President Putin with the elected representatives, turned the economy of Russia around, to give Russia back to the people of Russia. The middle class appeared by 2004 and continues to increase to this day. Over 30% of the Russian population is now middle class while the west sinks into poverty. Unemployment is very low so Russia is being careful on immigration. Very little of what he and the elected Duma and Senate have done is told to the western audience. While the west continues to spend trillions on war Russia built a rapid rail system between Moscow and St. Petersburg. A nine hour trip now takes under three environmentally friendly hours.
Things that aren’t happening in Russia
A friend in Russian and blog writer gives you a look at Russia as it stands today. The Russian middle class grew from 8 million to 55 million from 2000-2006 and makes up the majority today. Watch out for his sense of humor :)
1. Russia Isn’t Dying
This myth has got considerable traction, especially in the Western media. Its origin could have something to do with the decline in Russia’s population from 150 million in 1991 to around 140 million today. But chew on this – in 2012 Russia’s birth rate actually exceeded that of the United States. This is quite surprising when you consider that in 2002 the US had a birth rate 75 percent higher than Russia’s.
Mark Adomanis, an expert on Russian demographics and economics, has compared Russian and American data, and discovered that since 2008 the Russian birth rate has increased by about 10 percent while the United States has slumped by about 9 percent.
To be sure, over the really long term the Russian population will be older and smaller. But here’s the difference: by 2050 Russians will still be in control of Russia, whereas today’s dominant ethnicities in…
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Fun With Max
Mike “Mish” Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management.
I taped a videocast with Max Keiser on Wednesday following the FOMC meeting. We discussed the usual things: The Fed, the stock market, GDP forecasts and Chicago pizza.
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We Shot an Israeli Jet Down, Sent Others Fleeing | Syrian Army
Israel has carried out air raids against Syrian-based targets on many occasions, but it rarely acknowledges the attacks. On Friday, however, the Israeli military acknowledged that its jets bombed several targets in Syria.
The covert WW3 that’s being fought in the Middle East has just gotten nastier. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military underwent a preempted propaganda denial by saying that the Syrian armed forces shot missiles at their jetfighters, but failed to hit any of them.
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Goose-stepping Our Way Toward Pink Revolution
I’m going to repeat and italicize that to hopefully avoid any misunderstanding. The system the deep state primarily serves is not the United States of America, i.e., the country most Americans believe they live in; the system it serves is globalized Capitalism. The United States, the nation state itself, while obviously a crucial element of the system, is not the deep state’s primary concern. If it were, Americans would all have healthcare, affordable education, and a right to basic housing, like more or less every other developed nation.
By CJ Hopkins
Source: CounterPunch
So the global capitalist ruling classes’ neutralization of the Trumpian uprising seems to be off to a pretty good start. It’s barely been a month since his inauguration, and the corporate media, liberal celebrities, and their millions of faithful fans and followers are already shrieking for his summary impeachment, or his removal by … well, whatever means necessary, including some sort of “deep state” coup. Words like “treason” are being bandied about, treason being grounds for impeachment (not to mention being punishable by death), which appears to be where we’re headed at this point.
In any event, the nation is now officially in a state of “crisis.” The editors of The New York Times are demanding congressional investigations to root out the Russian infiltrators who have assumed control of the executive branch. According to prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, “a foreign dictator intervened on behalf…
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When Purim Invades the Headlines
Today those equal opportunity haters are sensing a new liberation as they are stepping out of the shadows and coming out from under their rocks to assert their prejudices upon our society
The Jewish world will soon be observing the holiday of Purim. I said “observing” when truth be known, we Jews don’t just “observe” Purim; we CELEBRATE it! We dress in costume. We hold the most raucous, noisiest worship service of the year. We sing and we shout and we stomp our feet. We eat and we drink (and I am not just talking about iced tea or punch but the hard stuff, for on Purim the Talmud commands us to drink so much that we can no longer tell the difference between “cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai.”[1]). And then, of course there is the Purim Seudah (feast – in our case, a pizza dinner) and the ever popular Carnival. We eat hamantaschen, send shlach manot (food gifts to our loved ones) and matanot le’evyonim (gifts to the poor). It is Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve…
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Tips for Filing Tax Returns in Canada
Just when you thought you were off the hook it is time to send in your Tax Returns to the Federal Government. Yes you have paid taxes on everything from a light bulb to a USB drive all year so why more?
Someone has to pay for the 1.7 million Canadian bureaucrats, their health care, their days off and their pensions. Can you remember the last time you called the Canadian government and talked to someone in Canada’s two official languages French and English? You will have a better chance by calling from 7 a.m. ET to 3 p.m Pacific Time. I am not suggesting you call ET although you would have more fun trying. ET is Eastern Time plus 30 minutes in Newfoundland.
Electronic Filing via Internet
It is the fastest method to get it over with quickly. Faster when you have an online account with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Someone told me a few days ago there are more than 3 billion people using the Internet. Yet 20% of the highly Canadian techno savvy population know how to set up an account with CRA. Your account gives you a way to get all of your T slips or reassess an Income Tax Return. Plus look over information regarding CPP, OAS and other benefits. Factually speaking they are not benefits since the money comes from your contributions to various plans such as an RRSP. Hyperlinks above will take you to the CRA website where you can set up your account.
Deadline to Remember
Canada Revenue Agency set April 30, 2017 as deadline for filing your 2016 tax return. Your employer has until the end of February to hand over T slips. If you worked more than one job then call the employer(s) for the T-4 slip(s). There are several billion dollars of unclaimed amounts being held by CRA due to people not filing an Income Tax Return. Last year I completed a return for a 30-year-old who had not filed in 6 years. He was delightfully silly when the money owed to him arrived. If you had deductions and most do have them file your Return. It is your money.
