Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Wars Sending U.S. Into Ruin / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Eric Margolis writes: U.S. President Barack Obama calls the $3.8-trillion US budget he just sent to Congress a major step in restoring America’s economic health.
In fact, it’s another potent fix given to a sick patient deeply addicted to the dangerous drug — debt.
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010
German Bailout of Greece, PIIGS Would Herald Shift of E.U. Power To Germany / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: STRATFOR
The situation in Europe is dire.
After years of profligate spending, Greece is becoming overwhelmed. Barring some sort of large-scale bailout program, a Greek debt default at this point is highly likely. At this moment, European Central Bank liquidity efforts are probably the only thing holding back such a default. But these are a stopgap measure that can hold only until more important economies manage to find their feet. And Europe’s problems extend beyond Greece. Fundamentals are so poor across the board that any number of eurozone states quickly could follow Greece down.
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Monday, February 08, 2010
U.S. Congress More Spending is Always the Answer / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week, the House approved another increase in the national debt ceiling. This means the government can borrow $1.9 trillion more to stay afloat and avoid default. It has been little more than a year since the last debt limit increase, and graphs showing the debt limit over time show a steep, almost vertical trend. It is not likely to be very long before this new ceiling is met and the government is back on the brink between default and borrowing us further into oblivion.
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Monday, February 08, 2010
Markets Fail When Humans Are Unregulated / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan answered that he had placed his trust in a flawed theory when he was called before Congress to explain why he, Goldman Sachs Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Deputy Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, prevented Brooksley Born, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Corporation, a government regulatory agency, from doing her job of regulating over-the-counter derivatives.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Financial Giants Overshadow Governments,The Reason Why the U.S. Is Not Regulating Wall Street / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Washingtons_Blog
Sure, American politicians have been bought and paid for by the Wall Street giants.
And everyone knows that the White House and Congress - while talking about cracking down on Wall Street with strict regulation - have actually watered down some of the most important protections that were in place.
Friday, February 05, 2010
More Government Equals Fewer Jobs / Politics / US Politics
By: Peter_Schiff
With today's unexpected decline in December payrolls, the cry for more job-related stimulus will grow even louder. But the sad truth is that any new stimulus or jobs bills will ultimately swell the ranks of the unemployed, thereby raising calls for an even bigger federal effort. If we are not careful, government regulations, subsidies, and spending, all designed to fight unemployment, could push the labor market into a death spiral.
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Friday, February 05, 2010
Ben Bernanke, The Very Model of a Modern Pliant Bureaucrat / Politics / Central Banks
By: Fred_Sheehan
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke was a safe bet to win the Senate's vote for a second term. "Safe" is what the senators want and Bernanke passed the test. He is not a man inclined to make bold decisions. A former university administrator, his institutional mind will be just as slow to foresee the next financial crisis as it was incapable of forecasting the last.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Foreigners Caused America’s Financial Crisis? A Closer Look / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Dian_L_Chu
Dian L. Chu writes: In his State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated his ambitious agenda to improve the economy and enact sweeping financial reform aimed specifically at the Big Banks. The European Union is also pursuing similarly ambitious changes aimed at preventing another crisis in the future.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The Corporate Takeover of U.S. Democracy / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Noam Chomsky writes: Jan. 21, 2010, will go down as a dark day in the history of U.S. democracy, and its decline.
On that day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban corporations from political spending on elections—a decision that profoundly affects government policy, both domestic and international.
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Thursday, February 04, 2010
Bernanke's Bankster's Skimming Operation Exposed / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Mike_Whitney
The reappointment of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke means that the opportunity for change has passed and the reform movement is dead. It means that and that derivatives trading, off-balance sheet operations, securitization, dark pools and high frequency trading will go on much as they have before. It means that the public will continue to be gouged so that a handful of Wall Street sharpies can rake in obscene profits using complex "financial innovations" and over-leveraged debt instruments. It means that the entire system will continue to be put at risk to protect the interests of investment banks and hedge funds. It means that the subsidies, the preferential treatment, and the bailouts will continue to fuel populist rage and exacerbate deepening divisions in society. It means that the status quo has been preserved and that it's "business as usual".
