Time And The Lord

Lately I have been hearing a lot about conspiracies and the end of the world. I recently read over Revelation again and realized something. Every minute we are getting closer to the end. All things are working towards this goal, and if it is days or years or even centuries away still we are seeing the effects now.

“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” 2 Peter 3:3-10 (NIV).

The Lord does not see time as we see it. We have such small, fleeting lives that time seems like this huge thing. But to the Lord, the Creator of time and everything else, time is small. It is short. Everything that happens is happening now.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were bornor you brought forth the whole world,from everlasting to everlasting you are God.You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”A thousand years in your sightare like a day that has just gone by,or like a watch in the night.” Psalm 90:1-4 (NIV).

Think about it this way. If you had a ruler and made a mark every other millimeter it would seem like the marks were pretty close together. In fact we might even think they were touching. However if a flea looked at the marks it might think that they were miles apart. It is all about perspective.

“All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures;yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:9-12 (NIV).

We need to not focus on the actions of the Lord, but on the ways of the Lord. For if we know His ways then we know Him. We know that the Lord is kind and merciful and yet holy. Therefore how can we expect anything less from Him, despite what we see happening around us?

“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.Remember,Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Good and upright is the Lord;therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” Psalm 25:1-10 (NIV).

When you get disheartened or afraid, remember “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5 (NIV).

Author Bio:

Jack Meyers is a regular contributor for www.nannybackgroundcheck.com. As a detective he wants to spread the knowledge of terrible things that can happen when people don’t fully verify the credentials of a caregiver or any employee. He also writes for various law enforcement blogs and sites.

Return To The Earth

The world is not in balance. Predictions and prophecies aside, one does not need to look far to see that there is indeed, something amiss with the way things are going on our little planet. People are crowding to the cities when there is so much land, most of the land is owned by a handful of powerful people, and people are hungry/broke/ignorant, despite all the technological innovations that humanity has uncovered.

It seems that we have lost our way as a people, the supposed stewards of His creation. We don’t treat each other well, so it’s a stretch to believe that we would treat the environment and all other lifeforms any better. Even this portent of doom is exploited by many shrewd individuals, claiming to have the way to solve it, or some secret, exclusive path to salvation from the impending global holocaust.

I don’t have any secrets to reveal. All I have is an idea that has been there since humanity decided to be less nomadic and more agricultural. This world is God’s gift to us all, and just as we should take care of it, it can nourish and heal us. Whatever may happen in the coming decades, be it a man-made cataclysm or an event from the heavens, we should return to a balanced, essential, and natural existence. Yes, a return to the land that nourishes us, and a lifestyle that promotes love and faith between each other and the rest Creation.

Technology Used Responsibly

This isn’t a call to demonize all of the things we have crafted, as our skills and knowledge are just as much gifts from God as anything else. These are tools, and the tool wielder’s intent is the thing we should examine and guide, for the wielder is the one that can decide to do good or evil.

With what resources you have at your disposal, try to purchase land that’s fertile and remote. Rough and untamed is preferable; it’ll be more affordable and it will present a challenge that you can undertake. Purchase second-hand but serviceable surplus earthmoving equipment to aid you in your undertaking. Like I mentioned, technology is a tool, and you should have it in your heart to till the earth for the purpose of feeding your family and making good the blessings which the Creator has bestowed upon humanity.

United We Stand

There are others way more unfortunate than you, and the reason why this is the case is because you are being given an opportunity to help your fellow human being. Choose those who are willing to make an effort to better themselves and are not afraid to toil and sweat for a good cause.

There is no shame in working for food, lodging, and other essentials. In fact, before our civilization’s all-consuming greed for money and things not integral to good living, this was the norm. Be honest and explain to them your goal of creating a community that sustains and grows with one another. If they cannot accept that, do not insist. Just wish them well and find others that can share in your mission.

Body and Spirit Rejuvenated

Hard, but productive work and meaningful labor actually uplifts the spirit, as opposed to mindlessly toiling in an office cubicle, failing to see the purpose and value of your work. In addition to that, being in the embrace of nature also helps one reflect deeper and more profoundly on one’s existence and his/her relationship with the Creator and all His works.

