the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

Tax cuts initiate bubble economies, not true growth. by Thom Hartmann The Republican Party has been running a long con on the American people, and Trump’s new tax cut proposals are just the latest iteration on it. This con involves getting Democrats to shoot Santa Claus (Clinton cutting welfare/Obama proposing the chained CPI cut to Social Security) and using tax policy to put a jolly old Saint Nick outfit on the Republicans. As Bruce Bartlett – one of the architects and major salespeople for Reagan’s tax cuts in the ‘80s – wrote in USA Today this week: “ Virtually everything Republicans say about taxes today is a lie. Tax cuts and tax rate reductions will not pay for themselves; they never have. Republicans don’t even believe they will, they are just excuses to slash spending for the poor when revenues collapse and deficits rise. There is no evidence that tax reform raises growth, although it may improve fairness and tax administration. ” So how d

Capitalists will try every trick to derail a Labour government. Sarah Bates argues it will take mass resistance and strong counter-measures to give them a run for their money Part 2 - Limit Trade union leaders agreed to “voluntarily’ limit their pay demands. The TUC union federation successfully enforced this “wage restraint”, with the number of strike days falling from 23 million in 1972 to 3 million in 1976. Unemployment rose and wages fell. The IMF’s loan conditions and devaluing of the pound pulled Wilson’s government to the right. So the leadership went from promising to “get rid of every fucking grammar school in the country” to making cuts in the NHS budgets. Socialist journalist Paul Foot later commented wrote that, “ It was demonstrably true that it failed by a huge margin to shift the balance of power towards working people ”. Employment secretary Michael Foot told the 1975 Labour conference, “ We face an economic typhoon of unparalleled ferocity an

by Ramin Mazaheri Part 2 - Bitcoin has minted billionaires since May I’m late to the bitcoin party – I imagine that everyone except the inventor feels that way – but it is mind-blowing to see the spectacular growth rate charts this year of not just Bitcoin, but all the cryptocurrencies. If you have even heard about Bitcoin, you might have only heard the word “volatility”. However, take a medium-term view, and you’ll find that Bitcoin itself (capital B, and the industry leader) has gained more some $50 billion in market capitalization since March. That is a gain bigger than the size of Ford Motor Company…in less than 7 months. Besides Bitcoin, a hundred others are booming as well. People like to rank bank size by balance sheet – its assets. But banks generally hold $10 in assets for every $1 in capital. This means that market capitalization – the total market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock – is a more accurate assessment of its worth. Add up

With the Greek psyche itself the victim of a relentless shaming campaign, the idea of Greece “going it alone” begins to seem outlandish and quixotic. It is not. But it is as much tied to a revival of spirit and self-esteem as to the nuts and bolts of economic transformation. by Michael Nevradakis Part 6 - Why leave?            The euro is essentially a debt instrument: According to economist and former central banker Spiros Lavdiotis, the European Central Bank does not lend directly to its members—i.e. the member states of the eurozone. It instead lends to the private sector, at interest. In turn, the private sector lends to states who seek to borrow money, at higher interest. This perpetuates the debt cycle, while the higher interest is often financed in the form of budget cuts or higher taxes.            Restoring monetary sovereignty – external devaluation instead of internal devaluation: What has taken place during the years of the economic crisis in Greece

του Κλάουντιο Κατς Μέρος 10ο - Ανασύνταξη στους κόλπους των διανοουμένων Η Βενεζουέλα δεν δίνει μόνο αφορμή για έντονες συζητήσεις. Έχει προκαλέσει σημαντικές ανασυντάξεις διανοουμένων που ενστερνίζονται αντιτιθέμενα αιτήματα. Αυτή η τοποθέτηση ήταν πιο σχετική από τις αμφιλεγόμενες λεπτομέρειες των διαφορετικών διακηρύξεων. Κατέληξε σε μια μεγάλη διαίρεση μεταξύ στρατοπέδων. Το κείμενο του REDH που αντικρούει το σοσιαλδημοκρατικό κάλεσμα συμπληρώθηκε και από άλλες εντυπωσιακές απαντήσεις. Η πολιτική οριοθέτηση ήταν ταχύτατη. Παρά την ένταση που δημιουργήθηκε από αυτά τα μανιφέστα, αρκετοί υπογράφοντες ζητούν να συνεχιστεί ο αδελφικός διάλογος. Είναι μεν κάτι απαραίτητο, αλλά οι αγανακτισμένες αντιδράσεις εξηγούνται από όσα διακυβεύονται. Εάν επικρατήσει η Δεξιά, θα υπάρξει πληθώρα χρόνου για θρήνους και σεμινάρια που θα διερευνούν τι ακριβώς συνέβη. Εφόσον η σοσιαλδημοκρατική δήλωση περιέχει την κλήση για ειρήνευση, πολλοί διανοητές βασίστηκαν