Saturday, February 26, 2011
Ratigan: "We Spent Four Times More On Clinton's Blowjob Than We Did Investigating The Financial Crisis"
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Bernie Sanders On What Banking Should Be: "It's Clear Bernanke's Magic Money Printing Is Working, It's Just Unclear For Whom"
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Bernie asks the right question. For WHOM did the bailouts work?
Banks Boosts CEO Pay by 34% as Bailout Loans Go Unpaid
SunTrust Chief Executive Wells's Pay Rises 34% as Pension Valuation Climbs - Bloomberg
"SunTrust Banks Inc., the Georgia lender that has yet to repay $4.85 billion in taxpayer bailout funds, reported a 34 percent increase in Chief Executive Officer James Wells’s 2010 compensation."
Durnit! If there were only someway we could get bad banks with evil management to go out of business so good banks would be the only ones surviving! Hmmmm....I'll have to think about that....
Monsanto Shifts ALL Liability to Farmers in its Contracts
Monsanto Shifts ALL Liability to Farmers
"Monsanto's Technology Stewardship Agreement shifts responsibility to growers for any and all losses, injury or damages resulting from the use of Monsanto seeds. There is no expiration date on the contract. The grower may terminate the contract, but: "Grower's responsibilities and the other terms herein shall survive...""
Taxpayer-Owned Freddie Mac Loses $19.8 Billion In 2010
Taxpayer Owned Freddie Mac Loses $19.8 Billion In 2010 - Home - The Daily Bail
"The total bailout of Fannie and Freddie is likely to cost at least $260 billion (Robert Shiller says $1 trillion - CBO says $400b) by the time the government is done using them as landfills for the banks' fraudulently created assets. Of course, by the way that Tim Geithner does math, that amounts to a "profit" for taxpayers on the bank bailouts. Maybe he can explain how this works when he testifies before Congress next week."
Yeah, but it's SO worth it. We definitely get $20 billion worth of utility out of Freddie Mac. (insert eye roll)
10 Health Insurance Companies Get ObamaCare Waivers -- for Their Own Employees
Activist Post: 10 Health Insurance Companies Get ObamaCare Waivers -- for Their Own Employees
"The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has granted waivers to 10 health insurance companies, including giants such as Cigna and Aetna and divisions of Blue Cross Blue Shield, from the requirements of the new health care law, also known as ObamaCare."
More cronyism and favoritism handed down by the king....
The solution in Afghanistan: Get out
James P. McGovern and Walter B. Jones - The solution in Afghanistan: Get out - The Washington Post
"No one, it seems, wants to talk about the war in Afghanistan. This week the House debated a budget bill that is touted as reflecting new fiscal restraint, yet borrows tens of billions more for the war."
(James P. McGovern, a Democrat, represents Massachusetts's 3rd
Congressional District in the U.S. House. Walter B. Jones, a Republican,
represents North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District.)
Iceland refuses deal to repay UK Landsbanki deposits
Iceland refuses deal to repay UK Landsbanki deposits - Telegraph
"Iceland's president has refused to sign a $5bn (£3.1bn) deal to repay the UK and Netherlands for deposits lost when Landsbanki failed."
Iceland should tell the U.K. and Netherlands to go fuck themselves. Do your due diligence on the bank before you deposit your money in it. I'm not paying for your stupidity.
Iceland's Voters Get Final Say on Repaying British, Dutch Depositor Debt
Iceland's Voters Get Final Say on Repaying British, Dutch Depositor Debt - Bloomberg
"Iceland’s President Olafur R. Grimsson will give his country’s voters the final say on repaying about $5 billion in debts owed to the U.K. and the Netherlands to cover depositor claims."
Do you really still think the snap-bailout of the U.S. banking system was necessary?
Belgians celebrate 249 days without government
Belgians celebrate 249 days without government - World - CBC News
"Belgians are marking 249 days without a government Thursday — a figure that they are treating as a world record.
