Jan 10, 2023·edited Jan 10, 2023Liked by Alex Krainer
'That may be the most valuable wealth-transfer conveyor belt in all of human history....' War/conflicts are incredible vehicles for wealth transfer from the working class to the power elite. They provide massive debt creation, thus admired by the banking class. And they produce casualties, chaos, and instill fear.
How to win, start with awareness and truthfulness. Thank you Alex Krainer for your incredible insight and understanding.
Having had my job & lively hood threatened due to my 'unvaxxed" status, these claims of the evil 'others' globally wash off upon me like water & soap in the shower. Last I checked, it's not 'evil' Putin or Xi or Kim Jung etc who are demanding my 'vaccination'. Oh no, that would be the 'good' and 'wonderful' Uncle joe Biden, Gov Gavin Newsom, the 'righteous' DNC, etc. Please take note of the 'sarcasm' folks!
I can’t help thinking that sooner or later (probably sooner) this empire will fall as others have before it. History shows us that empires grow, reach their peak, fall into a state of absolute decadence (the celebrities of Roman times where the gladiators and chariot racers, now we have Hollywood and influencers). An excessive food and fashion cult, and all the rest. Not to mention that this financial system is not viable and the amounts you are talking about in the article is just so mind boggling and so out of touch with reality...
Alex, thank you so much for the link to that old post of yours. I need to read your Bill Browder book ASAP! While I'm 51, I've only been in this Alt-Finance & Freedom space for 4 yrs, so still (damn!) playing catch up at times. Yet I'm extremely grateful to arrive in this space when I did, otherwise I likely would've just went and taken my 'vax' w/o a seconds thought. Cheers mate!
"If $112 billion sounds like a lot of money, try $35 trillion: that is the total amount of military spending through 2019 that the US Department of Defense could not account for due to "combined errors, shorthand, and sloppy record-keeping by DoD accountants." That's well over $100,000 per man, woman and child "
Sorry a big fan, but this is fake news. There are errors in DOD spending, and the total spending is i guess $35 trn.
But there is not a $35 trn black hole, just enough small errors that means the accountants didn't sign off (they either sign off on all of it or none of it).
However yes - the war machine gives huge 20-30% profits or more to MIC and contracting suppliers, and 10-15% of that gets kicked back to Washington and that explains why Washington is so corrupt.
US Defence is 3% of GDP and it probably is no better than 1.5 or 2% in quality.
US health spending is 20% of GDP for worse outcomes than Europe which spends 10 - 12% of GDP.
The implied corruption in Health is far worse in probably graft and certainly in negative effect as Nobel Economic Laureate Angus Deaton making this point openly.
Alex, I've been a fan since you published "The Killing of William Browder."
What you call the "deflationary gap" is similar to what Marx called "surplus value," the difference between "sum total of goods and services appearing in the market" and the cost of labor to produce those goods and services.. "The 'aggregate cost' of producing the goods and services" merely adds other legitimate costs to the labor costs, such as the depreciation of assets used to produce the goods and services.
The $64,000 question is, "Where does the 'deflationary gap' or 'surplus value' go in the politico-economic system?" It doesn't go toward the purchase of goods and services. If that were the case, it would become zero, disappearing into the "aggregate cost" of those goods and services. Since the capitalist has all the goods and services he could possibly want, the surplus is saved (sequestered) from the supply-demand economy, creating the "deflationary gap" and leading to a "deflationary spiral," lowering the standard of living for the majority of the population. This lead to discontent and pressure to reduce the "deflationary gap" by reducing the "surplus value." This is viewed as contrary to the interests of capitalists, many of whom react by spending their savings on political power and control (bribery). The system thus becomes increasingly corrupt, to the point where even armaments are of poor quality.
As you've expained, armaments become the favored method of reducing the "deflationary gap" because they add "aggregate cost" without increasing the "sum total of goods and services." And since the capitalist is increasingly concerned with power and control, war is an outlet for those armaments.
Another factor is "free trade." The low wage demands of populations outside the imperial center lead to relocation of labor and military manpower to those populations. This increases the rot at the center and leads to the eventual collapse of the empire. In modern times, the imperial core has de-industrialized to the point where it can't even provide the necessary armaments to sustain itself. In ancient times, Roman citizens were so richly entitled by their citizenship that they weren't interested in risking their lives in the military, and "barbarians" became the core of the military, leading to Rome's downfall.
It seems that China's Belt and Road Initiative has rattled geopolitics. What do you make of Shinzo Abe's assassination in this potential run-up to war in the Pacific? What role is played by the Trilateral Commission in fomenting war against China? I have heard it suggested that North Korea will be painted as the threat in attempt to justify Japan's rise in military spending (in December, Japan’s cabinet approved $51 billion for defense), but that the true target would be China.
I struggle to understand economics and will need some time to understand the deflationary gap. I'm currently reading, "The Creature from Jekyll Island" which exposes the financial interests behind the world wars. I just got "Tragedy and Hope," for Christmas. Although I'm keen to read it, it's a bit heavy to lug around when traveling and I may need to be patient. If I understand it, the US Dept of State takes its cue from the Council on Foreign Relations, which in turn liaises with Chatham House. If this is true, it may be appropriate to consider US foreign policy as part of a global alliance a so-called, Pax Americana (US-UK) at the helm of world mayhem.
