Economic Devastation

[OROBTC]

...

CoinCube!

That is a very interesting list that you compiled.  And you have already recognized some of the limitations and surprises that one might expect (tax haven countries, tiny oil producers, etc.).

+ 1

Ahh, I have no idea how much time you have, but you could extend your List to perhaps include other factors (variables) that might make certain relationships clearer (I just had this thought right now, so can offer no useful advice at the moment).

Note that some of those countries are total dumps, and places like Qatar are unique (I once visited that country, yep, very different).

One possibility (just pops to mind, I have no idea how worthwhile this might be) would be to do fertility times TOTAL GNP.

Another thing to consider would be adding OTHER variables (maybe several or lots) and put them on a big spreadsheet.  Once you have several different variables, it is possible that you might uncover previously unknown relationships (by statistical procedures like Multivariate Analysis and even yummy Factor Analysis or Cluster Analysis...).

*  *  *

I have played around with such statistical tools (using "S-Plus", an old command-line stats program I got along ago) with our company's bearings sales in Peru.  Almost all of the little nuggets of info I got, however, I at least "sort-of" knew.  Still it was worthwhile for me, as I am a major owner of our company down there.  Yes, I did find that certain bearings have correlated sales that were somewhat unexpected, THAT KIND of thing is what I look for...

I do know that every Econ grad student (and their mothers) probably are doing this kind of thing, but you are working an interesting lode of information, maybe you will find something really notable!

Good luck, nice work.

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[1714123170]

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[muhrohmat]

one thing i do knwo while theres capital and theres political and social and economy the things will tend to go on to not devastation but yes balance soo it means every dime made will be delivered to each person acording to work and knowleadge and in the case of more capital for some countries then othrers its a politiacal idea democratic issue of free ideas and intelegence and constitution and thecnology

[OROBTC]

...

GREECE is back in the news again re a possible default in the coming month or so.  Rather than repeat a post, I wrote this item up over at the "huge storm coming" thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=923264.msg10325118#msg10325118

TL;DR version:

This time it might work out very poorly, particularly if it spreads to Spain.

[hashman]

The top fifty countries sorted by the multiple of average fertility multiplied by GDP per capita.
  

Interesting list thanks.  I would call this fertility multiplied by debt.   Not wealth.   

[Selena Gomez]

The top fifty countries sorted by the multiple of average fertility multiplied by GDP per capita.
  

Interesting list thanks.  I would call this fertility multiplied by debt.   Not wealth.   

agree multiplied not allowed i think
thats cross

[iamback]

Asia is not trapped in the downward spiral of the coming Economic Devastation.

Huge amount of capital of every form here (stored money, strong family values, obedient erudite youth, brand new infrastructure, abundant youth seeking opportunity, low wages, low government liabilities, small governments as a share of GDP, etc).

Asia will hiccup from 2016 to 2020, then booming again.

The West will fall into a spiraling morass because of all the dead weight that will hunt down the remaining capital that hasn't fled.

Anonymity is not as important as providing the opportunities in the new technology economy (for Asia).

I don't see Asians concerned with anonymity because tax rates are already very low, because government is a small % of GDP.

[VectorChief]

The more China rises, the more West would need to restructure its Economy. And then Russia is building its new spaceport Vostochny.

The multi-polar world is a beautiful thing!

[VERUMinNUMERIS]

The more China rises, the more West would need to restructure its Economy. And then Russia is building its new spaceport Vostochny.

The multi-polar world is a beautiful thing!

China is near collapse.  It has passed the point of no return.  It was all debt driven, real estate investing false economy.  Things are about to get ugly for all global currencies so Bitcoin and cryptos should see massive change and massive adoption.

