THEY are beating a dead horse.
I love that metaphor. When you visualize it, it not only brings pity for the horse, but makes the beater look like a jack-ass.
Think about it, THEY created a situation in which THEY could do nothing more tthehan print paper with pretty pictures, then convince everyone to accept it in trade for real wealth, like gold, silver and land. On top of that, THEY legitimize it with the color of law by buying off the government with...wait for it...more paper and pretty pictures!
It's really quite a scan. That it has lasted so long is pretty amazing, in itself. That we haven't woken up to it is even more amazing. Every minute of every year for the past 100 years, THEY have been slowly leaching our wealth and mortgaging our futures in order to end up the game with the biggest, and probably the only pile of wealth in the world.
The really interesting part is what will THEY do when THEY own it all? I mean, if you or I cornered the market in plasma TVs, what would happen? Wouldn't folks just find something else? The problem is, what stores wealth better than gold? And if THEY own all the land, where else could we live?
Since we currently only have one planet, and THEY end up cornering the market in wealth, could THEY hide from billions of angry people? Are we all really such sheep that we wouldn't finally stand up at some point?
These are all valid questions and call into discussion the effects and strength of mind-control. That we are all mind-controlled is without question. After all, why do you have a driver's license? Why do you pay taxes? Why do you obey ridiculous and even obscene laws? Because you want to, that's why.
If everyone simple stopped, what would THEY do? Ten, a hundred, even a thousand people could be shot and/or jailed. But millions? If even 100,000 people openly defied the PTB/W, what could THEY do?
This brings up yet another point. All government, throughout all history, has always been by force. All of it. Everywhere. In every form. It all came from the point of a sword/gun. There has never been a government that existed without force.
When you think to yourself, "There ought to be a law," what you are really thinking is that you want to hold someone at the point of a gun, threaten their life, and force them to comply. It's that simple.
You must get licenses to travel on God's green Earth...or THEY kill you. You must pay taxes...or THEY kill you. You must obey the speed limit...or THEY kill you. It's at the base of every law, covering every subject, ever instituted.
When you support a war and I don't, you are telling me that you will incarcerate, beat and even kill me if I don't pay up. When you tell someone they must get a permit/license/pay a tax, you are saying that you want to kill me if I don't get/pay it. When you use my money to build a road that I don't use, then you are threatening my life to build it.
So what it all boils down to, is that a cabal of private interests (known as THEY) convinced our government (us) to accept THEIR paper and pretty pictures for our wealth. If we didn't accept, then the government (us) had to kill each other to make THEM happy.
Insane, isn't it?
So, what does all this have to do with beating dead horses? Well, THEY pretty much own all of it now, the gold, the land and our lives. THEY have slowly but surely leached it all out from under us while we happily bounded along like spring lambs to the slaughter. We bought the whole thing, hook, line and sinker. And in the process, we held our fellow man at the point of a gun to force them to go along with us.
After all, who wants to go to slaughter alone, right?
How many smart people I know, who have bought the ruling paradigm and couldn't crack the blindfold just a little to see that there might be another way. It brings to mind the bit of front-porch wisdom that I like to live by: When you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
It's a functional definition of insanity. A simple study of history, even of only the past 100 years, would show beyotnd the shadow of a doubt that the most deadly weapon of mass destruction is government itself. How many lives have been taken by the likes of Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, Mao Tse Tung, Hitler, Idi Amin, Bush (Jr and Sr), and Obama? How many of them have you supported/voted for? And that's just the short list.
Isn't it time to sit back and take stock? Isn't there another way? The easiest way to stop the PTB/W in THEIR tracks is to simply stop following THEM. It's that easy.
The thing is, THEIR ownership of everything of value is only on paper, just like THEIR money. If everyone stopped following THEM, there is not a damn thing THEY can do about it. Oh sure, THEY'LL make a show of it. THEY'LL rant and rave and talk about 'the law,' as if THEY pay the least bit of attention to it.
Indonesia is a case in point. The only reason the House passes laws here is to give folks something to ignore. The bureauocracy is so corrupt that the people figure why should they follow the law? Everyone is on the take here, from top to bottom, yet somehow it all holds together. It shows that anarchy does work, if for no other reason that people's vested self-interests.
However, it is no more tenable than any other system. It must eventually implode, just like everything before it. The problem is that people will again try to build the same house that just fell down, only change the position of the furniture.
