Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Obama's Agenda to Destroy the Few Remaining Solvent U.S. States / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Shedlock
In response to Oregon Wins Blue Ribbon for Unfounded Optimism; Everything "Weaker than Expected" several astute readers sent me a link to a Heritage Foundation article regarding public unions, collective bargaining, and their role in the state budget crisis.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
HMRC Northern Ireland Racist Staff Systemic Underpayment of Benefits To Ethnic Minorities / Politics / UK Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The HMRC sacked seven of its Belfast workers with an additional 2 workers having already resigned for systemic racist abuse of ethnic minority benefit claimants by tampering with their computer records so that people from an ethnic minority background were paid less money then they were entitled to receive.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Washington And Wall Street Depending On Deceptive Economic Statistics / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
August 17, Bloomberg reported a US government release that industrial production rose twice as much as forecast, climbing 1 percent. Bloomberg interpreted this to mean that "increased business investment is propelling the gains in manufacturing, which accounts for 11 percent of the world’s largest economy."
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Bankster's Business As Usual as Banks Settle Fraud Charges / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Danny_Schechter
Another day, another bank in the news -- with the settlement blues.
Now, Barclays is coughing up $298 million for violating a US Trade law. A Judge is still deliberating on a settlement that may cost Citi $70-$100 million for misleading investors about $40 billion in sleazy subprime holdings .
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Without A Revolution, Americans Are History / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
The United States is running out of time to get its budget and trade deficits under control. Despite the urgency of the situation, 2010 has been wasted in hype about a non-existent recovery. As recently as August 2 Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner penned a New York Times Column, Welcome to the Recovery.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Vestiges of Nuclear War Begin To Appear in Asia / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Pravda
On August 6 and 9, the world marked the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings marked the ending of WWII: Japan was forced to capitulate over the fear of even more destructive attacks. However, even after the first-ever practical nuclear bombings the world could not stop from ending the nuclear race.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Pakistan Floods, From Natural Disaster to Social Catastrophe / Politics / Pakistan
By: Global_Research
Snehal Shingavi writes: The floods which have devastated huge areas of Pakistan may be an act of nature, but the worsening humanitarian crisis that followed is a direct result of the failures of Pakistan's venal leaders – and the impact of the U.S. “war on terror.”
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
U.S. Iraq Withdrawal Limited Options / Politics / Iraq War
By: STRATFOR
It is August 2010, which is the month when the last U.S. combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq. It is therefore time to take stock of the situation in Iraq, which has changed places with Afghanistan as the forgotten war. This is all the more important since 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq, and while they may not be considered combat troops, a great deal of combat power remains embedded with them. So we are far from the end of the war in Iraq. The question is whether the departure of the last combat units is a significant milestone and, if it is, what it signifies.
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Ron Paul on Washington's Idea of Fiscal Restraint / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
It has been months now since the new healthcare reform bill was passed into law. As is so typical, this massive piece of legislation was passed with a sense of urgency so acute that leadership declared America could not afford to wait until legislators, their staff and the general public had time to thoroughly read the bill.
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Monday, August 16, 2010
How can the U.S. Win the Afghan War By Killing Mainly Civilians? / Politics / Afghanistan
By: Pravda
The war in Afghanistan brings increasingly more losses, both for the soldiers of the international coalition, and for the civilian population.
In July, 45 soldiers from the international contingent, 33 of them Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan. In June, the loss amounted to 100 people, the worst month for 9 years of war. “We are experiencing the most difficult moment in the war,” Brigadier General Joseph Blotts, a representative of ISAF forces, said at a press conference.
Monday, August 16, 2010
U.S. Military is America's Only Major Jobs Program / Politics / Employment
By: Global_Research
Robert Reich writes: Over 1,400,000 Americans are now on active duty; another 833,000 are in the reserves, many full time. Another 1,600,000 Americans work in companies that supply the military with everything from weapons to utensils. (I’m not even including all the foreign contractors employing non-US citizens.)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Pakistan Floods Disaster and U.S. Humanitarian Warfare / Politics / Pakistan
By: Global_Research
Felicity Arbuthnot writes: .. to wade through slaughter ... and shut the gates of mercy on mankind." Thomas Gray (1716-1771.)
