Would you believe I saved $13,555 over the past 8 years by putting my single dollar bills into the Obama Cuss Jar, then investing most of that into precious metals?
Here is my last precious metals video:
UPDATED 3.30.17:
I have since converted the precious metals into something else:
In my last Precious Metals Investing video I described two scenarios where a dip in the supply of gold could happen. Author James Rickard mentioned in his latest book, The New Case for Gold, that his contacts in the industry were reporting shortages, and that shortages would in turn drive the price of gold up. Here is my review of his book.
One scenario would be at the consumer level and would be a signal, albeit a minor and temporary one. We saw that happen three times with Silver, where the US Mint could not keep up with demand for Silver Eagle coins. It was news for a few days, then supply returned. I suggest this should be ignored because of logistical and other factors rather than supply.
I suggested the sign to watch for - scenario two - is when a gold order by a government goes unfulfilled. These suppliers deal in large volumes and are aware of the pace of mining operations. They are directly connected to the supply, or lack of supply, of gold. If this were to occur, it would be the signal that Mr. Rickards' predictions of a run on gold were coming true.
ZeroHedge has posted two articles in as many days on a middle scenario I hadn't considered. I'll call it the Institutional Level.
This summary is based on how I understand it (which means go read those articles yourself):
Apparently there is a bank, Xetra-Gold, in Germany that, for a fee, sells vouchers for physical gold. A voucher is sold, the equivalent in gold is added to the bank's vaults. Moreover, voucher owners may claim their physical gold rather than sell their vouchers for cash and the bank will deliver the gold. The voucher fees cover both the storage and, if requested, delivery of the gold.
In my Gold Standard studies I learned this bank would be called a Deposit Bank. A name for a deposit bank in the US could be: "First Libertarian Bank of the United States." Or, "Ron Paul Deposit Bank." The Deposit Bank is the banking model Libertarians want for banking in the US. We'll never know what the name would be because a deposit bank would never fly in the US - so long as we have the Fractional Reserve Banking. Fractional Reserve Banking may be a misleading dishonest model as few people are aware that when they deposit money in their bank, it legally becomes the bank's money. And if bad times come, the bank will decide how much of their money they will give to their customers. People are used to free, or near free, banking services because our banks use the deposits to fund loans. How could a deposit bank, which charges for everything, compete with that? Hence no Libertarian banks in the US. Yet.
So Xetra-Gold is backed by Deutsche Bank. And 900 Xetra-Gold customers have, over the years, requested and received delivery of a total of 4.5 tonnes of gold. But #901 recently made that request, and he was told to pound sand. Not by the bank he contracted with, but from the bank behind the bank - Deutsche Bank.
Deutsche Bank breaks their contract with Xetra-Gold without telling Xetra-Gold. And Xetra-Gold essentially breaks its contracts with its customers because delivery can't occur without the cooperation of Deutsche Bank.
And we're not supposed to notice? A Google News search shows this story is only in the blogs at the moment.
Is the Xetra-Gold story a gold supply issue? If so, I'd say it is at the Institutional Level as it concerns a mojor bank and big-dollar investors. If so, this is a significant signal and one I would consider in line with Mr. Rickards' prediction.
But it may not be a supply issue. Did you know that Deutsche Bank is not carrying its required reserves? Did you know there are suggestions that Germany nationalize Deutsche Bank to 1) provide the reserves required and 2) continue the illusion that all is well? A merger with Germany's other large bank has also been suggested.
We'll know soon enough.
---
In other news, Rickards posted on his blog a few days ago that he now predicts the price of gold to reach $10,000. (Up from $5000) Up until now, only old men trying to get media attention, or people trying to sell gold or gold-related services have suggested that number. And year after year they have been completely discredited. (See my video about Peter Schiff) Since Rickards' post shows no real math or other factors other than Brexit(!), I'm afraid he may be joining the others in discreditland.
