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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
January 29, 2014
Top Weapons Buyer Disputes P-8 Testing Woes
By Brendan McGarry Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 2:37 pm
Posted in Naval, Policy
Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational testing and evaluation, in a report expected to be released Wednesday, “found the aircraft is not effective for the mission of hunting submarines or performing reconnaissance over large areas due to a number of major deficiencies,’” Speier said. “So tell me why the department decided to go into full-rate production anyway,” she said, referring to the Pentagon’s Jan. 3 authorization to increase production of the aircraft.
unhappycamper comment: Let's do some math:
$35 billion dollars / 122 aircraft = $348,780,000 per aircraft
The undersecretary of defense for acquisition said this is a “relatively successful program". At $350 million dollars each, I'd expect the fucking thing to work as advertised.
Top Weapons Buyer Disputes P-8 Testing Woes
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/01/28/dods-top-weapons-buyer-disputes-p-8-audit/Top Weapons Buyer Disputes P-8 Testing Woes
By Brendan McGarry Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 2:37 pm
Posted in Naval, Policy
Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational testing and evaluation, in a report expected to be released Wednesday, “found the aircraft is not effective for the mission of hunting submarines or performing reconnaissance over large areas due to a number of major deficiencies,’” Speier said. “So tell me why the department decided to go into full-rate production anyway,” she said, referring to the Pentagon’s Jan. 3 authorization to increase production of the aircraft.
unhappycamper comment: Let's do some math:
$35 billion dollars / 122 aircraft = $348,780,000 per aircraft
The undersecretary of defense for acquisition said this is a “relatively successful program". At $350 million dollars each, I'd expect the fucking thing to work as advertised.
January 29, 2014
3 soldiers accused of sex-related crimes
Posted: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:30 am
Chris McGuinness | Herald staff writer
~snip~
This week’s courts-martial include:
Capt. Tyler Ho, for sexual assault, assault conduct unbecoming of an officer and general article. Ho’s court-martial was scheduled for Monday, according to the docket.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Rosado, for sexual assault, assaulting or willfully disobeying an officer, assault and general article. Rosado’s court-martial also was scheduled to begin Monday.
Spc. Tony Palmore, for waste, spoilage or destruction of property other than military property of the United States, sexual assault, assault and general article. Palmore is scheduled for a hearing Thursday.
Ft. Hood: 3 soldiers accused of sex-related crimes
http://kdhnews.com/military/soldiers-accused-of-sex-related-crimes/article_7eb80ad8-87d8-11e3-b898-001a4bcf6878.html3 soldiers accused of sex-related crimes
Posted: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:30 am
Chris McGuinness | Herald staff writer
~snip~
This week’s courts-martial include:
Capt. Tyler Ho, for sexual assault, assault conduct unbecoming of an officer and general article. Ho’s court-martial was scheduled for Monday, according to the docket.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Rosado, for sexual assault, assaulting or willfully disobeying an officer, assault and general article. Rosado’s court-martial also was scheduled to begin Monday.
Spc. Tony Palmore, for waste, spoilage or destruction of property other than military property of the United States, sexual assault, assault and general article. Palmore is scheduled for a hearing Thursday.
January 29, 2014
More implicated in Air Force nuclear cheat probe
By Robert Burns
The Associated Press
© January 29, 2014
WASHINGTON
The cheating scandal inside the Air Force's nuclear missile corps is expanding, with the number of service members implicated by investigators now roughly double the 34 reported just a week ago, officials said Tuesday.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the additional 30-plus airmen suspected of being involved in cheating on proficiency tests are alleged to have participated in the cheating directly or were involved indirectly.
Regardless, a doubling of the number implicated means that approximately 14 percent of the entire Air Force cadre of nuclear missile launch control officers, which numbers about 500, has been removed at least temporarily from active missile duty. It was not clear Tuesday how that affects the mission, beyond requiring the remaining crew members to bear a bigger share of the work.
The officials who disclosed the higher number cheating suspects spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information by name while the investigation is ongoing.
