Keeping up with the news from the USA in Ecuador with Richard.....it does not sound good

rumors of wars…

Kerry promises $123 million to Syrian jihadists fighting Assad

In spite of Middle East experts and counterterrorism professionals advising government officials, including President Barack Obama, that many of the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime are connected to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Nusra Front, the U.S. State Department is preparing to fork over another $123 million in aid to those rebels, according to an official announcement on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/kerry-promises-123-million-to-syrian-jihadists-fighting-assad

Edit.  On one hand government and media are tripping all over themselves to deny the reality of the Boston Terrorist Bombing of last week being related in any way to Islam or al-Qaeda, (who are officially classified by the State Department, DHS, and other government agencies as terrorists enemies of the US), yet on the other hand supporting this same group in the so-called Arab Spring of 2010 – 2013 and now in Syria.). Just like in these other uprisings, we are supporting our official enemies in overturning a sovereign government under Assad with financial and military aid to the terrorists. Why is that? Perhaps it serves the dual purpose of sculpting the world view to the new paradigm of an Israeli oriented Middle East, the Greater Israel, so to speak, not seen since the days of King Solomon; and also as a pretext to curtail our freedoms here at home and undermine the U.S. Constitution as just an outdated piece of paper.

Economics…

The Just-in-Time Consumer

"Consumers are saying, 'I'm going to buy what I need for a specific period of time,' rather than loading up and buying two or three extra units just because they can get a good price on it," says Richard Wolford, CEO of Del Monte Foods Co. He calls the phenomenon "need it now."

Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704865704575610452319977706.html

Edit.  Although this misleading article is rather old, (2010), I found it most interesting. Keep in mind that this was when the recession was but two years old. Most people who did not have firsthand, (or even second hand experience through their parents and grandparents), with the Great Depression of the 1930’s, were convinced, based on their own personal experience, that this was just the bottom of a cycle and that things would soon be normal again. Well, I’m here to tell ya’ that those days are over and done; and we now have a new normal of frugality. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that this Wall Street Journal article was a propaganda piece to get people to spend more. Remember back then the official party line was for consumers to once again jump on the merry-go-round of spend and consume, thereby jump starting the economy.

As proof that this was a propaganda piece look at the proliferation of wholesale stores / warehouse stores in the intervening years: Costco; Sam’s Club; and BJ’s for instance. Based on the article above one would think that these stores would go the way of the dodo, but such is not the case. Indeed, these stores are popping up like dandelions on a spring lawn all over the nation. Now one might say it is due to the large-family purchases, but the large American family has long since gone the way of the dodo so this could not account for the spread of the wholesale outlets. On the contrary, in the wake of disasters like hurricanes Katrina and most recently Sandy, most folks see the Achilles’s heel of the “just-in-time” distribution and inventory systems. Indeed, even the government is urging people to store and put-back basic goods for a minimum of three days need, (http://www.ready.gov/basic-disaster-supplies-kit). …and this was only a recent change because they used to urge a two week supply, while some State and local agencies still do.

One other aspect of the fallacious nature of this article is while the WSJ itself did not have any direct benefit of the “bailouts” of Wall Street, it directly serves the financial and investment communities which did receive the benefit so it behooved them to see the economic world through rose-colored, if not biased, glasses.

SO remember, folks, don’t always believe what you read in the media, even the mainstream media, as they are angling for the positions that serve them best. This also applies to the alternative media, that is, the Internet and shortwave radio contrarians, as they usually have a vested interest in selling you products to “offset the adversity” whether it be water filtration, gold, long term food stores, etc. Read, read, read, research, and prepare; that is the only way to ensure that you are temporally set for any adversity.

Health and Wellness: formerly called Emerging Illnesses (Pestilence)…

Psychiatry gone wild: One in five boys now being diagnosed with ADHD in America

It used to be that only a very small number of children, mostly boys, with severe behavioral problems were even considered as potential ADHD candidates. But today, even the slightest deviations from so-called normal behavior can land a child in the crosshairs of overzealous psychiatrists eager to dispense them the latest mind-numbing drugs.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040049_ADHD_psychiatry_young_boys.html#ixzz2RNmIxeJL

Edit. Too easily our kids are being trapped in the lifetime pit of legal drug dependency in the earliest stages of life. Many parents still not being aware of the hyperactive effects of sugary cereals for breakfast, (as shocking as this may be), load their children up on highly refined sugar products for breakfast and send the kids off to school. Here the teacher either having a bad day or legitimately concerned by the hyperactivity as a direct result of the sugar recommends a psychological evaluation that most often results in prescribing dangerous psychotropic drugs to adjust mood and behavior. This oft misdiagnosis results in a lifespan dependency on risky drugs which not only harm the individual taking them but many times erupt into anti-social even dangerous behavior in public and private settings. This cycle is surprising since the class size today is not only limited but also the teachers today have the advantage of teacher’s assistants within the classrooms to maintain control of the students and classes.