I can say that as an American, I am appalled by the incessant warmongering of my country.
According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, “Over 929,000 people have died in the post-9/11 wars due to direct war violence, and several times as many due to the reverberating effects of war.” The project asserts, “The US federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $8 trillion,” and “The US government is conducting counterterror activities in 85 countries.” Moreover, “Despite the Pentagon’s assertion that the U.S. is shifting its strategic emphasis away from counterterrorism and towards great power competition with Russia and China, examining U.S. military activity on a country-by-country basis shows that there is yet to be a corresponding drawdown of the counterterror apparatus. If anything…counterterrorism operations have become more widespread in recent years.”
NANCY DID SOME "SETTING THE THEATRE" ALREADY... 😉😉😉
WWIIIsteria: Nancy Pelosi Does Taiwan Memes (The Face That May Launch 1,000 Ships!)
- America’s favorite stock-trading granny & Helen of Troy checks up on her chip investments (on taxpayer's dime), let's hope she doesn't embarrass us (or worst) and more Nancy Pelosi does Taiwan memes!
WWIIIsteria: Nancy Pelosi Does Taiwan Memes (She Likes Gasolina while China Huffs and Puffs!)
- She likes gasolina, China huffs & puffs, gives redlines & more redlines, China's final warning, aPAULing behavior by Paul Pelosi & more Nancy Pelosi does Taiwan memes as we impatiently wait for WWIII!
'That may be the most valuable wealth-transfer conveyor belt in all of human history....' War/conflicts are incredible vehicles for wealth transfer from the working class to the power elite. They provide massive debt creation, thus admired by the banking class. And they produce casualties, chaos, and instill fear.
How to win, start with awareness and truthfulness. Thank you Alex Krainer for your incredible insight and understanding.
Having had my job & lively hood threatened due to my 'unvaxxed" status, these claims of the evil 'others' globally wash off upon me like water & soap in the shower. Last I checked, it's not 'evil' Putin or Xi or Kim Jung etc who are demanding my 'vaccination'. Oh no, that would be the 'good' and 'wonderful' Uncle joe Biden, Gov Gavin Newsom, the 'righteous' DNC, etc. Please take note of the 'sarcasm' folks!
I can’t help thinking that sooner or later (probably sooner) this empire will fall as others have before it. History shows us that empires grow, reach their peak, fall into a state of absolute decadence (the celebrities of Roman times where the gladiators and chariot racers, now we have Hollywood and influencers). An excessive food and fashion cult, and all the rest. Not to mention that this financial system is not viable and the amounts you are talking about in the article is just so mind boggling and so out of touch with reality...
Alex, thank you so much for the link to that old post of yours. I need to read your Bill Browder book ASAP! While I'm 51, I've only been in this Alt-Finance & Freedom space for 4 yrs, so still (damn!) playing catch up at times. Yet I'm extremely grateful to arrive in this space when I did, otherwise I likely would've just went and taken my 'vax' w/o a seconds thought. Cheers mate!
The foreverwar implies that we are indeed the baddies. Thank you for sharing your perspective Alex. Always interesting!
"If $112 billion sounds like a lot of money, try $35 trillion: that is the total amount of military spending through 2019 that the US Department of Defense could not account for due to "combined errors, shorthand, and sloppy record-keeping by DoD accountants." That's well over $100,000 per man, woman and child "
Sorry a big fan, but this is fake news. There are errors in DOD spending, and the total spending is i guess $35 trn.
But there is not a $35 trn black hole, just enough small errors that means the accountants didn't sign off (they either sign off on all of it or none of it).
However yes - the war machine gives huge 20-30% profits or more to MIC and contracting suppliers, and 10-15% of that gets kicked back to Washington and that explains why Washington is so corrupt.
US Defence is 3% of GDP and it probably is no better than 1.5 or 2% in quality.
US health spending is 20% of GDP for worse outcomes than Europe which spends 10 - 12% of GDP.
The implied corruption in Health is far worse in probably graft and certainly in negative effect as Nobel Economic Laureate Angus Deaton making this point openly.
Alex, I've been a fan since you published "The Killing of William Browder."
What you call the "deflationary gap" is similar to what Marx called "surplus value," the difference between "sum total of goods and services appearing in the market" and the cost of labor to produce those goods and services.. "The 'aggregate cost' of producing the goods and services" merely adds other legitimate costs to the labor costs, such as the depreciation of assets used to produce the goods and services.
