J.H. Huebert had an excellent article about the US attempts to force the Swiss bank, UBS, to divulge information about US account holders to the IRS. These efforts are nothing less than an attack on Switzerland’s sovereignty in the form of its ability to establish and maintain its own banking laws. Continue reading
It is not unusual to find, in many media and blog reports about Ron Paul, the statement that he won’t, or can’t, win. Not, be it noted, that “political analysts agree” that he can’t win, which would at least indicate that this is an opinion based on some sort of analysis. No, just “he can’t win,” reported in the same manner a reporter might say, “Ron Paul visited Austin yesterday.” I have never seen or heard this statement supported with an explanation. It is just presented as a fact, or self-evident truth. Continue reading
It is certainly no longer news that our elected representatives rarely read the laws they pass, let alone think through the possible applications and implications of those laws before casting their votes. Continue reading
A great deal of putative middle-class wealth has evaporated in the current financial crisis. Unless you cashed out and put the money in precious metals or in the mattress before the current financial crisis began, it is gone forever. As for what remains, we are in the process of being further subordinated to huge commercial interests, and are already locked in to a severely declining standard of living. Continue reading
In his remarks upon signing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on July 21, 2010, President Obama said that “the American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street’s mistakes.” This was one of the most quoted sound bites in main stream media accounts of the passage of this historic legislation, and rightly so. What better statement from the speech so forcefully and unconditionally conveys Obama’s promise of Hope and Change? Continue reading