[iamback]

China is not entirely a false economy. They are the manufacturer for the entire world, and their people have gained much knowledge. The white Chinese are very erudite. China is transitioning from a top-down to a bottom-up economy. These debt excesses exist in the top-down economy which eventually is going away (along with the Communist Party). The government is still very small % of GDP as compared to the West (e.g. 25% in China, 15% in the Philippines, versus 50 - 75% in the West). But it will require until 2032 to complete the transition and for Singapore and Shanghai to replace London and New York (respectively) as the financial capitals of the world.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2944974/How-s-magic-kingdom-Stunning-shots-Disney-s-theme-park-construction-Shanghai.html

The West is at the stage of peaking government and the world is moving towards the bottom-up economy. Note the social capital that Asia has compared to the West, which I enumerated in my prior post. The USA is inundated with blacks and Latinos (Filipinos and other non-white cultures) which lack self-discipline and are not erudite. Even most or many of the whites are copying the gang banger, low-life culture. For example, note the high percentage of youth in the USA that do some drugs, or that smoke in Europe. The high quality social capital in the West will be hunted down by these parasites via the socialism.

The USA is closing the door and throwing away the key:

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/06/tsa-to-arrest-anyone-charged-with-any-crime-trying-to-come-or-leave-including-taxes/

Russia has wisely aligned towards Asia (USA is failng as Athens did by alienating it's allies and forcing all to align with Sparta):

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/06/putin-seeks-to-divide-conquer/
http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/06/eastern-ukraine-to-fall-to-russia-sanctions-failed/
http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/09/kerry-exposed-as-a-liar/

The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. Europe at least doesn't tax its citizens who reside abroad. Europe may collapse into the night without hunting its citizens abroad and its has a withering tax base unable to fund a military, but the USA is going to be hunting its citizens even with unseen stealth drones from the air.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/bradley-manning-leaks_n_3788126.html


Update: I see Armstrong wrote a similar post as mine:

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/04/optimism-v-pessimisim/

[NotLambchop]

...
The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. ...

Yup, it's getting harder and harder to get exit visas tho.
I watch the ragtag flocks of middle management trying to flee US, and my heart breaks.  Any way they can, anywhere.
Across the Rio Grande and into the Mexican promised land--in yachts, decrepit private jets, second-hand asshole Ferraris and aging Bugatti Veyrons...
Only to be turned away by ever-watchful Mexican border patrol

[CoinCube]

China is not entirely a false economy. They are the manufacturer for the entire world, and their people have gained much knowledge. The white Chinese are very erudite. China is transitioning from a top-down to a bottom-up economy. These debt excesses exist in the top-down economy which eventually is going away (along with the Communist Party).

I would not look to China for leadership in Asia. Lots of factors there including corruption massive malinvestment and the communist party itself that will slow China down.

Instead look at Singapore. There you have something quite interesting happening. A country that welcomes foreign immigration has low taxation and has a somewhat sustainable medical system. It is also technically a democracy (although a very limited one).

In a world where governments are smothering their populaces with unsustainable handouts while allowing their wealth to be stolen via fractional monetary dilution Singapore's citizens are forced to operate at a substantial if transient handicap. Perhaps that's part of the reason it has the lowest birthrate in the world 0.8 children per couple. The entire country is a competitive pressure cooker. What survives and emerges from that pressure cooker may amaze the world. It of all countries strikes me as perhaps the best positioned for the future.  

The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. Europe at least doesn't tax its citizens who reside abroad. Europe may collapse into the night without hunting its citizens abroad and its has a withering tax base unable to fund a military, but the USA is going to be hunting its citizens even with unseen stealth drones from the air.

An interesting assertion. The US is likely to be a safe haven for at least a little while if/when Japan and Europe turn south. I agree that the trend appears to be leaning towards increased tracking of US citizens abroad and discouraging them from renouncing their citizenship while taxing them on foreign earnings. If you are a high net worth individual or you have a breakthrough business idea I see the argument. However for the average Jo I do not see the advantage.

[B.A.S.]

