Seemingly insane stories of young children being suspended from school for making a gun with their hand or dropping a "pinecone grenade" seem to be popping up in the news more and more. Why are we suspending six-year-olds for playing cops and robbers at recess but letting them play violent video games at home? Glenn explained the backwards thought we are ingraining into our children this morning on radio.
In Alexandria, VA, a young boy was suspended for bring a toy gun with an orange tip to school. Glenn points out that at this day in age, when school shootings are far to frequent, it's understandable that a teacher would call the police.
Glenn held up up an example of the type of fake gun you can find now. These guns don't always look like toys. In fact, the one Glenn held up looked like a the real thing.
"Unless you touch it, you have no idea it's not the real thing," Glenn explained. "What am I supposed to do? As a teacher, you call the police, right? But if you can see that it is a fake gun — stop it."
Glenn explained that we need to start using common sense when we are teaching kids right from wrong and to have a healthy respect for firearms. There is no reason to suspend someone over something that is obviously fake or if they make a gun out of their finger or a piece of paper.
This time of reaction is giving children an irrational fear of guns — one Glenn believes to be intentional. He explained that he knows people, that if they are in the room with an unloaded gun, will be terrified.
"If I tell them that it's real, and unloaded, they will not pick up the gun," he said.
Now look at that fear through the eyes of a young child.
Many families across the country will watch violent movies with their kids. They'll watch TV shows where people are using guns, shooting each other, etc.
"Many people in this country will have no problem showing them this, because they'll say, 'my kids know the difference'," Glenn explained.
But when a tragedy. like the horrific Sandy Hook massacre, occurs, they will not talk to their kids about it or let them watch the news stories about it on TV. They shield and protect them.
"We'll show them the fake violence in movies and on TV, but we'll protect them from the real violence," Glenn said. "Which one, in the big scheme of things — if you had to pick one — which one is more important to show your kids?"
"The real life scenario obviously," Pat responded.
But that's not what they see. Glenn explained that kids are shown the horrible consequences of real violence, only the entertaining versions. Kids go to toy stores with their parents and buy fake guns, but then, when they're in front of their teachers or other authority figures, they get into trouble.
"So now, this and every other kid at the school have been taught that what mom and dad bought for them at the Toys "R" Us — that you can brandish a toy and you can go to jail," Glenn explained.
"So now, when Dad says, 'let's go to the shooting range', do you thing this kid is going to have a healthy respect for guns? Or an irrational fear of guns?" Glenn asked.
He went on to explain that it is important for kids to have a healthy respect for guns. It's important that they know how bad guns are when in the hands of a mad man and how powerful that they are. But kids aren't shown the bad side of guns — only the entertaining "fun" side.
"It's all acting. It's just a game. You get points. It's a good movie. It's entertainment," Glenn said. "And then we have our police and our school systems teaching them that guns are bad. But they're teaching them much more than that."
Our society worships teachers. So while they're not telling the kids that "Mom and Dad are stupid," it's what the kids are learning. They're learning that 'Mom and Dad' don't understand.
"Our kids aren't trusted with the choice of apples or french fries. Our kids aren't trusted with a 16oz. soda. But our kids are trusted with the 'morning-after' pill and birth control," Glenn pointed out. "And that doesn't need a consultant. You are creating and killing life — you can make that decision at 13. But you need a license for a gun, and a psychological test."
To own a gun, they want you to have a license, have psychological evaluation, they want to know who's living in your house. But if you want an abortion, no problem, here's your pill. Kids are being taught that the values their parents are teaching them at home are irrelevant, because "teach knows best."
"I mean, if there's not a case to pull your kids out of school I don't know what it is."
Every president from George Washington to Donald Trump has issued at least one executive order (with the exception of William Harrison who died just 31 days into his presidency) and yet the U.S. Constitution doesn't even mention executive orders. So how did the use of this legislative loophole become such an accepted part of the job? Well, we can thank Franklin Roosevelt for that.
Back at the chalkboard, Glenn Beck broke down the progression of the executive order over the years and discussed which US Presidents have been the “worst offenders."
“It's hard to judge our worst presidential overreachers on sheer numbers alone," said Glenn. “However, it's not a shock that FDR issued by far the most of any president."
Our first 15 presidents issued a combined total of 143. By comparison, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued 3721, more than twice the next runner up, Woodrow Wilson, at 1803.