More implicated in Air Force nuclear cheat probe
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/more-implicated-air-force-nuclear-cheat-probeMore implicated in Air Force nuclear cheat probe
By Robert Burns
The Associated Press
© January 29, 2014
WASHINGTON
The cheating scandal inside the Air Force's nuclear missile corps is expanding, with the number of service members implicated by investigators now roughly double the 34 reported just a week ago, officials said Tuesday.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the additional 30-plus airmen suspected of being involved in cheating on proficiency tests are alleged to have participated in the cheating directly or were involved indirectly.
Regardless, a doubling of the number implicated means that approximately 14 percent of the entire Air Force cadre of nuclear missile launch control officers, which numbers about 500, has been removed at least temporarily from active missile duty. It was not clear Tuesday how that affects the mission, beyond requiring the remaining crew members to bear a bigger share of the work.
The officials who disclosed the higher number cheating suspects spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information by name while the investigation is ongoing.
January 29, 2014
Canadian leader collides with Natives' natural resources claims
By Jeremy van Loon
Bloomberg News
January 28, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago
CALGARY, Alberta -- Back in the spring of 2012, while walking in the deep woods of northern Ontario, Sonny Gagnon stumbled across a collection of surveying equipment among the towering spruce trees. Gagnon is chief of the Aroland aboriginal tribe, a band of 450 people living in a village of ramshackle houses surrounded by swampy muskeg. He tracks everything that goes on in his community. And the surveying tools weren't supposed to be there.
"I was ticked off," he says, after learning that the equipment belonged to a subcontractor of Cleveland-based mining company Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.
It turned out Cliffs had plans to mine for chromite to the north of the Aroland reserve and to build a road through the territory to transport truckloads of the mineral to a railhead.
"They weren't consulting us on what they were doing on the land," Gagnon says. "I told them to leave and that we didn't want them back."
Canadian leader collides with Natives' natural resources claims
http://www.adn.com/2014/01/28/3295362/canadian-leader-collides-with.htmlCanadian leader collides with Natives' natural resources claims
By Jeremy van Loon
Bloomberg News
January 28, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago
CALGARY, Alberta -- Back in the spring of 2012, while walking in the deep woods of northern Ontario, Sonny Gagnon stumbled across a collection of surveying equipment among the towering spruce trees. Gagnon is chief of the Aroland aboriginal tribe, a band of 450 people living in a village of ramshackle houses surrounded by swampy muskeg. He tracks everything that goes on in his community. And the surveying tools weren't supposed to be there.
"I was ticked off," he says, after learning that the equipment belonged to a subcontractor of Cleveland-based mining company Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.
It turned out Cliffs had plans to mine for chromite to the north of the Aroland reserve and to build a road through the territory to transport truckloads of the mineral to a railhead.
"They weren't consulting us on what they were doing on the land," Gagnon says. "I told them to leave and that we didn't want them back."
January 29, 2014
US Congressmen Prepare for a ‘Global War’?
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia
By Yevgeny Shestakov
Translated By Jeffrey Fredrich
17 January 2014
Edited by Bora Mici
The introduction of a bill to Congress — by two respected lawmakers from the Republican and Democratic parties — that expands the effect of the "Magnitsky List" to other countries is nothing more than yet another attempt by a part of the American political elite to assert its dominance over the world. Only instead of a weapon, this time human rights have become the "swift sword" in the U.S. assertion of its global leadership. At the same time, needless to say, the congressmen who drafted the bill think the situation in this area in the U.S. itself is ideal and are, therefore, eager primarily to lecture other nations.
~snip~
The American lawmakers are prepared to look more closely into the human rights situation, even in countries that were once close allies of the White House, as in Germany, for example: if Berlin were to continue to insist on a treaty that prohibits American intelligence agencies from listening in on top officials of the German government. Nonetheless, the primary targets will be governments whose authorities defend their national interests, first and foremost.