The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. Europe at least doesn't tax its citizens who reside abroad. Europe may collapse into the night without hunting its citizens abroad and its has a withering tax base unable to fund a military, but the USA is going to be hunting its citizens even with unseen stealth drones from the air.

While you do make a good point, however; IMO this doesn't pertain to the majority of Americans. The mean household income in the States was $60,528 (Census Bureau 2004). Taxation on foreign income doesn't apply to anything less than $90K. On top of that, you can contribute to a Roth IRA, get child tax credits, etc. to keep your income below $90K.

Europe and America have two different financial systems which make them incomparable with regards to how they tax their citizens, fund their military, etc. While many may argue against paying taxes on Foreign Earned Income, it could be worse if the law weren't in place. It protects from double taxation. Places like Germany have taxes up to 60%.

U.S. workers in Germany for instance: If the U.S. didn't have these laws, a U.S. citizen could be taxed 60% on German-earned income and then up to 25% on that German-earned income by the U.S. With the law, there is a subtraction before taxation.

The people you should direct your comment to are in the top of America (10%) and working abroad. Corporations who make a mint working abroad where prices are lower are not happy.

[CoinCube]

Singapore Prime Minister Lee gave a speach about health care today.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/4-shifts-in-singapore-s/1648186.html

Compare his speech to one given by president Obama in 2009. Its fairly clear which of these societies is in trouble just from the content of these speeches.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech at the Universal Health Coverage Ministerial Meeting.

"We know there will be political pressure to defer necessary fee increases and to manage the services. And it's easy to leave bills to the next generation and focus on the short-term political gain," he said. "If we succumb to this temptation, we will end up with system which becomes non-viable, and will hurt Singaporeans not just financially, but even purely in health terms."

He added that Singapore's healthcare efforts depend on "a supportive political environment", with people willing to take personal responsibility to save for their own healthcare and participate in a universal medical insurance scheme, healthcare providers ensuring that they deliver cost-effective care, and the Government adopting a people-centred approach while staying hard-headed about costs.

"(The Government must) be a trustworthy steward, presenting the trade-offs as they are to the citizens and not sacrifice tomorrow for today’s political gain," said Mr Lee.

"Healthcare is always an emotional and political issue – it's tempting to make promises and say we will do more, we will do better and it will cost less."

He added that every dollar that the Government spends on healthcare is a dollar taken from taxpayers : "This requires an honest conversation among ourselves, and hard choices made, so that we can move ahead together, with clarity on what our society wants and stands for."

Compare this to President Obama talking about health care in 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-obamas-health-care-speech/

President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9, 2009

Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan. First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. (Applause.) Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. (Applause.) As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. (Applause.) They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. (Applause.) We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. (Applause.) And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- (applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. (Applause.)

Now, that's what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan -- more security and more stability.

Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. (Applause.) If you lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get coverage.

Now...  there may be those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the risk and go without coverage... The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money.... unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved.

[B.A.S.]

Singapore Prime Minister Lee gave a speach about health care today.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/4-shifts-in-singapore-s/1648186.html

Compare his speech to one given by president Obama in 2009. Its fairly clear which of these societies is in trouble just from the content of these speeches.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech at the Universal Health Coverage Ministerial Meeting.

"We know there will be political pressure to defer necessary fee increases and to manage the services. And it's easy to leave bills to the next generation and focus on the short-term political gain," he said. "If we succumb to this temptation, we will end up with system which becomes non-viable, and will hurt Singaporeans not just financially, but even purely in health terms."

He added that Singapore's healthcare efforts depend on "a supportive political environment", with people willing to take personal responsibility to save for their own healthcare and participate in a universal medical insurance scheme, healthcare providers ensuring that they deliver cost-effective care, and the Government adopting a people-centred approach while staying hard-headed about costs.

"(The Government must) be a trustworthy steward, presenting the trade-offs as they are to the citizens and not sacrifice tomorrow for today’s political gain," said Mr Lee.

