Category Archives: Banana republic

Payday Lending Rule Survives…For Now

Congress has failed to use Congressional Review Act procedures to scupper the payday lending rule. Pending CFPB and court challenges may still doom the measure.

Bill Black: Trump Admin Halts Investigation of For-Profit Colleges

Bill Black discusses Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s decision to stop investigating for-profit colleges and educational institutions for fraudulent practices.

The Populism Backlash: An Economically Driven Backlash

Quelle surprise! The rise of populism correlates strongly with increases in economic insecurity.

California Hospital Giant Sutter Health Target of Anti-Trust Suit, Legislation for High Prices. Will It Set a National Precedent?

Will California officials succeed in curbing aggressive pricing by hospital network Sutter Health? Could these efforts set a precedent for other markets?

CalPERS Issues False and Misleading Press Release to Try to Railroad Board on Private Equity Industry Enrichment Scheme

A brazen example of CalPERS staff trying to muscle board members and have them violate their fiduciary duty regarding a massive, misguided, and sketchy private equity outsourcing scheme.

CalPERS Board Members Say They Don’t Want to Do Their Jobs, Can’t Be Bothered With Dealing With Their Mail

The CalPERS board makes an embarrassing display of how little interest it has in rolling up its sleeves and doing some work.

What Do the Jersey Elections Have to Do With Britain?

Not only is the isle of Jersey facing increasing scrutiny for its status as a notorious tax haven, especially from the UK, but populist desire for reform is surging from within as elections approach.

Ecuador Hints It May Hand Over Assange

Assange’s luck in staying out of the hands of the US may be coming to an end.

Back to the Future with Empire Oil

A network of oil companies arond Mayfair, but registered in Britain’s offshore tax-haven network, provides a snapshot of the new imperialism.

Michael Klare: Gearing Up for the Third Gulf War

Thinking about the now-too-thinkable: what a new Gulf War would look like.

CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost’s Featherbedding: Seeks Further Pay Increase Despite Underfunding, Municipalities Suffering to Meet Rising Pension Bills

Why authorizing a further pay increase for CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost is indefensible, but CalPERS cronyistic board will almost certainly set that plan in motion next week.

Criminality, CalPERS Style: Board Members Misappropriate Public Funds by Signing Blank, Undated Expense Forms

The CalPERS Board President, Priay Mathur, the Board Services Unit, and board members are pre-signing expense forms in violation of the California Penal code.

Election-Rigging, CalPERS-Style: How Voting by Phone Was Designed to Favor Incumbent, Suppress Support for Challenger

CalPERS not only looks to have tried to throw the phone voting in a runoff election last year in favor of the incumbent, but it is acting awfully guilty by refusing to cough up records and data.