Vaccine study admits that PFCs and fluoride compounds suppress immune system
By Alexander Frantznis
Natural News
February 8, 2012
(NaturalNews) Though widely heralded for promoting immunity, vaccine recipients often receive the very diseases for which they were vaccinated. Pondering this conundrum, vaccine researchers have cleverly managed to identify factors independent of the vaccines themselves to account for the failure.
A just-published study from the Harvard School of Public Health focused on the potential for environmental pollution to inhibit vaccine efficacy. While previous research has hinted at the possibility for these toxins reducing vaccine immunity (the long-maligned PCBs a frequent culprit), this study focused on PFCs. Their results produced a startling admission.
Six-hundred children living on the Faroe Islands had their blood PFC levels measured, then their reactions to tetanus and diphtheria vaccines tested. Children with the highest PFC levels had a 50% lower vaccine reaction. In other words, the immune response was halved for children with a high but nonetheless naturally occurring level of PFC toxicity. That is huge.
To quote study author Dr. Philippe Grandjean, “Previous studies have suggested that vaccine effectiveness may be reduced by other chemicals, like PCBs, but with PFCs we saw a much steeper effect, and this was surprising to us.”
Next to fluoride directly added to the water as the industrial waste byproduct of hydrofluorosillic acid, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), are the most common environmental source of fluoride exposure. Made by replacing the hydrogen in a hydrocarbon chain with fluoride, PFCs were originally developed as a coating to prevent uranium hexafluoride gas from dissolving piping used for pre-centrifuge uranium enrichment in the Manhattan project.
PFCs form a slick water, oil and stain resistant surface, with many industrial applications ranging from Gore-Tex raincoats to Scotchgard tape, to its best know application, Teflon non-stick cookware. Since inception, numerous allegations of PFC and Teflon toxicity have been raised but in turn ignored by the scientific community.
Teflon, for instance, when heated for cooking, is known to offgas and kill pet birds in the vicinity by hemorrhaging their lungs.
Equally, concerns have been raised over its persistency in the environment. PFCs’ “beneficial” artificial properties also prevent them from being able to degrade naturally. As a result, they have steadily been building up in the environment. As fish are a common source of bio-accumulation toxins including this one, the Faroe Island children were a likely choice to study.
These results strongly suggest focusing on what is hindering the immune system rather than trying to artificially bolster it may be a very productive future line of research. Previous trials, for instance, have found the commonly prescribed drug acetaminophen (Tylenol) reduced the infant response to vaccinations, leading to doctors no longer prescribe it for infants prior to immunization.
It is well known in the natural medicine field that chronic toxicity disrupts the immune system, a problem getting worse and worse as the years go by. This is why detoxification cleanses are so effective for treating a wide range of conditions. Perhaps this research will help lead to a new focus in immunological research.
Or perhaps it will help the movement to outlaw Fluoride and its byproducts. Citing harsh toxicology data, the Environmental Working Group sponsored a bill in 2008 to outlaw PFCs in California food packing. Unfortunately at the chemical industry’s behest, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill. Had it passed, a few vaccines might have even worked!
Disclaimer: Scientists have already disputed the findings demonstrating a link between PFCs and vaccine efficacy.
Sources for this article include:
Breaking: Fluoride Linked to #1 Cause of Death in New Research
By Anthony Gucciardi
NaturalSociety
January 17, 2012
Groundbreaking new research has linked sodium fluoride to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Researchers found that fluoride consumption directly stimulates the hardening of your arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis that is highly correlated with the #1 killer. Sodium fluoride is currently added to the water supply of many cities worldwide, despite extreme opposition from health professionals and previous studies linking it to decreased IQ and infertility.
In their research, scientists examined the relationship between fluoride intake and the hardening (calcification) of the arteries. Studying more than 60 patients, the researchers found a significant correlation between fluoride consumption and the calcification of your arteries. Published in the January edition of the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications, the research highlights the fact that mass fluoride exposure may be to blame for the cardiovascular disease epidemic that takes more lives each year than cancer. In 2008, cardiovascular killed 17 million people.
