Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
U.S. Fiscal Cliff, Politicians Playing Chicken / Politics / Taxes
By: Bloomberg
Bloomberg Television's Trish Regan sat down with four of the nation's brightest business minds to discuss their solutions for avoiding the fiscal cliff:
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Former Treasury Secretary LARRY SUMMERS
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Kynikos Associates President JIM CHANOS
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Cantor Fitzgerald CEO HOWARD LUTNICK
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Former Army General WESLEY CLARK
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Republican Traitors / Politics / US Politics
By: LewRockwell
Andrew P. Napolitano writes: When President Obama won re-election last month by a larger margin than even his most fervent supporters had expected, though with fewer popular votes than he received in 2008, most commentators initially opined that not much had changed in Washington. The president would remain in the White House for another four years, the Democrats would keep control of the Senate, and the House would stay in Republican hands. Most Republicans re-elected to both houses of Congress had publicly pledged not to vote to raise taxes under any circumstances. And most of those Republicans have adhered to that promise – until now.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
How Government 'Works' / Politics / Government Intervention
By: Bill_Bonner
There are many theories to explain government. Most are nothing but scams, justifications, and puffery. One tries to put something over on the common man…the other claims it was for his own good…and the third pretends that he’d be lost without it. Most are not really ‘theories’ at all…but prescriptions, blueprints for creating the kind of government the ‘theorist’ would like to have. Not surprisingly, the blueprints flatter his intellect and engage his imagination.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Obama's Economic War on Women, The Free Market Punishes Discrimination / Politics / Economic Theory
By: MISES
With the re-election of President Barack Obama, it is increasingly evident that the tax eaters outnumber the taxpayers in America. From food stamps to free cell phones, President Obama has achieved significant political success by putting more and more Americans on the government dole. During his recent re-election bid, this effort included considerable pandering to women voters.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Mark Carney, A Streetwise Hercules at the Bank of England / Politics / Central Banks
By: Ben_Traynor
Mark Carney's been hired to bang bankers' heads together...
WHERE have all good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the streetwise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need.
I need a hero.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Catalonia Votes For Independence From Spain, Mainstream Press Lies As Usual / Politics / Spain
By: Ron_Holland
"Secession is a deeply American principle. This country was born through secession." ~ Ron Paul
On Sunday, pro-independence voters in Catalonia captured almost two-thirds of the regional parliament. While the establishment press attempts to hide the secession victory by mentioning that the largest pro-independence party lost parliamentary seats, this, too, was a major victory for independence forces.
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Fascism To Islamofascism And Back / Politics / Religion
By: Andrew_McKillop
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "Islamofascism" as "controversial", which firstly implies that it does have one or two meanings. It goes on to say how the term arose, possibly in the 1990s, probably coined by journalists covering the emerging War on Terror in its 1990s mold. The post-2001 mold, or George W Bush initiative had rather predictable results. Reaction to being designated "terrorist" notably included violent reaction. Terror begat terror. The run-up to 9 / 11 needed a long list of "Islamic terror attacks" through the 1990s.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Is it FAIR to Tax the Rich out of Business? / Politics / Taxes
By: BATR
In a caustic political environment that marks the rich to pay higher taxes because of their inordinate incomes, the outlook for a growing economy diminishes. The argument that well capitalized commercial enterprise owners provide the bulk of the small business jobs is well established. Certainly, not every proprietor is wealthy. On the contrary, many if not most employers struggle to meet their payroll. Even so, the political hysteria to raise the top rates stares directly into the eyes of every wageworker with the prospects of joining the unemployment lines.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Anti-Business US Government Puts a Stop to Intrade Making US Customers Happy / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
Reports have been swirling around about the death of another business at the hands of a US government agency. While those reports weren't totally true, as usual, the US Government has squashed any attempt by unfree US citizens to do what they want. Intrade is still alive and kicking (although it probably wouldn't be if it was based in the US), minus its US customers...for now anyway. As of December 23, 2012, all US accounts with Intrade will be suspended thanks to the meddling of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Why is the U.S. Middle Class Shrinking? / Politics / Social Issues
By: Mike_Shedlock
President Obama says there is a "skills gap". A quick search says that many misguided souls believe the president.
For example Forbes writer Rich Karlgaard says The Skills Gap Exists.
Karlgaard believes the "gap is sure to grow as the population ages and industries from health care to manufacturing are altered by technology. Outsourcing to China won’t be the answer, either. Its population is aging the fastest of all the major economies."
