5UX - America https://5ux.com/category/america en Interesting Timing: Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation In Rafah “In Mid-April Or Early May” https://5ux.com/news/interesting-timing-israel-reportedly-getting-ready-launch-massive-ground-operation-rafah-mid <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Swords-of-Iron-IDF-sniper-and-a-Negev-machine-gun-operator-cover-the-Israeli-troopers-IDF-Photo-on-Wikimedia-Commons-560x315.jpg" /></p><p>An Israeli ground operation in Rafah is a “red line” for Hezbollah and Iran, and so once the IDF goes in the entire region could explode.  Of course if Israel intends to destroy Hamas, an operation in Rafah is necessary, because that it where Hamas is hiding.  Israeli officials have been telling us over and over again that there will be a ground operation in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration or anyone else thinks, and now we have a timeline.  The following is from a Times of Israel article entitled “Report: Israel preparing for Rafah ground operation in mid April or early May”…</p> <blockquote><p>Following the failure of the latest round of negotiations in Qatar, Israel is not willing to make any further concessions to Hamas and is gearing up for an invasion of Rafah after Eid al-Fitr — the three-day holiday that follows Ramadan and ends around April 12 — or in early May at the latest, according to Egyptian sources who have been in contact with IDF officials, quoted by the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily.</p> </blockquote> <p>That is very interesting timing.</p> <p>If this report is accurate, we are likely to see a ground operation in Rafah shortly after the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th.</p> <p>According to that same Times of Israel article, the ground operation in Rafah “would last between four and eight weeks”…</p> <blockquote><p>The ground op inside the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip would last between four and eight weeks, the sources say, and would be accompanied by an evacuation of the civilian population sheltering in Rafah, which amounts to about 1.5 million people, toward the center of the Strip along specific routes and at specific times, announced to civilians in each area of Rafah in advance.</p> <p>The mass evacuation would be monitored from the ground and the air to ensure that no Hamas fighters or Israeli hostages are hidden among the Gazan civilians, the Egyptian officials say.</p> </blockquote> <p>Normally, in a military conflict you would never want to tell the enemy what you are going to do or when you are going to do it.</p> <p>But in this case the Israelis are trying to keep events from spiraling out of control.</p> <p>Unfortunately, it won’t work.</p> <p>We are on the verge of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, and it certainly won’t take much to push things over the edge.</p> <p>On Tuesday, the IDF conducted their deepest strike into Lebanese territory so far…</p> <blockquote><p>The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday another rare strike conducted deep into Lebanese territory. The strikes targeted “a military compound used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit” in the Baalbek District which is in the northeast of the country.</p> <p>This <strong>marks the deepest Israeli strike inside Lebanon since the war began</strong> in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, at more than 110km from Israel’s border.</p> </blockquote> <p>In response, Hezbollah fired a bunch of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday…</p> <blockquote><p>Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, killing one person, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on a Lebanese village.</p> <p>Lebanese sources said seven people were killed in the Israeli attack overnight on Habbariyeh, making it one of the deadliest in recent violence.</p> <p>Israel said militants were killed, including one involved in attacks on Israel.</p> </blockquote> <p>It won’t be too long before this conflict goes to the next level.</p> <p>But it appears that it won’t happen until after the Great American Eclipse on April 8th.</p> <p>Meanwhile, there continues to be a lot of talk about a coming Chinese invasion of Taiwan.</p> <p>This isn’t new, but right now lots of people on social media are buzzing about a military training site in a very remote area of China that is “an exact replica of the road network near Taiwan’s Presidential Palace”…</p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chinese-Military-Training-Site-Posted-by-Julien-Hoez-on-Twitter-560x635.png[/image]</p> <p>The Chinese have been gearing up for an invasion of Taiwan for quite some time.</p> <p>Let’s just hope that they do not decide to pull the trigger here in 2024.</p> <p>Elsewhere, it appears that Russian intelligence has concluded that “the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people”…</p> <blockquote><p>The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people on Friday – despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State.</p> <p>Russian officials persisted in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week’s deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.</p> </blockquote> <p>Since Friday’s terror attack, the Russians have been hammering major cities in Ukraine with hypersonic missiles.</p> <p>This actually plays into the hands of the Ukrainians, because the more destruction that is rained down on Ukrainian cities the more likely it is going to be that western troops will eventually be sent into Ukraine.</p> <p>And that is precisely what Ukraine wants.</p> <p>The Ukrainians will not win this war the way that it is going.</p> <p>Their only chance of winning is for NATO to intervene.</p> <p>But Vladimir Putin has already warned that sending NATO troops into Ukraine could lead to nuclear war…</p> <blockquote><p>Putin noted that while accusing Russia of plans to attack NATO allies in Europe, Western allies were “selecting targets for striking our territory” and “talking about the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.”</p> <p>“We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country,” the Russian leader said in an apparent allusion to the failed invasions by Napoleon and Hitler. “Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic.”</p> <p>In a two-hour speech before an audience of lawmakers and top officials, Putin cast Western leaders as reckless and irresponsible and declared that the West should keep in mind that “we also have the weapons that can strike targets on their territory, and what they are now suggesting and scaring the world with, all that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization.”</p> </blockquote> <p>On top of everything else, it looks like military conflict could soon erupt in the Balkans…</p> <blockquote><p>Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti alleged that Serbia is planning an invasion and has deployed military units near the border.</p> <p>Kurti shared footage showing Serbian army movements and accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of making “open threats.”</p> <p>Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia maintains it as part of its territory. The situation has raised tensions, and Kurti has called for increased troop presence from NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) to deter any potential aggression.</p> </blockquote> <p>I truly believe that global war will be one of the dominant themes of 2024.</p> <p>And it appears that things will escalate to an entirely different level following the Great American Eclipse on April 8th.</p> <p>Many dominoes will start tumbling once the IDF launches a ground operation in Rafah, and the whole planet will be extremely shocked by what happens.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post Interesting Timing: Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation In Rafah “In Mid-April Or Early May” appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/interesting-timing-israel-is-reportedly-getting-ready-to-launch-a-massive-ground-operation-in-rafah-in-mid-april-or-early-may/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-calaisdocumentc-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/war">War</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/politics">Politics</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/europe">Europe</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-country-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/israel">Israel</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-organization-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/idf">IDF</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Wed, 27 Mar 2024 22:08:43 +0000 Guest 63461 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/interesting-timing-israel-reportedly-getting-ready-launch-massive-ground-operation-rafah-mid#comments The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is Going To Have An Enormous Impact On U.S. Supply Chains https://5ux.com/news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-going-have-enormous-impact-us-supply-chains <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Supply-Chain-Pixabay-560x373.jpg" /></p><p>When I awoke early on Tuesday morning, I was stunned to learn that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore had collapsed.  We are being told that it was a tragic “accident” and that there is no evidence that any foul play was involved.  Hopefully that is true.  But no matter how it was caused, this tragedy is going to have an enormous impact on U.S. supply chains.  And of course this comes at a really bad time, because Houthi missile strikes in the Red Sea and low water levels in the Panama Canal have been putting a tremendous amount of strain on global supply chains recently.</p> <p>According to Bloomberg, it appears that the Port of Baltimore will be “out of commission indefinitely”…</p> <blockquote><p>The Port of Baltimore — the biggest handler of US imports and exports of cars and light trucks — looks to be out of commission indefinitely. The resulting bottleneck could accelerate a shift of goods through West Coast ports. Another crucial question: Which other ports have spare capacity to handle the Ro-Ro vessels that carry automobiles if Baltimore is closed for an extended period.