<https://tinyurl.com/2jl8kmeu> dailyreckoning.com

While the much-touted differences between America's political parties
get obsessive, hysterical attention, the sameness of Imperial
corruption, waste and squalor regardless of who's in power gets little
notice. Scrape away the differences - mostly in domestic and cultural
issues - and we see the dead hand of Imperial Corruption is on the
tiller. The core of Imperial Corruption is the disconnect between the
nation's ideals of representational democracy and open markets and the
sordid reality: elites serve their interests by corrupting both
democracy and open markets ..

Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2jl8kmeu>

> <https://tinyurl.com/2jz96thc>
>
> Americans are ruled by the unabashed corruption ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2mbcw23k> studyfinds.org

... A new survey finds .. that a staggering 65 percent of drivers
keep a weapon in their vehicle in case they need to defend themselves
during a road rage incident ..

BMW, Hyundai, and Mercedes drivers are the most likely to keep a
dangerous weapon in their car. Incidentally, researchers report that
road rage shooting reached a record-high in 2021 ..

> <https://archive.is/gfjtz>
>
> Americans' behavior gets worse ..

<https://archive.is/SuA5A> therogersvillereview.com

America losing billions to tax cheats .. The United States could be
cheated out of as much as $1 trillion in unpaid taxes annually ..
The tax gap has surged in the last decade ..

Taxpayers are aware of the decline in IRS auditors, and realize they
are far less likely to get caught underpaying their taxes. The
rapidly growing cryptocurrency has little regulation and has been a
major source of tax evasion .. Millions of taxpayers don't report
and pay their actual tax liability .. Tax evasion is concentrated in
the top income level because higher-income taxpayers can use
accountants and tax preparers who help shield them from paying their
actual tax liability. Many tax professionals know the IRS audit
rates have drastically declined ..

> <https://archive.is/Vg5om>
>
> The U.S. government has become a master of deceit ..

<https://archive.is/sEANS> wsj.com

The U.S. Isn't Ready to Face China on the Battlefield

The invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated critical deficiencies in
America's defense industrial base .. The recently released National
Security Strategy .. conclude that .. the U.S. isn't fully prepared
to fight a major war against China. The war in Ukraine has exposed
deficiencies in America's defense industrial base ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2lc7bg92>
>
> Most of us have lost our trust in Washington ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw> qz.com

Illegal fentanyl seems to be everywhere in the US. Synthetic opioids
(largely fentanyl) were linked to more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths
in the US in 2021, up from fewer than 58,000 the year before, and now
account for nearly two-thirds of the country's overdose deaths .. It's
increasingly found contaminating all sorts of other drugs ..

Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw>

> <https://archive.is/aaBP6>
>
> America's declining life expectancy, explained ..

On Friday, December 2, 2022 at 4:12:07 PM UTC-8, Oleg Smirnov wrote:
> <https://tinyurl.com/2jl8kmeu> dailyreckoning.com
>
> While the much-touted differences between America's political parties
> get obsessive, hysterical attention, the sameness of Imperial
> corruption, waste and squalor regardless of who's in power gets little
> notice. Scrape away the differences - mostly in domestic and cultural
> issues - and we see the dead hand of Imperial Corruption is on the
> tiller. The core of Imperial Corruption is the disconnect between the
> nation's ideals of representational democracy and open markets and the
> sordid reality: elites serve their interests by corrupting both
> democracy and open markets ..
>
> Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2jl8kmeu>
>
>
>
> > <https://tinyurl.com/2jz96thc>
> >
> > Americans are ruled by the unabashed corruption ..

So what else is new? This has been in the works for decades,
and in the end you will have a king, as will I, and the rest of
America.

I wonder if anyone involved in the Capitol incident of 1/6/2021
stopped for a moment and thought "Gee, what would stop
Trump from being just like the other dictators who overthrew
democracy and became President for life?" Absolute power
corrupts absolutely. And there is the danger of any president in the
defuture claring an indefinite "state of emergency", thus achieving
president for life status. Maybe a bit harder to do it here than
in other countries where this happened, but not impossible.

Democracy must stand, even if the president who is in the
White House for 4 or 8 years isn't the one you want.

On 12/2/22 8:00 PM, Oleg Smirnov wrote:
> <https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw> qz.com
>
> Illegal fentanyl seems to be everywhere in the US. Synthetic opioids
> (largely fentanyl) were linked to more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths
> in the US in 2021, up from fewer than 58,000 the year before, and now
> account for nearly two-thirds of the country's overdose deaths .. It's
> increasingly found contaminating all sorts of other drugs ..
>
>  Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw>

That's leftists/Wokies for ya ........

However on the subject of "decline" - Russia is
declining a LOT faster for different reasons.
This war will set it back to where it was when
the USSR broke up. Vlad will get the historical
BLAME rather than the hero status he sought.