The scale of the disaster caused by the floods in Pakistan, is barely comprehensible. As Juan Cole has written, expressing near disbelief : "The submerged area of the country is as big as the United Kingdom, fourteen million Pakistanis are affected, two million are homeless." Six million need immediate relief, according to the UN., and thirty six thousand are suffering from acute diarrhoeal symptoms, with cholera already diagnosed. 1,600 are reported dead, with the number certain to multiply. Famine is a real possibility.
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Massive Widespread Economic Pain Across America / Politics / US Politics
By: Joel_S_Hirschhorn
the United States is not kaput it is certainly withering away even as a rich upper class enjoys all the things that money buys. There is massive, widespread economic pain inflicting a huge fraction of Americans who are unemployed, underemployed, relying on food stamps, losing their homes, and who are feeling totally insecure financially. This maintains sluggish consumer spending that makes necessary economic growth impossible.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
What Economic Crisis, Bank and Corporate Profits Soar! / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
James Petras writes: While progressives and leftists write about the “crises of capitalism”, manufacturers, petroleum companies, bankers and most other major corporations on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific coast are chuckling all the way to the bank.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
U.S. China Conflict, Moving From War of Words to Talk of War / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Rick_Rozoff
Relations between the U.S. and China have been steadily deteriorating since the beginning of the year when Washington confirmed the completion of a $6.4 billion arms deal with Taiwan and China suspended military-to-military ties with the U.S. in response.
In January the Chinese Defense Ministry announced the cessation of military exchanges between the two countries and the Foreign Ministry warned of enforcing sanctions against American companies involved with weapons sales to Taiwan.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
How to Thwart the Assassins of the American Dream / Politics / US Politics
By: Janet_Tavakoli
Arianna Huffington's new book, Third World America: How Our Politicians are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream, paints a grim picture of the State of the Union:
"Every day, Americans, faced with layoffs and tough economic times, are forced to use their credit cards to pay for essentials such as food, housing, and medical care -- the costs of which continue to escalate. But, as their debt rises, they find it harder to keep up with their payments. When they don't, banks, trying to offset losses in other areas, turn around, hike interest rates, and impose all manner of fees and penalties..." Third World America, (P. 77)
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Fed is Confused / Politics / Central Banks
By: Adam_Lass
The Federal Reserve has confused "changing nothing" for "doing nothing." The result? They are still the worst actor on Wall Street.
I was wrong.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
Will the Pension Time Bomb Set Off a Crime Explosion? / Politics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Justice_Litle
When state and local budgets fall short, services are cut. That means critical services like police and fire and transport... and with the pension crisis looming, the unkindest cuts of all still lay ahead.
Diane Cunningham of Colorado Springs, Colo., no longer has a flat-screen television. She decided to sell it... so she could buy a shotgun.
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Saturday, August 14, 2010
NATO Assists In Building New Iraq Middle East Proxy Army / Politics / Middle East
By: Rick_Rozoff
A North Atlantic Treaty Organization website recently posted an article by the commander of the NATO Training Mission – Iraq, American Lieutenant General Michael Barbero, entitled "NATO Training Mission – Iraq: Tactical Size...Strategic Impact" which reflected on the six-year-old but little known role of the Western military bloc in the Middle Eastern nation.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Social Insecurity / Politics / Social Issues
By: MISES
Paul Cwik writes: Oh joy, oh joy! It has finally arrived! You wouldn't believe how excited I was to receive a letter from the Social Security Administration. In the letter, they dutifully showed me how much taxable income I have ever made. (Is it me, or is there something really creepy about that?) They showed me how much I have paid in taxes and how much my employer also "paid." Then they showed me how much my payment would be if I retire at full retirement (67 years old — not 62 or 65 like you may have heard) and if I delay "collecting" until I turn 70.