UPDATED 9.2.16 8pm:
ZH reports that Deutsche Bank has responded to this story with no actual response. It is if Hillary's attorneys wrote the statement for the bank. Let me know if you can figure it out:
And so another non-response, because in the same press release Deutsche Bank both admits that it has an obligation to deliver the gold "as a matter of course", and then tacitly confirms that it failed to do so, by first saying that it evaluates the "economic efficiency of physical delivery", something it should have no right to do since the Xetra prospectus explicitly mandates that it should release gold on demand, and then adds that "should an investor’s request for the handover of physical gold not have been complied with immediately in individual cases, this will be reviewed and an individual solution will be found with the client."
I suspect this video has more to say about the state of our union than the our dear marxist will spout tonight in DC.
I'll wait for the transcript tomorrow to comment on his speech.
A hearty Ushanka Tip to you if you choose to watch. You're a better person than I am.
UPDATED 1.21.15 Noon:
I still haven't looked at the transcript from last night's speech. More pressing matters, such as selecting my next cigar, have taken priority. I already know what I'll be thinking as I read each proposal:
Why wasn't this important when you had super majorities?
How do you plan to get that through Congress?
Ahh, life is full of questions with no answers. And my Obama Cuss Jar is full of singles.
Prediction: History will show that Obama was a failed president. It will show a key failure was to take advantage of all the RINO's in congress. If he had taken a softer tone, he could have gotten amnesty, tax increases, gun-confiscation and more. Historians will suggest this problem can be avoided by electing future presidents with real-world experience.
Of course, I am assuming there will be an honest and objective review of today's events in the future....
“Why are we here today?” she asked.
“To make revolution,” they answered.
“What kind of revolution?” she replied.
“The Cultural Revolution,” they chanted.
“And how do we make Cultural Revolution?” she demanded.
“By destroying the American family!” they answered.
“How do we destroy the family?” she came back.
“By destroying the American Patriarch,” they cried exuberantly.
“And how do we destroy the American Patriarch?” she replied.
“By taking away his power!”
“How do we do that?”
“By destroying monogamy!” they shouted.
“How can we destroy monogamy?”
Their answer left me dumbstruck, breathless, disbelieving my ears. Was I on planet earth? Who were these people?
“By promoting promiscuity, eroticism, prostitution and homosexuality!” they resounded.
Allow me to beat this dead horse again:
Communism cannot take hold until both fathers and God are replaced by government. (See the inner-city black community)
When someone asks you to dilute your family or religious values, they are really inviting you to join the Communist Party.
---
Another item shared from Captain Capitalism: Newspeak hits the St. Louis Fed with their latest redefinition of "saving."
Why the bad economy? It is your fault for "hoarding" your money instead of spending it! The absence of money velocity is the reason for the doldrums today. People save hoard money when they are not confident about the future. When conditions seem uncertain. When "Hope and Change" wins and substance loses.
In days past, this "hoarding" of money would be termed a "savings
account" and every child from five years old and up was encouraged to
have one. Smart adults socked away (oops, "hoarded") a percentage of
their income for rainy days, emergencies, and retirement. But now
that's bad! Baaaad!
The unspoken implication, of course, is those greedy evil middle-class
Americans who insist that it's wise to have a cash reserve Just In Case
are the ones responsible for taking down the economy by "slowing the
velocity of money." In case you didn't get the point, the article
added, "The reason that inflation hasn't kept up with gains in the money
supply simply has been that people are sitting on cash rather than
spending it."
Yep. ZERO confidence in the system. ZERO confidence in the "leaders."
This is a great opportunity to post a current photo of our Obama Cuss Jar, topped with the ever-furry always-sexy Commie Obama Hat! Winter is coming...
---
Four and a half minutes of North Korean propaganda for your entertainment.
Did you realize just how much we are suffering here in the States?
---
A two-minute review of the "superpower" currently marching through Ukraine.
If you exclusively watch Peter Schiff on YouTube and only read the ZeroHedge website for your financial news, you would have missed the monthly taper on the Fed's irresponsible money-printing.
I subscribe to Peter's channel and I'm at ZH daily, so this post is part mea-culpa. Neither sources had confidence that the money-printed would end.
Here is a chart I threw together of the Fed "tapering" since December when their Quantitative Easing had peaked at an obnoxious $85 billion per month in new, inflating money.
