1. Kerry Lutz: Congress is the Enemy
of the People
2. Michelle
Seiler-Tucker:
Buffett’s Unmistakable Influence
3. Joseph Klein: Vetoes Sink Latest UN
Security Council Resolution on Syrian Chemical Weapons
4. Michael Stumo: Fake Trade News - WTO
Cases vs. Trade Wars
Congress is the Enemy
of the People
By
Kerry Lutz
Last
week the state governors met with members of congress to discuss the fate of
Obamacare. They were informed that the elimination of Obamacare would lead to
disaster. States that participated in expanded Medicaid would lose billions in
funding. Individuals who are receiving subsidies in the health insurance
marketplace would wind up uninsured. Chaos would be the guaranteed result. In
other words, the Republican controlled congress putting its collective head
together is unable to come up with anything better than Obamacare. And what
about our tax system? It’s a joke and has been for the at least the past 50
years. Sure, the media is dangerous, but they’re nothing compared to the U.S.
Congress. As Justice Learned Hand once said, “The power to tax is the power to
destroy.” Boy, if he had only known. [more...]
Buffett’s Unmistakable
Influence
There
are few American businessmen more influential than Warren Buffett. He has an
investing track record which speaks for itself and Yoda-like reverence within
the American economy. His advice, therefore, is beneficial to all investors and
business people.
Buffett
recently released his annual letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, the
multinational conglomerate Buffett founded and spearheads. In it, he speaks to
corporate executives, individual investors, and anyone looking for a key into
the often unpredictable economy. The influence Buffett possess is unmistakable.
His words echo both in corridors of New York skyscrapers and on railroad tracks
in Omaha. And while his reputation precedes itself, it is Buffett’s wisdom year
after year which many American business people listen to and act on. He might
not have all the answers to achieving success, but his role as an activist
investor should not be ignored. [more...]
Vetoes Sink Latest UN
Security Council Resolution on Syrian Chemical Weapons
By
Joseph
Klein
The
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-UN Joint Investigative
Mechanism (JIM), which was established in August 2015 under a unanimously
approved Security Council resolution, was assigned the responsibility to
determine who was responsible for a series of chemical attacks since 2013 that
killed Syrian civilians. The independent expert panel concluded that there was
sufficient evidence to determine that the Syrian government had used chemical
weapons on three separate occasions from 2014 to 2015, while ISIS had used them
at least once. With that conclusion in hand, the United States, United Kingdom
and France introduced a draft resolution on February 28th imposing
sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter on Syrian government officials
and entities linked to the chemical weapons attacks; placing an embargo on arms
sales and chemicals intended to be used as weapons; and establishing a
sanctions committee and panel of experts to monitor the implementation of these
measures. Russia and China vetoed the draft resolution, which blocked its
adoption. Bolivia also voted no. Nine Security Council members voted yes, and
three abstained. [more...]
Fake Trade News - WTO
Cases vs. Trade Wars
Fake
trade news abounds. Periodically politicians, reporters or pundits who should
know better warn of a "trade war," which, they fret, will happen if
the U.S. defends its economic interests by taking action. That action could
possibly be found unlawful by a World Trade Organization (WTO) set of unelected
lawyers sitting as judges. Their hysteria is always in support of their
argument to "do nothing, it'll all be fine." The most recent example
of this version of fake trade news is the media/punditry class's false
assertion that tax reform with border adjustability will violate the WTO and
thus start a "trade war.” The House GOP tax plan could violate the WTO
agreement due to its strange version of border adjustability, but it will not
start a trade war. Anyone who asserts otherwise should be dismissed as uninformed
or a special interest hack. [more...]
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