A U.S. Recovery Built on Low-Paying Jobs

The economy is not creating opportunities at the high end

Before she lost her job last November as a full-time health department caseworker in Aurora, Ill., Amy Valle was making $23 an hour. Now she's paid $10 an hour as a part-time assistant coordinator in an after-school program. "From here on out, it will be a struggle," says Valle, 32, whose husband lost his $50,000 government job and still is out of work after a year. "I don't feel like there's any place we can go to get what we were getting paid."
While the unemployment rate dropped to 9 percent in January, from a two-decade peak of 10.1 percent in October 2009, many of the jobs people are now taking don't match the pay, the hours, or the benefits of the 8.75 million positions that vanished in the recession, according to Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics in Toronto.
This may restrain wage and salary growth, limiting gains in consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. The good jobs that would trigger a solid boost in spending just don't seem to be there. "In the last recovery we were adding management jobs at this point, and this time it's disappointing," says Ashworth, who published a report on Jan. 27 about pre- and post-slump employment based on U.S. Labor Dept. data. "The very best jobs, we're still losing those."
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'Bilderberg Hand': Deadly chaos in Libya, Bahrain as Wave of Rage spreads

WE'RE HIT!!! TELEVISION
Mark Matheny
February 26, 2011


RT News guest author and researcher Adrian Salbuchi  explains how Global dominance groups are behind the wave of revolts in the Middle East.

Adrian explains how these Global interest groups have a long term agenda to break down Nation-States in an effort to consolidate power and control on a global scale. He mentions institutions such as Bilderberg, Trilateral Commission, and the Council on Foreign Relations, who have for decades fought against the Arab world, and the sovereign  nation state as an institution  in general.

Adrian further argues that these global groups may be trying to oust Strongmen such as Hosni Mubarak, and Gadhafi in an effort to bring in a more liberal and chaotic western-style democracy in these regions to gain control.

He warns both the regimes and the protestors in the volatile Arab regions to be careful to resist any outside influence from these global groups and the elitists behind them.

Obama Signs Patriot Act Extension

New York Post
February 26, 2011

WASHINGTON – President Obama yesterday signed a three-month extension of the Patriot Act’s surveillance provisions.

One aspect of the 2001 law lets law enforcement set roving wiretaps to monitor multiple communication devices.
Another lets officials ask a special court for access to business and library records deemed relevant to a terrorist threat.

A third grants the FBI the right to keep tabs on non-Americans not known to be tied to specific terrorist groups.

Gunfire, new clashes in Tripoli as government offers money, pay hikes


Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 25, 2011; 8:33 AM


BENGHAZI, LIBYA - Gunfire erupted in at least three neighborhoods of the Libyan capital of Tripoli Friday, as opponents of Moammar Gaddafi tried to revive their protests against his regime in spite of a massive security clampdown.

Hours earlier, Libyan state television announced that the government would distribute $400 to each family in a bid to head off fresh demonstrations called for by regime opponents after Friday's midday prayers.
It was the first time the regime--which also pledged pay hikes for state employees of up to 150 percent-- has attempted to offer incentives to Libyans to remain loyal.

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Wal-Mart to Embed RFID Tags in Clothing Beginning August 1

The New American
February 26, 2011

Beginning August 1, men’s blue jeans and underwear sold at Walmart will carry electronic radio identification tags. The company, the world’s largest retailer, insists the devices are crucial to improving the logistics of inventory management, while critics point to the privacy concerns associated with the tags.
The markers in question, called radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, are implanted in the garments and can be read by hand-held scanners. Wal-Mart officials praise the portability of the tags and the boost in speed and accuracy they bring to inventory control. “This ability to wave the wand and have a sense of all the products that are on the floor or in the back room in seconds is something that we feel can really transform our business,” crows Raul Vasquez, Wal-Mart’s representative for its stores in the western states.

RFID tags are nothing new at Walmart (or many other retailers). Until now, however, the tags were chiefly used to track pallets of goods from factory to warehouse to the local outlet. After August 1, though, for the first time Walmart will bring the technology out of the storeroom and into the consumer’s pants — literally.