As I have mentioned in the last two topics, technology should be used responsibly, and to share and trust in other people is also essential. Therefore, keeping yourself connected to the rest of humanity and utilizing the internet is something you should not forego despite living in a more remote area. It is your source of news, information, and an extended community beyond your locality. As with anything, learn to use it responsibly.

I wish all who have read my personal insights a blessed New Year, and may God shower His blessings upon you and your family. Live well!

About the Author

Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and a lover of weird little animals. She is based in San Diego, California, and is working on her gang’s group blog, Word Baristas.

Get Right With God - Only He Can Fix Things At This Point

(Guest article authored by Dave Webb)

A lot of us still think in terms of right and wrong. I think it is really sad what our political parties offer us as candidates. That statement speaks volumes on what is wrong with our political parties right now. Both parties need to clean house. They need to get rid of basically dishonest people. This last election was a national disgrace of lies and counter-lies. But what was more of a disgrace is the people up for election. At a minimum, people seeking office should have the "appearance" of being honest. There were too many incidents on both sides that were reported by the media. Most people had a really difficult time figuring out who they wanted in office. Those reported incidents played a large part in that.

The mainstream media is owned, lock, stock and barrel by a small percentage of the population. I think the number is 6 percent. And it is owned by a group of very wealthy people. Might want to entertain the thought that they are behind the recent liberal agenda in our Congress. It looks to me like they own both parties in Congress. Look it up. How did the different reps vote on recent issues that mattered? Things like voting away our rights to Constitutional law.

In our educated group of Congress people what do you expect that they will do? Yes they are going for an agenda on both sides of the political parties. That agenda includes gay marriage being legitimatized. It includes gay representation in our Congress. It includes abortion on demand(murdering children for convenience) and a lot of other things like legalizing the smoking of marijuana. I don't smoke anything. I am very particular about what I put in my body. But I know a lot of people over the years that treated marijuana smoking as a modern prohibition law. These people have ignored the law. A lot of people have gone to jail for it.

I actually want illegal immigration stopped. We need to come to the realization that it has gone on for way too long. Who pays income tax on these people? If they are illegal then they are not paying their fair share of taxes anywhere. Are we putting their employers in jail for income tax invasion? No, it is a fine, and go on with life as it is. Just like any cash business, it is under the table and no one pays their freight on it. The entire system is wrong in this case. The victims are often their children. It is time to change that system to something that works for everyone.

The war we need to fight is for the souls of all these people. Both those bought off politicians, the liars, the thieves, the murderers(abortion), the cheats, eventually we all go to death. These people  seem to believe that death is the end of things. We need to explode that lie. Death is the great equalizer of all humanity. Once you are dead, then your entire life is an open book to God. Only he makes judgment at that point. I know of direct evidence that this view of death as the end is wrong.

But convincing anyone is another matter entirely. Basically the only thing we can do is pray for our leaders. God will take care of the rest believe it or not. I know the temptation is to believe nothing will be done. I believe something will be done that has nothing to do with you and me. Only God can change things at this point.

The shift in the next few years is going to have to be to expose the dishonest behavior of people in both parties. A lot of them will end up in jail. Others will get off completely free. Or will they? There is justice within our legal system and justice of God outside that system that seems to occur no matter what we do. I have seen a lot of people in my life that apparently got off free, only later to be caught up in something totally different from what they were accused of. We need to pray for these people above everything else.

Anyone that has seen a young woman that has had an abortion knows what I am talking about. Often years later, you can see the haunted look in their eyes. You can see many of them in our bars getting drunk to seek relief. It doesn't work. The pain is there for anyone to see. The grief process is there. A lot are bitter. A lot are angry.

Only spiritual relief works. Ask any alcoholic or druggie. Their souls are enslaved. They are all ready in a form of hell of their own making. My experience says only changing your life with a religious experience is going to give you that relief.

What we are seeing in the current situation is the beginning not the end. I personally see a great revolution quietly occurring behind the scenes. Like a great ocean liner, it will take time to turn things around. It is ironic that it will occur under Obama's time as President.

