Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
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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Thursday, December 04, 2008
Economic Downturn an Historic Challenge for the New President / Politics / Recession 2008 - 2010
By: John_Browne
At long last it is official. Even the government's own statisticians now admit that we are in a recession. They have even concluded that it began in late 2007. How wonderfully candid of them!Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Ukraine, Georgia NATO Entry Put Off Indefinitely / Politics / New Cold War
By: F_William_Engdahl
NATO ministers in Brussels have decided to ignore US wishes and to delay the admission of Ukraine and of Georgia in effect indefinitely in what the Washington Administration is sheepishly trying to claim is a positive ‘compromise.’ The decision, following EU member state alarm last August over the prospect of European states having to go to war at some point against Russia over an incalculable despot in the Caucasus or in Kiev who decided to provoke Moscow to react, was simply too much. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Mumbai Attack Setting the Stage for a New Indo-Pakistani Confrontation / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
Last Wednesday evening, a group of Islamist operatives carried out a complex terror operation in the Indian city of Mumbai . The attack was not complex because of the weapons used or its size, but in the apparent training, multiple methods of approaching the city and excellent operational security and discipline in the final phases of the operation, when the last remaining attackers held out in the Taj Mahal hotel for several days. The operational goal of the attack clearly was to cause as many casualties as possible, particularly among Jews and well-to-do guests of five-star hotels. But attacks on various other targets, from railroad stations to hospitals, indicate that the more general purpose was to spread terror in a major Indian city. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Financial Crisis Thanksgiving in America / Politics / UK Economy
By: Darryl_R_Schoon
Collectively and individually, we all learn through crises. But only after a crisis is over do we recognize the lessons learned and become thankful for the fundamental and needed changes such crises bring. When this crisis is over, we too will be thankful for its gifts. But this crisis is not yet over. It has only just begun.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Spreading Bailouts Damaging to Long-run Economic Health / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
This week the bailout of the Big Three automakers was under heavy consideration in Congress's lame duck session. I have always opposed government bailouts of private organizations. Back in 1979 Congress had hearings about bailing out Chrysler and I was on record pointing out that these types of policies are foolish and very damaging to the long term economic health of our country. They still are.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Obama Unveils Economic Team and 2.5 Million Job Stimulus Plan / Politics / US Economy
By: Money_Morning
Jason Simpkins writes: President-elect Barack Obama yesterday (Monday) formally unveiled his economic team, including the nomination of New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy F. Geithner as the new administration's U.S. Treasury secretary. The team's first challenge will be assembling an economic stimulus package that could be even larger than the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the Bush Administration has deployed.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Obama's First Moves on the Financial Crisis and Foreign Policy / Politics / US Economy
By: STRATFOR
Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election, we are getting the first signs of how President-elect Barack Obama will govern. That now goes well beyond the question of what is conventionally considered U.S. foreign policy — and thus beyond Stratfor's domain. At this moment in history, however, in the face of the global financial crisis , U.S. domestic policy is intimately bound to foreign policy. How the United States deals with its own internal financial and economic problems will directly affect the rest of the world. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Capitalist's Social Security, 401(k) Retirement Plan Reform Program / Politics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Steve_Selengut
What if there was an easy way to implement a whole new approach to retirement funding, pension planning, and Social Security? Would the politicians be interested? Let's find out.
What if the new plan actually reduced payroll taxes, cut prices, created jobs, increased salaries, raised shareholder dividends, partially funded decreased healthcare costs, and was available to everyone?
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Sunday, November 23, 2008
New World Order as Global Financial Matrix Self Destructs / Politics / New World Order
By: T_Anthony_Michael
Now that the genie is out of the bottle, worldwide economic, financial and political events will proceed with the inexorable force of destiny. The forthcoming changes, shifts and breaks with the past that are delineated below do concern the unsavory business of WHAT, positively, will not be brought into the future. This is of critical importance. Why? Because those who do not know, and understand, and heed history, are always, always forced to repeat it.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The World After the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election / Politics / US Politics
By: Richard_C_Cook
World war or world peace could be the blunt choice that will face either Barack Obama or John McCain when one of them is elected president of the United States on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
For a major eruption of violence to be averted, the new president must deal positively with the reappearance of Russia on the world stage, the emergence of China as an economic force, and the aspirations of all the nations on earth for a decent and secure way of life.
