Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Crimson Tax Tide / Politics / Taxes
By: Christopher_Westley
If you ever visited my part of the country, you would likely hear about a long-standing controversy over occupational taxes and the right of my state's most populous county to impose them.
That state would be Alabama, and that county would be Jefferson County, established through violent, extramarket means in 1819 yet named for an antitax radical who eventually became the third president of the United States. Although Thomas Jefferson would die five years later, his eponymous county is still with us.
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Sunday, June 24, 2012
Post Sustainable Modernism? / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Andrew_McKillop
The phrase “sustainable development” was thrust into widespread use by the 1987 UN report of the Gro Harlem Brundtland commission, a group of “eminent persons” supposedly setting “a global agenda for change” in response to the alleged interaction of failing economic development, depleting natural resources and a deteriorating environment. Media treatment naturally went a lot further, rooting sustainable development in a soup of hysterical forecasts of environmental apocalypse, man-made global warming driving sea levels up so far they swamp most cities, mass species die-off and extinction, spiraling oil and other resource depletion, nuclear and industrial catastrophes, rampant overpopulation, mass starvation, epidemics and global poverty. Without explicitly saying it, the Brundtland report implied that unfettered capitalism was the basic driver.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Ron Paul Warns Neocons, Hands Off Syria! / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Before the US House of Representatives: Statement Introducing HR 5993, The Syria Non-Intervention Act of 2012
Mr. Speaker: The Administration is marching toward another war in the Middle East, this time against Syria. As with the president's war against Libya, Congress has been frozen out of the process. The Constitution, which grants Congress and only Congress the authority to declare war, is once again being completely ignored.
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
Panic in the New World Order / Politics / New World Order
By: Gary_North
For the first time in my career, I see the international establishment, sometimes called the New World Order, facing a crisis so large that its very survival is at stake. For the first time, these people are scared.
There are not many of them. In his book, Superclass, author David Rothkopf estimates that there are only about 6000 people at the top of the pyramid of world power and influence. They are mostly males, and at least a third of them have attended America's most prestigious universities. Most of the others have attended comparable universities in Europe.
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
Italy Gasping for Economic Breath Like a Beached Whale / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Mike_Shedlock
Berlusconi Reiterates Euro Exit "Not Blasphemy"; Beppe Grillo Discusses "Taboo of the Euro"
On June 1, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said "Italy should dump the euro unless the European Central Bank agreed to inject more cash into the economy". One day later Berlusconi said the idea Italy should dump euro was a "joke".
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
U.S. Trickle Up Economics / Politics / US Politics
By: Peter_Schiff
The political left wing has long tried to cast doubt on the fairness, and even the efficacy, of free market capitalism by branding it as a "trickle down" system. This epithet is meant to show how the middle and lower classes are dependent on scraps of wealth that happen to fall from the buffet table of the rich. This characterization of an unfair and inefficient system has helped them demonize policies that lower taxes (if they also extend to the wealthy) and reduce regulation on business.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Trade Tariffs as Welfare State Economics / Politics / Protectionism
By: Gary_North
I have found over the years that when I debate with people who promote tariffs, meaning sales taxes on imported goods that are enforced by people with badges and guns, they always adopt arguments that apply only to America's side of the border. They refuse to adopt those very same arguments for people on the other side of the border.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
New World Order Blueprint Leaked / Politics / New World Order
By: Rudy_Avizius
On June 12, a leaked copy of the investment chapter for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was made public. This copy was analyzed by Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch and has been verified as authentic. This agreement has been negotiated IN SECRET for 2-1/2 years and no information has ever been released until this leak. So why have the details of this negotiation been so secret? This agreement has been framed as a “free trade” agreement and yet out of 26 chapters only two have anything to do with trade. The other 24 chapters grant new corporate privileges and rights, while limiting governments and protective regulations.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
How Wall Street Financial Companies Stole Billions From Main Street / Politics / Credit Crisis 2012
By: Jesse
Funny how these stories of widespread and systematic financial corruption are so undercovered by the main stream media. Maybe it is because 'truth is a dagger pointed at their heart, which is their pocketbook.'
This is a long piece of investigative journalism, but well worth reading.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Destroying the Middle Class, Who Stole My Net Worth? / Politics / Social Issues
By: James_Quinn
In Part 1 of this three part series I addressed where and how the net worth of the middle class was stolen. In Part 2, I will tackle who stole your net worth and in Part 3, why they stole your net worth. Now let’s zero in on the culprits of this crime.
Dude, Who Stole My Net Worth?