MUST READ: CDC calls Morgellons’ nanoworms a delusion, protects DARPA
image from morgellonsexposed.com
By Rady Ananda
Activist Post
January 30, 2012
Imagine having the mental prowess to be able to create living filaments heretofore unknown, that can reproduce themselves, some of which come with identifying letters embossed on them, and then to make them extrude from beneath your skin, all against your conscious will.
Sound like science fiction? It’s not, says the US Centers for Disease Control.
Despite having spent four years and $600,000, and using the world’s largest forensic database, the premier health agency reports it is unable to identify the source of the fibers emanating from those suffering with Morgellons. [1]
The CDC suggests that four out of a hundred thousand people — the rate of infection in Northern California — are imagining these filaments into existence.
Comprising an array of physical and mental symptoms [2], Morgellons is distinguished by novel fibers that protrude from the skin, causing lesions and sores that do not heal, or that heal very slowly.
“We conducted an investigation of this unexplained dermopathy to characterize the clinical and epidemiologic features and explore potential etiologies,” the paper explains. The only potential etiology suggested was that the patients were delusional:
No common underlying medical condition or infectious source was identified, similar to more commonly recognized conditions such as delusional infestation.
The CDC provided more information in its press releases [3] hyping the study than it did in the 300-word study published last week. Its Unexplained Dermopathy webpage goes beyond what was reported in the actual study, saying there is “no evidence of an environmental link,” and promised to do no further studies. [4]“People who suffer from Morgellons disease are NOT delusional no matter what the CDC or the mainstream press would have you believe,” says Jan Smith of MorgellonsExposed.com. She’s suffered with Morgellons for over 13 years.
The image above is on her home page. “Ponder why a person with Morgellons disease would have tissue coming out of their body with embossed letters on it. This photo is real and the sample has not been altered in any way. It is available for research and DNA testing.” [5]
The CDC study reported, “Most materials collected from participants’ skin were composed of cellulose, likely of cotton origin.”
One of the specimens extruded from Smith’s body was found to be composed of cellulose and GNA, the synthetic form of DNA. [6] Glycol nucleic acid does not occur naturally; it is used to create synthetic life forms. [7]
But why would the CDC not know exactly the origin of the cellulose, instead saying it’s likely from cotton? And what about the rest that was not cellulose? The study provided no details.
The CDC sent the cellulose and unnatural fibers to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, reports the Associated Press. [8] AFIP has been collecting fiber samples and other forensic material for 150 years. [9] Its 2011 budget was $65 million. [10] Surely, if these novel fibers are natural or lab-created, the AFIP would know. Apparently not.
AFIP is the same group that collected all the forensic evidence of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and at the Pennsylvania crash site, under code name Operation Noble Eagle. [11]The Center for the Investigation of Morgellons Disease, headed by Dr. Randy Wymore, was also unable to identify the fibers. The Oklahoma State University research center had the forensics team of the Tulsa Police Dept. compare samples to its database of 800 fibers and 90,000 organic compounds, without success, reports Natural News writer Barbara Minton. [12]
Though Wymore did not respond to my request for comment in reaction to the new CDC study, the Center’s home page still maintains that Morgellons “is frequently misdiagnosed as Delusional Parasitosis or an Obsessive Picking Disorder.” [2]
What is the CDC hiding about Morgellons?
What the CDC didn’t say in the public report is that those fibers are alive and motile. They grow and reproduce, and have been shown to do so in a petri dish using certain visible light frequencies. If delusions are creating them, that would be a first in human evolution.
