Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Wall Street’s Ratings Agencies Undermine Europe’s Attempt at Economic Recovery Acting Like Financial Terrorists / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Danny_Schechter
We live in an increasingly degraded country. Our politics are degraded and a laughing stock to the word. Our military is demoralized and degraded with soldiers urinating on dead civilians and awaiting deployment orders for the next illegal intervention.
Our education system has been degraded with standards falling and pervasive defunding. Our transportation system, ditto.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Fed Plays PR Games / Politics / Central Banks
By: John_Browne
The world was taken by surprise recently by the Federal Reserve Board's announcement that it would publish some of its economic forecasting that forms the basis for its short-term interest rate strategy. The Fed claims that the move will vastly increase so-called transparency, which has become a buzz word for honesty and virtue. However, the new policies do nothing to remove the cloak of secrecy that conceals still many of its most significant activities. This myth of new transparency will do little to lure investors back into the markets but as an unintended consequence will reveal just how profoundly the markets are currently guided from the top.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Burning Eurozone, All is Quiet on the Eastern Front? / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Andy_Sutton
2011 had been touted as the year that everything would change. Massive paradigm shifts would rock our world and many a prophecy was made regarding financial crises, currency crises, wars, rumors of wars, and there was even one fellow who said the world itself would end, although he later retracted his predictions, but not before his followers had spent their life savings putting up billboards. Such hysteria is certainly the hallmark of times such as these, but we have to keep in mind that just because some of the predicted events didn’t happen yet, we’re a long, long way from being out of the woods. There is an old saying that if you do what you’ve always done; you’re going to get what you’ve always gotten. If we continue to sow the seeds of false fixes and faulty economics, we’re going to continue to reap financial and economic crisis. It really is that simple.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Food Provisions Shortage Sparked Arab Spring / Politics / Food Crisis
By: Richard_Mills
In 1798 32 year-old British economist Malthus anonymously published "An Essay on the Principle of Population" and in it he argued that human population's increase geometrically (1, 2, 4, 16 etc.) while their food supply can only increase arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4 etc.).
"The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man". Thomas Robert Malthus
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Friday, January 13, 2012
If You're Out of Work Blame Your Cell Phone / Politics / Social Issues
By: Money_Morning
Martin Hutchinson writes:
Times are tough out there.
We would like to blame China, incompetent politicians, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the banking system, or some unseen forces for this phenomenon.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
The US Lusts To Rule the Globe, The Next War on Washington’s Agenda / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
Only the blind do not see that the US government is preparing to attack Iran. According to Professor Michel Chossudovsky, “Active war preparations directed against Iran (with the involvement of Israel and NATO) were initiated in May 2003.”
Washington has deployed missiles directed at Iran in its oil emirate puppet states, Oman and the UAE, and little doubt in the other US puppet states in the Middle East. Washington has beefed up Saudi Arabia’s jet fighter force. Most recently, Washington has deployed 9,000 US troops to Israel to participate in “war games” designed to test the US/Israeli air defense system. As Iran represents no threat unless attacked, Washington’s war preparations signal Washington’s intention to attack Iran.
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
United States, the Worlds Biggest Zombie, All Empires End Badly / Politics / US Debt
By: Bill_Bonner
Not much action at the end of last week… Gold closed the week over $1,600. Oil remained over $100.
The show goes on!
