Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Sunday, December 08, 2013
An Idea! Let the Fed Drop Money into Your Bank Account Instead of Raining it Down on the Rich / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Ellen_Brown
The Fed could be an institution that serves all the people, not just the 1%.
The Federal Reserve is the only central bank with a dual mandate. It is charged not only with maintaining low, stable inflation but with promoting maximum sustainable employment. Yet unemployment remains stubbornly high, despite four years of radical tinkering with interest rates and quantitative easing (creating money on the Fed’s books). After pushing interest rates as low as they can go, the Fed has admitted that it has run out of tools.
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Saturday, December 07, 2013
Amend the Federal Reserve: We Need a Central Bank that Serves Main Street / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Ellen_Brown
December 23rd marks the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve. Dissatisfaction with its track record has prompted calls to audit the Fed and end the Fed. At the least, Congress needs to amend the Fed, modifying the Federal Reserve Act to give the central bank the tools necessary to carry out its mandates.
The Federal Reserve is the only central bank with a dual mandate. It is charged not only with maintaining low, stable inflation but with promoting maximum sustainable employment. Yet unemployment remains stubbornly high, despite four years of radical tinkering with interest rates and quantitative easing (creating money on the Fed’s books). After pushing interest rates as low as they can go, the Fed has admitted that it has run out of tools.
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Saturday, December 07, 2013
Guardians of the Warfare State / Politics / US Military
By: MISES
T. Hunt Tooley writes: An analysis of the U.S. secretaries of war and defense (the name was changed from secretary of war to secretary of defense in 1947) gives us some insight into the nature of the relationships within the “military-industrial complex.” Though these secretaries are not the only gatekeepers of the warfare-welfare state (and perhaps not even the most important ones), they do perform a crucial function in coordinating the collectivist, rent-seeking corporate entities with the political parties and their largely social-democratic agendas.
Saturday, December 07, 2013
The State Causes the Poverty It Later Claims to Solve / Politics / Social Issues
By: MISES
Andreas Marquart writes: If one looks at the current paper money system and its negative social and social-political effects, the question must arise: where are the protests by the supporters and protectors of social justice? Why don’t we hear calls to protest from politicians and social commentators, from the heads of social welfare agencies and leading religious leaders, who all promote the general welfare as their mission?
Saturday, December 07, 2013
The Mainstream Media Makes and Changes History / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: Fred_Sheehan
"The Economist's Sell Signal," (November 30, 2013) critiqued the "The Perils of Falling Inflation," in the magazine's November 9, 2013, issue. "The Perils" attempted to erase history, an effort to protect the central-banking version of history from criticism.
In Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself, Sheila Bair, the former FDIC chairman, described an enlightening encounter with The Economist. In that instance, a malignant diatribe was published, either sanctioned or produced by the sieve of banks, bank regulators, globe-hopping bureaucrats, and politicians who fashioned it.
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Friday, December 06, 2013
The Fate of U.S. Dollar Hegemony / Politics / US Dollar
By: Andy_Sutton
Despite the quiet nature of things lately from a geopolitical standpoint, coupled with the mainstream media’s obsession with new nominal highs in the various paper indexes, there is definitely turbulence below the surface. There have already been a number of thought-provoking articles written regarding the future of dollar hegemony and the purpose of this week’s piece is to hopefully add to the discussion and stimulate some thought.
Friday, December 06, 2013
The Kress Cycle and the Fate of the Middle Class, And China's Gold Appetite / Politics / Cycles Analysis
By: Clif_Droke
Just how much pain has the middle class suffered in the last four years? The data is quite conclusive: the pain has been harsh.
According to government statistics, wages for the middle class have shrunk appreciably in the past decade. The Census Bureau points out that the typical middle class household made $51,017 this year, roughly the same as the typical household made a quarter of a century ago. Adjusted for inflation, that's a decline in living standards too big to ignore.
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Thursday, December 05, 2013
Taxes Don’t Matter… Until They Do / Politics / Taxes
By: Don_Miller
Since the latter part of 2008, the yield on cash has been so low that sheltering it from taxes didn't seem to matter. But if—as we expect—high rates of price inflation are waiting in the not-too-distant future, then sheltering interest income will be very important.
There may be lag time, but interest rates generally track the rate of inflation. So if inflation returns to a 1970s-like 14%, a one-year CD might yield near 15%. Don't get too excited. The real, after-inflation return would still be in the 1% neighborhood, but you would be taxed on the full 15%. So much for your windfall! No one wants to pay taxes on a real yield of 14%, let alone 14% in phantom income. In this high-inflation world, enjoying the safety and readiness of a cash reserve would be painfully expensive. Unless, of course, you could shelter your interest income from taxes.
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Thursday, December 05, 2013
The Future of OPEC / Politics / Crude Oil
By: STRATFOR
The prospect of revitalized oil production in Iraq and Iran may add to tensions between those two countries and Saudi Arabia over export quotas. On Dec. 4, representatives of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet in Vienna to discuss a number of topics. OPEC is facing two challenges. First, OPEC's historically biggest consumer -- the United States -- is rapidly increasing its own domestic production. At the same time, OPEC must deal with plans to expand oil production envisioned both by Iraq and Iran, which could lead to lower prices than the cartel desires. Ultimately, however, emerging markets in Asia will set global demand, and their energy thirst will determine the scale of the problem OPEC faces.
