Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
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."
Friday, January 10, 2014
Global Warming Chickenlittleism / Politics / Climate Change
By: Richard_Mills
The nature of the recently released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is extremely alarmist. The report warns, with a 95% certainty, that global warming is man-made and that the resulting climate change will lead to:
- Rising temperatures, drought and increasing desertification
- Warming of the oceans and rising sea levels
- Shortages of food
- Loss of ice sheets & shrinking of glaciers
- Increasing intensity and size of storms
Friday, January 10, 2014
A Television Snow Job / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: Walter_Brasch
With more than a foot of snow, sleet, and ice falling over much of the nation, the television news teams went into overdrive. This may be an accurate description of one of those minute-by-minute broadcasts.
“I’m Harry Hansom. Co-anchor Polly Prattle just called. Her car slid into a ditch about eight miles from the studio. Fortunately, she had her roller-blades, and is skating furiously to get here so she doesn’t lose a day’s pay. We begin our Team Weather Coverage with chief meteorologist Hugh Miditty.”
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Corporate Taxes in America / Politics / Taxes
By: Stephen_Lendman
Raising them should be a national imperative. Corporations should pay their fair share. Not according to Laurence Kotlikoff.
He’s a right-wing economist. He’s a corporatist writ large. He claims abolishing corporate taxes will create jobs.
Doing so requires dropping money on Main Street. Get it in people’s pockets directly. Do it by cutting their taxes.
Guarantee a living wage. Support worker-friendly legislation. Restore their bargaining power with management.
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
£25 Billion More Cuts, Economic Terrorism on Britain's Working Class / Politics / Economic Austerity
By: Global_Research
Colin Todhunter writes: British Chancellor George Osborne this week announced massive cuts of £25 billion after 2015. This included further welfare cuts of £12bn. Osbourne said that 2014 would be a year of hard truths. He claimed that his economic policies were working, but admitted that the bad news is there’s still a long way to go.
He warned of more years of cuts to public services and the public sector by saying £25bn would be cut over two years after 2015. That is in addition to £17bn cuts this year and £20bn next year. Osbourne argued that government is going to have to be permanently smaller and so too is the welfare system.
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Business Corporatracy - Twenty Years of NAFTA Sucking Sound / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
Ah, what a better world the Free Traders built. With the rush to the bottom, the commemoration of the NAFTA 20th anniversary is a most hollow celebration. Those who have a memory of an actual economic prosperity, lament that H. Ross Perot’s warnings were ignored. Business literates urged the public to elect Perot as President. Establishment corporatist interests and corruptacrat officials joined forces to write a blueprint for economic consolidation and political futility. The fruits of this endeavor only satisfy the appetites of the select cabal of manipulation.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
JP Morgan Behind Madoff Ponzi Scheme? Pays $2 Billion to Avoid Prosecution / Politics / Banksters
By: Washingtons_Blog
Bernie Madoff has said all along that JP Morgan knew about – and knowingly profited from – his Ponzi schemes.
So JP Morgan has agreed to pay the government $2 billion to avoid investigation and prosecution.
While this may sound like a lot of money, it is spare sofa change for a big bank like JP Morgan.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
France's Iranian Nuclear Obsession / Politics / France
By: Andrew_McKillop
The Obama Administration Just Might Think
Writing for Wall Street Journal January 7, the former International Herald Tribune editor and Bilderberg Club member John Vinocour said that it looks awfully evident that France's hardline on Iranian nuclear proliferation has been outsmarted by the Iranians – and has even been used by the Obama administration to do what it can to increase the President's tattered public approval ratings at home. Vinocour wrote that if the US “takes over the show” in negotiating with Tehran, “In this case, the Obama administration just might think that France, with its irritating vision of itself as the world's guardian of nuclear non-proliferation, could be dismissed as a strategic nag, increasingly alone, and no longer Washington's co-equal in dealing with Tehran”.
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Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Emerging Markets and the Arctic: Equity in Key Industries / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Submissions
Georgi Ivanov writes: In the 21st century, increasing interest in the Arctic will make the region one of the most dynamic geopolitical spaces, and with it, open up new business opportunities for investment and trade. The impetus will be on resource industries, shipping and the required infrastructure development that will support these investments. However, the political and legal framework needed to make any of these initiatives work rests with having the proper governance capacity in the Arctic.
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Monday, January 06, 2014
Remember Fallujah? Iraq, the 'Liberation' Neocons Would Rather Forget / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Remember Fallujah? Shortly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US military fired on unarmed protestors, killing as many as 20 and wounding dozens. In retaliation, local Iraqis attacked a convoy of US military contractors, killing four. The US then launched a full attack on Fallujah to regain control, which left perhaps 700 Iraqis dead and the city virtually destroyed.
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Monday, January 06, 2014
UK General Election Results Forecast May 2015 - Video / Politics / UK General Election
By: Nadeem_Walayat
George Osborne has finally succeeded in sparking a debt fuelled housing market led economic recovery that looks set to gain momentum all the way into the May 2015 General Election. This video is based on recent in-depth analysis and detailed concluding multi-year trend forecast for UK house prices and the implications of in terms of the outcome of the next General Election.
Sunday, January 05, 2014
More Wars in 2014? / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: LewRockwell
Eric Margolis writes: Where are the world’s most dangerous places in 2014?
*Mostly forgotten, but the highly dangerous, Indian-controlled portion of disputed Kashmir. Rebellion against Indian rule by Kashmir’s majority Muslims is again boiling. Over 1.6 million Indian and Pakistani troops, backed by nuclear weapons, are in confrontation. Skirmishing along Kashmir’s Line of Control is frequent. The nuclear strike forces of both India and Pakistan are on a perilous hair-trigger alert, with about three minutes warning of an enemy attack.
Sunday, January 05, 2014
U.S. Congress Legislating Tyranny / Politics / US Politics
By: Stephen_Lendman
Police state lawlessness reflects official US policy. Numerous examples explain. Congress opposes fundamental freedoms.
It terrorizes most people. So do rogue US administrations. Washington is more ruthless today than ever.
Waging war on humanity is much worse. It's ongoing globally. It's reflected in congressional legislation.
Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF - September 2001) approved open-ended permanent wars. They rage out-of-control. They do so at home and abroad.
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