Back in the day, Sister Timothy Mary, not only commanded the attention and respect of the student body, but also provided an atmosphere where real learning could take place. Sister Timothy Mary’s class size was usually between 45 to 60 students, which she handled alone, and within such classes you could hear a pin drop because the surroundings was so orderly. Obviously, something has changed for the worse. My instincts tell me that a large part of the misdiagnosis and overprescribing of drugs is a direct result of school systems receiving extra Federal dollars based on the number of students so diagnosed and incorporated into such special needs programs. A large part of the tragic Sandy Hook incident might possibly be attributed to this situation if investigated honestly without the agenda of “gun control” first and foremost in the thinking of both school and government administrations.

Let the men of wisdom speak…

The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.   John F. Kennedy, 35^th President of the United States of America

Edit.  Believe me I’m not in any way a fan of John Kennedy, (nor his decadent kin) because he publicly repudiated his Catholic Faith when running for President way back in 1960, but this quote does certainly ring true.

Unfortunately today the plight of the famer has been increasingly disparaged as many look down on those who work the land. Yet it is ironic that the food lifeline of the great cities and suburbs of our times are increasingly more reliant on fewer and fewer farmers for their sustenance. Obviously, consumers are completely oblivious to this dependency as they have been brought up on stereotypes of hillbilly, hayseed, gapped-tooth, and largely ignorant famers. Truth be told… farmers today are among the most educated and informed of professions.

Consider Retirement in Little-Known Loja, Ecuador

By Kathleen Peddicord

April 23, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Loja (pronounced LOH-ha), Ecuador, has been largely overlooked by the fast-growing numbers of Americans retiring to this country. However, as one expat retiree, Lee Harrison, who retired to Cuenca, Ecuador, puts it, “If I were to plan my retirement to this country today, Loja is where I’d live.” All things considered, Loja, in Ecuador’s Southern Sierra region and with a population of about 185,000 people, is a perfect choice for retirement.

First, the weather is ideal, at least for most folks. The average high temperature in Loja is 73 degrees, with a seasonal variation of only 1 degree. Nights are always cool, with an average low of 45 degrees. So you don’t need heat, you don’t need air conditioning and you can retire your winter clothes and your snow shovel for good.

The people of Loja are friendly and welcoming, and it’s easy to become a part of the community. The town has virtually no expat community, meaning that the foreign retiree here is accepted into the local community on his or her own merits, rather than being stereotyped as part of the American enclave.

Of course, this can be a plus or a minus. The lack of a large expat community is a deterrent for some retirees, while it will be a blessing for others. It depends on the lifestyle and level of cultural immersion that you’re looking for.

Loja is a safe city, with less crime than you’ll find in Ecuador’s bigger cities of Quito, Guayaquil or Cuenca. You can walk the streets at all hours of the night downtown without worrying about running into trouble.
The countryside surrounding Loja is dramatic and beautiful, with green mountain peaks, idyllic valleys and rushing rivers. There are a number of attractive areas for owning a larger tract of land or a farm. The nearby towns of Malacatos and Vilcabamba are popular vacation spots, with warm climates, charming villages and a pleasant rural atmosphere.

Yet the city of Loja itself is completely walkable, and anyone who can walk a couple of blocks will not need a car for day-to-day life. When you need a taxi, you’ll find them plentiful and cheap. Most rides around town cost but a dollar.

For longer-distance travel, including travel among Ecuador’s provinces, the public transportation system is excellent. Living here you’d have access to a modern bus system, jet transport to other major cities and a fleet of inexpensive taxis to every corner of Ecuador.
Loja is built around a number of attractive town squares, which serve as the classic city social centers that the Spanish intended them to be. They’re great places to relax, people-watch, have your shoes shined, have a coffee or meet friends.

Music is a big part of the Lojano culture, and, in fact, Loja is the undisputed music capital of Ecuador. Many of the country’s best musicians and composers came from Loja, and the city currently boasts two orchestras and a noted music conservatory.

