China's Recovery Is As Strong As The Mist

Meaning that it is very ephemeral. As Gordon Chang writes, China has indeed experienced recovery, however, China has loosened the money spigot even more than the United States. China's M2 is double their GDP while in America it is around 75% of ours.  In absolute terms America has unleashed a fantastic amount of money, yet in relative terms China's might be more dangerous. Gordon Chang says, from one of his sources, that the good news should last through November, and then there will be no more good news.

Twinkies Is Out of Business

Twinkies might survive, but the company known as Hostess has requested permission ad begin the process of selling off is assets. This is the fruits of rampant unionism my friends. And while the union leader refuses to acknowledge his role in the whole affair, and let us not completely discount his claim of mismanagement, it is hard to not see it when he had fought Hostess at every turn to lower costs; despite already having been in bankruptcy twice!

Now who knows, I could see the courts forcing Hostess to stay open and infuse it with a bunch of bailout money. After all only the government can manage the economy, right?

The Fruits of Rampant Unionism

My uncle used to be a union man, before, in his words, he grew up and joined the military, and once participated in a planned strike. Well that strike ended up causing the company to shutter its doors for good.  My uncle realized that spending his time demanding something from some one else caused him to lose what he already had.  In the long term it turned out be a good thing, he was forced to join the military where he learned to speak German and Czech and had his college tuition paid for. Granted, it was a very small manufacturing company in a rural park of the country, but the fundamental lesson shouldn't be forgotten. When unions get too power, because government often will get in bed with them, it can have dire long term ramifications.

Hostess, the makers of that beloved nonfood food Twinkies, is now the latest victim of this beast; where it is now asking permission to liquidate it's business (if we really had a free market then who would have to ask permission to close?) if workers don't end their strike by Thursday, which is today. The unions are striking because the company offered a new contract that had a cut in wages, unfortunate for the workers I admit, but possibly necessary given the economy and financial situation Hostess is in. The biggest reason why it is in this situation? Because the government wouldn't let the company make concession on on its pension and heal benefits for its union employees.  Now, instead of merely having smaller wages and fewer benefits, they will have no job.

It Isn't Just Right Wingers That Have Talked About Secession

You will get plenty of left groups as well.  In my own area there is a group that I have seen post flyer's every once and a while, CascadiaNow!, a group that wants secession of the 'Cascadian Bioregion' from the United States and Canada.  If you have ever been to a Seattle Sounders game you see their signature flag at the soccer games. I can tell its a leftists group for one reason, they list environmental concerns as a major concern, and reason, for why the region should go its own way.

I have to admit I like the colors, don't much like the tree though.
Still I prefer the stars and stripes thank you very much.

Now this group isn't a large group or have a major following whatsoever, it has something like two thousand followers on facebook, far less than the 80,000 the Texas petition had acquired* yesterday, and even accounting for the fact that Texas is far larger than Washington and Oregon, the combined population is just under 11 million versus the 25.5 million of Texas. The fact is that 2,000 likers on facebook is not even a fraction of a percent.

As for myself, I have no desire to have my region secede and make their own country. I have made my stance on secession pretty clear. If you believe Vox's prognosis of a fracturing nation due to demographics, then it is inevitable. If you think George Friedman is right, and that the US is fundamentally sound, then it isn't. I'm torn between the two. At this point both options seem plausible in the long term, though in the short term secession has no chance.  But assuming that it is inevitable, I do not view it as a positive thing, for reason I have detailed before. Moreover, I would be even more hesitant to live in a region based on the ideals of CascadiaNows vision of a nation. 

Yes they list civil liberties, something I care deeply about, but I have often seen those same individuals, who are deeply concerned about the environment, put civil liberties to the wayside for the sake of their environmental alter. This isn't always the case, as the podcaster modern survival from The Survival Podcast is very much a libertarian, but individuals like that are currently minority of those who really list the environment as a major issue. Is this a harsh assessment? No more harsh than saying that many conservatives aren't as deeply concerned about liberty when they want to put forward their causes, patriot act anyone (And to be completely fair, I should bear some of that mark because I originally supported the patriot act and many of the actions of our government. I have since recanted. You could call me a repentant neo-conservative who has seen the light of libertarianism.)

Either way, let no one tell you that it is just right wing radicals who have talked about seceding from the United States, leftists groups have their own individuals who want to cut their ties from the rest of America. And also expect to see all this furor to die down, things aren't nearly bad enough, with enough people talking about it, and enough regional sentiment, that secession is anything more than headliner. Things could change though.

*At this point the only region or state that could make any sort of case would be Texas. Texans, unlike many other states, actually have a Texan identity. They have their own electrical system, a sound economy, and one of the more robust state militias. I know others could argue for the South or Alaska, but both regions are entirely too dependent on federal resources at this point and time to put forward a serious effort.  But even then, like I have said before, our split is urban versus rule, not regional. And until we have a real regional split, there won't be a real secessionist movement.

Japanese Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament

More bad news for a nation that has gone through 6 prime ministers since 2006. Japan has, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, plagued by a deadlocked, adrift, weak leadership.