5
0

Another excellent post by Kunstler


 invite response                
2019 Jan 1, 8:56pm   2,042 views  20 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (55)   💰tip   ignore  

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/forecast-2019-ding-ding-margin-call-usa/

His adversaries say he is “undermining institutions.” By this perhaps they mean the beloved DC gravy-train of regular institutionalized grift divvied up between elected officials, Wall Street, the War-and-Intel matrix, and the unholy infestation of lawyer-lobbyists slithering around the Swamp. Just look what happened when Mr. Trump threatened to end US military operations in Syria: apoplexy among the Neocons and Progs-for War — though none of them could coherently state what our strategy is there (is it to overthrow Assad so we can have another failed state in the Middle East?). Whatever Trump proposes in the way of policy is inadmissible because, according to the Resistance, Mr. Trump should not be allowed to propose policy, or order it, or direct it. Because he is… Trump….

The Special Prosecutor has spent two years and has come up with little more than a handful of rinky-dink “process crimes” — mainly lying under oath, engineered by Mr. Mueller’s legal team and old friends in the FBI and DOJ after-the-fact. The Mueller investigation started with a false predicate — collusion with Russia — and entailed loads of prosecutorial mischief. ...

The house committee Investi-Gate circus is a sure thing, though, don’t forget, minority members can also call witnesses, and there is room for blowback on the venture. Republicans still chair the senate committees, and there may be a mud-fight between the two houses. Otherwise, expect a whole lot of grandstanding at the expense of paying attention to any of the nation’s serious business. Mr. Huber and Mr. Horowitz will also release reports in early 2019. Much of the recent criminal misbehavior in FBI / DOJ / Mueller orbit lies within their commissions. Abundant evidence has already been published concerning the conspiracy to defeat Mr. Trump by subterfuge in the 2016 election, and further illegal attempts to injure him in the years following. ...

But before that, there is the question of Mr. Mueller himself. My view is that Mr. Mueller has run a colossal cover-your-ass operation for the many documented misdeeds among the FBI and DOJ in cooking up this mess starting in the spring of 2016. His appointment in the first place was a gross error, considering his mentor relationship with James Comey and prior association with his putative supervisor, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. RR remains in that position despite being a witness in matters pending before Mr. Mueller (and other regulators such as federal prosecutor John Huber and DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz), including the FISA warrant scandal, the Uranium One deal, and the tortured doings of the Hillary Clinton and her foundation.

Finally, Mr. Trump will be free to declassify a trove of documents in all these matters after Mr. Mueller reports. Doing so prior to that might set up the president on an obstruction of justice charge. If there’s anything germane in those docs, they could change the whole dramatic arc of the story that took over two years to develop. ...

Health Care is simply unaffordable for a growing demographic of the sinking middle class. Much of that is due to plain old racketeering, and I propose that it could be mitigated to some degree if a simple law were passed that required doctors, surgeons, hospitals, labs, and other players to publicly post prices for their services ...

The eventual result will be the disintegration of the current health care system and its eventual reorganization into local, clinic-based medicine at a much lower level of complexity and treatment. It was a tremendous blunder to consolidate hospitals and medical practices into gigantically-scaled conglomerates. ...

The Left especially has no inclination to address immigration reform. As long as they mendaciously refuse to even make a distinction between legal and illegal immigration, nothing can be done. The Right is also dishonest and cowardly about it, fearing to alienate the ballooning Hispanic voter bloc. ...

The larger Russia hysteria, ginned up by the US “Intel Community” to cover the embarrassment of Hillary Clinton’s election loss, has destroyed the brains of thousands of Washington insiders and infected whole sectors of the educated coastal elites who really ought to know better. Meddling in elections? Is that something the US has never entertained? Recall that 1996 Time Magazine cover with the headline that bragged, “Yanks to the Rescue: the Secret Story of How American Advisors Helped Yeltsin Win.” And now we’re wetting our pants over a baker’s dozen Russian Internet trolls on Facebook? Yes, this is what the brightest people in the room have been doing for two years. The net result is a new cold war, pushing Russia into the arms of China, giving both of those countries an incentive to construct a new framework for global relations that excludes the toxic US as much as possible. ...

