Yearly Archives: 2013

How The Establishment Will Attempt To Bring Down The Liberty Movement

"It is the most dedicated and the most uplifting of activists that the system tends to target in order to demean the core strength of the overall movement and tarnish its reputation. A recent and malicious example is the subversive electronic planting of false evidence in an attempt to connect organizations like Oath Keepers, We Are Change, and PANDA to illicit and illegal pornographic materials. This is only one method of attack in the arsenal of slander and destabilization, and while the culprits behind the action are not yet known, the strategy is very similar to government run demonization campaigns of the past (just read up on the history of Cointelpro)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow The Establishment Will Attempt To Bring Down The Liberty Movement

JPMorgan Chase stops trading ‘non-financial’ commodities amid federal pressure

"JPMorgan Chase & Co is exiting physical commodities trading, the bank said in a surprise statement on Friday, as Wall Street’s role in the trading of raw materials comes under unprecedented political and regulatory pressure. After spending billions of dollars and five years building the banking world’s biggest commodity desk, JPMorgan said it would pursue 'strategic alternatives' for its trading assets that stretch from Baltimore to Johor, and a global team dealing in everything from African crude oil to Chilean copper. The bank said it will continue to trade in financial commodities such as derivatives and precious metals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJPMorgan Chase stops trading ‘non-financial’ commodities amid federal pressure

Ageing population pushes welfare bill to crisis point

"In a report released tonight, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said that the proportion of GDP spent on jobseekers’ allowance, pensions and other 'public social spending' stood at 23.8 per cent — the same as it was in 2010. The Paris-based think tank warned that unless action was taken to cut the cost to the state of Britain’s rapidly rising elderly population, the health and pensions systems could collapse. Ddespite broadly positive signs, economic activity is still well below the level enjoyed before the financial crisis and Britain faces years of austerity and uncertainty." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAgeing population pushes welfare bill to crisis point

Seven killed, hundreds injured in new round of dueling protests in Egypt

"At least seven people were killed and hundreds wounded in scattered violence across Egypt during mass rallies for and against the army’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, who was placed under investigation for murder. With hundreds of thousands taking to the streets on Friday, the new bloodshed deepened the turmoil convulsing the Arab world’s most populous country, and could trigger a decisive move by the military against Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood. The country of 84 million people forms a bridge between the Middle East and North Africa and receives $1.5 billion a year in mainly military aid from Washington." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, hundreds injured in new round of dueling protests in Egypt

Eric Margolis: Japan Must Face Up To China

"The 1960 US-Japan Security Treaty laid the foundation of relations between Washington and Tokyo. [...] The key to the treaty was the establishment of permanent US air, land, and sea bases in Japan. They remain, half a century later. Japan thus became a giant US aircraft carrier from which it dominates highly strategic North Asia. In exchange, Japanese industry was given open access to the US market, thus laying the base of Japan’s economic upsurge of the 1960’s. South Korea enjoyed a similar deal. This cozy arrangement is now being challenged by the rapid rise of China’s military and economic power." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Japan Must Face Up To China

Paul Craig Roberts: The Two Faux Democracies Threaten Life On Earth

"The Pentagon’s 'AirSea Battle' and Lieber and Press’ article in Foreign Affairs have informed China and Russia that Washington is contemplating pre-emptive nuclear attack on both countries. To ensure Russia’s inability to retaliate, Washington is placing anti-ballistic missiles on Russia’s borders in violation of the US-USSR agreement. Because the American press is a corrupt government propaganda ministry, the American people have no idea that neoconized Washington is planning nuclear war, or of former President Jimmy Carter’s recent statement, reported only in Germany, that the United States no longer has a functioning democracy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: The Two Faux Democracies Threaten Life On Earth
Read more about the article Municipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.
The Arizona Sentinel

Municipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.

UPDATED: July 18, 2013

Many local governments across the U.S. face steep budget deficits as they struggle to pay off debts accumulated over a number of years. As a last resort, some filed for bankruptcy.

Governing is tracking the issue, and will update this page as more municipalities seek bankruptcy protection.

Most recently, Detroit became the largest municipality in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy. The state had already appointed an emergency financial manager for the city, saddled with debts totaling an estimated $18 billion.

Overall, though, bankrupt municipalities remain extremely rare. A Governing analysis estimated only one of every 1,668 eligible general-purpose local governments (0.06 percent) filed for bankruptcy protection over the past five years. Excluding filings later dismissed, only one of every 2,710 eligible localities filed since 2008.

The majority of filings have not been submitted by bankrupt cities, but rather lesser-known utility authorities and other narrowly-defined special districts throughout the country.

Continue ReadingMunicipal Bonds are failing, Merideth Whitney has been right all along. Unions, Civil Service Salaries – Pensions are destroying Cities, Counties, and States, not to mention the federal government.

David Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

"Acting under political pressure, the government brought a case that clearly had no merit, with no supporting evidence, then proceeded in an underhanded way that clearly demonstrated bias… but when the jury votes unanimously to acquit, somehow the verdict is 'surprising'? Also choosing to ignore the verdict, certain leading lights in the black community have organized protests and even threatened Zimmerman with death. And just to add a little comedy to the proceedings, this week the Detroit City Council took time out from their busy schedule of lording it over their bankrupt domain to unanimously pass a resolution calling for a civil rights investigation into Zimmerman." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Galland: “Trained-Monkey Collaborators of Death”

Half of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

"Earlier this year, Contra Costa County won the right to run a health care call center, where workers will answer questions to help implement the president's Affordable Care Act. Now, with two months to go before the Concord operation opens to serve the public, information has surfaced that about half the jobs are part-time, with no health benefits -- a stinging disappointment to workers and local politicians who believed the positions would be full-time. The Contra Costa County supervisor whose district includes the call center called the whole hiring process -- which attracted about 7,000 applicants -- a 'comedy of errors.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHalf of Affordable Care Act call center jobs will be part-time

Should We Be Optimistic or Pessimistic about the Future of the Second Amendment?

"It’s difficult to be optimistic when a local government imposes a $1,000 fine on a man who uses an unregistered gun (gasp!) to save a child’s life. On the other hand, I’m somewhat optimistic because gun owners and defenders of the Constitution have done a remarkable job in expanding and extending our Second Amendment rights at the state level. For instance, check out this map of concealed-carry laws in the United States. The first thing to notice is that every single state allows citizens to carry, with the only real difference being whether the law is 'shall issue' or 'may issue.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould We Be Optimistic or Pessimistic about the Future of the Second Amendment?