Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Sunday, March 29, 2009
European Union About to Collapse? / Politics / Euro-Zone
The resignation of the government of the Czech Republic has shocked the whole European Union because the nation currently presides over the organization. Nevertheless, the political changes in the chairing state are not going to be a disaster for the European Union. When Denmark was a chairing EU state in 1993, Social Democrat Paul Rasmussen replaced Conservative Prime Minister Paul Schluter and became the EU chairman. The political change did not have any influence on the work of the European Union. Another incident took place in 1996 in Italy, during the country's EU chairmanship too, and had no consequences either.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Governor Schwarzenegger finish what your wife started and Get Urban Farming Started in California / Politics / Recession 2008 - 2010
I am recommending Senator Fran Pavley, Member Senate Food & Agriculture committee, to head a new commission formed to promote Urban farming in California. Please contact her District Office (310) 314-5214 as soon as you have time to review the following so she can meet with to discuss the details of its implementation.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Credit as a Public Utility: The Solution to the Economic Crisis / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
A Video in Six Parts Written and Produced by Richard C. Cook
Part One of Six Parts: Credit As A Public Utility: The Solution to the Economic Crisis
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Sunday, March 29, 2009
Daniel Hannan Blasts Gordon Brown on handing of the Economic Crisis / Politics / UK Politics
I commend Daniel Hannan who had the courage to blast Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his handing of the economic crisis. The Mail Online picks up the story in the Tory who told Brown to his face that he's a disaster .Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hundreds of Russian Banks to Go Bust / Politics / Russia
Hundreds of Russian banks could go bankrupt by the end of this year, said Peter Aven, president of Alfa Bank. The main reason for bankruptcy is than the level of bad loans may hit 15-20 percent. Peter Aven hopes that about 20-30 major Russian banks will receive the support from the Russian government.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
G20 Meeting and Special Drawing Rights Potential Developments / Politics / Global Financial System
There have been several news reports this past week on the upcoming G20 meeting in London on April 2nd. Perhaps the Chinese and Russians have been the most noteworthy in their plans for a new world reserve currency to replace the dollar. The Russians have had a focus on a basket of currencies or regional currencies which would open the door for the Russian ruble to gain a par status with the dollar and other key currencies.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Is the Bailout Plan Breeding a Greater Financial Crisis? / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
At his March 24 press conference President Obama demonstrated that he is capable of understanding issues as presented to him by his advisers and able to pass on the explanations to the press. The question is whether Obama's advisers understand the issues.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Taxing Bank Bonuses is Petty Fascism / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
The recent idea to put a punitive tax on bank workers is a modern equivalent of yellow badges.
But maybe I'm biased ..."some of my best friends are bankers".
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
North Korea’s Space Missile May Trigger Global War / Politics / GeoPolitics
The situation in the Asian-Pacific region continues to aggravate over the plans of the North Korean administration to launch a satellite into space. North Korea says that it is going to launch a civil satellite, although its neighboring states and the USA (of course) believe that Pyongyang is getting ready to test a ballistic missile. The truth will be unveiled on April 4-8, when the launch takes place. For the time being, any political statements regarding the matter are to be regarded as mere speculation.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Obama Administration Building a Weak Economic Foundation / Politics / Economic Stimulus
With a series of coordinated pronouncements and media events, the Obama Administration has recently been trying to send a signal to investors. But the message received may not have been the one intended. Reading between the lines, the Administration is indicating the financial crisis has become so overwhelming to them that there is no alternative but to throw infinite amounts of taxpayer money at it until, they hope, it passes. But what if the very measures meant to hold the dike until the storm passes are actually undermining whatever protection we have left?Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Apprentice Returns Today at 9pm on BBC1 / Politics / Mainstream Media
Multi-award-winning business reality show The Apprentice returns for a fifth series in what promises to be the toughest yet. Britain's best aspiring tycoons have taken time out from their careers to embark on a 12-week interview from hell with no-nonsense, self-made millionaire businessman, Sir Alan Sugar. Aided once again by his advisers, Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford, Sir Alan sorts the wheat from the chaff through a series of gruelling tasks and explosive boardroom scenes. Viewers will be kept on the edge of their seats as candidates are whittled down after hearing Sir Alan's infamous words: "You're fired!"Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Geithner's Thirst for Greater Regulatory Powers and Sir Alan of Selective Amnesia / Politics / Market Regulation
March 24, 2009 , I sat, watched and listened as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke gave sworn televised testimony to a U.S. Senate Banking Committee.