Mr. Trump defied the conventional State Department wisdom by meeting face-to-face with Kim. It got the two Koreas actually speaking with each other for the first time in 60 years, with some concrete steps toward ending the de facto state-of-war. Will Li’l Kim play the role China assigns to him? I think so. They can squash him like bug. And, of course, everything that the US congress and Mr. Mueller do to injure and weaken Mr. Trump will make further progress in Korea unlikely. ...

2018 was a low point for American culture, such as it is. The idiotic drivel emanating from the university campuses has infected the entire nation like a toxic shock disease. Most damaging, of course is the umbrella ideology of “multiculture” in a society that formerly thrived precisely because of the opposite of that: a common culture composed of ethics, customs, norms, and standards of decent behavior that people not insane could subscribe to. Remove the common culture of a nation and you will not have a nation — it’s that simple. Hence Americans are divided foolishly into battling identity groups who do not believe in a common culture and are doing everything possible to defeat it. They have no idea what E Pluribus Unum used to mean and they have no desire or intention to rediscover it. ...

The main thing to understand about the so-called Progressive Left behind this toxic shock is that the whole crusade has been less about ideas of justice or fairness than the sheer joy of coercing others, of pushing people around and punishing them because its fun! The ideologies around that behavior are just window dressing.

The response to it so far has been surprisingly mild. If the financial unwind shapes up as harshly as it looks from here, the response will get more severe. The universities themselves will suffer hugely as their budgets crash through the floor and all, of a sudden, they have to issue pink slips to a half dozen Diversity deans on six-figure salaries. Many colleges will begin the process of shutting down in 2019 as their student loan racket disintegrates.


Not sure I agree with his prediction of extreme financial turmoil, but the rest seems pretty spot-on.

Comments 1 - 20 of 20        Search these comments

1   MrMagic   2019 Jan 1, 9:14pm  

Patrick says
Not sure I agree with his prediction of extreme financial turmoil, but the rest seems pretty spot-on.


I read that article earlier. He is also spot on with his prediction on the financial turmoil. It will be just like he outlines, and will be nothing what anyone can imagine. Plus, this time around (unlike 2008), many other country economies will go down with us, making it many times worse.

You better prepare!
2   marcus   2019 Jan 2, 12:12am  

I get it Patrick. Once you voted for Trump, no matter how bad he is, you will try to rationalize and defend it, until the bloody end.

Patrick says
My view is that Mr. Mueller has run a colossal cover-your-ass operation for the many documented misdeeds among the FBI and DOJ in cooking up this mess starting in the spring of 2016.


You guys are going to go off the deep end, long before the facts are ever even disclosed.

So let me get this straight. Our country is so far gone, that all of the convictions that have come from this so far and will come, are fake news, and there is no such thing as appeals or overturning false convictions in this country anymore ?

We'll see. Maybe Russia wasn't a force in the election, and maybe Trump didn't really try to make them a force in in the election. But if he did, that's treasonous behavior.

Even if Trump is right about Russia and that they should not be our enemy, as of 2016, Russia was an enemy of this country, and as such, Trump should not have been soliciting their help in winning the election. For that matter he should not have been soliciting any foreign countries help in winning the election.

I guess it should be no surprise that if republicans can't accept science, that they also won't accept factual findings of our justice system when they don't fit emotional commitment to Trump.

Perhaps, Mueller's investigation will ultimately find that Trump did not cross a line, even though some of his people, or even his son, did. But if they find that Trump is guilty, you should be open minded enough to at least consider the facts found by Mueller.

Instead you seem to be preemptively preparing yourself to do the opposite.
3   marcus   2019 Jan 2, 12:35am  

Patrick says
Mr. Trump defied the conventional State Department wisdom by meeting face-to-face with Kim.


