Born N Bled Red

The team TFG was playing for did win and it was easy. Putin knew he was going to start a war. He needed to reinforce and insulate his economy in order to survive sanctions. China and Russia are clearly in cahoots on this. China decided it wants to economically support Russia. But how? Purchase Russian grain. Even better doing so hurts the US. But just switching would be strange and raise significant concerns. So TFG's handlers get him to knowing or unknowing go along with this ploy by starting a trade war with China. Giving them the perfect cover to use their economic power to support Russia over the US.

Trumps trade war with China looks a bit different now huh??? Guess who they buy their grain from instead now?

He's also attacked via economic warfare cutting of world Nitrogen supplies, eight when farmers need them. He's destabilizing our crop production, our largest export.

1. Omicron surge has been on the downward slope for a couple weeks. So not surprising. 2. News media is focusing on an even more sensational story. 3. Omicron 2.0 has been identified as a strain to watch or whatever their terminology is.

Yeah, do you purchase raw goods from any major suppliers? How much of your price increases reflect theirs? Do you think 100% of their price increases are offsetting inflation or are they profiteering as well? Honest questions. The accounting company I employ used inflation and the pandemic as justification to increase their prices. I think businesses likely still needed accountants during the pandemic, so I have a tough time justifying all that one as well.

If this were risk, and I held Alaska, I'd be invading Kamatchka right now... just saying.

I provided a pretty damn good write up about the bad actors a few comments back, which you acknowledged. No you pretend that that information wasn't provided. Why? Anyone discussing the effect price gouging is having on our inflation rate is referring to the same thing, the same data. Yet you continue to repeatedly say no one is providing information. I tell you what google this, exactly, "inflation or price gouging." You will get a ton of articles that identify bad actors. There is even a survey out there where Something like 78% of business respondents indicated they were raising prices beyond their inflation rate, simply because they feel they can. I'm paraphrasing that of course. At some point you have to try to take some personal responsibility and educate yourself.

What's incredibly remarkable to me. Is that the same people who sit and argue that a business has every right to raise prices and maximize profits will on the flip side sit and condemn workers for making the same argument. A family's finances is a small business, you have profit centers and expenses. Employees ban together and say, "the cost of maintaining my family business and providing my services have increased, therefore I must charge a higher rate for the services you are employing." and all he!! breaks lose, their condemned and called lazy.

You do recognize that your industry is not controlling the prices of things that drive inflation right? The ones driving inflation the ones setting the price at the grocery store and the gas pumps. Those prices are controlled by a small handful of corporate conglomerates that have a monopoly and can set prices at whatever price they want. People need food, people need fuel. They can't simply stop buying them. That is where the price gouging is at. I think this is 90% of the issue with our politics today. Small and medium sized businesses think everyone is talking about them when discussing tax rates and unfair practices of the unimaginably wealthy and global conglomerates. You're caught in the same situation we are. Doing what you need to survive. They are not.

https://twitter.com/Imamofpeace/status/1497194357304090626?s=20&t=wpbdRMtyVNs-H1233WmZ4A ISIS in Ukraine???

Their Alamo!

You mean like he did to our allies, the Kurds??? https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/23/trump-s-betrayal-of-kurds-u.s.-allies-will-get-over-it-and-soon-pub-80166 I mean, holy crap talk about weak, Putin got him to betray our allies leave military equipment, bases, and intelligence behind. but oh yea, Trump was sooo tough on Russia. Trump was Putin's lapdog and gave Putin everything he wanted, from casting doubt on US intelligence agencies, to bailing on the Kurds gifting Russia all it wanted there, to weakening NATO and the UN. Putin wouldn't be where he is now, if not for Trump. If you can't see that you need to take off those Rosy Red glasses - Hold on are those Republican or Soviet Red? Not aimed at you Danny*. But others who have Putin's back here.

Sounds a lot like Tim Miles.

Is your opinion that Europe is not acting on this? Honest question.

Great insight man, glad you took the time to share.