</p> </blockquote> <p>This is a really big deal, because over 750,000 vehicles came through that port last year alone…</p> <blockquote><p>The port is the busiest in the U.S. for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration. It is also the largest U.S. port by volume for handling farm and construction machinery, as well as agricultural products.</p> </blockquote> <p>In addition, a whole host of prominent retailers are very dependent on the Port of Baltimore…</p> <blockquote><p>Retailers like Home Depot, Bob’s Furniture, IKEA, and Amazon are just some of the companies that use the port to import goods. Other top imports include sugar and gypsum.</p> <p>“This will have an impact for trade all along the East Coast and it will continue until we know how quickly” the port can reopen, said Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of the shipping journal Lloyd’s List.</p> <p>Vessels were already being diverted to New York and down to Virginia on Tuesday, said Meade. “There will be dozens of diversions in the next week and hundreds in the coming months as long as Baltimore is shut down.”</p> </blockquote> <p>This isn’t the end of the world, and shipments can certainly be diverted to other ports.</p> <p>But we are talking about the 11th largest port in the entire nation, and so this will definitely be a serious blow…</p> <blockquote><p>More than 52 million tons of foreign cargo, worth some $80 billion were transported out of the port last year, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The 11th largest port in the nation, Baltimore served an average of 207 calls a month last year, according to the shipping journal Lloyd’s List.</p> </blockquote> <p>In addition, it is going to take a very long time for the Francis Scott Key Bridge to be rebuilt.</p> <p>As Lara Logan has pointed out, that section of I-695 was the “second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material”…</p> <blockquote><p>Second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material now down for 4-5 years – which is how long they say it will take to recover. Bridge was built specifically to move hazardous material – fuel, diesel, propane gas, nitrogen, highly flammable materials, chemicals and oversized cargo that cannot fit in the tunnels – that supply chain now crippled.</p> </blockquote> <p>One expert is projecting that it will take more than two years to rebuild the bridge…</p> <blockquote><p>While trade is nimble and will reroute, over the long term the bridge will need to be fundamentally engineered and rebuilt, and that will take years.</p> <p>“It will be in excess of two years,” said Meade, of Lloyd’s List. “There will be significant disruption and cost to this infrastructure project. In 1977, the bridge cost $60 million. Take in inflation and the rapid pace to redesign and build will increase procurement premiums. This will be a very expensive project.”</p> </blockquote> <p>I would be shocked if it happens that quickly.</p> <p>We shall see.</p> <p>In any event, we are talking about a multi-faceted crisis that is going to be affecting U.S. supply chains for the foreseeable future.</p> <p>At a press conference following the collapse of the bridge, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg openly admitted that we are looking at a “major and protracted impact on supply chains”…</p> <blockquote><p>“There is no question this will be a major and protracted impact on supply chains,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Baltimore.</p> </blockquote> <p>I think that this is the first time I have ever agreed with Pete Buttigieg on anything.</p> <p>Sadly, this is just the beginning.</p> <p>In the months ahead, U.S. supply chains will be hit with additional challenges.</p> <p>So if there are things that you are planning to purchase, I would do that now.</p> <p>Before I end this article, there is one more thing that I wanted to mention.</p> <p>Global supplies of cocoa just keep getting tighter and tighter, and on Tuesday the price of cocoa jumped above $10,000 per metric ton for the first time ever…</p> <blockquote><p>Cocoa prices hit a record Tuesday as supply constraints fuel prices higher.</p> <p>Futures for May delivery were up 3.9% at $10,030 per metric ton, marking the first time the commodity breaks above the $10,000 mark. Cocoa has been on a tear this year, soaring nearly 138%.</p> <p>Difficult weather conditions and disease have affected production in West Africa, which produces about 70% of the world’s cocoa. The two largest producers, Ivory Coast and Ghana, have been hit by a combination of heavy rain, dry heat and disease recently.</p> </blockquote> <p>In January, it was less than half that price.</p> <p>If you love chocolate, stock up on it while you still can.</p> <p>Of course the same thing could be said about countless other things.</p> <p>Do you remember the supply chain problems that we experienced a couple of years ago?</p> <p>Well, what is eventually coming is going to absolutely dwarf that.</p> <p>Many are using the term “black swan event” to describe the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, but the truth is that we are moving into a time when there will be one “black swan event” after another.</p> <p>So get prepared while there is still an opportunity to do so, because the months and years ahead of us are going to be extremely chaotic.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is Going To Have An Enormous Impact On U.S. Supply Chains appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-baltimore-bridge-collapse-is-going-to-have-an-enormous-impact-on-u-s-supply-chains/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-city-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/baltimore">Baltimore</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Tue, 26 Mar 2024 23:39:09 +0000 Guest 63458 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-going-have-enormous-impact-us-supply-chains#comments New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco And Baltimore Were Once Such Beautiful Cities… https://5ux.com/news/new-york-detroit-los-angeles-san-francisco-and-baltimore-were-once-such-beautiful-cities <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Snip20240325_5-560x552.png" /></p><p>If America is heading in the right direction, why have so many of our major cities become cesspools of violence, drugs, theft, trash and homelessness?  Once upon a time, millions of young people from all over America flocked to our rapidly growing metropolitan areas.  Today, there is a mass exodus out of our largest metropolitan areas due to the absolutely deplorable conditions.  If you are not yet convinced that we are a nation in decline, spend some time wandering around our core urban areas.  The shiny new cities that previous generations of Americans built for us are degenerating at a pace that is absolutely stunning.</p> <p>Just look at what is happening to New York.  A couple of decades ago, it was still in relatively good shape.</p> <p>But now it is going down the tubes really fast.</p> <p>A shopping mall in the Big Apple that cost a billion dollars to build just ten years ago is being permanently shut down because conditions in the city have become so intolerable…</p> <blockquote><p>A MAJOR city mall with dozen of stores is planning to shut up shop as America’s theft epidemic continues to batter businesses.</p> <p>Retail operator Westfield announced that it intends to end its lease and sever all operations with the Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan.</p> <p>Westfield put pen to paper on a two-decade long lease in 2014.</p> <p>However, as levels of theft and homelessness continue to spiral, the company have decided to forego the contract 10 years early.</p> <p>Westfield has cited soaring crime and quality of life concerns as their reason for terminating the lease.</p> </blockquote> <p>Yes, things really are that bad.</p> <p>Walking away from a billion dollar project is not an easy decision, but Westfield apparently has come to the conclusion that conditions are not going to improve any time soon.</p> <p>Just because a city was great at one time does not mean that it will always be great.</p> <p>Detroit was once one of the greatest cities on the entire planet, but now it has become a cautionary tale…</p> <blockquote><p>Detroit was once the symbol of the mighty industrial power of America. It was the home of the “Big Three” American car companies that dominated car production around the world. It was America’s success at developing a large industrial middle class.</p> <p>Today one finds articles like the Guardian’s “<em>The Death of a Great American City: why does anyone still live in Detroit?</em>” So what has happened to what was once one of the greatest Rust Belt cities? The story of Detroit is a much larger tale of what has been happening in the city of Gary in Indiana – a ghost town in the making.</p> </blockquote> <p>Other major cities should learn from what has happened to Detroit.</p> <p>But instead, many of them are making the exact same mistakes.</p> <p>Years of progressive policies have turned some of our most appealing cities into horror shows.</p> <p>It wasn’t too long ago that the glamour of Hollywood drew in visitors from all over the globe, but now Hollywood is absolutely packed with homeless encampments…</p> <blockquote><p>A large Hollywood Boulevard homeless encampment that residents say is a hotspot for selling and buying drugs, a trash-strewn tent city they say took the city three months to clear, has sparked continued concern as unhoused residents are already returning to the location.</p> <p>The encampments are a persistent problem plaguing neighborhoods not just in Hollywood but across greater Los Angeles.</p> </blockquote> <p>Conditions are similar up north in San Francisco.</p> <p>I have written extensively about the hordes of addicts that wander aimlessly through the streets.  These addicts leave trash and human excrement wherever they go, and as a result San Francisco is an extremely filthy city today.