrinated conformists with correct grammar fixations. But I still read the left and right wing sites frequently because sometimes I read something that makes me do a little rethinking on an issue, but mostly to see what the two dominate public camps are worked up over right now.. That occasionally helps me think up something to make that will sell into their bias and current focus.
There are many internet places on the left and right where TBP type readers are not welcome to speak. It’s their their sites so let them do what they want. But I’m afraid the now massive internet information access is not waking up near as near many as it is indoctrinating more folks than ever in to generally two camps of conflicting insanity. We live in a bi-polar nation made up of mostly of grudge mongering, delusional victims. Red and blue idiots who blame one another for their state of fuckedupness. Maybe they will end up killing each other if things get bad enough. I just hope we can stay out of their way.
But we will probably be right in their paths when the SHTF. We are Doomed.
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22nd December 2012 at 4:12 am
Nonanonymous says:
Marrisa, no kidding!!! I was Christmas shopping for Satan Claus yesterday. Hit the mall, Target, Walmart and couldn’t believe the prices on all that plastic crap! If the US is getting a bunch of cheap shit from China, they’re not passing the savings on to the consumer! It will be a short lived value proposition. How long can you bleed a society, or transfuse it with fiat currency, until it dies? Or rather, how long can the feds continue to spend into oblivion? I suppose until they can’t., that is unless Congress somehow loses all sense of reality and gives the Treasury unlimited borrowing authority by eliminating the debt ceiling. That would be the final insult. Screw it, I’m going to go fix a bloody mary, my shopping excursion from hell is over.
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22nd December 2012 at 6:21 am
Nonanonymous says:
Bruce, your’e correct. Left and right, blue and red blame each other for their own screw ups, which is the only way to describe the current state of the state. I know Admin likes the fourth turning, but we are where we are at any one point in time. Swimming upstream is still an option, just look at the salmon.
Neither party is willing to admit any wrong doing, or accept any responsibility for their actions, when both parties are equally responsible. It’s easier to blame the other side.
I’ve seen the feds confiscate a lot of money from people who worked hard to earn it, only to later change the laws because it was unusually harsh. I’m not sure where the line is, when the feds steal from innocent people, and then borrow an additional 30 cents on the dollar, compounding the theft by stealing from whomever has to pay it back.
Perhaps the monstrosity that has become our federal government is only a reflection of our society, rather it has become a means unto itself, seeking only to propagate itself and has evolved into a stench that even light will soon no longer be able to escape.
It is only a free and freedom loving people that can put down the rabies ridden carcass our federal government has become, and excise the putrid flesh from it’s corpse. The fiscal cliff would be a blessing, so will not raising the cap on the debt ceiling.
I will raise my flag, and raise it high. Let’s return to the constitutional representative republic which our forefathers envisioned, and cast the scoundrels in the federal bureaucracy out on their rear ends, and begin amending these outrageous and grotesquely hideous pension benefits which the USCON voted for themselves to begin public pension reform across the country, and crawl out from under the boot of government on the neck of it’s citizens.
That is why I keep and bear arms, and will exercise my right to free speech. We used to have a saying in the military, “fuck the world”, well, we had a lot of sayings. I’m amending this one in particular to “fuck the government”. Those arrogant little pricks are going to prove to be their own undoing, and then we can see what 63.8 square miles of swamp land on the Potomac will bring on the free and open market.
I’ll say it here, Lincoln was a lobbyist for the railroads before he became POTUS, who were the original robber barons and controlled an iron fisted monopoly until they were replaced by the industrialists at the turn of the century. Anyone who thinks the federal government is about anything other than their own power is only deluding themselves.
I will also suggest this, that if it was within man to save himself, then Jesus Christ would need not have died on the cross. Rather, it is God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and all that is in them, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ who provides salvation to man. It is not man who provides it.
With that, I will leave you with a quote from Galatians,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
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22nd December 2012 at 7:06 am
Chicago999444 says:
We in my family made an agreement years ago to scale back the spending insanity around Christmas, and buy each other gifts costing $30 or less. After all, there are no children in the family and we all have all the “stuff” we could need or want, so why shoot more scarce money on things we don’t need and don’t really even want?
Other people are trying to unload garages, lockers, and attics stuffed with crap that just costs money to store and haul around, and doesn’t enhance the quality of life. This country is buried in “stuff”- resources squandered on shit that people are giving away just to unburden themselves of it. A person can live off the excellent furnishings and household items being given away or sold for next to nothing on Craig’s List and/or Ebay.