These are the same people that condemned the hell out of Obama for suggesting that he was open to dialogue with Iran or North Korea. All the right wing commentators said how naive he was.
4   marcus   2019 Jan 2, 12:45am  

Leaders lead. If we should have less presence in Syria or elsewhere, then an effective leader should make that argument. Sadly, Trump is not an effective leader. Probably only highly toxic and or dysfunctional people can tolerate, let alone appreciate anything about his character or personality. Sadly, even many republicans that voted for TRump, know this to be true.
5   Patrick   2019 Jan 2, 8:13am  

marcus says
republicans can't accept science


Lol, the way that Democrats cannot admit there are easily distinguishable races both visually and genetically, or exactly two sexes like everyone's two parents, or that the two sexes have distinct thought patterns? Those things are scientifically true, as well as obvious from the experience of pretty much everyone on this planet.
6   MrMagic   2019 Jan 2, 8:44am  

marcus says
Sadly, Trump is not an effective leader. Probably only highly toxic and or dysfunctional people can tolerate, let alone appreciate anything about his character or personality.


LOL, the TDS is strong again...

Trump has over 22,000 employees in his organization, with businesses around the world. Not a leader.... Ha...

That's why Kunstler is correct. You can't fix this level of mental illness currently on the Left. It's NOT curable!!
7   GNL   2019 Jan 2, 9:16am  

HeyYou and Marcus simply cannot be helped.

HeyYou and Marcus look....quick...there are Russians under you bed!!!!!!
8   joshuatrio   2019 Jan 2, 10:18am  

Knustler.... every once in a while he gets it right. Good article Patrick.
9   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Jan 2, 10:24am  

marcus says
We'll see. Maybe Russia wasn't a force in the election, and maybe Trump didn't really try to make them a force in in the election. But if he did, that's treasonous behavior.


Nope.

Not any more treasonous than Merkle and Tony Blair pumping for Obama and Hillary. Or Norway, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia giving money to the Clintons, Paul Ryan, etc.

The real treason is leaking the fake dossier to the Press, then using an article based on the leak to justify a FISA warrant against a Political Campaign without revealing the chain of evidence to the Judge.

That's unprecedented
10   marcus   2019 Jan 2, 11:25am  

Patrick says
Lol, the way that Democrats cannot admit there are easily distinguishable races both visually and genetically, or exactly two sexes like everyone's two parents, or that the two sexes have distinct thought patterns?


I don't personally know any democrats that question any of those things.

Although for the one about race, yes, a lot of liberals are in favor of treating people as individuals, as if their race did not make them different. This may lead to some generalizations that are not technically true, because of the belief that we should should live as if they were true, and becasue there is no benefit to splitting hairs over details about averages which mostly can only serve to be misused by ignorant racists, or worse to justify hate.

Also becasue it's impossible to gather meaningful data on behavioral differences when oppression or lack of opportunity or other causal factors are present. In order to have a free country with anything even close to equality of opportunity we need to have beliefs that our brothers and sisters of different races come in to this world essentially the same as us.
11   CBOEtrader   2019 Jan 2, 11:33am  

marcus says
and maybe Trump didn't really try to make them a force in in the election. But if he did, that's treasonous behavior.


Hillary tried to make the 5 eyes spying organizations a force in the election. Is that not treasonous? What about stealing a primary?

All these might/maybe/if ... so far the only facts we have are that HRC broke laws and behaved in the exact way you call treason for trump, only about 1000 times more extreme. All of this is provable available fact, but nah let's cross our fingers that Trump might/maybe/if .

Hypocrisy much?
12   Shaman   2019 Jan 2, 11:42am  

Good article with an excellent summary of the American political situation. Definitely shots fired at the establishment and the thoroughly insane Left!
I fear he’s likely correct that Democrats won’t regain their sanity any time soon and TDS sufferers are going to be mental for the duration.
13   theoakman   2019 Jan 2, 12:45pm  

marcus says
I get it Patrick. Once you voted for Trump, no matter how bad he is, you will try to rationalize and defend it, until the bloody end.

Patrick says
My view is that Mr. Mueller has run a colossal cover-your-ass operation for the many documented misdeeds among the FBI and DOJ in cooking up this mess starting in the spring of 2016.


You guys are going to go off the deep end, long before the facts are ever even disclosed.