</p> <p>If that wasn’t bad enough, the city itself is “dumping raw sewage and trash directly into the Bay at a magnitude that’s almost incomprehensible”…</p> <blockquote><p>Sejal Choksi-Chugh, Baykeeper’s executive director, said, “There’s no excuse for polluting the Bay with sewage and trash, and those who pollute must be held accountable. Dumping millions of gallons of untreated sewage into Mission Creek and the Bay is unacceptable, avoidable, and illegal.”</p> <p>Nearly all of SFPUC’s discharges flow into Mission Creek and Islais Creek, Baykeeper found. The nonprofit’s field investigators visited Mission Creek during sewer discharges and saw the presence of fecal matter, plastics, syringes, and condoms in the water.</p> <p>“San Francisco is dumping raw sewage and trash directly into the Bay at a magnitude that’s almost incomprehensible,” said Baykeeper attorney Eric Buescher.</p> </blockquote> <p>Yuck!</p> <p>I thought that progressives were supposed to be in favor of protecting the environment.</p> <p>On the east coast, the city of Baltimore is facing a different sort of crisis.</p> <p>After years of disastrous policies, the police shortage in the city has reached an “apocalyptic” level…</p> <blockquote><p>Baltimore is now facing apocalyptic levels of policing shortages.</p> <p>Last week, THREE police officers patrolled a whole district of 61,000 residents.</p> <p>Police are now UNABLE to respond to calls, including for child assault.</p> <p>The department is now postponing police training in an attempt to solve shortages.</p> </blockquote> <p>At one time in my life, I would visit Baltimore pretty regularly.</p> <p>And I was always thankful to get out of the city safely.</p> <p>Of course things are much worse now, and at this point I don’t know why anyone would still want to live there.</p> <p>Pittsburgh is also experiencing a very serious shortage of police officers.</p> <p>In fact, things have gotten so bad that police in the city will no longer “respond to any calls that aren’t in progress emergencies”…</p> <blockquote><p>Beginning Monday, Pittsburgh police won’t respond to any calls that aren’t in progress emergencies.</p> <p>Chief Larry Scirotto wants to cut their call volume from approximately 200,000 calls per year down to about 50,000.</p> <p>That essentially means that calls for criminal mischief, theft, harassment and burglary alarms, just to name a few, will all be handled by the telephone reporting unit or online reporting.</p> </blockquote> <p>This is what a nation in decline looks like.</p> <p>We have turned our backs on the values that this nation was founded upon, and as a result we are now experiencing social decay on an epic scale.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco And Baltimore Were Once Such Beautiful Cities… appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/new-york-detroit-los-angeles-san-francisco-and-baltimore-were-once-such-beautiful-cities/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-city-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/detroit">Detroit</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/new-york">New York</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Mon, 25 Mar 2024 21:40:20 +0000 Guest 63455 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/new-york-detroit-los-angeles-san-francisco-and-baltimore-were-once-such-beautiful-cities#comments Pawn Shop Inventories Are Exploding As The Failing U.S. Economy Hammers Those At The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain https://5ux.com/news/pawn-shop-inventories-are-exploding-failing-us-economy-hammers-those-bottom-economic-food-chain <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Snip20240324_3-560x555.png" /></p><p>How much longer will the Biden administration and the mainstream media continue to deny that we are in the midst of a very painful economic downturn?  Debt levels have never been higher, delinquency rates are spiking, the commercial real estate market is crashing, the banking industry is mired in turmoil and large companies are conducting mass layoffs all over the nation.  Anyone that attempts to claim that the U.S. economy is in good shape is just being delusional.  Unfortunately, it is those that are at the bottom of the economic food chain that are being hurt the most.</p> <p>If you want to know what is really going on with the economy, pawn shops are a great place to look.</p> <p>When the economy is doing well, pawn shop inventories tend to go down because people aren’t pawning much stuff and there is lots of buying going on.</p> <p>But when the economy is not doing well, pawn shop inventories tend to go up because people are pawning lots of stuff for fast cash and there aren’t as many buyers as there were during the good times.</p> <p>So what are we seeing during the early stages of 2024?</p> <p>One pawn shop owner that was recently interviewed by USA Today admitted that he has “a glut of inventory” right now…</p> <blockquote><p>Clay Baron has everything in his pawn shop from gold rings and pearl necklaces to vintage cowboy boots, silver belt buckles, stereos and ticking clocks.</p> <p>The only thing he’s short on is space. “Right now we have a glut of inventory,” Baron said, “which tells me that our clientele doesn’t necessarily have money.”</p> <p>Accumulating pawn shop inventory means fewer buyers than sellers – a sign that for the lowest-income Americans, times remain tough.</p> </blockquote> <p>That same article pointed out that inventory levels have also grown rapidly at some of the largest pawn shop chains in the entire nation…</p> <blockquote><p>Two of the largest, publicly traded pawnshop corporations in the U.S. – which between them own roughly 1,700 pawnshops nationwide – are also reporting growing inventory and increased demand for short-term loans.</p> <p>FirstCash Holdings Inc. operates nearly 1,200 pawnshops under the FirstCash and Cash America brands in 29 states and the District of Columbia. The company reported “record pawn receivables” in its most recent year-end earnings report and a 10% increase in inventory at its U.S. stores.</p> <p>EZCORP Inc. also owns 530 pawnshops in the U.S. and reported an 8% increase in inventory at U.S. stores in the company’s latest earnings report. The “challenging macro-economic backdrop” continued to fuel demand for short-term cash loans, the company said.</p> </blockquote> <p>If anyone comes to you and tries to convince you that the economy is doing well, just show them these numbers.</p> <p>That will be the end of any debate.</p> <p>One of the reasons why so many Americans need fast cash is because debt loads have risen to unprecedented levels.  Here is just one example…</p> <blockquote><p>For Denise and Paul Nierzwicki, credit cards are the only way to make ends meet. The couple, ages 69 and 72, respectively, have about $20,000 in debt spread across multiple cards, all with interest rates above 20%.</p> <p>The trouble started during the pandemic, when Denise lost her job and a business deal for a bar that they owned in their hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, went bad.</p> <p>They applied for Social Security, which helped, and Denise now works 50 hours a week at a restaurant. Still, they’re barely scraping together the minimum payments for their credit card debt.</p> </blockquote> <p>Can you imagine how much stress they must be feeling on a daily basis?</p> <p>Sadly, there are millions of others that are in similar positions.</p> <p>The combination of high debt levels and high interest rates has created a “perfect storm” of suffering for U.S. consumers, and so it should be no surprise that delinquency rates have been surging…</p> <blockquote><p>The signs are obvious. Last week we noted that banks’ <strong>charge-offs are accelerating</strong>, and are now above pre-pandemic levels.</p> <p>…and leading this increase are <strong>credit card loans</strong> – with delinquencies that haven’t been this high since Q3 2011.</p> <p>On top of that, while credit cards and nonfarm, nonresidential commercial real estate loans drove the quarterly increase in the noncurrent rate,<strong> residential mortgages drove the quarterly increase in the share of loans 30-89 days past due</strong>.</p> </blockquote> <p>When large numbers of people start getting behind on their mortgages, it is only a matter of time before foreclosures start to spike.</p> <p>And that is precisely what we are witnessing…</p> <blockquote><p>Home foreclosures rose again in February as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.</p> <p>That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that there were 32,938 properties in February with foreclosure filings, which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.</p> </blockquote> <p>Sadly, things are only going to get worse during the months ahead, because the labor market is starting to get very tight.</p> <p>One 26-year-old woman that has multiple degrees hasn’t been able to find a job even though she has already applied for approximately 1,000 different positions…</p> <blockquote><p>Cheyenne Barton, 26, of Kissimmee, Florida, graduated in December with one degree in biomedical sciences and another in computing technology and software development – the kind of practical background employers have coveted.</p> <p>She initially targeted software development jobs but is now looking for “really any job” where she can use her degrees.</p> <p>Barton has applied for about 1,000 positions but hasn’t yet notched an interview.</p> <p>Companies “say they want recent grads who are teachable and can learn quicker,” she says. “But then you apply for the job and it’s like, ‘Oh, we already have over 100 applications with people who are more qualified.’”</p> </blockquote> <p>Wait a second.</p> <p>Joe Biden told us that good jobs are easy to find these days.</p> <p>So why can’t Cheyenne Barton even get an interview?</p> <p>Something is not adding up.</p> <p>Of course the truth is that we have seen a major shift in the labor market in recent months.  According to Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas, the number of layoffs in February was the highest that they have ever recorded for that particular month…</p> <blockquote><p>The pace of job cuts by U.S. employers accelerated in February, a sign the labor market is starting to deteriorate in the face of ongoing inflation and high interest rates.