Free Republic

And you thought that last global financial crisis was bad. A report issued on Sunday by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) warns that policymakers have failed to address the root problems that caused the 2007-2008 financial meltdown. Instead of taking a long-term perspective aimed at increasing real economic productivity and output — the kind that actually benefits people by raising living standards — government officials have sought to pump up the numbers through monetary and fiscal stimulus. As a result, we now have an alarming disconnect between the performance of global equity markets, which are booming, and an underlying...

President George W. Bush predicted the current meltdown in Iraq – back in 2007. Bush vetoed a Democratic bill to withdraw troops from Iraq. Via Truth Revolt: I know some in Washington would like us to start leaving Iraq now. To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda. It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we’d allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven...

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday that the White House told her that it was on “oversight” that Congress didn’t receive the required notification about the prisoner exchange deal that secured the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Mrs. Feinstein, California Democrat, said the excuse came from Tony Blinken, President Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “Tony Blinken called last night and said that it was an oversight or something to that effect. So I accept that,” she told reporters at the Capitol.

... In a statement Clooney said: “There were nine people at that table so you can ask them. Steve likes to go on rants He called the president an a—–e. That is a fact. I said the president was my longtime friend and then he said, ‘Your friend is an a—–e’. At that point I told Steve that HE was an a—e and I wasn’t going to sit at his table while he was being such a jackass. And I walked out. There were obviously quite a few more adjectives and adverbs used by both of us. It had nothing...

Italy's historic capital is on the brink of bankruptcy as its mayor plans to plead for a bailout from the national government. Mayor Ignazio Marino told the Wall Street Journal that he is in daily discussions with Italy's national government. But he stressed the parties "just needed to identify the right amount of money the government should give to Rome".

It’s been a rocky rollout for the Wendy Davis campaign in Texas. She announced for governor four months ago on the strength of the massive public attention paid to her 13-hour filibuster of a bill limiting abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. But since then her media operation has been so rocky, seasoned Texas journalists are mocking it. David Mann, editor of the liberal Texas Observer, wrote a blunt article calling her campaign a “media fail”: “The Wendy Davis operation is about the worst at media relations that I’ve ever seen. Her team’s mismanagement of the press is damaging...

Updated (Jan 19, 2014 at 01:45 am) The pattern is not completely clear, and there are pieces missing from the puzzle, but I have found enough bits of evidence to convince me that it is more likely than not that someone purposely initiated the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident. This is a difficult story to tell; it’s not easy to revise history. It’s even harder to it successfully when there is sure to be disbelief, dismissal, and efforts to discredit. I prefer being respected and strive to avoid the potential of being marginalized as a crackpot. However, I feel a...

According to figures released by HHS, only one quarter of the 2 million Obamacare enrollees who signed up through December are young adults - 18-34. On the other side of the coin, fully one half are 45-64. The White House says that 25% enrollment of young invincible is enough to prevent the dreaded "death spiral" for the program, where older, sicker enrollees far outnumber the younger healthy ones, thus leading to skyrocketing insurace premiums. But there are no figures available that show how many enrollees have actually paid their first month's premium, nor is there any breakdown of how...

Scientists to create controlled nuclear meltdown in Ibaraki facility National Jan. 12, 2014 - 03:20PM JST TOKYO — A team of nuclear scientists in Japan plan to create a controlled reactor meltdown in a bid to learn how to deal with future disasters like that at Fukushima. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency said it was working on a project using a scaled-down version of a reactor which they would deliberately cause to malfunction at a research facility in Ibaraki, north of Tokyo. “We want to study exactly how meltdowns happen and apply what we will learn to help improve ways...

Much has been said about the Fukushima nuclear power-plant disaster, much of it true, some untrue. The problem with the news coming out of the troubled complex is that the operating company TEPCO, the Japanese government and international agencies are not being completely forthcoming. Some call it political spin, but others just say the world is being told lies. The epitome of the falsehoods being told about Fukushima comes from no less than the Japanese prime minister himself. At the final International Olympic Committee meeting in Buenos Aires, the one deciding who would host the 2020 Summer Olympics, Shinzo Abe...