All of it must collapse. All of it is collapsing. The question is, what will we do when it's gone? The collapse is inevitable, as 6,000 years of recorded history graphically demonstrates. There is no time like the present to start thinking about replacement paradigms.
Hitler's big fault was not being a fascist, or taking over Europe, or even killing millions of people. The PTB/W love that sort of thing, and even helped Hitler to power just for that reason (see Prescott Bush, among many others). Hitler's Big Crime was that he created a currency that was based on the labor, goods and services of the country. It wasn't owned by the banksters and THEY couldn't profit from it. Just like John Kennedy wanting to re-issue silver-backed currency in the US. They both ended up dead for presuming to take money out of THEIR pockets. You see, there's only one criminal class that will be tolerated, just like only one mafia family can be on top, and all others mu
st pay fealty. Even if another family topples the first and takes over, they simply continue the same practices with different bag men.
There's an obvious wave of revolt sweeping the globe. Plenty of ruling families are nervous. The problem, none of the revolutionaries have thought past the end of their noses. If they are successful, they simply become the new THEY. Sometimes it's a little bettern but usually it's worse. The USofA was the most redical departure from 'normal' ever seen. It created the most powerful and free nation on Earth. Then THEY took over and recreated it in THEIR own image.
Our lesson for today is that the root of all evil is paper money, and the most evil people on Earth are the ones who force us at the point of a gun to take it in exchange for making us slaves. If we are smart, we will finally notice this simple lesson of history and start figuring out a way to change it.
All things come to an end. It is the way of all things in the Universe. Your local governing rifle-barrel is no different. The best time to make a plan is when you don't need it. The time will come for that.
In the alternative, the basketball playoffs start soon and American Idol has yet another poor, hapless soul to humiliate on global TV.
Go back to sleep. You don't really care about your children or theirs, right?
Showing posts with label inflation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inflation. Show all posts
10.2.11
7.1.11
Chili Today, Hot Tamale
There's a crisis in Indonesia!
The price of chili peppers has soared in the past month. The government blames bad weather and volcanoes, but regardless of the reason, the peppers have hit Rp.100,000/kilo ($5/lb)! And it looks to keep going...
Indonesians love a little spice in their food, and some of the local cultures go pretty far with the practice. No matter how much, though, some amount of chili finds its way into the average diet.
The price of chili, however, is just one symptom of an overall trend in rising prices for all food staples. The cost of rice, vegetables and certainly meats have all been going up precipitously of late. Recently, an incident in a small east Java village has drawn national attention to the problem.
A family with six children, ranging in age from early 20s to toddler, experienced the death of all of the children. They had eaten a local casava dish. Casava is a high-carbohydrate tuber that is sometimes used as a substitute for rice, because it is so cheap. There are two primary varieties, 'sweet' and 'sour,' with sour being quite poisonous if not prepared correctly. Naturally, it is also the cheapest variety. The family had been forced to eat casava for two weeks because of the rising prices and the family's low income, which is reported to be around $16-$20 per week.
The Indonesian government measures the poverty line in calories rather than income. Poverty is considered less than 2100 calories per day. Casava, being high in carbs, can technically raise a family above the poverty level, though the quality of their food, and certainly the amount, would hardly qualify as eating for even a street bum in downtown America.
At the moment, Jakarta is the only place in Indonesia that has a minimum wage, which is around $300/month. Other areas are debating the merits of creating one, but it is rather difficult in a country where the cost of living can vary quite widely. In some areas, people are able to fish, farm and collect enough to eat well at a monetary cost of almost nothing. Other places, like the major cities, prices can be quite high, even though to an outsider, they may appear to be ridiculously cheap. For a recent college graduate, living at home, $300/month is a decent starting salary. However, even with a degree and a few years of experience, a salary over $1,000/month is very rare. For the vast majority of Jakartans, earning $5/day is about all they can expect.
The an American, the prices here look like a joke. A decent 3-bedroom/2 bath house rents for about $2,000/year. Water and electric, if you are careful, runs around $5-$10/month. If you confine your food shopping to the traditional market and avoid the supermarket chains, the average monthly food bill for one person is around $150/month.
If you are European or American, your eyes are probably bugging out about now. But go back and look at how much a great number of people earn here: $100-$200/month. Divide all the costs above into 12 months, and you get about $200/month for a basic Western lifestyle, before things like clothes, transportation, luxuries (TV, cable, internet, etc.). The standard American middle-class lifestyle requires two to three generations of a family living together and combining their incomes, substitute motorcycles for cars.
