Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Bastiat Knew the Proper Limits of Government Force / Politics / UK Politics
By: Frank_Hollenbeck
High school students in the United States are usually required to take a course in government. They learn about the structure of government but rarely discover the appropriate role of government or the justifiable limits for the use of force in our society. If they did, one of their required readings would be Frédéric Bastiat’s treatise The Law, a seminal mid-Nineteenth-century work that describes eternal truths about life and how we pursue justice. These truths are just as valid today as they were then.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Goofy Indictments Divert Attention from Criminal Abuses at the FBI and DOJ / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Whitney
“If the election is ‘disrupted’ by voters changing their votes due to Russians posting on Facebook, then the problem is not that Russians are posting on Facebook, the problem is that voters are changing their votes based on posts they read on Facebook.” Bill H, comments line Sic Semper Tyrannis “God help America. We’ve lost our damn minds.” Publius Tacitus
Robert Mueller’s Friday night indictment-spree, is a flagrant and infuriating attempt to divert attention from the damning revelations in the Nunes memo (and the Graham-Grassley “criminal referral”) which prove that senior-level officials at the FBI and DOJ were engaged in an expansive conspiracy to subvert the presidential elections by spying on members of the Trump campaign. The evidence that the FBI and DOJ “improperly obtained” FISA warrants to spy on Trump campaign affiliate, Carter Page, has now been overshadowed by the tragic massacre in Parkland, Florida and the obfuscating indictments of 13 Internet “trolls” who have not been linked to the Russian government and who are being used to conceal the fact that the 18 month-long witch hunt has not yet produced even one scintilla of hard evidence related to the original claims of “hacking or collusion”.
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Wednesday, February 21, 2018
National Identity Demands Restrictive Immigration / Politics / Immigration
By: BATR
Honest onlookers must admit that major segments of society hate America and want to destroy what little remains of a Republic. The intent of forging a limited form of government with distinct separations of power is a major impediment to the culture of collective governance. The Bill of Rights stands in the way of the totalitarian model that globalists advocate. For these proponents of authoritarianism, civil liberties are not based upon natural law, but only exist as a moving target of convenience that disseminates relativism. Open borders and unchecked immigration is designed to pollute the population pool with foreign cultural heritages that have limited historic understanding in the essential tenants that established our country or command in the use of our language. Unobstructed migration hastens the deteriorated demographics that destroy our time-honored society with the inevitable collapse and replacement of constitutional protections.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
The Prisoner Promised Land / Politics / Social Issues
By: BATR
Apprise just how much the perception of the world has changed in the last fifty years since the preeminent British series, The Prisoner first aired its run of 17 produced episodes. Essential background is available in the Solitary Purdah essay, The Sovereign Man is the Real Prisoner. For those of a generation who never viewed the definitive treatment of the ongoing globalists attempt to eradicate the human spirit, the subject matter may well be beyond their capacity for understanding. As the collective consciousness is channeled into a communal controlled "PC" culture, most are unable to master philosophical reasoning much less independent thinking. For these clones, utopia is the village and conformity is a continual price to be paid to belong and be happy.
Monday, February 19, 2018
US-China Trade War Escalates As Further Measures Are Taken / Politics / China US Conflict
By: GoldCore
– Trade war between two superpowers continues to escalate
– White House likely to impose steep tariffs on aluminium and steel imports on ‘national security grounds’
– US may impose global tariff of at least 24% on imports of steel and 7.7% on aluminium
– China “will certainly take necessary measures to protect our legitimate rights.”
– China is USA’s largest trading partner, fastest-growing market for U.S. exports, 3rd largest market for U.S. exports in the world.
– If the U.S. continues to escalate its trade actions against China, experts say retaliation is likely.
– Global markets are unprepared, investors should invest in gold to protect portfolios
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
GOP Adopts Democrat Big Deficit Spending / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
If you ever had doubts that the Federal Government experiment has failed, the bipartisan busting of the budget has made it clear that Congress abdicates their sacred duty to defend the nation from internal enemies of the people. Forget the preposterousness argument that the United States must have the most expensive military to expand the evil empire that has been built up since the end of World War II. Real national defense starts at our own water's edge and needs to relinquish any absurd notion that our own safety is enhanced by having deployments to every corner of the globe. As long as the State Department expands their interventionism, diplomacy is scarified upon the alter of continuous military bombing. Eliminating the restrains of sequesters to tamp down the size and intrusions of gun boat intimidation are a step backward. Actual national defense is diminished by the garrison bases located far from our own homeland.
