Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hacking the Obama Economic Stimulus Package / Politics / Economic Stimulus
Danny Schechter writes: It became clear Friday night that our economy may not recover until our politics do.
To President Obama, the delays and endless Congressional carping about his recovery plan was “inexcusable.” He was reduced to reading the latest unemployment numbers aloud as if to say, ‘what world are you guys in?
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
U.S. Economy Imploding as Obama Follows Failed NeoCon Policies / Politics / GeoPolitics
Paul Craig Roberts writes: Is there intelligent life in Washington, DC? Not a speck of it.The US economy is imploding, and Obama is being led by his government of neconservatives and Israeli agents into a quagmire in Afghanistan that will bring the US into confrontation with Russia, and possibly China, American's largest creditor.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Financial Crisis Ends America's Second Gilded Age? / Politics / US Politics
Mark Twain called the late nineteenth century the “Gilded Age”. In fact, Mark Twain wrote a novel called “The Gilded Age” ridiculing Washington D.C. and many of the leading figures of the day. Mark Twain thought that the period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath. Many people believe that there are many similarities between that era and our current era. It seems to me to be another instance of history “rhyming”.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Transcript of Obama's Speech in Elkhart Indian / Politics / US Politics
President Obama gave a speech on the economy before an audience in a packed gym at Concord High School in Elkhart Indiana Monday evening.MSNBC offers President Obama In Elkhart: Video Of Speech Here is a transcript of the speech.
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Monday, February 09, 2009
Freedom From Government Intervention and Funding and Restrictions / Politics / Government Intervention
President Obama signed an executive order last week continuing the faith-based initiatives program created by former President Bush. When the program was created, I warned that giving taxpayer money to private religious organizations would eventually lead to political control and manipulation of them. This week has provided some evidence that this was a justified concern.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 09, 2009
Bankers On Notice: The Cake Eaters Are Stirring / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
It's interesting to watch what happens as the spores and tentacles of “banker rot” penetrate ever-deeper into the worm-holes and capillaries of the socioeconomic strata.
Anachronisms from a bygone-era, the “let them eat cake” attitudes that have persistently predominated the media-storm are increasingly muffled by a gathering mob and their collective call for the punishment of the perpetrators and their accomplices at all levels and in all capacities, public and private.
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Saturday, February 07, 2009
Will Obama Start the Next Trade War? / Politics / Global Economy
Shamus Cooke writes: While campaigning to be president, Obama gave the general impression that he would act “cooperatively” to solve international problems, moving away from the Bush strategy of irresponsible “unilateralism.”But Obama took an aggressive stance towards China even on the campaign trail, including the accusations of “currency manipulation,” “violating intellectual property rights,” and “devaluing their goods.” Of course the average American cares nothing about these types of crimes, nor should they.
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Saturday, February 07, 2009
The End of Wealth Creation / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
The Roman Empire - The rise and fall of the Roman Empire is a classic example of Return On Investment (ROI). Rome essentially funded conquest through pillage, bringing rich treasures of gold and silver back to Rome. During the early years of the Empire, the ROI on conquest was very good and Rome prospered. It had plenty of coin to fund its Legions. As the years went by, however, it became more difficult to find lands worth conquering and the travel costs to send a Legion to remote lands increased. The ROI of conquest began to falter, and Roman Emperors finally concluded additional conquests were not worth the cost. Years of wealth creation came to an end. The Roman Empire shifted its attention to wealth preservation.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, February 06, 2009
Russian Bear Emerging From Post-Soviet Hibernation / Politics / New Cold War
If the Russian Bear has indeed emerged from its post-Soviet hibernation to regain global prominence, that means big things for your portfolio. From the punishingly obvious war with Georgia last summer, to the more subtle - but equally powerful - shut off of natural gas to Ukraine and Europe, Russia is making it abundantly clear that they want to be global players again. To get a read on how this is all going to play out, I turn to my friend George Friedman, the founder of global intelligence firm Stratfor.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Moscow Reacts to US Military Buildup in Afghanistan / Politics / New Cold War
Moscow has correctly assessed that the announced Obama troop buildup in Afghanistan has no relevance to the stated aim of combatting the ‘Taliban', but rather with a new attempt by the Pentagon strategists to encircle both Russia and China on Eurasia in order to retain US global military dominance. It is not waiting for a new policy from Washington. Rather Russia is acting to secure its perimeter in Central Asia through a series of calculated geopolitical moves reminiscent of the famous Great Game of more than a Century ago. The stakes in this geopolitical power game could not be higher—the issue of world war or peace in the coming decade.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
America and the Creation of an Economic Frankenstein / Politics / US Economy
Jim McTague has been writing articles for Barron's for a very long time. He's a better journalist than I and likely earns more money. He writes a column called D.C. Current for the august investment weekly and boasts the title Washington Editor. For my part… well, it's not nice to boast. The only thing the two of us may have in common is a Northern Irish distaste for all things orange and a love of the Pogues. The fact that our grandfathers once put the boots to a black and tan before his went and ratted out mine, I'll leave to another time.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Bailout for the People: Dividend Economics, Basic Income Guarantee- Part2 / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Key Discovery of the 20th Century: Dividend Economics
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Bailout for the People: Dividend Economics and the Basic Income Guarantee / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Prepared for a Presentation at the 8 th Congress of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network and 2009 Eastern Economics Association Annual Conference Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers New York, N.Y., February 27
The existing monetary system is not free enterprise, and it is not capitalism. It is cancer.