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Nigerian Man Rescued From Sunken Boat At Bottom of Atlantic Ocean for 2 days - Video / Politics / Social Issues
By: Videos
This remarkable video shows when Nigerian Harrison Odjegba Okene was surprisingly found to be alive by divers tasked with recovering dead bodies from a tugboat that had sunk 2-3 days earlier.
Thursday, December 05, 2013
America in Worse Fiscal Shape than Detroit - Video / Politics / US Debt
By: Videos
Boston University Economics Professor, Laurence Kotlikoff, says, “The country is in worse fiscal shape by many miles than Detroit. So, the country is essentially bankrupt.” Dr. Kotlikoff estimates the long term debt and liabilities of America are more than $200 trillion! He is spearheading a bill in Congress called The Inform Act. It is an attempt to wake up the nation to our dire financial situation so something can be done to fix this enormous problem. Dr. Kotlikoff explains, “The bill has been endorsed by over 1,000 economists, including 15 Nobel Prize winners in economics . . .
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Central Banks and Pentagon Wars - Control Via Interlocking Complicity / Politics / US Politics
By: DeviantInvestor
The reality is relatively simple even though the appearance is complicated and confusing. What are we talking about?
- Wars that are hugely profitable for a few individuals and businesses
- Unauditable Pentagon accounting
- Government debt that will never be repaid
- Levitation of S&P and bond markets
- Gold price suppression
- So much more
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Detroit Bankruptcy: Banksters and Unions Conspiracy Against the Working Class / Politics / US Debt
By: Global_Research
Joseph Kishore writes: Last week, the Michigan branch of the main US union for state and local government employees filed a joint motion in federal bankruptcy court to push for the sell-off of artwork at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). In precise legal language, the document exposes the unions as full participants in the bankers’ conspiracy against the rights of the working class.
The motion (available here) was drafted by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 25, an AFL-CIO affiliate, in collaboration with Financial Guaranty Insurance Company, a major bond insurance firm. The FGIC and AFSCME Council 25 were joined in the motion by a number of other banks and financial institutions.
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
The Tribal Mentality Indoctrinateing Individuals into the Tribe's Beliefs / Politics / Social Issues
By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis
Adil Elias writes: "The tribal mentality effectively indoctrinates an individual into the tribe's beliefs, ensuring that all believe the same, the structure of reality, what is and what is not possible for the members of the group is thus agreed upon and maintained by the group." — Carolyn Myss
To fully understand how societies operate, one must go back to where everything started, to the very beginning, from the days when people left the caves and started to come together to form small tribes.
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Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Why the U.S. Fed's 100th Birthday Could Be Its Last / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Money_Morning
Peter Krauth writes: On December 23rd, the Federal Reserve will turn 100 years old.
We can look back on its few successes... but its many failures far outweigh any positives it may have achieved.
What's at stake now is the Fed's future. And it looks bleak.
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Monday, December 02, 2013
Record Number of Homeless U.S. Students in 2013 / Politics / Social Issues
By: Global_Research
Isabelle Belanger writes: A record 1.1 million students attending public schools in the United States are homeless in 2013. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of homeless students has increased by 10 percent in 2013, from 1,065,794 in 2012, to 1,168,354. Forty-three states have reported increases from last year, with 10 states reporting increases of 20 percent or more. The number of homeless children has grown 24 percent over the past three years.
Monday, December 02, 2013
What Now for Janet Yellen? / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Matt_Machaj
"It deserves emphasis that a 6-1/2 percent unemployment rate and inflation one to two years ahead that is 1/2 percentage point above the Committee's 2 percent objective are thresholds for possible action, not triggers that will necessarily prompt an immediate increase in the FOMC's target rate."
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Monday, December 02, 2013
Ron Paul - You Cannot Negotiate With Iran? / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
You cannot negotiate with Iran. That is what they told us for years. The Iranian leadership is too fanatical, they are not rational actors, they are "not like us." One US official even recently said that deception is part of the Iranian DNA. But just over a week ago negotiations between the five permanent UN Security Council Members plus Germany and the Iranians produced an historic agreement that may be first step toward a new era in US relations with the Middle East.
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Sunday, December 01, 2013
Iran Nuclear Deal is Not a Breakthrough But Prelude to War / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Tony Cartalucci writes: “…any military operation against Iran will likely be very unpopular around the world and require the proper international context—both to ensure the logistical support the operation would require and to minimize the blowback from it.
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Sunday, December 01, 2013
Will Work for Food, Please Help! Hunger in America / Politics / Social Issues
By: Stephen_Lendman
It’s hard giving thanks when you’re hungry. It’s harder living in the world’s richest country. It’s harder still knowing government officials don’t care. It’s hardest of all wondering how you’ll get by.
More below on growing hunger and deprivation. It’s increasing in America at a time trillions of dollars go for warmaking, corporate handouts, and other benefits for rich elites.
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