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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: mishedlo who wrote (111086)4/28/2010 1:50:19 PM
From: Haim R. Branisteanu  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 116555
 
Mish it is very obvious that the whole issue of Greece is highly political - I only wonder who is messing around with the European bonds - I do think that behind the run on sovereign debt are only a handful of speculators - IMHO there is more than just market forces.

If one compares the situation in many US states to the situation within the PIIGS it will find that the US States ARE in bigger troubles on an absolute basis gobbling the various budget deficits pension benefits to state employees and healthcare etc.

Best is to review this ling to get a handle on unemployment in the US Metro areas bls.gov in most states unemployment y on y ROSE!! And over 10% - 13% unemployment persist in many cities

Michigan 14% NV 13.6% CA 13% ILL 11.7% OR 11.7% SC 11.7% OH 11.5% Mississipi 11% - you can add up those number and you will get more than the PIIGS



To: mishedlo who wrote (111086)4/28/2010 3:55:50 PM
From: Jim McMannis  Read Replies (3) | Respond to of 116555
 
They should have never brought the PIGS into the European Union/euro-currency.

Now they want Germany to bail them out?



To: mishedlo who wrote (111086)4/28/2010 10:29:32 PM
From: roguedolphin4 Recommendations  Respond to of 116555
 
More Obama/Gore Links To Inside Dealing On Cap & Trade...
Message 26496623

From: SliderOnTheBlack 4/28/2010 10:14:23 PM
1 Recommendation of 21705

More Obama/Gore Links To Inside Dealing On Cap & Trade...

April 26, 2010
by Christopher Horner

pajamasmedia.com

Ex-Gore associate and current Obama energy official Cathy Zoi
is exploiting global warming for her own mega-gain.

Surprising documents made available to this author reveal that
Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi has a huge financial
stake in companies likely to profit from the Obama
administration’s “green” policies.

Zoi, who left her position as CEO of the Alliance for Climate
Protection — founded by Al Gore — to serve as assistant
secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, now
manages billions in “green jobs” funding. But the disclosure
documents show that Zoi not only is in a position to affect
the fortunes of her previous employer, ex-Vice President Al
Gore, but that she herself has large holdings in two firms
that could directly profit from policies proposed by the
Department of Energy.

Among Zoi’s holdings are shares in Serious Materials, Inc.,
the previously sleepy, now bustling, friend of the Obama White
House whose public policy operation is headed by her husband.
Between them, Zoi and her husband hold 120,000 shares in
Serious Materials, as well as stock options.

Reporter John Stossel has already explored what he sees as
the “crony capitalism” implied by Zoi being so able to
influence the fortunes of a company to which she is so
closely associated.

Stossel's Report:
businessandmedia.org

In addition, the disclosure forms reflect that Zoi holds
between $250,000 and $500,000 in “founders shares” in
Landis Gyr, a Swiss “smart meter” firm. She also still
owns between $15,000 and $50,000 in ordinary shares.

“Smart meters,” put simply, are electric meters that return
information about customer power usage to the power company
immediately and allow a power company to control the amount
of power a customer can consume. These smart meters are a
central component of the Obama administration’s plans to
reduce electricity consumption as part of the “smart grid.”

In a rare moment of candor, Obama “Energy Czar” Carol Browner
said to US News & World Report last year: “We need to make
sure that … eventually, we can get to a system where an
electric company will be able [sic] to hold back some of the
power so that maybe your air conditioner won’t operate at its
peak, you’ll still be able to cool your house, but that’ll be
a savings to the consumer.” (emphasis added)

Clearly, DoE funding to encourage the adoption of “smart
meters” would very likely lead to much increased sales by
Landis Gyr — and a potential windfall for Zoi. But surely Zoi
doesn’t participate in the relevant “energy efficiency” policy?

In fact, as a condition of her employment with the Obama
administration, while Ms. Zoi maintained significant security
holdings in Serious Materials and Landis+Gyr, she promised
to “not participate personally and substantially in any
particular matter that has a direct and predictable effect on
the[ir] financial interest” without obtaining a waiver first.

But then, if she doesn’t participate in decisions that could
have a “direct and predictable effect” on her Landis Gyr
holdings and she doesn’t participate in decisions that could
have a “direct and predictable effect” on her holdings in
Serious Materials, it seems worth asking in which decisions
she can participate.

Doesn’t Zoi’s involvement in these issues raise serious
ethical or legal issues?

Given her position and the breadth of the decisions and duties
from which she would have to recuse herself if someone with
the rather glaring conflicts as Ms. Zoi has follows through on
her promises to avoid participating in decisions that would
impact companies in which she oddly has retained a substantial
financial interest — what decisions and policies is she
participating in? Has she obtained waivers? If so, on what;
if not, why not? Re-read her title. Re-review her investments.

What, precisely, is she doing on our dime and how come she
is permitted to carry such obvious conflicts of interest that
either preclude her from working on nearly any matter of
substance under her purview, or trigger automatically serious
ethical and other considerations? And, what happened to that
whole ethical, transparency thing?

======================
======================

The entire Green Agenda is now being exposed for what it is,
a giant lootapalooza where all roads lead to Al Gore and Obama
connected insiders.

From the Chicago Climate Exchange, to direct handouts from
Obama's Stimulus Bill, to insider trading by government officials,
this is so out of control, and they're getting so sloppy,
it's like they're not even trying to hide it any longer.

This is the type of behavior you would see in the final days
of a third-world, banana republic, where everyone is rushing
to steal anything that isn't nailed down, before the final collapse.

Have you had enough America?

How much more are you going to take?

If they seized your pension fund, your IRA, and your 401K
tomorrow - would you do anything?

Would you pick up the phone and call your Congressman?

Would you take to the streets?

They're naked body scanning your wife & kids and you didn't do anything.

Why would they have any fear of you doing anything to defend
your damn pension fund, or 401K, if you didn't defend your
wife & kids?

We don't have a failed government, we have a failed populace.

When government fears the people - you have liberty.

When people fear the goverment - you have tyranny.

Guess what America, not only do they not fear you,
they're laughing at you while they're looting you.

SOTB