James L. Paris's Blog, page 201
August 5, 2015
Houston Nearing Bankruptcy?
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
While we���ve been hearing more frequently about the pervasive financial problems plaguing many of America���s municipalities nowadays, it always seems to be Detroit that most think of first when the subject arises. However, there are plenty of other big cities persisting in dire economic straits, presently, and you can now add the city of Houston to the list of big cities that seem too big to fail���but likely will, in some form or fashion; Moody���s Investors Service downgraded its outlook on Houston to ���negative��� at the beginning of July, and its debt obligations are now larger than Detroit���s.
The principal basis for all of these local crises are the defined benefit plans, aka pensions, that have long-characterized the compensation packages of city workers. Pensions have become a relic of the days when people, regardless of political differences, understood and adhered to basic economic common sense, and did not demand that their governments���be they federal, state, or city���pay for ���public services��� to such an extent that there was a near-complete dearth of money, or that pension obligations be allowed to balloon unchecked to ridiculous levels. According to a study published earlier in 2015 by finance professor Joshua Rauh of Stanford, while Houston���s pension funds report a $3.2 billion debt, the real figure associated with the unfunded pension liability is $13.7 billion ��� this means that Houston is in the hole to the tune of a whopping $26 billion.
These problems, left unresolved by necessary austerity measures, end only one way (see: Greece). Will it come to that? You���d like to think that Americans are just too, well, American to let that happen, but, sadly, maybe that���s just not the case any longer.
Son Of Robin Williams Teaching Finance Behind Bars
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Zak Williams, son of the late actor Robin Williams, has joined with a San Quentin inmate���who also happens to be a stock market whiz���to teach financial literacy classes to others incarcerated at the infamous California prison.
The inmate, Curtis Carroll, known inside as the ���Oracle of San Quentin,��� began taking an interest in the stock market when he was able to hang on to copies of another���s Wall Street Journal earmarked for the trash. For Williams��� part, he became involved when he developed an interest in prison rehabilitation, and, soon after, found a perfect match in Carroll with his MBA from Columbia.
While picking stocks is a big part of the class, and a feature in which the other inmates are keenly interested, the pair takes a ���big picture��� approach to money, as well, focusing on such things as the mechanics of the economy and how an interest in this area can translate to a useful, productive life outside of prison.
As long as people are in prison, any effort to make it a more ���elevated,��� less violent institution is as much in the interests of the staff who work there���and the rest of society���as in the interests of the inmates themselves. Hopelessness and the feeling of ���nothing to lose��� ill serve the innocents around those carrying such desperate emotions with them, and while many of us are justifiably oriented on traditional law-and-order postures, it is reasonable to at least look with an open mind at any effort designed, ultimately, to help make all of society a safer place.
August 4, 2015
The Unsolved Murder Of Dr. Mary Sherman And The JFK Assassination
Author Edward T. Haslam joins Jim Paris Live to discuss his book Dr. Mary's Monkey. How the unsolved murder of Dr. Mary Sherman, a secret laboratory in New Orleans and cancer-causing monkey viruses are linked to Lee Harvey Oswald, the JFK assassination and emerging global epidemics. Why is the 52 year old unsolved murder case of Dr. Mary Sherman still important today? What is the connection between the CIA, the secret New Orleans lab, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the JFK assassination?
August 2, 2015
Obama Bundler/Judge Blocks Baby Body Part Videos
Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
The efforts of the Center for Medical Progress to continue to bring to light the depravity of the Planned Parenthood abortion machine with its revealing ���sting��� videos���is certainly receiving no help from Judge William H. Orrick, III, a federal jurist with apparently long and strong ties to President Barack Obama. It turns out that Judge Orrick, who responded very quickly and favorably to a restraining order sought Friday by the National Abortion Federation (at least give them credit for being up front about who they are and what they���re about, unlike PP) to block the release of additional undercover videos by the CMP, was a 2012 Obama nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. According to the advocacy group Public Citizen, Orrick raised $200,000 on behalf of Obama���s 2008 campaign, and donated over $30,000 more to committees in support of the president.
