Introduction
This is my modest effort to identify what is at stake in these US 2006 Mid-term elections. No, this doesn’t have anything to do with gold directly, but it does have a great deal to do with gold indirectly because by fully comprehending what factors are affecting the US dollar from a political standpoint, we come to understand why the power elite does not want gold gaining a full head of steam at any time, let alone right before these elections. After all, gold represents real wealth, not IOU’s. We all know gold cannot be created out of thin air and therefore becomes an anathema to entities that would debase our dollar for their own agendas.
Please understand, I have no party affiliation. I am an American and as such I realize it is important to participate in the political process as an independent thinker. I try and vote for the best people and the best policies but like many of you, I find that I’m usually voting for the lesser of two evils. Those are not the choices I want for my Country, especially understanding what our parents and Grandparents did for the US and for world in its time of greatest need: WW II.
Tom Brokow calls them the Great Generation and we need to honor their sacrifices by keeping America on the real path of truth, freedom, and democracy. Richard Russell can be counted in that group from the Great Generation as can people from other countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada, and France. It is time for us to do our duty, and honor the sacrifices they made. We’re the fortunate ones because we’re not dodging bullets and having limbs blown off. All we need to do is sit down and try and sort through information being spun in a dozen different ways in order to ascertain the truth as best we can.
For example, this administration, and the Country at large hopefully understands that if someone disagrees with the policies in Iraq, it does not mean that we don’t support the troops—especially the boots on the ground in these danger zones. Of course we support these kids. It simply means we might not support the foreign policy that put them there in the first place. We honor those men and women in uniform by taking the time to understand the issues and then casting our votes according to what we see as right or wrong.
By the same token we all need to understand that nothing occurs in a vacuum. There are always causes and then effects; stimuli and then responses. Our foreign policies affect people in other countries, and then ultimately there are repercussions—both good and bad. I shall leave it at “nothing occurs in a vacuum”, including our foreign policy. If you follow the threads of that foreign policy over the past ten, twenty, or thirty years you’ll discover the truth.
I’ve begun this piece on several different occasions and have had a dozen different titles. But my message always seems to return to the same focal point. The ramifications of this election are creating “disconnects” between the financial markets and (mainstream) reality. The ramifications of this election have much to do with the way Washington is thinking and the rest of the country is thinking. The ramifications of this election are Enormous!
I will also say for the record that if the Democrats win the House and Senate as many predict, it will not be the end of politics as usual in America. One set of miscues might well be replaced by another. After all, both parties acquire all those millions and millions of dollars they need to campaign from the same special interest groups. At the end of the day, you can count on those groups to contribute equally to both parties. It’s called “hedging your bets” or “playing two ends against the middle”.
Why the Disconnect?
The disconnect has to do with the “facts” and the ways that the media is presenting the facts. The arguments that the media offers to substantiate their facts are riddled with fallacies. The facts themselves are even suspect. So here we have institutions and people endeavoring to create logical arguments to support facts that are not based in reality. Then, those arguments are riddled with fallacies. This makes it extraordinarily difficult for voters to make the “correct” decision, and in many cases to even ascertain what the choices might be. However, the more the obfuscation, the more the special interests can count on themselves as being the ultimate winners and the American Citizen as being the ultimate loser.
A good example, although rather mundane at this point, is the idea that the US went into Iraq to purge that Country of weapons of mass destruction. However, that was a “fact” that was proven incorrect. Then we were bombarded with arguments by many different factions that were riddled with fallacies, as to why that “fact” was indeed a truism.
You know the drill from there. The good citizens of the United States and of course, the world, were then presented with other reasons as to why it was necessary to invade Iraq including the idea that Hussein was a threat to the region (wrong), Iraq was a haven for terrorists (wrong; although it is today) and then the idea was to bring freedom and democracy to that Country, thereby making the world a better place. However, the world does not see it that way.
We all have our opinions as to why the US invaded Iraq. Mine have not changed since the inception of the war. The reasons had everything to do with oil. This would include the use of Euros as a medium of exchange for that oil, and the necessity of building military bases in the middle East in order to utilize force in that region if that oil were to be put in jeopardy. Oil is simply the Life’s Blood of the West.
If citizens of any country accept everything politicians say at face value, then we have not learned from the events of the past; we have not benefited from all those potential lessons.
Unfortunately, it is truly time to clean house—and while we’re at it–the Senate as well. It is time to end “career politicians” as we know them. I think of one man in particular who might be the exception. That would be Ron Paul from Texas, who has held his office with honor, but unfortunately, so many of the other choices leave much to be desired. Career politicians usually have one agenda and by now we should all know what that agenda is—to get reelected. This kind of mentality has to change along with the entire political process if America is to remain the Country that the world once knew, loved, and respected.
That is what I’d like to focus on if you’ll bear with me.
These mid-term elections in the US are perhaps some of the most important ones in the last fifty years. No, it is NOT, the “same old, same old”. It is imperative to understand the real issues at stake; namely, your personal freedom, the freedom of the Country at large, a cleaner environment, the world we leave our children, and the nature of the War in Iraq. Vote your conscience—but please vote. These elections have everything to do with:
- How the balance of power in Washington DC will swing as this will affect foreign policy
- How the balance of power in the individual States will swing; signifying once again that all politics are local.