The new law — its authors from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs do not try to hide it — solves two key challenges: First, it asserts Washington’s "global leadership" on human rights, and second, it "protects the U.S. financial infrastructure." And, in explaining the gist of the bill, Sen. [Ben] Cardin did not once mention whether a world built on the American model would be better or safer. After all, the example of Libya, where a civilian conflict that the U.S. now pays almost no attention to began after the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi’s government, graphically demonstrates just how indifferent Washington is to the consequences of its "democratic" reforms. However, such details did not interest the distinguished senator. The main thing, according to him, is that a global "Magnitsky List" is in the national interest of the United States.
To call a spade a spade, the anti-Russian lobby in Congress aims, with the help of the new law, to impose upon the White House a new colonial war. The whole world would be under attack — from the Gulf monarchies, where they do not pay much attention to human rights, especially when it comes to religious minorities, to the governments of Latin America that conduct independent national policies. It goes without saying that the bill is directed against Russia: Its authors have already expressed surprise that the "Magnitsky List" has thus far not been expanded with regard to our country. The Ukrainian authorities, having put the brakes on concluding an association agreement with the European Union, are also among the candidates to be put on a global blacklist stamped "Made in the USA."
US Congressmen Prepare for a ‘Global War’?
http://watchingamerica.com/News/231191/us-congressmen-prepare-for-a-global-war/US Congressmen Prepare for a ‘Global War’?
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia
By Yevgeny Shestakov
Translated By Jeffrey Fredrich
17 January 2014
Edited by Bora Mici
The introduction of a bill to Congress — by two respected lawmakers from the Republican and Democratic parties — that expands the effect of the "Magnitsky List" to other countries is nothing more than yet another attempt by a part of the American political elite to assert its dominance over the world. Only instead of a weapon, this time human rights have become the "swift sword" in the U.S. assertion of its global leadership. At the same time, needless to say, the congressmen who drafted the bill think the situation in this area in the U.S. itself is ideal and are, therefore, eager primarily to lecture other nations.
~snip~
The American lawmakers are prepared to look more closely into the human rights situation, even in countries that were once close allies of the White House, as in Germany, for example: if Berlin were to continue to insist on a treaty that prohibits American intelligence agencies from listening in on top officials of the German government. Nonetheless, the primary targets will be governments whose authorities defend their national interests, first and foremost.
The new law — its authors from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs do not try to hide it — solves two key challenges: First, it asserts Washington’s "global leadership" on human rights, and second, it "protects the U.S. financial infrastructure." And, in explaining the gist of the bill, Sen. [Ben] Cardin did not once mention whether a world built on the American model would be better or safer. After all, the example of Libya, where a civilian conflict that the U.S. now pays almost no attention to began after the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi’s government, graphically demonstrates just how indifferent Washington is to the consequences of its "democratic" reforms. However, such details did not interest the distinguished senator. The main thing, according to him, is that a global "Magnitsky List" is in the national interest of the United States.
To call a spade a spade, the anti-Russian lobby in Congress aims, with the help of the new law, to impose upon the White House a new colonial war. The whole world would be under attack — from the Gulf monarchies, where they do not pay much attention to human rights, especially when it comes to religious minorities, to the governments of Latin America that conduct independent national policies. It goes without saying that the bill is directed against Russia: Its authors have already expressed surprise that the "Magnitsky List" has thus far not been expanded with regard to our country. The Ukrainian authorities, having put the brakes on concluding an association agreement with the European Union, are also among the candidates to be put on a global blacklist stamped "Made in the USA."
January 29, 2014
The question Sen. Kelly Ayotte posed before the Capitol Hill committee examining drone use is not so much a provocation as a prediction: Couldn’t they also be used in divorce cases?
Drones in America’s Skies Keeping Tabs on Marital Fidelity
Panorama, Italy
By Michele Zurleni
Translated By Laurence Bouvard
16 January 2014
Edited by Amanda Dunker
Maybe she was only being naive or maybe it was just a provocation. Or maybe her question simply expressed a valid, legitimate concern. The oncoming spread of commercial drones throughout America’s skies raises many questions — and she had one in particular for her colleagues on the U.S. Senate committee holding hearings on the subject: Will they also be used in divorce cases?