Actions speak louder than words, don't they?
This month's $45 billion is $45 billion too much. But it is lower than last month's $55 billion.
This, of course, could change tomorrow. Just watch Peter or read ZH to hear why...
I was as disgusted with the QE abuses of 2013 and earlier as I am impressed with the discipline of cutting in 2014. Let's see where it goes, and give credit where credit is due.
My third video in a series about investing in precious metals using a "Play the Ratio" strategy. The content of this video builds on concepts and ideas presented in the previous videos.
This video explains my Obama Cuss Jar project, my investments in gold and silver coins, the lessons I’ve learned about precious metal investing, suggested and trusted sources for more information, and my advice to others who are considering investing in gold or silver.
I found a video where the silver investor says the average ratio in the past 23 years has been 66:1. Be sure to investigate the real ratio and its history before you buy!
UPDATED 1.28 10:30am:
YouTuber TheMicMac88 has done some ratio videos and I've communicated with him via YouTube. I asked him if he could validate my suggestion to trade on ratio targets. In his latest video he has corrected the information that I used in the video above where I said the average ratio is 50:1. He confirms that is true over the past 100 years, but that the past 24 years it has averaged 66:1. He argues that silver has been losing value to gold over time, and ratio trades should only occur at extremes such as 90:1 or 40:1, and that one should always hold onto some gold. Good advice on better data than I had just a week ago.
Open the Books is a service that connects to the federal spending database, and to some local and state databases, to show all spending associated with a zip code. They have mobile apps and we just downloaded the free app for our iPhone.
Our first search has shown us that someone who lives less than a mile away has received $61,2-- for "Supplemental Assistance Program", and four payments of $6,1--, $6,0--, $5,7--, and $5,4-- for "Direct and Counter Cyclical Prog" under the category, "Farm Subsidies."
Looks like our cuss jar will be getting some donations today....
By error we had the View Results option on. It has been turned off. Thank you Comrade Eric for spotting this. We are past the brink of technical difficulties and the contest struggle continues. Progress Comrades!
UPDATED 5.2 2:30pm:
FB Comrade David shared this appropriate cartoon today:
UPDATED 5.3 9am:
Click here for a good May Day rant from Fox News' Greg Gutfeld!
UPDATED 5.5 Noon:
Contest answer: 853
We've notified the winner, who guessed 863.
The blog with the most referrals was Captain Capitalism with nearly 50% of the referrals.
There are many reasons for our colorful language. Maybe another assault on private property, religious freedom, or the private-sector economy. Maybe a dead ambassador, or a bow and apology to a thug dictator. Maybe the coming fiscal cliff.
During the Bush years the liberals would bleat, "If you're not mad, you're not paying attention." As you can see by the photo below, we're paying attention. And so are our Comrades who wear this hat!
click for larger picture
About:
We are celebrating our SIXTH year of blogging this week, so there will be SIX WINNERS!
A Commie Obama Hat will be awarded to each of the SIX closest guesses.
Rules:
Add your guess in the comments below with a name. (A fake name is fine. Just don't use Anonymous.)
Guesses MUST consist of a dollar value (no cents).
One guess per person please.
Contest ends at noon EST on Saturday, October 20. Check back then, and send us your contact information if you are listed as a winner!
Hints:
The jar is 10 inches tall, and 7 inches in diameter. There is no lid on the jar in the photo.
The jar contains a known quantity and an unknown quantity.
Known: $2008. 8 Silver and 1 Gold 1oz coins (Converted after our last contest. Spot value as of October 15.)
Unknown: The single stack of $1 bills.
There are no bills hidden from view.
See pictures from previous contests to get a better idea of how much this jar holds.
You are guessing the total amount in the jar, so be sure to guess over $2008!
Our Dear Leader gave Romney all the campaign fodder he'll need for 2012 when he said last week:
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
Brilliant!
When you staff your campaign office, speech writers and teleprompter crews with marxists, you are bound to say something like this. Is there anyone with critical thinking skills left in the White House? Is there anyone paying attention to the message? Are there any Democrats left who know you drop the marxist crap and act like a conservative when you are this close to an election?