- How the Iraq war will be wound up, wound down, or wound sideways.
- How the domestic issues will be addressed—many of which have been stalemated in Congress. This will most likely include a shift in the tax structure and it is time for a flat tax.
- How the election itself will be conducted and how it will affect future elections.
This last item could turn out to be the most significant one. Certain groups are championing the Dibold (electronic) voting machines—very, very bad idea. Without a paper trail—one name to one vote which can be easily substantiated; we could begin to see irregularities arise. Irregularities will mean more FFF. Future Florida Fiascos! It is very easy to manipulate computers if you have the codes. While banks use this technology in their ATM machines and it can be relatively safe, it can also be manipulated and abused.
When power is at stake, what does your “gut” tell you? When real power is at stake, “anything goes” and both sides will do anything “in their power” to win because the “prize” is so enormous.
US Elections are coming into question and without some diligence on the part of the citizens of this country including the loyal opposition; we might well end up back where this wonderful exercise in democracy all started—at the beginning.
What is Really Happening?
What I see happening is that the news coming out of this administration is being kept as positive as possible in order to calm the populace. The Dow breaking new records, the gasoline price declining significantly, and the prices at the malls and the car lots are low. It almost feels as though they’ll pay you to buy a car!
I would also have to ask myself about:
- Iraq – Iraq - Iraq
- Health care—the inability of (especially middle class) families to purchase it
- Housing—the idea that its on the bubble
- Immigration issues—the result of which is draining big dollars from the local treasuries
- Scandals—in Congress on both sides of the isle; in business vis a vis Enron
- Account and Trade deficits, along with the unfathomable debt by US citizens
- Patriot Act, Parts I, and II—the antithesis of the US Constitution
- Military Commissions act passed on October 17, 2006—ditto No 7.
- Executive Branch- out of control in their quest for power; imbalances with the Legislative and Judicial Branches
- Views of the World—the negative way the rest of the world perceives the US
- Nuclear proliferation—The North Korean and Iranian problems
- Special Interests that are now controlling Congress; there is very little fundamental difference between the Republicans and Democrats—follow the money!
- US manufacturing—the total lack thereof; we make very little for the world-this in itself is one of the most serious problems facing this country.
- Declining Educational Standards—could be one of the most profound and systemic failures of the United States
- A US middle Class that is shrinking not expanding—never a good thing
- Addressing the Real Issues of the day—the real issues are being swept under the rug in favor of more “newsworthy” items
I’m sure you’ve gotten point and could add a dozen other issues yourself. Things just are not looking that great. But the Republican Spin machine is in high gear and the Democratic one is not far behind. That means that they will not refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserves until after the election and that the Working Group on Financial markets will be doing their thing. Both sides will also make certain that gold will not create any excitement before the election.
Yes, currently, it is all about the election and we should all be smart enough to know that just as we should be smart enough to realize that gold is real money and fiat currencies are an iou nothing.
Buckler’s take on the Matter
In my mind, no one states the case for rationality on a geopolitical scale better than Bill Buckler (www.the-privateer.com ). In his latest Gold Commentary, the “Captain of the Privateer”, says it all in his title “The most Important US Elections-Ever!
He is correct—these are indeed the most important elections ever because we have an administration that is hell bent on taking away as many of our freedoms as possible under the guise of protecting us. They have taken the tragedy of 9-11 and twisted it to meet their own agenda. That agenda is to give the Executive Branch as much power as possible.
Last October 17, 2006 just before Congress departed for their home turf, they approved the Military Commissions Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/).
Please take the time to review it.
These elections are all about whether we are going to allow this administration to keep on the course that they have embarked upon or whether America is going to wake up and figure out that what is occurring is tantamount to a trampling of the US Constitution. It begins as little baby steps but you put enough of those steps together and soon one is viewing a major leap.
Vote!
We have a system in the United States that has become flawed due to abuse by the political parties, the special interest groups, and a somewhat apathetic public. But it is our system and it is a system that millions of men and women have fought and died to protect and defend. Currently, only partial truths are getting out to the mainstream. If you want the real truth, you have to dig for it—you have to put effort into the discovery process. It shouldn’t be that way but such is the way of the world.
The only way it will get better is if we all get involved on one level or another. My suggestion is to vote in your elections and then do one additional thing which expresses your views. Just one thing! Regardless of which side of the aisle you reside, the most important thing you can do is to express yourself and to get involved on a local, state, or national level. Honest to goodness, the only way we get our Country back is if we become involved in the political process.
Remember, that in a true democracy discourse and public debate are one of the most important elements. When you see or hear any part of the truth being hidden from the public, whether it is on a corporate or government level, you know that the country is moving in the wrong direction.
We need transparency in all public entities: government and corporate and if we don’t have it, then we start moving towards an authoritarian state of affairs. The Internet and the Web have contributed greatly to that transparency but as with all things of this nature, our diligence and awareness are mandatory.
Just as we have a few years before the green house gases cause an ecological and economic disaster, we have but a few years to get our country back on course.
Get out and Vote!
Until next time,
D. Stewart Armstrong
Posted by D.Stewart Armstrong in Articles