We’ve arrived at the era of the Great Consolidation, after 60 years of insane extravagance and criminal wastefulness.
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22nd December 2012 at 7:39 am
efarmer says:
When my wife was alive we prided ourselves on how little it took to live. Always ate at home, veggies from the garden, beef from the pasture, minimum from the store, used coupons.
When on the road, brought a sandwich and an apple. When we did stop it is fun to order off the dollar menu with a water. We could get two sandwiches for $2 and knew full well they lost money on us.
We turned saving into a game and quite frankly, it is rather fun and I still very much enjoy it. Now if I could figure out how to distill a good bourbon……
EF
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22nd December 2012 at 9:09 am
Davos says:
God I heart the comments I read here.
“Satan Clause.”
“Very thin skinned these folks on the left and they have the same disdain for facts and reality as the morons on the right. ”
” totally populated by whining FSA campus indoctrinated conformists with correct grammar fixations”
“Other people are trying to unload garages, lockers, and attics stuffed with crap that just costs money to store and haul around, and doesn’t enhance the quality of life. This country is buried in “stuff”- resources squandered on shit that people are giving away just to unburden themselves of it. “
& eFarmer, my wife and I do the same, our good friends, a retired hell raiser from the Pentagon and her husband a retired pastor taught us this.
“I don’t take prescription meds so I never have a need to go into Walgreens.” (And something tells me you don’t drink medfested city water either.
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22nd December 2012 at 9:40 am
sangell says:
With the price of beef and now pork so high I’m guessing Darden isn’t the only restaurant group in trouble. I went to a Red Lobster a couple of months back ( not my choice) and dinner for two with a couple of drinks was $85! To me that’s a lot of money for mediocre food in a chain restaurant. Got out of an Outback Steakhouse last week for $65 but the steaks seemed smaller and you have to ask for A-1 sauce now and they bring you a little paper cup of it not the bottle.
I don’t want to know what a good steakhouse charges now. Its more than I want to pay!
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22nd December 2012 at 9:41 am
stan says:
How does a school shooting have such an impact on the entire nation? Why does something that happens in a small town in Conn. scare the crap out of people as far away as California?
As of this day and age, the country, the people are controlled by the media. The people are like sheep, who blindly follow and believe anything they are told.
As I look at the situation we are in, and the mindset of most people, I am convinced 100% that we are doomed, headed for destruction and chaos. There is no way around it and no hope. It is like a terminal cancer patient whose only hope is to dull the pain by massive doses of Morphine, but they know they will not recover. Thats us. We are like the people on the Titanic after it hit the berg. Still comfortable but going down to death.
Even if the president and every member of congress were to get on the same page and start doing the right thing ( which would never happen in a million years) we are too far gone for it to matter. The truth is not tolerated any more. Our supposed rights have been systematically taken away from us little at a time till now we don’t even notice when the government takes a little more.
First, they take our money off the top before we even see it. Then they require licenses and permits to start a business or even build a house. Now you must pay yearly taxes on the land you think you own or they will take it away. To drive a car you must pass a test, drive at the speed limit , get your auto emmission tested, renew your tags every year, have your lights all in working order, and not drink or text while you drive. And we are fine with that. If you fly they can crawl up your ass with a microscope to make sure you ain’t a terrorist. Guns will soon be illegal and if you are caught with one it will be a 1 million dollar fine.
Whats next? No bibles? No internet? One child per family? No travel without papers? No buying or selling without a mark on your hand? GPS imbedded in each person? No speaking out against the government? No owning gold or silver? No eating fried foods? Gas and oil allowances per month? No privately owned land? Health care rationing?
I am glad I ain’t 21 years old again and facing trying to provide for a young family in this day and age. But I hate it for my 2 kids and future grandkids. It is gonna suck and suck bad.
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22nd December 2012 at 9:43 am
Davos says:
Stan, don’t forget this video where the cop sticks his finger up the ass of a woman, then into her birth canal and then with the same glove and the same finger sticks it into the rectum of the second woman before inserting it into her birth canal. No warrant needed. Total deranged harassment over smoking, I don’t smoke, I don’t like it, I don’t agree with tossing buts out windows, but big fucking deal.
