In Case You Haven't Figured This Out Yet, Some Jewel-like Descriptions Should Do The Trick

In case you haven't figured out what's going on behind the veil of "Vote for Me and I'll Give You Goodies," we found a good description - we would say jewel-like - that should do the trick. After all, it takes really good writing to cut through the distorted din that barrages us daily. 

The din has lately come up with the incessant trumpet flourishes of the S&P climbing to new highs. Add to this the 21-gun salutes to our low unemployment and ever-increasing economic growth. 

If you believe all this, and especially if it influences your decisions on where to invest your hard-earned money, good luck. But let's add some antidotes to this slow poison that's eating away at our wallets. 

For example, we have many times referenced the the unholy coalition of Wall Street and the Financial Media as they continue to sell us all on buying whatever they concoct that fills their pockets and empties ours. One of the latest and greatest has been the aggressive marketing of funds that give the little guy access to that crown jewel of investment baubles: private equity. Once the bailiwick of institutional investors and the very rich, these are now available, apparently, all the way down the economic totem pole such that some 401ks have included these in their offerings.

Without getting bogged down in what would be a depressing analysis of just why this is such a bad idea for the average Joe, we simply note this: For the most part, when you see offerings of things that were once reserved for the exclusive club of institutional and rich investors, you should be on your guard. This is the typical way those in the know unload their holdings in these items onto the lowly chumps who buy into the line that they've now been given "access" to something held away from them for so long. The unloading occurs when the smart investors realize their jewels are tarnished and will soon begin disintegrating. 

That's only one item on the list of specially designed card decks for suckers who come to the game late. 

Knowing this, do you still wanna play?

None of this is offered as part of the "jewel-like" description category. That's reserved for some select phrases from a recent article. It's focus was political, not economic or financial. But in the end, it's the political class that ultimately enables the dysfunctional-manipulative-sometimes out right evil machinations that ooze from the pores of the Wall Street pooh-bahs and their media minions.

Anyone ever hear of regulations? Anyone ever seen these applied to the sort of shenanigans described above? By applied, we don't mean only the fines that fill the government's coffers. We mean the offenses committed by individuals who enriched themselves, caused financial (and likely emotional) trauma to others (frequently little guys). Such individuals not only avoid the jail time some of these offenses call for, but they aren't even required to make restitution for the damage they created. In other words, they get away with it.

So while the author of this article was strictly focused on government and those who wield the hammer of power that politicians can and mostly happily do wield, you can draw a dotted line to the economic and financial worlds too.

Forthwith the jewel-like descriptions.

Without further ado, here's the shortest but devastatingly accurate description of far to many politicians, from the local to the federal.

They represent the most insidious threat of all—ideological chameleons who stand for nothing except their own advancement up the greasy pole of political ambition.*

Note here that this refers specifically to those pols who claim they are moderate, who claim the hold the middle ground between extremes of left and right. 

It's not that politicians haven't always shared - in varying degrees - a common seedy bond. But particularly those who hold higher positions, especially at the federal level, wield power and reap financial benefits that frankly dwarf their predecessors times ten. The money that flows in, around, and through our federal government is staggering.

And if we switch our attention to Wall Street and their media minions, the flow of funds has also reached staggering levels, what with the constant inflation pumped by the Fed that ultimately boosts the value of financial assets, the vase majority of which are controlled and/or owned by Wall Street honchos.

While many folks pretty much have figured all this out, there's very little push-back that makes much difference. We're all too busy working hard to earn a living while carving out time for our families. And the Wall Street honchos, their media minions, and those politicians know this. 

And so, despite that clear and accurate  description, their playing field remains sacrosanct, and the game they play simply goes on and on.

*Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/age-lies-truth-extreme