• Peace Piper

    by Published on 07-07-2017 04:30 PM

    Anti-Interventionist Voters Elected Trump

    How did Donald Trump defy all the pollsters, the pundits, and the Twitterverse “experts” and take the White House? According to the Democrats, it was all a Russian plot – Kremlin-directed Twitter “bots” spread “misinformation” and “fake news,” Russian hackers stole the DNC’s emails, and this deprived Hillary Clinton of her rightful place as President of these United States. If we listen to the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, it was all because their man Bernie failed to win the nomination due to corporate influence and the flawed election strategy of the Clinton campaign. And the Republicans tell us it was because – well, they don’t have any coherent theory, but, hey, they’ll take it regardless of why or how it happened.
    ...
    by Published on 05-27-2017 04:30 PM

    Published on May 26, 2017 by Tulsi Gabbard

    Last week Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated that the Trump administration will oppose any common sense legislation to break up the big banks and they will also support allowing “too big to fail” banks to continue to gamble with American’s hard earned savings, retirements funds, etc., just like they did before the Great Recession and the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street.

    In a word, the Trump administration will cater to the demands of Wall Street, rather than what’s needed for the American people. I have long pushed for a 21st Century Glass Steagall Act, to break up the “too big to fail” banks, separate risky Wall Street investments from ordinary commercial banking, close loopholes that allow risky banking practices, and enforce penalties for banks that break the law. It is absurdly hypocritical for the Trump administration to say that they support some sort of Glass Steagall Act but they simultaneously want to gut the entire purpose of the legislation.



    How did 4 banks take over the entire US banking system?

    The Banking Oligopoly in One Chart



    The “Big Four” retail banks in the United States collectively hold 45% of all customer bank deposits for a total of $4.6 trillion.

    The fifth biggest retail bank, U.S. Bancorp, is nothing to sneeze at, either. It’s got 3,151 banking offices and employs 65,000 people. However, it still pales in comparison with the Big Four, holding only a mere $271 billion in deposits.

    Today’s visualization looks at consolidation in the banking industry over the course of two decades. Between 1990 and 2010, eventually 37 banks would become JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup.

    Of particular importance to note is the frequency of consolidation during the 2008 Financial Crisis, when the Big Four were able to gobble up weaker competitors that were overexposed to subprime mortgages. Washington Mutual, Bear Stearns, Countrywide Financial, Merrill Lynch, and Wachovia were all acquired during this time under great duress...snip http://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-...-in-one-chart/
    by Published on 04-17-2015 01:30 PM

    WASHINGTON — Top lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on legislation to grant President Obama "fast track" trade authority to advance one of the largest trade pacts in history, a step that could set off one of the sharpest legislative battles of the year and put Democratic unity to the test.

    The bill is a top priority for the administration and congressional Republicans, but the fast track bill and the underlying Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal between the U.S. and 11 Asia-Pacific nations, is roundly opposed by major labor unions and most congressional Democrats.

    Senate Finance Committee leaders Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced the deal in a statement.

    ...
    by Published on 04-04-2015 10:10 PM



    Is there anything this man has not lied about? What a disgusting disgrace he is.

    TPP: NAFTA on Steroids

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would grant enormous new powers to corporations, is a massive assault on democracy.

    While the Occupy movement has forced a public discussion of extreme corporate influence on every aspect of our lives, behind closed doors corporate America is implementing a stealth strategy to formalize its rule in a truly horrifying manner. The mechanism is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Negotiations have been conducted in extreme secrecy, so you are in good company if you have never heard of it. But the thirteenth round of negotiations between the United States and eight Pacific Rim nations will be held in San Diego in early July.

    The TPP has been cleverly misbranded as a trade agreement (yawn) by its corporate boosters. As a result, since George W. Bush initiated negotiations in 2008, it has cruised along under the radar. The Obama administration initially paused the talks, ostensibly to develop a new approach compatible with candidate Obama’s pledges to replace the old NAFTA-based trade model. But by late 2009, talks restarted just where Bush had left off.

    ..snipped read more:
    http://www.thenation.com/article/1686
    by Published on 03-05-2015 10:00 AM
    Article Preview


    Sgt. Richard Lacombe shows Ukrainian National Guard Soldiers the proper procedures
    for operating an M4 rifle at Rapid Trident 2014 in Yavoriv, Sept. 16. (Photo: Spc. Joshua Leonard)


    By Paul McLeary 4:31 p.m. EST March 3, 2015

    It's been no secret that US and a handful of UK forces have been planning on traveling
    to Yavoriv this spring to begin training Ukrainian forces for their fight against pro-Russian
    separatists in the eastern part of the country. But officials have at times been vague as
    to dates and times and numbers.