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22nd December 2012 at 9:58 am
Davos says:
Forgot link to video
http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=45852
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22nd December 2012 at 9:58 am
BUCKHED says:
Was out shopping yesterday picking up a few last minute items,my girlfriend commented on how few people were shopping at the mall compared to years past .
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22nd December 2012 at 10:01 am
Administrator says:
Stan
Stop holding back. Tell us what you really think, and for God’s sake get the guns out of your house.
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22nd December 2012 at 10:08 am
flash says:
Stan, they hate US for our freedom .The more freedom we give up the less “they” will hate US…don’t you see, it’s for the greater good.
Less freedom means more tranquility via servitude…slavery is freedom.
They Hate Us Because of Our Freedom
Column by Alfred A. Hambi.
Whenever I hear ‘they hate us because of our freedom’ or “because they hate our way of life” or some other such drivel, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. If real people didn’t suffer the consequences of it, such ignorance would be amusing. But another annoying thing about statements like these is that they perpetuate the myth that we live in a land of freedom. The sad fact is, we are not free, and haven’t been for a long, long time.
In They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45, Milton Mayer wrote about how the German people kept believing they were still free while the Nazis were tightening their control and extending their power over every facet of life. At first people refused to see the obvious, because the infringements on their freedom were coming in small steps. Each of those small steps, on its own, seemed to be no big deal, nothing to rebel against. But by the time you could no longer ignore the big picture, it was too late. ‘Suddenly it all comes down, all at once. You see what you are, what you have done, or, more accurately, what you haven’t done (for that was all that was required of most of us: that we do nothing) . . . You remember everything now, and your heart breaks. Too late. You are compromised beyond repair.’ Remember, all the people had to do for all that to happen was–nothing. The same phenomenon is happening right here, right now, in the U.S. of A. It had been proceeding at a slower rate than 70 years ago in Germany , but now the pace quickens.
I know there are some who will say, ‘Wait a minute, fella. You’re going too far. The U.S. of A. is still a free country.’ O.K., then. If you’re free, you should have no trouble doing something that people have done for time immemorial. Buy a cow, shelter and feed and care for it, milk it, and sell the milk. Go ahead, try it and see what happens. Come back and let us know how free you are to do such a simple thing, which has been done since the dawn of civilization.
Freedom is a state of being where an individual does not have to get permission in order to do something that harms no one else’s person or property. How many things can you do without getting some form of government permission? Can you build your house on your own property without obtaining government approval? Can you put a new room on your house? Or a new porch? Put in a new toilet? Or even put a shed in your backyard? If you are not free to make your home on your own property, you are not free.
Once you have that home, can you refuse to sell it to the government if they want to use your land for some other purpose? Can you make them go away simply by telling them, ‘I will not sell you my property, at any price!’ If you are not free to choose if, when, how, to whom, and for how much you will sell your property, you are not free.
Can you drive a motor vehicle across this ‘free’ country without someone in government approving of you as a driver? Or without getting government permission to use that vehicle on the roads? If you are not free to travel without permission, you are not free.
Can you buy a pistol without government permission? Can you drive across the country with it on your person, even if you have permission to drive a properly permitted vehicle? There’s a man, a good man from what I’ve heard, who got in trouble in Ohio for doing just that. And I’ll bet there are many more good people that I haven’t heard of who wound up in similar trouble. Let’s remind them how free they are. Could anyone even ride a horse cross-country, with an old Winchester rifle in a scabbard, without being hassled? If you are not free to have a firearm at hand for self-defense, no matter where you go, you are not free.
Are you free to say to the government, ‘I don’t like your retirement plan; therefore, I will no longer pay for it?’ Can you, without penalty, tell the government that you will no longer pay for subsidies, for regulations, for wars, for empire, or for any activities that you disapprove? If you are not free to refuse to pay for things that you do not want, you are not free.
If the government decides it needs more troops to build and maintain its empire, can you refuse to go if it calls for you? Will they leave you alone if you tell them you won’t kill and die for them? Can you simply ignore the draft, without consequence? Can you refuse to be a conscripted slave? If you are not free to tell the government ‘Hell no, I won’t go!’ you are not free.
Can you open a business, like a simple barbershop, without government permission? Or how about a bakery? A diner? A hot dog stand? A gun shop? It’s been said that before we invaded Iraq , there were more gun shops in Baghdad than in Washington D.C. Can you wire or plumb or fix TVs or cars without a government license? If you’re not free to make a living without getting permission, you are not free.