In college I had a great friend. We'd often stay at his parents place when we were in town so I go to know his dad really well. His dad was a strong, but rational conservative. We had several great and fun conversations during the Bush years. At one point when I strongly disagreed with the decision to invade Iraq. His dad asked me, do I think Bush hates America. It was odd, but my answer was clearly no. A person does not assume the position of the President of the United States because they hate America. I said he was misguided and wrong on this issue, even if he did think it was in America's best interests. Years later we were visiting again and he strongly disagreed with Obama's policies. I returned the question to him. I said, "Years ago, you asked me if I thought Bush hated America. I said no. Do you feel Obama hates America?" He answered yes- that he thought our President hated our country. This was my first clear indication that the Republican party was failing and succumbing to fear mongering and demagogy of the very worst in their folds. This was a man, I respected and admired, and called and still do call a friend. A rational individual with contemplative thoughts and an active mind. If he and his fellow Republicans, believed that because the President did not walk lock step with him in ideology, it meant that the President hated this country and was seen as "an enemy," then our democracy was on shacky ground. It's only gotten worse. The ability to disagree with someone and still respect them as individuals and recognize their strength of character is a bedrock of our country, perhaps best exemplified by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. We need more of that in this country, not less. This us vs them crap needs to end.

Wackjobs on the far far left have said that about the dems elected as well. Hey- what did the near center- far right call Obama?

Could throw Wyoming in there as well.

60% of the increase in inflation is going to corporate profits. https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/corporate-profits-drive-60-of-inflation?utm_source=url Just before the pandemic, in 2019, American non-financial corporations made about a trillion dollars a year in profit, give or take. This amount had remained constant since 2012. Today, these same firms are making about $1.73 trillion a year. That means that for every American man, woman and child in the U.S., corporate America used to make about $3,081, and today corporate America makes about $5,207. That’s an increase of $2,126 per person. Still, in order to know just how significant that amount is relative to inflation, we have to figure out how much inflation is costing the average American. A rough way to get that would be to take the total amount America produces annually, which is the Gross Domestic Product, and multiply that by the inflation rate. That’s $23 trillion of GDP times the 6.8% inflation rate, which comes out to $1.577 trillion, or $4,752 per American. Taking all of this together, it means that increased profits from corporate America comprise 44.7% of the inflationary increase in costs. That means corporate profits alone are absorbing a 3% inflation rate on all goods and services in America (44.7% of 6.8% annual inflation), with all other factors causing the remaining 3.8%, for a total inflation rate of 6.8%. In other words, had corporate America kept the same average annual level of profits in 2021 as it did from 2012-2019 and passed on today’s excess to consumers, the inflation rate would be 3.8%, not 6.8%. And that’s a big difference, indeed it is the difference between Americans getting a raise, and seeing real wages decline. (It also could explain why inflation is lower in Europe - corporate profits there were very good in 2021, but not as good as in the U.S. And in Japan both inflation and corporate profits were low.) It gets worse, because this calculation assumes that all 6.8% of the inflationary increase in prices is new. But of course, inflation isn’t zero in normal years, the Fed has an inflation target of 2%. In 2019, inflation hit 1.8%. So if you take the pre-existing inflation rate in 2019 of 1.8% and back that out of the numbers, then it turns out that 60% of the increase in inflation is going to corporate profits. 3% to corporate profits + 1.8% preexisting inflation + 2% from government spending/supply shocks = 6.8% total inflation rate

A long ways from 5% On an earnings call with Wall Street analysts this morning, the meat giant Tyson reported earnings per share up by 50 percent over last year, driven by price increases of 32 percent in beef, 20 percent in chicken, and 13 percent in pork. These price hikes to consumers go neither to farmers nor to supermarkets but to giant monopoly middlemen like Tyson.

It should graduated just like our tax code. If you're wealthy enough to pay for in home private caretakers that prevent your funds from being depleted by the nursing home and healthcare industries the system is rigged in your favor.

There is no federal inheritance tax, but there is a federal estate tax. In 2021, federal estate tax generally applies to assets over $11.7 million, and the estate tax rate ranges from 18% to 40%. I have NO sympathy for the Walton's, Clinton's, Bezos' Trumps, and others who made their wealth cheating the system with offshore accounts and tax havens they damn well should pay their taxes. Its probably the only time the US has collected on most of those funds.