Get Ready To Pay An Arm And A Leg For Gas

The Economic Collapse
February 25, 2011

One of the quickest ways to bring down the U.S. economy would be to dramatically increase the price of oil. Oil is the lifeblood of our economic system. Without it, our entire economy would come to a grinding halt. Almost every type of economic activity in this country depends on oil, and even a small rise in the price of oil can have a dramatic impact on economic growth.  That is why so many economists are incredibly alarmed about what is happening in the Middle East right now. 

The revolution in Libya caused the price of WTI crude to soar more than 7 dollars on Tuesday alone.  It closed at $93.57 on Tuesday and Brent crude actually hit $108.57 a barrel before settling back to $105.78 at the end of the day.  Some analysts are warning that we could even see 5 dollar gas in the United States by the end of the year if rioting spreads to other oil producing nations such as Saudi Arabia.  With the Middle East in such a state of chaos right now it is hard to know exactly what is going to happen, but almost everyone agrees that if oil prices continue to rise at a rapid pace over the next several months it is going to have a devastating impact on economic growth all over the globe.

Right now the eyes of the world are on Libya.  Libya is the 17th largest oil producer on the globe and it has the biggest proven oil reserves on the continent of Africa.
Libya only produces 2 percent of the oil in the world, but with global supplies so tight at the moment even a minor production disruption can have a dramatic impact on the price of oil.

Before this crisis, Libya was producing approximately 1.6 million barrels of oil per day.  Now the rest of the world is wondering what may happen if revolution spreads to other major oil producing nations such as Kuwait (2.5 million barrels of oil per day) or Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia produces 8.4 million barrels of oil a day.  It produces more oil than anyone else in OPEC.

If revolution strikes in Saudi Arabia and a major production disruption happens it could be catastrophic for the global economy.

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Thousands protest against high food prices in Delhi

BBC
February 24, 2011

Thousands of people have gathered in the Indian capital, Delhi, to take part in a rally to protest against rising food prices and unemployment.

A steady stream of protesters, carrying red flags, has been marching through the streets of central Delhi since early morning.

The rally has led to massive traffic jams in the city.
Trade unions who have called the rally say nearly 40,000 people will attend a meeting at the Ramlila grounds.

Security is tight across the city with thousands of policemen deployed at the rally ground and along the route of the march.

The protest has been organised by major trade unions, including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Centre for Industrial Trade Union (CITU).

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) - which is backed by the governing Congress party - is also supporting the strike saying it wants to remind the government about its commitments to the poor.

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Senator Mike Gravel Calls for a Real Invesigation of 9/11



SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
February 23, 2011
Mark Matheny

2008 Presidential candidate and ex Alaskan senator Mike Gravel talks about the need for  a real investigation of 9/11 stating that the American people want to know, and are ready to accept the truth, wherever it may lead to.

To see the compelling evidence of  a controlled demolition of the Twin Towers and more, go to :http://www.ae911truth.org/

The Dylan Ratigan Show: Price Fixing: Brand name edition


The Dream Lives On: Famed Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory Joins Forces with AE911Truth

by Eli Rika
DC Press Conference Strikes Gold

Many people know Dick Gregory as a luminary of the American civil rights movement, who partnered with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists to promote racial equality and an end to the Vietnam War. Others recognize him as a popular comedian, whose humorous acts have earned him international renown. Gregory has been lauded by presidents and honored by Hollywood actors over his distinguished and diverse career… but he has set all of those accolades aside to support the work of the 9/11 truth movement – and specifically the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. We recently caught up with him to discuss the impact of this potentially historic alliance.
Read more >>

Libya Crisis Sparks Oil, Gas Price Jump

MyFoxNY.com
Updated: Tuesday, 22 Feb 2011, 10:19 AM EST
Published : Tuesday, 22 Feb 2011, 9:01 AM EST




MYFOXNY.COM - Anti-government protests in Libya are being felt in the United States.
Crude oil prices have jumped pushing up the price of gasoline.

The violence in Libya, which supplies approximately five percent of the oil consumed in the United States, could continue to make things worse and increase gas prices.

Currently, the national average of regular gasoline prices hovers around $3.16, which is much higher than the national average one year ago, which was $2.62.

In New Jersey, where gasoline prices are often the lowest in the nation, a gallon of regular gas costs motorists about $3.06. In New York, the price is higher at $3.48. And in Connecticut, regular gas costs $3.37 per gallon.