So, with all that in mind, you can imagine that when the price of basic foods like rice and chilis start going up, along with the price of gasoline and other basic modern needs, it can start to crimp a wallet pretty darned fast. You may think that, well, they can do without chilis and cut back on rice, but both are signatures of the Indonesian diet. it's like telling Americans to get by without sandwiches.
A very popular snack here is something called gorengan, which simply means 'fries.' It consists of bananas, carrots, potatoes, egg rolls, and other finger foods that are battered and deep fried. They are, without exception, served with a handful of fresh cabe rawit, which some might know as Thai peppers. Right now, you are lucky if the vendor throws 2 or 3 cabe in with your order. Normal is a handful.
There is no such thing as a dinner table in Indonesia without sambal. Sambal is made with chili peppers and the result is somewhat like ketchup that makes your eyes water and your mouth burn. To ask an Indoensian to set a table without it would be equivalent to an American home without salt and pepper.
Rice is king! One simply doesn't eat without rice. It is the Indonesian version of bread with your meal. Ask an American to eat his burger without a bun, or a hogie, for that matter. Rice is the primary carb that is used to sop up the juice and pack the corners of the stomach. It is why I consider this past Thanksgiving such a victory. I was able to get 20 Indonesians to eat an entire meal and not one grain of rice was eaten.
When one lives in Jakarta and makes a decent living, it is hard to remember that this country has, according to one report, 2.3 million people living below the poverty line. It's why the case of the six children dying from casava poinsoning has become such an issue. It has reminded people that even though Indonesia's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world right now, there are still many folks who are suffering from the expansion and the resulting inflation in core necessities. And everyone is feeling the pinch when it comes to cabe rawit.
One thing that can endanger Indonesia's explosive growth in the past few years, and the relative social order and peace that comes with it, is a rapid rise in inflation without a concomitant adjustment in earnings. In 2010, inflation ran at 7%, which doubled the rate in 2009. However, there has been no significant rise in overall incomes in that period. Ultimately, this will swell the ranks of the disaffected, destroy a newly empowered middle-class and undo a decade of properity that has seen Indonesia enter the world stage as an economic power to be reckoned with.
The symptoms are on the table, in the gas tank and in a dozen other places. If action isn't taken quickly to control the situation, the disease will over-take the body. Along with Indonesia's rise in power and prestige, it has gotten the same illnesses that have so deeply infected the Western world. Indonesia should learn from the experience of Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, and of course America.
The casava deaths and the rapid rise in rice and chili prices is just the beginning, unless Indonesia takes a pro-active stance immediately. It must reduce corruption, control inflation and give particular attention to agriculture. Like all governments and societies, there's a tendency to procrastinate until the crisis is in full bloom. By then, it's too late and the solutions are years away. Indoneisa has the benefit of being at an early stage, and being able to so the results of inaction in many other countries worldwide.
The deaths of six children is a tragedy, but it can be turned to good use if everyone wakes up and takes action now. I would compound the tragedy if those six lives only became the first of many.
Besides, I miss my chilis!
The price of chili peppers has soared in the past month. The government blames bad weather and volcanoes, but regardless of the reason, the peppers have hit Rp.100,000/kilo ($5/lb)! And it looks to keep going...
Indonesians love a little spice in their food, and some of the local cultures go pretty far with the practice. No matter how much, though, some amount of chili finds its way into the average diet.
The price of chili, however, is just one symptom of an overall trend in rising prices for all food staples. The cost of rice, vegetables and certainly meats have all been going up precipitously of late. Recently, an incident in a small east Java village has drawn national attention to the problem.
A family with six children, ranging in age from early 20s to toddler, experienced the death of all of the children. They had eaten a local casava dish. Casava is a high-carbohydrate tuber that is sometimes used as a substitute for rice, because it is so cheap. There are two primary varieties, 'sweet' and 'sour,' with sour being quite poisonous if not prepared correctly. Naturally, it is also the cheapest variety. The family had been forced to eat casava for two weeks because of the rising prices and the family's low income, which is reported to be around $16-$20 per week.
The Indonesian government measures the poverty line in calories rather than income. Poverty is considered less than 2100 calories per day. Casava, being high in carbs, can technically raise a family above the poverty level, though the quality of their food, and certainly the amount, would hardly qualify as eating for even a street bum in downtown America.
