The media misses the point on ‘proxy war’ – Gareth Porter

The term “proxy war” has experienced a new popularity in stories on the Middle East. Various news sources began using the term to describe the conflict in Yemen immediately, as if on cue, after Saudi Arabia launched its bombing campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen on 25 March.  “The Yemen Conflict Devolves into Proxy War,” The Wall Street Journal headlined the following …

Trans Pacific Trickle-Down Economics – Robert Reich

Have we learned nothing from thirty years of failed trickle-down economics? By now we should know that when big corporations, Wall Street, and the wealthy get special goodies, the rest of us get shafted. The Reagan and George W. Bush tax cuts of 1981, 2001, and 2003, respectively, were sold to America as ways to boost the economy and create …

The Dwindling US Economy – Paul Craig Roberts

The announcement today (April 29) of a barely positive GDP first quarter 2015 growth rate of 0.2 percent (two-tenths of one percent) is an intentional exaggeration. Today’s GDP report is the “advance estimate.” There will be two revisions, with the first occurring in one month on May 29. Although the “consensus estimate,” which is Wall Street’s estimate, declined dramatically over …

Merck Measles Vaccine Sales Surged as California Outbreak Grew – Cynthia Koons

There’s nothing like an outbreak to get parents to vaccinate — or to help vaccine sales. As a measles outbreak that started in California grew from seven cases on Jan. 7 to more than 100 a month later, sales of Merck & Co.’s measles vaccine surged as well. From the first week the measles outbreak was in the news to …

More Nails in the Coffin of the Middle Class: 5 Things That Could Make Life Even Worse for Most Americans – Alex Henderson

If trickle-down economics were anything other than a cruel deception, the United States’ embattled working class would have many reasons to join Wall Street in singing “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Giant megabanks have been reporting huge profits for 2015’s first quarter, including $5.91 billion [3] at JPMorgan Chase (the largest bank in the country) and $5.8 billion at Wells Fargo. But trickle-down …

The Six Too Big To Fail Banks In The U.S. Have 278 TRILLION Dollars Of Exposure To Derivatives

The very same people that caused the last economic crisis have created a 278 TRILLION dollar derivatives time bomb that could go off at any moment.  When this absolutely colossal bubble does implode, we are going to be faced with the worst economic crash in the history of the United States.  During the last financial crisis, our politicians promised us that they …

Stock market rigging is no longer a ‘conspiracy theory’

The stock market is rigged. When I started making that claim years ago — and provided solid evidence — people scoffed. Some called it a conspiracy theory, tinfoil hats and that sort of stuff. Most people just ignored me. But that’s not happening anymore. The dirty secret is out. With stock prices rushing far ahead of economic reality over the …

The Big Chill: How Big Money Is Buying Off Criticism of Big Money

Not long ago I was asked to speak to a religious congregation about widening inequality. Shortly before I began, the head of thecongregation asked that I not advocate raising taxes on the wealthy. He said he didn’t want to antagonize certain wealthycongregants on whose generosity the congregation depended. I had a similar exchange last year with the president of a …

There’s a Reason the Big Banks Aren’t Mad with Hillary

The Banks are hopping mad at Elizabeth Warren.  So mad, they’re threatening to stop contributing money to the Democrats unless she stops being so … so … accurate in her criticisms. Translated, this means they realize she can’t be bought.  Small wonder – Warren has been outspoken, plainspoken and passionate on where she stands on the economic issues of the day, which, …

Experts Admit Conspiracy Theorists Right About Rigged Stock Market: “The Dirty Secret Is Out”

Are there really secret manipulations of the economy going on in the shadows of Wall Street and Washington? Do bears crap in the woods? The NY Post’s controversial columnist John Crudele has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring that the market is rigged. And not only does everyone know it, but it is now being admitted. The stock market is rigged. When I started making …