Obamacare Zombies: Now they are the ones being chased WASHINGTON, November 13, 2013 — President Barack Obama’s legions of Obamacare Zombies are in confusion with the meltdown of Obamacare. It is one crisis that Obama cannot cover-up. For once, the media could not help him by ignoring events, because insurance cancellation letters bypassed media and took bad news directly to the public. Unfortunately, exposing years of deceit required a personal crisis for millions, which for some is a life-and-death crisis. It is inexcusable that it took such disaster to shock these political zombies from their trances. Now it’s too late...

Voters in Cincinnati last week soundly defeated a ballot initiative which would have overhauled the pension system for public workers, leaving the city without a plan to deal with $872 million in unfunded liabilities. Cincinnati is not alone. Across the nation, cities and states are finding funding for basic services being crowded out of their budgets by the rising cost of retirees’ pensions and healthcare. … More and more cities, counties, and even some states will face the harsh reality of having to fix their pension systems or deal with a Detroit-style bankruptcy. …

The impact of Obamacare is starting to hit the DUmmies. And not all of them are pleased. Employers are canceling health insurance for their workers. People are having to pay higher premiums. People are having to meet higher deductibles. And this is not going over well with all the denizens of the DUmp. My gosh, who could have predicted that these things would be happening???? Who could have predicted all this? Why, WE did, you stupid DUmmies! We TOLD you this would happen, way back when. But did you listen? NO-OOOO!!! You went and voted for the Moron-in-Chief and his...

From its earliest days, the Obama Administration has operated from a “community organizer” worldview, characterized by an “us” against “them” perspective. The President has repeatedly and in a variety of circumstances said, “Elections have consequences, and I won” as an excuse for yet another executive order, non-Constitutional decision, or “in-your-face” arrogant action. The President goes through the motions of listening to others: he claims to be bipartisan; he hosts White House confabs and talks about the need for compromise, but he always ends up saying, “I won,” and ends any pretense of discussion or negotiation. He explains that, as President,...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday blocked a House bill providing funding to reopen national parks amid the government shutdown, saying he would not allow the GOP to pick and choose from among favored programs and insisting the only way out is to pass all spending at the same time. Republicans tried to get an agreement in the Senate to restore the parks money along with funding for the National Institutes of Health, the military reserves and National Guard, and veterans affairs, but Democrats objected to each of those agreements in turn. [snip] The debate on the Senate floor...

Late this afternoon White House insiders leaked information stating the president has suffered a mental breakdown and is presently resting and under a doctors care. This afternoon the National Report received three calls on our nationwide hot tip line (206) 222-1975. Two of the three callers are insiders known to the National Report to be reliable confidential informants. The caller unknown to this publication is a low level employee who could only state that there was some kind of a medical emergency involving President Obama. The other two callers known to us are both support personnel within the Obama administration....

Russian diplomat warns that North Korea faces 'man-made disaster' after satellite images show it has restarted ageing nuclear reactor The Yongbyon nuclear facility in North Korea was closed in 2007 under the terms of a disarmament agreement Its five megawatt reactor can produce plutonium for weapons and bombs New satellite images have captured steam rising from the complex This suggests the nuclear reactor has been restarted, according to a U.S. research institute By Sophie Jane Evans PUBLISHED: 10:26 GMT, 12 September 2013 | UPDATED: 00:54 GMT, 13 September 2013 ....................................... But a senior Russian diplomat has claimed that the outdated...

Melissa Harris-Perry ✔ @MHarrisPerry Damn, that citizenship thing was so great for awhile.

While Americans remain focused on the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups applying for tax exempt status, two recently filed lawsuits reveal a far deeper level of alleged corruption at the agency. On May 2, a group of small businesses challenged the IRS’s attempt to illegally implement health insurance subsidies contained in the Affordable Healthcare Act, aka ObamaCare. On May 14, it was revealed that a class action suit has been filed by a California-based HMO, accusing the IRS of stealing 60 million medical records belonging to 10 million Americans. The small business group’s suit, filed in the U.S. District Court...

The Next Bank Meltdown Won't Be An "Accident" By Shah Gilani, Capital Wave Strategist, Money Morning April 22, 2013Big banks turned in a pretty stellar first quarter. All but one beat profits expectations. But as I told you last week, I'm now out of these stocks completely. Do you want the truth about what shape banks are in right now? Sure you can handle it? I'm sorry; I can't tell you the truth. Regulators can't tell you the truth. And the Federal Reserve won't tell you the truth. No one can tell you the truth. That's because banks don't tell...