Are You Prepared for a Major Port Strike – Like the One That Might Happen In a Few Days?

Earl Griffin, Contributor
Activist Post

In a recent article I asked the question, “Are You Prepared for a Nationwide Strike?” I hope you were not one of those who scoffed – as it now appears likely that this Sunday could see 14,000 dock workers walk off the job at container ports from the east coast to the gulf coast.

Do you work in manufacturing or retail? What will you do if you are furloughed or laid off from your job because there is no work as a result of the resources and products you need sitting idle in port?

Have you been saving for just such an emergency? Can you pay your bills even if you are out of work for a while? Remember you won’t be eligible for unemployment benefits until you are out of work for as long as 30 days. Even then the benefit usually only covers 60% of the pay you are accustomed to – that’s just over half – and you may still have to pay taxes on it!

The fact is most of us are not saving and preparing for hard times. Will you just throw your hands up and accept whatever fate awaits you? I don’t recommend it. Waiting in line for FEMA handouts – if there are any FEMA handouts, is no fun. Set money aside for hard times. Do what your grandparents did: Save your money – even if it means doing without the cool toys that many of us have come to believe are necessities.

A cell phone, an Internet tablet, and cable television are not necessities.

I’ve said that before and have been accused of promoting austerity.

I do not support austerity. I support personal responsibility – which often includes difficult choices.

My council, to anyone who cares to heed it, is to develop a philosophy of self-reliance.


Sacrifice teaches self discipline. Self discipline enables one to follow a sustainable path of self-sufficiency – to the degree that one’s circumstances allow.

Of course a major port strike may well be averted – I hope it will be. But what if it isn’t? The best we can hope for in that case is a very short strike. If a major port strike proved to be protracted it could shut down much of our nation’s commerce and trade. You are likely to be affected to one degree or another. Depending on how long it goes on you and your family may be seriously impacted.

Do you have food stored? At the moment workers claim they will not stop the movement of food. What if that changes? What if, as a means to gain greater leverage, workers halt the movement of food as well as other items?

You would do well to have enough food in your pantry and on your shelves to see you and your family through a rough patch. If food becomes difficult to get, everyone will suffer and the union will see its support decline. If just a relative few people suffer, say those working in a sector of the economy that is seriously impacted by a major port strike – like retail or manufacturing, such a strike may prove ongoing. A day or two might not break you. Would a week or two? Would a month or two break you?

 The nights are cold when there is no heat. If you can’t pay the bill because your job is affected by a major port strike how will you stay warm? Do you rely almost exclusively on the furnace or do you have plenty of warm blankets, sleeping bags, quilts, afghans, and long underwear? Now is the time to think of these things before you find yourself in a bind.

Let me be clear – I neither approve or disapprove of a major port strike, that is a matter of conscience for those involved. My concern is for those who will be affected and their level of preparedness in the face of such an event.

You and your family need to have something to eat. You need clean water to drink. You need to be able to stay warm in case it is very cold. If it is possible for you to do so, you should acquire any medicines that you will need in case they become unavailable. You do not need to go out and spend lots and lots of money – just think about what you really need and start setting it aside – now.

Simple foods with thoughtful seasonings will keep you well fed and healthy.

Clean water is always your friend.

Your entertainment does not need to light up. A good book - better yet a nice selection of good books - help pass the time happily. Board games and card games are a wonderful way to entertain groups.

A recent article that caught my attention asked, “Is It Too Late To Start Prepping?” It is an article that is worth reading. I do not believe that it is too late. However I do believe that as the economy continues to stumble and the price of food continues to rise, the current window of opportunity may well be closing.

If you are inclined to prepare for difficult times – like the very real possibility of a major port strike – now is the time. Delay no longer.

Please share your comments about the potential port strike and preparedness below.

This article first appeared at Barking Window

"QE4 is Little More Than LEGALIZED COUNTERFEITING" - Michael Rivero - Pa...

TIFs: the tax bill you have to pay but never see

The program intended to help the poorest of the poor largely benefits the well to do

By Ben Joravsky @joravben

Any day now taxpayers are sure to revolt over what they’re paying into the tax increment financing program.

In his previous crusade, north-side activist Tom Tresser went up against the political, cultural, media, and civic elite of Chicago as he fought against bringing the 2016 Olympic games to town.

