Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Greece forced to swallow EU's bitter pills / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
By: Pravda
There are two noticeable trends in the story of public debt of Greece. The first is the intent of the EU to save the financial system of the country with loans - the only aid of the capitalist economy. The program is accompanied by unprecedented pressure on the Greek government that is forced to take a series of commitments on economic reform.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
US Corporations Moving to Offshore Tax Havens / Politics / US Economy
By: Bob_Chapman
One of the greatest detriments to job creation in the US is the overseas income deferral law. This unbelievable gift to transnational corporations is at the heart of free trade, globalization, offshoring and outsourcing. Presently these corporations are sitting on $2.2 trillion in untaxed profits, which is costing the American taxpayer almost $800 billion in lost tax revenue if like in 2006 they are allowed to bring the funds back at 5-1/4% taxation. Those conglomerates want to bring those funds back into the US tax free, which means $1 trillion in lost taxes, taking advantage of the current financial situation in the US.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
US Puppet Regime in Iraq is Calling for a ‘Regime Change’ in Syria / Politics / Middle East
By: Patrick_Henningsen
It’s one thing when imperial bureaucrats in Washington call for ‘regime change’, but it’s quite another thing when the rallying cry is coming from US-installed puppet regime.
In this case, we’re talking about the now fully domesticated US-puppet government of Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in Iraq, who is now calling for a regime change in its neighboring embattled country Syria. You would think that of all people, the Iraqis would not want to wish a US-sponsored sectarian free-for-all on their worst enemy, or neighbor. But think again.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Worsens, Time to Evacuate Tokyo? / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Videos
Experts warn that the possibility of evacuating parts of Tokyo can no longer be ignored. Further, they say that the total amount of radiation leaked will exceed amounts released from Chernobyl, making Fukushima the worst nuclear disaster in history. Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports from the Japanese capital.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? / Politics / US Politics
By: Robert_Murphy
Ever since Rick Perry derided Social Security as a Ponzi scheme, economists and other pundits have jumped into the fray. Progressive blogger Matt Yglesias says it's "nuts" for anyone to talk like this, because Social Security merely relies on future economic growth — just like a private pension plan. Free-market economist Alex Tabarrok responded to Yglesias with links to arch-Keynesians (and Nobel laureates) Paul Samuelson and Paul Krugman, both comparing Social Security to a "Ponzi game."
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Gore and Climatists Get Ready to Hibernate: Another Record Breaking Winter is Coming / Politics / Climate Change
By: Patrick_Henningsen
You can always gauge the level of desperation in a political movement by its inability to maintain a coherent message. This usually happens when the reality visible in the world runs contrary to the reality being professed from their pulpit.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
America's Secret War Plans Against the Red Empire, Economic Depression's Ultimate Conclusion / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Top secret documents reveal America's 1930's plan of war against the Red Empire, but America's foe in this war was not the Soviet Union or Japan, it was not even Nazi Germany, plan red was code for an apocalyptic war with Britain and all its dominions. The plan emerged from the Great Depression amidst the rise of evil regimes at a time when even some in America had been seduced by dark forces.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Why the Capital vs Labour Antithesis is Screwing Capitalism, Labour, and Free Trade / Politics / Protectionism
By: Submissions
David Chapman writes: The fundamental reason that "Free Trade" will end, and end badly, is that while movement of capital, goods and services is substantially free, and exchange rates are substantially floating, labour is imprisoned; creating massive imbalance.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Obama's Doomed Deficit-Reduction Plan More Political Than Practical / Politics / US Debt
By: Money_Morning
David Zeiler writes:
With the scars from the summer's budget battles still fresh, U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday (Monday) unveiled a deficit-reduction plan that is aimed more at winning votes in the 2012 election than it was to win support from congressional Republicans.
The president's deficit reduction plan includes approximately equal amounts of spending cuts and revenue increases to reach its target of $3 trillion over the next decade.
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Monday, September 19, 2011
The First Panacea for a Mismanaged Nation is Inflation, the Second is War / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA – 2011
“The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.” – Ernest Hemingway
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Monday, September 19, 2011
IMF-Troika Draconian Demands Force Greece Towards Debt Default? / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
By: DK_Matai
The Troika -- IMF, ECB and EC -- is demanding draconian new cuts in spending and public employment from Greece as a pre-condition for resuming aid talks, including:
1. 15 austerity measures Greece must take "here and now";
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
The US Government is Going After Your Retirement Funds... / Politics / US Politics
By: Bob_Chapman
We have warned subscribers and listeners and those on the Internet over and over again that government was going to come after your private retirement funds including 401K’s and IRA’s that hold $6.6 trillion in investments.