Day to day the crisis pits the leaders of six million Dutch-speaking Flemings against those of 4.5 million French speakers, but people from across the country are putting aside their differences to celebrate the occasion."
Holy shit! There must be ANARCHY without GOVERNMENT!!!! Oh, there isn't? Everything is just fine? Hmmmm.....
DEA to legalize marijuana chemical for Big Pharma but keep it a crime for everyone else
DEA to legalize marijuana chemical for Big Pharma but keep it a crime for everyone else
"Have no illusions about the true nature of the so-called "War on Drugs" and the actions of the DEA. The War on Drugs has always been about protecting the profits of the drug companies which have a long and well-documented history of copying street drugs, repackaging them as "medications" and selling them to children as FDA-approved drugs (see below)."
Banks just too big to fail? Iceland shows otherwise
Banks just too big to fail? Iceland shows otherwise - Economy - NZ Herald News
"Decision to let banks go under looks smarter by the day, in contrast to Ireland's costly bailout, reports Yalman Onaran."
Remember how all of you fell for, "the system will collapse"? Are you SURE about that?
Houston Police Caught on Tape Beating People Condemn The Practice of Videotaping Police
Police are trying to make videotaping them illegal. I can see why.
CIA Chief Shoots Tow Pakistan Citizens
Raymond Davis 'was acting head of CIA in Pakistan' - Telegraph
"A US intelligence agent arrested after shooting dead two men was the acting head of the CIA in Pakistan and had been gathering intelligence for drone attacks, according to intelligence sources."
2007: Barack Obama promised to "walk on that picket line" if workers are denied the right to collectively bargain
"And understand this: If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself, I’ll will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States of America.
Because workers deserve to know that somebody is standing in their corner." - Senator Obama 2007
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Simon Johnson With Eliot Spitzer: "Banks are now LARGER and more risky to economy than before bailout."
While I disagree with regulation talk, the scale argument is important to understand.
Matt Taibbi's Latest For Rolling Stone: Florida's Foreclosure Rocket Docket Expedites MASSIVE Bank Fraud
Invasion of the Home Snatchers | Rolling Stone Politics
"The foreclosure lawyers down in Jacksonville had warned me, but I was skeptical. They told me the state of Florida had created a special super-high-speed housing court with a specific mandate to rubber-stamp the legally dicey foreclosures by corporate mortgage pushers like Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan Chase. This "rocket docket," as it is called in town, is presided over by retired judges who seem to have no clue about the insanely complex financial instruments they are ruling on — securitized mortgages and labyrinthine derivative deals of a type that didn't even exist when most of them were active members of the bench. Their stated mission isn't to decide right and wrong, but to clear cases and blast human beings out of their homes with ultimate velocity. They certainly have no incentive to penetrate the profound criminal mysteries of the great American mortgage bubble of the 2000s, perhaps the most complex Ponzi scheme in human history..."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Fed Passes China in Treasury Holdings
CHART: Fed Surpasses China In U.S. Treasury Holdings - Home - The Daily Bail
"The Federal Reserve has surpassed China as the leading holder of US Treasury securities even though it has yet to reach the halfway mark in its latest round of quantitative easing, according to official figures."
Wait a minute...Where did the Fed get the money to buy Treasuries? THEY PRINTED IT! It's like sending money you made on your HP Laserjet to your mortgage company, then saying, "Look! I'm paying off my debts!"
Iceland Actually Prosecuting Bank Fraud...Unlike Crony-Capitalist America
Over 100 under investigation in Iceland bank crash probe | IceNews - Daily News
"Iceland’s Special Prosecutor into the banking crisis says that well over a hundred people are being investigated by his office.
Olafur Thor Hauksson told Frettatiminn that well over a hundred people are legally classified as suspects in his team’s investigations into the causes of the Icelandic banking crisis — adding that the number is set to increase quickly in the near future."
Iceland's dealings with their banking crisis continues to make the U.S. look like a corrupt fascist state.