Against all odds, Tresser won!
And decisively so. No only did the International Olympic Committee award the games to another city (thank you, Rio de Janeiro), but they also exposed just how deficient Chicago's application was by bouncing it before the other finalists'.
Thank you, IOC. And thank you, Tom Tresser and No Games Chicago, for exposing that budget-busting land-grab fiasco.
For an encore, Tresser is trying to get city officials to tell the truth about how they spend your property taxes.
Good luck with this one, Tom, though it's definitely worth fighting for.
"We believe the public should know how its public dollars are spent," says Tresser. "It's just fundamental to democracy."
He is, of course, talking about the city's tax increment financing scam. That's the program intended to eliminate blight in the poorest neighborhoods. Instead, the city jacks up your property taxes and funnels the money into a slush fund available for virtually anything the mayor wants, generally in neighborhoods that are neither poor nor blighted. Such as—to pick just one of my favorite TIF deals—the recent $30 million handout to the developers of River Point, an upscale office complex on the banks of the Chicago River downtown, in the hottest real estate market in the city.
Meanwhile, the mayor's closing schools because we're broke. Good thing for him that hardly anyone's paying attention.
That's where Tresser comes in. Along with assorted academics, computer geeks, and other troublemakers, Tresser has started the CivicLab, which is breaking down the city's TIF game to see who really wins and loses. They're setting up a website (civiclab.us/the-tif-report) that reveals what Mayor Rahm Emanuel most wants to conceal, just like Mayor Richard Daley before him: that the program intended to help the poorest of the poor largely benefits the well to do.
In addition, the CivicLab is organizing an online petition to force lawmakers to address the best part of the scam—the fact that your tax bill lies to you about it. "Getting the correct information on the tax bill is a big start," says Tresser. "If you have property in TIF districts, the property tax must reveal the impact of what you pay. It's so fundamental."
Before you fall asleep, let me explain. You too can be a TIF geek!
If you're a renter, your landlord passes you the property tax tab in your rent. But if you're an owner, each year the county sends you a property tax bill that you probably don't pay attention to, other than paying it.
That bill itemizes down to the penny how much of your taxes are being sent to schools, parks, the city, etc—things you're more or less OK with spending your money on. In truth, lots of it is going into the TIF slush fund to finance things you probably don't want your money spent on, like the aforementioned office building in River North.
Don't believe me? Well, look at your tax bill. If you live in a TIF district, it will tell you that you pay zero dollars to the TIF, as in no money at all. When, of course, that is not the case. Think, people—if no one paid money into the TIF district, there would be no money to subsidize River Point.
When I first reported this—approximately ten billion light years ago—the city blamed it on the county and the county blamed it on the city. And off the record everyone told me that it's better to let the tax bills lie, because if they told the truth about where tax dollars go, the peasants might revolt.
Let's face it: Chicago's peasants are just too sleepy to revolt.
Still, give Cook County clerk David Orr some credit. He set up a system on his website that enables you to see how tax dollars in TIF districts are actually allocated. As opposed to how the "official" tax bill says they're allocated.
For example, let's look at the property tax bill for the South Loop townhouse once owned by Mayor Daley, who pretty much invented Chicago's TIF program. According to the bill, that property—now owned by Mayor Daley's daughter—was responsible for $12,889 in taxes this year. Of that, $6,804 went to the Chicago Public Schools.
But if you plug the address into Orr's converter, you'll discover that in fact only $506 went to the schools. Instead, about $11,922, or 92 percent of the total, went to something called the Near South TIF. Which, interestingly enough, helped finance the development of the very townhouse community where the property's located.
To compensate for the $6,298 it's not getting out of the Daleys' bill, CPS increases the amount the rest of us pay, even if we don't live in that TIF. Because the money's got to come from somewhere.
It's that way for all of the roughly 150 TIFs in Chicago. And you wonder why you pay so much in taxes while the schools stay broke.
As always when I write about this, I have a feeling that many readers, lost in the swirl of numbers, have long since turned the page, so to speak. And that's the central reason city officials get away with this: it's confusing and hard to follow. Like all great scams.
You may recall that Mayor Emanuel came to office vowing to reform the TIF program.
But don't expect him to join Tresser's crusade anytime soon. As any politician will tell you, money is power. And the TIF program gives Mayor Emanuel control of another $500 million a year in property taxes on top of the billions in the regular city budget.
That's a lot of power. He'd be a fool to give it up. And the mayor's a lot of things—most of which are unprintable in a family newspaper—but a fool he's not.