Loja is also a good place to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Ecuador’s year-round growing season means that fresh tropical fruits and vegetables are always available in the markets at very low prices. And the fresh squeezed fruit juices are so rich and wholesome that you’ll never again be happy with the canned or bottled juices you find almost everywhere else. In addition, there are dozens of well-equipped gyms and aerobics centers all over the city, at prices that even the tightest budget can afford.

Though undiscovered and overlooked, Loja is no backwater. It’s modern, convenient and offers full-city services, while, at the same time, offering a cultural richness that makes it unique in Ecuador and in the world.
Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group. With more than 28 years experience covering this beat, Kathleen reports daily on current opportunities for living, retiring, and investing overseas in her free e-letter. Her newest book, How To Buy Real Estate Overseas, published by Wiley & Sons, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

How Obama's Budget Will Steal Your Retirement

Around 45% of Americans regard their income taxes as unfair according to Gallup. Frankly, I am surprised that number isn't much higher.

Since the 1990s, the folks at Gallup, each April 15 (U.S. Income Tax Day), have been asking Americans if they regard their taxes as fair. The poll indicates taxpayers are the most frustrated since 2001.

And that was before they saw President Obama’s proposed 2014 federal budget, finally delivered to Congress last week. It was loaded with new taxes – not just for high earners, but for the middle class as well.

If Americans had a chance to digest all the new taxes the president plans to impose on them, the number of disgruntled taxpayers would have certainly ballooned way past 45%.

 Even a headline in the usually liberal Atlantic magazine noted: “Obama's Budget Would Lead to the Highest Federal Tax Rate in 4 Decades.”

However, that doesn’t bother The Atlantic much because the leftwing Tax Policy Center was pleased to find that Obama's budget would hit wealthy families hardest, with the top 20% of income earners suffering almost 90% of the suggested tax hikes. These are the same folks just hit by new and higher income taxes in Obama’s New Year’s Eve sequester tax deal.

While the conservative Investor's Business Daily exposed the President’s 2012 campaign hypocrisy about his beloved middle class. The IBD headline reads: “Obama Budget Shows Middle-Class Tax Pledge Was Fraud.”

That’s because the same Tax Policy Center admits that American families at every income level would end up paying more if Obama's budget were enacted, including those making less than $10,000 a year – so much for that sought after campaign prize, the American Middle Class.

And if you believed Candidate Obama when he promised to cut the size of government, you should know his 2014 budget adds 6,180 new employees to an already bloated civilian workforce off 2.1 million.

As Ronald Reagan used to say, thank goodness, we don’t get everything we pay for!

Now, each year when the Budget of the United States Government for the Fiscal Year is submitted, along with the Budget Message of the President, the news media makes a big deal of it. For example, President Obama’s budget consists of four massive documents, the first of which is a list of summaries, a 244 page convoluted mess.

I can tell you as a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I never read the entire budget, but my staff combed through every number that affected my First District of Maryland – which involved virtually every department of government.

The devil is in the details and in this budget President Obama is doing what he warned he would in a speech way back on October 29, 2011, when he told the Republican House: “If Congress won't act, I will.”

I have repeatedly warned about Obama’s plans to nationalize private retirement and pension plans.

Well, his 2014 Budget moves closer by damaging such plans. This budget suggests the need for limits on contributions to retirement plans. Obama has decided that an IRA or 401(k) that provides pensions of more than $205,000 a year is too high.

Obama’s budget would apply new penalties to money in a plan exceeding what he calls a “maximum permitted accumulation.” This reduces any benefit from compounding. His suggested limit on such savings would be $3 million. And what will be the limits set on other, lower accounts in the future, if Obama has his way?

This is yet another example of Obama trying to circumvent the U.S. Congress. Fortunately, the House of Representatives remains in Republican, if not at times, conservative control. One can only hope that means Obama's sneak attacks on private property will be exposed and repelled.

But you need to do your part to protect yourself as well.

As I advised last week, one way to protect your IRA or other retirement plans is to move your plan out of the jurisdiction of the United States; to locate your retirement assets and their management offshore, or start a new plan offshore.

You may think that’s difficult. It’s not. If you wish to protect yourself and your retirement from a tyrannical government, there are available plans that allow you to move your assets and money offshore to safer places with the highest yields available and they can be self-managed. We can tell you how and where.

Faithfully yours,

Bob Bauman, JD
Chairman, Freedom Alliance