Category Archives: Banana republic

Wilkerson: “We’re Staying in Afghanistan for the Next 50 Years”

A discussion of US rationalizations for committing more troops to Afghanistan with no endgame in sight.

CalPERS and Board Come Out Losers Over Kangaroo Court Against Its Most Effective Board Member (Updated)

CalPERS and its board seem incapable of understanding that when you are in a hole, you need to stop digging.

Michael Hudson: Review of Steve Keen’s “Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis?”

Steve Keen’s book is a compact, layperson friendly evisceration of mainstream economics and efforts to defend banks at the expense of citizens.

CalPERS Hides Bogus Persecution: Promised Public Hearing for Lone Effective Director Held in Secret

CalPERS doubles down on a bogus scheme to neuter its one effective board member reneging on its promise to have a public hearing of charges.

The Fall of the Latin American Left, Part III: Argentina and the Right Winning Elections

How the Kirchner program in Argentina ran into the buzz saw of currency markets.

5 Times Charter School Founders Used Shady Real Estate Deals to Shamelessly Enrich Themselves

A trio of academics compare charter school tactics to Wall Street’s raiders.

The Trump Administration’s FCC Tries to Roll Back Net Neutrality

How the Obama Administration established net neutrality, why the Trump administration wants to roll it back, and what you can do.

Gaius Publius: Obama Harvests His Presidency

Obama signs up to collect fat speaking fees from Wall Street for services rendered to the 1% during his presidency.

Wall Street Journal Reports on Appearance of Private Equity Self-Dealing at Blackstone and Other Firms Nearly Four Years After We Broke the Story

So why is the Wall Street Journal years late in reporting on private equity self-dealng, and underplays its seriousness to boot?

Why Anti-War Purity Tests Are Not Sound Political Strategy

Why head on opposition to war has failed and other approaches have better odds of long term success.

Mark Ames: Credit Suisse Decries Russian Inequality After Playing Leading Role in Creating It

Credit Suisse criticizes Russian inequality after having profited handsomely from playing a big role in creating it.

The Fall of the Latin American Left, Part I: Brazil’s Boom and Bust

Discussing why the left in Latin America lost power, starting with Brazil.

Democrat Disunity: Hypocritical Media Attacks on Sanders

The Democrats so can’t stand Sanders’ refusal to change his policies that they are undermining their own “Unity Tour” with press attacks.

America is Regressing into a Developing Nation for Most People

Like developing countries, America is becoming more stratified, with the economic and physical distance between rich and poor widening.

Too Little, Too Late Lawsuit Against Predatory Servicer Ocwen Demonstrates Failure to Address Servicing Abuses

Recidivist mortgage servicer Ocwen gets whacked by the officialdom yet again, showing how inadequate mortgage “reforms” under Obama were.