"Healthcare is always an emotional and political issue – it's tempting to make promises and say we will do more, we will do better and it will cost less."

He added that every dollar that the Government spends on healthcare is a dollar taken from taxpayers : "This requires an honest conversation among ourselves, and hard choices made, so that we can move ahead together, with clarity on what our society wants and stands for."

Compare this to President Obama talking about health care in 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-obamas-health-care-speech/

President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9, 2009

Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan. First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. (Applause.) Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. (Applause.) As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. (Applause.) They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. (Applause.) We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. (Applause.) And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- (applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. (Applause.)

Now, that's what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan -- more security and more stability.

Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. (Applause.) If you lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get coverage.

Now...  there may be those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the risk and go without coverage... The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money.... unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved.

The two speeches are miles apart:

PM Hsien is beautifully practicing the art of obscurity; saying a whole lot without really saying anything. Very common in propaganda.

Pres. Obama on the other hand has laid out specifics in his speech. He covers the insured (existing), those who may want to be insured (small business, etc.) and those who don't think they need to be (the young/healthy).

[iamback]

NotLambChop, there is USA border control on our (I am USA citizen) side of the border and the TSA or border control in the airports (trains and other mass transportion). There are "do not fly" lists. The infrastructure is set up for a massive ramp up as explained below. Also the USA won't only go after wealth at borders, it is also using FATCA, unseen sky high lethal drones (no court order required for executive branch to execute a USA citizen), and other means to take out those who try to escape the expropriation.

CoinCube and B.A.S. it is impossible for the USA to fund what will be an egregiously spiraling socialism (as the USA economy turns down after October 2015 then the number of people dependent of the government will skyrocket, Armstrong is projecting 25 - 50% unemployment in the USA no later than 2023) without expropriating the middle class and pensions. Throughout history this is the way empires die.

Please remember that it got so bad in Rome that the population of the city was reduced from 1.3 million to 30,000, and owners abandoned their land because the taxes were higher than the profit they could earn. This time around the USA is planning to not let any citizen escape. A USA citizen is the property (slave) of the powers-that-be which run the country. Sooner or later you will realize this is true, hopefully not too late to act. What debt giveth, it taketh back in the end. Middle class (or higher) income earned now in the debt system is not yours. It will be expropriated. It must be. Just study the math, factoring in the fact that as the USA expropriates the wealthy they flee with their capital which drives investment and the economy down and then the expropriation creeps down to expropriate the middle class. This downward spiral for example reached genocide in Nazi Germany, because Hilter's Universal Health Care couldn't be funded, thus Goebbels created the propaganda excuse to exterminate the Jews, handicapped, etc.. The very wealthy can escape to alternative citizenships and position their investments and capital outside of harm's way. The middle class is trapped. (Note the USA will break up once the stage of violence is reached, and will not proceed to the abyss of genocide for those who have guns and/or organization. Those who don't have guns and remain within the bankrupt socialism cancer may experience eugenics, especially assisted suicide will probably become an option in the Obamacare at some point)

Note my salient point (in my prior post) that the USA has a large productive private sector yet also a large underbelly. This implicates the USA is the most dangerous in terms of what is coming because it has to expropriate to fund that underbelly and it has the military and NSA might to do so...a wounded Godzilla is more dangerous than a healthy mouse...

The USA is inundated with blacks and Latinos (Filipinos and other non-white cultures) which lack self-discipline and are not erudite. Even most or many of the whites are copying the gang banger, low-life culture. For example, note the high percentage of youth in the USA that do some drugs, or that smoke in Europe. The high quality social capital in the West will be hunted down by these parasites via the socialism.

...

The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. Europe at least doesn't tax its citizens who reside abroad. Europe may collapse into the night without hunting its citizens abroad and its has a withering tax base unable to fund a military, but the USA is going to be hunting its citizens even with unseen stealth drones from the air.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/bradley-manning-leaks_n_3788126.html

The politicians start with the propaganda "tax the rich", but then the laws actually shaft the middle class up the ass. We already have numerous examples of this transition underway. Here are a few...