    The solicitation also states that "the US and Ukrainian Army shall conduct a joint training
    mission at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC) near L'viv, Ukraine ...
    by Published on 03-03-2015 04:05 PM
    Article Preview


    U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visiting Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, May 2009. Credit: David Lienemann

    Thomas Harrington, February 28, 2015 AntiWar.com
    Kosovo is falling apart at the seams, with it thousands of its citizens seeking desperately to escape life there by any means possible.

    Haven’t heard about that one?

    Perhaps that’s because the U.S. is almost wholly responsible for creating an independent Kosovo, and from there, the brutal and corrupt power structure that lords cruelly over the life of its people. The creation of an independent Kosovo in the name of democracy and humanitarianism is considered by the Clinton crowd to be one of the U.S.’s first post-Cold War foreign policy successes.

    Under the direction of ...
    by Published on 02-27-2015 03:05 PM
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    By Robert Scheer
    For years, the outsourcing of defense and intelligence work was, with good reason, controversial in political circles. But in the last years of Bill Clinton’s administration, the president authorized the CIA’s creation of the first US government–sponsored venture capital firm, In-Q-Tel, designed to invest in cutting-edge Silicon Valley companies. The firm, named after Ian Fleming’s fictional character “Q,” who masterminds James Bond’s spy gadgets, was founded on September 29, 1999, when the intelligence agencies came to realize they couldn’t produce the technology required to make sense of the vast amount of data they had acquired.


    In-Q-Tel Homepage
    Many companies listed on In-Q-Tel's investment website page[10] are secret. In-Q-Tel functions
    ...
    by Published on 02-09-2015 11:20 AM
    Article Preview



    TheHill.com Vicki Needham - 02/08/15

    Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is putting his muscle into reaching a deal on trade with President Obama.

    The new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is speaking about the trade agenda on an almost daily basis, and sending the signal that the White House and congressional Republicans can reach an agreement to approve fast-track negotiating authority, which would speed the consideration of two pending trade deals.

    “Completing these trade deals is my No. 1 priority,” Ryan said Thursday at a Washington International Trade Association event in Washington

    Along with Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), the chairman of the subcommittee on Trade Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), Ryan plans to hold ...
    by Published on 01-08-2015 01:50 PM
    Article Preview

    Mitch McConnell Pledges Fast Action For Secretive Trade Deals

    WASHINGTON -- New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pledged Wednesday to move full speed ahead to give President Barack Obama so-called fast track authority to cut massive new trade deals with little oversight.

    The last grant of fast track authority, formally known as Trade Promotion Authority, expired in 2007. It allowed the president to negotiate trade deals without consulting Congress and to sign the agreements on his own. Congress' role was reduced to voting yes or no on the resulting deal, with no amendments and none of the procedural hurdles that lawmakers can typically employ when they don't like something.

    Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) adamantly opposed granting that power ...
    by Published on 12-09-2014 04:35 PM
    Article Preview


    Trans-Pacific Trade Talks Resume With Almost No Media Coverage
    Campaign for America's Future Dave Johnson December 8, 2014

    Shouldn’t it be a trade violation to threaten to move someone’s job to another country? Shouldn’t we negotiate trade agreements that increase people’s wages on both sides of a trade border? These are the kinds of agreements we would make if We the People were negotiating trade agreements with representatives of the working people in other countries. Unfortunately that is not the kind of trade agreements that our current trade negotiation process produces.

    The secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations resumed this week, this time in Washington. TPP is a massive agreement that sets up new rules for over 40 percent of
    ...
    by Published on 12-04-2014 07:11 PM
    Article Preview

    In a speech before CEOs of major U.S. corporations, Obama indicates he's ready to go head-to-head with Democrats, labor unions, and environmentalists on trade deals
    by Deirdre Fulton, staff writer Common Dreams.org


    "In a recent Pew poll, a mere 17 percent of the U.S. public thought that trade has boosted U.S. wages, while 45 percent, across the political spectrum, saw trade as contributing to falling wages for U.S. workers." (Photo: Global Trade Watch/flickr/cc)

    President Barack Obama is ready to buck his liberal base in order to advance the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the pro-corporate international trade deal currently being negotiated in secret by the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries.