And in 2014, we have another chance to change the Congress. In 2016, we can change the President. What I want to see in both parties is total honesty with us, the public. That, of course, is a dream on my part.

Is The End Near?

It has been foretold in the book of Revelations that the Day of Judgment will happen at some point in time. For centuries, many people have interpreted a multitude of different happenings as a sign of the end of times. As of yet, it has not come to pass. Events that have occurred recently may be pointing to that time as being near. It is said in the Bible that no one will know of the exact date that Jesus will return. The date may not be known, but it will happen. Here are is some possible evidence pointing to the end of the world coming soon.

1. Natural Disasters- Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes...They are happening. There is no denying that. It seems like once a month you hear of an earthquake striking some part of the world. Tornadoes have ravaged the United States mid-west more than normal in the past few years. Who can forget about hurricane Katrina or more recently, Irene? The devastation brought on by these occurrences is nothing short of biblical. Is it merely a sign that our ecosystem is getting out of whack due to global warming? It is possible. Yet, it could be evidence pointing to the end of days.

2. War- Mass destruction and more...Seems like every country now is developing weapons of mass destruction. Why is it that humans want to destroy each other? War has been taking place since the beginning of time but now people have the power to cause extinction level destruction. Massive wars have been spoken of in Revelations and throughout the Bible. Is it just a coincidence that we are on the verge of World War 3 at all times? It's not very likely.

3. Disease and Famine- Death and hunger...New, genetically altered super viruses are being created in labs every day. It would not take much for one of these to affect the entire population. Most have no cure and maybe virtually undetectable. This is scary. Combine that with the decrease in available food supplies for much of the planet, and you have a viable end of the world scenario. Food shortages used to be delegated to underdeveloped countries but are now spreading to the world's superpowers. A dramatic food shortage and/or mass disease could easily lead to the end.

It does seem a little odd that these possible signs of the end of the world are also tied in with the four horseman of the apocalypse. That seems like more than a coincidence. Whatever the meaning, each of these scenarios has the potential for death and destruction. Are they all simply coincidence, or is this the work of the Lord? It seems only time will tell. 

Author Bio:

Roxanne Porter is a freelancer & a regular contributor for www.nannyjobs.org/.  She helps in providing knowledge about nanny services & love writing on nanny related articles. She helps in giving a fair knowledge about nanny Jobs to the community. You can be in touch with her at “r.poter08ATgmail.com”.

Signs of the End: Christianity and the Warnings at Hand

For many ages, man has thirsted for the knowledge of what is to come. When will Jesus return? What will happen when all is wiped clean and put right in the name of God? It is natural to yearn to know the answers, as we all do. There are though many current circumstances and modern events that are shaping up to point to end times being near. With Christian approach, here are some modern happenings that are certainly conversation-worthy.

1. Militarization and Stockpiling Since WWII, the world’s governments have stopped at nothing to stock the largest possible quantities and most dangerous mass destruction weapons. There are no exceptions and the odds are growing.

2. Tyrants Greatly Empowered As the days pass, leaders of rogue nations and philosophies grow drastically more powerful. Today’s weapons are not what they used to be

3. Global Unrest The masses are unhappy. A look at any news outlet covering any region of the world reflects this more than ever before.

4. World Wide Famine There is currently a food crisis brewing which is of proportions never before seen. Global weather and climate changes are turning region after region into lands of dead and dying crops.

5. Mysterious Animal Deaths Currently a phenomenon is taking place in which different animals are suffering mass death events. Science has yet to identify what is happening in most of these cases.

6. Monetary Failure Amidst greed and other evil reasons, monetary system failure has gone global. Debt buying countries are becoming unable to continue “bail outs.”

7. Proposed Unions New European Unions are being formed at this very moment. Revelations describes current circumstance with authoritative accuracy.

8. Aliyah, The Homecoming As the Bible promises, there will be a massive Jewish Homecoming to Israel. Today, current population numbers and the very real Aliyah, or mass movement to Israel is as never before seen

9. Weather Changes Climate and weather changes are currently very alarming. From bizarre patterns, droughts, floods, earthquakes, glacial melting, and warming climates, everything is changing right now.

