Saturday, June 15, 2013

Happy Father's Day and Financial News

Happy Father's Day to all my readers who may be fathers. I myself am a father. Unfortunately my father passed away about ten years ago and I can no longer celebrate it with him, I miss him and my mother. There are so many things that I would have liked to discuss with them while I was going through them. My parents were decent individuals with clear and level heads and I always knew that they loved us. My father lays for eternity in a casket with $20 cash, $40 in casino chips and a pack of cigarettes. That is the last gift that I could give him. He used to always say that a man always needed at least a $20 in his pocket and he was a man and I wish I could talk to him again.

I celebrated Fathers Day today with one of my children. A simple dinner out and some time together. My ex-father in law and I have had an interesting relationship over the years and I understand that he is sick. I wish him a happy fathers day, he raised five kids and I believe he did his best. In the end, none of us are perfect; but, we can try to raise our kids to be independent and to understand the ways of the world. I tried my best too.

Mail Online - Paedophile fire chief allowed to keep £150,000 pension payout despite being convicted of swapping child porn pictures online. Obviously not a very nice person; but, why an article about his pension? What about the victims, why is the focus on the pension? I can tell you why because I see the same type of articles all over the U.S. papers, should people be paid their public pension if they go to jail or commit a felony or whatever. It is an attempt to manipulate the public. Firstly, pensions benefits are earned just like a salary or your hourly wages. If someone commits a crime, do you have to pay them for the hours they have already worked for you? The answer is yes.

Lets consider where this is being driven by the media. They are trying to get us to support a situation where what you do outside of work can free the government from it's responsibilities. Would you deny someone Social Security because they once committed a crime? Lets say that we take that approach, what else could they use as an excuse to take away your pension, what if you complained about government policies, who within the government would say anything after they retired about what goes on if they could lose their pension and remember most government employees never receive social security.

Yahoo - The Atlantic - Yes, Credit Cards Are Making You a Bad Person. Don't worry, getting credit is going to get a lot harder in the future. This article is just to get you to think it is okay and that you are actually better off with less credit in the world.

The Atlantic - How the Music Industry Explains Inequality, Globalization, Middle-Class Decline ... Basically Everything. The article is non-sense; but, I want my readers to see the spin the author uses. The Atlantic is read by people who have and or come from money. This is how they are told that they deserve what they have. For a video retort I offer this from a Trust Fund Kid that knows better YouTube - The One Percent – An Inside View.

Yahoo - Reuters - IMF urges repeal of 'ill-designed' U.S. cuts. Now, I have been thinking that the crashes in the markets will begin this year; but, this article is making me think it may stretch out to next year. I have not decided yet. The IMF is asking the Federal Reserve to continue to quantitative easing until 2014. The IMF is also saying that they were wrong about pushing for "austerity" in Europe. Austerity means cutting benefits to those who need them the most and cutting services.

The Guardian - Raise interest rates on old student loans, secret report proposes. I guess it doesn't make sense to go to college in England either. Student loans are an issue worldwide, how odd.

Stop Smart Meters - Channel 5 EXPOSED: The Gadget Show’s RFID + Human Microchipping propaganda. I cannot vouch for the source; but, the video is interesting.

Wall Street Journal - IMF Revises US 2014 Growth Outlook Down to 2.7%, Keeps 2013 at 1.9%.

Yahoo - Reuters - Exclusive: Deutsche Bank 'horribly undercapitalized' - U.S. regulator
. This is a scary article because it is a very big bank.

Bloomberg - FX Rates Said to Face Global Regulation in Libor Review. Oh boy, international control over interest rates. Do you get this? Interest rates have been sovereign decisions.