    In a speech ...
    by Published on 09-24-2014 03:45 PM
    Article Preview

    Obama Doesn't Want Your Approval for War
    By Noah Feldman - Sept 23, 2014

    The Barack Obama administration has offered no credible legal authorization for a war against Islamic State, and Congress plainly will not provide one. What's going on here, asks the shade of James Madison? Has the U.S. completely lost the part of the Constitution that imagines Congress and thus the people as a check on the president’s war powers? And if so, does it matter?

    We can dispense quickly with the justifications that the administration has proffered in a piecemeal and somewhat embarrassed fashion. The 2002 authorization for the use of military force for the Iraq War says that the president can “protect the national security of the United States against the threat posed by ...
    by Published on 04-22-2014 05:59 PM

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/democ...o-hit-the-fan/

    With everyone from Democratic officeholders to a cohort of political bloggers urging, imploring, virtually begging Democratic candidates and incumbents to embrace the Affordable Care Act ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, it seems that only the pollsters are warning that they do so at their own political peril.

    “In terms of Obamacare, don’t defend it,” the respected Democratic pollster Celinda Lake urged in March following the release of her own extensive polling on the issue for George Washington University’s respected Battleground Poll. “Say it was flawed from the beginning, and we’re going to fix it.”

    There’s just one problem with that strategy: it serves as an implicit rebuke of the 111th Congress, the Democratic Party’s leadership in the legislature, and President Barack Obama....

    ...But those Democrats who are not defending controversial votes they may have taken regarding the ACA, or who are not beholden to the president who is desperate to avoid one last rebuke from the electorate, are warning of a far bleaker future for Democrats with the Obamacare millstone around their necks.

    Speaking to Boston Herald Radio last week, the only member of Massachusetts’ all-Democrat congressional delegation to vote against the 2010 health care reform law, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), warned that the Obamacare — well, you know — is about to “hit the fan.”



    “There are parts of Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, that were postponed because they are unpalatable,” Lynch observed. “As these provisions come into effect, the administration thus far is saying, ‘Gee, we really can’t handle this right now so we’re going to delay it.’”...

    Full article: http://www.mediaite.com/online/democ...o-hit-the-fan/
    by Published on 04-02-2014 03:59 PM

    Obamacare Enforcement Like Snow Removal, IRS Chief Says
    Richard Rubin Bloomberg Apr 2, 2014

    Administering the 2010 health-care law is just like municipal snow shoveling -- a top priority that’s non-negotiable, John Koskinen, the commissioner of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, said today.

    Koskinen, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, drew on his experience a decade ago as the deputy mayor of the city government in the nation’s capital. Even as the IRS faces budgetary pressures, he said, the health law will be a priority, just as snow removal is essential for a city.

    Starting with the tax returns that will be filed in early 2015, the IRS will be responsible for enforcing the individual mandate to purchase health insurance and ensuring that people claim the correct amount of subsidies for insurance...

    ...“If we can have a smooth filing season next year including the appropriate review of the returns of taxpayers” claiming tax credits for health insurance, he said, “the public and the Congress will have to say: That’s some organization with an amazing workforce.”...

    snip more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...hief-says.html
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    Brian4Liberty

    Tucker Carlson Interviews Ron Paul

    Thread Starter: Brian4Liberty

    1762644273814532371 https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/1762644273814532371

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    Brian4Liberty

    Congressional Omnibus is Like a Bad Hollywood Movie Sequel

    Thread Starter: Brian4Liberty

    Congressional Omnibus is Like a Bad Hollywood Movie Sequel by Ron Paul | Mar 25, 2024

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  • General News & Politics

    CaptUSA

    Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

    Thread Starter: CaptUSA

    Cargo ship hits bridge in Baltimore causing bridge to collapse with several cars still on the bridge. Dramatic footage of collapse at link: https://www.the-sun.com/news/10887766/maryland-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapses/

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    unknown

    Feds raid P. Diddy's homes. He flees the country.

    Thread Starter: unknown

    . Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' Holmby Hills mansion raided by Feds.

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    Occam's Banana

    Joe Lieberman dead at 82

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    AP: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82 https://twitter.com/3YearLetterman/status/1773103663835234572

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    Occam's Banana

    Judge Rules Trump Committed Fraud, Stripping Control of Key Properties

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    Judge Rules Trump Committed Fraud, Stripping Control of Key Properties The decision in a lawsuit that could go to trial next week is a major win for Attorney General Letitia James, who says former President Donald J. Trump overvalued his holdings by as much as $2.2 billion. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/nyregion/trump-james-fraud-trial.html https://archive.ph/3nOQd] {Jonah E. Bromwich &...