10. Moral Decline For those of us familiar with the past, today’s state of morals is much decayed. Crime, evil, and selfishness are the constant in a very misdirected world today.

This is simply a list of ten warning signs that with Christian knowledge, can be used for wisdom on what is shortly to come. There are far more instances of great concern than are listed here though. The time is upon us. Are you on the right ship to salvation?

Author Bio

Ken Myers the editor in chief is a frequent contributor of http://www.gonannies.com/. Ken helps acquiring knowledge on the duties & responsibilities of nannies to society. You can reach him at k.meyerst20 AT gmail.com.

Supported Living Service Volunteers Making a Difference

Volunteers can make a difference in the lives of people struggling with their special needs by offering a supported living service for these people. Sometimes to be independent a person needs a little help and to have someone there to give that support may mean the difference in that person being an active and vital part of our society.

Many disabled people need a supported living service to help in their everyday tasks in life and to stay independent they will need help in their day to day decisions. Sometimes it is as simple as having someone check in on them to make sure everything is going smoothly. Other people will have a greater need for support.

Support needs vary and each individual will have areas that they will need guidance. Sometimes a person will need someone to help in the area of their medications. They may need a person to help them with their daily medications or need help filing their medication boxes. It will be different from person to person.

There is always a need for a person with a disability to get help with transportation to and from appointments and shopping. Some of these people can manage a public transit system, but others may need rides and help with their venture out. Each case is different.

The importance of community support for these people can not be underemphasized. A person with a disability wants to stay as independent as they can but to have a support system is vital to have independence. That is where a volunteer with these skills can come into the life of a disabled person and help them keep their independence.

Many people have skills that they can use to better the lives of disabled people and when they do that they are giving back to their community a service that they can be proud of. To help a person is such a rewarding thing in itself and when a person gives to another, it is a gift.

Volunteering to give a person supported living service may be the only source of help for that person. Sometimes the funds are low for these services and a volunteer can be the only way for some of these people to get the help they need. What a feeling to know that being a volunteer is giving a person a second chance in life.

If you are a person with a set of skills and you want to make a great contribution to your community, you should consider being a volunteer for a supported living service. There are many different ways to volunteer and help these people from helping with their daily living tasks to giving an expert hand in their finances.

Any way you can help you can be sure that your supported living service will be appreciated and a much needed service in the life’s of these special needs people. You cannot find a better way to give to others than to give the gift of independence. With a bit of help from people with a vast array of skills, people that need help can live a more normal life.

Dark Times: How Modern Films Shadow the World's Broken Faith in Humanity

I've always been a bit of a film buff. In my childhood days, I remember watching great films like E.T. and Apollo 13 on my tiny television in absolute awe. Classic films like these always managed to lift my spirits even in the worst of times. As the world around me was constantly going through dark times, I knew I could depend on inspirational films to restore my faith in humanity. Yet as the years have passed and I've grown older, I've discovered that as the world has grown darker, so have the films that are being produced in it.

What was once an industry of powerful, uplifting films has become something of a severe buzz kill. In fact, in the past few years I've noticed four box-office hits in particular that attest to the world's loss of faith in humanity. For those of you who haven't seen Avatar, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, and The Avengers, here are some of the many reasons why these four films are a testament to our broken faith in humanity.

Avatar

This science-fiction phenomenon was a visually breathtaking film when it came out in 2009, yet so many people overlooked its allusions to modern imperialism. The film takes places on another world where humans are reaping the resources of a foreign, untapped planet called Pandora. Because the humans have so severely depleted Earth's natural resources, they must retreat to outside planets to access things they need most, such as natural minerals. Sound familiar? Director and producer James Cameron confirmed suspicions that the film was a criticism of the United States' role in the Iraq war and use of warfare to resolve conflict, saying, "We know what it feels like to launch the missiles. We don't know what it feels like for them to land on our home soil, not in America."