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Israel Guilty of War Crimes on Use of White Phosphorus Against Civilians / Politics / Israel
By: Pravda
Operation Cast Lead, which Israel conducted in the Gaza Strop in December 2008 and January 2009, echoed to two high-ranking Israeli officers. They stand accountable for the use of white phosphorus during the operation. It is the first time when Israel resorts to disciplinary punishment connected with Cast Lead.
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Thursday, February 04, 2010
Gulf Defensive Buildup In Advance of Attack on Iran? / Politics / Middle East
By: STRATFOR
This weekend’s newspapers were filled with stories about how the United States is providing ballistic missile defense (BMD) to four countries on the Arabian Peninsula. The New York Times carried a front-page story on the United States providing anti-missile defenses to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, as well as stationing BMD-capable, Aegis-equipped warships in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, the front page of The Washington Post carried a story saying that “the Obama administration is quietly working with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf allies to speed up arms sales and rapidly upgrade defenses for oil terminals and other key infrastructure in a bid to thwart future attacks by Iran, according to former and current U.S. and Middle Eastern government officials.”
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Could Israel Join the European Union ? / Politics / Israel
By: OilPrice_Com
The Middle East peace talks are at a deadlock. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to move ahead with the plan established by the so-called Quartet - the US., U.N., EU and Russia -- have faltered and come to a complete standstill. Continuing with this inertia will have a long-term negative effect on the future of the region both from a political point of view as well as from a business perspective. With the exception of a few risk-takers, what company or business executive would be willing to invest in the Middle East once the region plunges onto the abyss amid renewed violence?
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
America. What Went Wrong? (Part 1) / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Stathis
As I have detailed with extensive data and accompanying analysis in America's Financial Apocalypse (2006/expanded and 2007/condensed), America’s once great economy has been gradually transformed into a Ponzi scheme through decades of unfair trade policies that destroyed millions of U.S. jobs.
Unlike many other books which discussed the real estate bubble in isolation, this book went well beyond the real estate bubble by presenting a compelling case for a long period of economic depression.
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Thoughts on Obama’s New Retirement Initiatives / Politics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Nilus_Mattive
Last week I told you about some of Washington’s latest ideas on “fixing” Social Security. And the very next night — as part of his first State of the Union address — President Obama referenced some of his own ideas on the broader topic of retirement.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Banking Sector Regulation, A Breath of Fresh Volker / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Andrew_Butter
There are moments in history that define a change of direction, Paul Volker’s testimony on Capital Hill last night was one of them. Perhaps it’s a co-incidence, but the minute he opened his mouth the 10-Year yield dropped, gold’s new breakout attempt stalled, and the S&P 500 rose.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Who is the Enemy, Dr Ron Paul? / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
Recently, Representative Ron Paul addressed the House [paraphrased here], and after depicting the absurdity, cost and futility of fighting our Middle Eastern wars, asked: "Who is the enemy? We don't even know who the enemy is! If we don't know who the enemy is, how will we know if we won?" Though I disagree with his Party's platform and agenda, I admire Ron Paul's bold independent position and thoroughly uphold his viewpoint and opinion. Dr Paul is perfectly correct. Who is the enemy?
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Thoughts On The Bernanke Re-Appointment / Politics / Central Banks
By: Graham_Summers
The US Congress decided to re-appoint Ben Bernanke as Fed Chairman of the US Federal Reserve. This decision is completely and utterly insane.
Please understand, I do not use the word “insane” for humorous purposes, but as a factual observation. For there is truly no other way to look at Congress’ decision.
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Strategic Geopolitical and Economic Forecasts for 2010 / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: OilPrice_Com
A great - and still growing - divergence appeared in 2009 between public statements by leaders and their public performance. The politicized, romanticized theater of increasingly populist “democratic” leaders and media seemed to be of a different planet from activities taking place in the real world.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The Fed as Giant Fiat Currency Counterfeiter / Politics / Central Banks
By: Robert_Murphy
San Jose State economics professor Jeffrey Rogers Hummel tells all his students that the easiest way to understand the Federal Reserve is to think of it as a giant, legalized counterfeiter. I had always known that the Fed and other central banks were like counterfeiters, but I still thought that the actual mechanics of open-market operations and so forth actually provided some important distinctions.