• http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/06/tsa-to-arrest-anyone-charged-with-any-crime-trying-to-come-or-leave-including-taxes/
  
  

  First it was FATCA hunting Americans with any assets overseas whatsoever. Now just two days after taking charge of the committee chairing the House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, U.S. Rep. John Katko introduced two bills. He is looking to effectively close the borders using terrorism as the excuse as always to hunt down Americans. Katko is a former federal prosecutor.  So he knows precisely what he is doing writing a law that is so broad, that anyone suspected of a crime cannot leave the country. This is any crime [no matter how petty]. Keeping gold in a safe deposit box is money laundering carrying up to 25 years in prison.
  
  Katko’s bill will direct the TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act (H.R. 719), requiring TSA to now conduct criminal Investigators spending at least 50% of their time “investigating, apprehending, or detaining individuals suspected of committing a crime.” This bill will now result in the arrest of anyone for any alleged crime whatsoever and that will [also] apply to taxes. Katko is constructing a highly dangerous version of the Berlin Wall around all American citizens. He is converting the TSA into a police force less concerned about air safety and focused more on catching anyone the government can argue violates some law federal or state. It is so broad, this would apply to domestic disputes as well.

• http://armstrongeconomics.com/2014/04/22/the-cadillac-tax-obama-will-all-your-benefits-as-part-of-obamacare/
  
  

  The Cadillac Tax – Obama Will TAX All Your Benefits as part of Obamacare
  
  

  ...the greatest fraud these lawyer-politicians pull off every time is tell you they are doing something good for a poor shmuck and the real agenda is to get the rest of the people. In Australia they called it the luxury tax that they would go after the fur coats, French wines, and Ferrari sports cars. The dumb people cheered – ya – go get ‘em. The tax passed and what was included? All electrical products.
  
  OBAMACARE was perhaps the most toxic enactment ever to be implemented by the Democrats using the poor to raises taxes on the working class – not even the “rich”. The left-wing press that ridicule the Republicans for trying to repeal it deserve what they are going to get – much higher taxes and the future of their children will be destroyed. Not only will OBAMACARE cap small business from expanding due to its massive penalties, but it will soon begin to tax benefits employers give workers - ALL WORKERS. That is correct. At the discretion of the government, they will be able to move the line at which any benefit that exceeds some arbitrary number not adjusted for inflation will become taxable income. The Obama secret agenda has been to raise taxes in every possible manner and OBAMACARE was the typical political way to get people to cheer for raising their own taxes. Obama wants to personally raise taxes back to 70% but without the deductions and to include ALL benefits as income.

• https://www.google.com/search?q=site:armstrongeconomics.com+Civil+Asset+Forfeiture
  
  

  Civil Asset Forfeiture Police Corruption Exposed
  
  The police have become outright criminals and can confiscate people’s property and keep it for themselves. This is one of the best explanations I have ever seen. It correctly states that the legal action is against the property – NOT YOU!

  
  

  Civil Asset Forfeiture Scam – State Legalizes Marijuana Feds Confiscate your Home for Possession of just $10 worth
  
  The government position in Civil Asset Forfeiture is they do not have to prove you did anything. In fact, even if you are charged with a crime and are acquitted by a jury, they still confiscate your property for legally people are never found “innocent”, they are found “not guilty.” This gives government the moral justification to just take your stuff.
  
  The real interesting development is that states may legalize marijuana, but it remains a federal crime. They do not prosecute the people in those states, but for $10 worth of marijuana they can confiscate your house and never have to charge you. Police are pulling people over leaving states where they sell marijuana and if the police find marijuana in the car, there goes the car. They get to confiscate your car for it is the marijuana that constitutes a crime – not you personally. What is yours, is really theirs.

