Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
United States Fleeting Freedom: The Indecent Assault on Broadcasters / Politics / US Politics
By: Alex_Epstein
Don Watkins writes: The fleeting expletive case before the Supreme Court is about more than broadcasters' ability to air dirty words--it's about whether “community standards” should be allowed to override free speech.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Financial Crisis Illustrates Nation States Becoming Obsolete / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
In 1989, the global system pivoted when the Soviet Union retreated from Eastern Europe and began the process of disintegration that culminated in its collapse. In 2001, the system pivoted again when al Qaeda attacked targets in the United States on Sept. 11, triggering a conflict that defined the international system until the summer of 2008. The pivot of 2008 turned on two dates, Aug. 7 and Oct. 11. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 27, 2008
U.S. Government Spending the Economy into Oblivion / Politics / US Economy
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
With news this week that Congress is poised to consider a new stimulus package, I am forced to again ask a question that seems silly in Washington: How will we pay for this?Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What Should the Next President Do to Face the Crisis? / Politics / US Politics
By: Richard_C_Cook
Senior White House correspondent Helen Thomas said of Bush, “He is the worst president in all of American history.” The public shares Thomas's view. By mid-October 2008, ninety percent of those polled said the nation was headed in the wrong direction.
Former President Jimmy Carter said something similar in the area of foreign policy: “I think, as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.”
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
The World After the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election: War or Peace? / Politics / US Politics
By: Richard_C_Cook
With the presidential election only a week away, the financial crisis has been dominating the news, but behind it is an even larger question of war vs. peace. This article will appear in a forthcoming issue of Eurasia Critic magazine. INTRODUCTION
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Saturday, October 25, 2008
America's Buddy-Buddy Presidential Campaign Press Corps / Politics / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
It's a little more than a week before the presidential election, and I'm worried about what happens afterwards. I'm not worried about the candidates, the people, or the country. I'm worried about the media.
First, I'm worried about the TV ad salespeople. For more than a year they haven't had to do much other than sit back and open digital files from the politicians. Now, the salespeople will actually have to go to work to fill airtime.
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
U.S. Housing Market Boom and Crash Engineered by the Government / Politics / US Housing
By: Richard_C_Cook
They Did It On Purpose: The Housing Bubble and Its Crash Were Engineered from the Highest Levels of the U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, and the Financial Industry
During the Clinton administration, the government required the financial industry to start expanding the frequency of mortgage loans to consumers who might not have qualified in the past.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
U.S. Government Spends Trillions to Support Flawed Banking System / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: John_Browne
Most Americans have come to accept the simple truth that we have eroded our national wealth by consuming far more than we produce. With this understanding taking hold, and with the severity of the financial crisis spreading, government has an opportunity to radically change course to put the nation on a different economic path. But rather than making a meaningful turn, all our politicians are willing to do is put their foot on the accelerator. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Time to Stop Blaming and Start Solving the Credit Crisis Debt Problems / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Frank_Holmes
One of the key reasons behind the current financial crisis is that the big investment banks, hedge funds and other financial companies borrowed way too much money. Another key reason we're in this big mess is that way too many American households borrowed way too much money.
Extreme debt is the common denominator that links Wall Street and Main Street , and the numbers are truly staggering. When the debt suddenly came due, neither Street had anywhere near the cash to cover it. Overleveraging hurt hedge funds when markets got tougher and many of their investors wanted their money back. These hedge funds were forced to sell sizable positions in natural resources and energy equities, driving prices down sharply.
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Defusing the Threat of Nuclear War / Politics / New Cold War
By: Axel_Merk
Dr. Martin Hellman writes:
Soaring, Cryptography and Nuclear Weapons
Section 1: 99.9% Safe Maneuvers - Let's face it, nuclear weapons are the elephant in the room that no one likes to talk about. So let's approach the issue from the less threatening perspective of the awesome picture below.