Global Economic Warfare Expert On Libya Crisis

MyFoxNY.com
Updated: Tuesday, 22 Feb 2011, 12:02 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 22 Feb 2011, 12:02 PM EST


MYFOXNY.COM - Terror finance scholar Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld says the question that remains unanswered about the ongoing crisis in Libya is who are the external 'agitators' that leader Muammar A-Qadaffi claims are inciting the protests against his regime.

"The military can really kill most of his (Qadaffi's) enemies. It seems like he will fight to the finish," said Ehrenfeld during Good Day New York.

Experts including Ehrenfeld believe the country is likely headed towards a civil war and that the regime will likely collapse.

"But as along as he's there, it's not his end."
For more information on Dr. Ehrenfeld and the American Center for Democracy, visit ACDemocracy.org .

Press TV Covers FEMA


Press TV
February 22, 2011
In light of the recent popular protests in various parts of the world — particularly in Egypt — some conspiracy theorist have hinted at the possibility of the US government using FEMA camps to hold potential protesters.

Some of these theories suggest that the government is prepared to turn FEMA camps into “concentration camps” holding “civilians” deemed a potential threat to the US government.
Such claims prompted Press TV to take a closer look at FEMA and its activities:
FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by a Presidential Order on 1 April 1979. Fas.org
FEMA had one original concept when it was created, to assure the survivability of the United States government in the event of a nuclear attack on the nation.
It was also provided with the task of being a federal coordinating body during times of domestic disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.
Some people have referred to it as the “secret government” of the United States. It is not an elected body, it does not involve itself in public disclosures, and it even has a quasi-secret budget in the billions of dollars.
The National Governor’s Association asked President Carter to streamline the nation’s disaster response mechanism. Endrtimes.blogspo.com
Like the George W. Bush effort to bring agencies under the umbrella of Homeland Security, Carter created FEMA to combine the efforts of dozens of agencies. But just as Homeland Security has done with Katrina, the new FEMA bungled its first tests with the Washington Post reporting, “The new anti-disaster agency is on the verge of becoming a disaster itself.”
Prior to 1950, the federal government stayed out of local disasters for the most part, with only an occasional congressional appropriation when absolutely necessary. But in that year, Congress gave the president the power to declare disasters and dispense monetary aid. Newsmax.com

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China official warns of domestic unrest and "hostile" West

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese government faces a turbulent time of domestic unrest and challenges from "hostile Western forces" that it will fight with more sophisticated controls, a Communist Party law-and-order official said.

Chen Jiping, deputy secretary general of the Communist Party's Political and Legal Affairs Committee, gave the toughly worded warning in this week's issue of Outlook Weekly, and blamed Western democratic countries for fomenting unrest.

He did not mention the protests that have rocked authoritarian governments in the Middle East, and his words reflect the Communist Party's own homegrown fears.

But the uprisings that deposed Egypt's long-time president Hosni Mubarak and are now threatening Libya's strongman Muammar Gaddafi are likely to reinforce the views of Chinese security officials like Chen.
"The schemes of some hostile Western forces attempting to Western and split us are intensifying, and they are waving the banner of defending rights to meddle in domestic conflicts and maliciously create all kinds of incidents," Chen told the magazine, which is published by the official Xinhua news agency.

"Mass incidents continue at a high rate," Chen said, using the Party euphemism for protests, riots, strikes and mass petitions.

"Our country is in a period of magnified conflicts within the populace, high crime rates and complex struggle against foes, and these features are most unlikely to change any time soon," he said. The magazine reached subscribers on Tuesday.

To counter such worries, Chinese leaders have promoted more of the stringent security steps that they brandished over the weekend, when police snuffed out feeble attempts to emulate the "Jasmine Revolution" street protests that have bloomed across the Middle East.

Chen said the government was honing policies to defuse and smother unrest and crime. Those policies include more monitoring of citizens to nip threats in the bud.

"That will include comprehensive roll-out of a social stability risk assessment system that covers major projects and policies that have a direct bearing on public interests," he said.