Well, if you blame others for your failures it only follows that you give credit to others for your success.
Here is an old photo posted at English Russia of a shop keeper who knew who to thank for his success:
Stalin: for the unplowed road that he used to walk to work.
Stalin: for the boots that allowed him to walk on the unplowed road to work.
Stalin: for the hats that allow his customers to stand in line in sub-zero tempuratures.
Stalin: for the glorious selections of sausage and sausage.
Stalin: for the vodka he drank when the sausage ran out and he had three days off before the next delivery.
UPDATE 5:50pm:
Illustr8r at IOTW is on a roll with this theme. Here are three:
Wright Brothers
Thomas Edison
Henry Ford
UPDATED 6:10pm:
Obama's comment about the Internet and how the government developed it for profitable purposes almost got a rise out of us. But when a marxist says marxist things to his marxist supporters who don't care about accuracy or truth as much as they care about their EBT cards and sleeping in 7 days a week, it isn't worth a comment.
Gun Blogger, Alphecca, however, did respond to the dual lie: 1) that Obama and his fellow looters were the ones to pay for the infrastructure that entrepreneurs use to get rich when it was the previous rich who paid for it with their taxes, and 2) that the Internet was developed for business.
Actually, the early roots of the Internet go back to DARPA for defense purposes, but the more modern version started to take form when universities began connecting to each other (ARPANET). Whether that involved government money or not is irrelevant because government money is our money, our tax dollars. The original intent of the Internet was the exchange of information, research, etc. It was private entrepreneurs who figured out how to make money from the Internet.
We'd add a 3rd lie: Obama and liberals are always telling us how smart they are, but how many of them take advantage of the government's generosity, in the form of streets or Internet, to make their own money? Why did they build all this stuff only to whine and complain, and envy those who do?
The blood pressure is low, but we have been pissed in a prolonged fashion since we heard this quote. Let's just say, our Obama Cuss Jar has runneth over....
If you’ve been a successful athlete, you didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, “well it must be because I worked hard at getting in shape”. There are a lot of in shape people out there. “It must be because I worked harder than my competitors.” Let me tell you something, there are a whole bunch of hardworking athletes out there. If you made it to the Olympics, somebody along the line gave you some help. If you receive a medal, you didn’t earn that. Somebody else made that happen.
Add your guess in the comments below. Guesses MUST consist of a dollar value guess (no cents) AND the name of the blog that referred you. If you don't have a referrer, pick one of the cool bloggers in our Blogroll at the left.
One guess per person please.
Contest ends at noon EST on Sunday, February 19. Check back then, and send us your contact information if you are the winner!
If two guesses are equal - one higher and one lower by the same amount - the tie goes to the lower.
The first of duplicate guesses will be considered.
Hints:
The jar is 10 inches tall, and 7 inches in diameter. There is no lid on the jar in the photo.
The jar contains a known quantity (bottom) and an unknown quantity (top).
Known: 10 $100 bills and 340 $1 bills. You can see the $100's at the bottom, then the $340.
We traded the cash in for 8oz of silver and 1oz of gold. Why let our Dear Leader reduce the value of this cuss jar over the course of the next year? If my cussing hasn't sent a clear message, maybe these coins will...
We hope the cuss jar will retire in January 2013. I'll then need help deciding on how to spend the money. The Bill Wilson, or The Custom Classic?
We are announcing that we will not attend tonight's State of the Union speech.
Our Obama Cuss Jar is already overflowing.
So far we are joined by Congressman Doug Lamborn, R-Colo (story) and all the respectable justices on the Supreme Court.
The president is a commie and a criminal. Why should we attend and grant him legitimacy?
Here are a few items that belong in a State of the Union speech, but will be left out in order to stir up envy, anger, and campaign donations from unions:
1. The state of illegal weapons sold to Mexican cartels, 2. The state of our first national car, the Volt, 3. The state, and results, of the $1T stimulus, 4. The state of the Rule of Law (see MF Global), 5. The state of each unborn child in Obama's America, 6. And more....
