http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/20/sunday-morning-news Comments On: Sunday Morning News by JOCELYN MACDONALD en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by bugwitch]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:45:09 -0800 The Stranger
An Ode For Aaron Swartz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla…

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/0…

http://whowhatwhy.com/2013/01/17/carmen-…

http://www.privacysos.org/node/940

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a…

Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:16:45 -0800 The Stranger The Greatest Entitlement Program of All Time ! ! !

In the colossal reframing of the modern vernacular, referring to absolute corruption as "regulatory capture" and everything factual as "conspiracy theory" and robber barons as "philanthropists" and financially-supported programs as "entitlement programs" (Social Security, etc.), it behooves each and everyone of us to comprehend what the ultimate entitlement program, the ultimate handout, the ultimate welfare program is: the entitlement to create the money --- which they, the bankers, then charge the rest of us to use --- that monopoly of monopolies.

When the bankers make a loan, any type of loan, to other bankers or businesses, etc., they have created money, and to pay them back for their sole entitlement to create that money, they charge us interest (once fixed at "reasonable rates" for such a scam, but that changed due to Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan overturning the Federal anti-usury laws and regulations.

Since the amount of money is limited to what the bankers have created, we are reduced to mice scurrying about in a maze, seeking that mysterious money for their interest payments (they have created the loan; but the interest money doesn't exist --- you must compete for that in the incredibly shrinking pie).

That other reframed phrase, "shadow banking," repeated frequently since 2007 and the obvious beginning of the economic meltdown, is simply a further extension of their entitlement to create money; they created endless layers of debt, which they profited outrageously from, and used those layers upon layers of debt to wreak havoc on the rest of us (globally speaking, in most if not all countries), furthering their wealth and control.

They speculated a massive number of companies --- and jobs --- out of existence.

The top banks gave structured leveraged loans (layers of debt) to private equity firms (effectively just financial extension of the banks) to do leveraged buyouts --- creating even more debt against the companies they purchased, rewarding themselves financially with further loans against the targeted companies, destroying more companies, and more jobs --- called rape and pillage in another age!

The banks did the same with regard to hedge funds (and the largest hedge funds are typically owned by the largest banks), encouraging the hedge funds to speculate companies out of existence, while speculating upwards the prices of oil, energy, commodities and healthcare.***

When one has the ultimate entitlement program, one enjoys the ultimate in control and power!

***The hedge funds then used a most miniscule portion of their profits from that speculating, to finance legislation in the US Congress to give preference in loans to small businesses, through the SBA and other government entities, to those small businesses already invested in by hedge funds and/or private equity funds, i.e., they are working to destroy small and independent businesses in America and elsewhere.

Honesty Update:

When President Obama falsely claims the banks didn't break any laws, and faux newsies like David Brooks, Thomas Friedman, Malcolm Gladwell, Sorkin et al., make similarly false claims, then why is the SEC always fining the banksters! (True, they are the smallest, most insignificant fines possible, but it bears reflection.)

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litrelease…

Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 12:46:16 -0800 The Stranger http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/us/med…
Posted by erasedk]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:51:21 -0800 The Stranger Posted by crasher]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 10:59:46 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:54:07 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Free Lunch]]> Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:42:19 -0800 The Stranger