“Thus far, both political parties have been remarkably clever and effective in concealing this new reality. In fact, the two parties have formed an innovative kind of cartel—an arrangement I have termed America’s political duopoly. Both parties lie about the fact that they have each sold out to the financial sector and the wealthy. So far both have largely gotten away with the lie, helped in part by the enormous amount of money now spent on deceptive, manipulative political advertising.” – Charles Ferguson – Predator Nation
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Germany's Revenge! Ominous Greece, EU Parallel to the 1930s / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Ron_Holland
"The Euro Titanic has now hit the iceberg and sadly there simply aren't enough lifeboats." – Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party
Another Greek election and an uncertain outcome will likely continue the corrupt status quo in Greece. The Greek politicians on the take by the EU interests acting like most Western politicians and the American two-party mafia monopoly will continue to steal from the Greek people and the bailouts while the nation gets poorer. We are watching a throwback to the Great Depression years of the 1930s in Europe.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Increasing Threats to Global Energy Supplies / Politics / Energy Resources
By: OilPrice_Com
As global energy supplies come under increasing attack by non-state actors and private energy holdings become key targets of political maneuverings and criminal activities, Oilprice.com discusses the nature of the growing threat and how to reverse the risk with "smart power."
To help us look at these issues we got together with Corporate intelligence specialists and security expert Jennifer Giroux.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Immigration Hurts American Employment / Politics / Employment
By: BATR
Facts mean very little in any debate about immigration north of the Rio Grande. One such example comes from a bastion of journalism, the Daily Beast. Arian Campo-Flores in an article, Why Americans Think (Wrongly) That Illegal Immigrants Hurt the Economy, cites an economist, Gordon Hanson in a 2005 paper.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Who Destroyed The Middle Class? / Politics / Social Issues
By: James_Quinn
"Over the last thirty years, the United States has been taken over by an amoral financial oligarchy, and the American dream of opportunity, education, and upward mobility is now largely confined to the top few percent of the population. Federal policy is increasingly dictated by the wealthy, by the financial sector, and by powerful (though sometimes badly mismanaged) industries such as telecommunications, health care, automobiles, and energy. These policies are implemented and praised by these groups’ willing servants, namely the increasingly bought-and-paid-for leadership of America’s political parties, academia, and lobbying industry.” – Charles Ferguson – Predator Nation
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Hollywood's New Propaganda Movie Hostage Thriller Glamorizes The CIA In Iran / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
Earlier this year, I was in Tehran for a conference on Hollywood’s power and impact. It was called “Hollywoodism,” featuring many scholars and critics of the values and political ideologies featured in many major movies with a focus on the way Israel (a.k.a., “the Zionists”) are continually portrayed as if they do no wrong.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Conservatives Hand Over Control of UK Police Forces to Labour Gravy Train Riders / Politics / UK Politics
By: N_Walayat
Labour who opposed the creation of Police and Crime Commissioner posts, announces its candidates for the jobs across England and Wales 41 police forces, who will be standing at the November 15th public elections which in most cases will just be a formality as the Conservatives, supposedly the party for law and order have effectively scored a huge own goal by handing over control of most of Britain's police force's to an assortment of Labour characters including ex Ministers and MP's, many of whom were criticised over their abuse of MP expenses, and a number had to repay tens of thousands of pounds and were lucky not to be prosecuted for alleged expenses fraud.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Meredith Whitney: Jamie Dimon is the Antithesis of Blankfein / Politics / Credit Crisis 2012
By: Bloomberg
Meredith Whitney appeared on Bloomberg Surveillance with Tom Keene this morning and talked about Jamie Dimon's testimony before Congress, saying that "He is, like nobody else, the antithesis of Blankfein. He charms. He's incredible. He gave the senators a massage and they gave him a massage back."
Whitney also said that, "I don't think this could have happened at a worse time for the banking industry."
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Monday, June 18, 2012
Greece Election Result Will Postpone Europe's Economic Recovery / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Bloomberg
Today on "Market Makers" with Erik Schatzker and Stephanie Ruhle, Mike Novogratz of Fortress Investment Group said that the results of the Greek election will postpone a recovery in Europe. He said, "If we had the Lehman moment it would have forced the European authorities to decide, are they in or are they out. But we've pushed the ball down the field."
Novogratz also said, "for your children's money you should be short every fixed-income instrument on the planet, or at least in the developed world...we're going to continue to have a lot of tension in the markets for awhile."
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Monday, June 18, 2012
Greece Crisis Through The Looking Glass / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Ian_R_Campbell
Why Read: Because in some (and perhaps many) respects Greece can now be seen as a small, and hence comparatively easily understood, 'microcosm' of what may happen in other developed countries going forward.
Featured Article: Multiple articles and other media last evening and this morning have reported and discussed yesterday's New Democracy Party victory in yesterday's Greek election.
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Friday, June 15, 2012
Former Goldman Sachs Director Rajat Gupta Found Guilty on Four Counts of Insider Trading / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Jesse
Jury deliberated only two days, finding Gupta guilty on four counts of insider trading, and innocent of two counts.
This was clearly a case of failing to maintain GPS coordinates when burying the bodies for your masters, and failing to provide sufficient campaign donations to the plutocracy.
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