The Dark Knight Rises

When I was growing up, Batman shows and movies were usually campy, funny, and entertaining. Yet Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Batman Begins in 2005 changed the very identity of the famed hero. All of the sudden, we saw a self-conflicted "dark knight" who was battling men who had absolutely no conscience or moral fiber. Previous Batman villains we'd seen were more humanistic, self-conflicted, and sad, but figures like Heath Ledger's Joker and Tom Hardy's Bane completely emphasized just how dark the world around them has really grown. In the final chapter of the Batman trilogy – The Dark Knight Rises – we see a man who has literally had everything taken from him: he has lost the love of his life, the world despises him, and he might be forced to die in order to restore order and humanity to Gotham. It's most certainly a darker variance from previous Batmans, and I can't help but think that harsh modern times have something to do with that.

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins said the idea for her famous trilogy actually came from channel hopping on her sofa. Collins was flipping through the channels one afternoon when she realized just how juxtaposed the channels on her television really were: on one network she would see chronicles of New York housewives, but on another she would see violent footage of the Iraq War. Collins' Hunger Games brilliantly testifies to just how obsessed the world has become with accessing the "reality" of the world they live in. The film itself takes everything a step forward from the book and becomes all the more dark. In the box-office hit, we see a young, brave girl who is thrown into a ring and must battle 23 others in a fight-to-the-death match – all the while the world is watching her on television. The Hunger Games is an allusion to just how disillusioned the world's concerns have become. Why should we care about watching what celebrities do in their everyday lives? Shouldn't it matter more that there are starving people on the streets? Obviously not.

The Avengers

Can you imagine a scenario where things in the world have gotten so bad that it takes six superheroes to fight off the present evil? Growing up, I saw films where one brave man or woman could usually get the job done. Now we're seeing films where people must desperately turn to every superhero known to mankind in order to save themselves from the wrath of evil. I suspect that if things hadn't gotten as bad as they were now, people would be better able to believe that one man or woman could make a difference, but as we've all grown to learn, one man or woman standing in the face of evil can easily be pushed aside.

These are just four of the many films out there that attest to how dark the world around us has become. Take a look at some of the modern classics hitting the big screen today and don't be surprised when you discover just how dark they really are.

Barbara Jolie is a full time freelance writer and blogger. She is passionate about lifelong learning and online education. When Barbara is not blogging about all things education, she enjoys spending time with her calico cat, Moses, and her pet parakeet. If you have questions email her at barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

Just Confirmed: Don't Depend Upon The Water District!

***The following is a guest post for The Final Hour by Barbara Fix*** People expect to turn on faucets, showers, washing machines, and garden hoses for their water needs. Better re-think that during a time of grid failure unless you have a well and a manual hand pump to draw the water to the surface where it will do you some good!

Over the years, I have heard conflicting reports over what to expect with regards to water delivery in a grid-down situation. Just this week I got the answer from a plant manager (who will remain unnamed for job security reasons). Keep in mind that each water district is set up differently, and should you be concerned over your areas water supply, it is worth investigating.

Now back to my source: this manager works for a water plant that serves millions of urbanites in a heavily populated, metropolitan area. When I asked him what steps they had taken for back up in a grid-down situation, the manager's answer was less than reassuring. This particular plant has battery and diesel back up for 3 days. No more. Should diesel fuel be unavailable when their supply runs out, the plant will be shackled with regards to getting water to their customers.

When asked if the area's populace should expect sewage backup to enter their homes, the manager offered a mixed bag of possibilities. Sewage is, in some cases, gravity-fed. However, for those whose homes sit higher than gravity feed will allow for safe drainage, expected sewage back up --most probably to bathtubs.

If you have abundant water storage, and plan to pour stored water to a tub for bathing or a sink to wash dishes, you should have an alternate plan in place for a situation when water is unable to drain properly.  Toilet use, even when there is sufficient water to dump a gallon of water into them to get them to "flush" should not be assumed in a workable preparedness plan.

Those on a septic tank can thank their lucky stars! Septics will continue to provide drainage as long as you are not dependant upon a sub pump for below-grade levels of your home.