Ben Joravsky on Politics archives »

The Most Vile Story I Have Ever Heard

Read the Wednesday Afternoon Wrap-Up for 12/26/2012 and the Thursday Morning Commentary for 12/27/2012
Rarely do I read something so disgusting, I retch from just reading the title.  Let alone, when it is published by the most traitorous – supposedly “PM-bullish” – organization in the Americas.
Clearly, the abominable title drew me in.  However – as you can probably imagine – I barely got through the first paragraph before clicking on the “x” at the top right of my screen.  As a precaution, please don’t read the below headline – or go swimming – after a big meal…
CFTC’S Gensler: Role Of Finance Is To Serve The Rest Of The Economy
…particularly if you are bold enough to reach the following filth…

Finance serves the economy and allows the public unfettered access to markets and information; establishing prices transparently – free of fraud and manipulation.
-Gary Gensler, CFTC Chairman (and former Goldman Sachs partner)

Why do I show you the ultimate in LIES; from the ultimate LIAR; as published by the ultimate traitor?  Because you need to know what you are up against; a world of scheming CRIMINALS – out to take your money, rights, and liberty.
All societies eventually go into decline; and sadly, the causes are typically the same; complacency, arrogance, and – last but not least – fiat currency.  Once the latter permeates a society, its CANCEROUS effects spread throughout the population; plus trade partners, allies, and foes alike.  Never before have ALL the world’s societies been linked by such a DISEASE – in this case, ironically called the “dollar”; as dollar actually originates from the name of SILVER coins…
The Word “Dollar” and the Dollar Sign $
But I digress, as the ANGER of a society that not only allows, but promotes such indignity is often hard to take.  Gensler – in all his sniveling glory – represents PURE EVIL; and hopefully, the absurd TRANSPARENCY of his platitudes are evidence enough that the ONLY way to financially survive is avoiding the manipulated PAPER markets he and his ilk reside over.
Sorry to SHOCK you right after Christmas; but I’m trying to GIRD you for the horrors that likely await hard-working, law-abiding Americans in the coming years.
PROTECT YOURSELF, and do it NOW!

Year of the slog: Workers face 'longer hours, squeeze on pay and insecurity' as scramble for jobs intensifies in 2013

Workers and job seekers alike face a bleak struggle to improve their circumstances in 2013, according to employment experts.
People in work can expect longer hours, a continued squeeze on pay and fewer jobs being created in a 'hard year of slog', says Dr John Philpott of the Jobs Economist consultancy.
Meanwhile, the unemployed will find it harder to get a job in 2013 as the 'scramble' for work gets fiercer, predicts a separate report from recruitment website totaljobs.

Fierce competition: Unemployed people will find it harder to get a job in 2013 as the 'scramble' for work gets fiercer

Philpott predicted that job insecurity will remain high, with workers maintaining a 'grin and bear it' attitude.
Pay deals will continue to be affected by unemployment, with increases lagging behind inflation, leading to wage cuts for workers, he said.

Unemployment is forecast to increase by 120,000 to 2.63 million in 2013 because growth in the workforce will exceed the number of jobs being created, said Philpott.
Youth unemployment is forecast to fall below 900,000, while long-term unemployment will remain broadly the same.

MANAGERS CRAVE WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Most managers plan to stay in their jobs next year, although many want to improve their work-life balance, according to a study by the Institute of Leadership & Management.
Only one in seven want to look for a new position in the new year, while one in 20 plan to set up their own business, its survey of 1,300 managers found.
Almost a third of managers will try to improve their work-life balance next year, and a similar number want to develop leadership skills, the Institute of Leadership & Management study also found.
Charles Elvin, chief executive of the institute, said: 'It seems managers' primary focus for the new year will be to retain their current jobs rather than seeking new ones. This is a clear reflection of the current economic climate.
'Businesses mustn't be complacent though, and they need to ensure they keep their workers motivated and engaged through 2013.'
Almost three out of five said they will stay with their current employer next year.