Research conducted by Cliff Carnicom indicates that the still-unidentified fibers seen in Morgellons patients are the same as those collected after an aerial spray of chemtrails. [13]
After being cultured for five days, the fibers produced a sheen across the wine medium, right before explosively reproducing hundreds of new fibers in a 24-hour period. [14] He later explored how these nanoworms feed on the iron in human blood, explaining that, “changes in iron and the utilization of iron in a pathogenic sense are at the heart of the Morgellons issue.” [15]
An arduous course of research led Carnicom to conclude that the nanoworms present in Morgellons patients represent an entirely new life form, and one that was engineered using features from each of the three Domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya). [16]
To bolster his argument, he refers to a Feb. 2010 disclosure by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) “to develop immortal ‘synthetic organisms’, as outlined in the unclassified version of the 2011 budget,” citing Wired.com:
As part of its budget for the next year, Darpa is investing $6 million into a project called BioDesign, with the goal of eliminating ‘the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement.’“… The project comes as Darpa also plans to throw $20 million into a new synthetic biology program, and $7.5 million into ‘increasing by several decades the speed with which we sequence, analyze and functionally edit cellular genomes.’ [17]
If these unidentified fibers are some sort of top-secret nanotech military weapon, that would explain why no answer and no help will come from the CDC or the military.
Using Carnicom’s research, and others, documentarian Sofia Smallstorm (9/11 Mysteries) raised a singularly spectacular question at a speech last year: Is it possible that Morgellons sufferers are those whose bodies are genetically rejecting these nano-engineered life forms, while our bodies are integrating them? [6]
That question must be noodling the brains over at the CDC and DARPA. They must be wondering what is different about those 4 in 100,000 people whose bodies reject these synthetic life forms. The report they didn’t reveal to the public is the one I want to read.
We do know that back in 2006, the National Institutes of Health listed Morgellons as a genetically caused disease, due to the presence of three copies of a chromosome rather than the normal two (known as trisomy). This was found at the 5S rRNA genes located on chromosome 1, in the q42.11 to q42.12 region, according to the following screen capture by Jan Smith, who explains that a year later NIH deleted the webpage [18]:
Trisomy can result in mental retardation and physical deformities. [19] Are these bioengineered life forms causing rRNA to produce a third copy of chromosome 1 at q42.11 to q42.12? Or, do Morgellons sufferers already have a third copy, and its presence is somehow forcing the nanoworms to leave the body?
Several people agree with Carnicom that these living fibers are being sprayed on us via the vociferously denied chemtrail program. Morgellons patient Kandy Griffin, president of Morgellons Research Group, puts it right out there:
Morgellons is not a disease. It is a process. It is a form of forced/directed evolution of the human genome. It is the fetal stage of transhumanism, and it is upon us.This stealth project is being carried out with the use of the daily chemtrail operations, which are happening globally. There is no escape. The chemtrail operations are terraforming the earth and everything on it, including you. [20]
There is hope. In the last section of Carnicom’s Thesis, he suggests several mitigation strategies that would apply equally to those who develop Morgellons and those who don’t, but who are likely assimilating rather than rejecting these bioengineered life forms. [15]© Rady Ananda, 2012
[2] Oklahoma State University Center for the Investigation of Morgellons Disease homepage http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/morgellons/index.cfm
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “CDC to launch study on unexplained illness,” 16 Jan. 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080116.htm
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “CDC Study of an Unexplained Dermopathy,” 25 Jan. 2012. http://www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/
[5] Jan Smith, Morgellons Exposed, n.d. http://www.morgellonsexposed.com/
[6] Sofia Smallstorm, “From Chemtrails to Pseudo-Life: The Dark Agenda of Synthetic Biology,” speech at Conspiracy Con 2011, 4 June 2011, Santa Clara, California. Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzW5Kb8u0Og
[7] Science 2.0, “GNA: DNA’s Chemical Cousin Is a Nanotechnology Building Block,” 28 April 2008. http://www.science20.com/news_releases/gna_dnas_chemical_cousin_is_a_nanotechnology_building_block