Those fortunate enough to have a well can expect to have a reliable water source, but that is only for those who have planned ahead and have installed a manual hand pump to draw the water when electric water pumps ceases to function. Generators will supply needed power, but can be relied upon only as long as fuel reserves are available. An alternate solution is solar panel or wind generator power, or a combination of both. Solar generators are another option for those who live in sunny climates.

Plan Ahead

If your preparedness plan has not taken into consideration drinking, bathing, laundry, gardening and household cleaning needs, it is time to put it at the top of the to-do list! You should always store a one-month 28-gallon supply of water for each member of your family or group. Store more if you can, as 28 gallons per person is the absolute bare minimum and does not allow for bathing. Additionally, this recommendation assumes that you are near a source of water: a lake, stream, or river where water can be collected and purified through a quality water purifier such as a Berkey or a Katadyn--get plenty of replacement filters.

If a water source is not nearby, consider a waterbed. Although this is only a short-term solution, it will get you past the beginning of a crisis and from there, you may be forced to relocate to a location with a reliable water source. Look into water containment systems, where water run-off from a roof can be collected.

To store water safely, add 1/8 of a teaspoon of bleach for each gallon of water. You can also purify water with Ion or iodine as well, but use caution with iodine as some people can be adversely effected when ingesting iodine. Water storage should be changed every 6 months. But if it's past its optimal shelf life, it is still drinkable. Simply pour the water from one container to another to re-oxygenate it for better taste.

The following list is what you will want to keep on hand for sustainability. On a budget? Each item can be found under the navigation link section of my blog site, including free Do-It-Yourself instructions: http://www.survivaldiva.com/index.html 

Here's what you will need:

Store at least 28 gallons of water for each person in water containers or 2 -liter pop bottles (milk cartons leak)

Tough Stuff tub/small animal trough for bathing. A solar shower is another option--these alternatives assume abundant water.

Manual Washing machine—can be a Do-It-Yourself project or purchased

Clothes Line & Pins for laundry

Quality water filter such as a Berkey or Katadyn--always get extra filters

Liquid laundry detergent and dish soap--stock up! Dollar Stores are a good source & easy on the pocket-book (use biodegradable for reuse in gardens)

Portable toilet or an outhouse if your area allows them

Conclusion

Recently, the US and locations abroad have experienced extreme drought and flooding. That alone should have kicked us all in gear to provide the single most important item of any preparedness plan—water! Don’t put off providing for water for drinking, cooking and clean up.

Visit Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/ for more information on rural living, gardening, home canning, food storage, and tips on combating skyrocketing food prices.

Survival Diva, Barbara’s preparedness book is available August 1, 2011 http://www.survivaldiva.com/ Download for just $3.95

The End Of The U.S. Economy As We Know It?

Today we have a guest post from Phil Davis of Phil's Stock World that I think you are really going to enjoy.  What he has to say about America's economic future is quite sobering....

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It's the End of the World As We Know It

By Phil Davis of Phil's Stock World

What are 308,367,109 Americans supposed to do?

First of all, despite clamping down on immigration, our population grew by 2.6M people last year. Unfortunately, not only did we not create jobs for those 2.6M new people but we lost about 4M jobs so what are these new people going to do? Not only that, but nobody is talking about the another major job issue: People aren’t retiring! They can’t afford to because the economy is bad - that means there are even less job openings… The pimply faced kid can’t get a job delivering pizza because his grandpa’s doing it.

There are some brilliant pundits who believe cutting retirement benefits will fix our economy. How will that work exactly? Pay old people less money, don’t cover their medical care and what happens? Then they need money. If they need money, they need to work and if they need to work they increase the supply of labor, which reduces wages and leaves all 308,367,109 of us with less money. Oh sorry, not ALL 308,367,109 - just 308,337,109 - the top 30,000 (0.01%) own the business the other 308,337,109 work at and they will be raking it in because labor is roughly 1/3 of the cost of doing business in America and our great and powerful capitalists have already cut their manufacturing costs by shipping all those jobs overseas, where they pay as little as $1 a day for a human life so now, in order to increase their profits (because profits MUST be increased) they have now turned inward to see what they can shave off in America.

