We Have “Freedom” to Choose … Between Two “Acceptable” Choices
This is an essential comment, links and all. It begs to be cut and pasted on every comment thread as a statement and an answer to everything... Posted on May 9, 2012 by Washington's Blog “Freedom” to Choose Between Two “Acceptable” Choices - Washington's Blog Most parents know the trick of letting their kids “choose”. You give the kid two choices … either of which produces the result you want. For example, you ask: “Do you want to clean your room and then wash your dishes … or do you want to wash first and then clean?” The kid feels like there is “freedom of choice” … but you – the parent – get what you want. That is exactly what America’s two-party political system … [Read More...]
“Socialist” François Hollande Signals Austerity and Bank Handouts
Incoming French president signals budget cuts, handouts to banks By Kumaran Ira and Alex Lantier "After winning the French presidential election on Sunday, the Socialist Party’s (PS) François Hollande is already positioning himself to drop his limited election promises on social spending and attack the working class with deep budget cuts. Hollande’s victory reflected a broad popular rejection of incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy’s austerity policies and his unpopular imperialist wars. However, any hopes for change from the incoming government will be rapidly disappointed by Hollande, who is moving to carry out reactionary policies. During his campaign, Hollande vowed to slash over €100 billion … [Read More...]
Joseph Stiglitz & Michael Hudson: On and After Austerity
For a little bit of contrast from a less en-Nobled heterodox economist: Michael Hudson, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of Missouri, Kansas City ......... After Austerity Joseph E. Stiglitz NEW YORK – This year’s annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund made clear that Europe and the international community remain rudderless when it comes to economic policy. Financial leaders, from finance ministers to leaders of private financial institutions, reiterated the current mantra: the crisis countries have to get their houses in order, reduce their deficits, bring down their national debts, undertake structural reforms, and promote growth. Confidence, it was … [Read More...]
Noam Chomsky: Short History of the US Economy in Decline
Plutonomy and the Precariat On the History of the U.S. Economy in Decline By Noam Chomsky The Occupy movement has been an extremely exciting development. Unprecedented, in fact. There’s never been anything like it that I can think of. If the bonds and associations it has established can be sustained through a long, dark period ahead -- because victory won’t come quickly -- it could prove a significant moment in American history. The fact that the Occupy movement is unprecedented is quite appropriate. After all, it’s an unprecedented era and has been so since the 1970s, which marked a major turning point in American history. For centuries, since the country began, it had been a developing society, and not always … [Read More...]
Alexis Tsipras’s Conditions for Forming a New Government
1) The immediate cancellation of all impending measures that will impoverish Greeks further, such as cuts to pensions and salaries. 2) The immediate cancellation of all impending measures that undermine fundamental workers' rights, such as the abolition of collective labor agreements. 3) The immediate abolition of a law granting MPs immunity from prosecution, reform of the electoral law and a general overhaul of the political system. According to Keep Talking Greece, that would include abolishing the 50-seat bonus for the party which wins the most seats. 4) An investigation into Greek banks, and the immediate publication of the audit performed on the Greek banking sector by BlackRock. 5) The setting up of an … [Read More...]
The Fraud and Theft Will Continue Until…
THE FRAUD & THEFT WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES (excerpts) A Few Evil Men “Every effort has been made by the Federal Reserve Board to conceal its powers, but the truth is the FED has usurped the government. It controls everything here (in Congress) and controls all our foreign relations. It makes and breaks governments at will… When the FED was passed, the people of the United States did not perceive that a world system was being set up here… A super-state controlled by international bankers, and international industrialists acting together to enslave the world for their own pleasure!” – Rep. Louis T. McFadden "The largest fraud and theft being committed in this country is being perpetrated … [Read More...]
Occupy Without Isms
Occupy Without Isms Hedges vs. the Black Bloc, Round Two by MARK TAYLOR-CANFIELD (excerpt) Actually, I am getting really tired of ideologues of all persuasions, including Chris Hedges. I don’t trust any “ism”! First of all, a true anarchist would never identify themselves with a political or philosophical label because that in itself is highly limiting. Society will immediately identify and categorize you depending upon their view of that political philosophy. I simply refuse to be labeled, folded, spindled or wrapped in anything besides my own skin! Call me whatever you like, but you’re probably wrong. I prefer to build bridges and work with as many groups and individuals as possible while … [Read More...]
On The Menue in France: Brussels Sprouts With Hollandaise
On the left, the ideal of a non-existent “social Europe” is still stronger than perception of the real existing European Union as an institutional mechanism enabling finance capital to destroy the famous “European social model”. François Hollande Squeaks In The French Chose a New “President”; Will the Eurocrats Let Him Do Anything? by DIANA JOHNSTONE Paris The choice of François Hollande over Nicolas Sarkozy was an extreme case of the lesser of two evils. Seldom has a winning candidate inspired so little enthusiasm. Considering how unpopular Sarkozy was, according to polls, the final vote of 51.6% for Hollande to 48.4% for Sarkozy was surprisingly close. Voting for the bland and inoffensive Hollande … [Read More...]