Philpott expected only limited support from workers in private firms for union opposition to public sector cuts.
'Our jobs outlook for 2013 is relatively optimistic in that we expect only a modest rise in unemployment. However, the fact that this can be considered good news merely underlines the harsh reality of current economic austerity,' he said.
'GDP may grow somewhat faster but 2013 will be another year of hard slog, with longer hours for those lucky enough to have jobs and a further squeeze on living standards for workers and the jobless alike.
'Hard pressed private sector workers are likely to keep their heads down and get on with the job rather than actively stand shoulder to shoulder with striking public sector trade unionists.
'Workplace disgruntlement in the private sector will instead take the form of simmering distrust of bosses, especially those who adopt the trendy management speak mantra of "employee engagement" while piling the pressure on overstretched staff,' he said.
Totaljobs said jobs have been created this year in most regions of the UK, but there was also an increase in applications.
The labour market 'loosened' in 2012, encouraging those already in work to look for a new challenge, while the jobless were having to apply for more posts in their search for work, said its report.
'With changes coming to benefit payments, it is likely the scramble for work is getting fiercer,' it said.
The number of jobs increased by 5 per cent this year, boosted by the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee, alongside a drop in inflation, according to totaljobs.
The biggest increases were in transport and logistics firms, while jobs were lost in the public sector and the hospitality sector, its study found.
The number of applicants per vacancy has jumped by 12 per cent this year to a national average of 18, rising to 25 in some areas such as London. Almost 50 people were chasing some administrative jobs and 36 in retail, it was found.

Stress: Almost a third of managers will try to improve their work-life balance next year

The capital was hit by a collapse in the number of catering and hospitality jobs despite the success of the Olympics, said Totaljobs, adding that Wales had been affected by public sector cuts.
John Salt, director of totaljobs.com, said: 'For much of 2012, the labour market was heading in the right direction with job growth and falls in unemployment. However, whilst on the surface things looked healthier, dig a little deeper and it became clear that we have been merely storing up problems for the future.
'The reality is that a great deal of the jobs created have been part-time and low paid, and many of those that have been taken off the unemployment roll have in fact just gone into government training schemes rather than paid work.
'With the eurozone seemingly resolute in its determination not to take the steps necessary to avoid economic meltdown and significant falls in manufacturing, the heralded labour market recovery petered out by the final quarter of the year.'
The labour market will remain 'pretty stagnant' in the coming months, totaljobs predicted.

• The number of people in work could reach a historic milestone of 30million before the next general election, according to a study of the labour market by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Latest figures showed there were 29.6million people in employment in the quarter to October, an increase of almost half a million on a year earlier.

16 Dismal Trends Likely to Continue for 2013

Michael Snyder, Contributor
Activist Post

The beginning of the year has traditionally been a time of optimism when we all look forward to the exciting things that are going to happen over the next 12 months.  Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things about 2013 that we already know are going to stink.  Taxes are going to go up, good paying jobs will continue to leave the country, small businesses will continue to be destroyed, the number of Americans living in poverty will continue to soar, our infrastructure will continue to decay, global food supplies will likely continue to dwindle and the U.S. national debt will continue to explode.

Our politicians continue to pursue the same policies that got us into this mess, and yet they continue to expect things to magically turn around.  But that is not the way that things work in the real world.  Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes.

Instead of realizing that what we are doing is not working, our "leaders" continue to give us more of the same.  As a result, there are going to be a lot of things about 2013 that will not be great.  Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything will be "okay" somehow is not going to help anyone.  We've got to make people understand exactly what is happening and why it is happening if we ever hope to see real changes.

The following are 16 things about 2013 that are really going to stink...

#1 Taxes Are Going To Go Up

Even if a fiscal cliff deal is reached, some taxes will still go up next year.  And if no deal is reached, there will be a whole bunch of different tax increases in 2013.

According to CBS News, these tax increases would be very painful for the middle class...

If lawmakers fail to work out any sort of deal, there will be severe long-term consequences for the economy: According to the Tax Policy Center, going off the 'cliff' would affect 88 percent of U.S. taxpayers, with their taxes rising by an average of $3,500 a year; taxes would jump $2,400 on average for families with incomes of $50,000 to $75,000. Because consumers would get less of their paychecks to spend, businesses and jobs would suffer.

 #2 The Middle Class Is About To Be Scorched By The Alternative Minimum Tax

Of more immediate concern for the middle class is the Alternative Minimum Tax.  Many Americans have never heard of the AMT, but it is truly one of the worst things about our tax code. If Congress does not act, and right now it does not look promising, millions of middle class households will see a massive increase in their tax bills for 2012.

According to one analysis, households that are forced to pay the AMT will end up paying an extra $3,700 in taxes...