Friday, November 21, 2008
It's time to walk the walk / Politics / Climate Change
By: Brian_Bloom
These words are being written from a little town three hours up the coast from Sydney to which my wife and I have recently relocated – perhaps temporarily; we will see. It has plenty of fresh air and artesian water. Soil quality is not particularly great but, in theory, there are simple non chemical technologies which can be applied to enhance crop yields. Perhaps we'll dabble with these technologies to test the theory on a small scale. Perhaps we'll also try to build a small scale power generation plant to apply some of the technologies I have been reading about since the late 1980s. Perhaps. With the equity markets continuing to give sell signals, this is not a time to cast one's thoughts in concrete. All options need to be left open.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
G20 Summit Fails to Achieve Anything of Substance / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Mike_Whitney
As expected, the G-20 Economic Summit in Washington turned out to be a total bust. None of the problems which have pushed the global economy to the brink of disaster were resolved and none of the main players who gamed the system with their toxic securities were held accountable. Instead, the visiting dignitaries gorged themselves on stuffed quail and roast rack of lamb before settling on a toothless "Statement on Financial Markets" which accomplished absolutely nothing. The one noteworthy clause in the entire document is a two paragraph indictment of the United States as the perpetrator of the financial crisis. At least they got that right.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
BNP Members List Leaked Online- Link Here / Politics / UK Politics
By: Submissions
British National Party (BNP) full membership list of 12,801 members has been leaked onto the internet. The list contains contact details and notes on selected party members. The list has been first published on the internet by Wikileaks who's staff has verified the list as predominantly containing BNP members, and other individuals who have donated to the BNP or have had other contact with the BNP may also be listed.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
UK Tax Cuts and Free Money in Japan / Politics / Deflation
By: Mike_Shedlock
The Times Online is reporting Ministers admit that tax rises will follow Gordon Brown's tax cuts . Tax rises are set to follow next week's tax cuts, ministers admitted yesterday as Gordon Brown raised the spectre of deflation in Britain for the first time.
David Cameron predicted a tax-raising “bombshell” after Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, spoke of the need for “structural adjustments later on” and Mr Brown himself accepted that the Pre-Budget Report (PBR) stimulus would be “temporary”. Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
G20 Meaningless Statement and the Manageable Recession / Politics / Recession 2008 - 2010
By: STRATFOR
The G-20 met last Saturday. Afterward, the group issued a meaningless statement and decided to meet again in March 2009, or perhaps later. Clearly, the urgency of October is gone . First, the perception of imminent collapse is past. Politicians are superb seismographs for detecting impending disaster, and these politicians did not act as if they were running out of time. Second, the United States will have a new president in March, and nothing can be done until he defines his policy. Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Obama Benefits from Bush Centralization of Power / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
As the financial sector continues its tailspin despite efforts to bail out Wall Street, among the few gainers in recent stock trading have been those companies looking for a new "shot in the arm" with government funding from the next administration.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Brutal Truth About the Credit Crisis / Politics / Credit Crisis 2008
By: Money_and_Markets
Mike Larson writes: I don't know about you. But I started keeping a mental “Outrage List” a while back. The idea: Chronicle all the ridiculous statistics, all the lies, all the questionable practices, and all the dubious “rescue packages” Wall Street and Washington keep shoveling onto the public's lap.
And boy oh boy, is it getting long these days!
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Sunday, November 16, 2008
G20 Economic Summit Changes Nothing / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Richard_C_Cook
The G20 is meeting today in Washington, D.C., to discuss the world financial crisis, its causes, and what can be done about it. But this won't help the people of the U.S. who have been victimized by their own financial system.
The stated objectives are to find ways to stabilize and reduce speculation in the financial markets and make financial transactions more transparent, more efficient, and more international in scope. But this is also a revolt by the nations of the world against over-reliance on the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. What we are likely to see over time is a multi-currency regime that includes the Euro and one or more Asian currencies as well.
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