[8] Mike Stobbe, “Study of freakish mystery illness finds no cause,” Associated Press, 26 Jan. 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/study-freakish-mystery-illness-finds-no-cause-220159892.html
[9] U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Historic Medical Sites: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,” 2 March 2004 (rev. 3 Aug. 2011), National Institutes of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/afip.html
[10] Comptroller, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, “Defense Health Program Operation and Maintenance Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Budget Estimated Consolidated Health Support.” Vol I, Sec 5-C, OP-5, CHS, 11PB, DHP, Exhibit OP-5. p.3. Available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2011/budget_justification/pdfs/09_Defense_Health_Program/VOL_1/Vol_I_Sec_5-C_OP-5_CHS_11PB_DHP.pdf
[11] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, The AFIP Letter, Vol. 159, No. 5, Oct. 2001. Reproduced at http://www.american-buddha.com/operationnobleeagleAFIP.pdf
[12] Barbara L. Minton, “Morgellons: Terrifying New Disease Reaching Pandemic Status,” Natural News, 3 Mar 2009. http://www.naturalnews.com/025757.html#ixzz1NacD5b3d
[13] Clifford E Carnicom, “The Biggest Crime of All Time, Confirmed: Environmental Filament Matched to Morgellons Condition,” 1 March 2011. http://www.carnicom.com/bio2011-2.htm
[14] Carnicom, “A New Form: Frequency Induced Disease?” 8 March 2011. http://www.carnicom.com/bio2011-3.htm
[15] Carnicom, “Morgellons: A Thesis,” 15 Oct. 2011 (rev. 1 Dec. 2011) http://www.carnicominstitute.org/articles/bio2011-6.htm
[16] Carnicom, “Morgellons: A New Classification,” 3 Feb. 2010 (rev. 11 Feb. 2010) http://www.carnicominstitute.org/articles/morgobs8.htm
[17] Katie Drummond, “Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included,” 5 Feb. 2010. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/pentagon-looks-to-breed-immortal-synthetic-organisms-molecular-kill-switch-included/
[18] Jan Smith, “The Hidden NIH Webpage: NIH Website Lists Chromosome 1q42 Responsible for Morgellons Disease,” 18 Jan. 2008. http://www.morgellonsexposed.com/nih1Q42.htm#NIH:_Morgellons_officially_recognized_as_a_disease
[19] March of Dimes, Chromosomal abnormalities, Dec. 2009. http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/birthdefects_chromosomal.html
[20] Kandy Griffin, “Morgellons is not a disease,” 7 Aug. 2011. http://morgellonsresearchgroup.com/morgellons-is-not-a-disease/
Rady Ananda is an investigative reporter and researcher in the areas of health, environment, politics, and civil liberties. Her two websites, Food Freedom and COTO Report are essential reading.
RECENT REPORTS BY RADY ANANDA:
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Officials Say ‘Toilet on Tap’ Wastewater Same Quality as Tap Water
by Mike Barrett
Natural Society
January 13, 2012
Do you think it might be possible that you’re drinking wastewater (also known as ‘toilet on tap’) and don’t even know it? It just so happens that many Americans are, whether they know it or not. But new federally funded research brought to you by the National Research Council says that wastewater is completely safe, if not safer than existing water supplies. What does this say about the current state of your tap water?
Drink More Wastewater, NRC Says
The NRC compared a sample of water taken from a normal source which had 5 percent wastewater and a sample which had been completely treated. Around 24 different contaminants were measured for in both samples, including pathogens. What the NRC found was that there was no different in risk between the two samples, and that the wastewater sample had fewer pathogens. Interestingly enough the NRC’s stance on consuming wastewater has completely changed from a little more than 1 decade ago, where they said that treated wastewater should only be consumed as a last resort.
The driving force behind the goal of the study is of course saving the water supply. As we continue to pollute our waters, less fresh water is becoming available for us to drink. More rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers are drying up as the years pass. As bodies of water around the world continue to dry up, we’re seeing more drought conditions spread. There are dust storms in places which have never experienced them until now. As time goes by, the amount of agricultural land shrinks, and deserts are growing.
Coming up with strategies to combat the potential clean water shortage that could soon be coming is a necessary measure to take. The United States alone uses about 148 trillion gallons of fresh water each year, and 36 U.S. states are either facing water shortages right now or will soon be.