Rich Take From Poor as U.S. Subsidy Law Funds Luxury Hotels
IT NEVER ENDS: Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan & Prudential Steal From The Poor To Earn Subsidies On Luxury Hotels - Home - The Daily Bail
"The landmark Blackstone Hotel in downtown Chicago, which has hosted 12 U.S. presidents, opened in 2008 after a two-year, $116 million renovation. Inside the Beaux Arts structure, built in 1910, buffed marble staircases greet guests spending up to $699 a night for rooms with views of Lake Michigan.
What’s surprising isn’t the opulent makeover: It’s how the project was financed. The work was subsidized by a federal development program intended to help poor communities."
LIBERALS, PAY ATTENTION! When you push power upward, you ASSUME it will be used to help the poor. IT DOESN'T! The powerful use power to get what they want. How many more examples do you need?
Former Fox News employee: ‘Stuff is just made up’
Activist Post: Former Fox News employee: ‘Stuff is just made up’
"A former employee of Fox News called the company a "propaganda outfit" that is determined to undermine the Obama administration and Democrats.
"I don't think people would believe it’s as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up," the employee, whose name was kept anonymous, told the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters."
CIA Officials Involved in Abuse and Wrongful Detention Rarely Reprimanded, Sometimes Promoted
Activist Post: CIA Officials Involved in Abuse and Wrongful Detention Rarely Reprimanded, Sometimes Promoted
"CIA officers who were involved in cases of wrongful imprisonment, mistreatment and even detainee deaths have often avoided serious punishment and in many cases been promoted within the agency [1], an investigation by the Associated Press has found."
Obama Justice Department assertion: FBI can get phone records without oversight
Justice Department assertion: FBI can get phone records without oversight - Politics Wires - MiamiHerald.com
"The Obama administration's Justice Department has asserted that the FBI can obtain telephone records of international calls made from the U.S. without any formal legal process or court oversight, according to a document obtained by McClatchy Newspapers."
"Liberal" Obama protecting our civil rights, right?
Moody’s rates Irish banks as ‘junk’
Moody’s rates Irish banks as ‘junk’ | Irish News | IrishCentral
"The credit ratings agency Moody's yesterday cut its rating of four Irish banks to junk status, citing its concerns over the imminence of new funding which was due at the end of February."
Meanwhile, Iceland didn't bailout their banks, didn't burden their children with debt...and guess what? Their banking system is functioning quite well, thank you very much. What a surprise! People still wanted to save, borrow, and lend. Whoa! What a shock!
Hank Paulson: "We had no choice but to fly by the seat of our pants, making it up as we went along"
OK folks, this is VERY important to understand...Mr. Paulson is admitting that he was just guessing. Trillions of dollars on GUESSING. Stealing from other generations for GUESSING. Bailing out corrupt banksters because of a GUESS. But wait, when he and Geithner went in front of Congress asking for money, they assured us the SYSTEM WAS GOING TO COLLAPSE. They didn't equivocate. They didn't tell us they were unsure. They said most assuredly they had not doubt THE SYSTEM WAS GOING TO COLLAPSE.
Here's the important part...Hank Paulson is not a FORTUNE TELLER. I know this is a shock to you, because you seem to stubbornly retain this idiotic belief that those you've put in charge of manipulating the financial system can predict the future. THEY CAN'T! GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULL!
John Bolton: Egyptian Democracy May be Bad News
John Bolton: Egyptian Democracy May be Bad News - Political Hotsheet - CBS News
"Former U.S. ambassador John Bolton said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday that Americans should be wary of the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, arguing that it could lead to the country falling in the hands of anti-American Muslim extremists."
This guy was the ambassador to the UN, lecturing other countries that had a problem with the Iraq war, telling them we were "spreading democracy." Don't believe them, they are NOT interested in democracy...as he admits.
