Author Archives: Yves Smith

From G20 to Labour20

Labour20 set forth important goals not just for labor but for the economy and broader society. But does organized labor have the credibility to promote these aims?

Links 11/26/15

Mathew D. Rose: The Ordeal of Angela Merkel

A chronicle of Angela Merkel’s rise and a catalogue of recent political mistakes which are putting her chancellorship at risk.

John Helmer: The Classic Rules for Combatting Turkish Aggression

Russia’s commitment to blocking Turkish expansion is being tested. Will Putin step up or make a strategic retreat?

CalPERS Pokes Its Board in the Eye by Releasing Private Equity Carry Fee Info After, Rather Than During, Board Meeting

CalPERS is so confident of its control over its board that it has no compunction about broadcasting how little respect it has for them.

The Bigger Significance of CalPERS’ Private Equity Carry Fee Release: Another Nail in the Carried Interest Tax Loophole Coffin

Why the CalPERS carry fee disclosure could affect the debate over ending the carried interest loophole.

Links 11/25/15

Japan Proves that “Fix Trade” Sales Pitch for TPP, TTIP, and TISA is Wrong

Funny how foreign firms have failed to break into Japan for reasons having nothing to do with regulatory barriers, which calls the logic of “trade” deals like the TPP into question.

Turkey’s Shootdown of Russian Jet: What You Need to Know

Turkey takes a great big swing at Assad via Russia…and what might the fallout be?

CalPERS Staff, Scandal-Ridden Fiduciary Counsel Argue to Weaken Board Oversight by Reducing Number of Board Meetings

CalPERS CEO and its tainted fiduciary counsel Robert Klausner try to sell the CalPERS board on giving up even more power, when CalPERS clearly needs more, not less, oversight.

Investors Like CalPERS Rely on ILPA to Advance Their Cause, When It is Owned by Private Equity General Partners

Private equity limited partners are such chumps that they rely on a trade group, ILPA, to lobby for them when it is funded by their opponents.

Gaius Publius: Blowback, Money and the Washington War Party

The false premises justifying the operation of the war party.

Matthew Cunningham-Cook: How the TPP Will Create a Medical Privacy Hellscape

Yet another reason to oppose this truly awful, anti-people deal.

CalPERS Debunks Private Equity: Executive Summary

Announcing a series that shows how CalPERS’ efforts to defend its private equity program through a workshop for its board backfired.