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mixing of US Election Politics with Crude Oil / Politics / Crude Oil
By: Gary_Dorsch
With two weeks left before the US presidential election, is Arizona Senator John “Maverick” McCain's sprint for the White House at a dead-end? His challenger, Illinois Democrat Barack Obama raked in $150 million in donor contributions from domestic and possibly foreign sources last month, and is planning an unrelenting brainwashing campaign until Election Day, in order to cement his lead in the opinion polls, and guide the Democrats to complete control of the US-government.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Government Bailouts Herald New Era of Tax Payer Slavery / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
In the midst of highly unpopular bailouts of Wall Street, many justifications have been given about why Washington feels the need to act. Some claim that capitalism and the free market are to blame, but we have not had capitalism. If you compare our financial capital to our aggregate debt, this would be obvious. In the same way, we have not had a truly free market. The monetary manipulations of the Federal Reserve, a complex tax code, the many "oversight" agencies and their mountains of regulations show that we are far removed from a free market economy. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, October 20, 2008
The End Game- Greatest Ponzi Scheme in History Part2 / Politics / Global Financial System
By: David_Chu
deleted
Monday, October 20, 2008
The World of MLM's - Greatest Ponzi Scheme in History Part1 / Politics / Scams
By: David_Chu
deleted.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Bush Seeks Advice from Credit Crisis Losers Instead of Winners / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Mike_Shedlock
In response to the Credit crisis president Bush is gathering up all the people who did not see what was coming, denied what was happening, and then failed to see the implications of what was indeed happening. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Nationalizing the Banks – Response to reader criticism / Politics / Nationalization
By: Brian_Bloom
Thank you for your carefully considered argument in rebuttal of my (conceptual) proposal to nationalize the banking industry.
Perhaps you will think less ill of me if we can agree on precisely what has been occupying my thoughts – because it appears to me that you are making some unfounded assumptions regarding what I am actually proposing for consideration.
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Saturday, October 18, 2008
Paulson Panics Over UK Banking Crisis Solution / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: F_William_Engdahl
America's de facto Finance Czar, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has reached for the panic button and made a dramatic 180-degree reversal of his financial bailout plan passed only days before. On September 23 in testimony before the US Congress, Paulson, former CEO of the politically influential Wall Street investment firm, Goldman Sachs, declared his adamant opposition to the idea of the US Government taking equity stakes in troubled major banks in order to provide them capital and stabilize the frozen interbank trading market. On October 13, that opposition to ‘nationalization' collapsed. What happened to cause that sudden reverse is what interests us here. It shows the utter lack of coherency in the US financial elites over how to deal with their home-grown securitization of risk fiasco. Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Eight Forecasts in the Wake of the Financial 9/11 / Politics / Financial Crash
By: T_Anthony_Michael
Forecast #1 As we all sit back and wait for this year's October Surprise, please know that it came a little bit early this year on September 15th which will forever be known as BLACK MONDAY. Actually, the entire month of October is set up to be a series of Black Monday's, as well as every other day of the week is shaping up to be. It's really a good time to brace your self since this year's election cycle, and beyond, will bring with it a whole new season of surprises. Things like the beginning of the end of FIAT money – the real root cause of all our financial problems and economic ills.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Big Bailout of 2008 Breeds Moral Hazard and Socialism / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Michael_J_Kosares
There has been a great deal of finger-pointing going on.
Who is to blame for this extraordinary crisis? Arguably, it is the most personal of the many crises visited upon us in my lifetime and probably the most far-reaching since, as of this morning, it had engulfed most of the world. Congress and the American people are looking for a "villain" or "villains" -- someone or some group that can be tagged with the blame for what has happened to the world economy.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Voter Backlash Coming Against Labour Government Economic Incompetence / Politics / UK Economy
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Whilst Gordon Brown continues to enjoy and revel in the financial armageddon bounce, that looks set to ensure that the leadership challenge has been delayed until September 2009. However as the UK economy plunges into recession increasingly voters will become outraged at the Labour party effectively doubling the national debt by an additional £500 billion of which at least £90 billion is money lost, never to be recovered. After all this is what socialism is all about i.e. to stop bankrupt companies from going bust, whilst ratcheting up enormous amounts of debt. Read full article... Read full article...