“Next to FDR, no other president in our history attempted to reshape so much of American life by decree, until we get to this guy: President Obama," Glenn explained. “He didn't issue 3000, or even 1800; he did 276 executive orders, but it was the power of those orders. He instituted 560 major regulations classified by the Congressional Budget Office as having 'significant economic or social impacts.' That's 50 percent more regulations than George W. Bush's presidency — and remember, everybody thought he was a fascist."
President Obama blamed an obstructionist Congress for forcing him to bypass the legislative process. By executive order, President Obama decreed the U.S. join the Paris Climate Accord, DACA, the Clean Power Plan and transgender restrooms. He also authorized spying in US citizens through section 702 of FISA, used the IRS to target political opponents and ordered military action in Libya without Congressional permission.
All of these changes were accepted by the very people who now condemn President Trump for his use of executive orders — many of which were issued to annul President Obama's executive orders, just as President Obama annulled President Bush's executive orders when he took office … and therein lies the rub with executive orders.
“That's not the way it's supposed to work, nor would we ever want it to be," said Glenn. “We have to have the Constitution and laws need to originate in Congress."
Since then, those benefits have continued to improve. Substantially.
Back in November, by holding extremely conservative short-term (i.e., 6-months or less) Treasury bills, TreasuryDirect participants were receiving over 16x more in interest payments vs keeping their cash in a standard bank savings account.
Today, they're now receiving over 30 times more. Without having to worry about the risk of a bank "bail-in" or failure.
So if you're holding cash right now and NOT participating in the TreasuryDirect program, do yourself a favor and read on. If you're going to pass on this opportunity, at least make it an 'eyes-wide-open' decision.
Holding Cash (In Treasurys) Now Beats The Market
There are many prudent reasons to hold cash in today's dangerously overvalued financial markets, as we've frequently touted here at PeakProsperity.com.
Well, there's now one more good reason to add to the list: holding cash in short-term Treasurys is now meeting/beating the dividend returns offered by the stock market:
'Reaching for yield' just got a lot easier... For the first time since February 2008, three-month Treasury bills now have a yield advantage over the S&P; 500 dividend yield (and dramatically lower risk).
Investors can earn a guaranteed 1.90% by holding the 3-month bills or a risky 1.89% holding the S&P; 500...
The longest period of financial repression in history is coming to an end...
And it would appear TINA is dead as there is now an alternative.
And when you look at the total return (dividends + appreciation) of the market since the start of 2018, stocks have returned only marginally better than 3-month Treasurys. Plus, those scant few extra S&P; points have come with a LOT more risk.
Why take it under such dangerously overvalued conditions?
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em
In my June report Less Than Zero: How The Fed Killed Saving, I explained how the Federal Reserve's policy of holding interest rates at record lows has decimated savers. Those who simply want to park money somewhere "safe" can't do so without losing money in real terms.
To drive this point home: back in November, the average interest rate being offered in a US bank savings account was an insutling 0.06%. Six months later, nothing has changed:
That's virtually the same as getting paid 0%. But it's actually worse than that, because once you take inflation into account, the real return on your savings is markedly negative.
And to really get your blood boiling, note that the Federal Reserve has rasied the federal funds rate it pays banks from 1.16% in November to 1.69% in April. Banks are now making nearly 50% more money on the excess reserves they park at the Fed -- but are they passing any of that free profit along to their depositors? No....
This is why knowing about the TreasuryDirect program is so important. It's a way for individual investors savvy enough to understand the game being played to bend some of its rules to their favor and limit the damage they suffer.
Below is an updated version (using today's rates) of my recap of TreasuryDirect, which enables you to get over 30x more interest on your cash savings than your bank will pay you, with lower risk.
TreasuryDirect
For those not already familiar with it, TreasuryDirect is a service offered by the United States Department of the Treasury that allows individual investors to purchase Treasury securities such as T-Bills, notes and bonds directly from the U.S. government.
You purchase these Treasury securities by linking a TreasuryDirect account to your personal bank account. Once linked, you use your cash savings to purchase T-bills, etc from the US Treasury. When the Treasury securities you've purchased mature or are sold, the proceeds are deposited back into your bank account.
So why buy Treasuries rather than keep your cash savings in a bank? Two main reasons:
Much higher return: T-Bills are currently offering an annualized return rate between 1.66-2.04%. Notes and bonds, depending on their duration, are currently offering between 2.6% - 3.1%
Extremely low risk: Your bank can change the interest rate on your savings account at any time -- with Treasury bills, your rate of return is locked in at purchase. Funds in a bank are subject to risks such as a bank bail-in or the insolvency of the FDIC depositor protection program -- while at TreasuryDirect, your funds are being held with the US Treasury, the institution with the lowest default risk in the country for reasons I'll explain more in a moment.