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Ron Paul on How to End the Gaza Tragedy / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
As of late Friday the ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding, if tentatively. While we should be pleased that this round of fighting appears temporarily on hold, we must realize that without changes in US foreign policy it is only a matter of time before the killing begins again.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
What “Free Trade” Actually Means, The Trans-Pacific Partnership / Politics / Protectionism
By: Andrew_G_Marshall
To discuss “free trade agreements” or the “free market,” we must first identify the theoretical versus the functional definitions of these terms – because theoretical definitions look at what those terms should mean, whereas functional definitions look at what the terms mean actually.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
David Cameron Wimping Along in Europe / Politics / European Union
By: Mike_Shedlock
I frequently disagree with Financial Times writer Wolfgang Münchau, especially on keeping the eurozone and EU intact.
Today, I largely agree (but sometimes for opposite reasons) with Münchau's take in Britain’s bluster serves the eurozone well.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Britain Adds More Drama to the EU Crisis / Politics / European Union
By: PhilStockWorld
Courtesy of Daniel Sckolnik: “When you are thwarted, it is your own attitude that is out of order.” — Meister Eckhart
While the U.S. equity market was having something of a party over the course of the holiday-shortened week, the European Union (EU) was entrenched in yet another series of issues that would seem to indicate just how tenuous the region’s alliance might be.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Who Is Mark Carney, Surprise New Bank of England Governor? / Politics / Central Banks
By: DK_Matai
In a surprise move, Sir Mervyn King's successor at the Bank of England has been named as Mark Carney, present Governor of the Bank of Canada. He beat the present Bank of England deputy Paul Tucker to the role, as well as other distinguished candidates including Santander bank's UK chairman Lord (Terence) Burns, Sir John Vickers -- a former Bank of England economist who put his name to the UK government’s review on banking reform -- and Lord (Adair) Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
UK Government Recruits Canadian Mark Carney To Rescue Britain from Bank of England Incompetence! / Politics / Central Banks
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The UK government blinked by throwing out the favorite Paul Tucker and appointing Mark Carney with near universal mainstream press approval, the first foreigner in the Bank of England's 318 year history to replace Mervyn King as the next Governor of the BoE, whose term office in virtually every respect has been a complete and utter failure, be it failure to regulate Britain's banking sector that continues to be a drain on UK tax payers, failure in terms of UK economic performance and not forgetting the failure of the BoE's primary remit of keeping CPI Inflation at 2%, instead we have seen inflation soar to over 5% despite economic depression.
Monday, November 26, 2012
France: The U.M.P Crisis Lurches On / Politics / France
By: Andrew_McKillop
AND ON
The actors in this now long-running, seemingly complex farce took another major change in the week ending 25 November. The week ended with a one-day mediation attempt, by The Providential Leader also known as Alain Juppe. Juppe was hailed in the private media as The Man. TV stations like BFM Tele and iTele regurgitated newsreel Juppe footage dating back to 1970 to comfort the middle class masses. The fuzzy images flashed by private TV stations told average couched-potato French that Juppe, who got an 18-month suspended jail term in January 2004, is a natural leader, totally above suspicion and respected by all - The One Man who can put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Planet Earth Under Chemical Attack from ChemTrails / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Patrick_Henningsen
Patrick Lynch writes: For almost two decades now the planet has been in the grip of a chemical and biological attack from the air. These weapons of mass destruction can actually be seen and there is a mountain of evidence that these methods of weaponry actually exist.
The chemical trails, the aerial spraying by unmarked aircraft, are so horrendous on certain days the sky resembles a ‘noughts and crosses’ board. The relevant ‘authorities’ that one might expect to deal with any external threats to a sovereign country’s airspace have had the exact science sent to them and most evidence has been passed to them. Yet the public’s concerns are uniformly met with silence, denial, ridicule and worse.
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Sunday, November 25, 2012
Germany's Energiewende And The End Of Nuclear Power / Politics / Nuclear Power
By: Andrew_McKillop
NUCLEAR SHOCK TREATMENT
For Ukraine and Japan, learning to do without nuclear power needed shock treatment: the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, and the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The combined economic cost and losses due to these "unforseen nuclear accidents" will probably exceed $500 billion over the years and the decades. Nuclear accidents are in a class apart, for long term damage capability. Above all, certainly since Fukushima they cannot be kept away from and out of public debate.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
UK Floods, Worst Flooding Since 2007, Extreme Weather Global Weirding? / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The UK looks set to experience its worst series of floods since at least the great floods of 2007 when areas that had never flooded in living memory experienced what would turn out to be their worst floods in over 150 years.
The latest of a series of heavy rain fall induced flooding is being experienced by the south and south west areas of England and Wales, with over 500 flood warnings in place nation wide, as one of the wettest summers on record had left the ground saturated, unable to soak up additional heavy rain fall that is resulting in the failure of drainage systems.
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