Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
NSA $52 Billion Black Budget, A Sense of Magnitudes / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: Steve_H_Hanke
On October 28th, I wrote a blog post, “The NSA’s Rent is Too Damn High,” in which I looked at the $52.6 billion price tag for America’s spook infrastructure – the so-called “black budget.” When allocated across every American taxpayer, this staggering sum comes out to $574 per taxpayer, per year.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, November 14, 2013
China Demographics - The Next Phase of Reform / Politics / China
By: STRATFOR
The commitment and ability of China's leaders to follow through on new policies and to meet rising expectations will be tested as they strive to balance competing social, economic, political and security challenges. Three decades ago, China embarked on a new path, creating a framework that encouraged the country's rapid economic rise. The successes of those policies have transformed China, and the country's leadership now faces another set of strategic choices to address China's new economic and international position.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
How to Avoid Second Passport Scams and Traps / Politics / US Politics
By: Casey_Research
By Nick Giambruno, Senior Editor, International Man
It's a predictable reaction that a government in need of cash will turn to destructive measures, such as currency creation and increasing taxes and regulations.
Unfortunately, those measures are just the hors d'oeuvres before a 10 course meal.
As they become progressively more desperate, governments throughout history and all around the world have always turned to more destructive policies, such as capital controls, price controls, people controls, official currency devaluations, wealth confiscations, retirement account nationalizations, and more.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Public Banking in Costa Rica: A Remarkable Little-Known Model / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Ellen_Brown
In Costa Rica, publicly-owned banks have been available for so long and work so well that people take for granted that any country that knows how to run an economy has a public banking option. Costa Ricans are amazed to hear there is only one public depository bank in the United States (the Bank of North Dakota), and few people have private access to it.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Bernanke's Broken Record / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Michael_Pento
By now we have all heard it many times before...the Fed's mantra about ending QE is starting to sound just like a broken record. Our central bank is aware it has to stop manipulating credit and interest rates some day, and on a basic level it really wants to end that game, but the right time never seems to come. Sort of like someone who wants to quit smoking is often heard exclaiming that this will be his last pack of cigarettes. But a hundred cartons later he's still puffing away. He knows it's wrong, so he vows to stop. However, soon everyone realizes he's just full of smoky-hot air.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Janet Yellen Insolvent Thinking / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Fred_Sheehan
It is possible neither Janet Yellen nor another pretender will fill Bernanke's shoes in January. The odds of such a surprise may be once-in-a-history-of-the-universe, but those keep coming at a faster rate the longer we splurge. Simple Ben has been walking both his bank and the world's financial institutions closer to the cliff. Here, we will look at the precarious position of the Federal Reserve and the far-out financial securities entering the pipeline at an increasing rate.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
U.S.- Iran Talks Ideology and Necessity / Politics / Middle East
By: STRATFOR
The talks between Iran and the Western powers have ended but have not failed. They will reconvene next week. That in itself is a dramatic change from the past, when such talks invariably began in failure. In my book The Next Decade, I argued that the United States and Iran would move toward strategic alignment, and I think that is what we are seeing take shape. Of course, there is no guarantee that the talks will yield a settlement or that they will evolve into anything more meaningful. But the mere possibility requires us to consider three questions: Why is this happening now, what would a settlement look like, and how will it affect the region if it happens?
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
How to Prepare for the 17% "Supertax" / Politics / Taxes
By: Money_Morning
Peter Krauth writes: "You never let a serious crisis go to waste... It's an opportunity to do things you could not do before." -Rahm Emanuel
The once unthinkable is quickly becoming probable.
At some point in the next few years, your assets could well become the target of a "Supertax" as high as 17%.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
French Menace To World Peace / Politics / Nuclear Weapons
By: Andrew_McKillop
FABIUS BLOCKS IRAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS
Unsurprisingly, France's government friendly media, and of course its government-owned media of 5 TV channels and several radio stations including local radios, gave a well-programmed and coordinated whoop of joy for the exploits of Foreign Minister Fabius in Geneva.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 11, 2013
Israeli Bombers Over Syria Acting as Al-Qaeda’s Air Force / Politics / Israel
By: Global_Research
James Petras writes: Israel has committed repeated acts of war against countries that opposed its Zionist policies of colonization and annexation of Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem and the West Bank . Israeli leaders have secured arms and diplomatic support for their attacks through their Zionist proxies in the United States Congress and the Executive Branch.
The current series of Israeli bombing raids and missile strikes against Syria are designed to strengthen the armed Syrian opposition and Islamist mercenaries seeking to destroy the government in Damascus. Israel intends to sabotage the upcoming round of peace negotiations. The Zionist state does not want a peaceful resolution to the current regional conflict. Its foreign policy depends on perpetual regional wars and political instability. Toward this end, Tel Aviv has the unconditional support of the 52 Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organization and all other Zionist organizations in the US .