Unless Congress acts by the end of the year, more than 26 million households will for the first time face the AMT, which threatens to tack $3,700, on average, onto taxpayers’ bills for the current tax year. Because those people have never paid the AMT, they have no idea they are in its crosshairs — put there by a broader stalemate over tax policy that has kept Congress from limiting the AMT’s reach.

Do you have an extra $3,700 sitting around to send to Uncle Sam?

If not, you had better contact your representatives in Congress and scream like crazy about passing a fix for the AMT.  They have always gotten it done before, but this year there is so much animosity between the Republicans and the Democrats that nothing may end up getting done.

#3 The Economy Will Continue To Get Worse

 Despite all of the talk in the mainstream media and from our politicians that our economy is getting better, the truth is that the U.S. economy continued to decline in 2012.  If you doubt this, just read the 75 statistics in this article.

And there are a whole host of signs that the economy is starting to slow down even more as we enter 2013.  For example, consumer confidence in the United States has experienced its largest two-month drop in over a year, and retail sales during the holiday season turned out to be quite disappointing.

#4 Good Paying Jobs Will Continue To Be Shipped Out Of The United States

Thanks to decades of "free trade agreements", workers in the United States must directly compete for jobs with hundreds of millions of workers on the other side of the globe that live in countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages.

We continue to see millions of jobs being shipped out of the country and our politicians stand by and do nothing.

Most Americans have no idea how this emerging one world economic system works.  The beautiful product that you buy at the big retail store may have been made by someone working in some of the most horrific conditions imaginable.

A 42-year-old woman named Julie Keith recently found this letter inside a box of Halloween decorations that had been made in China...

If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.

People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month).

People who work here, suffer punishment 1-3 years averagely, but without Court Sentence (unlaw punishment). Many of them are Falun Gong practitioners, who are totally innocent people only because they have different believe to CCPG. They often suffer more punishment than others.

But both political parties continue to tell us how wonderful it is that we are trading with communist China.  They see no problem with the fact that good paying jobs that used to be performed in America are now being performed by slave laborers on the other side of the planet.  And most Americans continue to support this system by filling their shopping carts with lots of stuff that has "made in China" stamped on it.

#5 Small Businesses Will Continue To Be Destroyed

At the same time, small businesses all over America are being strangled to death by taxes and regulations.  Just consider the following numbers from a previous article...

We are told that the economy is supposed to be "recovering", but the number of 'startup jobs' at new businesses has fallen for five years in a row.  According to an analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data performed by economist Tim Kane, there were almost 12 startup jobs per 1000 Americans back in the year 2006.  By 2011, that figure had fallen to less than 8 startup jobs per 1000 Americans.

How is our economy ever going to thrive if we keep killing off our small businesses?

#6 Hunger And Poverty Will Continue To Explode To Unprecedented Levels

 As the U.S. economy bleeds jobs and loses small businesses, the number of Americans living in poverty continues to explode.

Here are some numbers to show to people who still don't understand how desperate the situation is...

-Families that have a head of household under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.
-According to U.S. Census data, 57 percent of all American children live in a home that is either considered to be "poor" or "low income".

-For the first time ever, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless.  That number has risen by 57 percent since the 2006-2007 school year.

#7 The Number Of Americans On Food Stamps Will Continue To Increase

If the economy is recovering, then why does the number of Americans on food stamps continue to soar?

As I wrote about yesterday, about 17 million Americans were on food stamps back in the year 2000.
Today, more than 47 million Americans are on food stamps.

Does anyone want to explain to me how that is a sign that things are getting better?

Back in the 1970s, about one out of every 50 Americans was on food stamps.  Today, about one out of every 6.5 Americans is on food stamps.

How much worse do things have to get before people realize that what we are doing is not working?

#8 Millions Of Americans Are About To Lose Their Unemployment Benefits

During this economic crisis, an unprecedented number of American families have been relying on unemployment benefits in order to stay afloat.

Well, if no agreement is reached in Washington D.C., millions of Americans will shortly lose those benefits...

Three million Americans may become unwitting casualties of the political war in Washington over the fiscal cliff.

Since 2008, the federal government has funded extensions of the unemployment insurance offered by states, more than tripling the amount of aid available to the unemployed in some areas. But the program is expensive, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating it would cost $30 billion to extend it through 2013. President Barack Obama wants to extend the benefits for another year, but Congress has already pared back the program, and Republicans insist it represents the kind of largesse Washington can no longer afford.

