Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Ten Myths About Capitalism / Politics / Economic Theory
By: Pravda
Capitalism in the neoliberal version has exhausted itself. Financial sharks do not want to lose profits, and shift the main burden of debt to the retirees and the poor. A ghost of the "European Spring" is haunting the Old World and the opponents of capitalism explain people how their lives are being destroyed. This is the topic of the article of a Portuguese economist Guilherme Alves Coelho.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Who is Stronger: Iran or the West? / Politics / Iran
By: Pravda
While developed countries continue to print their money as fast as they can to overcome the debt crisis, investors turn their heads to the East. The West introduced sanctions against Iran, but it appears that the Islamic Republic is capable of throwing the world economy into deep crisis.
The European consumers of Iranian oil shudder at the thought that Iran may block the Hormuz Strait in response to the economic sanctions from the West. If it happens, all the efforts aimed at overcoming the financial crisis, will be wasted in an instant.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
“We Are Drowning” On A Road To Nowhere: New War on the Horizon / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
Oil prices are rocketing. Iranian warships are moving into the Mediterranean to shadow the US warships already there. Propaganda news is growing with rumors of Al Qaeda links with Iran, and, then, less speculative news about real links between the terror groups and the armed opposition in Syria.
As Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi puts it, the smell of war is in the air and on the air, “You can just feel it: many of the same newspapers and TV stations we saw leading the charge in the Bush years have gone back to the attic and are dusting off their war pom-poms.”
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Feeding off the Syrian Carcase / Politics / UK Politics
By: William_Bowles
An uncle of mine, a quite extraordinary individual, used to say that he was privileged to have a ‘ringside seat’ when viewing the rampages of capitalism. To which I must add that the ticket to gain admission has been extremely costly, for the planet, but not for my uncle in spite of his lefty leanings. But privileged he was, as all of us are here in the West, insulated from the worst extremes of Empire by all those dead brown bodies.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Banker Occupied Europe and America / Politics / Credit Crisis 2012
By: Stephen_Lendman
Money power rules. Across Europe and America, governments follow banker diktats. They demand economies and people suffer to assure they're paid.
Money power in private hands and democracy can't co-exist. It buys what it wants at the expense of government of, by and for the people. It never was and isn't now.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Millions of Evangelical Christians Want to Start World War III … to Speed Up the Second Coming / Politics / US Politics
By: Washingtons_Blog
Millions of Americans believe that Christ will not come again until Israel wipes out its competitors and there is widespread war in the Middle East. Some of these folks want to start a huge fire of war and death and destruction, so that Jesus comes quickly.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Crude Oil and Curreny Markets Instability: Petro-Dollars and the Oil Bourse / Politics / Crude Oil
By: Bob_Chapman
Several years ago free trade, globalization, offshoring and outsourcing were discussed in the major media. As time wore on the issues disappeared and now it is not easy to find discussions of these policies virtually anywhere as the drain of jobs and companies leave the third world.
Not only have the better paying jobs been leaving, but the destruction of economic independence and sovereignty has been a victim as well, something few professionals, never mind the public, thinks about. If America is to ever have an economic recovery there will have to be trade legislation with tariffs on goods and services.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Exploring the Not-So-Altruistic Aspects of the Buffett Tax Rule / Politics / Taxes
By: Casey_Research
By Robert Ross, Casey Research This week, President Obama released his $3.8-trillion budget for fiscal year 2013. The plan calls for new taxes on the wealthy, a restructuring of the tax code, and short-term infrastructure spending aimed at boosting the economy (albeit artificially).
Also included in the budget are limitations on subsidies for oil and gas companies, an end to the Bush tax cuts, and a proposal to raise taxes on dividends, which could be as high as 39.6% for households making over $250,000 per year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Vanguard's Bogle: Tax Breaks For Private Equity Firms are 'Ridiculous' / Politics / Financial Markets 2012
By: Bloomberg
Vanguard Group founder John Bogle spoke with Bloomberg Television's Betty Liu yesterday at the Bloomberg Link Portfolio Manager Mash-Up conference in New York.
Bogle said that lower tax rates for certain types of gains earned by private equity firms are "ridiculous" and "I'm arguing for the capital gains rate taxable as ordinary income."
