Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
When Net Neutrality Becomes Programmed Censorship / Politics / Internet
By: BATR
In essence, this is the corporate spin that the decision is about the future cost for being connected.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Sochi Terror Attack Alert - The Lost Lady Of Islam / Politics / Russia
By: Andrew_McKillop
Putin Winds Back His Gains of 2013
News reports now place the probable cost of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia at more than $51 billion making them the most expensive-ever. Security costs help explain this. Vladimir Putin's ironclad determination to make the games a success – makes them a rising political risk, not only for domestic political consumption but also a challenge to Russia's federal unity and relations with its Asian neighbors, and internationally. Making the Sochi games a PR disaster is the goal of Putin's enemies.
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Monday, January 20, 2014
Fukushima Radiation Spike Hits Record High / Politics / Nuclear Power
By: LewRockwell
A record high level of beta rays released from radioactive strontium-90 has been detected at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant beneath the No. 2 reactor’s well facing the ocean, according to the facility’s operator.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) measured the amount of beta ray-emitting radioactivity at more than 2.7 million becquerels per liter, Fukushima’s operator said as reported in Japanese media. The measurements were taken on Thursday.
Monday, January 20, 2014
United States 240 Wars in 237 Years Says it All / Politics / US Military
By: Pravda
The United States, an example of public and social order for the countries of the “golden billion,” has a unique history. In the 237 years of its existence, it has been either at war, or preparing for a new attack, looking for victims. During the period from 1798 to 2012 Washington used military force abroad 240 times, more frequently than annually.
The results of this military – aggressive development are impressive. Five percent of the world’s population who are lucky enough to be U.S. citizens consume, according to various estimates, from 25 to 30 percent of the planet’s resources. How did the country manage to achieve such prosperity for its 320 million people?
Monday, January 20, 2014
The National Security State - America's MostDdangerous Institutions / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: Michael_S_Rozeff
Predictably, President Obama has done nothing significant to diminish the National Security State. He presided over its expansion. Why should he want to undo it?
It’s a big mistake, however, in understanding the National Security State (NSS) and what to do about it to focus on Obama. The issue concerning the NSS is much deeper than one man, one president and a few terms of office.
Once we understand the NSS, we will see that it will only disappear in two cases. Either it falls when the American Empire falls, or it falls if Americans fundamentally rethink and change their entire government.
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Monday, January 20, 2014
Warfare, Welfare, and Wonder Woman - How Congress Spends Your Money / Politics / Government Spending
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Supporters of warfare, welfare, and Wonder Woman cheered last week as Congress passed a one trillion dollar "omnibus" appropriation bill. This legislation funds the operations of government for the remainder of the fiscal year. Wonder Woman fans can cheer that buried in the bill was a $10,000 grant for a theater program to explore the comic book heroine.
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Monday, January 20, 2014
Many Israeli's are Disenchanted With the Promised Land and Want to Leave / Politics / Israel
By: Stephen_Lendman
Many Israelis want out. Haaretz said "almost 40 percent of (them) are thinking of emigrating." Recent polling said they'd leave if financially able.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Energy Policy Freeze Frame In 1970s Mould / Politics / Energy Resources
By: Andrew_McKillop
Oil Fear
In a January 15, 2014 editorial titled 'Energy Antiquities' the Houston Chronicle underlined that when it concerns energy – we primarily mean oil – the thing to remember for the ever-expanding cohort of persons too young to remember the 1970s was that this decade, in a word, was the Forgettable Decade. Very forgettable.
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Thursday, January 16, 2014
Does Everyone America Has a Lawyer on Speed dial ? The Chilling Economic Effect of Litigation / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
Wendy McElroy writes: McDonald's is being sued again by a California woman who claims she was scalded by their hot coffee. In 1990, a New Mexico woman was awarded $2.9 million in a hot-coffee lawsuit against McDonald's; the award was later reduced to about $500,000. Meanwhile, a continent away, a New Jersey woman is suing a real estate developer for not disclosing the presence of a 'bad' neighbor when she purchased a house.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Hollande Versus Obama In The Race To The Bottom / Politics / France
By: Andrew_McKillop
Le Fait du Prince
Different countries have different styles. In France, power has always been concentrated in Paris, from the last days of the monarchy, and then even more so under Napoleon. When the prince, king, president, or Emperor as Napoleon liked to call himself exceeded his powers, and then gave himself more of them, the cry rang out that this was “Le fait du Prince”.