Kelly Ayotte is a Republican and she is concerned about Americans’ privacy. The drone invasion threatens to put Americans’ privacy even more at risk, after already being badly weakened by the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance. Only in this case, the drone wouldn’t be working for the federal government but rather for one half of a married couple who wants to find out whether the other half is having an affair. “The nature of what you could see with a drone versus a private detective … is so much greater,” said Ayotte, already famous for her support of the right to bear arms. Given what will be moving through American skies very soon, her statement may be a prediction rather than a provocation. Never mind paparazzi! This would be an infallible following eye.
Military Drones and Commercial Drones
The goal is 2015, but more realistically the green light for commercial drones will come in 2017. Administrator Michael Huerta of the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that there could be 8,000 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs in the skies above American heads before that time. Not just those bringing Amazon packages, as Jeff Bezos has already announced, but many others that will be used for a variety of functions: commercial, meteorological, security and surveillance (warning: remember Ayotte’s words), and environmental and territorial monitoring. Matternet, for example, is working on a drone able to carry food and supplies to rural areas. Other businesses are exploring the use of UAVs to transport photographic and camera equipment in order to trail, for instance, Hollywood stars (warning: remember Ayotte’s words.)
There are already many different kinds of drones in use in the United States. For the most part, they are being used by government agencies for surveillance: monitoring the lengthy Mexican border in order to stop illegal immigration and trafficking, or for specific controls in special police operations. Others are military drones used by the CIA and the Pentagon in the fight against Islamic terrorism. Those are the ones that struck and killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. Everyone knows about that. The new frontier of the “civilian drone” would see drones becoming an indispensable tool for business ... and for private surveillance. From this point of view, the question Sen. Kelly Ayotte posed before the Capitol Hill committee examining drone use is not so much a provocation as a prediction: Couldn’t they also be used in divorce cases?
Drones in America’s Skies Keeping Tabs on Marital Fidelity
http://watchingamerica.com/News/230553/drones-in-americas-skies-keeping-tabs-on-marital-fidelity/The question Sen. Kelly Ayotte posed before the Capitol Hill committee examining drone use is not so much a provocation as a prediction: Couldn’t they also be used in divorce cases?
Drones in America’s Skies Keeping Tabs on Marital Fidelity
Panorama, Italy
By Michele Zurleni
Translated By Laurence Bouvard
16 January 2014
Edited by Amanda Dunker
Maybe she was only being naive or maybe it was just a provocation. Or maybe her question simply expressed a valid, legitimate concern. The oncoming spread of commercial drones throughout America’s skies raises many questions — and she had one in particular for her colleagues on the U.S. Senate committee holding hearings on the subject: Will they also be used in divorce cases?
Kelly Ayotte is a Republican and she is concerned about Americans’ privacy. The drone invasion threatens to put Americans’ privacy even more at risk, after already being badly weakened by the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance. Only in this case, the drone wouldn’t be working for the federal government but rather for one half of a married couple who wants to find out whether the other half is having an affair. “The nature of what you could see with a drone versus a private detective … is so much greater,” said Ayotte, already famous for her support of the right to bear arms. Given what will be moving through American skies very soon, her statement may be a prediction rather than a provocation. Never mind paparazzi! This would be an infallible following eye.
Military Drones and Commercial Drones
The goal is 2015, but more realistically the green light for commercial drones will come in 2017. Administrator Michael Huerta of the Federal Aviation Administration predicts that there could be 8,000 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs in the skies above American heads before that time. Not just those bringing Amazon packages, as Jeff Bezos has already announced, but many others that will be used for a variety of functions: commercial, meteorological, security and surveillance (warning: remember Ayotte’s words), and environmental and territorial monitoring. Matternet, for example, is working on a drone able to carry food and supplies to rural areas. Other businesses are exploring the use of UAVs to transport photographic and camera equipment in order to trail, for instance, Hollywood stars (warning: remember Ayotte’s words.)
