Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
State Budget Gimmicks Can't Solve Banking Crisis / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Mike_Shedlock
Citing ethical concerns, as if Illinois had any, a Coveted Casino License went to lowest bidder who plans to build in the city of Des Plaines. Illinois gambling regulators on Monday chose the lowest bidder among three finalists for the state's only unused casino license, saying the company that plans to build in Des Plaines didn't raise the ethical concerns posed by finalists for Waukegan and Rosemont.
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
What Happened to the American Dream? / Politics / US Economy
By: James_Quinn
“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." --Historian and writer James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book Epic of America. Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Federal Reserve Abolition Act / Politics / Fiat Currency
By: Stephen_Lendman
On June 15, 2007, Ron Paul introduced HR 2755: Federal Reserve Abolition Act. There were no co-sponsors, no further action was taken, and the legislation was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services and effectively pigeonholed and ignored. It's a bold and needed measure to "abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks, to repeal the Federal Reserve Act, and for other purposes."
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
New Year Resolutions and the Financial Crisis / Politics / Social Issues
By: Alex_Epstein
Given the devastated state of many Americans’ finances, our New Year’s resolutions will take on greater significance this year. To “get out of debt” was often a casually stated goal to be set as midnight approached and forgotten soon after; today it is rightly recognized as a fundamental necessity of life.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Death of Deep Throat and the Crisis of Journalism / Politics / US Politics
By: STRATFOR
Mark Felt died last week at the age of 95. For those who don't recognize that name, Felt was the “Deep Throat” of Watergate fame . It was Felt who provided Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post with a flow of leaks about what had happened, how it happened and where to look for further corroboration on the break-in, the cover-up, and the financing of wrongdoing in the Nixon administration. Woodward and Bernstein's exposé of Watergate has been seen as a high point of journalism, and their unwillingness to reveal Felt's identity until he revealed it himself three years ago has been seen as symbolic of the moral rectitude demanded of journalists. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 22, 2008
U.S. Government's Own Madoff Style Ponzi Scheme Fraud / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Billions of dollars were recently lost in the collapse of Bernie Madoff's self-described Ponzi scheme, in which too-good-to-be-true returns on investments were not really returns at all, but the funds of defrauded new investors. The pyramid scheme collapsed dramatically when too many clients called in their accounts, and not enough new victims could be found to support these withdrawals. Bernie Madoff was running a blatant fraud operation. Fraud is already illegal, and he will be facing criminal consequences, which is as it should be, and should act as an appropriate deterrent to potential future criminals. But it seems every time someone breaks the law, politicians and pundits decide we need more laws, even though lack of laws was not the problem.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Federal Reserve Bank is the Reason for America's Downfall / Politics / Fiat Currency
By: Darryl_R_Schoon
The American Dream, An Obituary - The American Revolution was an extraordinary event. The idea that freedom was an inherent right, that tyranny could be successfully opposed, that government could serve the people, not the few, was truly revolutionary in 1776—as it is today.
The American Revolution, however, has run its course; and unless resuscitated and given new life, the American dream and the dreams of America 's founding fathers will soon be only a memory. Dreams rarely come to pass and those that do rarely last. The American dream is no exception.
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Monday, December 22, 2008
Fiscal Insanity Virus, the Irrational Fear of Deflation / Politics / Deflation
By: Mike_Shedlock
Warning: A dangerous new virus, FIV, is rapidly spreading the globe.
This part 1 of a very long post. The symptoms of the disease are complex. Part 1 addresses the symptoms of the disease and part 2 continues with more symptoms and a discussion about preventative measures and cures. Scientists have dubbed the disease, FIV, the Fiscal Insanity Virus.