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Thursday, January 16, 2014
Parasitic Derivatives - One Quadrillion Dollars: Too Big to Understand / Politics / Derivatives
By: David_Hague
I recently returned from two weeks of ‘high level’ meetings with a group of Bankers [this is code for two weeks of subsidized debauchery with bankers] in Rome. As I sat at my desk, I was hoping to motivate myself to pursue a more chaste and pure existence. Unfortunately the Polar Vortex experienced by North America drained me of my good intentions. The bone chilling cold once again had me reaching for my trusty bottle of Jack Daniels for warmth and inspiration. My time in Rome had not been completely ‘wasted’, so to speak. I had secured a contract from the European Central Bank [ECB] to research the topic of Derivatives. I was to present my findings at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos later this month.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Piercing the Medical Guild - A Failed US Healthcare System Held Hostage / Politics / Healthcare Sector
By: Stephen_Merrill
Even in our crisis ridden world, the healthcare sector in the United States tops the list of present-day economic catastrophes.
According to figures issued by the World Bank for 2011, healthcare expenditures in the United States, astonishingly, consumed 17.9% of the gross domestic product. By comparison, healthcare spending in Canada was 11.2% of the economy, in Japan 9.3% and in Britain 9.3%. The proportion of healthcare spending in the US just about doubles the average figure for other major nations.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
US Drops Out of Top 10 Economic Freedom Countries Ranking / Politics / Social Issues
By: LewRockwell
After seven years of continuous decline in the rating, the US has gone down to 12th place in the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom. The report says the US is the only country to show such a prolonged decline.
The falling ranking was primarily caused by large reductions in property rights, freedom from corruption, and increasing government spending, says the study.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Popular Manifesto: Solutions For Restoring The United States / Politics / US Politics
By: Jim_Willie_CB
Back in late 2004 during the first year of the Hat Trick Letter, my father had a conversation with me on his front porch. He was concerned about a negative streak in my perspective and a critical slant in my analytic work. He actually helped me in writing style, not content, like to correct errors in sentence construction. He pointed out lack of parallels, dangling modifiers, vague antecedents, and competing imagery. Many smaller discussions had taken place about a broken economy, absent industry from offshore efforts, debt buildup, enormous imbalances, the war machine emphasis, banker corruption, and unsound money itself. He always was concerned about the federal debt, citing it many times, and was alarmed later in 2006 when informed that foreigners held more than half our debt. He challenged me to produce solutions to the current difficult situation in the United States, an invitation to embark upon a positive streak. He was warned to be discouraged by the task.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
U.S. Retirement Sunset Math: Number of Employed vs. Population Over Time / Politics / Demographics
By: Mike_Shedlock
As we face retirement sunset demographics, inquiring minds might be wondering how many people are left to foot the bill for retiree Medicare, health care, public union pensions, and Social Security promises vs. the number of people collecting benefits.
The following charts from reader Tim Wallace will help put things into perspective.
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Monday, January 13, 2014
Ariel Sharon - Eulogizing a Mass Murderer / Politics / Israel
By: Stephen_Lendman
On January 11, Ariel Sharon died. He's not missed. A previous article discussed his blood-drenched military and political career.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Alleged U.S. Economic Recovery: No Jobs For Americans / Politics / Employment
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
The alleged recovery took a direct hit from Friday’s payroll jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy created 74,000 net new jobs in December.
Wholesale and retail trade accounted for 70,700 of these jobs or 95.5%. It is likely that the December wholesale and retail hires were temporary for the Christmas shopping season, which doesn’t seem to have been very exuberant, especially in light of Macy’s decision to close five stores and lay off 2,500 employees. It is a good bet that these December hires have already been laid off.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Deregulation, Privatization, and Cheap Labor - Obama’s Corporate Plantations / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Whitney
The man who promised to restore hope and bring change to America, has announced a plan to open five corporate plantations in the United States. On Thursday, President Barack Obama, whose policies have resulted in the greatest number of public sector job losses in US History (Public sector jobs have declined by 718,000 jobs since Obama took office.) announced the opening of five “Promise Zones” located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. According to an article in USA Today:
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Terrorist Baloney - The Al-Qaeda Scam / Politics / Al-Qeeda
By: LewRockwell
Eric Margolis writes: How did al-Qaida, a tiny anti-Communist group in Afghanistan that had no more than 200 active members in 2001 become a supposed worldwide threat?
How can al-Qaida be all over the Mideast, North Africa, and now much of black Africa? This after the US spent over $1 trillion trying to stamp out al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
Friday, January 10, 2014
Puzzling and Worrisome U.S. Jobs Data Says El-Erian / Politics / Employment
By: Bloomberg
PIMCO CEO and co-CIO Mohamed El-Erian and Jason Furman, Chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors, appeared on Bloomberg Television today to discuss the jobs report. El-Erian told Betty Liu that today's jobs report is "somewhere between puzzling and worrisome."
Furman said, "This is a recovery that is continuing, there's going to be volatility from month to month, but you're seeing an economy that overall continues to strengthen."