Death and Dearth in Black America: Baltimore, a Failure of Leadership
Much of the black community in America is dying, which is the “death,” and lacking true leadership and solutions across a wide range of issues, which is the “dearth.”
Economics
Exclusive–Carly Fiorina: ‘We Have to Start Undoing Some Things’ to Improve the Economy
In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News just a few days before she is set to enter the 2016 presidential race, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina discussed her experiences on the campaign trail and her ideas for improving the economy.
US GDP Temporarily Stalls Out, Similar to 1986 Oil Crash
U.S. economic growth stalled out in the first quarter of 2015 as the domestic energy boom caused a short-term collapse in capital spending, large lay-offs in the oil industry, and a 15 percent jump in the exchange rate of the US dollar. A pattern of slowing GDP just before a consumer spending boom takes off is consistent with what happened the last time a big rise in U.S. crude oil production tanked gasoline prices beginning in 1986.
Testing the Cutting Edge of Taxi Innovation—Things Go Awry
Uber is systematically wiping out taxis in San Francisco. As of last year, average taxi trips per month had reportedly plummeted 65 percent in just 2 years. In an effort to save the industry, a new startup, FlyWheel, has begun outfitting taxis with the Uber-like convenience of smartphone hailing and payments.
Obama’s Latest Non-Recovery Chokes Out
We’ve been hearing this ridiculous garbage about cold winters freezing the engines of the mighty Obama growth engine every year for the past six years. The hard, cold truth is that we’ve never had sustained growth under this President’s policies that could do anything more than slow the bleeding in the American workforce. Everything he does, from ObamaCare to his amnesty orders for illegal aliens, is a job-killer. It’s a tribute to the underlying strength of the American economy that we’re not in even worse shape.
Mob of Anarchists Attacks Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis at Dinner
Days after being pulled back from leading the Greek diplomatic team in talks with the European Union regarding the nation’s astronomical debt, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his wife, Danae Stratou, were the victims of an anarchist mob attack while dining out.
Teamsters Crank Up Labor Strife at LA, Long Beach Ports
Despite a continuing backlog of freight following the nine months of bitter labor strife between the Pacific Maritime Association and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union(ILWU), who settled their disputes two months ago, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has started a
Baltimore’s Inner City Stealth Economic Issue
When people can’t make ends meet, they get frustrated. And when those ends keep pulling further apart – no matter how hard people try to bring them together – frustration turns into anger. And when large numbers of people in a community are angry, it’s like a volcano that’s ready to blow.
Twitter’s 25% Flash-Crash Recovers to Just an 18% Crash
Over 4,600 people are reportedly presumed dead in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal Saturday and the numbers continue to rise, but nine Californians in various stages of rescue or distress remain alive at this point.
Finance Minister Varoufakis Pulled Back from Greek Debt Negotiations
Bloomberg Business understandably sees all sorts of signals in Greece’s decision to pull Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis back from bailout negotiations, a move it describes as “clipping Varoufakis’ wings” and “reining him in” after three months of debt talks failed to produce an agreement.
Jackson: Subprime, Predatory Lenders the Real Thugs in Baltimore
Tuesday on “Democracy Now!” activist Jesse Jackson discussed the rioting in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. He said the conditions of poverty caused by “bankers who engaged in subprime and predatory lending and took people’s
Why America Doesn’t Grow
In this century, economic growth has averaged 1.9 percent per year—down from the 3.4 percent the prior two decades—and anemic growth is a major force squeezing wages, the middle class, and the working poor.
Madison Avenue ‘Mad Men’ Terrorized by Silicon Valley Geeks
Henry Ford is credited as saying “I knew that only half my advertising worked, but the trouble is that I do not know which half.” Today, with 30 percent of advertising already going digital, Silicon Valley geeks commanding databases are terrorizing Madison Avenue’s Mad Men.