Ways to File and Income Tax Return
Electronic filing with CRA approved software is the best method ever. Here is a list of the software approved to date. Some are free for low-income earners below $30,000.00 for a single person and $45,000.00 for a couple. My non-sponsored recommendation for those who have a simple return is UFile 2016. It should be called Income Tax for Dummies because it is so easy to use. (Place name here … Address here…)
Many other software programs are listed and some require more computer skill. Often times you can also get a discount via the CRA website from the software developer.
Paper Filing
Paper tax returns can be found around the Post Office or Federal government locations such as Service Canada and CRA of course. You require pencils, pencil sharper, paper and lots of patience. The paper manual included with the kit will give your brain a good workout. Last time I had to use paper returns was for a lovely lady who failed to do any tax returns during the previous ten years.
Community Volunteer Income Tax Program
It was initially started in Quebec and Ontario to find out if there was a need for a volunteer program. They were swamped and CVTIP became a national way for Canadians on low incomes to have their taxes prepared and filed with CRA. The low-income markers are slightly different from one volunteer group to another. The CRA guideline is $35,000.00 per individual and $45,000.00 per couple. CVITP does not include those with T-5 financial resources over the amounts stated nor self-employed persons.
The volunteers across Canada assisted people on low incomes by preparing and filed close to 750,000 Income Tax Returns in 2016. We expect a sharp increase this year. Look over this link to find a volunteer group in your town or city. Bring your T slips and make an appointment where it is applicable. Every person involved goes through a clearance process with CRA and police clearance. A copy of the return is printed for you and none of the volunteers or local groups keep your returns on file. If you require a special need or assistance with language ask before you arrive.
A Few Additional Notes
Anyone collecting a pension, a disability allowance or additional funding need to file an income tax return. If you do not file a return your pension or any funding will be cut off in July. This includes GST rebates from July 2017 onward until the return if filed.
Seniors will only receive the CPP amount when the return is not filed by the April deadline. Let us pretend you are receiving $1600.00 a month pension plus the other allowances. Those allowances are the part of the pension you will not receive after July. Your July pension will be reduced to $400.00 +/- a month. I do volunteer after doing taxes for a few decades and it is heart breaking to see an 80-year-old in tears. For those reading this please do whatever is possible to ensure the elders in your family get their returns done on time. Provincial benefits as low as they are will also stop.
The current Federal government has introduced some of what they call poverty reduction into tax system. As I see it through the tax returns it is more than likely going to toss a few 100 thousand people out of their homes. This poverty reduction tax plan has a gaping hole in it someone forgot to research.
Most housing subsidy programs in Canada ask for the amount on Line 150 or Line 236 of your income tax form when applying. Line 150 is your total income and includes any current subsidies and Line 236 is the adjusted amount. These two lines are usually the same amount of dollars. The Federal government is going to increase the amounts on Line 150 and thus Line 236. It will put low-income earners in a higher artificial income bracket and disallow them Local or Provincial Housing assistance.
They claim there will be a decrease in poverty. It will be followed up by a massive increase in homelessness. It is more akin to a double negative balance found in most oligarchies.
Fraudulent Emails and Phone Calls
Best to put a hyperlink to the last scams being used in Canada. A few minutes of your time will make you aware of scams via phone, text messages, email, online and telemarketing.
Which Washington Crimes Matter Most? by David Swanson + Flynn’s Head Rolls. Is Trump’s Next? by Finian Cunningham
I am outside looking in and see big media calling 62 million American citizens the “deplorables”. The 62 million who voted for President Trump are being targeted. Every time the media moguls and other crooks blame someone for the election results it’s a slap in the face to those who voted. It’s sneaky and the behavior borders on criminal.
Putin’s 2007 Munich Speech Radiated Leadership Idealism & Wisdom
It is world in which there is one master, one sovereign. And at the end of the day this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within.
And this certainly has nothing in common with democracy. Because, as you know, democracy is the power of the majority in light of the interests and opinions of the minority.
Incidentally, Russia – we – are constantly being taught about democracy. But for some reason those who teach us do not want to learn themselves.
On a rare occasion, when security leaders from both sides of the Atlantic gathered to hear each other’s policy position on security, and Vladimir Putin stunned his audience when he basically said that a unipolar world will eventually destroy itself and lead to chaos, directly in front of John McCain, Angela Merkel, and the Israeli delegation, among others.
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The unwavering intolerance of the Regressive Left
Now I see clearly the narrow minded thinking of too many within the gay world. The initialized version LGBTQ is even less accepting of any view that does not tow the line. The line however is blurred to a degree where reverse discrimination is currently acceptable.
Besides from the criticism of libertarian thinker Milo Yiannopoulus, the following piece is a thought- provoking read.
As while we know that individuals making their homosexuality public have historically faced fierce opposition, are there now similar responses towards regressives who shift their viewpoints to conservatism?
This question is difficult to answer for certain, however, the comparison made by a millennial, gay New Yorker is an interesting one.
“I’m a gay New Yorker- and I’m coming out as a conservative”, New York Post, February 11, 2017:
When Out magazine assigned me an interview with the Breitbart.com rabble-rouser Milo Yiannopoulos, I knew it would be controversial. In the gay and liberal communities in particular, he is a provocative and loathed figure, and I knew featuring him in such a liberal publication would get negative attention. He has been repeatedly kicked off Twitter for, among other things, reportedly inciting racist, sexist bullying of “Ghostbusters” actress Leslie Jones…
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