Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Credit Crisis Breeding Fascism for the "Public Good" / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Darryl_R_Schoon
THE KILLERS ARE WITH THE PATIENT - There is nothing more dangerous than when those responsible for a nation's troubles are believed to be its sa vio r.
The Wall Street Journal had one fact correct regarding Wall Street's accelerating collapse when on September 20th they wrote: When government officials surveyed the failing American financial system this week, they didn't see only a collapsed investment bank or the surrender of a giant insurance firm. They saw the circulatory system of the U.S. economy—credit markets—starting to fail .
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Monday, September 22, 2008
How US Congress Intends To Waste $1.8 Trillion / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Mike_Shedlock
The size of the bailout is growing by leaps and bounds. Inquiring minds are asking A $1.8 Trillion Bailout: Where the Money's Going?
—Up to $700 billion to buy assets from struggling institutions. The plan is aimed at sopping up residential and commercial mortgages from financial institutions but gives Treasury broad latitude.
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Mushroom Cloud over Wall Street as US Constitution Burns / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Mike_Whitney
These are dark times. While you were sleeping the cockroaches were busy about their work, rummaging through the US Constitution, and putting the finishing touches on a scheme to assert absolute power over the nation's financial markets and the country's economic future. Industry representative Henry Paulson has submitted legislation to congress that will finally end the pretense that Bush controls anything more than reading the lines from a 4' by 6' teleprompter situated just inches from his lifeless pupils. Paulson is in charge now, and the coronation is set for sometime early next week. He rose to power in a stealthily-executed Bankster's Coup in which he, and his coterie of dodgy friends, declared martial law on the US economy while elevating himself to supreme leader. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Gordon Brown Saved by Financial Armageddon / Politics / UK Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Last weeks near collapse of the worlds financial system that was brought home to British voters and labour party members on a near daily basis with an ever increasing meltdown being observed as Britain's biggest mortgage bank HBOS teetered on the brink of nationalisation, has to all intents and purposes brought the risk of an imminent leadership challenge against Gordon Brown to an end, this despite all of the protestations from the growing labour rebels who will fail to bring down their leader, but are succeeding in destroying any chances the Labour party has of winning the next election as the voters despise disunity within political parties. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Geopolitical Imperatives Driving Russia and United States New Cold War / Politics / New Cold War
By: STRATFOR
Over the past several months we have written quite a bit about the Russian resurgence . This discussion predates Russia's military action in Georgia. Indeed, we have discussed the revival of Russian power since at least 2005, the implications of the FSB's return since April and the potential return of the Cold War since March. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Congressional Leaders Stunned That Bernanke Finally Admits The Truth / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Mike_Shedlock
The New York Times is reporting Congressional Leaders Stunned by Warnings It was a room full of pople who rarely hold their tongues. But as the Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, laid out the potentially devastating ramifications of the financial crisis before congressional leaders on Thursday night, there was a stunned silence at first
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Friday, September 19, 2008
The Death of Capitalism / Politics / Government Intervention
By: Andy_Sutton
Markets have soared late this week on the news that Superman (aka Henry Paulson) will once again fly into the heat of battle and snatch victory from the jaws of sure defeat. According to Paulson, the federal government is busily crafting a taxpayer funded scheme to absorb all of the bad mortgage debt and make Wall Street whole again. The idea of course is to put an end to the annoying financial crisis so we can get back to the serious business of overconsumption and debt accumulation.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 19, 2008
The United States Becoming an Impoverished Nation / Politics / US Economy
By: Richard_C_Cook
Everything the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury Department are trying to do to stem the tide of the self-destructing U.S. financial system is a stopgap. They are locking the barn door after the horse—many horses—have already escaped, and they know it.
They also know the cause of the crisis is not subprime mortgage lending—that was just the trigger. Cries to re-regulate the failed financial industry are coming from Congress, the media, and investors around the world. But lax regulation is not the cause of the problem either.
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
Obama and McCain Don't Understand the Financial Markets / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Frank_Holmes
I saw both John McCain and Joe Biden on CNBC this week, and I was astounded by the shallowness of their answers on how to address the current economic crisis.