On Sat, 3 Dec 2022 03:10:37 +0300, "Oleg Smirnov" <os333@netc.eu>
wrote:

>elites serve their interests by corrupting both
>democracy and open markets ..

You mean commie elites like the Russian oligarchs who've found ways to
manipulate free market economies to benefit mostly themselves?

Let's don't even talk about the irony of commies gleefully swimming in
the free markets pool.

In other news, because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the
destabilization in fossil fuel supply, Japan will not be phasing out
nuclear power. Although many of their 33 plants are far beyond their
designed lifetime, the government wants to refurbish the system with
newer, much safer designs.

Swill
--
"Reality is an acquired taste." - Matthew Perry

On Fri, 2 Dec 2022 23:17:48 -0500, "26C.Z969" <26C.Z969@noaada.net>
wrote:

>On 12/2/22 8:00 PM, Oleg Smirnov wrote:
>> <https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw> qz.com
>>
>> Illegal fentanyl seems to be everywhere in the US. Synthetic opioids
>> (largely fentanyl) were linked to more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths
>> in the US in 2021, up from fewer than 58,000 the year before, and now
>> account for nearly two-thirds of the country's overdose deaths .. It's
>> increasingly found contaminating all sorts of other drugs ..
>>
>>  Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2l9l8fsw>
>
> That's leftists/Wokies for ya ........
>
> However on the subject of "decline" - Russia is
> declining a LOT faster for different reasons.
> This war will set it back to where it was when
> the USSR broke up. Vlad will get the historical
> BLAME rather than the hero status he sought.

When the food prices explode and the shelves grow empty.

Swill
--
"Reality is an acquired taste." - Matthew Perry

<https://tinyurl.com/2qp28klx> wng.org

Worse than a recession .. The economy faces something worse than a mild
six-month economic contraction. That something worse is that we are
likely already in a prolonged period of stagflation .. Even the
Congressional Budget Office knows that now. It recently released its dire
long-term economic forecast ..

....

> <https://archive.is/r98HX>
>
> America is on a decline in many respects ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2g3htxcp> dailymail.co.uk

Nearly 43,000 people were killed on US roads last year. That's the highest
number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic
forced many to stay at home ..

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign said 11,258
people died in speed-related crashes in 2020, up 17 percent from 2019 even
though there was less traffic on the roads in 2020 due to the pandemic ..
Traffic deaths rose 10.5 percent over 2020, the largest percentage increase
since .. 1975 ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2ny95l8b>
>
> The ongoing crisis on America's roadways is growing ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2r3anle4> gazettengr.com

Top five U.S. banks lost $230 billion in market value in 2022 .. The data
shows a concerning reality of the U.S. economy's deterioration. "The research
showed that the five leading U.S. banks had experienced huge losses ..

....

> <https://tinyurl.com/2hkhcg8c>
>
> .. The economy is in a bind without a plausible means of escape ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2mnxwv4m> washingtonexaminer.com

The U.S. economy is teetering on the brink of extreme turmoil, with
several factors coming into play at the same time. The financial
markets are signa1ling recession .. The economic challenges are
spreading into the jobs market as well .. The housing market is also
in turmoil .. The U.S. economy is in trouble ..

....

> <https://tinyurl.com/2e9p94sl>
>
> .. America's collapsing economy ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2frgacqs> dailymail.co.uk

Elderly epidemic: Drug and alcohol deaths among over-65s has
more than TRIPLED in last two decades .. Alcohol-induced deaths
jumped 18 per cent from 2020 to 2021 as well ..

Read more <https://tinyurl.com/2frgacqs>

> <https://archive.is/X1uo3>
>
> America's Fentanyl Crisis Is Getting Worse

<https://tinyurl.com/2grgey3p> unherd.com

The good news is that the Ukraine crisis has shown that the days when
the US could single-handedly dictate global politics are long gone: most
countries have not followed America in slapping sanctions on Russia. On
the contrary, more than a dozen countries have formally applied to join
the BRICS grouping .. The new BRICS members would create an entity with
a GDP 30% larger than the United States, over 50% of the global
population and in control of 60% of global gas reserves.

And when it comes to the prospect of engaging in a Cold War 2.0 with
China, the US appears even more isolated - even vis-à-vis its closest
allies .. It does show that it's not China that is becoming increasingly
isolated from the world - but the United States. The latter would do
well to accept that the days of American unipolarity are over, and its
attempts to drag the world into a war with China will only accelerate
its decline.

> <https://tinyurl.com/2na5elne>
>
> .. Multipolar world .. Russia stands at the forward edge ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2r2ebcpb> fitchratings.com

Deteriorating Outlook for North American Utilities, Power & Gas in 2023

The sector outlook for North American Utilities, Power and Gas in 2023 is
deteriorating, according to Fitch Ratings. Key concerns include mounting
costs pressures for electric and gas utilities, due to elevated commodity
prices, inflationary headwinds and rising interest costs. High capex and
recovery of storm restoration costs from more frequent extreme weather
activity are compounding cost pressures, leading to significant increases
in customer bills ..