#9 Our Infrastructure Will Continue To Rot And Decay

The United States once had the most beautiful infrastructure in the entire world.  Our highways, bridges, airports, railroads, sewer systems and electrical grids were the envy of the entire planet.
Well, now we don't even have enough money to repair what we already have, so our infrastructure will continue to rot and decay in 2013...

Highways and bridges will need $2.5 trillion in upgrades if they are to survive for another 50 years -- a must-do to keep commerce thriving. And that figure doesn't even take into account the airports, railroads, subways, sewage-treatment plants, waterworks, levees, electric grids, pipelines, and all of those other expensive systems that people ignore until they break down.

#10 Many Of Our Major Cities Will Continue To Be Transformed Into Festering Hellholes

A lot of our major cities are also rapidly degenerating.  Detroit is one of my favorite examples, but the same kinds of things could be said about dozens of other major cities all over the country.  The following is a brief excerpt from one of my recent articles...

If you can believe it, more than 50 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty, and close to 50 percent of all adults living in the city are functionally illiterate.  The high school graduation rate in Detroit is down to about 25 percent, and the city has become a breeding ground for gangs and violence.  The number of murders in Detroit is already higher than last year, and recently groups of young men toting AK-47s have been running around robbing gas stations.  How much worse can things possibly get for Detroit?

#11 State And Local Governments Will Find Ways To Squeeze Even More Money Out Of Us

In case you haven't noticed, state and local governments all over the country are bleeding cash and are desperate for money.  In 2013 you can expect them to continue to find more ways to squeeze even more money out of all of us.  Here is one example...

Over the course of 2013, the District government will add 134 traffic cameras to its network, more than doubling the size of a system that generated $85 million in revenues for the city in its last fiscal year.

Police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump told The Washington Examiner that the city will intensify its camera-based efforts to cite motorists for speeding and stoplight violations while also adding cameras to detect other moving violations.

#12 Drug Cartels Will Continue To Easily Cross Our Borders And Terrorize Our Citizens

The federal government continues to refuse to protect our borders, and that means that drug runners and gang members will continue to pour into the United States.

 Down in the Southwest, many ranchers are being absolutely terrorized by these criminals.  The following is from a recent NBC News article...

Just before nightfall, 73-year-old rancher Jim Chilton hikes quickly up and down the hills on his rugged cattle-grazing land south of Tucson, escorting two U.S. Border Patrol agents.

He wants to show them the disturbing discovery he made earlier in the day: a drug-smugglers' camp on his private property.  Stacked together under a stand of trees are blankets, jackets, food, water, binoculars and bales of marijuana from Mexico wrapped in burlap. The smugglers, themselves, are nowhere in sight and are believed to have fled the area, which is about 10 miles north of the Mexican border.

Chilton has had his house burglarized a couple of times and his family regularly encounters groups of armed drug smugglers coming across from Mexico...

Their cattle fences are frequently cut and paths heading north from Mexico cross their property.  Beckham says a smuggler even fired shots at him while he walked his land with a U.S. Border Patrol agent.  Several illegal border crossers have also approached his house at night--one even reaching his hand into their bathroom window.

'Several years ago, one of my children was taking a shower and had a gentleman reach into the shower while he was in there, and he came out screaming, absolutely refusing to take a shower for the next couple months.'

But even if you don't live along the border, all of this still affects you.  According to government figures, Mexican drug cartels are actively operating in more than 1,200 U.S. cities right now.  They are probably hard at work in the community where you live.

So what is the Obama administration doing to fix the problem?

Not much.

In fact, the Obama administration is actually encouraging people to come to the U.S. and become dependent on the system.  If you can believe it, there is actually a website run by the Department of Homeland Security that teaches immigrants how to apply for welfare benefits once they get into the United States.

#13 Social Decay Will Continue To Accelerate

All over America we are seeing signs of social breakdown.  Here is yet another example...

A woman sleeping on a street bench outside a drug store was doused with an accelerant and set on fire early Thursday morning in Van Nuys.

Witnesses told police that a man poured liquid -- possibly a beverage containing alcohol -- on the sleeping woman at about 1 a.m. outside a Walgreens store near Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way. He lit a match and ran from the location, witnesses told police.

Who would just run up and set a woman on fire?

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident.  For many more examples like this, please see this article: "20 Shocking Examples Of How Sadistic And Cruel People Have Become".

We need to admit that we have a major problem on our hands.  Violent crime in the United States increased by 18 percent in 2011, and another huge increase is expected when the numbers for 2012 come out.