  
  

  BureaucratsGovernments Have Been Corrupt Since the Start
  
  The greatest problem with government is how it consumes capital until it kills the private sector. This has been the course of every government – power corrupts universally. The bureaucracy has also gamed the private sector for personal gain. They currently are exploiting of the people through Civil Asset Forfeiture which is reminiscent of the Roman legions who just began to sack their own cities to pay themselves.
  
  Pictured above are “Fouree Denarii” or Claudius (41-54AD) a member of the Julio-Claudian line just prior to Nero.  These are genuine coin dies struck on copper planchets silver plated. The people inside the mint were pocketing the real coins and producing a small quantity of debased coins illegally. This demonstrates that corruption within Rome was systemic and it kept growing. This is like the missing $2 trillion from the Pentagon budget that Rumsfeld promised would be investigated 1 day before 911 attack where the missile or whatever struck the only room in the Pentagon where the evidence was stored. What amazing coincidence.

• http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/01/28/cops-going-after-kids-shoveling-snow-they-want-their-cut/
  
  

  Cops Going After Kids Shoveling Snow – They Want Their Cut
  
  Ok – believe it or not, this really shows how the new younger generation of police are anti-society and just insanely pro-government beyond common sense. With cities and municipalities dead broke, confiscating cash from people pretending it is somehow tainted without any proof under Civil Asset Forfeiture was bad enough. Now they are really going over the top. This is not an isolated incident. Towns in the North East are targeting teenagers who traditionally made money during winter shoveling snow.
  
  The police even in Philadelphia are targeting kids as they are in New Jersey. Many towns demand a license with paperwork and fees of $50+ to be paid to shovel snow. These corrupt politicians are hungry for money and any possible piece of loose change they want to grab. Just how far will society allow this type of corruption go before they throw-the-bums-out?
  
  From FATCA to targeting teenagers shoveling snow, these people are destroying everything that held society together. They look upon us as the great unwashed – just scum to be exploited. This is really going way too far.

CoinCube I have a different model of what is fundamentally changing, which is why I see China continuing to rise and Shanghai become the new New York of the financial world by 2032.

You are modeling top-down metrics, e.g. the quality of the governance. I assert that we are moving into peaking government and top-down, debt-driven economies. What is rising to take it's place is the chaotic, leaderless, bottom-up Private sector. This is Armstrong's 51.6 year Private wave which will complete by 2033. Asia has governments which are 15 - 25% of the GDP versus 50 - 75+% in the West (and the West is in a cancerous spiral that will drive that figure closer to 100% before violence and break up of government ensues).

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2014/12/04/china-surpassed-usa-as-largest-economy-by-output/


China has transitioned from a fully state micro-managed economy to a predominantly (75%?) decentralized bottom-up economy with the Communist Party only about 20 - 25% of GDP versus the Communist Party in the USA (Democrats and Republicans) being 50 - 75% of the economy (as I had extensively documented in prior posts). In the new China, you don't raise your head above the poppy seeds, and you are left alone to do bottom-up capitalism.

Singapore is rising to be the London of the new financial world after the West collapses. Meaning more on banking and a haven for the wealthy. Singapore's population is small and it's domestic economy is not as significant as it's role as a banking and transshipment hub (to hide profits from the Communist Party).

The top-down Communist Party is withering. The bottom-up (decentralized) capitalist economy is rising in its place. Decentralized crypto-currencies can rise along with this process if they are targeted to the correct expanding markets (not overtly[1] to anonymity which is probably unrealistic and targets those who want to store static capital that doesn't move and expand the GDP).

Here in the Philippines the government is small and underfunded (only 16% of GDP), so you do what you want, even drive on the "illegal" side of the road and ignoring building permitting process if not in the city center, etc..

Don't miss the boat (or airplane or train). Trajectory is important. Don't stay stuck in the decadent West too long. Milk it while you can, but formulate a plan for the future and your children. The transition in the USA to a break up into productive and unproductive sectors is going to be lethal and impoverishing. Better to leave and come back after the fireworks. That is my plan.

