Saturday, May 5, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
MARKET APPEASEMENT FAILING EU ECONOMIES...
In several posts I indicated that the whole concept of Market Appeasement (Wall Street) was a dangerous and even absurd economic policy. The numbers are coming in and the hypothesis was correct, 'letting the markets dictate public policy leads to economic disaster.' The only people who benefit from austerity imposed measures are Wall Street. They get: higher interest rates, more guarantees that their investments are safe, elimination of those nasty social safety nets, a poorly funded educational system keeping the masses ignorant, and control over governments and politicians. Who benefits? Them-no one else. So here's what's happening in Europe, do we really want this to happen here, too?
Eurozone Unemployment Hits 10.9 Percent, A Record High
LONDON Record high unemployment for the 17 countries that use the euro is set to increase the pressure on Europe's leaders to switch from a focus on austerity to a pro-growth strategy to stop the region from moving deeper into recession.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/eurozone-unemployment-hits-record-high_n_1470237.html
Op-Ed Columnist
Death of a Fairy Tale
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: April 26, 2012
This was the month the confidence fairy died.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Paul Krugman ---For the past two years most policy makers in Europe and many politicians
and pundits in America have been in thrall to a destructive economic
doctrine. According to this doctrine, governments should respond to a
severely depressed economy not the way the textbooks say they should —
by spending more to offset falling private demand — but with fiscal
austerity, slashing spending in an effort to balance their budgets. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/opinion/krugman-death-of-a-fairy-tale.html?_r=1
GLOBAL MOVEMENT TO SOLVE CLIMATE CRISIS
http://www.350.org/
350.org is building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are led from the bottom up by thousands of volunteer organizers in over 188 countries.
350 means climate safety. To preserve our planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number—it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.
350.org works hard to organize in a new way—everywhere at once, using online tools to facilitate strategic offline action. We want to be a laboratory for the best ways to strengthen the climate movement and catalyze transformation around the world.
We operate at a large scale to take on the world's greatest challenge. In October of 2009 we coordinated 5200 simultaneous rallies and demonstrations in 181 countries, what CNN called the 'most widespread day of political action in the planet's history.' On 10/10/10, we organized the "Global Work Party" -- a day of climate solutions projects, from solar panel installations to community garden plantings--and changed communities from the bottom up with over 7000 events in 188 countries.
In 2011, we mobilized people power in every corner of the planet. In September, we organized "Moving Planet" -- a massive day of action to move beyond fossil fuels. We also helped lead the fight to stop the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline -- a relentless campaign that ended in improbably victory.
In 2012, with the help of millions of people, we'll create a wave a hard-hitting climate activism all over the world that can lead to real, lasting, large-scale change. We think we can turn the tide on the climate crisis--but only if we work together. If an international grassroots movement holds our leaders accountable to realities of science and principles of justice, we can realize the solutions that will ensure a better future for all.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
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