</p> <p>That is according to a new report published Thursday by Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas, which found that companies planned 84,638 job cuts in February, a 3% increase from the previous month and a 9% jump from the same time last year.</p> <p>It marked the highest layoff total for the month of February in data going back to 2009.</p> </blockquote> <p>The outlook for the rest of the year is absolutely dismal.</p> <p>So even more Americans will fall into poverty.</p> <p>And even more Americans will fall into hunger.</p> <p>And even more Americans will end up homeless.</p> <p>Over the weekend, a story about a homeless man in Wasco, California that was apparently eating “a severed human leg” has been going viral…</p> <blockquote><p>Video footage shot in Wasco, California appears to show a crazed maniac waving around a severed human leg and taking bites out of it before police apprehended him Friday.</p> <p>Reports have suggested that the man ‘stole’ the leg from the scene of a train accident, where a person was earlier hit and killed.</p> <p>The footage shows the man, identified as 27-year-old Resendo Tellez, holding and examining the limb, with witnesses saying he was eating parts of it, before attempting to walk away waving it around as multiple police cars close in on him.</p> </blockquote> <p>That is pretty shocking.</p> <p>But it is also a preview of where this country is heading.</p> <p>The economic suffering of the past couple of years has been very painful, but the truth is that it isn’t even worth comparing to what is in front of us.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post Pawn Shop Inventories Are Exploding As The Failing U.S. Economy Hammers Those At The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/pawn-shop-inventories-are-exploding-as-the-failing-u-s-economy-hammers-those-at-the-bottom-of-the-economic-food-chain/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-country-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/united-states">United States</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:13:27 +0000 Guest 63450 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/pawn-shop-inventories-are-exploding-failing-us-economy-hammers-those-bottom-economic-food-chain#comments U.S. Troops Are One Mile From The Chinese Border https://5ux.com/news/us-troops-are-one-mile-chinese-border <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Snip20240321_2-560x542.png" /></p><p>The U.S. cannot afford a war with China.  The size of our military has been shrinking, and our resources are stretched way too thin.  Today, the U.S. has military bases in 80 different countries, and we have troops stationed in 178 different countries.  That is insane.  No empire in the entire history of humanity has had forces spread all over the planet like this.  Our ammunition levels are extremely low due to major conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and every war game that our leaders have conducted has shown us losing a war to protect Taiwan.  So we should be trying to avoid sparking a war with China, because we are holding a losing hand.</p> <p>But our politicians seem determined to provoke one anyway.  It is being reported that officials in Taiwan have confirmed that U.S. forces are now permanently stationed “on its islands in the Taiwan Strait”…</p> <blockquote><p>Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate mounting tensions with China.</p> <p>The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in 2023 facilitated the deployment of these troops to conduct training programs for Taiwanese frontline forces.</p> </blockquote> <p>This is going to make Chinese authorities extremely mad.</p> <p>It would have been bad enough if we had just put troops on Taiwan’s main island.</p> <p>But we didn’t stop there.</p> <p>We are being told that U.S. troops have also been stationed on the Penghu islands and the Kinmen islands…</p> <blockquote><p>According to reports from Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN), US Army Green Berets from the 1st Special Forces Group are now permanently stationed at bases of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, a Taiwanese army special operations force, located in outlying island counties of Penghu and Kinmen. Notably, Kinmen lies just over a mile from Chinese shores.</p> <p>Additionally, reports suggest an American military presence in the northeast city of Taoyuan on Taiwan’s main island, with service members providing specialized training on drone equipment for Taiwan’s elite Airborne Special Service Company.</p> </blockquote> <p>How would we feel if Chinese troops were one mile from the U.S. border?</p> <p>Taiwan’s main island is approximately 100 miles from China, but in some places the Kinmen islands and China are “barely more than a mile apart”…</p> <blockquote><p>The island of Taiwan, governed by the Republic of China (ROC), lies about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan also administers a number of smaller islands known as the Kinmen archipelago, or Kinmen County. Great Kinmen Island and its neighbor islets are on the other side of the strait, in a harbor just east of the port city of Xiamen, practically surrounded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—in some places barely more than a mile apart.</p> </blockquote> <p>What are our leaders thinking?</p> <p>This doesn’t make war less likely.</p> <p>It makes war more likely.</p> <p>On Wednesday, China sent 32 warplanes toward Taiwan in a 24 hour period…</p> <blockquote><p>Thirty-two Chinese warplanes were detected over Taiwan in just 24 hours, the country’s defense ministry said.</p> <p>In the 24 hours between Wednesday 6am and Thursday 6am local time, the second highest number of Chinese planes this year buzzed over the island nation accompanied by five naval vessels around Taiwan.</p> <p>Twenty of the aircraft ‘crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait’, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday. The aircraft were detected after nightfall and included fighter jets, unmanned drones and medium-range transport aircraft, according to the ministry.</p> </blockquote> <p>The Chinese do this sort of thing when they are upset.</p> <p>And right now they are very, very upset.</p> <p>And China has been feverishly preparing for the coming war…</p> <blockquote><p>China is building its military and nuclear arsenal on a scale not seen since World War II and all signs suggest it’s sticking to ambitions to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, a top US admiral testified.</p> <p>Despite Beijing’s economic challenges, its official defense budget has increased by 16% over recent years to more than $223 billion, Admiral John Aquilino, the leader of the Indo-Pacific Command, told the US House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony on Wednesday.</p> <p>In the three years since he took command, he said the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, has added more than 400 fighter aircraft, along with more than 20 major warships. It’s also doubled its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles since 2020, he said.</p> </blockquote> <p>When war with China finally erupts, will we be able to handle it?</p> <p>Of course not.</p> <p>Our forces are scattered all over the planet, and so many of our resources have already been poured into the war in Ukraine.</p> <p>Even though there have been efforts to ramp up ammunition production in the U.S., it is being reported that “Russia is producing nearly three times as many artillery munitions as the United States and Europe combined”…</p> <blockquote><p>Russia’s defence minister said on Thursday that artillery shell production had risen by nearly 2.5 times in the past year, while artillery component production had soared by a factor of 22 as Moscow races to rearm faster than the West can supply Ukraine.</p> <p>Russia’s current dominance in artillery production is a factor that could help decide the course of the Ukraine war – which is largely fought with artillery and drones – at a time when the West fears Russia is set for more battlefield wins.</p> <p>CNN reported earlier this month that Russia is producing nearly three times as many artillery munitions as the United States and Europe combined, citing unidentified Western intelligence sources.</p> </blockquote> <p>No matter how you feel about the war, that is just embarrassing.</p> <p>One of the reasons why we won World War II was because the U.S. could simply outproduce everyone else by a wide margin.</p> <p>But now we just look pathetic.</p> <p>French President Emmanuel Macron and other western leaders have suggested that NATO troops should be sent into Ukraine if that is what is necessary to keep the Russians from winning.</p> <p>If that actually happens, U.S. boys and girls will inevitably be sent to die in the trenches of eastern Ukraine too.</p> <p>In anticipation of a wider war, the Russians are conducting another round of mobilization.</p> <p>In fact, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has just announced “the creation of 2 new ground armies, with 16 new brigades &amp; 14 new divisions”.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Israeli officials continue to insist that a major ground operation will happen in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration thinks about such a move…</p> <blockquote><p>On Thursday Israel issued its most defiant response yet to Washington pressre that it abandon its plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, over fears of another mass civilian casualty humanitarian disaster, given the high number of refugees packed into the southern Gaza city.</p> <p>A top Israeli official was quoted in <em>Bloomberg</em> as saying the military is going to invade Rafah and defeat Hamas <strong>“even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States.” </strong>Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, issued the words in a podcast interview.</p> <p>“We are going to go in and finish this job, and anybody who doesn’t understand that <strong>doesn’t understand that the existential nerve of the Jews was touched</strong>” by the Oct. 7 terror attack, he said.