CIA & Pentagon Knew Their Methods Were Torture
OpEdNews - Article: CIA & Pentagon Knew Their Methods Were Torture
"The CIA and Pentagon
used "enhanced interrogation techniques"(EIT) on Middle East
prisoners knowing they were illegal and considered to be torture by
the United Nations, according to an article published in the January
issue of the American magazine "Science.""
"The CIA and Pentagon
used "enhanced interrogation techniques"(EIT) on Middle East
prisoners knowing they were illegal and considered to be torture by
the United Nations, according to an article published in the January
issue of the American magazine "Science.""
Banks Win Again: Fed Caves On Debit Card Fees
Banks Win Again: Fed Caves On Debit Card Fees - Home - The Daily Bail
"Maybe the other backdoor bailouts and subsidies aren't enough, but in any case the banks' army of lobbyists has the Fed reconsidering the limits it planned to impose on debit card fees paid by merchants. Remember, the Dodd-Frank Financical Reform bill had authorized the Fed to set such limits and prohibit the banks and credit card companies from gouging retailers and consumers with hidden or exorbitant fees. Notice that Dodd-Frank didn't set any limits in the bill itself, but thanks to the lobbying efforts by the financial industry, Congress passed that responsibility on to the most bank-friendly "regulator" in the history of the United States. That's right, the Fed. This was by design. The banks knew they could fight the battle on fees later on, out of the spotlight."
More bank bailouts. Bet CBSNBCABCCNN didn't cover this story...
New Afghan war plans could cost US taxpayers an extra $125 billion
New Afghan war plans could cost US taxpayers an extra $125 billion - CSMonitor.com
"At the NATO summit, President Obama's push to soften troop withdrawal deadlines could bring remaining war costs to $413 billion, according to one independent analyst."
To put this in perspective, in Washington everyone is griping about how the "evil" Tea Partiers are cutting a painful $60 billion from the budget.
Bernanke Defends Lehman Actions To His 'Deathbed'
Bernanke Defends Lehman Actions To His 'Deathbed' - Home - The Daily Bail
"“I will maintain to my deathbed, that we made every effort to save Lehman, but we were just unable to do so because of a lack of legal authority,” Bernanke said, referring to the 2008 failure that intensified a crisis that Bernanke said was the worst in history, according to an 89-page transcript of the interview by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission."
An Introduction to Austrian Economics
An Introduction to Austrian Economics - informationliberation
"Through our government's economic policies we risk falling back into a world of general poverty, things are that bad."
MIT chart tracking millions of items shows much higher inflation than CPI
Federal Reserve ultimate protector of the banking class – Fed Reserve sends a thank you to American middle class and world for bailing out the banks with a gift of inflation. MIT chart tracking millions of items shows much higher inflation than CPI.
"The Federal Reserve has one clear mandate. That mandate involves protecting the biggest investment and commercial banks on Wall Street at the expense of the American people."
Bringing Home 150 Troops From Afghanistan Would Fix Wisconsin's Budget "Crisis"
Robert Greenwald: Bringing Home 150 Troops From Afghanistan Would Fix Wisconsin's Budget "Crisis"
"Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker is using phony budget projections to manufacture a staged "fiscal emergency" in his state so that he can whack programs and political opponents, but even his fake "emergency" pales in comparison to the cost of the Afghanistan War to his state. In fact, the U.S. would only have to bring home 151 troops from Afghanistan to save more money than Walker's ridiculous union-busting plan. Better yet, ending the Afghanistan War altogether would save taxpayers in Wisconsin $1.7 billion this year alone, more than ten times the amount "saved" in Walker's attack on state employee rights."
This should put into perspective for you how expensive military interventionism is compared with social programs.
Janitors in Helmsley Building Pay Higher Tax Rates Than Millionaire Residents
TaxProf Blog: Janitors in Helmsley Building Pay Higher Tax Rates Than Millionaire Residents
"Martin A. Sullivan looks at IRS Statistics of Income Division data showing that the effective tax rate for filers listing the Helmsley building as their address is less than 15%."
