Energy Issues, May 8th, 2013

In Montana, ranchers line up against coal A proposed mine — and a railway extension to carry it out — would put their land at risk for an energy plan that mainly benefits Asia, ranchers say. But they’re in the … Continue reading

Opinion about Fracking, March 25th, 2013

PITTSBURGH – Some of the nation’s biggest oil and gas companies have made peace with environmentalists, agreeing to a voluntary set of tough new standards for fracking in the Northeast that could lead to a major expansion of drilling. Continue reading

Corporations NOT PAYING taxes, November 28th, 2012

Study finds that the majority of domestic and foreign corporations in the United States avoid paying federal income taxes. Continue reading

American Dream in trouble, November 12th, 2012

Today, America’s largest employer is Walmart, whose average employee earns $8.81 an hour. Continue reading

European Affairs Greece, November 1st, 2012

Which politician will be brave enough to tell voters the days of abundance are over? Continue reading

Internet Issues cyber-warfare, October 15th, 2012

Obama signs secret directive to help thwart cyberattacks www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-signs-secret-cybersecurity-directive-allowing-more-aggressive-military-role/2012/11/14/7bf51512-2cde-11e2-9ac2-1c61452669c3_story.html Panetta Warns of Dire Threat of Cyberattack on U.S. www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/panetta-warns-of-dire-threat-of-cyberattack.html Why it matters: Without warning, the electricity goes out, leaving you and your family in the dark for days, perhaps weeks. … Continue reading

Dreams Deferred Dayton OH, October 10th, 2012

‘Chronically at risk of falling into poverty’: Nearly HALF of all Americans severely struggling to make ends meet 45% of U.S. citizens don’t have enough money to cover basic expenses www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2065274/Chronically-risk-falling-poverty-Nearly-HALF-Americans-struggling-make-ends-meet.html Unemployment rate ticks up to 8.2%, 69K new jobs … Continue reading

State of the Economy, September 9th, 2012

Unemployment falls to 8.1 percent; August jobs number below expectations Continue reading

Energy Independence Happy Fourth, July 4th, 2012

Deep-water technology enabled Brazil, which for years depended on oil imports, to become a net exporter in 2009. Continue reading

Class warfare Facts, May 31st, 2012

For example, the share of households living on more than $200,000 a year was unchanged from 2009 to 2010. Meanwhile, households getting by on less than $35,000 a year grew as a share of the area population. “The rich are … Continue reading

Middle Class economy 21st cen, May 12th, 2012

The Fortune 500 generated a total of $824.5 billion in earnings last year, up 16.4% over 2010. That beats the previous record of $785 billion, set in 2006 during a roaring economy. Continue reading

The Rich Get Richer, April 1st, 2012

An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.
Plutarch

The causes which destroyed the ancient republics were numerous; but in Rome, one principal cause was the vast inequality of fortunes.
Noah Webster Continue reading

Divided State of America, March 9th, 2012

A significant and growing portion of the population lives in poverty. In 2007, the rate was 12.5 percent. By 2010, it was 15.1 percent. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-poor-are-the-americans-no-one-wants-to-talk-about/2012/01/18/gIQADZM5BQ_story.html Third world America: Bodies driven to a pauper’s burial in a U-Haul as tough economic … Continue reading

Dick Morris spins Bain Romney, February 14th, 2012

“Crony capitalism, where people pay each other off at the expense of the people of this country, is not free enterprise, and raising questions about that is not wrong,” Gingrich said in South Carolina. Americans, he said, should know whether … Continue reading

Mitt Romney Bain Capital 2012 election, January 2nd, 2012

Romney’s role at Bain was not to create jobs but to provide for good returns for his investors. For more on this subject, look at our examination of Romney’s untenable figure. www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/fact-checking-the-cnn-debate-in-charleston/2012/01/19/gIQALs8dCQ_blog.html These are intelligence indicators concerning the economy’s future … Continue reading

Manufacturing creates wealth, December 12th, 2011

Land represents unchanging wealth. True tangible wealth comes from the land: timber, coal, gold, oil, copper ore and iron ore that is manufactured into steel and then formed into cars and refrigerators. And farming. American farmers can produce much of … Continue reading

The FED is private, December 11th, 2011

The quote below describes what happened. It started out as a real estate boom and bust, driven by ultralow interest rates and a bubble in credit and lending….It then slowly morphed into a full-blown credit crunch, where commercial lending ceased. … Continue reading

laissez faire capitalism – Where are the good jobs?, October 21st, 2011

jhherring wrote: Orthodox conservatism has long held that the collapse of the USSR was inevitable (though sped by Reagan’s policies) because of the internal contradictions of socialism. The internal contradictions, which mean that true socialism will inevitably fail, are real … Continue reading