Wastewater and Even ‘Normal’ Water is Not Safe for Your Health
However consuming even treated wastewater should not be an option for those seeking optimal wellness. Even if the wastewater is as safe as normal drinking water, it is still not safe – and neither is normal drinking water. Water contains pharmaceuticals, birth control residues, sucralose, chlorine, and all types of harmful substances. In fact, the fluoride in the water is damaging your health and may even be lowering your IQ along with contributing to cancer. Unfortunately turning to bottled water is not such a viable option either, where you pay 2000x more than you normally would for mystery water.
A solution to these problems? A water filter or reverse osmosis water filtration system. When filtering tap water, reverse osmosis is one preferred method in removing toxic substances such as fluoride and heavy metals. It does, however, also remove natural minerals and nutrients. Luckily a simple solution to this would be to add certain minerals to the water Use a mineral filter, himalayan sea salt, or even add apple cider vinegar to restore the natural nutrients back into the water.
Explore More:
- Bottled Water Regulation | Regulated Less than Tap Water
- Water Successfully Turned into a Commodity by the Bottled Water Industry
- Most Bottled Waters are Glorified Tap Water – Learn how to Hydrate the Healthy Way
- Residents Told to Boil Drinking Water
- Toxic Tap Water: Chemical Laden Water Tied to a Number of Life Threatening Diseases
- Scientists Uncover Truth About Fluoride and Other Water Contaminants
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[H/T: Infowars]
Cannabis Treatment Threatens Deadly Painkiller Industry
by Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post
January 9, 2012
Pharmaceutical painkillers are now responsible for more deaths in the United States than heroin and cocaine combined.
These pharmaceuticals are responsible for more than 15,000 deaths conservatively in 2008 alone. With no sign of slowing down, the painkiller industry is becoming wildly popular among Americans — as a result, so is the high rate of painkiller abuse.
Classified as dangerous by the U.S. government, cannabis (even in THC-free form, or free of psychoactive effects) has been identified as a powerful pain reliever in more than 80 peer-reviewed studies.
You may be aware of the fact that marijuana is usually quite high in THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the compound responsible for the psychoactive effect of cannabis.
In contrast, it is also low in CBD (cannabidiol) content. Both THC and CBD are known as cannabinoids, however, which interacts with your body in a very unique way.
In fact, cannabinoids are key when it comes to pain relief. While this information alone is enough to shatter the traditional beliefs on government marijuana regulation, the relationship between CBD and THC is even more revealing.
What you may not be familiar with is how CBD has been shown to block the effect of THC in the nervous system. This allows for marijuana to be used with little or no psychoactive effects. Hemp, on the other hand, is high in CBD and low in THC. This is due to the fact that it is bred to maximize its fiber, seeds, and oil. Of course these key properties are what it is most commonly used for.
Trials Indicate Cannabis as an Effective Treatment for Chronic Pain
In a 2011 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers examined the effects of cannabinoids on chronic pain and proper sleep. What they found in their trials challenges federal government claims that cannabis has ‘no accepted medical use’. The researchers conducted 18 trials using cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic pain, and found that cannabinoids demonstrated a significant painkilling effect as well as noticeable improvements in sleep in 15 of trials. Compared, to placebo, the cannabinoids were extremely effective.
Most importantly, there were no adverse effects.
Another study, performed in 2002, reached similar conclusions. Finding cannabis to aid in pain relief as well as quality of sleep, researchers from the McGill University Health Centre stated in summary that cannabis can be used as an effective way of improving pain, mood, and sleep in some patients with chronic pain.
There are many forms of the cannabis plant, many without mind-altering properties, many of which can be utilized without adverse reactions, as detailed in the peer-reviewed research. It is also quite clear that the painkiller industry simply cannot continue to wreak havoc on the lives of many, and a natural alternative must soon emerge to prevent another 15,000 plus deaths this year.