Particularly striking is the speed with which Orrick responded to the NAF with the injunction in its favor ��� just a handful of hours. From The Federalist, which first reported Orrick���s historical connection to Obama:
���Orrick was nominated to his position by hardline abortion supporter President Barack Obama. He was also a major donor to and bundler for President Obama���s presidential campaign. He raised at least $200,000 for Obama and donated $30,800 to committees supporting him, according to Public Citizen.
Even though the National Abortion Federation filed its claim only hours before, Orrick quickly decided in their favor that the abortionists they represent would, ironically, be ���likely to suffer irreparable injury, absent an ex parte temporary restraining order, in the form of harassment, intimidation, violence, invasion of privacy, and injury to reputation, and the requested relief is in the public interest.������
Draw your own conclusions.
Jim's Amazon Bestseller Free This Week On Amazon
To coincide with my appearance on the nationally syndicated Coast To Coast AM radio show, I am making available my book, How To Pray For A Financial Miracle (E-Book version) FREE on Amazon. You don't need a Kindle to read the book, it can be read on any computer or tablet device. The book is available for free download from August 1 - 5. Click Here
August 1, 2015
How To Publish An E-Book In Just 7 Days
ChristianMoney.com is always on the lookout for new and interesting books on ways to make and save money. Although we have historically marketed our own materials on E-Book marketing and publishing, we found a course that we liked so much that we wanted to share it. In his new book and training program, Jim Edwards has done a really great job of explaining the process of formulating an idea for an eBook and getting it published in as little as one week.
Not only does Edwards get into the rudiments of the eBook publishing process, he hits on additional subject material missing from most books like this. He is 100% right in informing readers of the importance of title selection and a well written description. What many people don't fully realize is the value of 'optimizing' their title and description so that their book stands a decent chance of being found at Amazon. Edwards even offers readers free access to his Title and Description Wizard Software. As self publishing continues to get easier, there are a lot more books out there competing for the same eyeballs.
Edwards includes a number of other resources and webinars for readers:
How to get organized to be able to write and publish your book quickly
How to take credit cards (for direct orders)
An E-Book Success online workshop
For the money, this is really one of the best programs we have found on the topic. Click Here For More Information
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
July 30, 2015
Greece Becomes Barter Economy For First Time Since Nazi Occupation
I am not at all surprised to see this. Very sad to see what the people of Greece are going through now, but they had countless warnings and opportunities to reign in their spending. Here in the United States were are right on track to end up like this in about five years. The difference in the case of the U.S. is that there will be no bailout options available to use. There will be no country large enough to offer us any financial assistance. There are so many lessons to be gleaned from this, but one that I would like to focus on in this post is barter. Barter has historically been a very important means of trade and those that want to truly be prepared here in the U.S., should take careful note of this. There is so much good information online about bartering and what items are considered most appropriate and valuable as a means of exchange. Basic necessities such as food, medicine, and even ammunition, would all be prime options for bartering. Here is a great article to take a look at 40 Items To Barter In A Post Collapse World.
The barter economy is growing in Greece after a bank shutdown has left many struggling to maintain businesses with limited cash. A rising number of Greeks in rural areas are resorting to swapping goods and services as they struggle to keep businesses going under tight government capital controls, according to reports. But even those facilitating the barter economy fear that it harks back to the Nazi occupation. Christos Stamatis started the website Mermix three months ago to link farmers wanting to share heavy machinery in exchange for cash or other goods. "A barter economy is something that we shouldn't aspire to and should be a thing of the past ��� the last time we had it on a large scale was when we were under occupation," he told Reuters, referring to the Nazi occupation of Greece in the Second World War.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Book Offers Advice On Surviving Financial Collapse
Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
The way things are nowadays, you cannot be too prepared for societal trouble at a significant level. We hear more and more about this ���silent majority��� that is getting fed up and is ready to fight back against the progressive policies that are leading our nation down a path of economic and social destruction, but where are they, really? How many out there are really of a mind to take action and reclaim the country before ���implosion day?��� It���s looking less and less likely that enough of us will be fighting back against the dangerous trends in order to avert big trouble in the future, which is why a book like Conquering the Coming Collapse is an excellent addition to your (hopefully) growing survival resource library.