Let's look at a quick example. If you parked $100,000 in the average bank savings account for a full year, you would earn $60 in interest. Let's compare this to the current lowest-yielding TreasuryDirect option: continuously rolling that same $100,000 into 4-week T-Bills for a year:
Day 1: Funds are transferred from your bank account to TreasuryDirect to purchase $100,000 face value of 4-week T-Bills at auction yielding 1.68%
Day 28: the T-Bills mature and the Treasury holds the full $100,000 proceeds in your TreasuryDirect account. Since you've set up the auto-reinvestment option, TreasuryDirect then purchases another $100,000 face value of 4-week T-Bills at the next auction.
Days 29-364: the process repeats every 4 weeks
Day 365: assuming the average yield for T-Bills remained at 1.68%, you will have received $1,680 in interest in total throughout the year from the US Treasury.
$1,680 vs $60. That's a 27x difference in return.
And the comparison only improves if you decide to purchase longer duration (13-week or 26-week) bills instead of the 4-week ones:
Repeating the above example for a year using 13-week bills would yield $1,925. Using 26-week bills would yield $2,085. A lot better (34x better!) than $60.
Opportunity Cost & Default Risk
So what are the downsides to using TreasuryDirect? There aren't many.
The biggest one is opportunity cost. While your money is being held in a T-Bill, it's tied up at the US Treasury. If you suddenly need access to those funds, you have to wait until the bill matures.
But T-Bill durations are short. 4 weeks is not a lot of time to have to wait. (If you think the probability is high you may to need to pull money out of savings sooner than that, you shouldn't be considering the TreasuryDirect program.)
Other than that, TreasuryDirect offers an appealing reduction in risk.
If your bank suddenly closes due to a failure, any funds invested in TreasuryDirect are not in your bank account, so are not subject to being confiscated in a bail-in.
Instead, your money is held as a T-Bill, note or bond, which is essentially an obligation of the US Treasury to pay you in full for the face amount. The US Treasury is the single last entity in the country (and quite possibly, the world) that will ever default on its obligations. Why? Because Treasurys are the mechanism by which money is created in the US. Chapter 8 from The Crash Course explains:
As a result, to preserve its ability to print the money it needs to function, the US government will bring its full force and backing to bear in order to ensure confidence in the market for Treasurys.
Meaning: the US government won't squelch on paying you back the money you lent it. If required, it will just print the money it needs to repay you.
So, How To Get Started?
Usage of TreasuryDirect is quite low among investors today. Many are unaware of the program. Others simply haven't tried it out.
And let's be real: it's crazy that we live in a world where a 1.68-2.09% return now qualifies as an exceptionally high yield on savings. A lot of folks just can't get motivated to take action by rates that low. But that doesn't mean that they shouldn't -- money left on the table is money forfeited.
So, if you're interested in learning more about the TreasuryDirect program, start by visiting their website. Like everything operated by the government, it's pretty 'no frills'; but their FAQ page addresses investors' most common questions.
Before you decide whether or not to fund an account there, be sure to discuss the decision with your professional financial advisor to make sure it fits well with your personal financial situation and goals. (If you're having difficulty finding a good one, consider scheduling a free discussion with PeakProsperity.com's endorsed financial advisor -- who has considerable experience managing TreasuryDirect purchases for many of its clients).
In Part 2: A Primer On How To Use TreasuryDirect, we lay out the step-by-step process for opening, funding and transacting within a TreasuryDirect account. We've created it to be a helpful resource for those self-directed individuals potentially interested in increasing their return on their cash savings in this manner.
Yes, we savers are getting completely abused by our government's policies. So there's some poetic justice in using the government's own financing instruments to slightly lessen the sting of the whip.
NOTE: PeakProsperity.com does not have any business relationship with the TreasuryDirect program. Nor is anything in the article above to be taken as an offer of personal financial advice. As mentioned, discuss any decision to participate in TreasuryDirect with your professional financial advisor before taking action.
A town in Sweden is under fire after denying requests to ring church bells in the 1990s and the 2000s but recently approving a mosque's request to conduct a weekly Islamic call to prayer.
Authorities in the town of Vaxjo in southern Sweden have given the local mosque a one-year permit to recite the call to prayer every Friday for about four minutes. But Fr. Ingvar Fogelqvist of St. Michael's, the local Catholic church located about a mile from the mosque, says similar requests to ring church bells were denied.
On today's show, Pat and Jeffy talked about this story and favorable bias toward the Muslim faith. The issue isn't that the Islamic call to prayer is allowed; it's that all religions are not being treated equally.