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 11, 2013
The Subprime Nation Final Solution / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
The MSM did their usual spin job on the consumer credit data released earlier this week. They reported a 5.4% increase in consumer debt outstanding to an ALL-TIME high of $3.051 trillion. In the Orwellian doublethink world we currently inhabit, the consumer taking on more debt is seen as a constructive sign. Consumer debt has grown by 5.8% over the first nine months of 2013, after growing by 6.1% in 2012 and 4.1% in 2011. The storyline being sold by the corporate MSM propaganda machine, serving the establishment, is that consumers' taking on debt is a sure sign of economic recovery. They must be confident about the future and rolling in dough from their new part-time jobs as Pizza Hut delivery men. Plus, they are now eligible for free healthcare, compliments of Obama, once they can log-on.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Chained CPI Inflation Chains Taxpayers / Politics / Inflation
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
One of the least discussed, but potentially most significant, provisions in President Obama's budget is the use of the "chained consumer price index" (chained CPI), to measure the effect of inflation on people's standard of living. Chained CPI is an effort to alter the perceived impact of inflation via the gimmick of "full substitution." This is the assumption that when the price of one consumer product increases, consumers will simply substitute a similar, lower-cost product with no adverse effect. Thus, the government decides your standard of living is not affected if you can no longer afford to eat steak, as long as you can afford to eat hamburger.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 10, 2013
U.S. Jobs Offshore Outsourcing is a Greater Threat Than Terrorism / Politics / Employment
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
Is offshore outsourcing good or harmful for America? To convince Americans of outsourcing’s benefits, corporate outsourcers sponsor misleading one-sided “studies.”
Only a small handful of people have looked objectively at the issue. These few and the large number of Americans whose careers have been destroyed by outsourcing have a different view of outsourcing’s impact. But so far there has been no debate, just a shouting down of skeptics as “protectionists.”
Sunday, November 10, 2013
America Rumors of Food Riots, Realities of War / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
Wendy McElroy writes: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spent $80M to fortify federal buildings in New York apparently in preparation for civil disturbances and possible food riots on November 1st. The DHS plans included armed private guards who would protect IRS and other buildings against attack by fellow Americans.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
How American Socialism “Works” / Politics / US Politics
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: America isn’t a socialist country, but don’t tell our President that, or Congress, or the Fed, or the too-big-to-fail (TBTF) banks. Because to them, it is.
That’s because socialism works for them. And Hells Bells, it’s hard to knock what works.
If you can’t feel the yoke around your neck, or the bit in your mouth, trust me…you will.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Did Israel Kill Arafat? / Politics / Middle East
By: Stephen_Lendman
On November 11, 2004, Arafat died in a Paris hospital. He was 75. He was hospitalized for an undiagnosed illness.
After developing, it worsened. He deteriorated badly. He needed special care. On November 3, he slipped into a coma. Days later he died.
Previous articles discussed his death. It wasn’t accidental. It wasn’t natural. Credible evidence points to assassination.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Monsanto’s Friends in High Places / Politics / Agricultural Commodities
By: MISES
Hunter Lewis writes: Many companies hope to send an employee into a government agency to influence regulation. How much better if the employee can actually shape government regulation to promote and sell a specific product! Monsanto seems to have accomplished this — and much more.
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Central Banks are the True Centers of Political Power / Politics / Central Banks
By: Thorsten_Polleit
Thorsten Polleit of the Frankfurt School of Finance, and an Associated Scholar of the Mises Institute, recently spoke with the Mises Institute about central banks and fiat money.
Mises Institute:Central banks keep increasing the money supply, and yet it looks like there’s still confidence in those fiat currencies.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 09, 2013
Peter Schiff Warns U.S. Econcomy Will Soon Collapse! Be Prepared! - Video / Politics / US Economy
By: Videos
Fall of America & Fall of the dollar – US Economy Will Soon Collapse! Be Prepared!
Friday, November 08, 2013
End Of The Line For Iran Nuclear Crisis-Business / Politics / Nuclear Weapons
By: Andrew_McKillop
World news media reported, November 7, that epic change could soon be coming to the seemingly endless – and dangerous – business of goading Iran and trying to spark a nuclear war in the Middle East, only to please Israel and Saudi Arabia.
'Wall Street Journal', November 7, ran this headline: “Geneva—Iran and world powers expect to announce an initial deal as early as Friday to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions, a step that would mark the first breakthrough in a decade to blunt the threat of Tehran developing nuclear weapons”.
Read full article... Read full article...