Why is the federal government refusing to admit the medicinal properties of cannabis and the unique ability of this substance to curb pain, insomnia, and impaired mood? This is only one example of how the government decides what is and what is not good for your health.
Explore More:
- Why is Marijuana Illegal? | Examining the Health Aspects of Cannabis
- Prescription Painkiller Deaths on the Rise
- Magnetic Fields Now Used in Cancer Treatment
- Foods for Sunburn Treatment and Protection
- African Country Threatens to Jail Parents for Skipping Polio Vaccination
- ‘Cause Labeling’ Threatens Future of Humankind
Please visit Natural Society for more great health news and vaccine information.
Free Thinking Human Or Programmed Sheeple – David Icke/Alex Jones (video)
by Zen Gardner
Before It’s News
January 9, 2012
30 Statistics That Show That The Middle Class Is Dying Right In Front Of Our Eyes As We Enter 2012
The Economic Collapse Blog
December 31, 2011
Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most vibrant middle class that the world has ever seen.
Unfortunately, that is rapidly changing. The statistics that you are about to read prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the U.S. middle class is dying right in front of our eyes as we enter 2012.
The decline of the middle class is not something that has happened all of a sudden. Rather, there has been a relentless grinding down of the middle class over the last several decades.
Millions of our jobs have been shipped overseas, the rate of inflation has far outpaced the rate that our wages have grown, and overwhelming debt has choked the financial life out of millions of American families.
Every single day, more Americans fall out of the middle class and into poverty. In fact, more Americans fell into poverty last year than has ever been recorded before. The number of middle class jobs and middle class neighborhoods continues to decline at a staggering pace.
As I have written about previously, America as a whole is getting poorer as a nation, and as this happens wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated at the very top of the income scale. This is not how capitalism is supposed to work, and it is not good for America.
Today I went over to Safeway and I was absolutely appalled at the prices. I honestly don’t know how most families make it these days. I ended up paying over 140 dollars for about two-thirds of a cart of food. That was after I “saved” 67 dollars on sale items.
When the cost of the basic things that we need – housing, food, gas, electricity – go up faster than our incomes do, that means that we are getting poorer.
Sadly, if you look at the long-term numbers, some very clear negative trends emerge….
-The number of good jobs continues to decrease.
-The rate of inflation continues to outpace the rate that our wages are going up.
-American consumers are going into almost unbelievable amounts of debt.
-The number of Americans that are considered to be “poor” continues to grow.
-The number of Americans that are forced to turn to the government for financial assistance continues to go up.
After you read the information below, it should become abundantly clear that the U.S. middle class is in a whole heap of trouble.
The following are 30 statistics that show that the middle class is dying right in front of our eyes as we enter 2012….
#1 Today, only 55.3 percent of all Americans between the ages of 16 and 29 have jobs.
#2 In the United States today, there are 240 million working age people. Only about 140 million of them are working.
#3 According to CareerBuilder, only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012.
#4 Since the year 2000, the United States has lost 10% of its middle class jobs. In the year 2000 there were about 72 million middle class jobs in the United States but today there are only about 65 million middle class jobs.
#5 According to the New York Times, approximately 100 million Americans are either living in poverty or in “the fretful zone just above it”.
#6 According to that same article in the New York Times, 34 percent of all elderly Americans are living in poverty or “near poverty”, and 39 percent of all children in America are living in poverty or “near poverty”.
#7 In 1984, the median net worth of households led by someone 65 or older was 10 times larger than the median net worth of households led by someone 35 or younger. Today, the median net worth of households led by someone 65 or older is 47 times larger than the median net worth of households led by someone 35 or younger.
#8 Since the year 2000, incomes for U.S. households led by someone between the ages of 25 and 34 have fallen by about 12 percent after you adjust for inflation.
#9 The total value of household real estate in the U.S. has declined from $22.7 trillion in 2006 to $16.2 trillion today. Most of that wealth has been lost by the middle class.
