the 10 cents on the future dollar opportunities are not in the usual places any more, because of structural/systemic slide into chaos that is as yet incomplete
the 10 cents on the future dollar opportunities are in gold, platinum, silver, and geographically, in places where to seek refuge, and where refugees are welcomed
just in in-tray
player 1 Singer Billy Bragg to stop paying taxes over bank bonuses
30 mins ago
LONDON (Reuters) – British singer Billy Bragg has threatened to stop paying taxes, and called on others to follow suit, unless the government acts to limit bonuses paid by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
The 52-year-old singer, well known for his left-wing views and political activism, aims to tap public anger over "fat cat" bonuses at U.S. and British banks rescued with taxpayers' money during the financial crisis.
The huge bailouts have left the British government holding 84 percent of Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and 43 percent of Lloyds Banking Group.
"I understand that the Treasury had little choice but to use taxpayers' money to safeguard savings and stabilize and restore confidence in the financial system," Bragg wrote on his page on the Facebook social networking site.
"What I don't understand is why, now that we taxpayers are the majority shareholders of these banks, we seem totally powerless to curb their excessive bonus culture?"
He quoted reports estimating RBS will pay its investment bankers around 1.5 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in bonuses next month.
At the same time, he added, Britain's main political parties are warning voters that national debt will mean tough cuts in public spending after the next general election.
"I believe that the government have their priorities wrong.
"I have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister), Alistair Darling, to inform him that I am no longer prepared to fund the excessive bonuses of RBS investment bankers. Unless he acts to limit them to 25,000 pounds, I shall be withholding my tax payment on 31st January." In his Facebook campaign titled "NoBonus4RBS" he invited other British tax payers to do the same to exert pressure on the government to curb bonuses.
RBS has been forced to agree to slash payouts and hand the state a veto on its 2009 bonus pool, but the government has also said that going too far to restrict pay could dent the bank's ability to compete.
When asked about Bragg's initiative, a Treasury spokesman said: "We can reassure people there will not be a significant amount of taxpayers' cash going to bonuses at RBS."
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
player 2 Ability to compete? RBS was fuckin' bankrupt!How uncompetitive is that? Socialize the losses,but by all means pay the bonuses!Billy Bragg for PM,at least the Brits can save on inaugural expenses-he can provide post-inaugural entertainment as well!
player 3 Kudos to Bragg for his unwitting reminder to US and UK officials of their next path: a one time 100% levy on the earnings of entertainers, footballers and the like . . .
But a very dangerous path we are moving down as the witch hunt expands, as the rancor, ire, and vindictiveness may eventually emanate from "top" down (read: anyone making over $150k in the US) as opposed to the bottom up . . .
player tj youtube.com
the internationale by billy bragg
i find the lyrics inspiring ... actually blood boiling, and suitable for many neighborhoods, as far away as possible from egalitarian hong kong
lyricsfreak.com
at some juncture the true fright will start, one that involves a no longer functioning market place that ceases to weigh, and starts to judge
anyone has an opinion on which neighborhood's revolution is likely to be the gentler variety? maybe philippines or thailand?
i know it would not be china or america or russia or france or germany
re dangerous path and top down
from the perspective of survivor from revolutions, my advise to the top-down candidates is that they refrain from top-down agitation, and instead, decamp for where they are welcomed as opposed to despised, and do so relatively quickly, before the schools at points of destination fill up with refugee children bused in mercedes kiddie limos
revolutions are harder to time than markets, it takes but one at other times insignificant incident, and boom, the fire spreads, flash crowd like, joining other flash crowds, and tapping into deeply stored energy out of control, much like deep lake methane gas bubbles suddenly surfacing, and before anyone can count, bodies everywhere
unlike the markets on the way dow where there are temporary interims offering hope, revolutions are pretty ugly much one way path to hell, lined with cheerful words
maybe a real estate fund branded "troubled economic refugee housing fund, I"? |