At the moment, Jakarta is the only place in Indonesia that has a minimum wage, which is around $300/month. Other areas are debating the merits of creating one, but it is rather difficult in a country where the cost of living can vary quite widely. In some areas, people are able to fish, farm and collect enough to eat well at a monetary cost of almost nothing. Other places, like the major cities, prices can be quite high, even though to an outsider, they may appear to be ridiculously cheap. For a recent college graduate, living at home, $300/month is a decent starting salary. However, even with a degree and a few years of experience, a salary over $1,000/month is very rare. For the vast majority of Jakartans, earning $5/day is about all they can expect.
The an American, the prices here look like a joke. A decent 3-bedroom/2 bath house rents for about $2,000/year. Water and electric, if you are careful, runs around $5-$10/month. If you confine your food shopping to the traditional market and avoid the supermarket chains, the average monthly food bill for one person is around $150/month.
If you are European or American, your eyes are probably bugging out about now. But go back and look at how much a great number of people earn here: $100-$200/month. Divide all the costs above into 12 months, and you get about $200/month for a basic Western lifestyle, before things like clothes, transportation, luxuries (TV, cable, internet, etc.). The standard American middle-class lifestyle requires two to three generations of a family living together and combining their incomes, substitute motorcycles for cars.
So, with all that in mind, you can imagine that when the price of basic foods like rice and chilis start going up, along with the price of gasoline and other basic modern needs, it can start to crimp a wallet pretty darned fast. You may think that, well, they can do without chilis and cut back on rice, but both are signatures of the Indonesian diet. it's like telling Americans to get by without sandwiches.
A very popular snack here is something called gorengan, which simply means 'fries.' It consists of bananas, carrots, potatoes, egg rolls, and other finger foods that are battered and deep fried. They are, without exception, served with a handful of fresh cabe rawit, which some might know as Thai peppers. Right now, you are lucky if the vendor throws 2 or 3 cabe in with your order. Normal is a handful.
There is no such thing as a dinner table in Indonesia without sambal. Sambal is made with chili peppers and the result is somewhat like ketchup that makes your eyes water and your mouth burn. To ask an Indoensian to set a table without it would be equivalent to an American home without salt and pepper.
Rice is king! One simply doesn't eat without rice. It is the Indonesian version of bread with your meal. Ask an American to eat his burger without a bun, or a hogie, for that matter. Rice is the primary carb that is used to sop up the juice and pack the corners of the stomach. It is why I consider this past Thanksgiving such a victory. I was able to get 20 Indonesians to eat an entire meal and not one grain of rice was eaten.
When one lives in Jakarta and makes a decent living, it is hard to remember that this country has, according to one report, 2.3 million people living below the poverty line. It's why the case of the six children dying from casava poinsoning has become such an issue. It has reminded people that even though Indonesia's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world right now, there are still many folks who are suffering from the expansion and the resulting inflation in core necessities. And everyone is feeling the pinch when it comes to cabe rawit.
One thing that can endanger Indonesia's explosive growth in the past few years, and the relative social order and peace that comes with it, is a rapid rise in inflation without a concomitant adjustment in earnings. In 2010, inflation ran at 7%, which doubled the rate in 2009. However, there has been no significant rise in overall incomes in that period. Ultimately, this will swell the ranks of the disaffected, destroy a newly empowered middle-class and undo a decade of properity that has seen Indonesia enter the world stage as an economic power to be reckoned with.
The symptoms are on the table, in the gas tank and in a dozen other places. If action isn't taken quickly to control the situation, the disease will over-take the body. Along with Indonesia's rise in power and prestige, it has gotten the same illnesses that have so deeply infected the Western world. Indonesia should learn from the experience of Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, and of course America.
The casava deaths and the rapid rise in rice and chili prices is just the beginning, unless Indonesia takes a pro-active stance immediately. It must reduce corruption, control inflation and give particular attention to agriculture. Like all governments and societies, there's a tendency to procrastinate until the crisis is in full bloom. By then, it's too late and the solutions are years away. Indoneisa has the benefit of being at an early stage, and being able to so the results of inaction in many other countries worldwide.
The deaths of six children is a tragedy, but it can be turned to good use if everyone wakes up and takes action now. I would compound the tragedy if those six lives only became the first of many.
Besides, I miss my chilis!
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