Both offered the typical Capitol Hill solution to any problem – more regulations.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Russia Seeks to Reforge Cold-War Era Influence on its Borders / Politics / New Cold War
By: STRATFOR
Russia is attempting to reforge its Cold War-era influence in its near abroad. This is not simply an issue of nostalgia, but a perfectly logical and predictable reaction to the Russian environment. Russia lacks easily definable, easily defendable borders. There is no redoubt to which the Russians can withdraw, and the only security they know comes from establishing buffers — buffers which tend to be lost in times of crisis. The alternative is for Russia to simply trust other states to leave it alone. Considering Russia's history of occupations, from the Mongol horde to Napoleonic France to Hitler's Germany, it is not difficult to surmise why the Russians tend to choose a more activist set of policies. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, September 15, 2008
It Is Real, It Is Taking Place, It Will Overcome You / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
Firstly, I personally compliment Nadeem and Market Oracle for providing a true and open platform. Secondly, I compliment the high craft and knowledge of those who contribute to this web site. Most of what I learned about markets, theories, economic systems and their political correlations I learned here.
Today I read, and now quote from (with emphases by me), three writers:
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Crash of Western Capitalist Civilization? / Politics / Economic Depression
By: Richard_C_Cook
“Train-wreck” doesn't even begin to describe what is starting to happen to the U.S. today with the financial crisis, an onrushing depression, and the failure of George W. Bush's war policy as he is faced down by Iran and the Russian bear.
But in an even broader sense, the West, as a civilization, after a century of world war and the utter failure of global finance capitalism, may have reached its limits.
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
"America Today", from Almanac 2021 / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
America was a culture based almost exclusively on material possessions and monetary acquisition, and chief proponent of pure capitalism. When money was exhausted, credit took its place, but soon there was no collateral to back that credit or revenue to pay it back. By this time, the nation and its people were indentured to foreign countries while simultaneously taking or threatening military actions against them. Since its inception, accelerating from the Civil War period, Plutocracy had risen and finally ruled the country making divisions between rich and poor extreme, though successfully masked through instruments of mass delusion.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
United States Takes a Quantum Leap Towards Socialism / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_Pento
Unfortunately, we Americans now realize that the decision by Ben Bernanke to slash the Fed Funds rate to 2% (a three hundred twenty five basis point reduction) was just the opening act in this Republican administration's socialism play. At the time some wondered why the government didn't just allow home prices fall to historical averages rather than seeking to lower the value of the U.S. dollar and send inflation to a 17-year high. Now we have learned just this past weekend that the Department of the Treasury has come up with a plan for conservatorship of the GSEs, enacting the largest bailout in the history of the United States. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Obama, McCain and Your 2009 Income Tax Bill / Politics / US Politics
By: Money_and_Markets
Nilus Mattive writes: With the national conventions behind us, and a series of debates now on the horizon, today I want to give you a little preview of what each of the two major party's candidates might do to our tax bills in 2009.
Before we go any further, I want to make something absolutely clear: I'm not endorsing either candidate's platform. I don't think they go nearly far enough in terms of true reform.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Russian Strategic Bombers in Washington's Backyard / Politics / New Cold War
By: STRATFOR
SummaryTwo Russian Tu-160 “Blackjack” strategic bombers reportedly landed in Venezuela on Sept. 10. If this is a Russian military foray into the Caribbean, it will be the first since the Cold War. The move also give Venezuela an opportunity to annoy the United States by letting Washington's old Cold War rival operate from its territory, in the United States' backyard.
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Sunday, September 07, 2008
Sarah Palin the Fundamentalist Pitbull Wolf Killer / Politics / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
Defibrillator usage increased last week after John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate and only a heartbeat from control of the nation's nuclear arsenal. But, shortly after most Republicans were shocked back to life they circled the wagons to declare she was the perfect choice. Apparently, the cure also included a dose of psychotropic drugs as well.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Dick Cheney Seeks War on Russia / Politics / New Cold War
By: Ian_Brockwell
Following a three-day visit to former Soviet States Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine, Dick Cheney continued his thinly disguised threats against Russia and sought backing for stronger action against a country that was forced to defend its citizens recently, following an attack by US ally Georgia.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Fiscal Stupidity, Unintelligence in Federal Intelligence Agencies / Politics / US Politics
By: Joel_S_Hirschhorn
The Bush administration has found yet another way to waste taxpayer money while providing huge sums to private contractors. According to a survey of activities in 2007 by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, about a third of the federal professional intelligence workforce now consists of contractors, mostly in the Washington, DC area.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, September 05, 2008
Russo-Georgian War Aftermath Impact on Financial Markets / Politics / Global Financial System
By: STRATFOR
A redefinition of Russia has taken place — rather jarringly — following its war with Georgia, and the entire world is reassessing its position and relations with the resurgent power. This reassessment includes financial factors — a much more tender area for today's Russia than for the Soviet Union, because Russia's large economy is tied into the global economy. Read full article... Read full article...