Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Geithner Cry's Crocodile Tears at Hearing on AIG Bailout / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Submissions
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's opening statement at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's hearing to examine the collapse and federal rescue of American International Group. He basically covers his back from hiding the truth whilst acting as President of the New York Fed.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Barclays Blood Diamond Tells Taxpayers to Go F' Themselves / Politics / Market Manipulation
By: Submissions
Bob Diamond tells CNBC that he does not support or expect any significant regulation of the banking sector including too big to fail banks being broken up or that big is bad.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Bernanke's Burn Notice, Why Now? Research Reveals Insight Into Fed Chairman's Popularity / Politics / Deflation
By: EWI
Like a spy who gets a burn notice, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has suddenly lost his support.
Bernanke has gone from being Time magazine's Man of the Year in 2009 to … what? A Fed chairman embroiled in a controversial reconfirmation process before U.S. Congress. Why the sudden turnaround in his fortunes?
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Rule By The Rich / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
The election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate by Democratic voters in Massachusetts sends President Obama a message. Voters perceive that Obama’s administration has morphed into a Bush-Cheney government. Obama has reneged on every promise he made, from ending wars, to closing Gitmo, to providing health care for Americans, to curtailing the domestic police state, to putting the interests of dispossessed Americans ahead of the interests of the rich banksters who robbed Americans of their homes and pensions.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Is a U.S. Debt Default Inevitable? / Politics / US Debt
By: Submissions
Patrick J. Buchanan write: We were blindsided. We never saw it coming.
So said Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein of the financial crisis of 2008. He likened its probability to four hurricanes hitting the East Coast in a single season.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Obama's State of the Union Address 2010 Rhetoric, Economic Euphemisms and Internal Contradictions / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_Hudson
The State of the Union address is in danger of purveying the usual euphemisms. I expect Mr. Obama to brag that he has overseen a recovery. But can there be any such thing as a jobless recovery? What has recovered are stock market averages and Wall Street bonuses, not disposable personal income or discretionary spending after paying debt service.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What Should We Make of Obama's "Spending Freeze" / Politics / US Economy
By: Washingtons_Blog
The big news today is Obama's proposed "spending freeze".
Fiscal liberals say this cuts spending at the exact time that we most need to increase it.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Helicopter Ben Bernanke, Understanding the Chairman / Politics / Central Banks
By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis
When it comes to precious metals investing, there is no entity as important as the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve, which sets monetary policy and has a direct impact on the purchasing power of the greenback, has virtually complete control over inflation, deflation and the price of your metals. In the coming weeks, Ben Bernanke, the current Fed chairman, will be up for reappointment by the Senate of the United States.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Ukraine's Election and the Russian Resurgence / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
Ukrainians go to the polls Feb. 7 to choose their next president. The last time they did this, in November 2004, the result was the prolonged international incident that became known as the Orange Revolution. That event saw Ukraine cleaved off from the Russian sphere of influence, triggering a chain of events that rekindled the Russian-Western Cold War.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
How Much More “Debt Recovery” can the U.S. Economy Take? / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_Hudson
It’s make or break time for Democrats since the January 19 defeat in Massachusetts. At stake is Mr. Obama’s credibility as an agent for change. Exit polls show that voters see his main change to be favoritism to Wall Street, to a degree that the “old Democrats” would not have let a Republican administration get away with. Rivalry over just what party is more Wall Street friendly prompted Jay Leno to joke that Mr. Obama has done the impossible: resurrected the seemingly dying Republican Party and given it the coveted label of the “Party of Change” running against Wall Street.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
How Wall Street's Stranglehold on the Economy Is Choking Americans / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: America's Founding Fathers were afraid of any concentration of power in the republic. They were particularly afraid that banking interests could hijack our fledgling democracy.
And yet today, 234 years later, our Founding Fathers' worst fears have come true. Wall Street's stranglehold on the economy threatens our very prosperity, and the future of a truly democratic republic.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Municipal Meltdown: Teacher Pensions, Bondholder Coupons, Go to Court / Politics / US Debt
By: Submissions
While the Illinois Constitution protects vested pension benefits, that promise, like all the state's obligations, is only as good as its ability to pay." -Crain's Chicago Business
"Illinois Enters a State of Insolvency" cried a January 18, 2010 headline from Crain's Chicago Business: "As Illinois' fiscal crisis deepens, the word 'bankruptcy' is creeping more and more into the public discourse."
Monday, January 25, 2010
U.S. Supreme Court Hands Nation Over to Corporations / Politics / US Politics
By: Rudy_Avizius
Americans have long had a sneaking suspicion that there was a “hidden hand” directing our government in Washington and the states, and they were right. The “hidden hand” was actually the corporations, unions, and other special interests that contribute literally $billions to our politicians in order to influence legislation that will favor them. This has happened even with the limits that have been placed on these groups that prevented them from directly contributing to campaigns.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Legalize Competing Currencies / Politics / Fiat Currency
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Much has been made recently about the supposed economic recovery. A few blips in a few statistics and many believe our troubles are all over. Of course, they have to redefine recovery as "jobless" to account for the lack of improvement on Main Street. But the banks have money, Wall Street is chugging along, and the administration would like to get on with other agendae.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Climate Change, How IPCC 2007 Made The Real Danger Worse / Politics / Climate Change
By: Andrew_Butter
This is a long rambling article that goes all over the place, so I’ll summarise what I’ve got to say:
1: Bad things happen sometimes, they really do
2: Beware of cataclysmic change, it can bite you in the ass when you least expect it.
3: Evidence 9/11 and the credit crunch.
Monday, January 25, 2010
We' The People / Politics / US Politics
By: Captain_Hook
That’s quite the title, no? But without making it even longer, because it covers a vast and complicated subject, it encapsulates what I think will be the most important event that could become apparent to the masses this coming year, which means process would accelerate to a more recognizable end. Let me explain what I mean now that all this confusing stuff is up in the air and in need of some grounding; like our currencies. In the first place one needs to understand the difference between currency and money.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Democracy in Decline, Controlled Markets, Neo-cons Rising and (of course) Gold / Politics / US Politics
By: Midas_Letter
Its difficult to divert one’s thoughts from the ordeal being suffered by the Haitian people at this point – especially after the stupendous news of another 5.9 magnitude aftershock.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Funding Public Health Care With a Publicly Owned Bank, How Canada did it / Politics / Healthcare Sector
By: Ellen_Brown
The story goes that Churchill offered a woman 5 million pounds to sleep with him. She hedged and said they would have to discuss terms. Then he offered her 5 pounds. “Sir!” she said. “What sort of woman do you think I am?” “Madam,” he replied, “We’ve already established that. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Get the Hint, Mr. Obama / Politics / US Politics
By: DailyWealth
Dr. Steve Sjuggerud writes: Most people think the loss for the Democrats in Massachusetts this week was about health care.
But that's simple thinking.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
How Wall St Destroyed Private Medicine / Politics / Healthcare Sector
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
At my annual check-up, my doctor handed me a sheet explaining the reasons for office fee increases for Medicare Patients. It is worth reporting at length.
Medicare fixes the prices for Medicare patients’ health care. All office charges for Medicare, including office visit charges, have been set by the Federal government since 1984. In real terms (adjusted for inflation), these fixed prices are less today than they were three decades ago.