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Sunday, December 21, 2008
Obama's "Business as Usual" Economic and Security Appointments / Politics / US Politics
By: Stephen_Lendman
The beat goes on. As with his economic and security appointments, Obama again disappointed but didn't surprise. Without exception, his team assures business as usual, a near-seamless transition from George Bush, and not "change to believe in." His latest choices raise more cause for concern and with good reason. Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Assessing the Bush Presidency Legacy: The Measure of the Man and His Administration / Politics / US Politics
By: Stephen_Lendman
George W. Bush. US president: January 20, 2001 - January 19, 2009. Born of privilege. Unimpressive by every measure. A history of underachievement. Chosen by big money. Arranged through electoral fraud. Installed by the Supreme Court. Empowered by a dubious "terrorist" act, and ending with a record unmatched by the worst of his predecessors. Assessing the Bush legacy - from its illegitimate birth; through its lawless, belligerent years; to the world potentially on the brink at its end. Exploring it fully as a change of command approaches, and an unenviable task awaits the new incumbent.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Bush–Cheney Legacy: Deconstructing the Spin and Propaganda / Politics / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
The chairman of the Republican National Committee may have begun an irreversible descent into a future as a fear-bound paranoid victim of functional amnesia, possibly caused by a hysterical post-traumatic event such as the overwhelming victory of Democrats in the 2008 election and the nation’s repudiation of Republican policies.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Christmas Should Celebrate Reason, Selfishness and Capitalism / Politics / Social Issues
By: Ayn_Rand
Christmas in America is an exuberant display of human ingenuity, capitalist productivity, and the enjoyment of life. Yet all of these are castigated as “materialistic”; the real meaning of the holiday, we are told, is assorted Nativity tales and altruist injunctions (e.g., love thy neighbor) that no one takes seriously.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Economic Freedom to Fail or Socialist Government Intervention? / Politics / Government Intervention
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week, the big 3 American automakers came back to Capitol Hill with their hands out to the government. Congress spent this past week debating how much money to give them and what strings should be attached.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Bailout for the People: “The Cook Plan” / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Richard_C_Cook
Prepared for the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network Annual Conference New York , N.Y. , February 27-March 1, 2009 Submitted by Richard C. Cook December 12, 2008 - This system is not free enterprise, and it is not capitalism. It is a cancer that is destroying the world.
Isn't it Finally Time to Enact a Basic Income Guarantee?
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Mexico and the War Against the Drug Cartels in 2008 / Politics / Mexico
By: STRATFOR
Editor's Note: This week's Global Security & Intelligence Report is an abridged version of Stratfor's annual report on Mexico's drug cartels. The full report, which includes extensive diagrams depicting the leadership of each cartel, will be available to our members on Dec. 11.
Mexico's war against drug cartels continued in 2008. The mission President Felipe Calderon launched shortly after his inauguration two years ago to target the cartels has since escalated in nearly every way imaginable. Significant changes in Mexico's security situation and the nature of the drug trade in the Western Hemisphere also have occurred over the last 12 months.
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Tuesday, December 09, 2008
India Pakistan Crisis- Next Steps / Politics / India
By: STRATFOR
In an interview published this Sunday in The New York Times, we laid out a potential scenario for the current Indo-Pakistani crisis. We began with an Indian strike on Pakistan, precipitating a withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the Afghan border, resulting in intensified Taliban activity along the border and a deterioration in the U.S. position in Afghanistan, all culminating in an emboldened Iran. The scenario is not unlikely, assuming India chooses to strike.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Obama and the Global Credit Crisis / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Richard_C_Cook
Even as preparations are underway for Barack Obama to assume office as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, the U.S. military juggernaut that is roaring toward global conquest hasn't missed a beat. This is shown by the team of hawks—including holdover Robert Gates at Defense and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State—that Obama has assembled to handle the levers of the war machine and its diplomatic front.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Latvia Protects its Banking System by Arresting Economist For Speaking the Truth / Politics / Emerging Markets
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The Latvian secret police arrested a university professor for delivering gloomy forecasts on the prospects for the Latvian economy and the state of the Latvian banking system, which as with the western banks have been riddled with over leveraged loans made during the easy credit boom times, but now have to contend with the impact of deleveraging and increasing rates of default that is plunging many eastern european countries into crisis.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Bailing Out the U.S. Auto Industry / Politics / US Auto's
By: Walter_Brasch
Congress should bend over, dig into the public coffers once again, and give the auto industry everything it wants—even though 61 percent of Americans oppose a bailout, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll.
A couple of weeks ago, CEOs from GM, Ford, and Chrysler, known collectively as the Big 3, revved up their corporate jets' engines, dropped in on the Senate, and testified that without a $25 billion bailout western civilization would collapse.
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Sunday, December 07, 2008
Canada in Crisis Prime Minister Harpers Coup- Power Grab in Ottawa / Politics / Canada
By: Mike_Whitney
“We are in the worst crisis since 1929 and we have no government. How can this be good?” Stephen Jarislowsky, chairman of Montreal money manager Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspended Canada's parliament to avoid a challenge from opposition parties that were planning to oust him from power. The 3-party coalition--the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois---decided to remove Harper because of his strong opposition to a stimulus package that was designed to minimize the effects of the financial crisis.
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