There are already many different kinds of drones in use in the United States. For the most part, they are being used by government agencies for surveillance: monitoring the lengthy Mexican border in order to stop illegal immigration and trafficking, or for specific controls in special police operations. Others are military drones used by the CIA and the Pentagon in the fight against Islamic terrorism. Those are the ones that struck and killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. Everyone knows about that. The new frontier of the “civilian drone” would see drones becoming an indispensable tool for business ... and for private surveillance. From this point of view, the question Sen. Kelly Ayotte posed before the Capitol Hill committee examining drone use is not so much a provocation as a prediction: Couldn’t they also be used in divorce cases?
January 29, 2014
Pacific Nations Need Help Away From Aid
By Catherine Wilson
SYDNEY, Jan 29 2014 (IPS) - Long-term dependence on development aid in Pacific Island nations, many of which have been independent for 30-40 years, continues to cause concern.
The World Bank reports that overseas development assistance (ODA) to the region amounts to 469 dollars per capita, compared to 64 dollars in Caribbean small states and 54 dollars in Sub-Saharan Africa.
~snip~
“International development cooperation requires a facelift that begs support from traditional and non-traditional donors whose record of increasing support, even to the detriment of recipient nations, continues,” spokesperson for the Vanuatu-based think-tank, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PIPP), told IPS.
Equally, “an unwillingness or incapacity of our own Pacific Island leaders to halt the debilitating political mentality of aid dependence must be updated with our own understanding of the political, economic and socio-cultural motivations of donor states that are not always altruistic
Pacific Nations Need Help Away From Aid
http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/01/pacific-nations-need-help-away-aid/Pacific Nations Need Help Away From Aid
By Catherine Wilson
SYDNEY, Jan 29 2014 (IPS) - Long-term dependence on development aid in Pacific Island nations, many of which have been independent for 30-40 years, continues to cause concern.
The World Bank reports that overseas development assistance (ODA) to the region amounts to 469 dollars per capita, compared to 64 dollars in Caribbean small states and 54 dollars in Sub-Saharan Africa.
~snip~
“International development cooperation requires a facelift that begs support from traditional and non-traditional donors whose record of increasing support, even to the detriment of recipient nations, continues,” spokesperson for the Vanuatu-based think-tank, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PIPP), told IPS.
Equally, “an unwillingness or incapacity of our own Pacific Island leaders to halt the debilitating political mentality of aid dependence must be updated with our own understanding of the political, economic and socio-cultural motivations of donor states that are not always altruistic
January 29, 2014
The real State of the Union
By Pepe Escobar
Jan 29, '14
US President Barack Obama's State of the Union (SOTU) address was a somewhat surrealist spectacle. Way beyond avalanches of PR spin, the US government for a long time has not exactly done wonders for the public good. So as it advertises itself in front of a dysfunctional US Congress dismissed as repellent by an overwhelming majority of Americans - including, and expanding, on those 76% who are living paycheck to paycheck - what's left is a grand, old Hollywood production.
~snip~
The key theme of SOTU 2014 was the appalling income inequality in the US. Call it an appendix of this past week at the World Economic Forum in Davos - that snowy Vegas for the 0.00001% - in which the Masters of the Universe finally "discovered" inequality. So much inequality, in fact, that 2014 was instantly tagged by the Masters - and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - as the new 1914, all that furiously tweeted to all corporate boardrooms of the liquid modernity elite.
As Obama got into his groove, he proclaimed that Obamacare had won; that he would resort to ruling by executive order to get things done; and that a mixed salad of platitudes and vague proposals/generalities attested to the imminent success of his agenda of improving "opportunity" as the only answer to fighting inequality. Oh yes; and that the American Dream was not in a coma.
No word, of course, about the "gentle", progressive dismantling of what's left of US democracy, via the Orwellian/Panopticon complex, through which 0.00001% elite rule is painfully achieved in a sanitized Total Information Awareness (TIA) environment. With the US government in total control of the Internet, that once-upon-a-time dream - the revolution will be televised - won't happen even on the web
Pepe Escobar: The real State of the Union
http://atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-290114.htmlThe real State of the Union
By Pepe Escobar
Jan 29, '14
US President Barack Obama's State of the Union (SOTU) address was a somewhat surrealist spectacle. Way beyond avalanches of PR spin, the US government for a long time has not exactly done wonders for the public good. So as it advertises itself in front of a dysfunctional US Congress dismissed as repellent by an overwhelming majority of Americans - including, and expanding, on those 76% who are living paycheck to paycheck - what's left is a grand, old Hollywood production.
