
Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Tweetonomics: Implications of @realDonaldTrump / Politics / US Politics
By: Axel_Merk
 Faced with a Tweeter-in-chief, how are investors to navigate what's ahead?  Is there a strategy behind President Trump's outbursts; and if so, how shall  investors position themselves to protect their portfolios or profit from it?
Faced with a Tweeter-in-chief, how are investors to navigate what's ahead?  Is there a strategy behind President Trump's outbursts; and if so, how shall  investors position themselves to protect their portfolios or profit from it?
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The Yoke Of Stupidity Is Strangling America / Politics / US Politics
By: Barry_M_Ferguson
 California Governor Brown says the  state budget deficit is growing and one of the reasons is the minimum wage  increase that state voters just approved. Duh! State government worker pay is  tied to minimum wages and as minimum wages go up, so too do government wages.  That means the state government has to increase expenses and that calls for  even higher taxes. Those extra taxes might be hard to raise as survey out  revealed that in states and municipalities that elected to raise minimum wages,  75% of business respondents reported they were cutting back on hours and  employees as a result. Duh! Can humans get any stupider? From my last post, the  governor and the voters should have listened to the smartest man in California,  Simon Salazar.
California Governor Brown says the  state budget deficit is growing and one of the reasons is the minimum wage  increase that state voters just approved. Duh! State government worker pay is  tied to minimum wages and as minimum wages go up, so too do government wages.  That means the state government has to increase expenses and that calls for  even higher taxes. Those extra taxes might be hard to raise as survey out  revealed that in states and municipalities that elected to raise minimum wages,  75% of business respondents reported they were cutting back on hours and  employees as a result. Duh! Can humans get any stupider? From my last post, the  governor and the voters should have listened to the smartest man in California,  Simon Salazar.  
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Does Trump Have a Magic Wand? I Simply Don’t Buy It! / Politics / US Politics
By: Harry_Dent
 As  Trump was inaugurated, it seems most people are feeling better about the  economy. Even a more liberal analyst said yesterday in an interview that he  thought Trump should raise the minimum wage to $15 to stimulate demand!
As  Trump was inaugurated, it seems most people are feeling better about the  economy. Even a more liberal analyst said yesterday in an interview that he  thought Trump should raise the minimum wage to $15 to stimulate demand!Seriously?!
A Bernie Sanders, far-left strategy in a Republican Congress?
How delusional can you get?
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Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Deep State in the Age of Trump / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: BATR
 Politics   as usual, especially the party version                                      of Republicans and Democrats is the   latest endangered species to hit the bone yards of extinction. Now, that   does not mean                                      that competing power factions have   all merged into a collegial stew of some imaginable melting pot. No the   literal power behind                                      the government that embeds the   deepest recess of manipulated reality still maintains and uses their   influence and coercion                                      force to remain in control. What   actual effect Donald Trump will have to break the connections that keeps   the deep state in                                      charge can only be judged with the   passage of time. Some contend that Trump is actually an integral   component of an elitist                                      fraternity of financial magnates   that sit at the table of the deep state.
Politics   as usual, especially the party version                                      of Republicans and Democrats is the   latest endangered species to hit the bone yards of extinction. Now, that   does not mean                                      that competing power factions have   all merged into a collegial stew of some imaginable melting pot. No the   literal power behind                                      the government that embeds the   deepest recess of manipulated reality still maintains and uses their   influence and coercion                                      force to remain in control. What   actual effect Donald Trump will have to break the connections that keeps   the deep state in                                      charge can only be judged with the   passage of time. Some contend that Trump is actually an integral   component of an elitist                                      fraternity of financial magnates   that sit at the table of the deep state.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Trump's Foreign Policy An Unwise Inconsistency? / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Throughout the presidential campaign, Donald Trump's foreign policy positions have been anything but consistent. One day we heard that NATO was obsolete and the US needs to pursue better relations with Russia. But the next time he spoke, these sensible positions were abandoned or an opposite position was taken. Trump's inconsistent rhetoric left us wondering exactly what kind of foreign policy he would pursue if elected.
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Monday, January 23, 2017
United States Common Sense - 2017 / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
 In Part    One of this article I explored Thomas Paine's critical role in the creation    of our nation. His Common    Sense pamphlets inspired the common people to uncommon acts of courage    and heroic feats of valor; leading to the great experiment we call the United    States of America. Paine, Franklin and the other Founding Fathers produced    a republic, if we could keep it.
In Part    One of this article I explored Thomas Paine's critical role in the creation    of our nation. His Common    Sense pamphlets inspired the common people to uncommon acts of courage    and heroic feats of valor; leading to the great experiment we call the United    States of America. Paine, Franklin and the other Founding Fathers produced    a republic, if we could keep it.
