Economy

By Nomi Prins | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Warning: What you are about to read is not about Russia, the 2016 election, or the latest person to depart from the White House in a storm of tweets. It’s the Beltway story hiding in plain sight with trillions of dollars in play and an economy […]

Education

Who Made Our Students Into Debt Slaves?

contributors

By John Buell | (Informed Comment) | – – Periodically the so- called deficit hawks, a club whose membership includes prominent members of both parties, warn us of the dire consequences of burgeoning government debt. Many propose such harsh remedies as balanced budget amendments. Yet while these warnings and draconian responses are commonplace, one of […]

Petroleum

Trump slams OPEC cartel over higher oil prices; Does he fear Carterization?

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – The U.S. President, Donald Trump, slammed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Friday, complaining the cartel was keeping crude oil prices high. “Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil […]

European Union

Iran formally switches from dollar to euro

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Iran’s feud with the US is set to get worse after Tehran announced yesterday that it will start reporting foreign currency amounts in euros rather than US dollars, as part of the country’s effort to reduce its reliance on the American currency due to political tension with Washington. Central […]

Plutocracy

Ryan steps down, with Lifetime dream of transferring Trillions from People to Super-Rich Fulfilled

contributors

By Jake Johnson, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org ) | – – Having successfully rammed through tax legislation that massively rewards America’s billionaires—including his long-time patrons Charles and David Koch—and sets the stage for his ultimate goal of obliterating the safety net, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is reportedly set to tell his staff on […]

China

Could China oil Exchange & Green Energy pull the plug on the Dollar?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Kate Duguid at Reuters reports the alarm at UBS that China’s new oil futures exchange will hurt the standing of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. That development in turn would start the reverse snowball down the hill, with the dollar falling against other currencies, […]

Haredim

1/3 of Israelis live in Poverty, especially Palestinians & Ultra-Orthodox

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Israel has one of the highest poverty rates of any developed country with the gap between the rich and the poor ever widening, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed yesterday. Single-parent families or families where only one parent works have a disproportionate rate of poverty, the […]

Trade

George W. Bush tried steel tariffs. It didn’t work

contributors

By William Hauk | (The Conversation) | – – President Donald Trump finally followed through on his almost year-old threat to restrict imports of foreign steel. On March 8, the president slapped a 25 percent tariff on the metal, while also putting a 10 percent duty on foreign aluminum. After initially suggesting there’d be no […]

Inequality

The last time the US enacted Punitive Tariffs it enabled the Great Depression

contributors

By Charles Hankla | (The Conversation) | – – President Donald Trump finally appears poised to make good on his promised threats to slam the door on free trade and erect walls around the country’s economy. Citing the need to protect national security, he released plans to impose tariffs of 25 percent on foreign steel […]