Singapore has very highly rated schools. If prefer a more Western culture that is aligned with Asia, then Australia and New Zealand come to mind, but emigration is expensive there. There is actually another option for emigrating to some other countries which doesn't require any money. PM me if you want to know. I won't be answering others who ask me, sorry.

Example of Chinese research:

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/09/we-may-now-live-for-200-years-omg-we-really-need-political-reform/

[1] Anonymity by default (and optional) in crypto-currency that is not touted as its main feature might be tenable, and actually may be necessary to avoid the debilitating issue of tainted coins (destroys fungibility which is a critically required property of currency). I am still analyzing this from a technical, political, and marketing perspective.

[iamback]

Back on the topic of technological unemployment, Armstrong has mirrored the essay I wrote in 2012 or 2013:

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/10/the-risk-of-artificial-intelligence/

http://unheresy.com/Information%20Is%20Alive.html

He is correct that entropy (randomness) of a program is limited to its author, which was my point.

Within our field of expertise we are smarter than Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, and Ray Kurzweil (among many other incorrect Malthusians).

[iamback]

Armstrong tells all!

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/08/the-hsbc-scandal-how-nyc-protects-the-bankers/

[Brilliantrocket]

Back on the topic of technological unemployment, Armstrong has mirrored the essay I wrote in 2012 or 2013:

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2015/02/10/the-risk-of-artificial-intelligence/

http://unheresy.com/Information%20Is%20Alive.html

He is correct that entropy (randomness) of a program is limited to its author, which was my point.

Within our field of expertise we are smarter than Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, and Ray Kurzweil (among many other incorrect Malthusians).

On the subject of AI, if biological intelligence is possible, what would preclude machine intelligence from being possible? I think it's rather early to suggest that strong AI is impossible, considering that we don't even fully understand how the human brain works.

[B.A.S.]

The USA is inundated with blacks and Latinos (Filipinos and other non-white cultures) which lack self-discipline and are not erudite. Even most or many of the whites are copying the gang banger, low-life culture. For example, note the high percentage of youth in the USA that do some drugs, or that smoke in Europe. The high quality social capital in the West will be hunted down by these parasites via the socialism.

You're entitled to your opinion, but understand making blanket personal judgments regarding other ethnicities (and their supposed work ethics) makes you appear unknowledgeable and juvenile. Don't do this. Additionally, trying to draw parallels between capitalism and the apparent denigration of it via socialist parasites supports this. Whether you believe what you are writing or not, posting this here serves no one.

The worst possible citizenship to have now is USA, because the USA has the strongest government, military, and a large tax base to expropriate. If you have this citizenship, try to get out of it while you still can. Europe at least doesn't tax its citizens who reside abroad. Europe may collapse into the night without hunting its citizens abroad and its has a withering tax base unable to fund a military, but the USA is going to be hunting its citizens even with unseen stealth drones from the air. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/bradley-manning-leaks_n_3788126.html

Never quote the HuffPo. I repeat, never. They are not a credible source of information for anything other than what the Kardashians are wearing.

OBAMACARE was perhaps the most toxic enactment ever to be implemented by the Democrats using the poor to raises taxes on the working class – not even the “rich”. The left-wing press that ridicule the Republicans for trying to repeal it deserve what they are going to get – much higher taxes and the future of their children will be destroyed. Not only will OBAMACARE cap small business from expanding due to its massive penalties, but it will soon begin to tax benefits employers give workers - ALL WORKERS. That is correct. At the discretion of the government, they will be able to move the line at which any benefit that exceeds some arbitrary number not adjusted for inflation will become taxable income. The Obama secret agenda has been to raise taxes in every possible manner and OBAMACARE was the typical political way to get people to cheer for raising their own taxes. Obama wants to personally raise taxes back to 70% but without the deductions and to include ALL benefits as income.

