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Vaccines for Benefits in Brazil – a Future Trend? – Swamponomics

Vaccines for benefits, China stimulates the economy with the printing press, and Russia slashes oil output.

The West’s future might rest in Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a progressive and globalist, recently adopted a new social welfare program that mandates vaccines for government benefits. Across the globe, many Western countries have assessed these types of public policy proposals, including Australia, but Rio De Janeiro is the first major government to adopt this measure. Worse, this could be the World Economic Forum-approved standard scheme for states worldwide: compliance for benefits.

Brazil Demands Compliance

The globalists are watching Brazil as the president changes its welfare benefit requirements. Modifications adopted by the Ministry of Health will institute two new rules for families receiving money from the government: children must be enrolled in school, and their vaccination booklets must be up to date. Following the presidential election, Lula had signaled that serious reforms would be arriving, particularly for the Bolsa Família program.

At a Feb. 6 event, the president stated in a speech at the ophthalmology and diagnostic units of the Super Carioca Health Center in Benfica:

“The Bolsa Família is coming back, and it is coming back with something important; it is coming back with conditions. The children have to be in school. If they are not in school, the mother loses the benefit. The children have to be vaccinated. Suppose they don’t have a vaccination certificate. In that case, the mother will lose the benefit.”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But apparently, this is only the beginning, with Health Minister Nisia Trindade calling for a vaccination-related “national movement with popular engagement.” The president is indifferent to how long it takes, as long as these efforts are successful in the long run because “I think everyone has a duty to their children’s life, take them [to be vaccinated] at the right age.”

Indeed, it might seem like a benevolent endeavor for a disciple of the big government leviathan. But, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is a terrifying prospect because it is comparable to China’s social credit system that mandates the public adhere to what the state determines is the right way to live. Considering that a significant portion of the population is addicted to public benefits and the government has destroyed citizens’ living standards, conformity is the more likely result. What happens when countries introduce central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)? Politicians and bureaucrats can shut down access to essential trade for committing the sin of not bowing down to these masters. It would not be illegal not to get vaccinated or choose to eat the “wrong” food, but there is a strategy at play that nudges people toward obedience – essentially pushing people into submission by removing resources.

China Runs the Printing Press

In January, China’s money supply surged at an annualized pace of 12.6%, up from 11.8% in December. This also topped economists’ expectations of 11.6%. The fruits of running the printing press overtime were observed throughout credit markets in the world’s second-largest economy. Total social financing, which is a broad gauge of credit and liquidity in the national marketplace, advanced close to an all-time high of six trillion yuan, representing nearly a $1 trillion injection of total new credit in a single month. New yuan loans spiked 250%, while outstanding loan growth – the year-over-year increase in the total amount of yuan-denominated loans offered by financial institutions – climbed 11.3%.

For Chinese policymakers, this has been necessary for the economy in the weeks following the removal of many COVID-Zero public health strategies. However, despite growing optimism in the global financial markets, the data highlight that the national economy is still considerably weak. In the last month, the figures show that vehicle sales have tumbled 7.4% year-over-year, exports plunged nearly 10%, the fourth-quarter GDP growth rate was 0%, foreign directive investment eased to 6.3% year-over-year, retail sales slipped almost 2%, and industrial profits fell at an annualized pace of 4% to close out 2022.

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That said, there is a reason why investors are positive about China’s situation in 2023. In January, the National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – a general trend of where the industry is heading – turned positive for the first time since September, rising to 50.1. Even the private-sector alternative, the Caixin Manufacturing PMI, is inching closer to the 50 threshold. Plus, the Caixin Services and Composite PMIs soared to 52.9 and 51.1, respectively.

But will the People’s Bank of China’s (PBoC) credit injection result in price pressures nationwide? Last month, the annual inflation rate increased to 2.1% and rose 0.8% month-over-month. So contrary to what the communists and the Keynesians believe, there are consequences to turning on the printing presses.

Russia Slows the Taps

Global energy markets have stabilized since crude oil prices reached $130 last spring. Despite erasing their (Ukraine) post-invasion gains, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent futures are projected to remain elevated, especially if the global economy averts a recession and keeps demand intact. The latest news to support this base case for many economists and market analysts is Russia slashing production.

In response to Western countries installing a cap on Russian oil due to its military conflict in Ukraine, Moscow announced that it will “voluntarily cut” output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) to “help restore market-style relations.” The Group of Seven (G7) nations instituted a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil shipped to non-Western nations. The objective is to maintain global crude oil flows to prevent price shocks while limiting President Vladimir Putin’s financial gains with which he can fund the war effort.

“As of today, we fully sell all our crude output, but as we stated before, we will not sell oil to those who directly or indirectly adhere to the ‘price ceiling,’” said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in a statement, adding that the Kremlin did not engage in consultations with anyone, including the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, OPEC+.

Energy strategists are concerned that eliminating half a million barrels of supply from international markets could raise oil prices and eventually result in higher gasoline costs during the typically busy summer driving season. But, in the end, whoever wins the energy dispute – the West or Russia – it is the consumers who will inevitably suffer at the pump and on their utility bills. We can only thank global warming for keeping temperatures higher than usual in the Northern Hemisphere this year.

Read More From Andrew Moran

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