Monday, February 23, 2015

WNW 166-Obama Care Fraud, Middle East Mess, Russia Patrols US Gulf

WNW 166-Obama Care Fraud, Middle East Mess, Russia Patrols US Gulf

4By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
It’s official. Obama Care is a series of enormous lies that were crafted by Democratic leaders.  They all knew Obama Care was a lie, and they voted for the lies.  Now, there are new revelations from one of its chief architects, MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber, who was caught on video tape repeatedly explaining how the lies were formulated and why.   Gruber basically said it would not have passed if Democrats told the truth about the bill, and he also calls the American voter “stupid.”   This is the biggest policy fraud ever perpetrated on America.  It is fraud because it involves trillions of dollars in taxes, co-pays, premiums and subsidies.  It was fraud crafted by Democratic leaders, and it goes all the way up to the President because Gruber had a meeting with Obama in the White House.  The Supreme Court is going to be hearing a challenge on subsidies for Obama Care, and I can’t see how the clearly documented and confessed Obama Care lies are not going to help kill this law.   Oh, and don’t expect much coverage from the mainstream media because it is mostly ignoring this revelation.  It is only the biggest policy lie ever, but I guess that is not a story if you are used to lying by omission.  CBS did cover the story, but only after the New York Times finally reported the Obama Care lie.
The Middle East is a mess and it is getting messier. Remember the White House telling us there would be “no boots on the ground” in Iraq a few months back?  Well, the President just sent 1,500 troops to back up the folks he already sent.  I cannot see any clear strategy or plan for Iraq.  Meanwhile, the Islamic State is making peace with some of its al Qaeda brothers and are teaming up against the Assad regime in Syria.  Now, the question is: Will the U.S. continue to bomb them?  The Islamic State also wants to start using gold and silver as currency.  In other news in the Middle East, Iran has come out with a plan to “eliminate” Israel.  That plan was tweeted out by Iran’s Supreme Leader.  I guess this was an answer to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said a few weeks ago that Iran was the biggest threat to the world.  This is not the kind of talk you hear just before peace breaks out.
The ongoing war in eastern Ukraine is heating up again with charges of military escalation flying on both sides. The U.N is openly worried about total war in Ukraine.  This conflict is far from over, and it appears the ripple effect is spreading globally.  Russia is stepping up its flights of strategic bombers to include patrols of the Arctic Circle and the Gulf of Mexico.  Russia is also reportedly stockpiling gold in preparation for what it calls “economic war.” In case you haven’t noticed, there is an ongoing economic war between the West and Russia, and there is a big G-20 meeting next week in Australia.  I don’t think the U.S. dollar is going to fare well at this meeting.
Finally, some big banks were caught again rigging another market. This time, it is the currency market, or Forex.  JP Morgan and Citi are the American banks involved, and once again, just fines for the fraud.  This is more than a $5 trillion a day market.  The fines against all the banks total little more than $4 billion, which is a rounding error in a market this huge.  But wait, after years of rigging every market under the sun, LIBOR, stock, bond, housing, gold, silver and now the currency market, there may be some criminal prosecutions!!!  Please, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Join Greg Hunter as he analyzes these stories and more in the Weekly News Wrap-Up.