Tuesday, February 06, 2018
Hostilities - Bitcoin, Stocks, America.... / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
I don’t like going to the movies. Too much hassle, too many commercials and previews, too expensive, and 90% of the movies are worthless drivel, SJW inspired crap, or government buoyed propaganda. Last weekend was my wife’s birthday and she wanted to see a movie. When she shockingly suggested a western, I reluctantly agreed. So my wife and one of my sons got in the car and headed to an old Franks theater in Montgomeryville that only charges $8.50. I had seen a brief review of Hostiles on-line and saw it got a decent rating on rotten tomatoes. I was looking forward to being mildly entertained.
The next two hours and fifteen minutes of this dark, somber, violent, morally ambiguous treatise about the old west cannot be described as enjoyable. But I did find it riveting and thought provoking. Christian Bale, as Captain Joseph Blocker, mournfully carries out his duties without a single smile crossing his bearded countenance for the entire movie. The tone, atmosphere and message of this film reminded me of my favorite western and subject of the final part of my five part series based on Clint Eastwood movies – Unforgiven. One of the soldiers in Hostiles even has dialogue almost matching Will Munny’s foreboding exchange at the end of Unforgiven:
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Saturday, February 03, 2018
Here Come Bigger Paychecks! / Politics / Government Spending
By: Rodney_Johnson
So far in 2018, New England froze over and the government shut down. And it’s only January!But just like with Christmas, there are some things that never happen fast enough. One of them is any change that gives workers bigger paychecks. With February just around the corner, that change is coming fast!
The IRS has published the new withholding tables reflecting the recent tax reform. By the pay period ending February 15, employers should have built these rules into their payroll calculations.
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Kalifornia Open Warfare on Business / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
The People's Republic of Kalifornia is a prime example of centralized technocratic planning under the protection of a monolithic legislature that is entirely rooted in a Marxist "global warming" climate of totalitarian collectivism. Business in this cage of redistribution exists to support the extortion demands of the Sacramento commissars. Decades of reporting definitively conclude that the Golden State has depleted their wealth creation resources because of persistent disincentives and outright penalties for conducting legitimate business. The citadel of punitive regulations has been claimed by California, the undisputed champion of anti-capitalism.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
How to Surpass the Middle-Income Trap / Politics / Social Issues
By: Dan_Steinbock
China will surpass the middle-income trap by continuing to implement structural reforms and focusing on economic development. The lesson to other emerging economies is to distinguish good growth policies from self-serving agendas in the advanced West. According to the World Bank, high-income economies ($12,236 or more) include the US, Western Europe and Japan, while upper middle-income economies ($3,956 -$12,235) feature Turkey, Russia, Brazil and China, among others.
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Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Tax Cuts Supercharge the Economy / Politics / Taxes
By: BATR
If you get your fake news from the corporatist filtered media, the sky is falling now that the Trump tax cuts are law. Pounded into the skulls of the dense hard heads of diminished grey matter is that the benefits of putting more cash into the pockets of everyday workers is peanuts. The collectivists who operate under communist economic doctrines fear that their normal class warfare rhetoric is hitting a wall of worry from their pro redistribution base. This factor requires telling an even bigger lie. Unleashing the animal spirits of confidence in growing the economy is now a reality, and the defenders of slicing a shrinking pie cannot bear the contrast of a vibrant and expanding economy.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Worse than Watergate - Release the Memo - Investigate Uranium One / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
The utter farce of the Mueller investigation into Trump collusion with Russia demonstrates the most obscene and overwhelming pattern of government deceit and deflection in decades. Enough has been written on this trolling probe to convince sincere and honest people that the protection racket thugs are running a confidence game against the populace and has abandoned any prospect of justice. Still, the fake news gatekeepers that select what is suitable for the apathetic public to hear see or read keeps the fairy tale narrative going to prevent looking into the true crimes committed by the cabal of establishment globalists.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Medicare Premiums Are A Shared Pool - Coming Changes That Will Transform Retirement / Politics / Government Spending
By: Dan_Amerman
A critical component of financial planning for retirement is that many healthcare expenses are a shared expense for those 65 and older, as a matter of current law and design. A 65 year old pays the same Medicare Part B premiums as a 95 year old, and someone in perfect health pays the same premiums as someone with multiple serious health issues.
