Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
How Bush Tried to Stop Predatory Bank Lending / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Mike_Whitney
When the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on investigations convenes on Tuesday, they'll be presented with a mountain of evidence showing that Washington Mutual intentionally issued subprime mortgages that they knew would fail, and then bundled the loans into securities so they could be sold to investors. The senate's year-and-a-half long investigation, has strung together hundreds of e mails and other internal documents that will prove beyond a doubt that the now-defunct bank was engaged in industrial-scale fraud. This is from the Los Angeles Times:
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Help the Poor by Stopping the Money Printing Press / Politics / Money Supply
By: LewRockwell
Richard Daughty writes: I am happy to note that the Tea Party, which appeals to me personally, is gaining traction and power, which adds more political overtones to my life and gets me, a shameful Republican, away from the loathsome Republicans (except Ron Paul), which have acted almost as despicably as the Democrats.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Truth Behind The Recent Unrest in Kyrgyzstan / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: OilPrice_Com
The following article is the first of three examining the recent unrest in Kyrgyzstan and its implications. Part 2 tomorrow will deal with the regional fallout from the “Tulip Revolution V2.0” and Part 3 will examine in detail Washington’s highest priority in Kyrgyzstan - its ongoing access to the Manas Transit Center airbase.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
To Organize Against Wall Street, We Need A Narrative Focusing On Crime And Massive Fraud / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Danny_Schechter
In politics, it’s always all about the narrative, about how issues are framed.
As we ask ourselves, how we can be experiencing the largest economic meltdown in decades with millions out of work, and millions more losing their homes, and yet, with no real mass mobilization or ongoing response from the progressive world.
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Kyrgyzstan Revolution and the Russian Resurgence / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
Lauren Goodrich writes: This past week saw another key success in Russia’s resurgence in former Soviet territory when pro-Russian forces took control of Kyrgyzstan.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Great Federal Reserve Bank Con Job - There Is No Money! / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Submissions
Video and Transcript - Dylan Ratigan Show - MSNBC In America today we are getting closer to fully exposing the greatest con and cover-up in this history, it involves our banks, the federal reserve, our congress, and, of course, you and me.
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Is the Fed Helping the Big Banks Cook the Books? / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Mike_Whitney
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal revealed details of a cover up by the nations largest banks that have been engaged in potentially-criminal accounting activities to conceal the amount of debt on their balance sheets. The SEC has been notified of the allegations and has launched a probe to determine whether further action is needed. Among the banks implicated, are Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Citigroup. According to the WSJ:
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Best and Brightest Protect Greenspan and Betray the American People / Politics / US Politics
By: Fred_Sheehan
Alan Greenspan's reputation has a whiff of terminal decline after his appearance on April 7, 2010, before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC). Prudence is warranted though, before taking a short position on the former Federal Reserve chairman. The celebrated central banker has spent a lifetime pouring his deep reservoirs of energy and ambition into his own advancement, and now, his legacy.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Passing the Buck / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week the federal government's Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission held hearings as part of their continuing investigation into the causes of the acute economic meltdown which occurred in late summer 2008. This bipartisan commission, partly inspired by the Pecora Commission- which investigated the causes of the Great Depression - is expected to report back to Congress before the end of the year.
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Monday, April 12, 2010
Wall Street Banks Looting Main Street / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Global_Research
Matt Taibbi writes: How the nation's biggest banks are ripping off American cities with the same predatory deals that brought down Greece
If you want to know what life in the Third World is like, just ask Lisa Pack, an administrative assistant who works in the roads and transportation department in Jefferson County, Alabama. Pack got rudely introduced to life in post-crisis America last August, when word came down that she and 1,000 of her fellow public employees would have to take a little unpaid vacation for a while. The county, it turned out, was more than $5 billion in debt — meaning that courthouses, jails and sheriff's precincts had to be closed so that Wall Street banks could be paid.
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Monday, April 12, 2010
China Russia on Treadmill to Economic Growth Crushing Chanos Bubble Bets / Politics / China Economy
By: Dian_L_Chu
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the biggest nuclear arms pact in a generation last week. The so-called New START is hailed by Obama as a major step to show the world that the U.S. and Russia have mended their troubled relationship.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Full Spectrum Internet Media Censorship, UK Bill Heralds Death of the Internet / Politics / UK Politics
By: Global_Research
Steve Watson writes: A draconian Internet censorship bill that has been long looming on the horizon finally passed the house of commons in the UK yesterday, legislating for government powers to restrict and filter any website that is deemed to be undesirable for public consumption.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Realities of the Neo-Cons’ Multi Trillion Dollar War / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Stathis
You may have heard about the turkey shoots by U.S. military and mercenary groups (Blackwater) in Iraq. The problem is, a good deal of the “turkeys” are innocent Iraqi civilians, some of which are women and children.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
It's Time To Give the Republicans Hell / Politics / US Politics
By: Gary_North
"If you are in the hip pocket of any political party, prepare to be sat on." ~ Gary North
Getting your political agenda enacted into law, enforced by the Executive branch, and upheld by the courts.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Greenspan Oscar Winning Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Testimony / Politics / Central Banks
By: Mike_Whitney
Alan Greenspan's performance before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was a real Oscar winner. At no time, was the ex-Fed chairman in trouble, and he was able to showcase the full repertoire of fake emotions for which he is renowned. He was alternately condescending, professorial, combative, engaging, and acerbic. It was vintage Greenspan from start to finish; the tedious jabber, the crusty rejoinders, the endless excuse-making. At 80, Maestro still hasn't lost his touch. No one laid a glove on him, which is precisely the problem.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
U.S. Russian Economic Relations Near Failure / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Pravda
President Dmitry Medvedev hopes to boost the development of the bilateral economic cooperation between Russia and the USA during his forthcoming visit to the United States in summer.
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Life, Euro Beyond Greece - Crystal Clear / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Axel_Merk
Focus at today's European Central Bank (ECB) press conference was on the continued tremors rattling Greece. A couple of key points:
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Greenspan Came Not to Save Consumers but to Bury Them / Politics / Central Banks
By: Fred_Sheehan
April 7 (Bloomberg) -- Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan defended the central bank's record on consumer protection in the years before the financial crisis.... "The Federal Reserve, often in partnership with the other federal banking agencies, was quite active in pursuing consumer protections for mortgage borrowers," Greenspan said in testimony for a hearing today of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in Washington.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Congress's FCIC Nearly Nailed Former Citigroup Executives to the Wall -- Then Blew It / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Janet_Tavakoli
Phil Angelides, Chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, had Robert Rubin, former senior advisor Citigroup (also former Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton, and former Co-Chair of Goldman Sachs), and Chuck Prince, former CEO of Citigroup, in the palm of his hand today. He asked them why they weren't alarmed for Citigroup in May of 2007, when the Bear Stearns hedge funds ran into trouble. He recalled they imploded in June 2007 and joked that it happened around the time of his birthday. Rubin and Prince shrugged it off, and Rubin that he didn't know about Citigroup's CDO troubles until the fall of 2007.
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Mexico in Crisis, The Struggle for Balance / Politics / Mexico
By: STRATFOR
This week’s Geopolitical Intelligence Report provided a high-level assessment of the economic forces that affect how the Mexican people and the Mexican government view the flow of narcotics through that country. Certainly at that macro level, there is a lot of money flowing into Mexico and a lot of people, from bankers and businessmen to political parties and politicians, are benefiting from the massive influx of cash. The lure of this lucre shapes how many Mexicans (particularly many of the Mexican elite) view narcotics trafficking. It is, frankly, a good time to be a banker, a real estate developer or a Rolex dealer in Mexico.