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    Suzu

    FTX Files For Bankruptcy. What will be the effect of this?

    Thread Starter: Suzu

    I don't know what it means for crypto in general, but maybe you do: https://twitter.com/binance/status/1590449161069268992 https://twitter.com/binance/status/1590449161069268992

    Last Post By: Occam's Banana Today, 10:09 AM Go to last post
    DamianTV

    New Polling Shows The Real Results Of The 2020 Election Before The Voter Fraud For Biden

    Thread Starter: DamianTV

    https://www.banned.video/watch?id=65cfb17f0d63da299ef55888 Just watch the video Is anyone watching the TREND of current Election Polls? Noticing any patterns? You know, same states trending toward TRUMP? Is this not OBVIOUS? I swear the ONLY thing they can do now to prevent losing power is CANCEL / SUSPEND THE ELECTION DUE TO WAR.

    Last Post By: PAF Today, 09:24 AM Go to last post
    acptulsa

    Subversion Into Hypocrisy

    Thread Starter: acptulsa

    https://twitter.com/Inversionism/status/1708200884818030648 1708200884818030648

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    donnay

    Joe Biden's Pig Latin

    Thread Starter: donnay

    1322239388324032512 ROFLMAO!!!

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 09:04 AM Go to last post
    PAF

    Trump Promises a “100% Tariff” on Cars Made Outside the US

    Thread Starter: PAF

    During Biden’s term in office —-> ban TicTok Trump, if elected again —-> effectively bans free trade on automobiles. Ban ban ban. “When America can’t/won’t compete, it conquers.” “When goods don’t cross borders, Soldiers will.”

    Last Post By: acptulsa Today, 09:02 AM Go to last post
    Anti Federalist

    NYC-Woman locks out squatters in her home, gets arrested for changing the locks

    Thread Starter: Anti Federalist

    Anarcho tyranny. The invading unwholesome flood will carry out this work in the future, bypassing even the cops who never fail to show their loyalty to the system, but even that will not enough to save them. Squatter standoff captured on camera in Queens | 7 On Your Side Investigates Monday, March 18, 2024 5:01PM https://abc7ny.com/squatters-standoff-queens-new-york-city/14540298/

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    Matt Collins

    CPI jumps 5% in May of 2021, fastest since 2008

    Thread Starter: Matt Collins

    If they are admitting a 5% jump, the true number is probably more like 15%-20% https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/business/consumer-price-index-may-2021.html

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  • Education & Thought Power

    Madison320

    Thought experiment to show why protectionism damages the economy

    Thread Starter: Madison320

    I've heard a lot of people say the problem with free trade is that it only works when both countries are allowing trade. That's wrong. For example even if China sells to us but doesn't allow us to sell to them, it still benefits us (and hurts China). Suppose in the US, a strange new volcano started spewing perfectly formed free high grade steel. Should the US ban the free steel because it...

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    Occam's Banana

    Ayn Rand & the Austrian economists

    Thread Starter: Occam's Banana

    Ayn Rand and the Austrian Economists | Edward W. Younkins https://odysee.com/@mises:1/ayn-rand-and-the-austrian-economists:a {Mises Media | 23 March 2024} Henry Hazlitt Memorial Lecture. Sponsored by Shone and Brae Sadler. Recorded at the Austrian Economics Research Conference, 22 March 2024, in Auburn, Alabama. Includes an introduction by Joseph T. Salerno. Chapters:

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    PAF

    Squatters’ Rights: What to Know as a Landlord & Laws per State

    Thread Starter: PAF

    Published February 8, 2024 By: Jealie Dacanay As a landlord, understanding squatters’ rights and regulations is crucial to protecting your property and ensuring a smooth tenancy. Squatting is an often misunderstood property ownership aspect, but in this guide, I provide a roadmap for landlords to safeguard their investments. I delve into why squatters’ rights exist, when they apply,...

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    A Son of Liberty

    Dave Smith / Part of the Problem

    Thread Starter: A Son of Liberty

    I'll endeavor to post each episode of Dave Smith's, Part of the Problem podcast here, going forward. Feel free to discuss/opine.

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    acptulsa

    Politics Is...

    Thread Starter: acptulsa

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