"Before decisions are made, there'll be a double assessment -- of their economic outcome and risks to social stability."
The Party Political and Legal Affairs Committee that Chen helps run oversees the courts, police and prosecutors. Chen is also a senior official of an office that develops and enforces anti-crime and domestic security policies.

The Communist Party already spends heavily on domestic security, and experts have said that budget now rivals spending on the military, crimping outlays for welfare.
Even most dissidents and other critics of China's one-party rule see scant prospect of serious challenges to it soon. Police regularly detain or confine dissidents at sensitive times.

In 2007, China had more than 80,000 "mass incidents," up from more than 60,000 in 2006, according to sociologists at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. More up to date estimates are not available, but some experts think improved welfare and the abolition of a hated tax on farmers have reduced the number.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Threatened With Arrest For Filming Empty Grocery Store Shelves

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
Mark Matheny
February 21, 2011




mrdrofdel | February 20, 2011
 
credit to george4title

http://www.surviveandthrivetv.net
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I've been covering the story of closing grocery stores in California for a few months. This Albertsons was due for a 24th closure and I thought nothing of whipping out the camera and shooting the footage for my audience. Isn't important to share this information? Apparently management at this store are on edge about negative information getting out to the general public. Security escorted me out and then continued to follow me as I ordered a bottle water from a local donut shop. They continued to follow me for the next hour as I walked from shop to shop.

SoCal food prices hit 2-year high
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ye...

Southern California consumers had to dig deeper into their pockets in January mostly due to food prices which hit a two-year high, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Overall, the Consumer Price Index in the Orange County-Los Angeles-Riverside area rose 0.9% in January and was up 1.8% over the last 12 months. (Click on chart to enlarge.)

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Nationwide, consumer prices increased 0.4% for the month and 1.6% over the last year.
SoCal food and beverage costs jumped 0.8% in January following a hefty 0.7% monthly increase in December. Year-over-year food and beverages prices were up 2.1% in January, the highest annualized increase since April 2009.
The rise in energy prices is also hitting consumers. Local transportation costs were up 4.1% in the last year with unleaded gasoline alone rocketing 10% over January 2009.
And motorists already know things have gotten worse since January. A gallon of unleaded gasoline costs $3.495 a gallon on average today, up from $2.937 a year ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.


Albertsons said this week it would close its Pomona store, along with its Riverside and Sun City locations, adding to the list of recent closures by major grocery chains in the Inland Empire.
Ralphs at Fourth Street and Vineyard Avenue in Ontario is ceasing operations by late spring. A decade-old Vons in La Verne shuttered last month.

http://www.sbsun.com/business/ci_1704...
grocery stores albertsons vons ralphs winco fresh and easy trader joes target super walmart food prices inflation hyperinflation cooking crisis economic economy "ron paul"

FBI Translator Submitted Report Entitled "Kamikaze Pilots" to Bureau 5 Months Before 9/11 Warning of Al Qaeda Attacks on U.S. Cities