So let me get this straight. Our country is so far gone, that all of the convictions that have come from this so far and will come, are fake news, and there is no such thing as appeals or overturning false convictions in this country anymore ?

We'll see. Maybe Russia wasn't a force in the election, and maybe Trump didn't really try to make them a force in in the election. But if he did, that's treasonous behavior.

Even if Trump is right about Russia and that they should not be our ...


When are the facts going to be disclosed. It's getting pretty old.
14   socal2   2019 Jan 2, 12:53pm  

marcus says
Patrick says
Lol, the way that Democrats cannot admit there are easily distinguishable races both visually and genetically, or exactly two sexes like everyone's two parents, or that the two sexes have distinct thought patterns?


I don't personally know any democrats that question any of those things.


Really?

How about the Liberal belief that a 3rd trimester baby is nothing but "a clump of cells" and deserves no legal protections from being ripped limb from limb for the mother's convenience?
15   socal2   2019 Jan 2, 1:55pm  

Tim Aurora says
These are social issues being clumped in as scientific issues. Let us refrain from muddying the waters


Huh? I thought biology is a hard science?

If Conservatives are going to be called "anti-Science" for having some skepticism over the human impact and worse case scenarios predicted from Climate models.

Then I think it is fair to call out Liberals who think a viable human fetus is nothing more than a tumor and can be destroyed for convenience.
16   RWSGFY   2019 Jan 2, 1:59pm  

Man, the way that Kunstler guy bought Russian bullshit re "new unstoppable hypersonic missile" is hilarious. Makes his other musings and predictions so much less credible...
17   socal2   2019 Jan 2, 2:34pm  

Tim Aurora says
Heck, as long as it is not racial or stupid ( read the wall)


I believe border patrol just had to use tear gas on a crowd of refugees storming the fence in San Diego again this week.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/agents-fire-tear-gas-asylum-seekers-mexico-border-190102082249473.html

I believe a big wall would be more effective and more humane than using tear gas on crowds storming our borders.

Of all the stupid and "non-scientific" arguments Liberals make - claiming that building a better border wall would be ineffective (let alone racist) has to rank up there as the dumbest.
18   RWSGFY   2019 Jan 2, 2:41pm  

socal2 says
Of all the stupid and "non-scientific" arguments Liberals make - claiming that building a better border wall would be ineffective (let alone racist) has to rank up there as the dumbest.


They now "evolved" into claming the wall to be "immoral". Hey, Timmy, care to explain how exactly the inanimate fencing structure can be immoral? And what kind of border security is "moral" and why? (Let me guess: the completely open, non-existent border would be the most "moral" of them all?)
19   HeadSet   2019 Jan 2, 2:41pm  

left will support an immigration reform that will allow only needed ( read highly skilled) workers in USA.

Not so. Left wants unfettered illegal immigration, especially the unskilled. Proof is in what they do, such as sanctuary cities and drivers licenses for illegals, along with a coordinated effort to hobble ICE. Big leftist donors like Apple, Alphabet, Facebook, and Disney push the way for abuse of the H1B visas, bringing in foreign workers "needed" to work at lower pay.
20   marcus   2019 Jan 2, 2:48pm  

socal2 says
How about the Liberal belief that a 3rd trimester baby is nothing but "a clump of cells" and deserves no legal protections from being ripped limb from limb for the mother's convenience?


You must be kidding.

What kind of mind conflates the argument for a woman's right to choose to have an abortion, with that belief, about a third trimester abortion ? Different states have different limits on how late one can legally abort a baby. I personally don't have a problem with limits on how late an abortion can occur, although possibly with exceptions, regarding risks to the mother or severe developmental issues with the fetus. Fortunately I'm not a state legislator having to make such a decision on a law. MAny conservatives are pro choice, and many "liberals are "pro-life. This is often tied to religious beliefs. Newsflash, there are liberal Catholics and liberal Evangelcals, even if they are a minority. And plenty of pro-choice people that aren't pro 3rd trimester abortions.

Please register to comment:

api   best comments   contact   latest images   memes   one year ago   random   suggestions