How the heck is he not aiding and abetting enemies of the United States spewing this propaganda? My how things have changed. Only 5 years ago. https://www.bing.com/newtabredir?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fopinion%2Fmccain-is-right-russia-is-a-greater-threat-than-isis

This is the real reason inflation is up. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/business/pandemic-savings.html It's the continuous siphoning of any accrual of wealth by the middle and lower class. The nursing home and healthcare industries are designed to prevent the inheritance of generational wealth as well.

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/inflation-price-gouging/ From CNBC: Oil giant BP reports highest profit in 8 years on soaring commodity prices From Reuters: Cereal maker Kellogg Co. forecast full-year profit growth above market expectations on Thursday, riding on higher product prices that helped overcome labor strike disruptions and soaring input costs in the fourth quarter. From The New York Times: Procter & Gamble’s sales jump as consumers brush off rising prices. From The Ticker: McDonald’s to raise prices despite record revenue From Yahoo Finance: Amazon stock soars 15% after earnings, will hike Prime membership fee Corporate greed is Chipotle increasing its profits by 181% last year to $764 million, giving its CEO a 137% pay raise to $38 million in 2020 and blaming the rising cost of a burrito on a minimum wage worker who got a 50 cent pay raise. That’s not inflation. That’s price gouging. In short, despite very different stimulus policies, Europe and the U.S. are experiencing similar price pressures due to supply shocks. And one result that adds to the inflation is opportunistic price hikes and excess profits. The big investment banks booked record profits in 2021. Likewise the platform monopolies. Amazon just reported profits of $14.3 billion on the fourth quarter alone, double its fourth-quarter profits of 2020. On an earnings call with Wall Street analysts this morning, the meat giant Tyson reported earnings per share up by 50 percent over last year, driven by price increases of 32 percent in beef, 20 percent in chicken, and 13 percent in pork. These price hikes to consumers go neither to farmers nor to supermarkets but to giant monopoly middlemen like Tyson. Ocean shippers have quintupled their rates, and booked astronomical returns of $150 billion in 2021, up from $25 billion in 2020. This price-gouging reflects the extreme economic concentration that has resulted from deregulation coupled with a four-decade failure to enforce the antitrust laws. All of this comes at the expense of consumers and of workers whose nominal pay is up but in most cases lags behind price hikes. https://prospect.org/blogs/tap/inflation-and-price-gouging/ In April, Procter & Gamble announced it would start charging more for consumer staples ranging from diapers to toilet paper, citing “rising costs for raw materials, such as resin and pulp, and higher expenses to transport goods”. But P&G is making huge profits. In the quarter ending 30 September, after some of its price increases went into effect, it reported a whopping 24.7% profit margin. It even spent $3bn during the quarter buying its own stock. It could raise prices and rake in more money because P&G faces almost no competition. The lion’s share of the market for diapers, to take one example, is controlled by just two companies – P&G and Kimberly-Clark – which roughly coordinate their prices and production. It was hardly a coincidence that Kimberly-Clark announced price increases similar to P&Gs at the same time P&G announced its own price increases. Or consider another consumer product duopoly – PepsiCo (the parent company of Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Quaker, Tropicana, and other brands), and Coca-Cola. In April, PepsiCo announced it was increasing prices, blaming “higher costs for some ingredients, freight and labor”. Rubbish. The company didn’t have to raise prices. It recorded $3bn in operating profits through September. If PepsiCo faced tough competition, it could never have gotten away with this. But it doesn’t. To the contrary, it appears to have colluded with Coca-Cola – which, oddly, announced price increases at about the same time as PepsiCo, and has increased its profit margins to 28.9%. You can see a similar pattern in energy prices. If energy markets were competitive, producers would have quickly ramped up production to create more supply, once it became clear that demand was growing. But they didn’t. Why not? Industry experts say oil and gas companies saw bigger money in letting prices run higher before producing more supply. They can get away with this because big oil and gas producers don’t operate in a competitive market. They can manipulate supply by coordinating among themselves. In sum, inflation isn’t driving most of these price increases. Corporate power is driving them. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/11/us-inflation-market-power-america-antitrust-robert-reich