Posted on 06/30/2009 3:02:11 PM PDT by jacquej
Perhaps its time.
There have been a number of people on the forum talking about this, with one of the most recent converts being "iflyjetzzz".
Look, we can rant and rave about market manipulation and government-sponsored games. We can petition the SEC, the FBI and Congress. We can demand that they stop it all we want.
But they haven't and likely won't until and unless America gets pissed off enough to force them to act.
So how do we make that happen, yet remain within the law?
Its not that hard, and in the intermediate and longer-term it would be incredibly positive for our economy and nation.
We go on a consumption strike until and unless our demands are met.
What are our demands? Here's the list:
All the financial fraudsters are investigated, indicted, and prosecuted. This includes the con artists in CONgress who got "special deals" from Mozilo and his "Friends of Angelo" program (and who are blocking a subpoena to BofA as it would implicate them), it includes those past and current members of Government Sachs, and it includes all those other financial "professionals" who deceived Americans and others with their sale of toxic exploding mortgage products along with the securities supposedly backed by them.
Glass-Steagall is restored, in full, and all the firms that can't exist under it are broken up. Period.
The insider-trading that has become blatant and outrageous is prosecuted where illegal and where not, is made illegal and then prosecuted, with the focus being on the size of the scam. This includes obvious circumstances such as August 2007 (Bernanke's phone logs were FOIA'd) where trading patterns made clear that "certain someones" had foreknowledge of the discount rate cut along with Congresspeople who were briefed on the TARP and within hours or days made significant stock trades.
Today if you're Martha Stewart you're prosecuted where if you make millions in an hour by exploiting government information "leaks" the SEC and FBI look the other way.
The Government withdraws all of its backstopping of financial firms who created this mess. All of it. If you're a bank or other firm and did something imprudent, you fail. Period. This is true whether you're a small regional bank (as is happening now; 5 in the last week) or a big behemoth like Citibank or Bank Of America.
No "special deals", no "special guarantees", nothing of the kind. If the government wishes to avoid "systemic risk" then the government regulators can do their damn job.
The Fed disgorges all of its improperly-acquired MBS and other related securities. If it doesn't have a full-faith-and-credit guarantee and was bought, it is disgorged - period.
The Fed agrees to full annual audits without exception.
Those people inside government who conspired with certain bankers to cook the books, along with those in the banks who did so, go to jail.
Our own Office of The Inspector General in the government has confirmed that there was an active conspiracy to break the law within the OTS, but not one indictment has been issued.
Those who committed fraud in the creation of this economic mess, whether they be mortgage lenders, those who packaged up securities while intentionally omitting credit information, those in the real estate industry to pressed for appraisal fraud and others are investigated, prosecuted and if convicted jailed. All of them.
Losses are born by those who made bad decisions, not the taxpayer generally. Those who made good decisions get to reap the benefits, while those who made bad decisions eat the losses. No exceptions.
Government cuts the annual budget deficit to zero. If government wants to blow the money it has to have the money. If they can't raise the money they don't spend it. It is time to live within our means and hold government to account for its profligate spending along with promises of "benefits" they know they cannot actually deliver down the road such as Medicare Part D.
Until then the position of those who wish to join is simple: No non-essential purchases of anything are made. Period.
What's an essential purchase? Here's the list:
Enough food to eat at home. No more eating out. Rent and utilities. Essential medical services. Enough fuel to get to and from work. In addition any "excess withholding" is stopped; if you are getting a big fat refund from the IRS every year you are loaning the government your money at zero interest until April. Stop that; its stupid. Change your W4 so you get exactly nothing back or owe a tiny amount; if you pay estimates pay only that which you must and not one dime more.
Note that it is unlawful to use your W4 to intentionally under-withhold, but you are in fact not obligated to pay one more dime in tax than you actually owe. There is nothing wrong with adjusting withholding to match (as close as you reasonably can) your actual tax obligation.
Put the money you save (it will be a lot!) into a non-TARP Credit Union if you have one available to you, or a non-TARP local bank if you do not. Spend none of it.
If we pledge to do this and not resume normal spending habits on wants as opposed to needs until and unless the budget is balanced, the bailouts are rolled back and those who committed fraud go to prison the government will be forced to act as they will simply run out of money.
They cannot force you to buy that new iPOD or flatscreen TV, or to take an expensive vacation.
Consumer spending is 70% of the economy.
This is a consumer weapon that is more powerful than any other means of peaceful protest. Strangling the government and private business' ability to steal from us all by cutting off their revenue will force reform, and has the additional benefit of being exactly what this nation needs to provide a strong capital formation base when that reform is complete.
If businesses want my money they can join in the chorus of voices demanding that government stop the looting and start prosecuting.
Will any of us be perfect in this endeavor? No. There will be the occasional indulgence I'm sure no matter who we are. But I'm willing to bet we can shrink consumption - each and every one of us - by at least 10% without any real personal pain at all, and if we do so it will send an indelible message to those in government and business: cut that crap out!
