Jackpot Capitalism: Great Fortunes Made Gambling With Other People's Money
Never before in history, have so many, amassed such spectacular fortunes in such a short period of time. Sure, during the Industrial Revolution, the robber barons became tremendously wealthy over a span of about 45-50 years. However, at the very least, this great wealth resulted from exploring new technology and/or finding new resources that did benefit society, despite the extraordinary suffering these men of spectacular fortunes caused.
Fast forward a century, and people are literally profiting immensely from the turmoil that they created. The same cannot be said of this new crop of even faster growing fortunes (approx. 10 year span). Oh, these "jackpot capitalists" have contributed more than their fair share of suffering on a global scale; however, unlike their predecessors, the robber barons, they have produced very little, if any benefit at all, to society. In fact, the opposite can be said. With access to a bull market, and the bank's capital, these new "robber barons" have single-handedly collapsed our economy with their one-way, no risk bets.
How did these individuals become wealthier than some nations? Well, engineered by the Federal Reserve, itself, most of their wealth was made on the sharp fall in the cost of money. After all, the Federal Reserve sets the interest rates for America, as well as greatly influencing global rates.
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Federal Reserve
Imagine, if you will, the ability to open up your checkbook and deposit a billion dollars. Then, after creating that money out of thin air, you charge it to the federal government (US taxpayers). Then, if that's not enough, you charge them interest...immediately, if not sooner. And what happens if they do not pay you back? They foreclose, and raise even more money by increasing the taxes.
Sound absurd? Well, that's how the privately owned Federal Reserve works.
What we have are promissory notes. Paul Walburg was so brilliant, that in the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, he stipulated - and it's right in the act - that these printed pieces of paper, which private bankers are printing for their own profit, are then to become full obligations of the government of the United States, in other words, US taxpayers. They can print all the billions of dollars they want, and as soon as they print that money, you and I owe that money. Not only do we owe it, but we must start paying interest on it immediately In other words, as soon as he prints that money, you and I owe that money....They have testified before congress that they create the money out of nothing." -- Eustace Mullins, in 1992Malice of forethought should be the slogan draped across every Federal Reserve building, for their only agenda is to strengthen their own profit. And what's the best way to achieve this? Make war. They have financed both sides of every major conflict since the creation of the central bank. and there is nothing better than making war to achieve this goal. Selling guns to their adversary, while lending money to another is a common way the big boys made their profits during war.
Prior to the stock market crash, all of the insiders got out of the stock market during tht 4-year period so that they could be cash-heavy and buy up major corportaions for pennies on the dollar. Joseph Kennedy's fortune increased from $4 million at the time of the crash to over $100 million, four-years later. FDR's son-in-law called the Great Depression, "the deliberate shearing of the public by the world money power, triggered by the planned sudden shortage of call money in the New York markets" Father Charles Coughlin said, "not one of these soldiers cast a ballot on that faithful Good Friday night in the spring of 1917 to force a peace-loving nation to take up arms for the profiteers and exploiters of mankind."
And Congressman Louis McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking Committee at the time of the crash said,
"The Great Depression was a carefully contrived occurence by international bankers seeking to bring about a condition of despair so that they might emerge as the rulers of us all."Consider this. For the 16 months prior to the crash of 1929, the Federal Reserve increased the money supply by 62%! Then, at the time of the crash, they pulled the plug on the money supply and on the people who pledged their stocks, bonds, homes, cars, savings accounts...they lost it all.
The Federal Reserve is back to its same old tricks. By keeping the cost of money (interest rates) low, the supply of credit soared, as did the prices of assets. This "cheap debt" strategy supplies wealthy people, and especially, wealthy corporations, private equity funds (take control of a company), and unregulated hedge funds (trade the shares of a company - make their money betting on price variations, however small, between what they can buy and how much they can sell for, and they too, use borrowed money and leverage to generate extraordinary profits) with all the money they need to play with in order to line their already lined pockets. So, armed with the power of leverage - borrowing to invest - which they use to multiply their profits, in addition to the low taxes for enterprise, magnificent fortunes were and are currently growing at exorbitant rates.
The great opportunity lies in the fact that they get first crack at what essentially is free money, with interest rates at 0%, as they were after the 2008 crash. After being gifted these funds, they turn around and lend it back to us at 3-4%. That's right, they're lending our money (bailouts) back to us at a huge profit!
Then there is the banking breakthrough that supposedly can transform risky loans into safe investments: structured finance. This "vehicle" enabled them to further increase their fortunes. Of course, it eventually led to the sub-prime mortgage crisis ( Sub-prime loans jumped from one in every 13 loans in 2001 to one in ever four loans by 2006), which led to the foreclosure crisis, and the collapsing of our economy. But, you see, that's the idea..
The worse off we, the people are, the better off are the parasitic super-rich. In fact, like vultures, they're patiently waiting for our complete financial destruction, because it is then that they can swoop in and buy up everything at pennies on the dollar and increase their fortunes even more as we struggle to keep our heads above water.
Could this diamond encrusted skull represent the mockery of the worship of the false god of consumption?
For the Love of God, a life-size cast of a human skull in platinum and covered by 8,601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1,106.18 carats. by Damien Hirst that sold for $100 million |
Source:
The Greed Game.
Monopoly Men
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