</p> </blockquote> <p>When the IDF goes into Rafah, that could cause the entire region to erupt.</p> <p>And so U.S. forces may be called on to intervene in the Middle East as well.</p> <p>Spreading your resources way too thin is a sure way to lose.</p> <p>Unfortunately, our politicians don’t seem to understand this, and their very foolish decisions will soon lead to absolutely disastrous consequences.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post U.S. Troops Are One Mile From The Chinese Border appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/u-s-troops-are-one-mile-from-the-chinese-border/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-calaisdocumentc-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/war">War</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/politics">Politics</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/europe">Europe</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-country-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/united-states">United States</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/ukraine">Ukraine</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-region-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/middle-east">Middle East</a></div> </div> </div> Thu, 21 Mar 2024 21:35:18 +0000 Guest 63439 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/us-troops-are-one-mile-chinese-border#comments Why Is The National Guard Being Deployed During The Great American Eclipse On April 8th? https://5ux.com/news/why-national-guard-being-deployed-during-great-american-eclipse-april-8th <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AI-Eclipse-2024-Pixabay-560x419.jpg" /></p><p>The National Guard is only supposed to be deployed in emergency situations.  But these days the National Guard is being used for all sorts of things.  For example, hundreds of National Guard soldiers are being used to check the bags of those riding the subway system in New York City.  That sets a very alarming precedent, and I don’t understand why more people aren’t upset about this.  And now we have learned that National Guard troops will be deployed during the Great American Eclipse on April 8th.  What in the world do they expect to happen during this eclipse?</p> <p>Without a doubt, it will certainly be a historic event.</p> <p>As I have discussed previously, it is being projected that it will be the most viewed astronomical event in the entire history of our country.</p> <p>And virtually everyone in North America will be able to view at least a partial eclipse…</p> <blockquote><p>Almost everyone on the continent will see at least a bit of the eclipse. The further away you are from the path, the less of the eclipse you’ll see.</p> <p>Even in places like Seattle and Portland, Oregon, which are far from the path, about one-third of the sun will be hidden.</p> </blockquote> <p>On April 8th, millions of Americans will be traveling to locations where they will be in the path of the total solar eclipse.  Oklahoma is being touted as one of the best states for that, and it is being reported that the Oklahoma National Guard “will provide first responders as well as units with hazmat response capabilities”…</p> <blockquote><p>Oklahoma’s National Guard is set to be deployed for the upcoming total solar eclipse, when as many as 100,000 people are expected to visit one county.</p> <p>In a statement on Tuesday, the guard said it would assist emergency management to cope with “an unprecedented number of tourists” on April 8 in McCurtain County, in the southeast of the state.</p> <p>The guard will provide first responders as well as units with hazmat response capabilities in case of an incident like an industrial fire.</p> </blockquote> <p>I can understand that they feel the need to be prepared.</p> <p>But bringing in the National Guard is overkill, don’t you think?</p> <p>Residents of Oklahoma are being urged to “stock up on gas and groceries” prior to the eclipse, and they are also being instructed to have “multiple forms of communication besides cellular”…</p> <blockquote><p>To prepare for the eclipse, the state laid out some tips to plan ahead.</p> <p>Oklahomans should schedule errands and appointments a few days in advance before the eclipse as well as stock up on gas and groceries. The state also recommends having multiple forms of communication besides cellular, being careful on the road and staying updated on weather conditions.</p> </blockquote> <p>Seriously?</p> <p>They want people to do all this for an eclipse that is only going to last for a few minutes?</p> <p>Actually, Oklahoma is not the only state that is issuing such warnings.  According to a Newsweek article entitled “Map Shows Warnings for People to Stock Up on Food Ahead of Solar Eclipse”, at least four states have now warned their citizens to stock up on food…</p> <blockquote><p>At least four states within the path of totality have urged residents to stock up on groceries before the eclipse. Some officials have already issued disaster declarations ahead of the event, and some schools have decided to close, citing student safety.</p> <p>Texas officials have issued a slew of warnings, including that people living within the path of totality should stock up on groceries and gas and run any errands—such as filling prescriptions—in the days before the eclipse. One official also urged pet owners to stock up on supplies for their animals.</p> </blockquote> <p>I realize that the areas that are in the direct path of the total eclipse are anticipating large numbers of visitors, but it feels like authorities are really going overboard.</p> <p>Just look at what officials in Hays County, Texas are telling their residents to do…</p> <ul class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text"><li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Parking issues – lack of parking, fees for parking, having to park and walk to your destination (Please park only in designated areas and not on private property or in areas that cause safety issues)</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Traffic delays and road closures</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Longer wait times for restaurants (consider cooking at “home” instead or bring a small cooler with ready-to-eat food)</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">More congestion (pedestrian and vehicles)</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Delayed emergency/911 response</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Cell service interruptions/lack of service</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Higher than normal stress levels and/or heated tempers</p> </li> <li class="wixui-rich-text__text"> <p class="font_8 wixui-rich-text__text">Credit card machines not working (bring cash)</p> </li> </ul><p>Why would credit card machines not work?</p> <p>And why would phone service be interrupted?</p> <p>I don’t understand.</p> <p>In Arkansas, they actually held a “live training exercise” that simulated emergencies that might happen during the eclipse…</p> <blockquote><p>With less than a month remaining before the Great American Solar Eclipse, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) took a significant step by conducting a live training exercise. This exercise was designed to test ADEM’s response to issues that may arise as visitors flock to Arkansas to witness the event. ADEM responders and other state agencies looked at possible scenarios, such as severe weather, traffic, medical emergencies, and communication challenges.</p> <p>Taking part in the exercise were county emergency managers and representatives of the National Weather Service, Arkansas National Guard, Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Hospital Association, Arkansas Wireless Information Network, and Arkansas Departments of Health, Transportation, Energy and Environment and Human Services.</p> </blockquote> <p>Personally, I am not expecting a major disaster or emergency on the day of the eclipse.</p> <p>But you never know, I could be wrong.</p> <p>And it is certainly inevitable that there will be a lot more “surprises” as this year rolls along.</p> <p>In fact, during his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, former U.S. Representative Ron Paul specifically warned about the potential for a black swan event…</p> <blockquote><p>Ron Paul, recognized for his consistent principles and foresight into economic and foreign policy, used the platform to express his concerns about unexpected, significant events that could catch the world by surprise.</p> <p>“I think we’re reaching this point where some sudden thing is going to happen. I believe in that theory of the black swan. Yes, it’s going to pop up, and it’s not going to be controllable,” Paul said.</p> </blockquote> <p>I don’t think that there will be a black swan event on April 8th.</p> <p>But this eclipse will be a very big deal.</p> <p>The giant “X” over America that the Great American Eclipse of 2017 started will be completed by the Great American Eclipse of 2024.</p> <p>And as the Great American Eclipse of 2024 moves across our nation, the sun, the moon and the other seven planets in our solar system will all be lined up in the sky.</p> <p>Our entire solar system is literally screaming that this day is important, and you would think that more people would be talking about the giant “X” that is about to be completed directly over the New Madrid fault zone.</p> <p>Sadly, most of the population will quickly forget about this eclipse once it has passed, and that is extremely unfortunate.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post Why Is The National Guard Being Deployed During The Great American Eclipse On April 8th? appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/why-is-the-national-guard-being-deployed-during-the-great-american-eclipse-on-april-8th/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/north-america">North America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-organization-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/national-guard">National Guard</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Wed, 20 Mar 2024 22:22:18 +0000 Guest 63436 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/why-national-guard-being-deployed-during-great-american-eclipse-april-8th#comments U.S. Consumers Have Reached A Breaking Point https://5ux.com/news/us-consumers-have-reached-breaking-point <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Breaking-Pixabay-560x317.jpg" /></p><p>Over the past several years, the cost of living has been rising significantly faster than paychecks have.  