Category Archives: Banana republic

How Global Audit Firms Are Using Their Lobbying Clout to Dilute Sarbanes-Oxley Reforms

Accounting firms have specific reasons to be nervous about Sarbanes-Oxley, hence their eagerness to weaken it.

Business Chafes at Uncertainty Created by Unfilled Seats on Regulatory Commissions

Failure to fill chairs at regulatory commissions is stymieing their activities, creating regulatory uncertainty and vexing business.

Starved School Budgets Across the US: A Symptom of Education Funding Crisis

School budgets are in worse shape in many parts of the US than you might have imagined.

Revolving Door Continues to Swing: Obama Alumini Land on Their Feet

Obama administration lawyers parlay expertise into lucrative private sector positions, taking advantage of the free-swinging revolving door.

Mark Ames: When Mother Jones Was Investigated for Spreading Kremlin Disinformation

Mother Jones’ sad transformation from target of Kremlin scaremongering to perp in its “evil Putin” reincarnation.

Theresa May in Election Jitters Caught Lying About Tory Plans to Cut The NHS

Quelle surprise! The Tories are scheming against the NHS!

The “Market Forces” Behind the Obamas’ Record-Setting Book Deal

The Obamas’ book deal exemplifies the thesis that if a payment is too high for the nominal services, it must be for something else too.

Michael Hudson: Are Students a Class?

Students as the new NINJA creditors, and the broader implications of the use of debt as an instrument of social control.

New York Attorney General: Feds Must Address Bakken Crude Oil Bomb Trains. Feds: Maybe Later?

Both parties share credit for the continued failure to impose limits on the volatility of crude oil transported by rail.

Down the Memory Hole: Living in Trump’s United States of Amnesia

Trump’s ever-changing explanations, “alternative facts,” and program of destroying Federal data is straight out of Orwell’s “memory hole”.

Dumb Things Politicians Say About Health Care Policy

Unintended self parody on health care…if only this were a joke.

Bill Black: FBI Investigations Are Conducted at the Discretion of its Director

Bill Black discusses the history and dynamics of FBI investigations, which are neither as unstoppable nor as unimpeachable as is sometimes claimed.

4 Lies in 25 Seconds: CalPERS’ Wylie Tollette, PR Staff, Keep Cooking Cost Numbers Despite Being Called Out

Another example of institutionalized lying is deeply rooted at CalPERS, even though they aren’t very good at it.

Board Member JJ Jelincic Calls Out CalPERS’ “Roy Cohn,” General Counsel Matt Jacobs

CalPERS board member JJ Jelincic shows the lengths to which the board and staff will go to silence dissident board members.