The gist of the testimony and solutions posed by both Geithner and Bernanke were that the Federal Reserve / Treasury combo be mandated more regulatory power to cure the existing financial crisis and prevent future financial disasters from occurring – because their existing mandate was inadequate.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Russia Expects New Financial System Crisis Outburst / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
Russia's Finance Ministry is expecting another outburst of problems in the financial system. The problems are going to be connected with the credit default in the real sector of economy and with the reduction of oil prices , Russia's Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin said Tuesday. Russian stock indexes collapsed after the minister's statements.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Geithner Asks Americans to Bend Over to Uncle Sam / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Timothy Geithner refuses to take underwater banks into receivership and resolve them, but has no problem transforming the FDIC into a hedge fund. Go figure? Here's what everyone needs to know: The US government (you) will provide up to 94 percent of the financing (low interest, of course) for dodgy mortgage-backed assets that no one in their right mind would ever buy so that wealthy and politically-connected banksters can scrub up to $1 trillion of red ink from their balance sheets. Ugh!Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Geithner's Arrogance Knows No Bounds, The Most Dangerous Man in America / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Inquiring minds are listening to Geithner explain to Congress how his plan works. Here is a transcript of a conversation between Rep Gresham Barrett and Treasury Secretary Geithner.Rep Gresham Barrett : "The last question I have guys, which is the $64 million question or I guess I should say $64 trillion question is: What's the backup plan? If everything fails what do we do? Where do we go from here?"
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Who Created The Financial Crisis And Why / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
"The Big Takeover" by Matt Taibbi is probably the best article written to date explaining the financial crisis and how we got to where we are now. Taibbi's necessarily lengthy article explains the problems, names the "poipetrators", and exposes all of the conflicts of interest--- absolutely a must read.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Krugman's Fatally Flawed Thinking on $200 Billion Lunch / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Paul Krugman frequently proposes solutions straight out of the "free lunch" handbook. However, in one recent case, Krugman actually managed to put a price tag on the lunch. That price is $200 billion.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Iran's View of President Obama / Politics / GeoPolitics
U.S. President Barack Obama released a video offering Iran congratulations on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on Friday. Israeli President Shimon Peres also offered his best wishes, referring to “the noble Iranian people.” The joint initiative was received coldly in Tehran, however. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the video did not show that the United States had shifted its hostile attitude toward Iran.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Bank Bailouts Judgment Day for Geithner / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
Whether he deserves it or not, Timothy Geithner has become the poster boy for everything that's wrong with the government's scatterbrain financial rescue plan. Geithner was in the wheelhouse at the New York Fed when Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros defaulted, and he played a central role in the $165 million AIG bonus scandal which ignited a populist firestorm across the country. Now everything even remotely connected to the bank bailout has become a source of fist-clinching rage. The mood of the country has darkened from the steady downpour of bad economic news, the sharp decline in housing prices and the steep rise in unemployment. People are angry at the government, the banks and Wall Street. Their nerves are frayed and their patience is stretched to the limit.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Economic Stimulus is Bankruptcy of the Economy / Politics / Economic Stimulus
The distraction on Capitol Hill this week has to do with the jackpot bonuses that executives at AIG recently received. The argument is over a relative drop in the bucket. The total amount of bonuses given out was $165 million. The government has put $170 billion into AIG so far. Many now are demanding we get this money back. We ought to be spending our time and effort doing something more worthwhile, like figuring out how the Federal Reserve is handling the trillions of dollars they are creating and pumping into the economy, and how that is affecting the purchasing power of dollars in your pocket.Read full article... Read full article...