SchwartzReport: 50% of Older Americans Have No Retirement Income

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

401(k)s, a scheme devised by financial interests to milk the middle class and promoted by the Republic Party, like all trickle down Randian economic schemes, have proven to be a disaster. Here is the real story; it isn't pretty, and it is hardly acknowledged by American corporate media. But its impact is going to be tragically painful. I can find no example in the world where austerity conservative economic policies have produced increased wellness. But there are dozens of examples of their failure. Yet this is hardly mentioned in the campaigns — except by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

New study reminds us that Americans are woefully unprepared for retirement

CRS: 40% of US Adults Are Unemployed

03 Economy

crs logoPDF (15 Pages): An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio

EXTRACT:

Recent estimates show that employment as a percentage of the civilian population has not returned to pre-recessionary levels. In November 2007, the employment-population ratio was 62.9%, indicating that 62.9% of the adult population had a job in that month. This rate fell steadily during the recession and several months beyond, before stabilizing around 58.5% in October 2009. Between October 2009 and March 2014, the ratio fluctuated within 0.3 percentage points of 58.5%. Since then, the employment-population ratio has climbed slowly to 59.3%, its value in April 2015.

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SchwartzReport: Insurance Divesting from Coal

03 Economy, 05 Energy, 07 Health, 11 Society
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

As I have predicted for some years, the first large corporations to change their policies on carbon investments will be insurance companies. Since they pay out claims brought on by disasters, they are exquisitely attuned to what causes disasters and carbon energy is at the top of their list. Insurance companies understand what Republicans will not admit — climate change is a game changer unlike anything ever seen before by the human species. So I take AXA's action as good news.

Huge Insurance Company Cites Climate Change As Reason For Divesting From Coal

Joseph Stiglitz: New New Lipstick on the Pig

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 09 Justice, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Design
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Joseph E. Stiglitz

Today, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, the Columbia professor and former economic advisor to Bill Clinton, [published] a new report for the Roosevelt Institute entitled “Rewriting the Rules,” which is basically a roadmap for what many progressives would like to see happen policy wise over the next four years.

Eight “fixes” and PBI commentary below the fold.

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SchwartzReport: Iceland to End Bank Money Creation?

03 Economy, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Economics/True Cost, Ethics, Government
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

I follow Iceland because like the Scandanavian countries it is one of the nations where the new wellness oriented policies are developing. This one is very dramatic and will change the world's economy as it is more widely adopted. I don't think it will happen in America because the banks have so many liegemen in the Congress, as Paul Krugman points out.

Iceland looks at ending boom and bust with radical money plan

Icelandic government suggests removing the power of commercial banks to create money and handing it to the central bank

SchwartzReport: USDA Research Being Censored & Compromised?

01 Agriculture, 03 Economy, 07 Health, 09 Justice, 11 Society
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

I find it very interesting that at the moment in our history when science has never been more important in making social policy there is an aggressive and well-funded campaign to keep science from doing just that. All in the name of profit. The only thing that is going to change the outcome is a mass movement of citizens who actively work for and vote for the most compassionate and life-affirming candidate of those available.

USDA scientists’ research about bee-killing pesticides compromised
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