As a result, U.S. consumers have reached a breaking point.  Delinquency rates are spiking and bankruptcies have risen to a very dangerous level.  I have been hearing from so many people that are struggling to survive in this suffocating economic environment.  It has become increasingly difficult just to pay for the basics, and so many Americans have very little or no discretionary income to spend these days.  If you want evidence that this is having a major economic impact, just consider the fact that 1,000 dollar stores are going to be shut down.  If U.S. consumers were in good shape, that wouldn’t be happening.</p> <p>The economic shift that we have witnessed since the turn of the decade has been nothing short of epic.</p> <p>According to Zillow, the average monthly mortgage payment for Americans buying a home now is nearly double what it was in January 2020…</p> <blockquote><p>The real estate firm Zillow reports that since January 2020, the monthly mortgage payment on a typical U.S. home has nearly doubled. It’s up 96% in just four years.</p> <p>According to Zillow, a typical buyer will now pay nearly $2,200 a month, with a 10% down payment. Meaning, homeownership now costs well above the 30% of median income that was once thought to equate to “affordable” housing cost in America.</p> <p>And with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hovering around seven percent right now, there’s not a whole lot of light at the end of this tunnel.</p> </blockquote> <p>If home buyers have to shell out twice as much for their mortgage payments compared to four years ago, they are going to have a lot less money to spend on other things.</p> <p>And this is the primary reason why so many of our young people simply cannot afford to purchase a home right now.</p> <p>At this point, you need to earn approximately $106,000 a year in order to “afford the median home in the United States”…</p> <blockquote><p>“After the surge in home-buying demand and mobility during the pandemic, and the doubling of mortgage rates, home-shoppers now need to earn $106,000 to afford the median home in the United States,” said Divounguy.</p> <p>Back in 2020, the salary needed to afford the median monthly mortgage payment was just $59,000.</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course it isn’t just housing that has become extremely unaffordable.</p> <p>For the first time I can ever remember, the cost of burgers has become a major national issue…</p> <div class="oembed oembed-video"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owtZAUvoyfo" class="oembed-title">Customers have major beef over soaring burger prices</a><br /><div class="oembed-content"> <iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/owtZAUvoyfo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" title="Customers have major beef over soaring burger prices"></iframe></div> </div> <p>I can’t imagine paying more than 20 dollars for a burger, fries and drink at a fast food restaurant.</p> <p>But this is life in America in 2024.</p> <p>Our leaders have created an inflationary nightmare.</p> <p>The Biden administration continues to insist that inflation is a low, but that is a lie.</p> <p>Another lie that we have been told is that the unemployment rate is low.</p> <p>How can that be possible when we just witnessed the worst February for layoffs since Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas started keeping records?…</p> <blockquote><p>The pace of job cuts by U.S. employers accelerated in February, a sign the labor market is starting to deteriorate in the face of ongoing inflation and high interest rates.</p> <p>That is according to a new report published Thursday by Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas, which found that companies planned 84,638 job cuts in February, a 3% increase from the previous month and a 9% jump from the same time last year.</p> <p>It marked the highest layoff total for the month of February in data going back to 2009.</p> </blockquote> <p>The Biden administration keeps telling us that there are plenty of good jobs available.</p> <p>So why are so many highly qualified workers having such difficulty finding work?  Here is one example…</p> <blockquote><p>Since leaving a university research administration job last May, Kyle Clark has cast an ever-widening net in his search for a new position.</p> <p>First the 30-year-old sought jobs in technical editing, a skill he honed at the university. Then he leveraged his administrative experience, applying for openings in insurance and project management. Finally, he tossed his hat in the ring for a job posting at a local big-box retailer, only to be told the store wasn’t hiring.</p> <p>After fruitlessly job hunting in the Portland, Oregon, area, Clark moved in with his parents in Tennessee with no better results. Now he’s heading to Chicago to try his luck in the Windy City.</p> </blockquote> <p>Why can’t Kyle Clark find a job?</p> <p>He has submitted applications for approximately 250 jobs, and he hasn’t received a single offer…</p> <blockquote><p>The tally so far: about 250 applications, 14 positive responses, 12 interviews. No job offers.</p> <p>“I am losing my mind,” Clark says, noting he has a four-year college degree and seven years of work experience. “I am just burned out. … I just want to be employed. I have skills, I want to work, and that’s what’s frustrating. I want to. Just let me.”</p> </blockquote> <p>I have heard from so many others that are in the exact same boat.</p> <p>So something is not adding up.</p> <p>The rosy picture of the economy that the Biden administration is giving us simply does not match reality at all.</p> <p>And now we have reached a breaking point.</p> <p>Last year, the total number of bankruptcy filings in the United States was 18 percent higher than the year before…</p> <blockquote><p>U.S. bankruptcy filings surged by 18% in 2023 on the back of higher interest rates, tougher lending standards and the continued runoff of pandemic-era backstops, data published Wednesday showed, although insolvency case volumes remain well below the level seen before the outbreak of COVID-19.</p> <p>Total bankruptcy filings – encompassing commercial and personal insolvencies – rose to 445,186 last year from 378,390 in 2022, according to data from bankruptcy data provider Epiq AACER.</p> </blockquote> <p>Based on what we are seeing so far this year, I fully expect the final number for 2024 to absolutely crush the final number for 2023.</p> <p>Meanwhile, it is being reported that corporate bond defaults were up by a whopping 80 percent last year…</p> <blockquote><p>Consumers aren’t the only ones defaulting on their debts: Corporate bond defaults were up massively in 2023, especially for high-risk junk debt, and the trend is continuing this year at a pace not seen since the 2008 global financial crisis. Unsurprisingly, companies selling low-rated junk debt are being hit the worst.</p> <p>Last year, according to S&amp;P Global Ratings, corporate bond defaults increased by a disconcerting 80%. High interest rates coupled with high inflation have made it a struggle for companies to make good on their commitments even as waves of new bond buyers continue to arrive, eager to lock in higher yields before rates go down.</p> </blockquote> <p>Many have pointed out that corporate bond defaults spiked like this just prior to the financial crisis of 2008 too.</p> <p>We have entered such dangerous territory, and it appears that things will get even worse throughout the rest of this year.</p> <p>Our leaders were able to delay the inevitable for a while by flooding the system with trillions upon trillions of dollars.</p> <p>But now an economic nightmare has arrived anyway, and the days ahead are going to be exceedingly challenging for most U.S. consumers.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post U.S. Consumers Have Reached A Breaking Point appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/u-s-consumers-have-reached-a-breaking-point/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-country-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/united-states">United States</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Tue, 19 Mar 2024 23:00:14 +0000 Guest 63433 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/us-consumers-have-reached-breaking-point#comments What Is Happening In Haiti Will Come Here Too https://5ux.com/news/what-happening-haiti-will-come-here-too <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Riot-AI-Pixabay-560x336.jpg" /></p><p>The kind of rampant civil unrest that has thrown Haiti into turmoil will happen in the United States and other wealthy western nations too.  At this point, it is just a matter of time.  Here in the United States, we have been adding millions upon millions of extremely desperate people on top of the millions upon millions of extremely desperate people that we already had.  Politicians in major cities such as New York and Chicago openly admit that they can’t possibly take any more migrants because the social services available for them have been completely overwhelmed, but more migrants just keep coming anyway.  We are creating an extremely explosive environment, and the pressure that is coming in 2024 and beyond could push things over the edge.</p> <p>If you want an idea of what is coming, just look at what is happening in Haiti right now.  