The Virtual Recovery Since mid-2009 the US has been enjoying a virtual recovery courtesy of a rigged inflation measure that understates inflation. The financial Presstitutes spoon out the government’s propaganda that prices are rising less than 2%. But anyone who purchases food, fuel, medical care or anything else knows that low inflation is no more real that Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction or Gadhafi’s alleged attacks on Libyan protesters or Iran’s nuclear weapons. Everything is a lie to serve the power-brokers. During the Clinton administration, Republican economists pushed through a change in the way the CPI is measured in order to save money by depriving Social Security retirees of their cost-of-living adjustment. Previously, the CPI measured the change in the cost of a constant standard of living. The new measure assumes that consumers adjust to price increases by lowering their standard of living by substituting lower quality, lower priced items.
Category: China-India-Russia Specials
I’m calling the election. The winner will be George W. Bush. Whether Obama serves a second term or hands the reins to Romney, we will face another four years of Bush’s policies. The war…
Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi, leaders of the “Saffron Revolution,” leading ethnic cleansing of Myanmar refugees. People don’t just come out into the streets and begin murdering each other. There are…
For at least the past four decades, the American election process has been controlled by corporations and agents connected to the Republican Party. This year’s “contest” is no different. Voter suppression campaigns have been underway…
Sanctions imposed on Iran’s banks and financial institutions could lead to a humanitarian crisis. During their debate about foreign policy last Monday, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney both agreed that the crippling unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran by the the United States and its allies must continue, until the Islamic Republic recalibrates its nuclear ambitions. Both seem to have also adopted Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s favoured refrain that “Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear capability” and that such a capability constitutes a “red line” not to be crossed at any cost. Previously the inveterate refrain had been “Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon”. The definition of “capability” has continued to remain vague and ill-defined, and a number of analysts have concluded that the Islamic Republic is already nuclear capable and has all the necessary components it would need in order to assemble a bomb if it so desired. Once a country has mastered enrichment technology it is generally accepted that the decision to weaponise largely becomes a political one.
As many of you already know, a “Dear John” letter is a kiss-off, a way to tell someone, “I don’t love you anymore. I never want to see you again. Good-bye”. Or, “Get lost”. You…
In a recent speech, Chomsky examined topics largely ignored or glossed over during the presidential campaign: China, the Arab Spring, global warming, nuclear proliferation, and the military threat posed by Israel and the U.S. versus Iran. He reflects on the Cuban missile crisis, which took place 50 years ago this week and is still referred to as “the most dangerous moment in human history.” He delivered this talk last month at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst at an event sponsored by the Center for Popular Economics. Chomsky’s talk was entitled “Who Owns the World?”
Readers will no doubt recall the almost incessant Western media attention paid to the Chinese RMB during the past several years, the constant claims of China ‘cheating’ by keeping its currency undervalued, the…
[Editor’s note: This is a comment made by Prof. Craven on the following article pasted below, titled “Why Calling China an “Adversary” Doesn’t Matter” written by Zachary Keck for the Diplomat. The 4th Media believes this…
Opinion: US fueling Diaoyutai dispute to protect the dollar After the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands in the East China Sea became more acrimonious, not only has the Japanese government’s position fail to gain the support of its diplomatic allies, but Japanese media outlets have also criticized the government as the disastrous effects on the country’s relations with China have caused enormous financial losses for the country’s economy. Meanwhile, some international media reports claims the dispute will allow the United States to profit because of the considerable liquidity flowing into the US from China and Japan, which could help the obstruct the rise of China’s financial sector at the international level. An opinion piece published in a foreign media outlet said that the reign of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency was the main driver behind US economic growth.