The $64,000 question is, "Where does the 'deflationary gap' or 'surplus value' go in the politico-economic system?" It doesn't go toward the purchase of goods and services. If that were the case, it would become zero, disappearing into the "aggregate cost" of those goods and services. Since the capitalist has all the goods and services he could possibly want, the surplus is saved (sequestered) from the supply-demand economy, creating the "deflationary gap" and leading to a "deflationary spiral," lowering the standard of living for the majority of the population. This lead to discontent and pressure to reduce the "deflationary gap" by reducing the "surplus value." This is viewed as contrary to the interests of capitalists, many of whom react by spending their savings on political power and control (bribery). The system thus becomes increasingly corrupt, to the point where even armaments are of poor quality.
As you've expained, armaments become the favored method of reducing the "deflationary gap" because they add "aggregate cost" without increasing the "sum total of goods and services." And since the capitalist is increasingly concerned with power and control, war is an outlet for those armaments.
Another factor is "free trade." The low wage demands of populations outside the imperial center lead to relocation of labor and military manpower to those populations. This increases the rot at the center and leads to the eventual collapse of the empire. In modern times, the imperial core has de-industrialized to the point where it can't even provide the necessary armaments to sustain itself. In ancient times, Roman citizens were so richly entitled by their citizenship that they weren't interested in risking their lives in the military, and "barbarians" became the core of the military, leading to Rome's downfall.
The CSIS is prepping the public to bear the "cost" estimates for "The War"....
From their report: US Allied Losses:
100s aircraft
3,200 US troops would be killed in 3 weeks
2 carriers
2 dozen other ships
guam base devastated.
Japanes bases attacked
Taiwan devastated.
possible nuclear. possible war of attrition to exhaustion, not a lasting truce.
China's Losses:
100 warships
10,000s soldiers killed/wounded/captured
last till exhaustion...
etc etc. Why would a pro military think tank put out grim news on a US MSM that only does "happy"?
prepare. for one thing..."Harpoon Missiles" are highlighted.
See Mark Cancian's articles as you scroll down:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan
I watched this yesterday and found it revealing. Who Killed Alfred Herrhausen in 1989- and Why (The Answer Revealed After 32 Years) https://risingtidefoundation.net/2023/01/08/who-killed-alfred-herrhausen-in-1989-and-why-the-answer-revealed-after-32-years/
Thank you, Alex! As ever insightful and question-triggering post!
It seems that China's Belt and Road Initiative has rattled geopolitics. What do you make of Shinzo Abe's assassination in this potential run-up to war in the Pacific? What role is played by the Trilateral Commission in fomenting war against China? I have heard it suggested that North Korea will be painted as the threat in attempt to justify Japan's rise in military spending (in December, Japan’s cabinet approved $51 billion for defense), but that the true target would be China.
I struggle to understand economics and will need some time to understand the deflationary gap. I'm currently reading, "The Creature from Jekyll Island" which exposes the financial interests behind the world wars. I just got "Tragedy and Hope," for Christmas. Although I'm keen to read it, it's a bit heavy to lug around when traveling and I may need to be patient. If I understand it, the US Dept of State takes its cue from the Council on Foreign Relations, which in turn liaises with Chatham House. If this is true, it may be appropriate to consider US foreign policy as part of a global alliance a so-called, Pax Americana (US-UK) at the helm of world mayhem.
I can say that as an American, I am appalled by the incessant warmongering of my country.
According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, “Over 929,000 people have died in the post-9/11 wars due to direct war violence, and several times as many due to the reverberating effects of war.” The project asserts, “The US federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $8 trillion,” and “The US government is conducting counterterror activities in 85 countries.” Moreover, “Despite the Pentagon’s assertion that the U.S. is shifting its strategic emphasis away from counterterrorism and towards great power competition with Russia and China, examining U.S. military activity on a country-by-country basis shows that there is yet to be a corresponding drawdown of the counterterror apparatus. If anything…counterterrorism operations have become more widespread in recent years.”
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/2021/USCounterterrorismOperations
NANCY DID SOME "SETTING THE THEATRE" ALREADY... 😉😉😉
WWIIIsteria: Nancy Pelosi Does Taiwan Memes (The Face That May Launch 1,000 Ships!)
- America’s favorite stock-trading granny & Helen of Troy checks up on her chip investments (on taxpayer's dime), let's hope she doesn't embarrass us (or worst) and more Nancy Pelosi does Taiwan memes!
https://covidsteria.substack.com/p/nancy-pelosi-helen-of-troy-taiwan-memes
WWIIIsteria: Nancy Pelosi Does Taiwan Memes (She Likes Gasolina while China Huffs and Puffs!)
- She likes gasolina, China huffs & puffs, gives redlines & more redlines, China's final warning, aPAULing behavior by Paul Pelosi & more Nancy Pelosi does Taiwan memes as we impatiently wait for WWIII!
https://covidsteria.substack.com/p/nancy-pelosi-taiwan-memes-she-likes-gasolina
Thank you so much Mr Krainer.
Keep doing what you doing brother! May the great awakening illumines and beholds us all!
I believe in some fairly recent Putin speech he stated that the USA has been at war 93% of the time since it's inception. Nice piece thanks Alex!
Hypersonic nukes. If Russia has them, so does China.
Empire governments are determined to get us ALL killed, just so the oligarchs that ruled over us can bathe in blood-drenched filthy money.