America is changing, and not for the better.


#14 Global Food Supplies Will Continue To Dwindle

Did you know that for six of the last eleven years the world has consumed more food than it has produced?

As a result, global food reserves have reached their lowest level in almost 40 years.

So what is going to happen if the world continues to eat more food than it makes?

Let us hope that there is not another major drought in 2013.  If there is, we could be looking at a very serious food crunch.

#15 Wall Street Will Continue To Resemble A Giant Casino

Our financial system seems to have not learned any lessons from the financial crash of 2008. Instead of admitting their mistakes, they just continue to engage in even more reckless behavior. Today, there are four major U.S. banks that each have more than 40 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives.

At some point that house of cards is going to collapse and we will be facing a derivatives crisis of unprecedented magnitude.

Will it be in 2013?

#16 The U.S. National Debt Will Cross The 17 Trillion Dollar Mark

In 2013, our national debt will blow past the 17 trillion dollar mark and start heading toward 18 trillion dollars.

How stupid can we possibly be?

During the first four years of the Obama administration, the U.S. national debt has grown by about as much as it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that George W. Bush took office.

It really takes something to match more than 200 years of debt accumulation in less than four years.

But our politicians don't seem to care about all of this debt.  They will continue to steal more than 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day.  That is beyond criminal, and yet the American people don't seem to care.

What in the world has happened to this country?

Of course not everything about 2013 will be bad.  Personally, I am looking forward to an exciting year.  I have a new book that will be coming out, and my family is blessed and healthy.  I would like to wish all of you a very blessed 2013.  Things may be falling apart all around us, but that doesn't mean that we can't have a great year even in the midst of all the chaos.

EU Summit Reveals a Paralyzed Continent

Raphael Demaret/ DER SPIEGEL

What happens behind closed doors at an EU summit, when European leaders are among themselves? SPIEGEL has reconstructed the negotiations at the most recent meeting in Brussels in December based on documents and accounts given by numerous sources. It was a summit of hopelessness.

The haggling is in full swing at this hour -- North against South, rich countries against poor ones, German Chancellor Angela Merkel against French President François Hollande. They're stuck on a word, one that would normally have a beautiful, positive sound: common. The word "common" is dividing Europe. This is what it has come to in this night of hard-fought negotiations.