How does one decrease the cost of labor in America? Well first, you have to bust the unions. Check. Then you have to create a pressing need for people to work - perhaps give them easy access to credit and then get them to go so deeply into debt that they will have to work until they die to pay them off. Check. It also helps if you push up the cost of living by manipulating commodity prices. Check. Then, take away people’s retirement savings. Check. Lower interest rates to make savings futile and interest income inadequate. Check. And finally, threaten to take away the 12% a year that people have been saving for retirement by labeling Social Security an "entitlement" program - as if it wasn’t money Americans worked their whole lives to save and gave to the government in good faith.Check.

As Allen Smith says: "Ronald Reagan and Alan Greenspan pulled off one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated against the American people in the history of this great nation, and the underlying scam is still alive and well, more than a quarter century later. It represents the very foundation upon which the economic malpractice that led the nation to the great economic collapse of 2008 was built. Essentially, Reagan switched the federal government from what he critically called, a “tax and spend” policy, to a “borrow and spend” policy, where the government continued its heavy spending, but used borrowed money instead of tax revenue to pay the bills. The results were catastrophic. Although it had taken the United States more than 200 years to accumulate the first $1 trillion of national debt, it took only five years under Reagan to add the second one trillion dollars to the debt. By the end of the 12 years of the Reagan-Bush administrations, the national debt had quadrupled to $4 trillion!"

Both Reagan and Greenspan saw big government as an evil, and they saw big business as a virtue. They both had despised the progressive policies of Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson, and they wanted to turn back the pages of time. They came up with the perfect strategy for the redistribution of income and wealth from the working class to the rich. If Reagan had campaigned for the presidency by promising big tax cuts for the rich and pledging to make up for the lost revenue by imposing substantial tax increases on the working class, he would probably not have been elected. But that is exactly what Reagan did, with the help of Alan Greenspan. Consider the following sequence of events:

1) President Reagan appointed Greenspan as chairman of the 1982 National Commission on Social Security Reform (aka The Greenspan Commission)

2) The Greenspan Commission recommended a major payroll tax hike to generate Social Security surpluses for the next 30 years, in order to build up a large reserve in the trust fund that could be drawn down during the years after Social Security began running deficits.

3) The 1983 Social Security amendments enacted hefty increases in the payroll tax in order to generate large future surpluses.

4) As soon as the first surpluses began to role in, in 1985, the money was put into the general revenue fund and spent on other government programs. None of the surplus was saved or invested in anything. The surplus Social Security revenue, that was paid by working Americans, was used to replace the lost revenue from Reagan’s big income tax cuts that went primarily to the rich.

5) In 1987, President Reagan nominated Greenspan as the successor to Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Greenspan continued as Fed Chairman until January 31, 2006. (One can only speculate on whether the coveted Fed Chairmanship represented, at least in part, a payback for Greenspan’s role in initiating the Social Security surplus revenue.)

6) In 1990, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, a member of the Greenspan Commission, and one of the strongest advocates the 1983 legislation, became outraged when he learned that first Reagan, and then President George H.W. Bush used the surplus Social Security revenue to pay for other government programs instead of saving and investing it for the baby boomers. Moynihan locked horns with President Bush and proposed repealing the 1983 payroll tax hike. Moynihan’s view was that if the government could not keep its hands out of the Social Security cookie jar, the cookie jar should be emptied, so there would be no surplus Social Security revenue for the government to loot. President Bush would have no part of repealing the payroll tax hike. The “read-my-lips-no-new-taxes” president was not about to give up his huge slush fund.

The practice of using every dollar of the surplus Social Security revenue for general government spending continues to this day. The 1983 payroll tax hike has generated approximately $2.5 trillion in surplus Social Security revenue which is supposed to be in the trust fund for use in paying for the retirement benefits of the baby boomers. But the trust fund is empty! It contains no real assets. As a result, the government will soon be unable to pay full benefits without a tax increase. Money can be spent or it can be saved. But you can’t do both. Absolutely none of the $2.5 trillion was saved or invested in anything.