#10 Many formerly great manufacturing cities are turning into ghost towns. Since 1950, the population of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has declined by more than 50 percent. In Dayton, Ohio 18.9 percent of all houses now stand empty.
#11 Since 1971, consumer debt in the United States has increased by a whopping 1700%.
#12 The number of pages of federal tax rules and regulations has increased by 18,000% since 1913. The wealthy know how to avoid taxes, but most of those in the middle class do not.
#13 The number of Americans that fell into poverty (2.6 million) set a new all-time record last year and extreme poverty (6.7%) is at the highest level ever measured in the United States.
#14 According to one study, between 1969 and 2009 the median wages earned by American men between the ages of 30 and 50 dropped by 27 percent after you account for inflation.
#15 According to U.S. Representative Betty Sutton, America has lost an average of 15 manufacturing facilities a day over the last 10 years. During 2010 it got even worse. Last year, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day shut down in the United States.
#16 Back in 1980, less than 30% of all jobs in the United States were low income jobs. Today, more than 40% of all jobs in the United States are low income jobs.
#17 Most Americans are scratching and clawing and doing whatever they can to make a living these days. Half of all American workers now earn $505 or less per week.
#18 Food prices continue to rise at a very brisk pace. The price of beef is up 9.8% over the past year, the price of eggs is up 10.2% over the past year and the price of potatoes is up 12% over the past year.
#19 Electricity bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.
#20 The average American household will have spent a staggering $4,155 on gasoline by the end of 2011.
#21 If inflation was measured the exact same way that it was measured back in 1980, the rate of inflation in the United States would be well over 10 percent.
#22 If the number of Americans considered to be “looking for work” was the same today as it was back in 2007, the “official” unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.
#23 According to the Student Loan Debt Clock, total student loan debt in the United States will surpass the 1 trillion dollar mark at some point in 2012. Most of that debt is owed by members of the middle class.
#24 Incredibly, more than one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps at this point.
#25 Since Barack Obama took office, the number of Americans on food stamps has increased by 14.3 million.
#26 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.
#27 In 1970, 65 percent of all Americans lived in “middle class neighborhoods”. By 2007, only 44 percent of all Americans lived in “middle class neighborhoods”.
#28 According to a recent report produced by Pew Charitable Trusts, approximately one out of every three Americans that grew up in a middle class household has slipped down the income ladder.
#29 In the United States today, the wealthiest one percent of all Americans have a greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent combined.
#30 The poorest 50 percent of all Americans now collectively own just 2.5% of all the wealth in the United States.
Sadly, this article could have been much, much longer. There are so many other statistics about the middle class that could have been included.
For even more insane economic numbers that show just how dramatically the U.S. economy is declining, just check out this article: “50 Economic Numbers From 2011 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe“.
What is even more frightening is that this is about as good as things are going to get.
We have already had “the economic recovery”, such as it was.
Now we are heading for another major financial crisis. Just like back in 2008, the entire world is going to feel the pain.
But we never recovered from the last financial crisis. We are like a boxer that is not ready to handle another blow.
And who is going to get hurt the most? It will be those at the bottom of the food chain of course. Tens of millions of Americans that are living in poverty will experience a massive amount of pain, and millions more Americans will fall out of the middle class and will join them.
If you have a good job, do your best to hang on to it. If you don’t have a job, do your best to get one while you still can. Jobs will become very precious in the years ahead.
But also try to do what you can to become less dependent on the system. Almost anyone can find ways to make some extra money on the side. Yes, it will likely cut into your television time. If someday you were to lose your job you don’t want to be left with zero income.
Right now, the U.S. economy is slowly dying and as time goes by the number of middle class Americans it will be able to support will continue to decrease.
Yes, it is like a perverse game of musical chairs, but this is where we are at.
I encourage all of you to think about how you plan to make it through the collapse that is ahead.
Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything is going to be okay is not going to help anyone.
But if we all start planning for the storm that is ahead, and if we get others around us to wake up as well, that is going to do a great deal of good in the long run.
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(hat tip: The Intel Hub)
PN 