By law, 25% of total Medicare Part B expenses are funded by Medicare premiums, which are usually withheld from monthly Social Security benefits. So, when the average expenses of Medicare increase on a per person basis - then so do the premiums.
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Friday, January 19, 2018
5 Maps And Charts That Predict Geopolitical Trends In 2018 / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: John_Mauldin
5 Maps And Charts That Predict Geopolitical Trends In 2018
BY JACOB SHAPIRO : Almost a year ago to the day, we wrote an article titled "The Geopolitics of 2017 in Four Maps." As it turned out, that article was one of our most popular in 2017.
We return this year with a similar concept in mind. Here are some of our best charts and maps from the past year, with an explanation of why each graphic is crucial for understanding the geopolitical forces to watch in the year ahead.
Let’s dive in.
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Friday, January 19, 2018
North Korean Quagmire: Part 2. Bombing, Nuclear Threats, and Resolution / Politics / North Korea
By: Raymond_Matison
U.S. bombing crusade
After much experimentation and scientific study by Germany, Britain, and the United States, by 1943 it became clear that “a city was easier to burn down than to blow up.”
George Ball had been a member of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey team that was charged with studying the effects of bombing Germany and Japan. It found that the resolve of both the German and the Japanese population to resist the enemy had not been broken by intensive bombing. Despite this knowledge, what hardly any Americans know or remember is that we carpet-bombed North Korea for three years with next to no concern for civilian casualties.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
The North Korea Quagmire: Part 1, A Contest of Colonialism and Communism / Politics / North Korea
By: Raymond_Matison
About this article
The purpose of this article (and its companion article Part 2) is to assess three questions of great importance as it relates to the relationship between North Korea and the United States of America. The first is to make an inquiry as to why America and North Korea for decades on end holds each other as steadfast enemies. The second is to evaluate whether this mutual enmity may lead to physical war in the region or beyond. Finally, what is the likelihood that any future confrontation between these two countries may destabilize our global financial markets?
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Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Swamp Lives On - Crooked Banks and Captured Regulators / Politics / Market Regulation
By: MoneyMetals
If officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are bothered by allegations of incompetence and capture by Wall Street’s bankers, it is hard to tell. The Commission recently hired Brett Redfearn to serve as Director of the Division of Trading and Markets. Redfearn left a 13-year stint at JP Morgan to assume a key role in regulating banks, investors and traders.
The SEC, and other regulators such as the CFTC and the Federal Reserve, aren’t worried about appearances. Redfearn looks like yet another fox being sent to guard the henhouse. His appointment undermines confidence even if he intends to serve with integrity.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Artificial Intelligence - Extermination of Humanity / Politics / AI
By: BATR
The confusion about AI stems from the different perceptions of exactly what it means. A widely accepted definition indicates that Artificial Intelligence is the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. The far more exoteric interpretations of its meaning can be speculated ad infinitum. Despite this lack of consensus the implications from the effect of AI upon humanity is incontestable. Everyone is familiar with the understanding of components that make up the human species, but who among us can guarantee that the consistent nature of man will continue into the future?
Monday, January 15, 2018
What Really Happens in Iran? / Politics / Iran
By: Dan_Steinbock
US New Sanctions amid Iran's Transition and Pivot to the East
Iran’s recent volatility reflects US effort to undermine the nuclear accord as Iran is amid economic transition and increasingly looking toward the East.
At the end of December, a series of protests against economic policies erupted in Iran. As they spread, their scope expanded to include political opposition against the government. As President Trump tweeted his support for the protesters and criticism of the government, pro-government marchers filled the streets.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Oprah for President, Really? / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Whitney
Being president isn’t like hosting a talk show or running a media brand. Oprah’s success in her field is no more indicative of her potential to be a good president than Trump’s success in real estate was. You can’t criticize Trump for having no relevant experience or evident understanding of public policy, then say that the solution for Democrats is just to throw up their hands and find their own celebrity to promote.— Paul Waldman, “Get a Grip, People. Oprah should not run for President”, Washington Post