Strong Dollar, Slow Growth Complicate Federal Reserve Plans to Hike Interest Rates
Federal Reserve policymakers meet Tuesday to consider when to raise interest rates, but the strong dollar and inflation risks put them between a rock and a hard place.
Google Unveils Ambitious Plan to Make Your Mobile Plan Cheaper and Faster
Google unveiled an ambitious new plan to take on wireless carriers, with the launch of its own calling and data service, Project Fi. Americans are demanding a faster mobile experience, and Google CEO Larry Page is reportedly frustrated that AT&T and Verizon just have not been interested in building better infrastructure. So he launched his own wireless service — with a twist.
Futuristic Simulation Finds Self-Driving ‘TaxiBots’ Will Eliminate 90% of Cars, Open Acres of Public Space
A fascinating new simulation finds that self-driving cars will terraform cities: 90 percent of cars will be eliminated, acres of land will open up, and commute times will drop 10 percent.
California Plans to Tax Airbnb; Company Fights Back
For California cities and counties, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) for short-term hotel rentals rose from $1.38 billion in 2010 to $1.67 billion in 2012. Collection of the 13 percent average tax on short-term occupancies would have been much higher, except that Airbnb online rentals has never collected a dime. Now, State Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) os pushing Senate Bill 593 legislation to require “online vacation rental sites” to collect TOT and report big data–such as number of guests or length of stay– to cities and counties. And Airbnb and hosts are warning about consumer privacy.
Almost a Third of Those with Savings Have Less Than $1,000 for Retirement
Study after study shows that Americans are not saving for retirement like they should, and a new survey finds that nearly one third of people who have some sort of savings plan have amassed less than $1,000 for retirement.
Worst Cities for Renters: Bay Area Sweeps 1, 2, 3 Spots
What are the worst three cities for renters in America? Surprise. Manhattan does not make the cut. According to Forbes, they are San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose–based on price-per-listing, market availability, median income and comparing the price of a mortgage versus that of renting.
Unpaid Russian Workers Protest Putin as Economy Continues Freefall
Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing protests from unpaid government workers across the largest country in the world. Teachers, autoworkers, and construction workers were among the workers who protested against Putin.
‘Grexit’ Brinkmanship is Classic Greek Tragedy
The populists are screening a modern Greek Tragedy wherein the noble Greek people are forced to suffer deprivations in return for the villainous German-controlled creditors pretend to loan Greece money that mostly repay existing EU loans used to buy German imports. But with Greece on the brink of running out of cash, and Greece’s creditors running out of patience, a compromise may be coming together to avoid an overt ‘Grexit’ by allowing for a devalued “Greek euro.”
Obama: Dems Acting Like GOP, Political Arguments Against TPP Aren’t Accurate
Monday on MSNBC’s “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” President Obama said the many Democrats against the Trans-Pacific Partnership fast track are “making political arguments that aren’t always entirely accurate,” like “the other side.” Obama said, “This is better than the Colombian
Trumka: Obama ‘Willfully Ignoring’ Congress on ‘Un-Democratic’ Trade Deal
Tuesday at a a hearing on U.S. trade policy and the fast-track trade authority bill, long-time ally of President Barack Obama, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka testified that the fast track process is “unaccountable and un-democratic,” especially in light of the
Exploding Public Pension Costs Hit Public Employee Wages
In the past, the Manhattan Institute has effectively highlighted how rising California public pension costs are cutting into “basic infrastructure maintenance, public safety, education, and quality-of-life services such as parks and libraries.” But in the newest report, “Pension Costs are Crowding Out Salaries,” by Senior Fellow Stephen D. Eide, the Manhattan Institute reveals how California public employees themselves are suffering. In a decade where pension costs rose by 135 percent and healthcare premiums by 85 percent, public sector wages grew 4.6 percent slower than private sector workers’ salaries.
Why the Federal Reserve May (Almost) Never Raise Interest Rates
Investors in securities markets are now strongly betting the Federal Reserve won’t raise interest rates in June, but the million dollar question is will the Fed ever be able to raise interest rates again?
