Corporate subsidies, in an era of fiscal-cliff attacks on Social Security and Medicare, have dodged attention despite their magnitude and absurdity. Take the renewable-fuels subsidy ecosystem—and a train of tankers filled with biodiesel that shuttled back and forth across the US-Canadian border, twelve times, without unloading its cargo. It generated millions of dollars in profits.
Ukraine Crushed in $1.1bn Fake Gas Deal
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Contributed by Jen Alic, OilPrice.com. The folks at Gazprom are having a good snicker, reveling in the mockery that has been made of a Ukraine-Spain gas deal that would have loosened Russia’s gas grip on Kiev. Everyone wondered how Russia would respond to Ukraine’s attempt at gas independence. This is what happens when you mess with Gazprom.
“The Fed’s Sole Purpose: Keeping The Banks Afloat”
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Is the Federal Reserve really doing such a bad job… or does it actually do exactly what it’s supposed to do, but the average American is in the dark about what that is? In this explosive video, G. Edward Griffin talks about the Fed’s real role in the US economy and why – contrary to common belief – it is not this banking cartel’s mission to act in the best interest of the American public.
The Pauperization Of Japan
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“Pauperization,” the word, became infamous when three executives of huge consumer products companies voiced it as the new challenge in Europe. To market their products successfully, they changed strategies and applied what worked in poor countries. In Japan, a similar process has hounded the economy, but for much longer. And nothing shows this better than the plight of the ubiquitous but hapless salaryman.
The Eurozone Con Game Just Keeps Cracking
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“European leaders have not been able to meet their responsibilities,” French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said about Germany and some other countries that are reluctant to pile more taxpayer money on Greece, whose economy is grinding to a halt, and whose government can no longer fulfill its promises. Yet, the very “responsibilities” of these “European leaders,” many of them unelected bureaucrats, have turned into a can of worms.
The Natural Gas Massacre And The Price Spike
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Forecasting the price of natural gas is easy. The US Energy Information Agency does it regularly, and like all seasoned forecasters, it produces a slightly wobbly line trending slightly higher or lower. Based on its latest, we expect smooth sailing, with gently rising prices as is appropriate for the relaxing calm that reigns in the natural gas market. Alas, reality is a series of violent ups and down with sporadic and vicious spikes.
Germany Walks Away From Greece
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Greece’s exit from the Eurozone has reached critical mass and is now a routine topic at all levels of government. While heads of state still hue to the line that Greece should stay, out of the other side of the mouth comes but—now that the focus is on Spain, the one problem the Eurozone can’t digest. And after Spain is Italy, which is beyond bailout. And now word is out in Germany that Greece is a “failed state.”