John Adams championed the new Constitution precisely because it would not create a democracy, as he knew a democracy "soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself." Their herculean efforts, sacrifices, and bloodshed have been for naught as we allowed our republic to devolve into a democracy and ultimately into our current corporate fascist warfare/welfare surveillance state. Sadly, we were unable to keep the republic Franklin and his fellow revolutionaries gave us.
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Monday, January 23, 2017
HBO HOMELAND Bet on HIllary Clinton Winning US Election and LOST / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: Nadeem_Walayat
 The new series of HBO's award winning HOMELAND began Sunday that onc more paints the CIA as fighting the good fight across the globe against threats to America. However, wishful thinking on part of the writers of Hillary winning the election did not quite pan out that way. So within 10 minutes of the start of episode 1 we see a sane President Elect understanding HER brief and having valid questions of the lead actors in the series about sending in 70,000 ground troops into Syria, which does not gel with the reality of President Trump who's policy is simply to "Bomb the Shit out of them".
The new series of HBO's award winning HOMELAND began Sunday that onc more paints the CIA as fighting the good fight across the globe against threats to America. However, wishful thinking on part of the writers of Hillary winning the election did not quite pan out that way. So within 10 minutes of the start of episode 1 we see a sane President Elect understanding HER brief and having valid questions of the lead actors in the series about sending in 70,000 ground troops into Syria, which does not gel with the reality of President Trump who's policy is simply to "Bomb the Shit out of them". 
Sunday, January 22, 2017
The Epidemic of Bad Ideas / Politics / Social Issues
By: David_Galland
 Dear Parader,
Dear Parader,
This week’s missive tackles a big topic. One of the biggest.
That’s because it touches virtually every corner of society: politics, the economy, investments, social order, innovation. People live or die because of it.
The topic is education.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Trump Talks Gibberish at Inauguration then Panic Runs to CIA to Prevent Assassination / Politics / US Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
 If you thought Trump was unhinged during the election campaign then you have not seen anything yet for he is truly showing all the hallmarks of turning into an American Pyscho! First we had his inauguration speech, which was far from being presidential, a stream of gibberish inter spiced with "america first" and "make america great again", something a rebellious teenager would have put together.
If you thought Trump was unhinged during the election campaign then you have not seen anything yet for he is truly showing all the hallmarks of turning into an American Pyscho! First we had his inauguration speech, which was far from being presidential, a stream of gibberish inter spiced with "america first" and "make america great again", something a rebellious teenager would have put together.
Now what would a sane President have been focused on following in the inauguration? Getting ones team together to start the hard work to rebuild america? Not Trump, his first order of business was the size of the inauguration crowd!
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Saturday, January 21, 2017
These Are the 3 Main Issues for Europe in 2017 / Politics / European Union
By: John_Mauldin
 BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND JACOB L. SHAPIRO : What will the year ahead look like for Europe? 2017 will be another chapter in the European Union's slow unraveling… a process that has been underway for over a decade.
BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND JACOB L. SHAPIRO : What will the year ahead look like for Europe? 2017 will be another chapter in the European Union's slow unraveling… a process that has been underway for over a decade.
The EU is a union in name only. The transfer of sovereignty to Brussels was never total, and member states are independent countries… each with their own interests at stake.
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Friday, January 20, 2017
The Trump RESET Starts on US Presidential Inauguration Day 2017 - What to Expect / Politics / US Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
 Donald Trump will be sworn into office at 12 noon today to become the 45th President of the United States that will trigger the 'Trump Reset' on that which   has passed for the past 40 years, which my video series seeks to detail the key mega-trend geopolitical consequences of why the US under a Trump Presidency is trending for instance towards an inevitable war with   China, economic, cyber and even outright military conflict, something that is   deemed to be impossible by most today.
Donald Trump will be sworn into office at 12 noon today to become the 45th President of the United States that will trigger the 'Trump Reset' on that which   has passed for the past 40 years, which my video series seeks to detail the key mega-trend geopolitical consequences of why the US under a Trump Presidency is trending for instance towards an inevitable war with   China, economic, cyber and even outright military conflict, something that is   deemed to be impossible by most today.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Will the CIA Assassinate Rogue President Donald Trump Like JFK? / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: Nadeem_Walayat
 The establishment elite still reeling from the failure of any of their bought and paid for candidates that populate both the Democratic and Republican parties to make it into the White house for the first time since perhaps JFK,  are increasingly looking to the likes of the CIA to begin implementing the elite's PLAN B as President Elect Donald Trump takes office and starts to diverge from the elites interests.
The establishment elite still reeling from the failure of any of their bought and paid for candidates that populate both the Democratic and Republican parties to make it into the White house for the first time since perhaps JFK,  are increasingly looking to the likes of the CIA to begin implementing the elite's PLAN B as President Elect Donald Trump takes office and starts to diverge from the elites interests. 