And once you have government approval to open a restaurant or bar, are you free to decide what people may do within your business? Can you choose whether or not they may smoke on the premises? Are you free to invite them to light up and enjoy a cigarette, a cigar, or a pipe with their drink, or after their meal? If you are not free to decide what people may or may not do on your property or within your business, you are not free.
Are you free to smoke a joint? Are you free to hire someone to help you satisfy a physical urge? You can do both in the same afternoon in Amsterdam . I haven’t heard of anybody attacking the Dutch because of their freedom. If you are not free to entertain your mind and body in any way that does not harm another, with anyone who is willing, you are not free.
Can you undergo any medical treatment you think is in your best interest? Can you use whatever drug you deem appropriate for your condition? Can you even get some marijuana to help you avoid nausea so you can keep your meds from coming back up? Can you get it just to feel a little better for a little while? If you are not free to pursue any treatment or use any substance you think might help you obtain, regain, or retain your health, you are not free.
Are you able to criticize political candidates by name? A week before the next election or primary, place a newspaper or TV or magazine or radio ad criticizing a candidate. Let us know how you fare. The Supreme Court says it’s okay to make that a crime. If you are not free to talk about politicians at any time, at any place, by any means, in any form, you are not free.
Can you take your children out of a government or conventional private school setting, without explaining to some bureaucrat how you plan to educate them? Can you homeschool them without getting government approval of your lesson plans? Can you tell everyone to buzz off, that it’s none of their business how or if you educate your kids? If you are not free to teach your children what you want, where you want, when you want, and how you want, you are not free.
So, let’s reiterate. You need government permission to make your home, travel, earn a living, defend yourself, obtain medical treatment, and educate your children. You will never get government approval for many of those things in many places. You will never get government permission to entertain your mind and body in unapproved ways. At certain times, you cannot criticize those who decide who and what gets approved. You must sell your property to the government if they want it, and you must kill and die for them if they tell you to. And you have no choice but to pay for it all anyway, whether you like it or not.
And still, we think we are free.
http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/hambidge/hambidge2.html
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22nd December 2012 at 10:15 am
sangell says:
Air Jordans are selling well.
FORT WORTH (AP) — Security officers at a Fort Worth mall used Mace to calm and disperse a crowd of hundreds of Air Jordan shoppers after they nearly trampled an off-duty officer.
Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Pedro Criado told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram a crowd of more than 350 people at Hulen Mall wanted to buy a limited rerelease of red-and-black Nike Air Jordan sneakers. He says the crowd pushed through barricades, knocking down an off-duty officer who was working at the mall. Criado says the officer was nearly trampled and shot “a short burst” of Mace into the crowd
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22nd December 2012 at 10:18 am
IndenturedServant@comcast.net says:
@efarmer, +100! My wife and I do the same thing! We take road trips all over hell and back and each trip finds our trusty cooler loaded with water, tea, and eats that we make at home and take along. We almost NEVER eat out on a road trip.
Agree 100% with the article. I know plenty of people who still have disposable income. Most of these people were pretty frugal to start with, myself included, but all of that disposable income is now being hoarded or converted into preps for the future.
My wife and I spent less than $100 on each other this Christmas. We anonymously donated hundreds of dollars worth of “housewarming” certificates to needy but responsible & hardworking families we know. Housewarming certificates are purchased from our local electric/gas utility and can only be used to pay your bill. They cannot be redeemed for cash or used elsewhere.
I_S
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22nd December 2012 at 3:21 pm
AKAnon says:
“It’s a change in mind-set,” said Bill Martin, founder of ShopperTrak, which follows shopper traffic in malls. “Gifts may not be as important as spending time with family. This holiday season is just not going to be as robust.”
If only this were true. I have mixed feelings about Christmas, or should I say, Xmas. Spending time with family, being grateful for the blessings in our lives, and (I know it’s sappy) goodwill towards men (even those who haven’t earned it) is what the season is about. Oh, and that Jeebus thing, too.
The commercialism makes me physically ill. I participate to some extent, mostly by bankrolling the obscene shopping spree. Shit, none of my kids or grandkids “need” anything, but I feel compelled to make sure they get shit, so they don’t feel left out or neglected. If I could get everyone else to agree not to piss their money away on Chinese crap that is forgotten by New Years, I wouldn’t buy any. But I succumb-I guess that’s the price of admission to get everyone in one house. Bah, humbug.
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22nd December 2012 at 5:05 pm