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Putin Blames the West for Russia’s Woes—and Russians Believe Him
Putin's Smartest Play? Blame the USA
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The Fiscal Times
January 7, 2015
The Grinch stole the Kremlin this year, as Vladimir Putin cancelled Russia’s traditional Christmas-New Year vacation for his entire cabinet. Plunging oil prices combined with a collapsing ruble have sent Russia’s economy skidding, and Putin wanted solutions from his crack policy team.
None was forthcoming. The New Year started with another sizeable sell-off in the ruble, sending panicky Muscovites into the stores trying to exchange their sinking currency for refrigerators and other hard goods. Emergency measures supporting the ruble -- jacking up interest rates and draining foreign currency reserves – and clobbered Russia’s finances. Reserves are now below $400 billion for the first time since 2009. Moreover, the economy is expected to shrink by as much as 5 percent this year. At the peak of the financial crisis, everyone was in trouble.
Today, Russia is the outlier.
Related: Putin Threatens to Move Nukes Into Crimea as Ruble Tumbles
Though the Saudis could intervene and stabilize oil prices (and Russia’s revenue) in a heartbeat, confidence in the Russian economy has been shattered, and rightly so. Putin has for years touted his country’s strength in oil and gas, instead of pushing economic reform and diversification. At the same time, he has flagrantly abused the rule of law, deposing corporate leaders and taking over companies at will, trampling what passes in Moscow for investor rights. The country is profoundly corrupt; it ranks 136th of 174 nations in Transparency International’s 2014 survey -- below Nigeria, Mozambique and Pakistan. The country is in shambles.
Unfortunately, a weakened Russia may be more threatening than ever. Instead of caroling, on December 25 Putin released a new military doctrine – the first since 2010. The new policy identifies NATO and U.S. activities as major foreign threats, and warns of internal efforts to destabilize the country. 
Aggression towards the West is Putin’s lifeline. His efforts to blame higher mortgage costs and rampant inflation on the United States and NATO distract Russians from the truth. In a country where information is tightly controlled, he is able to sell a fairy tale of victimhood to a people enamored of his machismo and deeply suspicious of the West.
Backing up his bellicosity, Putin has sent submarines, possibly equipped with nuclear warheads, to stir up mischief and shatter nerves in Europe and across the Atlantic. Recent dodges and feints from Russian military aircraft and continued skirmishes in Ukraine keep everyone on edge. The U.S. recently complained about Russia’s newly-developed cruise missile, and threatened retaliation. According to The Guardian, the U.S. military sent the first of two experimental blimps into the skies over Washington the day after Christmas, designed to detect incoming missiles. You know Putin’s misbehavior is deteriorating when the U.S. calls him out on possible infractions of nuclear arms treaties – infractions that we normally ignore in hopes that he will stay within the dotted lines.
Related: Vladimir Putin’s Three Biggest Headaches
What is the best resolution here for the United States? Is a humbled Russia a more compliant Russia? Doubtful. It is unimaginable that Putin will fess up to his multifold failings – his missteps with the economy and his alienating foreign policy – and seek rapprochement with the West. That is not in his DNA, and would surely sap his personal popularity. Though there are whispers of regime change, any coup would doubtless be squashed by the crafty ex-KGB leader.
Putin will need a graceful climb-down, and that will in turn require a bottoming of oil prices (we may be close) and a diplomatic initiative that could ultimately lead to rebuilding relations with the West. The key could be Syria. The humanitarian crisis in Syria is appalling and costly. Millions of refugees are flooding Europe and Jordan, burdening economies and infrastructure. More than 200,000 people have died, the economy has shrunk by 40 percent, unemployment is above 50 percent and the rape and slaughter continue.
The world watches with horror but has failed to act. Assad’s regime is increasingly isolated; Putin is one of the few world leaders continuing to support Syria’s embattled president. As Syria’s major weapons supplier, Putin has clout. He can play a role in bringing Assad to the table – a role he embraced in 2013 when he brokered a deal to remove Syria’s chemical weapons.
Though the resulting investigation into Assad’s chemical weapons trove has been riddled with obfuscation and cheating, much like the supposed nuclear back-down in Iran, the U.N.-managed effort allowed the U.S. recovery from its humiliating stumble over Obama’s “red line.”  Today, it is Putin who needs cover. Were Putin to offer up that meaningful mediation in the Syria conflict, the West could reward his involvement by relaxing the sanctions. Russia’s economy could start to heal, and Europe’s prospects would brighten.
Related: Putin’s New Storyline—Oil Shock Has a Silver Lining
In 2013, The New York Times published an op-ed by Putin in which he claimed, “From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law.” Putin’s affection for international law is questionable, but he has clearly put his country forward as willing to broker peace talks. The Obama administration should call him out on this offer. The rise of ISIS complicates matters, no doubt. But, the effort could begin to rebuild bridges to Russia, defusing dangerous tensions.
Though Americans might enjoy this rare period where it appears that tough measures from the U.S. have battered our old foe, we would be giving up little, in return for an important assist in the Middle East. The U.S. will go back to 3 percent growth, watching the NFL, and badgering our elected officials. Russians will go back to a corrupt society, uncertain prospects and a leader who takes them backwards. Make no mistake -- we still win this round.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
- See more at: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2015/01/07/Putin-Blames-West-Russia-s-Woes-and-Russians-Believe-Him#sthash.V1Mno3py.dpuf

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