ANZEIGE

For more than six hours now, the leaders of the European Union have been meeting in Brussels to discuss the future. They are here to agree on a document, and according to item 12 of that paper, there is to be a "common backstop" for the new banking union, a sort of shared resolution fund for worst-case scenarios. Germany wants the word "common" deleted. So do Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands. France wants to keep the word in the document, as do Italy, Spain and Portugal. The northern countries are afraid that they'll be asked to pay even more than they already do, while the south is hoping for more shared responsibility in the crisis. The dispute continues for three-quarters of an hour. The northern countries win the fight and the word "common" is stricken from the closing statement of the most recent EU summit.
This happened on Dec. 13 and 14, during a meeting of the European Council, the powerful EU body consisting of all 27 heads of state and government. They meet behind closed doors, and not even their closest staff members are allowed to attend. During these discussions, secrecy is normally paramount. But as of the last one, that no longer applies.
Months ago, SPIEGEL began opening the doors to this summit. A team of six reporters traveled to European capitals to find sources for a reconstruction of the December meeting. As a result, they were able to obtain reports on the negotiations, during and after the summit, from almost a dozen sources. The reports make it possible to accurately recount the events that unfolded.
High Expectations
The participants expressed satisfaction after the meeting. Some, including the chancellor, said they had made some progress. But is that true? Ahead of this summit, in particular, expectations had been high. It was supposed to be about the big picture, the future of the economic and monetary union -- and not just new aid for Greece. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy had been tasked with submitting proposals on how to strengthen the union.
Van Rompuy had Merkel's backing. Speaking to the European Parliament in November, she had voiced her strong support for a fundamental reform. "A renewed economic and monetary union needs more common fiscal policy," the chancellor said, as well as "a common economic policy." She had used the word "common" twice.
For some time, Merkel has believed that the founding fathers of the euro, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former French President François Mitterrand, made a mistake when they neglected to give the currency a political structure. For Merkel, this is one of the reasons for the current crisis. She also believes that it's up to her generation to correct the mistake. She wants the EU member states to give up more sovereignty so that policymakers in Brussels can quickly and effectively decide on a common fiscal and economic policy. To achieve this, Merkel even talked about amending the European treaties.
The December summit was seen as an opportunity for Europe to take a big and decisive step in this direction. But it failed on that count, producing an outcome that was tenuous at best.
How could this happen? The days leading up to the summit and the meeting itself show how Europe functions -- or rather, doesn't -- at a key juncture. They show how a big idea can be ruined in ritualized routine. Despite the talk, few leaders are truly advocating further European integration these days.
Olso, Monday, Dec. 10, 1:20 p.m.
The applause begins to build, growing louder and louder. Merkel and Hollande, who are sitting in the front row, turn around, smiling and whispering to each other. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tells them to finally stand up, and when they actually do, Hollande takes Merkel's hand and raises it above their heads. And there they are, standing hand in hand, their arms outstretched, and smiling.
It's an important and moving moment. The European Union is being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on this day, and the chairman of the Nobel Committee has just extoled Franco-German reconciliation, which explains why the two leaders are now standing there, basking in applause.
They're sitting at lunch an hour later, 20 EU leaders, Van Rompuy, the Council's president, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso -- the European administration, in other words -- and European Parliament President Martin Schulz. They are in very good spirits and are talking about integration and a deepening of relations. In fact, Schulz is still doing most of the talking.
Martin Schulz, 57, a Social Democrat from Würselen near Aachen in western Germany, is known for his strong personality, which he expresses in lengthy tirades. When he walks, he is as bowlegged as the professional soccer player he almost became, and he is a talented actor. Merkel likes to say to him: Why don't you do Sarkozy for us? Then Schulz does a perfect imitation of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, looking agitated and hectic, and speaking in a deep voice, to Merkel's great amusement. Another one of Schulz's strengths is that he never stops fighting for a united Europe .
In Oslo, at lunch, he talks about the upcoming elections in Italy and the threat posed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has announced that he wants to run again. Schulz says that while only the Italian people can decide whether Berlusconi becomes their prime minister again, his election could have serious implications for all Europeans, and that this issue underscores the poor design of the EU. No one contradicts him, and many agree. Integration must continue, Merkel adds. Bathed in the halo of the Nobel prize, everyone feels very European. At this banquet, at any rate, they can give speeches that cost them nothing.
Brussels, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m.: The ministers for European Affairs are holding a luncheon in preparation of the summit.
Michael Link, a minister of state in the German Foreign Ministry, represents Germany. The documents that will serve as the basis of the summit are the main topic of discussion.
When it comes to Europe's future, the egos of the heads of the most important EU institutions play an important role. Council President Van Rompuy was actually tasked with presenting a paper to be considered at the summit, but Commission President Barroso preempted him. Thirteen days before the meeting, he presented the public with a 51-page document titled "Blueprint For a Deep and Genuine Economic and Monetary Union," in which Barroso describes his proposals for the reorganization of the EU. "In this type of monetary union," he writes, "all major economic and fiscal policy choices of its member states should be subject to deeper coordination, endorsement and surveillance at the European level." Barroso proposes establishing an economic government in three phases.
Van Rompuy followed suit five days later. His paper consisted of only 15 pages, and the title didn't sound as ambitious: "Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union." Although Van Rompuy had borrowed Barroso's three-step model, revolutionary proposals like the establishment of a debt redemption fund and a European Finance Ministry were eliminated. There was, however, still talk of an independent "fiscal capacity" for the euro zone, the coordination of labor market and tax policy, and of "common decision-making" on national budgets.
Berlin Dismisses Reform Plans as 'Science Fiction'

But by a week later, on the eve of the Brussels summit, there was also little left of Van Rompuy's proposal. The draft of the document that the EU leaders are supposed to adopt, the so-called conclusions, merely mentions that the member states will discuss their reforms when deemed "appropriate." A common budget is no longer mentioned, and the document nebulously refers to an "integrated financial framework." The idea of binding reform agreements among the member states and the EU institutions has also disappeared into the fine print. The document states that "individual agreements of a contractual nature with EU institutions could enhance ownership and effectiveness." Now Van Rompuy has also eliminated the three-step plan. In the meantime, he had spoken with many European leaders by phone, and he quickly found out that there is no strong support for deeper integration in Europe.
"Most of it is science fiction," German State Secretary Link says dismissively at the luncheon in Brussels, referring to the first Van Rompuy document.

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