Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Federal Reserve Money Printing Inflation Pushed U.S. Economy to the Wall / Politics / Central Banks
By: Terry_Coxon
Terry Coxon, Casey Research : Decades of manipulation by the Federal Reserve (through its creation of paper money) and by Congress (through its taxing and spending) have pushed the US economy into a circumstance that can't be sustained but from which there is no graceful exit.
With few exceptions, all of the noble souls who chose a career in "public service" and who've advanced to be voting members of Congress are committed to chronic deficits, though they deny it. For political purposes, deficits work. The people whose wishes come true through the spending side of the deficit are happy and vote to reelect. The people on the borrowing side of the deficit aren't complaining, since they willingly buy the Treasury bonds and Treasury bills that fund the deficit. And taxpayers generally tolerate deficits as a lesser evil than a tax hike.
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
Salvaging Your Retirement Savings from the U.S. Government Ponzi Scheme / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
"It is unbelievable. Goldman Sachs? No one has any criminal convictions. The whole new regulatory reform is a joke. The whole government is a Ponzi scheme." - Bernie Madoff
What is your average person to do? The governments who purport to own them and take half of their production every year also borrow on "their behalf" and have put not only them, but their children and grandchildren into levels of debt that can only be described as slavery. Meanwhile, the entire economy is so distorted by government regulations, taxes, tariffs, laws and legislation that calling it a "free market" is like calling Shaquille O'Neal a petite, pretty white girl. And, to top it off, the monetary system forced upon us by legal tender laws is a system based, at its core, on counterfeiting and price (interest rate) fixing.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
U.S. Corporations Go From Innovation to Rent Seeking Intellectual Property Monopolies / Politics / Technology
By: Douglas_French
It's often thought that the technology sector is the least regulated and therefore has been the most productive during the past couple of decades. Famously, Bill Gates had no interest in politics. "In the beginning, Microsoft tried to ignore the powerful political forces arrayed against it, hunkering down in Redmond, Washington, to focus on its core businesses," William F. Shugart wrote in the Freeman. Of course, the Department of Justice snapped Mr. Gates to attention.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Eurozone: A Moral-Hazard Morass of Open Bailouts, Subsidies and Transfers / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Philipp_Bagus
European politicians are still trying to save the project of the euro. They design ever-greater bailout packages. Along with the bailouts, an economic government may be forthcoming. Countries may give up parts of their sovereignty. The character of the European Monetary Union (EMU), and even the European Union (EU), may change forever.
While it is still unclear where future developments will lead the EMU, the costs and risks of remaining within the system are already immense and rising.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Foolish Policy of Exporting Natural Gas / Politics / Natural Gas
By: BATR
The lack of a government policy that promotes domestic energy independence in the United States is a tragic consequence of playing politics for decades. The current rage is the natural gas boom that offers the alternative of producing a plentiful and inexpensive source of fuel. Economic prosperity rests upon cheap and reliable power and natural gas offers the best option.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Ben Bernanke's Chilling Judy Garland Impersonation / Politics / Central Banks
By: Gary_North
"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high."
Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke delivered a speech on April 13 on "Rethinking Finance." It certainly needs to be rethought at the highest levels. Unfortunately, Dr. Bernanke has not yet begun the process. Thinking, yes. Not rethinking.
He ended his speech with this:
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The United States is Run by Sociopaths, Economics and Evil / Politics / Social Issues
By: Casey_Research
Doug Casey, Casey Research writes: I recently wrote an article that addresses the subject of sociopaths and how they insinuate themselves into society. Although the subject doesn't speak directly to what stock you should buy or sell to increase your wealth, I think it's critical to success in the markets. It goes a long way towards explaining what goes on in the heads of people like Bernie Madoff and therefore how you can avoid being hurt by them.
But there's a lot more to the story. At this point, it seems as if society at large has been captured by Madoff clones. If that's true, the consequences can't be good. So what I want to do here is probe a little deeper into the realm of abnormal psychology and see how it relates to economics and where the world is heading.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Subprime Student Debt Slaves: The Lowlife Trap of Higher Education / Politics / Student Finances
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani,writes:
"And the strong to seem to get more
While the weak ones slave
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, and Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own."
We can thank the late, great Billie Holiday for those lyrics. And we can thank our higher education system for giving "the child that don't his own"a chance to get some.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Turkey Re-emerging Regional Power Strategy / Politics / Middle East
By: STRATFOR
Turkey is re-emerging as a significant regional power. In some sense, it is in the process of returning to its position prior to World War I when it was the seat of the Ottoman Empire. But while the Ottoman parallel has superficial value in understanding the situation, it fails to take into account changes in how the global system and the region work. Therefore, to understand Turkish strategy, we need to understand the circumstances it finds itself in today.
Monday, April 16, 2012
U.S. Constitution from Sneaky Beginnings to Encroachment on Liberty and Free Markets / Politics / US Politics
By: Casey_Research
By Doug Casey, Casey Research : Legendary contrarian investor and the original International Man Doug Casey takes aim at the US Constitution, from its sneaky beginnings to its encroachments on individual liberty and free markets.
Louis: Doug, we've threatened to talk about the Constitution many times. Since there's increasing interest in the country's economic and political future, maybe now is a good time to put that into a fuller historical context..