Healthcare is a very difficult topic to argue. Whether you like it or not, we (U.S. citizens) live in a land where the right to healthcare is law. You cannot be turned down from the ER. Someone must pay for this. Who do you suppose that someone is? I am not trying to argue Obamacare one way or another, all I am insinuating is that if everyone is entitled to medical care, then who should pay for de facto?

Civil Asset Forfeiture Police Corruption Exposed

The police have become outright criminals and can confiscate people’s property and keep it for themselves. This is one of the best explanations I have ever seen. It correctly states that the legal action is against the property – NOT YOU!

Yes, they can do this. The burden of proof is on the State in order to confiscate things in cases of criminal activity. Further, the judicial system is generally run on precedent. Yes, there are many obscure laws on the books dating from historical perspectives, but as you can see (with regard to your link), the cases were dropped.

Bureaucrats[/s]Governments Have Been Corrupt Since the Start

The greatest problem with government is how it consumes capital until it kills the private sector. This has been the course of every government – power corrupts universally. The bureaucracy has also gamed the private sector for personal gain. They currently are exploiting of the people through Civil Asset Forfeiture which is reminiscent of the Roman legions who just began to sack their own cities to pay themselves.

Quoting verbatim large quantities of someone else's writing does not make you right or authoritative. The question is, do you actually believe this or is it because some economics blog site says so? The real economist named Martin Armstrong has been in swaths of legal trouble over his lifetime for things he speaks violently against. I urge you to be less apocalyptic. It's easy to say things suck or that government is bad from an armchair, but enacting policy is difficult and very subjective. Instead of being violently against one side, it's better to figure out how it works and adjust your positioning to benefit from it.

Didn't mean to nitpick, you make some good points and foster a lively discussion.

[CoinCube]

Singapore Prime Minister Lee gave a speach about health care today.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/4-shifts-in-singapore-s/1648186.html

Compare his speech to one given by president Obama in 2009. Its fairly clear which of these societies is in trouble just from the content of these speeches.
...

The two speeches are miles apart:

PM Hsien is beautifully practicing the art of obscurity; saying a whole lot without really saying anything. Very common in propaganda.

Pres. Obama on the other hand has laid out specifics in his speech. He covers the insured (existing), those who may want to be insured (small business, etc.) and those who don't think they need to be (the young/healthy).

Sorry B.A.S you are not understanding.  

The Prime Minister focused on sustainability stressing the need for individuals to take personal responsibility and save for their own healthcare (Singapore currently requires all citizens to save 20% of their income in health savings accounts which the can tap if they become ill). He stresses the need for government to keep costs contained and not shift expenses to future generations by promising things that cannot be delivered. He warns that if the government succumbs to the temptation to promise benefits while leaving bills to the next generation it will hurt Singaporeans in the long run.

Obama's speech is miles apart. Here you find no talk of tradeoffs, personal responsibility or costs. Instead all you see is a litany of open ended unfunded promises.
1) Obama promises that those who have insurance can keep their current plan
2) Obama promises that no insurance company can deny you insurance coverage no matter how much treating you will cost.
3) Obama promises that there will be no limits on how much insurance companies will have to pay to take care of you
4) Obama promises that that individuals out of pocket expenses will be strictly limited

What is brushed aside is who pays for it all. We are only told that everyone must do their part "especially the young and the healthy".

Obama's first promise has already been broken as millions of people have been forced to transition from low cost health insurance plans that insurance companies were forced to cancel to more expensive Obamacare alternatives.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/nov/06/barack-obama/barack-obama-says-what-hed-said-was-you-could-keep/

The rest of the promises will over time eventually prove equally false because you cannot promise the impossible. If you set up a system with open ended liabilities and no cost controls there is no one to blame but yourself when you go bankrupt. The only question is how far will the government go when making sure everyone pays "their part".