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Fears Coalition Government Reforms May Destroy the UK Solar Industry / Politics / Renewable Energy
By: OilPrice_Com
James Burgess writes: Young industries such as the renewable energy sectors rely heavily on government funding and incentives to help them achieve a level of competition with the well-established industries out there.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, February 17, 2012
How Increased Iranian Sanctions Affect South Africa / Politics / Africa
By: OilPrice_Com
The U.S. new sanctions initiative, strongly supported by Israel, to impose new sanctions against Iran, is designed to punish it for its purported covert nuclear weapons program by imposing new restrictions on Tehran.As a result, many of Iran's oil customers are scrambling to avoid collateral damage to their economies.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Obama: A One-and-Done President? / Politics / US Politics
By: Casey_Research
Editors of The Casey Report, Casey Research writes: President Obama promised to turn around the floundering economy that he inherited from his predecessor. He promised jobs. He promised transparency. Not only did he not deliver on those campaign promises, he has led the nation further into the abyss on all counts. Today we are less prosperous, deeper in debt, and enjoy fewer liberties than when Obama first stepped into the Oval Office. His own party is losing faith in the messiah.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
U.S. Secret Armies Gear Up for Global War / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Bill Van Auken writes: The “tide of war is receding” is a phrase President Barack Obama has employed ad nauseam—once in his State of the Union address, twice in the course of remarks last month at the unveiling of the Pentagon's new military strategy document, once again during his speech at the United Nations, also in his announcement of troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan, and in a Veteran's Day address.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
U.S. Lawmakers Help Themselves to Congressional Pork / Politics / UK Politics
By: Money_Morning
David Zeiler writes:
For members of Congress, the only thing better than getting "pork" for the folks back home is getting a slice of that pork for themselves.
Pork, also known as earmarks, describes the long-standing Congressional practice of steering tax money back to home districts to pay for expensive, constituent-pleasing projects.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Central Banks Financial Terrorism / Politics / Credit Crisis 2012
By: Bob_Chapman
By decree, by the privately owned Federal Reserve, zero interest rates are here to stay. You do not get to borrow at those rates, only the member banks do. In the latest currency swap (loan) from the Fed to the ECB, European Central Bank, as we noted in previous issues over the last two months, that Europe has been forced to join the Anglo-American system. The system of zero interest rates and the continual creation of money and credit. Due to the Fed’s ability to create endless supplies of money and credit it eventually took over the control of ECB and European monetary policy. These policies starkly point out the zero interest rates and monetary policy of endless money creation is the path to be taken probably by all in the system to lesser or greater degrees. That means no savings and that leaves speculation and the purchase of gold and silver related assets.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Financial Oligarch Power Raping Greece / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Stephen_Lendman
On February 12, Greece's banker controlled parliament passed sweeping austerity measures on top of multiple previous rounds.
New ones include:
sacking 15,000 public workers in 2012 and 150,000 by 2015;
slashing private sector wages by 20%;
lowering monthly minimum wages from 750 to 600 euros;
cutting fast disappearing monthly unemployment benefits from 460 to 360 euros; and
reducing pensions many Greeks need to survive by 15%.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Greece From Despair to Resistance: Test Site for Neoliberal Social Engineering / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Global_Research
Panagiotis Sotiris writes: On Sunday 12 February 2012 the people of Greece, in demonstrations and street fights all over the country expressed in a massive, collective and heroic way their anger against the terms of the new loan agreement dictated by the EU-ECB-IMF ‘troika’ (European Union, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund). Workers, youth, students filled the streets with rage, defying the extreme aggression by police forces, setting another example of struggle and solidarity.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Is a US-Iran War Inevitable? / Politics / US Politics
By: Casey_Research
Interviewed by Louis James, Casey Research US-Iranian saber-rattling or impending shoot-out? In his usual, candid manner, contrarian investor Doug Casey talks about why he believes it's serious this time… why the US is the greatest threat to peace today… why Iran might move towards a gold standard… and what smart investors should do.
L: Doug-sama, I've heard you say you think the US is setting Iran up to be the next fall guy in the wag-the-dog show – do you think it could really come to open warfare?
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Obama Budget Disaster, Economists' in a Truman Show / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
David Stockman's Viewpoint on the Obama Budget Disaster
Passing a Federal Budget is a rarity, especially under the administration of a committed Marxist. The Democratic Senate’s strangle hold on bringing up legislation, particularly a budget, goes without saying. What makes this new budget for 2013 any different? This time the day of reckoning hits hard the first of the next year. The recent interview with David Stockman on the Fox Business channel with Neil Cavuto is an extraordinary analysis why the economy will absorb a frightful tax increase all at one time. The fallout to commerce could become the real end of the world scenario. Take the time and watch the insightful observations from a courageous number cruncher who served this nation with distinction during the Reagan Presidency.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Obama Signs the National Defense Authorization Act, a Bad Week For Freedom / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
“We have two American flags always: one for the rich and one for the poor. When the rich fly it means that things are under control; when the poor fly it means danger, revolution, anarchy.”- Henry Miller
With each passing week it seems this country spirals further into the depths of a frightening dystopian fantasy reminiscent of Huxley and Orwell’s dark world of isolation, fear and government brutality portrayed in their masterpieces Brave New World and 1984. I keep speculating whether it’s me that’s crazy and not the things I’m witnessing on a daily basis. The President signs the National Defense Authorization Act, passed by an overwhelming majority of Congress, which allows the government to imprison American citizens indefinitely without charge. And there is barely a squeak from the docile masses as they are soothed by Obama promising to never use that part of the law. I bet you $10,000 a President will invoke that portion of the NDAA in the very near future.
Read full article... Read full article...