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Washington’s Plan to Isolate Iran is Drifting Towards a Profitable Stalemate / Politics / Middle East
By: Patrick_Henningsen
On the surface, the latest spat between the West and Iran looks like a step closer to war, with tensions reaching a fever pitch on both sides of this potential conflict. Upon closer examination however, present conditions are not particularly ideal for a preemptive strike against Iran by the US and Israel. There is still much money to be made from the current crisis – on both sides, before the winds of war could be unleashed on the region.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Another Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed as Covert War Against Iran Escalates / Politics / Middle East
By: Finian_Cunningham
The US covert war against Iran raised the stakes even higher today with the assassination of yet another nuclear scientist, with some analysts saying that the Islamic Republic is being pushed into a corner to either back down in its confrontation with the US or retaliate – the latter most certainly triggering an all-out war.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Federal Reserve System Set to Bankrupt United States Again / Politics / Government Spending
By: Jeff_Berwick
One of the downsides of having government education camps (the school system) "educate" most of us slaves is that most of us have no clue what occured prior to our own lifetimes. And what we think we know is incorrect or never happened.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Shop the Local Merchant Economy / Politics / Social Issues
By: BATR
Buying at large box stores is a way of life for many consumers. Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target are routine locations to spend your hard-earned dollars on items of necessity. However, what happens to the profits when the sale is completed and the bills are paid? Does the money stay in the local community, where the transactions are generated, or are they filtered off to the treasury of public companies that dominate the economy? The pitiful answer, well known to the chagrin of the small business enterprises, is a prime reason why the middle class is vanishing. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
2012 – The Year Of Living Dangerously / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
“In retrospect, the spark might seem as ominous as a financial crash, as ordinary as a national election, or as trivial as a Tea Party. The catalyst will unfold according to a basic Crisis dynamic that underlies all of these scenarios: An initial spark will trigger a chain reaction of unyielding responses and further emergencies. The core elements of these scenarios (debt, civic decay, global disorder) will matter more than the details, which the catalyst will juxtapose and connect in some unknowable way. If foreign societies are also entering a Fourth Turning, this could accelerate the chain reaction. At home and abroad, these events will reflect the tearing of the civic fabric at points of extreme vulnerability – problem areas where America will have neglected, denied, or delayed needed action.” – Strauss & Howe - The Fourth Turning - 1997
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Washington’s Plan to Isolate Iran is Drifting Towards a Stalemate / Politics / Middle East
By: Patrick_Henningsen
From the surface, the latest spat between the West and Iran looks like a step closer to war, with tensions reaching a fever pitch on both sides of this potential conflict. But upon closer examination however, present conditions are not particularly ideal for a preemptive strike against Iran. There is still much money to be made from the current crisis – on both sides, before the winds of war could be unleashed on the region.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The A-Z Of Occupation, Occupy Wall Street / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
Every social movement I have been involved with, or covering, develops invents its own language of liberation, its own alphabet, and its own buzzwords, rhetoric and discourse. Here are some of the key words I heard/retained in covering the Occupy Wall Street movement. I am sure there are many words, phrases, and slogans I overlooked, never heard or forgot. Send your favorites to: dissector@mediachannel.org.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Consumer Credit Advanced in the United States / Politics / US Politics
By: Asha_Bangalore
Consumer credit grew at an annual rate of 10.0% in November, inclusive of strong growth in revolving (+8.5%) and non-revolving credit (+10.7%). This is another metric that is indicative of improving economic conditions in the U.S. economy.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Russia Regime Change, Why Washington Wants ‘Finito’ with Putin / Politics / US Politics
By: F_William_Engdahl
Washington clearly wants ‘finito’ with Russia’s Putin as in basta! or as they said in Egypt last spring, Kefaya--enough!. Hillary Clinton and friends have apparently decided Russia’s prospective next president, Vladimir Putin, is a major obstacle to their plans. Few however understand why. Russia today, in tandem with China and to a significant degree Iran, form the spine, however shaky, of the only effective global axis of resistance to a world dominated by one sole superpower.
Monday, January 09, 2012
The Ultimate Consumer Protection / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
This week, partisan games in Washington reached a fevered pitch as Congress acted to prevent recess appointments, yet the administration made them anyway. Congress has been gaveling into session for less than a minute every three days for the express purpose of technically staying in session. The 40 second "pro forma" sessions may strike supporters of the President as obstructionist, but Congress was using its clear constitutional authority and playing by the rules. Frustrated, the President simply disregarded the Constitution, and appointed Richard Cordray as head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Board, and Sharon Block, Richard Griffin, and Terence Flynn to the National Labor Relations Board anyway.
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Monday, January 09, 2012
Getting Fired Don't Panic / Politics / Social Issues
By: Gary_North
It has happened before. I did not plan on it happening again.
On Wednesday, January 4, the server system that hosts my website, http://GaryNorth.com, crashed.
I did not get fired by my paying subscribers. I got fired by digits that failed.
Fortunately, I was re-hired on Friday. The site came back online.
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Sunday, January 08, 2012
Who's Worse: The Nazis or the US Government? / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
The word "nazi" and all of its requisite icons have been so sensationalized that naming your child "Adolf Hitler" results in having your baby taken away by the government... and drawing a swastika is still illegal in many countries, including Germany, Hungary, Poland and Brazil.
Yet, in so many ways, the US Government has surpassed the nazis in evil... the only difference is that they are much, much smarter at how they do it.
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Friday, January 06, 2012
Failed Education Policy Has Crippled U.S. Economy / Politics / Education
By: Barry_Elias
Relative economic immobility in the United States is a function of our failed education policy during the past four decades.
According to the Economic Mobility Project conducted by The Pew Charitable Trust, work force participation by women increased 30 percentage points, from 40 percent to 70 percent, during this time. For 30 years (1974-2004), inflation adjusted income for women in their 30s surged 300 percent.