This past week in a grand deficit cutting bargain the Senate Finance Committee explored “Tax Reform Options Promoting Retirement Security.” The excuse is to make 401K plans more efficient; to keep Social Security afloat and to switch funds from these retirement plans to be used elsewhere by government. It is called a looting procedure.
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Architects of Economic Collapse: The Case of Latvia / Politics / Economic Austerity
By: Michael_Hudson
Prof. Jeffrey Sommers and Prof. Michael Hudson write: Anders Åslund and other austerity cheerleaders tout Latvia as a poster child for huge cuts. Nothing could be further from the truth
This past month's economic data reveals the global economic crisis continues to worsen, and by its duration and severity threatens to become known as the Great Depression II. Yet, even though it is evident to most that our problems arose from finance run wild, several media commentators claim the fault lies with its victim, the public. Instead of curbing finance, they advise governments impose radical austerity measures, which, in this economy, is tantamount to throwing the drowning victims an anchor, while tossing the perpetrators a life-preserver in the form of cash.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Obama Realitygate And The Green Energy Dream / Politics / US Politics
By: Andrew_McKillop
The rightly named Solargate scandal, going right up to Obama's White House, involving the Solyndra asset bubble and collapse (http://21stcenturywire.com/2011/09/16/solargate-obama’s-big-green-scandal-that-won’t-go-away/) underlines yet again that green energy miracles are not cheap, but even worse they are unreal.
The basic reasons - apart from resource, technology and industrial factors - feature the lose-lose mixture of political false hopes and incompetence, economic unreality and corporate greed that has dogged green energy since the mid-decade, when it suddenly became a political plaything.
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
European Leaders Flex Muscle / Politics / Credit Crisis 2011
By: John_Browne
Last Wednesday in a conference call followed around the world, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece gave broad assurances that in exchange for Greek commitment to enact further austerity measures, the flow of bailout funds will continue from the north. Although details were scarce, and no significant structural solutions were proposed, the symbolism was sufficient to diffuse mounting anxieties on both sides of the Atlantic. Stock markets of the major democracies rose strongly, while precious metals fell. But investors are right to wonder if anything of substance actually occurred.
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
Will Governments Wait Until Panicked Again Before Acting? / Politics / Financial Markets 2011
By: Sy_Harding
As the downturn worsened severely in 2008, governments around the world finally jumped in with massive panicked rescue efforts.In March, 2008 there was the $29 billion bailout of Bear Stearns, in May the $178 billion in stimulus checks to consumers, in July the $300 billion for at-risk homeowners, in September the $25 billion bailout of automakers, and the $200 billion bailout of mortgage provider Fannie Mae, and in October the $700 billion bailout of banks.
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Friday, September 16, 2011
The Real Solution to U.S. Debt Crisis / Politics / US Debt
By: MISES
David D'Amato writes: In his famously doleful, dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell described a world enthralled to what was functionally a "permanent war economy," an "economy existing by and for continuous warfare."
Today, on the heels of a debt ceiling increase calculated to forestall a federal-government default, we both are witnessing and are yoked to the many indispositions of what could be characterized as a permanent debt economy.
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Friday, September 16, 2011
The Last Oil Wars / Politics / Crude Oil
By: Andrew_McKillop
In almost undisguised fashion, French and British media, with a weaker version in US mainstream media is talking up the Libyan war as an outright cheap oil victory - after all Libya has about 40 billion barrels of proven reserve, the oil is cheap to produce, and high quality. What matters now is who gets what, and the suppliers of airpower and munitions will be high up the list of winners.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
America's War on Liberty / Politics / US Politics
By: Bill_Bonner
We dipped our toes over the weekend, Fellow Reckoner. Re-tested the waters. We wanted to know whether, over the past ten years, the public discourse regarding 9/11 and the subsequent “War on Terror” – waged both on foreign soil and, increasingly, against the liberties of American citizens at home – had shifted. A few questions…
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Greek workers plunged into social misery / Politics / Economic Austerity
By: Global_Research
Robert Stevens writes: With Greece verging on a default of its debt of around €330 billion, and facing a forced exit from the eurozone, the PASOK government of Prime Minister George Papandreou is escalating its austerity programme against an already pauperised population.
Since its election in October 2009, PASOK has initiated a social counter-revolution, destroying the living standards of the working class.
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