The Perfection of Crony Capitalism: Buying Regulation to Destroy Competitors
By Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds Crony capitalism uses its wealth to impose government regulations designed to hinder, cripple and destroy small business competitors. In the U.S. we now have the perfection of cloaked crony capitalism: corporate cartels use their vast concentrations of capital and revenue to buy the political leverage needed to write regulations specifically designed to eliminate competition. Recall that the most profitable business model is a monopoly or cartel protected from competition by the coercive Central State. Imposing complex regulations on small business competitors effectively cripples an entire class competitors, but does so in “stealth mode”–after all, more regulations are a … [Read More...]
Will 60% of Greeks Bury Their Differences and Focus on The Troika Vulture?
Real Time Greek Government Tracker; Goldman's Bearish Take While clearly dramatic, the outcome of the French presidential election was very much anticipated and at this point the only real question is how many promises will Hollande reneg on before the week is over: if Berlusconi is any indication, all it will take is for OAT yields to spike by 20-30% and all shall be well for the status quo. Greece, on the other hand, where as we said the people have lost everything so are free to do anything, just did more or less that, and have shocked Europe with an outcome which as we warned could result in the lack of a pro-bailout coalition government, which means no IMF aid, which means "no bailout for the Greek people", … [Read More...]
Greek Election Updates: Angry Voters Punish Major Parties
Greece elections: Angry voters punish major parties ATHENS—Greeks angered by a vicious and protracted financial crisis punished the parties that have dominated politics for decades Sunday, with projected election results showing them hemorrhaging support to anti-bailout groups and no party gaining enough ballots to form a government. Responding quickly to the protest vote, the heads of the parties in first and second place pledged to seek to either renegotiate the terms of Greece’s multibillion dollar international bailout agreement or overturn it. <snip> Official projections Sunday showed New Democracy winning 18.9 per cent, giving it 108 seats in the 300-member parliament — far short of the 151 needed to … [Read More...]
Bankers Nightmare: Greek Leftist Leader Calls for Anti-bailout Coalition
From Reuters: The Communist KKE - which believes Greece should abandon the euro - immediately rejected Tsipras's call for a leftist alliance. "Mrs Merkel needs to understand that austerity policies have suffered a huge defeat," said Left Coalition leader Alexis Tsipras, referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "With their vote, Greek people gave a mandate for a new dawn in our country with solidarity and justice instead of barbaric bailout measures." Tsipras' party has emerged as the surprise star of the election and is on track to finish in second place with 16 percent of the vote, according to early results. The success comes at the expense of the big pro-bailout parties, New Democracy and PASOK, who were punished … [Read More...]
Hollande: Monsieur le Président. In Greece, Syriza, the Anti-bailout Radical Left Registers Major Gains
according to exit polls from NET TV, the results are as follows: New Democracy: 17-20% Pasok: 14-17% In a stunner, Syrizia, or the coalition of the radical left - a vehement anti-Bailout party - gets more votes than the ruling PASOK party:15.5%-18.5% Independent Greeks: 10-12% Finally, and not surprisingly in the aftermath of the French results, the ultra right Golden Dawn gets 6-8% of the vote and will make it into Parliament — First Official Greek Exit Polls: Pro-Bailout Parties Plunge; Anti-Bailout Radical Left, Neo-Nazis Soar | ZeroHedge … [Read More...]
Paul Jay and Bruce Fein Discuss Libertarianism
Paul Jay and Bruce Fein discuss the battle in Wisconsin, income tax, estate tax and health care in the US March 1, 2011 Bruce Fein: Tea Party libertarians must fight for massive cut to military spending and end to Afghan war. February 27, 2011 Bruce Fein: Patriot Act does not defend national security, it defends a military empire February 21, 2011 … [Read More...]
51 Japanese Food Items Exceed New Radioactive Safety Standards
Fukushima mon amour... Via the Japan Times: Radioactive cesium was detected in 51 food products from nine prefectures in excess of a new government-set limit in the first month since it was introduced April 1st, according to data released by the health ministry Tuesday. The limit was exceeded in 337 cases, or 2.4 percent of 13,867 food samples examined by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. Cesium exceeding the previous allowable limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram was detected in 55 cases, while the new limit of 100 becquerels was exceeded in 282 cases. By prefecture, there were 142 cases in Fukushima, 69 in Tochigi, 41 in Ibaraki, 35 in Iwate, 32 … [Read More...]
Noam Chomsky on America’s Economic Suicide Pact
Laura Flanders sat down with professor and author Noam Chomsky, to discuss his latest publication, OCCUPY, OWS, anarchism, racism, corporate power and cooperative potential. Recorded 4/24/12 at MIT for Free Speech A "transcript" of this interview is available at Alternet: Noam Chomsky on America's Economic Suicide … [Read More...]