~snip~
The key theme of SOTU 2014 was the appalling income inequality in the US. Call it an appendix of this past week at the World Economic Forum in Davos - that snowy Vegas for the 0.00001% - in which the Masters of the Universe finally "discovered" inequality. So much inequality, in fact, that 2014 was instantly tagged by the Masters - and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - as the new 1914, all that furiously tweeted to all corporate boardrooms of the liquid modernity elite.
As Obama got into his groove, he proclaimed that Obamacare had won; that he would resort to ruling by executive order to get things done; and that a mixed salad of platitudes and vague proposals/generalities attested to the imminent success of his agenda of improving "opportunity" as the only answer to fighting inequality. Oh yes; and that the American Dream was not in a coma.
No word, of course, about the "gentle", progressive dismantling of what's left of US democracy, via the Orwellian/Panopticon complex, through which 0.00001% elite rule is painfully achieved in a sanitized Total Information Awareness (TIA) environment. With the US government in total control of the Internet, that once-upon-a-time dream - the revolution will be televised - won't happen even on the web
January 29, 2014
The deflation 'ogre'
By Noureddine Krichene
Jan 29, '14
The deflation "ogre" is about to devour the economies of the eurozone and the United States, according to some senior officials. The solution is hyperinflation that wipes money and all debt. Amazing mountains of money being printed out of thin-air in the US and eurozone, near-zero interest rates; credit expanding at two-digit rates; stocks prices setting record highs; housing prices rising at 14%; food becoming unaffordable to increasing numbers of people and putting over 50 million Americans on food stamps - describing these conditions as "deflation" is simply insanity and falsehood.
Based on this wicked vision of deflation, we may state that Germany was battling the "deflation" ogre in 1922-23. The Reichsbank had to print money to keep prices upward and insure that the price of a loaf of bread increases from 6 trillion marks to 10 trillion marks. If prices had to fall, Germany would have been consumed by the deflation "ogre". In fact, German prices kept rising at ultra-sonic speed until German marks became useful only in fireplaces. By fighting the deflation "ogre", Germany was devoured by the inflation "ogre".
Demagogues never learn any lesson. Ben Bernanke kept fighting deflation since 2002; in doing so, he kept endlessly inflicting devastation on the US economy. The top officials who now curse deflation are perfectly immune from inflation.
They live in heavens, fly first class, are served champagne and liquor, stay at first class hotels, enjoy opulent banquets, are driven in luxurious limousines, and live in comfortable mansions; all is paid by the taxpayer. In contrast, the wage earner is being ruthlessly robbed by inflation. Every day, he puts much less food on the table for his children. Inflation demagogues made millions of workers jobless.
The deflation 'ogre'
http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/GECON-01-290114.htmlThe deflation 'ogre'
By Noureddine Krichene
Jan 29, '14
The deflation "ogre" is about to devour the economies of the eurozone and the United States, according to some senior officials. The solution is hyperinflation that wipes money and all debt. Amazing mountains of money being printed out of thin-air in the US and eurozone, near-zero interest rates; credit expanding at two-digit rates; stocks prices setting record highs; housing prices rising at 14%; food becoming unaffordable to increasing numbers of people and putting over 50 million Americans on food stamps - describing these conditions as "deflation" is simply insanity and falsehood.
Based on this wicked vision of deflation, we may state that Germany was battling the "deflation" ogre in 1922-23. The Reichsbank had to print money to keep prices upward and insure that the price of a loaf of bread increases from 6 trillion marks to 10 trillion marks. If prices had to fall, Germany would have been consumed by the deflation "ogre". In fact, German prices kept rising at ultra-sonic speed until German marks became useful only in fireplaces. By fighting the deflation "ogre", Germany was devoured by the inflation "ogre".
