OK, Back to Work, Slaves! S&P Hits All-Time High

Grateful that the shutdown is behind us, President Disingenuous could help but take a victory lap with a press conference this morning (Why is he always late? Very annoying.) reminding all the faithful citizens that those overpaid, barely-stressed government workers are patriot and essential. Funny, we thought they furloughed the non-essential ones. And, yes, they're all getting paid for the two weeks they didn't work.

Oh, well.

People better get straight with this and quick. The debt limit was NOT increased, it was SUSPENDED, the President now having authority to issue as much debt as he pleases, unless congress disapproves via a joint resolution - which the president would veto - and the congress would need a 2/3rds majority to override, which, with the current makeup on congress, is all but impossible.

So, essentially, there is no debt limit any more, thanks to provisions in the bill supported by Mitch McConnell (that's right, numbskulls, there's no Red team or Blue team, just one team) and signed into law by the supine congress on Wednesday, October 16, 2013.

That explains why the president, when asked last night if we'll be doing this all over again in three months, quickly turned on his heels while heading for the exit after his presser, and replied simply, "No."

This also explains quite a bit about how things actually operate in the capitol. They scare us to bejeezus, and then, in the dead of the night, right before their artificial deadline, when everybody is zoned out from boredom or anxiety, throw in language that subverts and changes the way they do business.

From here on out, the president can just run the tab up as high as he likes, and congress won't make a peep about it, because, as they'll surely tell us, they can't muster the votes to override a veto. Essentially, the United States no longer has a debt limit or debt ceiling, call it what you like. It has been suspended.

Read the actual bill: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/10/politics/senate-shutdown-deal/index.html

Nice job, for government work.

PS: We're screwed.

On the other hand, we all might take this advice: Why I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Currency Collapse

Dow 15,371.65, -2.18 (0.01%)
Nasdaq 3,863.15, +23.71 (0.62%)
S&P 500 1,733.15, +11.61 (0.67%)
10-Yr Bond 2.59%, -0.08
NYSE Volume 3,433,423,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,931,481,625
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 4282-1351
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 554-41
WTI crude oil: 100.67, -1.62
Gold: 1,323.00, +40.70
Silver: 21.95, +0.582
Corn: 443.00, +0.25

Government Shutdown Day 16: This Time It May Actually Be Over

Within hours, the Senate, and then, the House of Representatives will vote on a measure to end the 15-day partial government shutdown, and raise the debt ceiling. Passage vy both houses of congress and signing by the president prior to midnight tonight, in order to beat the self-imposed, phony "deadline" is all but certain. Purportedly, the measure will keep the government operating through January 15, 2014 and increase the borrowing authority of the United States through February 7, 2014, which, for all intents and purposes won't conflict with the NFL schedule, as Super Bowl XLVIII is on February 2nd, so keep eating your Cheetos and watching the games. Panem et circenses.

Apparently, it's over. A great deal has been learned form the experience and from other readings. More will be exposed explained in subsequent posts.

Knowledge is power. Never, ever forget that.

Here's an excellent video from the Hidden Secrets of Money series that explains some of what you need to know about why the government and the Federal Reserve are acting unconstitutionally and stealing from Americans every second of every day, and, maybe, most importantly, why the debt ceiling must always be raised, lest the entire fraudulent, debt-based monetary system collapse:



Dow 15,373.83, +205.82 (1.36%)
Nasdaq 3,839.43, +45.42 (1.20%)
S&P 500 1,721.54, +23.48 (1.38%)
10-Yr Bond 2.67%, -0.05
NYSE Volume 3,546,334,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,683,306,375
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 4304-1343
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 482-61
WTI crude oil: 102.29, +1.08
Gold: 1,282.30, +9.10
Silver: 21.36, +0.174
Corn: 442.75, -0.75

Government Shutdown Day 15: Obama Rejects House Proposal Before Hearing It; D-Day Approaches

October has always such a great time for a market crash, why not now?

Markets didn't seem to like the antics down in DC, closing at the lows of the day. More of that may be coming into focus soon.

Obama rejected a House proposal before the Republicans even announced what it was, a sure "jump the shark (and the snark)" moment for the worst-ever US president, and that's saying quite a bit, since there have been some notoriously bad ones.

Supposedly, the nation goes over the Default Deadline (it's total BS, like everything else coming out from inside the Beltway, after midnight tomorrow. While that's not exactly a true deadline, those in or near urban centers may have a few weeks to escape to the hinterlands before all hell breaks loose, which seems to be at the heart of the government's intent.

