Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Friday, April 24, 2009
U.S. ‘Soft Power’, Dollar Standard and the Banks / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Global_Research
Steven Lesh writes: The privilege of supplying the world’s reserve currency, the money nations use to conduct business beyond their borders, is a source of power to the nation that possesses it more valuable than the most powerful military. Since virtually all money is created ‘out of thin air’ by entries in bank ledgers, the nation supplying the world’s reserve currency has the power to create enough money to buy the world. Working in conjunction with its banks, a nation supplying the reserve currency can conquer and control vastly more of the world’s wealth than it could hope to with military force.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Congress Targets Credit Card Companies Bad Practices / Politics / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: Peter_Schiff
With much fanfare this week, Congress and the Administration began a series of actions designed to protect over-leveraged consumers from the high fees imposed by credit card lenders. As with most other initiatives devised by government, this policy will create a host of unintended consequences that will undermine the benefit the program hopes to create.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Paulson and Bernanke Forced Bank of America Takeover of Merrill Lynch / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Money_Morning
Jason Simpkins writes: Bank of America Corp. (BAC) Chairman and Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said in testimony before New York's attorney general that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson pressured him not only to move ahead with a merger with Merrill Lynch despite reservations, but also to stay quiet about the mounting losses at the crumbling investment bank, The Wall Street Journal reported. Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Germany to Create Bad Banks to Boost Banking Sector Profits / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Global_Research
Leaders of the German government and the president of the central bank agreed on plans Tuesday for the creation of a series of so-called “bad banks” to bail out the country’s ailing banking system.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Bailed Out Banks Too Big to Survive / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: John_Browne
On April 20th, Bank of America announced a first quarter surge in earnings to $4.2 billion. At first blush, it looked like the kind of news that would ignite a stock market rally. Instead, the Dow closed down 289 points. Could it be that, despite the apparent good news, investors don't trust the banks or the economy?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
UK Budget 2009 Debt Deficit, Basic Rate Income Tax Could Rise to 30% / Politics / UK Debt
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Today, Alistair Darling delivers his 2009 budget, the certainty of which will be to finally recognise the huge debt crisis that the country faces as this years budget deficit is set to explode to 12% of GDP or £160 billion which is set against Alistair Darlings November 08 forecast of £38 billion against my analysis at the time which pointed to a 2009 deficit of £160 billion (Bankrupt Britain Trending Towards Hyper-Inflation?). This and the recognition of the severe recession which will prompt a revision to economic contraction to GDP -3% from -1% for this year which is set against my forecast of -4.3% for 2009.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Bankrupt Banks and Corporations Bribing Washington Officials for More Tax Payer Cash / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Mike_Stathis
When Does It All End? The Abuse Continues. - Trillions of dollars for the bailouts haven’t satisfied the banks and automakers. They want more, and they’re spending your dollars to make sure they get it. According to the Associated Press, the top 10 recipients of the TARP spent about $9.5 million on lobbying during the first quarter of 2009.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
America Is Still the Best Place to Make Money / Politics / Business
By: DailyWealth
Tom Dyson writes: There's never been a better time to be seeking fortune in America. Right now, we're in a period of great turbulence. Everything in America is up for sale at "panic liquidation" prices. Each foreclosed property and bankruptcy headline you hear about represents another opportunity to make money.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Defending the U.S. FED’s Power With Myths / Politics / Central Banks
By: LewRockwell
Donald L. Kohn is a powerful man, as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the FED. He shouldn’t have this power. Nor should the FED have the power it has. Not under the U.S. Constitution. Not in a nation of free men and women. And not if we want a sound economy.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Obama: the Grand Illusionist / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_Pento
President Obama is smooth. He has an incomparable ability to say the correct thing and then doing the exact opposite. For instance, he says the United States cannot continue the boom bust cycle of economic activity and must repent from its proclivity to engender GDP growth off the back of building asset bubbles. He also contends that George W. Bush was disingenuously hiding the size of the true deficit by keeping certain items off budget. In those two statements he is completely correct.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tax Day protests, American's Are Revolting! / Politics / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
All across the country-from Boston to Atlanta to San Antonio-thousands of Americans, inspired by Fox News and radio conservative talk show hosts, took to the streets to protest.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
America, Do You Know Your Real Enemy? / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
Do you know the enemy?