Following years of disastrous policies, the entire nation has descended into a state of chaos…</p> <blockquote><p>The Republic of Haiti has been sliding toward failed state status for much of the 21st Century, but over the past few weeks, the collapse escalated at a blistering pace. Following the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the prime minister and acting president Ariel Henry has failed to control the gang violence wreaking havoc on the capital, Port-au-Prince. With gangs now controlling as much as 80 percent of the city, Henry traveled to Guyana in February to sign a treaty allowing a contingent of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to patrol Port-au-Prince. But after the gangs shut down the airport and released thousands from prison, Henry was forced to announce his resignation from exile — and delay the police force deployment that could help bring order to the capital.</p> </blockquote> <p>It would be hard to overstate how nightmarish conditions have become in Haiti.</p> <p>One British news source is comparing the current state of affairs to “the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max”…</p> <blockquote><p>Haiti has been compared to the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max as gang chaos continues.</p> <p>Gang leaders are still fighting despite absentee Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreeing to resign last week.</p> <p>With Haitians awaiting the formation of a Transitional Governing Council that is set to take power before elections are held, gangs looted aid supplies over the weekend.</p> <p>UNICEF said containers with “essential items for maternal, neonatal, and child survival, including resuscitators and related equipment” were snared by gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday.</p> </blockquote> <p>Apparently the Biden administration decided that it would be a good idea to open the floodgates for those that wish to leave Haiti and come here.</p> <p>According to the Washington Examiner, so far the Department of Homeland Security has helped to relocate more than 130,000 migrants from Haiti in dozens of U.S. cities…</p> <blockquote><p>The Department of Homeland Security has guided over 130,000 illegal immigrants from gang-ravaged Haiti into dozens of unidentified American cities, but it won’t say where.</p> <p>Many of the 133,000 arrived in just one city that the Biden administration won’t identify, according to a federal report reviewed by the Center for Immigration Studies.</p> <p>The Washington-based CIS, which backs ending illegal immigration, said that many immigrants flew themselves to the unidentified cities, while others arrived through land ports only to be released to wherever they wanted to go.</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course a lot more are heading our way.</p> <p>According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a boat carrying a group of Haitian migrants that had guns, drugs and night vision gear was recently intercepted off the coast of his state…</p> <blockquote><p>“Our Florida Fish and Wildlife offices interdicted a vessel that had 25 illegal immigrants, potential illegal immigrants from Haiti in their boat. In their vessel, they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear, and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks,” DeSantis said at a press conference where he signed three pieces of legislation to deter illegal immigration.</p> <p>“That vessel was interdicted near the Sebastian Inlet and those illegal aliens were turned over to the Coast Guard for deportation,” the governor said.</p> </blockquote> <p>Needless to say, it isn’t just extremely desperate people from Haiti that are attempting to come to the United States in very large numbers.</p> <p>Right now, our borders are under siege from “asylum seekers” that are coming to us from all over the globe.</p> <p>Migrants have been taught that if they just say the right things about “seeking asylum” they will be let into the country.</p> <p>And this isn’t just happening at the southern border.</p> <p>Over the past couple of years, the number of migrants crossing over from Canada has been increasing at an exponential rate…</p> <blockquote><p>In fiscal year 2023, border officials encountered 189,401 illegal and inadmissible immigrants along the U.S.–Canada border, including at the ports of entry. Of those, 10,021 were caught crossing illegally between ports of entry.</p> <p>In fiscal 2021, that number was 916.</p> </blockquote> <p>Far more have been coming over the southern border.</p> <p>Overall, we are witnessing a tsunami of migration that is far greater than anything that we have ever witnessed before.  The following comes from U.S. Senator John Cornyn…</p> <blockquote><p>Under President Biden’s leadership, we’ve seen an unprecedented crisis at our southern border, and an administration that proves time and time again that they simply don’t care.</p> <p>Since President Biden took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has logged more than 5.4 million illegal border crossings, plus at least 1.5 million “gotaways” – that is, border crossers who were detected by CBP technology, but who were never apprehended.</p> </blockquote> <p>Once “asylum seekers” are released into this country, they could literally go anywhere.</p> <p>One migrant from Lebanon that was encountered at the border actually admitted that he was a member of Hezbollah and that he was planning to go to New York City and make a bomb…</p> <blockquote><p>A Lebanese migrant who was caught sneaking over the border admitted he’s a member of Hezbollah, he hoped to make a bomb, and his destination was New York, The Post can reveal.</p> <p>Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was caught by the US Border Patrol on March 9 near El Paso, Texas. While in custody, he was asked what he was doing in the US, to which he replied, “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” according to a Border Patrol document exclusively obtained by The Post.</p> </blockquote> <p>We were quite fortunate to have caught that guy before he did any damage.</p> <p>But how many others have successfully entered this country through our wide open borders?</p> <p>Our politicians go on and on about “threats to national security”, but it is all empty talk unless they are willing to secure our borders.</p> <p>Because without secure borders, our nation will never be secure.</p> <p>Unfortunately, more desperate people continue to pour over our borders with each passing day, and it won’t be too long before we reach a tipping point.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post What Is Happening In Haiti Will Come Here Too appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/what-is-happening-in-haiti-will-come-here-too/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-calaisdocumentc-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/social-issues">Social Issues</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-city-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/new-york-city">New York City</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/new-york">New York</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-country-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/united-states">United States</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:15:00 +0000 Guest 63429 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/what-happening-haiti-will-come-here-too#comments Many Of The Most Beautiful Places In America Have Been Transformed Into Open Toilets https://5ux.com/news/many-most-beautiful-places-america-have-been-transformed-open-toilets <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p><img src="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Beautiful-Beach-Pixabay-560x373.jpg" /></p><p>Once upon a time, America was such a beautiful place.  As a nation, we are blessed with great natural beauty, and the shiny, clean cities that we constructed from coast to coast were once the envy of the entire world.  But now many of the most beautiful places in America have literally been turned into open toilets.  Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.  Decades ago, California beaches were so spectacular that tourists would come from all over the world to experience them.  But now the beaches in one section of southern California resemble “a portable toilet” and have been closed for 700 days in a row due to billions of gallons of untreated wastewater that is flowing into the Pacific Ocean…</p> <blockquote><p>Residents of a small coastal city in California said they’ve been ‘trapped in a portable toilet’ after 700 consecutive days of beach closures.</p> <p>For the past four years, residents of Imperial City, a small town located a 20-minute drive from San Diego, have endured daily exposure to sea spray and aerosol particles emanating from the polluted ocean.</p> <p>More than 100 billion gallons of untreated wastewater have flowed through Mexico’s Tijuana River and into the Pacific Ocean, eventually reaching the coastal town over the past five years.</p> </blockquote> <p>Why isn’t California Governor Gavin Newsom doing something about this?</p> <p>Why isn’t the Biden administration doing something about this?</p> <p>One local resident says that the smell of human waste is so strong at night that it actually wakes people up…</p> <blockquote><p>According to a study by San Diego State University, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and bacteria detected in the water are being released into the air and lingering in the soils.</p> <p>‘I’m more frustrated than ever since we found out that it goes into the air. So it’s not just the water,’ a resident said.</p> <p>In letters from community members calling for action, one resident said the smell is ‘akin to being trapped in a portable toilet,’ so strong that it wakes them up at night.</p> </blockquote> <p>Can you imagine the cumulative impact that all of this wastewater is going to have if it is allowed to continue to flow like this year after year?</p> <p>But maybe this is what southern California deserves.</p> <p>The television shows and movies that are created in southern California are exporting our “toilet culture” to the entire world, and now southern California is literally being transformed into a toilet.</p> <p>Meanwhile, conditions are rapidly deteriorating on the east coast as well.</p> <p>When I visited New York City a little over two decades ago, everything was very clean and I felt very safe wherever I walked.