July 4th is Independence Day.
Let's make it a day of freedom from the banksters and government financial marauders.
Who's with me?
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bttt
Homosexuals stole the color purple and image of the rainbow to show their support for their agenda, why can’t conservatives come up with a standardized symbol/color to identify ourselves to each other like a red, white and blue symbol. Put in in your store window, on your businesses vehicles, advertisements, etc.
I would hate to hurt the business of a fellow patriot in attempting to starve the beast. Pay conservative owned businesses in cash or precious metals. It is up to them to choose whether or not to report this income to the IRS ; )
If the business supports the Democrats socialist agenda, starve that business which feeds the beast.
That’s a good idea. How about just the Dollar Sign - like Galt used?
I listened to a WSJ report today that said oil prices were going down due “consumer confidence” being low......???
Sounds like starving the beast is working to me .
People are not spending. I had to go get a new mouse for my computer and the store I went to was EMPTY compared to what it normally was. Bought the cheapest trackball they had and left after the clerk gave me a sales pitch on what was on sale 50% off etc etc.......the stores are hurting IMO.
Starve the Beast !
Took my Mom to the range last weekend and let her burn up a 100 rounds of .22 ammo in my S&W 317 .22 revolver and then made her shoot her SW 637 snub with some light reloads that are along the same lines of recoil etc as the Glaser blues I gave her for it as defense loads. She worked the HKS Speed loaders like a pro with 2 boxes of reloads and was happy as a little kid in a mud hole !
She has 2 of the 637’s, one in her bedroom the other in her living room and each has 3 spare speed-loaders filled w/ Glaser blues. We discuss her security. She was always of the opinion her simple screen door would stop a bad guy because they couldn’t get in without breaking the door.
When we bought her new pella storm doors I told the installer to wait while I showed my Mom how her old storm doors were protecting her. I jerked on the door after I had her lock it as she always did and it just came apart and I had her by the collar in mere instant.
She was enlightened to say the least and now when alone she keeps her little revolvers handy as in arms reach where ever she is setting. She liked my crimson trace grips I have on the little 317SW and now wants em for her snub guns.......money well spent IMO. Shopping this weekend for her.....:o)
We need more people like your Mom who ain't afraid to protect themselves.
>>> Maybe small business owners could consider giving discounts to people who pay in gold or silver?
Cash works just as well for now. Did one of those just yesterday.
I would hold on to that gold until they destroy the dollar.
Won’t be long though at this rate... that’s the new form of savings for the smart ones.
I owned a store that employed 4 people for several years. If those mom and pop stores sell things i need i will buy them. if they sell useless crap, i won’t. if the owners of those stores also make a decision to “starve the beast” then they can probably afford to have their sales reduced somewhat by the rest of us that are in the “galt” mode.
Stupid people should be allowed to live only as long as they possess the common sense to do so.....
Here in Texas OC spray is referred to as spice. A friend of mine who teaches the CHL class demonstrates the fact that OC hurts an stings most yet will only deter 1 out of 5 attackers.
Handgun properly applied will deter 5 out of 5.
I have zero sympathy for those who prefer to be a victim. Sadly their decision puts their families at risk also IMO.
Stay Safe troop .....
Eye opener training is best for awareness. Even walking across a parking lot in condition red one can lose due a threat being allowed to close.
Tell Soap Girl I said she’s getting slow in her old age.......;o)
Thank you for your most excellent reply. It amounts to us being clever, obeying the law yet undermining this illegitimate government.
Use the public library. If your local library doesn't have the book, CD or DVD, see if it is a member of a Library System which allows you to borrow from another library in that system.
We had some good practice last summer. We live in an area where we never get any foot traffic and vehicles stop and turn around when they hit my trespasser will be shot sign. My wife woke me up at 0200 and said someone just broke into the house. I grabbed my Glock and she grabbed her H&R .22. When I got to the living room I noticed the screen had been knocked in. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her dumb dog walking toward me from the kitchen. A storm was brewing out west and she decided to ride it out inside the house. The reason I didn't blast her is because when I walked into the living room I smelled her and thought maybe she was the one in the house. She's an outside dog and stinks like one of the stagnant ponds on the back side of my property.
It was good practice. My wife did good covering the hallways while I cleared the rooms.
Had a dog like that named Charlie .....least hit of lightning and Charlie was in freaked mode and we’d have to chase him to the next state he would be so scared of lightning and thunder..........
Neat story.......
I still clear rooms at oh dark thirty with inert frag grenade. Toss it in , spoon pops off and if I hear anything scrambling larger that a house fly I recon by fire with an EBR or 12 ga Shotgun.
Oh yeah 4th is this weekend ! Arty & Grenade simulators.... now where did I put them ?:o)
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