> <https://archive.is/ZQK9u>
>
> Millions of Americans struggling to keep lights on

<https://tinyurl.com/2eb4gzng> cnbc.com

Main Street says .. economic downturn is coming .. Many business owners
expect the U.S. economy to enter a recession .. Majority of entrepreneurs
say they are prepared for an economic downturn ..

....

> <https://tinyurl.com/2njulg5k>
>
> .. Global recession is right around the corner ..

<https://archive.is/dG1Ik> newstatesman.com

The US is addicted to greatness - and haunted by its loss ..

The preoccupation with great power status results in too much military
spending and not enough money for education and infrastructure. Global
posturing distracts from sensibly-scaled civic initiatives to make the
US a more liveable place for the vast majority of its population ..
America's domestic problems are far more severe, violent and entrenched
than anything .. Consistent result of opinion polls taken in recent
decades suggest that younger Americans have defected of their own
accord from US exceptionalism. Solid majorities of millennials and Gen
Z refuse the idea that their country is the greatest on Earth, which is
hardly surprising given their experience of it .. And more young
Americans today evince sympathy for the idea of socialism ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2p4ruf72>
>
> The future of decline in America ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2nbk9frt> nationalreview.com

... Our Educational Decline

With student evaluations now posted online, few faculty members want to
be the target of rotten tomatoes. They know, with good reason, that their
contract renewals depend on favorable comments. Who can blame them? High
standards take a back seat to being able to pay the rent. The situation
is only going to get worse ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2p2qodum>
>
> America's public schools have never been worse than they are right now

<https://tinyurl.com/2dwfqrmv> mskit.net

Saudi Arabia and China signed 34 strategic partnership agreements ..
Analysts believe that the Chinese president's visit is a signal to the
United States and the world that the United States no longer plays a
central role .. "American hegemony over the international system will
not continue in my estimation ..

....

> <https://archive.is/cRNmH>
>
> .. Their shared conviction that America is in decline ..

<https://archive.is/vd1zJ> townhall.com

America's Suicide

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse
[generous amounts of money] from the public treasury .. Democracies do
not last long. They only last until they destroy themselves through
careless and reckless policy, usually financial .. Democracy caters to
mediocrity, and that is why it always fails. It takes excellence, not
mediocrity, to successfully run a nation .. Tytler wrote, "The average
age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years."
America, living on borrowed time, hasn't got long.

> <https://tinyurl.com/2fzggem9>
>
> .. From apathy to dependence .. back into bondage ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2hfhj4lp> knoxfocus.com

Declination

The declination continues in all sectors of America. "The personal
wealth of Americans has declined seven trillion dollars this year."
The government continues to spend money we don't have driving up
inflation .. Unfortunately, the productivity of American workers is
also in decline .. And it goes on ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2her9cw7>
>
> .. Decades-Long Plot to Sabotage American Power ..

<https://tinyurl.com/2n74l48j> creators.com

The worst part is the complete waste of spending with not even a sliver
of reform. At $1.7 trillion, the new spending bill once again massively
increases funding for just about everything. Many Republicans view this
as a win because they got more defense spending as part of the package.
Without needed reforms, most of this defense money will be wasted in a
broken system. And as a result of this bill and so many before it, when
the history of this sad era is written, the total dumping of spending
discipline and the crisis it ends up causing the country will be viewed
as a monumental failure ..

....

> <https://tinyurl.com/2y7pzob8>
>
> America Declines as the Elites Remain in Denial

<https://archive.is/OPjSN> foreignpolicy.com

The United States Couldn't Stop Being Stupid if It Wanted To

Defenders of U.S. "global leadership" sometimes concede that Washington
has overextended itself, pursued foolish policies, failed to achieve its
stated foreign-policy aims, and violated its avowed political principles.
They see such actions as regrettable aberrations, however, and believe
the United States will learn from these (rare) mistakes ..

....

But that's not the case.
The US will proceed with destroying itself.
The American decline is steady and irreversible.

> <https://tinyurl.com/2l8r8bbw>
>
> Americans Anticipate Economic & Environmental Trouble In 2023

<https://tinyurl.com/2k5b4ejd> thetricontinental.org

The petrodollar system received two serious sequential blows.

First, the 2007-08 financial crisis suggested that the Western
banking system is not as stable as imagined .. Second, as part of
its hybrid war, the US has used its dollar power to sanction over
30 countries. Many of these countries .. have sought alternatives
to the US-dominated financial system .. BRICS and sanctioned
countries have begun to build new institutions that could
circumvent their reliance on the dollar .. About half of the
countries in the world are experimenting with forms of central
bank digital currencies .. As part of their concern over 'currency
power', many countries in the Global South are eager to develop
non-dollar trade and investment systems ..

> <https://tinyurl.com/2petc95o>
>
> Americans revealed a pessimistic outlook about their finances ..