The book begins with an overview of the current socioeconomic climate in the United States, and includes a close look at just how Obamacare threatens the stability of the macroeconomy. I appreciate the timeliness of the narrative, because, it speaks to the concerns we each have on our minds, presently. The book goes on to outline a wide variety of excellent strategies one can implement on behalf of preparedness (more about those later), without regard to era, but it is a good feeling for the reader to be able to see, and even feel, the ideas and emotions expressed by the author, in such a passionate way, on behalf of the present, grave concerns we all have.
The overarching theme of the book has to do with preparedness in the face of economic collapse, and Chapter Four, ���Preparing for Economic Meltdown,��� gives a good, solid overview of the areas with which you should become intimately familiar as you evaluate and assemble a plan to persist through the conditions that will result from collapse. Although it is more of an ���overview��� chapter, it is extensive and well thought-out, and lays the groundwork for the excellent, detailed information that follows.
On that note, the book goes on to provide a great deal of actionable information, as well, about a variety of areas. For example, most of us take the matter of clean, hygienic water for granted, but that cannot be the case when working through distressed environments; Conquering the Coming Collapse contains an excellent section on the matter of water purification, and provides insightful tips on everything from purifying more ���naturally,��� to convenient methods of chemical purification.
The author also covers the considerations many of us weigh when pondering if we should ���shelter in place,��� or leave our homes, when distressed conditions befall us. Which option one chooses is, to a large degree, dependent on the nature of the actual distress, but the author suggests that most people are better served to remain at home when trouble strikes, and walks the reader through how to be sure he is prepared to shelter in place, should it become appropriate to do so.
There are excellent sections, as well, on cultivating your own food sources, home fortification, specific lists on what should be included in survival kits and bug-out bags, and even how to find food in the wild. I���m leaving out a bunch more, too, but you get the point ��� Conquering the Coming Collapse packs a lot of information into 134 pages.
You might be thinking, ���Here we go, another book on how to survive through the end of the world,��� but I have to tell you that if you are of a ���preparedness mindset,��� as I am, it���s not really possible to have too much information at your disposal on these topics. Conquering the Coming Collapse is now a part of my resource library, and I encourage you to make it a part of yours, as well. More Information On This Book - Click Here.
Big Savings At Walmart This Week
Walmart is having a blowout sale with fantastic prices on items targeted to kids going off to college. Even if you don't have a college bound child, you don't want to miss this sale. There are substantial discounts on a wide variety of items, including electronics. The laptop bundle (starting at $186) is just one of many bargains you will find. Click Here
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
July 29, 2015
Recipients Of $15 Minimum Wage Upset Over Loss Of Welfare Benefits
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Apparently, $15 an hour for assisting people with their burger-and-fries orders isn���t what it���s cracked up to be. What a shocker.
All this time, we thought that the burden, substantial though it is, was going to be felt primarily by the businesses, and also by consumers, to whom the increased costs of doing business are so often passed along���but who had any idea that the beneficiaries of such increases, the workers themselves, would be so put upon by having received these pay raises?
Well, it turns out they are. In Seattle, which can���t seem to embrace efforts at utopian socialism fast enough, the reality of earning a full week of pay at the higher rate means that many folks no longer qualify for government assistance, like welfare and food stamps. As a matter of fact, some area employees are going to their bosses and asking for fewer hours, now that they���re receiving a higher hourly wage, so as to remain under the threshold for assistance qualification.
Additionally, businesses and consumers in Seattle are finding the contrived elevation of unskilled worker pay is working just as predicted; some are closing down, and there are restaurants taking measures like tacking a 15 percent surcharge on customer checks to try to keep from firing people.
More proof that there is no such thing as utopian socialism���for, in reality, utopia can exist only by virtue of the privilege provided by its evil nemesis: capitalism.
