Voice of North America Articles

EXCERPT: Good news.  We lost only 80,000 jobs according to the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Stituation Summary for March .  That is a relief for Wall Street, which has been suffering much over the last few months.  That makes it just three months of disappearing jobs so far this year, and the economy is still robust with consumer spending still strong.    Of course that will be revised over the coming month or two, but it will probably not...

EXCERPT: Did any of you watch the CBS prime time series Jericho?     It seems timely, in view of 9/11 and the NeoCoNazi grab for power through the Imperial Presidency.     First  episode:         After a nuclear disaster caused by several terrorist attacks destroys most of America’s largest cities, residents of a small Kansas town, Jericho, must come to terms with a new and very different   ...

EXCERPT:    Toward the end of President Clinton’s second term, I thought his wife would make a good candidate for president.  I would have worked for her campaign, and rather hoped for her to go for the presidency at some time in the future.      That was then.     Her performance during this primary season is disturbing, to say the least.  It has become apparent that she will do and say what it takes to gain power. ...

EXCERPT: What’s with this inflation figure we keep getting from the Fed?    The inflation figure that is trotted out regularly masquerading as the rate of inflation you and I battle with daily is in fact something called ‘core inflation’, although that is a distinction that does not come with the regular pronouncements by our leadership in DC.  Core inflation is Real Inflation: ex Food and Oil.       Of course you and I have to...

EXCERPT: It has just recently come to light that the Federal Government is outsourcing the process of creating the passport for U.S. Citizens.    The news reports mentioned shipment of large numbers of blank documents to the Netherlands, Germany and France, and from there to Thailand for printing.      You are probably aware of this.  It has been in the news.       You may not be aware of the outsourcing of the...

EXCERPT: Sooo, you’re surprised about Bear Stearns, are you?       As I have written previously, I cautioned my little brother (he’s 85) back in the late eighties to leave his 401K and IRA funds invested in the stock market for a decade, but then to flush them into real estate, gold and other tangibles.  My reasoning was that the growing amounts invested in Wall Street by the retirement vehicles large and small was going to reach a critical mass...

EXCERPT: Multiple Choice:  Pick the most recent for the Iraq Occupation. A.  WMD Liberate the Iraqis ombat al Qaeda  D.  War on Terror The economy  It’s the economy stupid.  Let us review Dubywar's latest speech:  "The costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq…"  Bush-Speak Translation: Make no mistake, Halliburton would stand to lose...

EXCERPT: I know that one of my paternal great granddads was a 6 foot 3 inch tall red headed giant of a man from Indiana with a good sense of humor, and a strong religious faith.  He was a Union soldier in the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) and fought to destroy the institution of slavery.      One of my maternal great granddads fought with the famous Wisconsin Iron Brigade (which included units from Michigan and Indiana) for the same reason.  The Iron...

EXCERPT: Bush’s Secretary of the Treasury assured us Thursday that the Administration is on top of the mortgage crises.     A new Bush Administration initiative calls for a series of actions designed to avert the kind of housing and credit crunches that are threatening to throw the nation into recession.   Treasury Secretary Paulson revealed that a presidential working group wants stronger regulatory oversight of mortgage lenders to avert the kind of credit...

EXCERPT: Gold punched through the 1000 USD level last Friday.  Widespread concern about the outlook for the U.S. economy pushed the dollar to a record low of almost $1.59 against the euro.  The euro came on the world financial scene about seven years ago at value of 80 cents.   The Canadian dollar, which has hovered around $0.70 USD for decades, is now valued at $1.01 USD.  And you may have read that the Taj Mahal and other tourist attractions will not accept...