Do you know your enemy?
Well, gotta know the enemy
Monday, April 20, 2009
(Un)Intended Consequences: Uncertainty, Inflation & Inflexibility / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Axel_Merk
Present policies may be sowing the seeds for the next financial crisis. Despite recent market optimism, we believe present interventions could produce significant future adverse and unintended consequences. Rather than curing the patient, the present initiatives may be overprescribing the patient with medication that cause significant side effects (and leave a bad taste in the mouth).
Monday, April 20, 2009
Big Bank Bogus Profits, Massive Public and Investor Deception / Politics / Market Manipulation
By: Money_and_Markets
Martin Weiss writes: A big bank CEO on a mission to deceive the public doesn’t have to tell outright lies. He can con people just as easily by using “perfectly legal” tricks, shams, and accounting ruses.
First, I’ll give you the big-picture facts. Then, I’ll show you how big U.S. banks are painting lipstick on some of the fattest pigs ever raised.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Goldman Repayment of TARP Risks U.S. Governments Ability to Regulate Economy / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Pravda
Americans who even bother to examine the vanishing Twenty Dollar bills in their wallets are usually pretty clueless about the crusty old guy looking back at them. Few bother to wonder who he was or what he did to get his mug shot there. ‘Some President from back in the olden day’ is usually about the extent of the musing, if any.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Britain Sleep Walks Into a Police State as Political Dissent is Criminalised / Politics / UK Politics
By: Global_Research
Julie Hyland writes: “From foul deeds endless tragedy arises,” the World Socialist Web Site wrote, commenting on the state execution of innocent Brazilian worker, Jean Charles de Menezes, by plainclothes policemen on a London subway train on July 22, 2005.
Events have tragically confirmed that warning. In the years since Menezes’ killing, for which no one has ever been held to account, the legal framework of a police state has been enacted in Britain.
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Tower of BIS Basel: Secretive Plans for the Issuing of a New Global Currency / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Global_Research
Ellen Brown writes: In an April 7 article in The London Telegraph titled “The G20 Moves the World a Step Closer to a Global Currency,” Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote:“A single clause in Point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order. “We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity,’ it said. SDRs are Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund that has lain dormant for half a century.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Obama Heads the Largest Criminal Enterprise in History / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Stephen_Lendman
Since taking office, Obama, wittingly or otherwise, has headed the largest criminal enterprise in history - the mass looting of national wealth to enrich his Wall Street benefactors. He assembled a rogue economic team of Clinton/Robert Rubin retreads - to fix the current crisis they engineered.In a March 13 article, (author and former Republican strategist) Kevin Phillips called them "recycled senior (Clinton administration) Democrats (responsible for the) tech mania, deregulation binge and (1997 - 2000) stock market bubble and crash. (Obama) extend(ed) the (disastrous) mismanagement and pro-Wall Street bias of the 2008 Bush regime bailout."
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
Russian Anti-Financial Crisis Measures Inefficient / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: Pravda
The anti-crisis measures of the Russian government are inefficient. Russia should have stimulated the home demand instead of giving the direct support to banks and the real sector of economy.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
U.S. Banking System Regulators Clash Over Bank Stress Test / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Mike_Shedlock
Stress is building over the stress test as Bank Regulators Clash Over Endgame.
Read full article... Read full article...The U.S. Treasury and financial regulators are clashing with each other over how to disclose results from the stress tests of 19 U.S. banks, with some officials concerned at potential damage to weaker institutions.