Washington’s Blog
February 18, 2011
According to newly-declassified documents (and see this), an FBI translator filed a report with the Bureau entitled “Kamikaze Pilots”, warning of an al-Qaeda plot to attack America in a suicide mission involving planes within the near future.
As Sibel Edmonds (herself a former FBI translator) wrote last month:
The memorandum [prepared by the 9/11 Commission], after establishing [Former FBI translator Behrooz Sarshar's] credibility and vaguely referring to his documented and witnessed testimony regarding specific tip(s) provided to the FBI in April and June 2001 regarding planned imminent “Kamikaze Pilots” attacks targeting major cities in the United States, leaves out the entire testimony. This testimony was also entirely left out of the Commission’s final report released in July 2004.
Behrooz Sarshar worked as a GS 12 language specialist with Top Secret Clearance at the FBI Washington Field Office. After leaving the FBI in 2002, he provided his testimony on “Kamikaze Pilots” to several Congressional offices and investigators, including staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee’s leading Democrat at the time, Senator Patrick Leahy, and the Justice Department’s Inspector General Office. The congressional sources familiar with Mr. Sarshar’s case and briefing found him and his report credible:
A former Grassley investigator says he found Sarshar credible, too. “We thought he was a pretty credible guy,” said former Senate Judiciary Committee investigator Kris Kolesnik.
In April and June of 2001 a long-term FBI informant told two FBI agents from the Washington field office that his sources in Afghanistan had provided him with information regarding a terrorist plot to attack the US in a suicide mission involving airplanes. Mr. Sarshar acted as an interpreter at both meetings after which the case agents filed a report (on 302 Forms) with their squad supervisor…..
***
The 9/11 Commissioners had initially refused to interview Mr. Sarshar. He was one of several witnesses from the intelligence and law enforcement organizations with relevant testimonies and reports who were denied access to the commission (the ones that we know of). It was only after pressure from members of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and memorandums from the congressional offices that the commission reluctantly agreed to interview Mr. Sarshar. However, his entire testimony was omitted from their final report. According to a Chicago Tribune investigative reporter even FBI Director Mueller appeared baffled by the Commission’s lack of inquiry into this particular case:
FBI Director Robert Mueller, who expected to be asked about the case during an appearance before the commission in April, was surprised when the commissioners never raised the question, according to aides.
***
During my short tenure with the Bureau, I was briefed about this case by not only Mr. Sarshar but other firsthand witnesses, and I saw the actual 302 forms filed with the unit’s squad supervisor (FBI language specialists get to keep a copy of their reports/forms).
***
I believe not only the families of the September 11th attacks but every American has the right to know about this case. They need to know that this significant report was completely censored by a quasi commission, that this is one of many cases that were omitted from this staged and rehearsed show to pacify the public’s need to know, and that there never was any real investigation into this horrific event used in reshaping not only our country, but the entire world.
Sibel Edmonds herself has been deemed credible by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General, several senators (free subscription required), and a coalition of prominent conservative and liberal groups.

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Widow: Pentagon aide Wheeler ‘killed by hitman’

FLASHBACK: Murdered Bush Aide Had Highest Security Clearances, Expert In Chemical, Biological & Cyber-Warfare

John P. Wheeler III, a former Pentagon official and presidential aide

Daniel Bates
UK Daily Mail
February 20, 2011

Prominent Washington aide John Wheeler was assassinated by a hitman in a targeted killing, his widow has claimed.

Katherine Klyce said the way her late husband’s body was dumped at a landfill site could only have been carried out by a professional.

The 66-year-old suggested his work with the Pentagon over his decades-long career could have made him enemies who wanted rid of him.

The body of Mr Wheeler, 66, a former Army officer who was instrumental in building the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington DC, was discovered on a landfill in Wilmington, Delaware, on New Year’s Eve.

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Federal Reserve ultimate protector of the banking class – Fed Reserve sends a thank you to American middle class and world for bailing out the banks with a gift of inflation. MIT chart tracking millions of items shows much higher inflation than CPI.

MyBudget360.com

The Federal Reserve has one clear mandate.  That mandate involves protecting the biggest investment and commercial banks on Wall Street at the expense of the American people.  This deflation of quality of life is being felt in the most clandestine and subtle ways like a shift in the wind.  The Federal Reserve through archaic money operations has bailed out the too big to fail and has passed on the bill to millions of Americans. 

We are now seeing this through the rising cost of goods outside of housing.  As noted before manufacturers unable to charge Americans with an average annual income of $25,000 anymore on goods for fear of losing customers, many producers are simply shrinking the package of items hoping customers do not notice.  Aside from this hidden cost since the US dollar is being devalued by virtual money printing, the CPI which is heavily weighted by housing is also showing increases in inflation.  As expected it looks like the Fed is only concerned with protecting one sector of our economy.


The Federal Reserve causing another bubble?

fed funds rate and inflation

The above chart shows the Federal Funds Rate and the current CPI year-over-year change.  The above chart highlights the minor bout of deflation we faced in 2009 after the 2007 and 2008 market collapse.  Yet the CPI is now steadily up but the Federal Funds Rate has been stuck at near zero since late 2008.  If you recall, the housing bubble was largely fueled by the Fed holding the funds rate too low for too long.  Why?  Former chief of the Fed Alan Greenspan was trying to re-inflate the economy after the technology bubble burst.  The result was the biggest housing bubble the world has ever witnessed.  There has never been a period in history where the entire globe from Sydney to Los Angeles to London all faced simultaneously rising housing bubbles.

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