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Populism; the Danger? What About Debt? / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
By: Doug_Wakefield
 In the spring of 2015, I  placed the chart below on global debt levels at the opening of the  article.  Notice the value of global debt  in 2000, 2007 and then half way through 2014.
In the spring of 2015, I  placed the chart below on global debt levels at the opening of the  article.  Notice the value of global debt  in 2000, 2007 and then half way through 2014. 
Thursday, January 19, 2017
The US Is Headed to a Pivotal Socio-Economic Crisis / Politics / Social Issues
By: John_Mauldin
BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND ALLISON FEDIRKA : This year, the United States will be the main geopolitical power. And President Donald Trump will run it. This will be the first big shift to nationalism in US politics.
This rise in nationalism is global. Its rise stems from the rejection of the internationalist model. This has ruled international relations since the end of World War II.
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Thursday, January 19, 2017
There’s Probably No Solution For Europe’s Problems / Politics / European Union
By: John_Mauldin
Our fifty states are essentially what the European Union’s founders wanted: a giant free-trade zone with a currency union and fiscal union. It’s working for us in part because our states, while unique, don’t have the centuries of cultural and linguistic diversity that Europe’s do.
The separate languages, cultures, and histories of its nations don’t mean Europe can’t develop better ways cooperate economically; but the EU structure—specifically the European Monetary Union and the euro—clearly isn’t the answer.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Donald & the US Dollar / Politics / US Dollar
By: Antonius_Aquinas
John Connally, President Nixon’s Secretary of the Treasury, once remarked to the consternation of Europe’s financial elites over America’s inflationary monetary policy, that the dollar “is our currency, but your problem.” Times have certainly changed and it now appears that the dollar has become an American problem.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the soon to be 45th President of the United States believes that the greenback’s strength – up some 25% against a broad basket of currencies since 2014 – is now “too strong,” “killing us,” and has hurt companies trying to compete overseas.* A top Trump economics advisor, Anthony Scaramucci, reinforced his boss’ sentiment adding that “we must be careful of a rising dollar.”
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Wednesday, January 18, 2017
The Hunt for Russia's Next Enemy / Politics / Russia
By: STRATFOR
 By Ksenia Semenova : Alexander III, the conservative Russian emperor who ruled from 1881 to 1894, once famously remarked to his ministers that Russia has only two allies: its army and its navy. "The others," he said, "will go against us at the first opportunity."
By Ksenia Semenova : Alexander III, the conservative Russian emperor who ruled from 1881 to 1894, once famously remarked to his ministers that Russia has only two allies: its army and its navy. "The others," he said, "will go against us at the first opportunity."
Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled these words in a 2015 speech, adding that he quite agreed with them. At the time, Putin held every card he needed to point to the West and proclaim that the world stood against Russia, leaving it with only its forces for protection. But as the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump moves to embrace Russia and question the West's assumptions about NATO — just as the Europeans have begun to look for warmer ties to the east — Russia's diplomatic environment has started to change. And one thing Putin certainly understands, as Alexander III did, is the Russian government's need for an external enemy. This raises the question: In the new strategic environment that is emerging, who will that enemy be?
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Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Trump’s “Great Game”: Playing Russia Against China? / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Dan_Steinbock
 Trump has pledged to reset the White House  policies on “America First” basis. In Asia, it may mean an effort to balance  with Russia against China – the reverse of US China approach in the 1970s.
Trump has pledged to reset the White House  policies on “America First” basis. In Asia, it may mean an effort to balance  with Russia against China – the reverse of US China approach in the 1970s.
  After  inauguration, Donald Trump will move from Trump Plaza in mid-Manhattan to White  House in Washington, where he will enjoy extraordinary execution power. Today, Republicans  will control the White House, the Senate and  the House of Representatives. 
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
How To Read Trump / Politics / US Politics
By: Dan_Steinbock
As President, Trump has pledged  to reset the White House policies on “America First” basis. But will he deliver?
  Around the  world, there is great apprehension and much speculation about potential Trump scenarios. Nevertheless,  not everything that is possible will happen, even with Trump in the White  House. 
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Trump anti-Communist Counter Revolution / Politics / US Politics
By: BATR
 The century anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution                                      occurs this year. Any serious examination of The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union must conclude that the systematic eradications of millions and the   ruthlessness of the Communist commissars rule was a miserable                                      failure, even by Marxist postulates.   Russia today is quite different from the Gulag Archipelago that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn experienced and wrote about. “And those who, like you and me, dear reader, go there                                      to die, must get there solely and compulsorily via arrest.”
The century anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution                                      occurs this year. Any serious examination of The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union must conclude that the systematic eradications of millions and the   ruthlessness of the Communist commissars rule was a miserable                                      failure, even by Marxist postulates.   Russia today is quite different from the Gulag Archipelago that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn experienced and wrote about. “And those who, like you and me, dear reader, go there                                      to die, must get there solely and compulsorily via arrest.”