Money shot at 0:18:
Mr. Dear Leader, we are keeping track of your 'progress' -Obama To Do List
Remember when a US President's speech would have zero surprises? When he and his team would work behind the scenes with the affected parties to reach the best possible agreement? When the final agreement would exemplify US values of freedom and peace?
Those were the days, eh?
Our Dear Leader chose to include a completely obnoxious and unacceptable demand of Israel at the benefit of murdering marxist Palestinian filth in is Middle East policy speech week. He insists Israel return to its 1967 borders, THEN start peace negotiations with the people who refuse to accept Israel's existence and make every effort to kill its citizens.
We're on record saying liberalsprogressives communists lie, cheat, steal and agitate, and tolerate others who do as well. Here is Obama lie #45,711:
While dollars are flowing out of the US Treasury at a record rate, they are flowing into our Obama Cuss Jar at record rates too!
On the positive side, there cannot be any honest, clear-thinking person alive who thinks the Democrats are pro-Israel. Like Gore says of global warming, "The debate is over."
And if this guy is such a 'big thinker', why is he only asking one of the smallest countries on the planet to change its borders? What about India and Pakistan's Kashmir region, for example? We're sure Russia or China would like an opportunity to adjust their borders.
Here is what they are trying to do. If Israel does not now FULLY surrender to the pre-1967 borders, the muslims will use this as an excuse to riot and eventually attack because they now have the EXPLICIT BLESSING of the POTUS to do so. Obama/Soros has given the Caliphate a central rallying point. In the name of "human rights", Obama/Soros is setting up a chessboard whereby a U.S./U.N. occupation of Israel will be "needed" to "enforce" the 1967 borders. If Israel tries to defend itself against muslim aggression - which remember has been agitated by Obama himself - or defend its sovereign territory, Obama/Soros will cast these actions of Israeli self-defense and self-preservation as "human rights violations" and move in. DO WE NOW FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE LIBYAN ACTION WAS? It was simply to establish a precedent. Bishop to e6.
If I may be so bold, Netanyahu needs to take a page out of my playbook. He needs to give Obama the @$$kicking of a lifetime in his address to Congress. These Obama/Soros people are common gutter-scum street thugs, and need to be treated accordingly. TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND BRING THE BEAT-DOWN. Because it is either that, or World War 3.
Today's endorsement by President Barack Obama of the creation of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, signals the most egregious foreign policy decision his administration has made to date, and could be the beginning of the end as we know it for the Jewish state. --- It's time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.
As the Russians are preparing for their May Day Parade, we offer our second annual May Day Obama Cuss Jar contest!
About:
There will be TWO WINNERS: you, and the blogger or source who sent you here! Both will get the Commie Obama Rally Cap and Bottle of Leninade - the two most coveted bourgeois trophies of the Obama Revolution!
Rules:
Add your guess in the comments below. Guesses MUST consist of a dollar value guess (no cents) AND the name of the referrer. If you don't have a referrer, pick one of the cool bloggers in our Blogroll!
One guess per person please.
Contest ends at noon EST on Sunday.
If two guesses are equal - one higher and one lower by the same amount - the tie goes to the lower.
The first of duplicate guesses will be considered.
Hints:
The jar is 10 inches tall, and 7 inches in diameter.
The jar contains 10 $100 bills and an unknown quantity of $1 bills. $1000 converted into $100 bills on December 14, 2009.
UPDATE The guess is for the total $$ in the jar, including the $1000 in $100 bills at the bottom. We will ignore low guesses and accept new guesses from those same people! Sorry for the confusion!
UPDATESome are reporting errors when trying to post their comment. Please email us at ushanka.us@gmail.com and we'll post for you. Our apologies for the inconvenience.
UPDATE - May Day, Noon
We have our winners!
Simply Amazed, from IOTW with the guess of $1,341. The total in the jar is $1340.
Honorable Mention: Milwaukee Mike from IOTW $1342 Beethovenqueen from IOTW, $1344 Col. Angun from IOTW, $1334 Melody from IOTW, 1350 Left Coast Dan from Doug Ross, #1328 Cotton Picking Cracker from IOTW, $1324
We look forward to an election year May Day contest next year. If you can't wait that long, you can alway grab a hat at CommieObama.com!
