Lord Stirling's News Blog EUROPE

Powerful gas explosion rocks Czech capital – 40 injured ~ link ~ Also see ~ link 

EU demands further austerity in Slovenia ~ link ~ The former Yugoslavian republic of Slovenia is being pressured by the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement severe spending cuts on a par with those enforced in Greece and Cyprus. This includes cuts to wages in the public sector, reforms to pensions and social welfare, and cuts to education and healthcare budgets.

Although large protests against austerity measures and corruption led in February to the resignation of the right-wing government of Janez Jansa, a “centre-left” coalition under Alenka Bratusek is continuing the social attacks.

The more illegal immigrants that go on Food Stamps, the More Money that JP Morgan makes ~ link ~ Government for and by the banksters!   Stirling    

Recently uncovered documents prove that the Obama administration has been working with the Mexican government to increase the number of illegal immigrants on food stamps, and when more illegal immigrants go on food stamps JP Morgan makes more money.  As you will read about below, JP Morgan has made at least 560 million dollars processing Electronic Benefits Transfer cards.  Each month, JP Morgan makes between $.31 and $2.30 for every single person on food stamps (and that does not even include things like ATM fees, etc).  So JP Morgan has a vested interest in seeing poverty grow and the number of people on food stamps increase.  Meanwhile, the Obama administration has been aggressively seeking to expand participation in the food stamp program.  Under Obama, the number of people on food stamps has grown from 32 million to more than 47 million.  And even though poverty in America is absolutely exploding, that apparently is not good enough for the Obama administration.  It has now come out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided the Mexican government with literature that actively encourages illegal immigrants to enroll in food stamps.  One flyer contains the following statement in Spanish: “You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children.”  The bold and the underlining are in the original document in case you were wondering.  Overall, federal spending on food stamps increased from 18 billion dollars in 2000 to 85 billion dollars in 2012, and at this point one out of every five U.S. households in now enrolled in the food stamp program.  When people illegally or fraudulently enroll in the food stamp program, it makes it harder for those that desperately need the help to be able to get it.

It is certainly a good thing to help fellow Americans that are suffering.  It is a crying shame that more than a million public school students in America are homeless.  That should not be happening in the “wealthiest nation on earth”.

But today we have a system that has turned poverty into big business.  According to an article posted on Breitbart.com, JP Morgan has made at least 560 million dollars (and probably much more) processing EBT cards…

Greek Government approves bill to unlock loan ~ link ~ Greek MPs have approved a bill that will unlock about 8.8 billion euros ($8.9 billion) of loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
 
The law, which would facilitate dismissal of 15,000 civil servants by the end of 2014, passed easily late on Sunday after 168 lawmakers voted for the bill, and 123 voted against it.

Following the approval, members of the Eurogroup Working Group are scheduled to meet on Monday to approve overdue payment of 2.8 billion euros ($3.65 billion).

Meanwhile, people gathered outside the parliament in Athens to protest against the austerity measures in a demonstration called by trade unions.

Greek Parliament adopts bill to cut 15,000 jobs ~ link ~  Yep, that will improve the Greek economy … NOT!   Stirling    
Political assassination prevented in Rome as unemployed man tries to ‘shoot politicians’ ~ link ~ We will be seeing a lot more of this in the future.   Stirling    

While suicides out of desperation had long been a tragic, if recurring, staple in depressionary Europe, so far popular anger had been directed at within, with few if any murderous outbursts targeted at other people, and certainly not at politicians (or financiers). This obviously has been a critical aspect of the current economic collapse in Europe – one needs but recall that it was a political assassination that sparked World War I in Sarajevo, and indirectly, via the Weimar collapse of Germany, set the stage for World War II, leading to the death of tens of millions around the globe. Today we came close. As the AP reports, during today’s swearing in ceremony of Italy’s new pseudo-technocrat yet anti-austerity government which has the blessings of Berlusconi, an “unemployed Italian gunman shot and seriously wounded two policemen Sunday in a square outside the premier’s office in Rome, but he “wanted to shoot politicians,” Rome prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani said.