That is how the largest theft in the history of the world was carried out. 300M people worked and saved their whole lives to set aside $2.5Tn into a retirement system that, if it were paying a fair compounding rate of 5% interest over 40 years of labor (assuming an even $62Bn a year was contributed), would be worth $8.4Tn today - enough money to give 100M workers $84,000 each in cash! The looting of FICA hid the massive deficits of the last 30 years in the Unified Budget. Presidents and Congresses were able to reduce taxes on the wealthiest Americans without complaint from the deficit hawks, because they benefited. The money went directly from the pockets of average Americans into the pockets of the rich.

Now that it is time to repay those special bonds in the Trust Fund, we are inundated in opinion pieces in the leading newspapers and magazines complaining about Social Security and its horrible impact on the budget. Government finances have been trashed by foolish tax cuts, unpaid wars, tax loopholes for corporations and the very wealthy, the failures of economists, the greedy search for greater returns in financial markets and the collapse of moral values in giant businesses, but Social Security is supposed to be the problem that needs fixing…

Social Security is not "broken"--the money is in the Trust Fund. But the people who manage the finances of the United States don’t want to repay the bonds held by the Trust Fund. They want to default selectively against average people, their fellow citizens, who paid their taxes expecting to be protected in their retirement. Refusing to repay the $2.54 trillion dollars in bonds held by the Social Security Trust makes the US look like Greece, just another nation unable to govern itself coherently. The people who manage US finances come from the financial elites, the best that Wall Street and enormous corporations have to offer. Selective default exposes them as charlatans. The claims of the economics profession to expertise are puffery. Their theories about the benefits of tax cuts are proven false. Their mathematical proofs about free markets collapse in the real world.

So, what is this all about? It’s about forcing 5M people a year who reach the age 65 to remain in the work-force. The top 0.01% have already taken your money, they have already put you in debt, they have already bankrupted the government as well so it has no choice but to do their bidding. Now the top 0.01% want to make even MORE profits by paying American workers even LESS money. If they raise the retirement age to 70 to "balance" Social Security - that will guarantee that another 25M people remain in the workforce (less the ones that drop dead on the job - saving the bother of paying them severance).

What’s next? Is it fair to say that children can’t work in a struggling family business? Isn’t it to everybody’s benefit that kids should be allowed to help out at the family store? That will be the next step towards turning America into a 3rd World country. The seemingly innocent concept of "letting" kids work will deprive another 5M people of paying jobs - throwing them out into the labor force as well and driving labor costs down even further.

There’s an expression that goes "give them an inch and they’ll take a yard." The top 0.01% of this country have taken their inches and they are foreclosing on the yards and they will come for the rest of your stuff next. If you think you are "safe" from the looting of America, it is only because they haven’t gotten around to you yet. As I explained in "America is 234 Years Old Today - Is It Finished?" - the game is rigged very much like a poker tournament. The people at the top table don’t care how well you do wiping out your fellow players at the lower tables, they know they will get you eventually and your efforts to scoop up a pile of cash for yourself simply makes their job easier when they are ready to take it from you.

The average American is $634,000 in debt thanks to the efforts that Reagan and Greenspan put in motion 30 years ago and the richer you are, the more of that money is going to come out of your hide eventually and the more you lobby to make sure that the "rich" are not taxed unfairly, the less fair it will be to you because, no matter how rich you THINK you are, unless your income is measured in MILLIONS PER MONTH, you aren’t even close to the top 30,000.

No progressive tax? That means that people and corporations who make $1M PER DAY should pay no more tax than a person making $1M per year, right? Well that means that the $2.5M debt that your family of four owes will be paid by you over 2.5 years of labor while the $2.5M owed by your Billionaire competitor will be paid over a long weekend, after which he can turn his attention back to crushing your business by creating cheaper goods - maintaining profit margins by driving down local labor costs and outsourcing the rest.

It’s a new world, America, and you’d better get used to it - we were sold down the river on a slow boat to China long ago and we’re only just beginning to feel the first effects of waves that wash back to our own shores. The people who own the media don’t want CHANGE. That’s why you never hear this stuff in the MSM - things are going exactly according to plan and the old money crowd is playing a long, patient game and they already have most of the chips - the last thing they want is people questioning the system…