This was good practice for us. Someday soon we'll have an 827-day wait for an MRI screening or an appointment with a cancer specialist.
This shows Obama's dedication to the military. If you'll recall, he took a mere 72 days to return Gen. McCrystal's phone call in 2009. Our Dear Leader's priorities are proper and he should be commended.
And don't get us started in praising Obama for his interest in our nation's oil supply. It took a scant 50 days for him to respond to the BP oil spill in the gulf. This leadership is why we're paying so little at the pump today!
An Ushanka Tip goes out to Rush Limbaugh, who warned in 2009 that this birther issue could be a trap. We followed his lead and only mentioned it once in passing. Rush Limbaugh knows these liberalsprogressives communists like he knows every square inch of his naked glor..... never mind.
Another Ushanka Tip to Donald Trump. He did what no other person could do, and he did it with style. Here he is taking credit in only a way the Donald could do:
With the release of President Obama's long form birth certificate earlier today, naturally the lunatic, racist fringe—also known as a huge chunk of the Republican Party—are hanging their heads in shame for the false claims they've been making.
Refreshing. It is so nice to not hear them complaining for a change. Change? It's Change! Change you can believe in.... after waiting 827 days.
UPDATE 1:20pm
Headline at The Daily Caller. Don't you just love the new media??
UPDATE & BUMP 5:15pm: 827 Days, AND COUNTING!
According to the awesome Ann Barnhardt, this story isn't over yet.
Karl Denninger at MarketTicker.org knows his Adobe Illustrator and has discovered some interesting facts about the PDF file shared by the White House. The image has been altered!
Mother's "occupation" - the "Non" on "None" has been altered. What was there before it was tampered with? --- The "Accepted date" (bottom right) has been altered. What was there before it was tampered with? --- As has the other "Accepted" date. What was there before it was tampered with? --- There's another problem with those dates too - they're clearly altered --- By the way, they were dumb enough to leave the cuts in the clipboard too. --- Now this does not prove that the alterations were actual changes in content. They might not be.
But..... what other reason is there to alter an alleged high-resolution photograph?
Click over to see the screenshots and his other comments.
Just five alterations. Time to contribute to our Obama Cuss Jar....
Hope & Change: "I HOPE nobody finds out I'm a lying commie bastard," and "Let's just CHANGE this thing here, that thing there in my official birth certificate."
UPDATE 5:35pm
Debbie Schlussel has another image expert's opinion, and her $0.02:
I still say, the real solid evidence of fakery is his phony Selective Service Registration document on file with the feds. That’s evidence that the Prez either was in on or knew about a forgery of federal documents in 2008 and lied about it in various television interviews.
I can emphatically tell you that this document is not merely a scan of a document that has been uploaded to the internet. This is a document that has been either put together or taken apart prior to the upload, and even Charles Johnson would have to admit that.
After downloading the document that Whitehouse.gov made available to the public I opened the file in illustrator and the file is indeed in layers, which cannot happen unless the document was edited.
Furthermore, what is layered and the method of the layering is peculiar. --- I was never an ardent “birther” before, but I think I am now. This must be explained (frankly, I don’t think it can be) and I would expect that progressives with an ounce of integrity would want the same.
UPDATED & BUMPED 11:15pm:
And so it starts. Seen on the Yahoo home page - link:
So what's fueling the dogged questioning of Obama's origins? Many critics of the birther movement say its core tenets--and its stubborn resistance to evidence disproving those beliefs--can be traced to racial hostilities. The fundamental birtherist conviction, these critics say, is that an African-American can't have legitimately won the presidency--and that his elevation to power therefore has to be the result of an elaborate subterfuge.
"There is a real deep-seated and vicious racism at work here in terms of trying to de-legitimate the president," Peniel Joseph, a professor of history at Tufts University, told The Ticket.
Actually, professor Joseph, we are just sitting back and watching him 'de-legitimate' himself. It would be fun, but the stakes are too damn high to laugh. Imagine losing tenure. That is sort of how we feel about losing our country.