Demagogues never learn any lesson. Ben Bernanke kept fighting deflation since 2002; in doing so, he kept endlessly inflicting devastation on the US economy. The top officials who now curse deflation are perfectly immune from inflation.
They live in heavens, fly first class, are served champagne and liquor, stay at first class hotels, enjoy opulent banquets, are driven in luxurious limousines, and live in comfortable mansions; all is paid by the taxpayer. In contrast, the wage earner is being ruthlessly robbed by inflation. Every day, he puts much less food on the table for his children. Inflation demagogues made millions of workers jobless.
January 29, 2014
India's moral compass swings violently
By Samir Nazareth
Jan 29, '14
In the 66 years of independence, India has lived with a certain set of moral codes that called for respect of regulation, sacrifice for a greater good, duty towards society, accountability. An accepted definition of what was expected from members of society and from those in power gave the country its navigational apparatus and heroes. That definition allowed heirs to rise from the miasma to take over the reins when those in positions of authority stepped down. It also marked the scales on which people were measured and judgments passed. It is difficult to deny that moral codes were the cornerstone of trust between all parts of society, and the grease that allowed society to function.
There is a need for a new morality in India today, or at least for a call to recognize the new morals we live with compared with those of six decades ago. One may ask why, and the answer is simple, if we don't recognize new morals and spread them, the result can be unrest. Things are already changing in India - look at who we consider our leaders, look at who we put in jail. We get affronted when our film stars are held up at foreign airports and derive a sense of pride when citizens of other nations though of Indian ancestry achieve recognition in their country.
Our "philosopher kings" are businessmen who equate foreign investment with national prosperity, who see environmental protection and concern for the marginalized as being bad for the country. They decry government expenditure on the economically bereft while seeking tax breaks for themselves. We find solace in the deep voice of a septuagenarian who made his mark in the country's dream factory. We seek the counsel of the glitterati who tweet from their ivory towers and from TV studios far removed from the humdrum of daily existence. For what we value to change, wouldn't our moral scales have to change too?
The fallout
As citizens of a democracy, Indians have become inured with our choice of electoral candidates. They swing between brilliant home-economists whose assets magically increase annually and Houdini like magicians who can't be confined within the thick walls of a prison cell.
India's moral compass swings violently
http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-01-290114.htmlIndia's moral compass swings violently
By Samir Nazareth
Jan 29, '14
In the 66 years of independence, India has lived with a certain set of moral codes that called for respect of regulation, sacrifice for a greater good, duty towards society, accountability. An accepted definition of what was expected from members of society and from those in power gave the country its navigational apparatus and heroes. That definition allowed heirs to rise from the miasma to take over the reins when those in positions of authority stepped down. It also marked the scales on which people were measured and judgments passed. It is difficult to deny that moral codes were the cornerstone of trust between all parts of society, and the grease that allowed society to function.
There is a need for a new morality in India today, or at least for a call to recognize the new morals we live with compared with those of six decades ago. One may ask why, and the answer is simple, if we don't recognize new morals and spread them, the result can be unrest. Things are already changing in India - look at who we consider our leaders, look at who we put in jail. We get affronted when our film stars are held up at foreign airports and derive a sense of pride when citizens of other nations though of Indian ancestry achieve recognition in their country.
Our "philosopher kings" are businessmen who equate foreign investment with national prosperity, who see environmental protection and concern for the marginalized as being bad for the country. They decry government expenditure on the economically bereft while seeking tax breaks for themselves. We find solace in the deep voice of a septuagenarian who made his mark in the country's dream factory. We seek the counsel of the glitterati who tweet from their ivory towers and from TV studios far removed from the humdrum of daily existence. For what we value to change, wouldn't our moral scales have to change too?
The fallout
As citizens of a democracy, Indians have become inured with our choice of electoral candidates. They swing between brilliant home-economists whose assets magically increase annually and Houdini like magicians who can't be confined within the thick walls of a prison cell.
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