OWS Gut Check: Three Challenges Occupy Must Overcome.
LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS Adbusters , 03 May 2012 Hey you nimble dreamers, believers and jammer tacticians out there, Our movement has reemerged from winter hibernation to find that this spring we are different but so too is the political and tactical situation. Occupy now faces a series of existential challenges that will define the month of May and set the tone for our long-term future. #1 challenge: Jump over the corporate media It took the New York Times two weeks last year to wake up to the insurrection percolating in their own backyard. This May Day, we saw an insidious attempt to ignore and discredit us right across the mainstream media. Time to jam the corpo-commercial lie machine and shift the … [Read More...]
Unemployment numbers are ‘propaganda’
BLS's reports are good electoral BS. Labor Force Participation is lower than it has been in 30 years , so along with falling, falling wages, the media is propagating falsehoods. Real Jobless Rate Is 11.4% With Realistic Labor Force Participation Rate It won't surprise anyone that as of December, the real implied unemployment rate was 11.4% (final chart) - basically where it has been ever since 2009 - and at 2.9% delta to reported, represents the widest divergence to reported data since the early 1980s. And because we know this will be the next question, extending this lunacy, America will officially have no unemployed, when the Labor Force Participation rate hits 58.5%, which should be just before the presidential … [Read More...]
R O U N D U P
Roundup: May 04 ’12
charles hugh smith-Debt Serfdom in One Chart "The essence of debt serfdom is debt rises to compensate for stagnant wages. I often speak of debt serfdom; here it is, captured in a single chart. The basic dynamics are all here, if you read between the lines: 1. Financialization of the U.S. and global economies diverts income to capital and those benefitting from globalization/ "financial innovation;" income for the top 5% rises spectacularly in real terms even as wages stagnate or decline for the bottom 80%. 2. Previously middle class households (or those who perceive themselves as middle class) compensate for stagnating incomes and rising costs by borrowing money: credit cards, auto loans, student loans, etc. In effect, debt is substituted for income. 3. The dot-com/Internet … [Read More...]
Roundup: May 02 ’12
Why Isn't Closing 40 Philadelphia Public Schools National News? Where Is the Black Political Class? By BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon If some racist made an inappropriate remark about the First Lady or her children our national "civil rights leaders" Obama fans all of them, would be all over that. But standing up for ordinary black children is something our leaders just don't do much any more. When was the last time you heard Sharpton, Jealous or any of that tribe inveigh against school closings and the creeping privatization of our schools? Political Prisoner Lynn Stewart on May Day by Lynne Stewart On May Day, most especially, the oppressed should remember that “It is the same old white power structure that exploits both labor and race and racial differences for their … [Read More...]
Links 5/6/2011
The Progressives/Liberals darling President O. is floating the idea of a tax on the number of miles you rack up commuting to and from work. Looking on the bright side, if the Prez's success in creating jobs will continue on the current trajectory, this cockeyed idea to shore up revenues will run up against diminishing returns as the current number of un-and-under employed will continue rising and thus be spared the burdens of the tax. How does one sell such a regressive tax on the middle class to to the country? to begin with: the standard shtick of divide and conquer. Next, energy independence to the Right (more Middle East occupations), accompanied by domestic oil exploration; and reduced emissions to the ecologically sensitive Left. In the attached article, the … [Read More...]
Supreme Court Legalizes Corporate Buggery
The one thing I fail to understand is how Corporations which will certainly embrace this invitation to 'inadvertently 'skin their customers' ( 10 bucks here, 20 bucks there, times a couple million customers — easy peasy and fail safe scamming), are going to avoid screwing the Republican voters whose sense of self preservation is apparently nil? Supreme Court Nukes Consumers’ Rights In Most Pro-Corporate Decision Since Citizens United Imagine that your cell phone company cheated you out of just $30. Would you sue? Bear in mind that filing a lawsuit will require you to spend hour upon hour filing out forms and drafting complaints and dealing with legal codes that you probably know little about. Of course you can always hire a lawyer, but your … [Read More...]
Precious Metals Just Gone Apeshit
While markets are relatively quiet everywhere, precious metals have just gone apeshit. Gold opens at $1,520 while silver hits $49.70 on the Comex, drops, and is backing up again last treading at $49.22, as the world is pricing in the end of the US reserve currency. The parabolic melt up is in full force and we expect the nominal Hunt high to be taken out today, after which the resistance is the real Hunt high somewhere around $140, courtesy of the Federal Reserve confetti.[...] — Gold Opens $1,520, Silver Over $50 Everywhere But Comex (For At Least A Few More Minutes) | zero hedge Old King Dollar descending the mausoleum staircase, aided by the Bernank — Time magazine Man of the Year cover for 2011? … [Read More...]
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