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Obama Plans Financial Triage for Bad Bank Troubled Assets / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
The Obama administration, led by Geithner, is proposing a triage of bad ideas for troubled assets. The Washington Post has the story in Bank Rescue Would Entail Triage for Troubled Assets . The Obama administration's emerging rescue plan for the banking system would amount to financial triage, with the Treasury Department playing the delicate role of deciding which of the trillions of dollars in troubled assets plaguing the economy to buy, guarantee or leave in the hands of banks, sources said.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
How to Create 4 Million Jobs in 90 Days / Politics / Recession 2008 - 2010
Lost Jobs - At least 23 million Americans are either unemployed (they do not have any job) or under-employed (they are being paid for less than 35 hours per week). If unemployment increases to 10% of the workforce by the end of 2010, then 15,434,900 people will be unemployed. In this 2 year period, America will have lost more than 4.4 million additional jobs. America's Work Shortage Index (WSI) will increase from a total of 23,487,000 unemployed or under-employed persons at the end of 2008, to a Work Shortage Index of more than 21.9% by the end of 2010. Over 33.5 million Americans would be forced to sharply curtail their spending. Over 27% of all American households would be in financial trouble. (Reference 1)Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Republicans Put Party Before Interests of the Nation / Politics / US Politics
Every House Republican and 11 Democrats voted against President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus package. It still passed by a vote of 244 to 188. There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill, but the obstructionist Republican minority, still nursing the wounds inflicted by the public in the November election, can block it by endless political manoeuvring and a filibuster.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
"Bad Bank"- How to Mitigate the Losses / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Under the "Bad Bank" scenario, the taxpayers will own these Troubled Assets which are comprised of "Toxic" mortgages.
In effect, the US government (taxpayers) will be bearing the loss on these “toxic” mortgages. The growing concern is that these losses will continue to materialize as defaults increase with the projected 8 million foreclosures expected over the next four years. It seems that the key to this crisis IS THE BORROWER!
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Global Bankruptcy as World Leaders Succumb to Monetary Dementia / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
'If all the bank loans were paid up, no one would have a bank deposit, and there would not be a dollar of currency or coin in circulation. This is a staggering thought. We are completely dependent on the commercial banks for our money. Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money, we are prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system. When one gets a complete grasp upon the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless position is almost incredible - but there it is. It is the most important subject intelligent persons can investigate and reflect upon. It is so important that our present civilization may collapse unless it is widely understood and the defects remedied very soon.' - Robert H. Hemphill, Federal Reserve Bank of AtlantaRead full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 30, 2009
Banking Sector Groundhog Day Hits U.S. Treasury Bonds / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
Mike Larson writes: Have you ever seen the fantastic Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day?”
Murray plays Pittsburgh weatherman Phil Connors who's forced to cover the annual February unveiling of Punxsutawney Phil.
He clearly isn't thrilled. And his bad attitude shines through in several hilarious episodes. Fate punishes Murray as a result, by forcing him to re-live Groundhog Day over and over again until he improves his attitude and can win the love of his co-worker, Rita.
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Friday, January 30, 2009
Saving Equals Squandering of Capital / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
Do you put money away in the bank periodically? You're just wasting it, you know.
At least, that's the assertion of this mindless rant: Millionaire Slumdogs: the uber-rich need to put money back into the economy.
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