For some, a vibrant US economy complicates voting decision

EXTON, Pennsylvania (AP) — For many voters in America’s affluent suburbs, a flourishing economy is forcing a thorny dilemma for the midterm elections. Do they vote Democratic, in part to protest President Donald Trump for behavior some see as divisive and unpresidential? Or do they back Republicans in hopes that the economy will continue thriving under the majority party? A healthy economy has at least complicated their decision and blurred the outcome of the midterm elections . On Friday, the government reported that employers added a robust 250,000 jobs in October. And the unemployment rate stayed at a five-decade low of 3.7 percent.
— Read on apnews.com/b84b5f26ec5e4d5481c5882922c591d8

Voters will vote with their pocketbooks

Eurozone will Collapse – There is No Other Choice Economically | Armstrong Economics

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I can see what you have been arguing about the faulty design of the euro. After the EU rejected Italy’s budget, is there any hope left for Italy? RS, Rome ANSWER: For those who do not follow Europe closely, the European Union took the unprecedented step Tuesday (23rd of Oct) of rejecting Italy’s draft budget as incompatible with the bloc’s rules on fiscal discipline. This has simply validated the position many take in Italy that they are an occupied country. The Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis publicly stated that the Italian government was “openly and consciously going against commitments made” to drive down the country’s debt and deficit levels. The decision is escalating a battle between Europe’s establishment and Italians and the sooner you exit the Euro, the better Italy will survive. From the outset, in designing the Euro they deliberately lied about just about everything. They told everyone that they would be paying the same interest rates because of the single currency. I explained that was absolutely false. They appear to have deliberately used the example of the dollar to pitch the euro but never mentioned that the single interest rate was the Federal level they were referencing. All 50 states issued their debt in the single currency of the dollar but they all paid rates according to their own credit rating. I warned them that they MUST consolidate all the debts making that a national debt that they would have a single interest rate and that would compete with the dollar. Thereafter, each state would then issue its own debt as deeded and the free markets would price that accordingly. Under the system that I instructed them to adopt, this budget crisis would not exist. Because they FAILED to consolidate the debts from the outset, then the EU interferes with everyone’s budgets and dictates terms to them which in reality does make each state and occupied country. This system cannot possibly survive. The Euro will collapse. There is no possible way for it to survive under this scheme. Italy should simply announce it is exiting the Eurozone. Those in Britain who want to remain and complete idiots. I cannot express it any more politely. Nobody will talk reality here!
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/europes-current-economy/eurozone-will-collapse-there-is-no-other-choice-economically/

Will Impeachment Make the Market Decline? | Armstrong Economics

Trump has said that if he left office, the stock market would decline. Those who are against Trump have actually made comments like: “It’s a ridiculous remark — the kind of thing a Latin American dictator or a Middle Eastern strongman would say to keep supporters in line.” This was carried by CNBC and all this is, is opinion and they then market that as fact. We cannot address such issues from a personal opinion perspective. Why have I said it would create volatility and disrupt the world economy? Simply said, history repeats. It is pointless to offer my opinion and then say it is better than anyone else. The famous saying in politics is that Everyone has an opinion the same as an asshole. That is probably the bluntest statement on the subject I have ever heard. The only thing we can do is look at what happened when Nixon was subjected to impeachment. Taking down Nixon had a profound impact and created the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Paul Volcker commented economically on what happened with the Nixon impeachment – “t was not until the events of 1974 and 1975, when a recession sprung on an unsuspecting world with an intensity unmatched in the post-World War II period, that the lessons of the ‘New Economics’ were seriously challenged.” (see Rediscovery of the Business Cycle) So will the impeachment of Donald Trump really screw up the world economy? Absolutely!!!!! Pence as President would reverse just about every policy. World trade would go into turmoil. Taxes would start to rise again. The reason the market would DECLINE is rather simple – CONFIDENCE would decline!!!!!!!! Anyone who pretends you can remove any president by impeachment without disruption to the economy is plain and simple not someone who understands history, markets, or the economy. The Clinton impeachment was more of a slap on the wrist. Nobody expected him to actually be removed from office. The Clinton Impeachment was held off as to not impact the elections so they waited until December, which is not the case right now. They are pushing impeachment to undermine the Republicans so the Democrats can take charge and then remove Trump. Nobody expected Clinton to be removed from office so it was more of a sideshow. The attempt to go after Trump is entirely different. This is the Deep State trying to take back control. As stated, Cohen’s lawyer expressly avoids saying that his client said anything. The plea was written by the prosecutor and Cohen agreed because it is unlikely to actually be a crime and is a novel application of the law. Even the Nixon impeachment was about the Rule of Law and a coverup. Clinton committed perjury which was a crime he actually did before a Grand Jury for which prison would be imposed. Even Martha Stewart was sent to prison for lying to a government agent not even under oath. Clinton committed perjury before the Grand Jury. That he too could have gone to prison for 5 years. Even though the Republicans hated Clinton, there was restraint and nobody wanted to actually remove a president from office. What we are dealing with here is the CONFIDENCE in government as a whole, which our models confirmed peaked in 2015.75. The only thing Trump can do is ride it out and go to the Supreme Court. So buckle up is this is what they try to put together now.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/politics/will-impeachment-make-the-market-decline/

Ron Paul on How Austrian Economics Inspired his Political Career | Mises Institute

Today is Ron Paul’s 83rd Birthday! Dr. Paul is not only a Distinguished Counselor for the Mises Institute, but a founding member and perhaps the most influential advocate for Austrian economics the world has ever seen.  In 1984, Dr. Paul wrote about the role Austrian economics and Ludwig von Mises played in his deciding to pursue politics, and how it equipped him with the
— Read on mises.org/power-market/ron-paul-how-austrian-economics-inspired-his-political-career

Turkey & The Only Solution is to Overthrow Erdogan | Armstrong Economics

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policy is a disaster. This is reflected by his plea for Turkish citizens to search under their mattress for foreign banknotes and gold to convert into domestic currency. It has been his economic policies and dictatorship that is driving Turkey into an economic collapse. Of course, the only way to support the lira at this stage requires a change in government. That is unlikely on any voluntary basis. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump responded to the collapse in the Turkish lira by announcing a doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum. His logic is that the collapse in the lira would allow them to sell steel and aluminum at cheaper prices. But the logic fails as Turkey in moving into hyperinflation and the economy is just collapsing. Turkey began its meltdown on target in May. The next turning point was August. The Quarterly level shows a Directional Change in the 2nd Quarter of 2018 and that is when the meltdown began. We will update on the Private blog this weekend on the impact of other markets as the Euro has also collapsed breaking the 115 level. At this stage, there is no hope of restoring confidence in Turkey as long as Erdogan remains in power.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/turkey/turkey-the-only-solution-is-to-overthrow-erdogan/