Middle Class Stories Change for the American Dream, October 20th, 2011

Middle Class Stories Structural Change for the American Dream Sad stories abound in the news about fellow citizens who have lost their place in society. Through no fault of their own, once prosperous middle class professionals and the working class … Continue reading

Facts about Financial MELTdown, September 20th, 2011

Absence of individual and institutional accountability for illegal trading activity, along with congenital greed, accounts for the culture of corruption that pervades the financialization industry. Unless you’re a rogue trader or slip on your ego like Bernie Madoff, penalties are … Continue reading

Middle Class fACTs, September 6th, 2011

People are more important than profits. Families are more important than market share. UNEMPLOYMENT by state graphic http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/sep/08/us-unemployment-obama-jobs-speech-state-map?INTCMP=SRCH “Nearly one in three Americans who grew up middle-class has slipped down the income ladder as an adult, according to a new … Continue reading

Facts about High unEmployment, July 13th, 2011

U.S. Payrolls Grow at Slowest Pace in Nine Months as Jobless Rate Climbs By Shobhana Chandra – Jul 8, 2011 4:32 PM ET www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-08/u-s-payrolls-rose-18-000-in-june-jobless-rate-climbed-to-9-2-.html The spoils have really gone to capital, to the shareholders, said David Rosenberg, chief economist at … Continue reading

People Need Good Jobs, June 3rd, 2011

In a previous post, this blog confirmed the fact that the economy was essentially going no where. The latest job growth figures confirm that April conclusion. Due to uncertainty, oil prices based based on speculation rather than demand, and health … Continue reading

How Did We Get Into This Mess, May 9th, 2011

No real mystery here, just fill in the blanks — greed, cupidity, avarice, no sense of community loyalty, quarterly profits, lack of strategic foresight, self-interest instead of the common good. People on food stamps Christianity failed in the fourth century … Continue reading

Economic Recovery – What Recovery?, April 29th, 2011

Is the nation headed for a McRecovery? By Annie Lowrey, Saturday, April 23, 5:05 PM McDonald’s named Tuesday “national hiring day.” As with everything McDonald’s, it’s all about scale. In one day, the chain hoped to add as many as … Continue reading

Ronald Reagan Tax Review, April 24th, 2011

Ronald Reagan Tax Review Democrats, oops, progressives, make me laugh. They entertain noble and politically correct notions of moral superiority with their attitudes toward social issues regarding gay rights, illegal immigration (is it a red and white striped ambulatory device … Continue reading

Oil Prices means speculators, April 15th, 2011

U.S. demand for oil and refined products — including gasoline — is down sharply from last year, so much that United States has actually become a net exporter of gasoline, unable to consume all that it makes Continue reading

European Economics – Russia – Germany – France – Italy, March 26th, 2011

We are not safe doing business in Russia Employees are in constant danger of being harassed, arrested and killed, writes William Browder. By William Browder 7:21AM GMT 14 Feb 2011 Today, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, arrives in London … Continue reading

Facts about Taxes, February 14th, 2011

Google, Amazon and Starbucks Face Questions on Tax http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/google-amazon-starbucks-face-questions-tax-17699523#.UKzE2eQ72uo Starbucks, Amazon and Google accused of being ‘immoral’ Amazon, Google and Starbucks were yesterday accused of being “immoral”, “manipulative” and of “practising tax avoidance on an industrial scale”. By Helia Ebrahimi, … Continue reading

Education Means Individual Achievement, December 1st, 2010

Quads celebrate UK first as all simultaneously graduate with Masters degrees from same university Fabulous foursome! (Left to right) Tolu, Toks, Temi and Tobi have walked away with degrees and City jobs www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088527/Quads-celebrate-UK-simultaneously-graduate-Masters-degrees-university.html Neighborhoods, like the lives of people, can … Continue reading

Unfair Competition equals Free Trade, November 27th, 2010

All I Want in Life is an Unfair Advantage Hank Greenberg CEO AIG Tax breaks. Donated land. Free education for the workforce. Free roads and sewers. Sound like government intervention? Sound like Socialism? No, it’s normal interaction between state and … Continue reading

Job Scams, October 31st, 2010

Job scams proliferate by offering easy pay Those desperate to make money fall for swindlers’ schemes Sunday, October 31, 2010 03:00 AM By Stuart Pfeifer LOS ANGELES TIMES LOS ANGELES — A weak labor market is hurting the U.S. recovery, … Continue reading

Jobs Jobs Jobs, October 25th, 2010

Jobs are tight. Unemployment is scary, yet people cope. Many men and women in middle age have become too old to rehire; younger workers with children and aspirations are too young to retire. The unemployed place their hopes in a … Continue reading

Kevin Phillips Predicts Future, October 14th, 2010

Back in the early 1990s, Kevin Phillips examined the angst of the middle class in his work Boiling Point. Phillips described the decline of the middle class which began during the Reagan and George Bush administrations. From the February 1, … Continue reading