Liberals, listen carefully...the complex tax code, filled with credits and loopholes, disproportionally hurts poor people! Rich people can afford to hire lawyers and accountants to find these loopholes, poor people cannot.
Republicans, RICH PEOPLE THAT YOU ARGUE AS BEING "UNFAIRLY" OVERTAXED IS A FALSE!
Where Are the Handcuffs for Wall Street? The Dylan Ratigan Show
Dylan Ratigan is one of the few that gets what's going on and has the guts to speak up about it.
Iceland Continues to Show America How Capitalism and Democracy Work
Iceland President Blocks $5 Billion Icesave Bailout: "The People Should Decide" - Home - The Daily Bail
"Iceland’s President Olafur R. Grimsson refused to sign a $5 billion accord struck in December with the U.K. and Netherlands to repay foreign depositor losses and said the bill must instead be put to a referendum."
America is NOT a capitalist, free-market democracy. Iceland's example is making this easy to see by sharp contrast. So, what IS America? It's cronism run by bankers and corporations. (Image is protest at Iceland's President's house.)
Fed New Accounting Change Means its Impossible for the Fed to go Bankrupt
Fed New Accounting Change Means its Impossible for the Fed to go Bankrupt! :: The Market Oracle :: Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting Free Website
"Back in early January, the Federal Reserve made an obscure announcement in its weekly report. It appeared to be an inconsequential accounting change in the treatment of earnings, and was sold as a step toward greater transparency.
The change was buried in such jargon that it took weeks for the financial bloggers to fully digest what had happened — the new move made it effectively impossible for the Fed to go bankrupt! In this article I'll explain the rule change and speculate on the Fed's motives."
The system is rigged against you. The 4th Estate (the media) is not informing you of important changes anymore, they are telling you about the Kardashians.
Obama’s $3.7 Trillion Budget Calls for Military Spending Increases and Deep Cuts to Social Service Programs
Obama’s $3.7 Trillion Budget Calls for Military Spending Increases and Deep Cuts to Social Service Programs
"President Obama has unveiled a budget plan seeking to trim the federal deficit by cutting or eliminating some 200 federal programs, many dedicated to social services and education, while increasing military spending and funding for the construction of nuclear power plants."
Liberals, where's your president? This looks more like Bush III, than any liberal ideas you seemingly uphold.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Number of Prisoners Per Capita: 1st place is U S: 715 per 100,000
# 1 United States: 715 per 100,000 people
# 2 Russia: 584 per 100,000 people
# 3 Belarus: 554 per 100,000 people
# 4 Palau: 523 per 100,000 people
# 5 Belize: 459 per 100,000 people
# 6 Suriname: 437 per 100,000 people
# 7 Dominica: 420 per 100,000 people
Prisoners per capita (most recent) by country
"We're spreading freedom around the world!"
# 2 Russia: 584 per 100,000 people
# 3 Belarus: 554 per 100,000 people
# 4 Palau: 523 per 100,000 people
# 5 Belize: 459 per 100,000 people
# 6 Suriname: 437 per 100,000 people
# 7 Dominica: 420 per 100,000 people
Prisoners per capita (most recent) by country
"We're spreading freedom around the world!"
Number of Prisoners: 1st place is America: 2,019,234
# 1 United States: 2,019,234 prisoners
# 2 China: 1,549,000 prisoners
# 3 Russia: 846,967 prisoners
# 4 India: 313,635 prisoners
# 5 Brazil: 308,304 prisoners
# 6 Thailand: 213,815 prisoners
# 7 Ukraine: 198,386 prisoners
Prisoners by country. Definition, graph and map.
"They hate us for our freedoms."
# 2 China: 1,549,000 prisoners
# 3 Russia: 846,967 prisoners
# 4 India: 313,635 prisoners
# 5 Brazil: 308,304 prisoners
# 6 Thailand: 213,815 prisoners
# 7 Ukraine: 198,386 prisoners
Prisoners by country. Definition, graph and map.
"They hate us for our freedoms."
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