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Another Gust of Stench from IMF / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Pravda
International Monetary Fund Senior Resident Representative in Russia, Odd Per Brekk has recently made a surprisingly lucrative suggestion to the international community. According to Mr. Brekk, one should invest their money in the development of national economies rather than saving up the funds on bank accounts. If something happens, the IMF will be there to help the country in trouble. The idea seems to be perfect, but there is a downside to it.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Spain Committing Financial Suicide to Appease Big Finance, Marching Towards Depression / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Mike_Whitney
“Other countries have gone through similar experiences. Latin American countries suffered a lost decade after 1982, and Japan has been stagnating for a quarter of a century; both have survived. But the European Union is not a country and it is unlikely to survive. The deflationary debt trap threatens to destroy a still-incomplete political union.” George Soros, Financial Times
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Switzerland's New Controls for Runaway Alternative Investments, Shadow Banking & Tax Avoidance Schemes? / Politics / Credit Crisis 2012
By: DK_Matai
Switzerland is preparing sweeping new rules for its traditionally freewheeling private wealth management, investment banking, alternative investment and shadow banking industry, in an overhaul that is likely to unsettle investors and asset managers around the world. Based on the high density of emails and telephone calls received, ATCA 5000's distinguished members -- chairmen and chief executives, senior bankers, high-ranking government officials, significant investors, asset managers and ultra high net worth individuals -- from more than a hundred countries are seeking to get to grips with the potential scope of the proposed new Swiss laws, which have yet to be translated into English.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Spain Would Be Dead Without ECB Loans, Black Market Transactions in Spain; Bartering in Greece / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Mike_Shedlock
As Greece wonders whether its debt crisis will eventually spell its exit from the euro, one town, Volos, has formed an alternative local currency as noted by the BBC in Greece Bartering System Popular in Volos.
Read full article... Read full article...A few months ago, an alternative currency was introduced in the Greek port city of Volos. It was a grass-roots initiative that has since grown into a network of more than 800 members, in a community struggling to afford items in euros during a deepening financial crisis.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Battle for The “Soul” of Occupy Fear of Co-optation Leads to Self-Destructive Polemics / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
Perhaps my problem is that I live in too many worlds at the same time, while many political eras live in me.
That may be why I responded so negatively to a recent polemic wrapped up in a poetic communique from AdBusters, the culture jammers in Canada, who do so much good work (and often so creatively) battling the consumption virus promoted by big corporations many of us have grown to despise.
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Sunday, April 15, 2012
Meet Thanatos: Real Life Superhero / Politics / Social Issues
By: Ashvin_Pandurangi
Thanatos was the personification of Death in Greek mythology, and is perhaps now better known as the name ascribed to Sigmund Freud's "death drive". Freud understood thanatos as a psychological drive that causes human beings to act in self-destructive ways, or to "lead organic life back into the inanimate state", acting in opposition to the innate force of eros - the "life instinct".
Friday, April 13, 2012
Obama's Real Goal is to Make Us Poorer by Any Means Possible / Politics / US Politics
By: William_Anderson
California regulators recently announced their plans to try to force people to live in dense housing developments rather than single-family homes, which environmental bureaucrats believe are wasteful and contribute to dread global warming. Likewise, the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has issued an order that effectively will keep electric power companies from building new coal-fired power plants, which will mean even higher electricity prices.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Spain in the Debt Crisis Crosshairs / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: William_Bancroft
Only weeks ago Italian technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti proselytized that the Eurozone crisis was “almost over”. It felt like more propaganda from the European establishment, and since returning from the Easter break the markets don’t seem to be agreeing with him. Spanish and Italian yields are firmly on the rise again, marking a reverse of the trend helped into action by €1bn of refinancing money from the ECB. Tensions are rising once more given that Spain and Italy are ‘too big to bail’
Thursday, April 12, 2012
War Imminent between Pakistan and India Over Water? / Politics / Pakistan
By: OilPrice_Com
A peaceful and stable Pakistan is integral to western efforts to pacify Afghanistan, but Islamabad's obsessions with its giant eastern neighbor may render such issues moot.
Since partition in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought four armed conflicts, in 1947, 1965, 1971 (which led to the establishment of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan) and the 1999 Kargil clash.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The War at the End of the U.S. Dollar / Politics / US Dollar
By: Ron_Hera
The history of the U.S. dollar is closely linked to U.S. involvement in a series of wars. The Bretton Woods Accord and the resulting world reserve currency status of the U.S. dollar were both byproducts of World War II (1939-1945). The Korean War (1950-1953) was followed six years later by the Vietnam War (1959-1975) which led to the end of the Bretton Woods system. Unfettered by the constraint of gold backing after 1971, the U.S. dollar became a weapon in the Cold War (1945–1991) between the U.S. and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). Each war corresponded with an increase in the U.S. money supply. The Gulf War (1990-1991) was followed by wars in Afghanistan, beginning in 2001, and in Iraq, beginning in 2003, and, simultaneously, by the U.S.-led War on Terror that began in 2001. Like the wars that came before them, the recent staccato of U.S. wars is correlated with increases in the U.S. money supply. The Iraq war, for example, is estimated to have cost as much as $4 trillion.