Adrian Douglas of MarketForceAnalysis.com took a look at a summary of the goings-on at the Comex, and says, “the data reveals a very shocking trend. That is that the registered (dealer) inventory is being drawn down at a phenomenal rate. In silver the inventory has dropped by 24% in 6 months while in gold it has dropped an eye-popping 41% in 6 months!”
Already my eyes are glazing over at the sudden overload of information, most of which I know nothing about, but know that I should, and feel uneasy that I don’t, and guilty that I don’t even want to because it involves work and initiative, or, in this case, listening to the equivalent of, “blah blah blah silver and gold are going to go to the moon not only because the Fabulous Mogambo has thus foretold it, and the Austrian school of economics has explained it, but that blah blah blah at the Comex warehouses” and then I end up getting most of it wrong anyway and I look like an idiot.
The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.
It's time to start cashing them in.
For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits - billions more each year.
Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes - nearly $29 billion more.
Strategic Defaults Are Soaring In California, And Now They Might Really Explode
Written By Joe Weisenthal March 17th, 2010
More and more homeowners in California are walking away from their mortgages, even though they can technically afford them.
This is a trend that's been happening for awhile, but it's picking up steam, and in part these homeowners see it as a big middle finger to the bailed-out banks.
Walmart Fires Cancer Patient for Legally Using Medical Marijuana
Written By Mike Meno March 17th, 2010
Joseph Casias, 29, has sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.
Despite his condition, he has dutifully gone to work every day for the last five years at a Walmart in Battle Creek, Michigan, where in 2008 he was named Associate of the Year.
Casias is also a legal medical marijuana patient under Michigan state law. He uses marijuana with the recommendation of his doctor to relieve the effects of cancer.
You know tax season is around the corner when you see start seeing the guys in the cheap Statue of Liberty costumes. They begin popping up in mid-February, haunting subway exits and downtown intersections nationwide draped in garish aqua togas, faces lit up in sparkle paint, heads topped by radiant crowns of chipped Styrofoam. They are the hourly sandwich-board street barkers of Liberty Tax Service, carrying not tablets symbolic of ancient Roman wisdom, but paper fliers advertising modern-day tax services. Echoing the original, these copycat Lady Liberties also beckon the poor. But instead of offering refuge, they offer scams.
Controversial Utah Law Charges Women and Girls With Murder for Miscarriages
Written By Rose Aguilar March 15th, 2010
On Monday afternoon, a controversial Utah bill that charges pregnant women and girls with murder for having miscarriages caused by "intentional or knowing" acts, was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert.
Contrary to media reports last week, the "Criminal Homicide and Abortion Amendments" or HB12, which previously also applied to miscarriages caused by "reckless" acts, was never "withdrawn" by its sponsor, Republican Representative Carl Wimmer (who is crafting similar "model legislation" for other states). After the governor expressed concern over "possible unintended consequences," of the legislation as written, Rep. Wimmer swiftly introduced a new version, titled "Criminal Homicide and Abortion Revisions" (HB462), which omitted the word "reckless." Gov. Herbert signed the new bill and vetoed the old one.
Regulators on Friday shut down banks in New York, Florida and Louisiana, raising to 30 the number of failures this year of federally insured banks.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of Park Avenue Bank in New York, Old Southern Bank in Orlando, Fla. and Statewide Bank in Covington, La.
Park Avenue Bank had $520.1 million in assets and $494.5 million in deposits as of Dec. 31.
The Treasury Department sank billions into auto finance giant GMAC Inc. without an exit strategy or proof the company was viable - a decision that could cost taxpayers $6.3 billion, a new watchdog report says.
The government said the $17.2 billion bailout was a necessary step to save troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler. GMAC provides critical financing to auto dealers, who borrow to finance their fleets until the cars can be sold to consumers.
