blame China

Duterte puts his VP in charge of the drug war (she is from a different party and would become president if they get rid of him).

So today we read she's pointing the finger at China as being responsible for the drug problem here.

Not exactly a big secret.

Part of this is to shame Duterte,who has tried to make nice with China who is threatening war against us in order to take over our fishing grounds/oil in the West Philippine sea.

but then there is this:

She said the US officials, including representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), shared with her information on drug syndicates operating in the Philippines, as well as information on transnational crime.
Some of the details they provided were already known to the Philippine government, Robredo said.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1190149/leni-check-china-as-top-drug-source#ixzz65JsjJuuaFollow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

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the bad news: she's so naive that she thinks talking about it with China will fix things up.

and no, the problem here is not fentanyl, but meth (shabu).

A report from American think-tank group Rand Corp. said that the Asian superpower is becoming a leading source for methamphetamine chemicals — which are being used to make methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, a cheap drug usually consumed by people in poor sectors.
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1189850/fwd-robredo-on-chinese-nationals-involvement-in-drugs-its-something-we-should-look-into#ixzz65JtiLHWeFollow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

according to the WAPO, China is going after those making Fentanyl and other opioids. They actually sentenced 9 people to jail.

The timing of the highly publicized sentencing appeared propitious: 

timing was "propitious"? Ya think? why?

Negotiators from Washington and Beijing this week are working toward a “phase one” trade deal that could forestall or reverse tariff increases.

more at the BBC.

and they explain the backstory of why China is behind pushing dangerous drugs: Money.

Drugs policy expert at the Rand Corporation in the US, Bryce Pardo, describes their regulatory capacity as "limited". "Gaps in regulatory design, the division of responsibility between provincial and central governments, and lack of oversight and government and corporate accountability, increase opportunities for corruption," he says.

translation: Rule of Law is not strong in China, so just a little gift will make it okay.

some of this is the backstory about Hong Kong, where rule of law makes it a safe area for investment etc.

China is right now blaming the protesters for the violence: 

One problem is that their disrupters speak a different Chinese language than the people of Hong Kong, so locals know what is going on.

So tell me why my TSP retirement account is now being invested in Chinese banks?

not only is this investing in risky companies, but it is worse than that:

Many Chinese companies included in MSCI indexes are state-owned or state-directed enterprises Beijing uses to undermine American workers. They are also involved in China’s military, espionage, human rights abuses, and “Made in China 2025” industrial policy.

TSP website here. 

DaveRamsey explains how the TSP works here:

and more stuff about TSP investments here.

not a lot of information there (and no, the TSP hasn't asked me if I want my money invested in China). But apparently Congressfolk on both sides of the aisle are trying to stop them from doing it.

So what is going on here? Don't ask me: I'm a physician not an investment banker, and a lot of this is written in financial jargon/gobblygook.

 But when Gillibrand, Rubio and Romeny agree on something, maybe someone should notice that there may be a problem.

So let's go to the fake news/right wing outlet, the Epoch times for background:

The TSB met on Oct. 28 and opted to continue as planned as a result of its decision to move its International Fund Index to the MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Investable Market Index. That index includes multiple Chinese companies currently subject to multiple U.S. sanctions and export bans. As much $50 billion could be headed to China as a result of the TSB decision...

Putting TSB funds with the new index would directly benefit “military contractors to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), such as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and China Unicom, which supply military aircraft and telecommunications support to militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea,” the senators told the TSB in the letter.

So when China uses the islands to take over our resources, block the sea routes to Japan/Korea, and take over the economy (or more) in Luzon, I will have the knowledge they did it with my money.... 

“It also includes firms like Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, which was recently added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List and produces surveillance equipment the Chinese government currently uses to oppress and detain approximately one million Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities.”

and if you read the entire article the authors point out that dirty little secret about China's funny business practices that make investment risky. 

Hey, Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown, so what could go wrong?

update: I finally found who is doing this: and the article names names: LINK

ETAC Chairman Clifford Bailey said that both the council members and their constituencies have discussed the controversy over broadening the I Fund index, and that they developed a consensus that federal employees should have the same 401(k)-style investment opportunities as their private sector counterparts. All 10 of the largest publicly traded U.S. companies include access to the Chinese investment market in their 401(k) packages, and the same is true for the 10 top awarded federal contractors, as well as the 20 largest public sector pension programs.

their "constituencies"? Moi? No, I've never been asked about it.