The Obamacare rollout has to be the worst ever in the history of government programs, again, saying quite a bit, since government work is usually quite shoddy.

Here's a quote that really nails it:

Let me get this straight. We've been "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and "taxed" if we don't, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, declared deficit neutral by a CBO that only underestimated SS and medicare costs by about 100 trillion dollars, give or take a few trillion, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, gaveled into law by a Speaker who states we have to pass the damnthing to find out what's in it, signed into law by a President who smokes, supported by a first diet guru with a derriere the size of a battleship beam, exclaimed to be a big friggindeal by a sleepy VP with Attention Deficit Disorder and a really bad plug job, considered to be such a great plan by the unions that hundreds of them supported it, then promptly applied for and were granted exemptions from it, enforced by an Attorney General with a terrible case of amnesia, policed by 16,000 new IRS agents who are "here to help you", with funding administered by a Treasury Secretary who "forgot" to pay his taxes, overseen by a Surgeon General who's obese, and financed by a country that's broke. What could possibly go wrong?

--posted as FoxNews comment by madashe11

Awesome video which explains the differences in economic philosophies of John Maynard Keynes and F.A. Hayek with a rap theme:


Dow 15,168.01, -133.25 (0.87%)
Nasdaq 3,794.01, -21.26 (0.56%)
S&P 500 1,698.06, -12.08 (0.71%)
10-Yr Bond 2.72%, +0.03
NYSE Volume 3,312,423,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,694,419,125
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 1445-4147
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 299-71
WTI crude oil: 101.21, -1.20
Gold: 1,273.20, -3.40
Silver: 21.19, -0.163
Corn: 443.50, +6.50

Government Shutdown Day 14: Excuse Me, But These People Are Idiots; I Withdraw My Consent

I, along with likely millions of other Americans, have had it with the sloths in Washington.

THEY DO NOT GOVERN ME.

They are, by far, the most incompetent assemblage of buffoons masquerading as political, cultural and economic leaders as has ever been encountered in hundreds of years of parliamentary-style government.

They do not have the consent of the people, as the majority of Americans able to vote have not voted for them. They are, therefore, illegitimate, and the sooner the American people awaken to this fact, the better off we shall be as a nation.

They have not come to any kind of agreement on either a continuing resolution or a raising of the debt ceiling, both of which are merely stop-gap measures, designed only to keep the status quo intact.

As far as I am concerned, they can take their deliberations and negotiations and shove them up their collective arses. They are not worthy of governing me, you or anybody on the planet.

I will no longer engage in the dubious practice of analyzing their moves, their motivations, their duplicitous machinations of public policy. The current senators, representatives in the house, the president and the supreme court, have shown, by their actions, to be incapable of carrying out their most basic duty, that being the upholding and defense of the constitution.

I will no longer abide by any federal laws nor be subject to fines or penalties in defiance of them.

I withdraw my consent.

I attest to these statements under clear mind and conscience, this fourteenth day of October, 2013.

Richard A. Gagliano
Freeman, New York

By the way, take a look at those volume figures. The system is grinding to a complete halt and there's nothing they or anybody else can do about it.

DEAL WITH IT.

Silver and corn is an excellent correlation pair trade, if you have the stomach for it.

Dow 15,301.26, +64.15 (0.42%)
Nasdaq 3,815.27, +23.40 (0.62%)
S&P 500 1,710.14, +6.94 (0.41%)
10-Yr Bond 2.69%, +0.01
NYSE Volume 2,582,783,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,451,667,000
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ Advance - Decline: 3269-2200
Combined NYSE & NASDAQ New highs - New lows: 393-51
WTI crude oil: 102.41, -0.39
Gold: 1,276.60, +8.40
Silver: 21.35, +0.095
Corn: 437.00, +3.75

Government Shutdown Day 13: Senate Talks Break Down; Negotiations Back to Square One

Hard to believe that there could be more buffoonish characters in the world than those currently heading the US federal government, those self-important, distinguished leaders who can't agree on a budget and prefer to keep sinkng the nation further and further into debt servitude rather than address the pressing problems facing the nation.

On Sunday, both sides seemed relaxed about taking a day off, the negotiations between Senate leaders McConnell and Reid having completely broken down with absolutely nothing resolved.

While the partial government shutdown (86% of the government is still on the job, but NOT getting paid) proceeds into a two-week ordeal on Monday (Columbus Day, an official holiday, BTW), Republicans and Democrats are possibly further apart than they were at the beginning of the latest fiasco.

More to come when financial markets open on Monday, which, on Wall Street, at least, is not a holiday.