</p> <p>But now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district “is being described as looking like a Third World country”…</p> <blockquote><p>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district is being described as looking like a Third World country, after video emerged showing trash covered streets overrun by migrants.</p> <p>Footage captured by Queens resident Ramses Frias shows two streets in the neighborhoods of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst.</p> <p>The video shows the streets of the area overflowing with trash, as migrants set up make shift flea markets flogging clothing items.</p> <p>Roosevelt Avenue has also become known as ‘the market of sweethearts’, with viral videos showing alleged sex workers lining the streets of the area.</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course it isn’t just her district that is rapidly going down the tubes.</p> <p>In a 15 million dollar lawsuit that was recently filed, it is alleged that one Burger King location in the Big Apple has been transformed into an “open air drug bazaar”…</p> <blockquote><p>A Burger King in New York City has been slapped with a $15 million lawsuit over allegations the fast food restaurant has turned into an ‘open air drug bazaar.’</p> <p>The restaurant, located at 106 Fulton Street in the Financial District, was sued by long-time resident and filmmaker Kevin Kaufman, 69, who has branded the street ‘a neighborhood in crisis.’</p> <p>According to the lawsuit, obtained by the New York Post, Kaufman has targeted that location and Burger King’s cooperate office, accusing them of violating the state’s private nuisance law.</p> <p>Lawlessness is common at the site with pictures of drug users and videos of fights posted online.</p> </blockquote> <p>Once again we see the word “lawlessness” used to describe what is happening in our largest cities.</p> <p>How many times in recent months have I warned about how “lawless” this country is becoming?</p> <p>In fact, in a piece that I authored that was one of the featured articles on Zero Hedge on Sunday, I stated that “America is becoming a little bit more lawless with each passing day”.</p> <p>In Oakland, crime has gotten so bad that some business owners are openly threatening not to pay taxes…</p> <blockquote><p>A growing group of business owners in the Bay Area are declaring that they no longer want to pay taxes after a slew of robberies and thefts made them feel like the city wasn’t doing enough to protect them.</p> <p>Businesses in Oakland, California, have faced thefts and attacks in recent months.</p> <p>“We’re scared for our lives,” Cybelle’s Pizza manager Nestor Sanchez said, according to a KTVU report.</p> </blockquote> <p>During the past several years, thousands upon thousands of businesses have either left our major cities or have shut down for good.</p> <p>In some cases, entire city blocks have been boarded up.</p> <p>And now we have learned that hundreds of Family Dollar stores are going to be closed, and that is going to create even more empty buildings…</p> <blockquote><p>Family Dollar, the struggling discount chain that caters to low-income customers predominantly in cities, said Wednesday it will close nearly 1,000 stores.</p> <p>Years of mismanagement and poor conditions in stores have hurt Family Dollar’s brand. Family Dollar, which is owned by Dollar Tree, was recently fined more than $40 million for a rat infestation at a warehouse that forced hundreds of stores to temporarily close.</p> <p>Decades-high inflation has hit shoppers hard, and a general consumer pullback has impacted Family Dollar customers and the chain’s profits, exacerbating its battle with discount competitors such as Dollar General, Walmart and others.</p> <p>In addition, the reduction in benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has left struggling families with as much as $250 less per month. Discount stores and consumer goods companies say they have felt the impact of that loss.</p> </blockquote> <p>Meanwhile, every month hundreds of thousands of extremely desperate people come pouring across our southern border.</p> <p>According to Axios, “more than 8 million asylum seekers and other migrants will be living inside the U.S in legal limbo by the end of September”.</p> <p>The stage has been set for civil unrest on an absolutely epic scale, and we are just months away from the most tumultuous election season in our entire history.</p> <p>I entitled my latest book “Chaos” for a reason, because that is exactly what we are going to experience.</p> <p>The people that are running this country are systematically ruining it.</p> <p>Everything that our forefathers worked so hard to build is going down the drain, and that should deeply sadden all of us.</p> <p><strong>Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.</strong></p> <p>[image]https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Snip20231106_6-560x894.png[/image]</p> <p><strong>About the Author</strong>: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.</p> <p>The post Many Of The Most Beautiful Places In America Have Been Transformed Into Open Toilets appeared first on The Economic Collapse.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/many-of-the-most-beautiful-places-in-america-have-been-transformed-into-open-toilets/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-product-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/kindle">Kindle</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-provinceorstate-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/california">California</a></div> </div> </div> Sun, 17 Mar 2024 22:33:16 +0000 Guest 63424 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/many-most-beautiful-places-america-have-been-transformed-open-toilets#comments Two Speeches Aspirational for Peace and Critical of War by President Dwight D. Eisenhower https://5ux.com/news/two-speeches-aspirational-peace-and-critical-war-president-dwight-d-eisenhower <div class="clearfix body field"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><p>Aside from being president of the United States for two terms spanning from January of 1953 through January of 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower is likely best known in America and around the world for his activities as a US Army general during and after World War II.</p> <p>Earlier this month, John J. Duncan, Jr., in his always interesting Knoxville Focus column, suggested something else for which Eisenhower should be more well known than he is: two speeches Eisenhower presented that were aspirational for peace and critical of war. One is the first major speech of his presidency, and the other is the last. Duncan wrote:</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Most of our wars have been more about money and power than any great threats.If you doubt this, read the first major speech President Eisenhower gave after assuming the presidency. It was a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 18, 1953. It is probably the most anti-war speech ever given by a U.S. President.Then read Eisenhower’s much better-known farewell address given on Jan. 17, 1961, where he warned us about the evils of military-industrial complexes.And these were words given by a man who spent almost all of his career in the military.</p> </blockquote> <p>If you have not already done so, or if it has been quite a while since you have, consider taking time to follow Duncan’s advice. Text of both speeches may be found at the website of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Read the April of 1953 speech, sometimes referred to as either the Chance for Peace speech or the Cross of Iron speech, here. Read the January of 1961 farewell address here. You may also listen to Eisenhower’s delivery of both speeches here.</p> <p>A key point made by Eisenhower in his Chance for Peace speech is that spending money on war and preparation for war means forgoing wealth that would otherwise be created. For example, Eisenhower described the cost of a fighter plane as a half million bushels of wheat and the cost of a destroyer as new homes to house more than 8,000 people. Then, in his farewell speech, Eisenhower warned about the “military-industrial complex” — a term he coined — that threatened to “endanger our liberties or democratic processes.”</p> <p>Eisenhower was not a noninterventionist. This is clear from these two speeches as well as from various actions he took as president. Still, his expressed warnings and aspirations in these two speeches are important for supporters of a noninterventionist foreign policy to consider. They also are in stark contrast to the extreme militarism repeatedly espoused by President Joe Biden, as well as Biden’s refusal to admit that there are any tradeoffs and risks in regard to pursuing foreign intervention.</p> <p>Duncan, who is an Advisory Board member for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity (RPI) and was a member of the US House of Representatives with RPI Chairman Ron Paul, mentioned in the conclusion of his column that these two speeches by Eisenhower are why Duncan sometimes refers to himself as “an Eisenhower Republican.” It would do America good if more Republicans, and Democrats and others too, read and ponder these two speeches.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-source field-type-link-field field-label-hidden field-wrapper"><a href="https://ronpaulinstitute.org/two-speeches-aspirational-for-peace-and-critical-of-war-by-president-dwight-d-eisenhower/">Source</a></div><div class="field field-name-opencalais-calaisdocumentc-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/human-interest">Human Interest</a></div> <div class="field-item odd" class="field-item even odd"><a href="/category/politics">Politics</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-opencalais-continent-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden field-wrapper"> <div class="field-items" class="comma-separated field-items"> <div class="field-item even" class="field-item even"><a href="/category/america">America</a></div> </div> </div> Sat, 16 Mar 2024 23:23:47 +0000 Guest 63423 at https://5ux.com https://5ux.com/news/two-speeches-aspirational-peace-and-critical-war-president-dwight-d-eisenhower#comments