Somebody might want to check the temperature in hell, it might be just a tad chillier than normal.
If you missed Friday's episode of
The Glenn Beck Program, you missed something you probably never thought you'd see in this timeline or any other. Glenn actually donned President Trump's trademark red "Make America Great Again" hat and laid out the case for why he thinks Trump will win in a landslide in 2020.
Bottom line: Nancy Pelosi and the mainstream media may have pushed Glenn to this point, but believe it or not, Trump's record will make this next election a walk in the park for number 45. At this point, the sitting president has done enough to earn even Glenn's vote.
Glenn broke down what he thought were the 10 biggest campaign promises that — unlike those made by most politicians — Trump actually kept.
10. Impose a 10% repatriation tax to bring jobs back to America
Not all of Trump's promises were good ones, but regardless of what the consequences may be — he did keep this one.
"Now, I think this one is dangerous," Glenn said on radio Friday. "He did it. Ten percent. Bring all of your money back into the United States. It will create jobs. Yes. It will also create inflation. But it's creating jobs."
9. Withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
This has been one of Trump's most passionate issues.
"The stop the TPP. Uh-huh. Right. Sure you are. Uh-huh. Yes. He did," Glenn admitted.
8. Withdraw from the disastrous Paris Climate Accord
Glenn found himself eating crow on this.
"I'm on record saying he will never do that because his daughter is a huge global warming person and he only listens to the family. Eh. Wrong," Glenn said with a puff of crow feathers coming from his mouth.
7. Bring North Korea to the table and rein them in
This looked impossible. Not so.
"'I'm going to bring North Korea to the table.' Are you? Everybody has tried to do that," Glenn said. "Now, they're at the table. We don't know what's going to happen. So the result of that is unknown. But has anybody else done that?"
6. Stop over-regulation and jump-start the economy
It's the economy, stupid.
"Does anybody feel like America is beginning to get on track somewhat economically? You know why? Because he fulfilled another promise," Glenn said. "Stop over-regulating the American people. Give them their money. Give the companies the opportunity to expand and bring their money back into the country, and maybe they'll build buildings. Maybe they'll build offices. Maybe they'll build new products. Maybe they'll build new factories. Maybe they'll hire a bunch of people."
Glenn went on.
"Now, I know Seattle is trying to do everything they can to make sure everybody in their city is homeless and unemployed, but the rest of the country is enjoying the feeling of, wow, maybe things are going to be okay."
5. Reverse Obama's executive orders
If you're like Glenn, you've gotten used to politicians promising "no new taxes," but you can really tell they're lying if their lips are moving. Guess what? That's apparently not Trump.
"The executive orders? Yeah. He's reversed a lot of Obama's executive orders," Glenn said. "These are outrageous promises."
4. Pull out of the Iran nuclear deal
No big deal...
"'I'm going to cancel the Iran Deal.' Yep. None of these are small. You know, I've got maybe ten minutes. I think we can get that done in the first term. And they did," Glenn said.
3. Give tax cuts to middle-class Americans
Maybe this could have been better, but we'll take it.
"I don't like the tax cut. I think he could go a lot further," Glenn said. "But that's not even his job. His job is to sign things that Congress puts in front of him. Not to design it. You Republicans in Congress, you disgust me. You disgust me. 'Imagine what we could do if we had the House and the Senate and the White House.' I can imagine what you'll do — nothing. You'll do nothing."
2. Change strategy and defeat ISIS
The mainstream media have been radio silent on this.
"How about the president's — well, I know I can defeat ISIS. I know I can do it. I'll defeat ISIS. He did," Glenn said. "And did you notice no one in the press even talked about it? All of a sudden, we're not talking about ISIS anymore. How come? Oh, I know. President Trump. That's why."
1. Recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US embassy
This one is a true game-changer.
"Now, every president will say to you, when he's running, 'I'm going to make Jerusalem the home.' Well, really? The home of the embassy. Really, are you? Because everybody says that, nobody does it. He did it," Glenn said. "And I think that's going to go down as the biggest game-changer possibly in my lifetime. This is going — it already is — it is changing the game in Iran."
Glenn continued.
"And when it does, this president is going to come out and say something directly to those people, that we support them," he said. "And that's going to add fuel to the fire. And you might see a regime change and a collapse of the Islamic regime in Iran. And it will be 100 percent Donald Trump that made that responsible. One hundred percent. You're going to see changes because of this. He kept that promise. A promise I said, he's not going to do that. Nobody is going to do that. He did."
