A study cites the “confusing complexity” of the US tax code and “bait and switch” tactics used by the IRS to lure in victims behind on “payments” as the primary two reasons for the uptick in permanent expatriation.
January 30th, 2012 | Joel Bowman | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Americas
Commentary on American economics, politics and society by your Daily Reckoning editors in Melbourne, Australia. Still haven’t subscribed to the Daily Reckoning? What are you waiting for… sign up here, it’s free!
A chronological listing of articles is below.
Why US GDP Figures Mean Nothing
Here’s a meaningless abstraction for you, Fellow Reckoner. US GDP grew at an annualised rate of 1.7% for 2011. Now, what does that sentence actually tell us?
January 30th, 2012 | Joel Bowman | 2 comments | Continued
“Improvements” to Capitalism
As Alan Greenspan points out: The ‘greed’ that preoccupies Occupy Wall Street demonstrators is not a feature of capitalism, It’s a feature of human nature. He might have pointed out that socialists are just as greedy as capitalists. They are just more corrupt.
January 30th, 2012 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
The Fed’s Unattainable Government Goals
The Fed has goals for unemployment and inflation. Targets. And it moves its policies around in order to achieve its goals. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily hit its goals.
January 30th, 2012 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
The Energy Empire of the Sun
We take up the issue of national power and real energy in today’s Daily Reckoning. And we take it up because the fate of nations and the welfare of men and women are directly related to how much sunlight we all get. All power—from the stored solar energy in fossil fuels to the sunlight that makes food grow—comes from energy.
January 30th, 2012 | Dan Denning | 16 comments | Continued
The US Constitution Gone Wrong
“…They put all that work into the US Constitution…using every trick they could think of to limit the power of the executive branch. Because they knew that if you let the executive branch get away with it, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a tyrant.”
January 30th, 2012 | Bill Bonner | 2 comments | Continued
The State of the Union Address and Obama’s Fairness Doctrine
We had been invited to watch President Obama give the State of the Union address with a group of dinosaurs…a group approaching extinction with dignity and intelligence. You might call them ‘thinking conservatives,’ ‘paleo- conservatives’ or ‘constitutionalists.’
January 30th, 2012 | Bill Bonner | 0 comments | Continued
A Question of Currency: Should Australians Invest in the Fourth Reich?
The first thing to think about, if you’re a foreign investor in another region, is currencies. Well, it may not quite be the first thing, but keep in mind: movements in currencies can make or break investment returns.
January 30th, 2012 | Nickolai Hubble | 0 comments | Continued
Currency Wars
The currency wars are heating up. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke promised speculators he would keep interest rates low until 2014.
January 27th, 2012 | Greg Canavan | 1 comment | Continued
The Consequences of Denying Reality in a Bernanke Economy
Mr. Bernanke is fiddling the levers again, promising to keep rates lower than a sea snake’s belly until 2014. America’s #1 central banker may well be highly intelligent…but that does not preclude him from also being a dunce.
January 27th, 2012 | Joel Bowman | 0 comments | Continued
Sit Tight With The Bull Market: An Investing Lesson From The Great Bear of Wall Street
The book, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre immortalised Jesse Livermore’s exploits. I have never read it so I can’t be sure the following quote is even from that book. But wherever it comes from, it might be the most wise advice you’ll ever read about how to handle a bull market.
January 26th, 2012 | Greg Canavan | 3 comments | Continued
Getting Out of Dodge: Part II
“Generally, one simply must internationalize one’s assets. The biggest danger investors face, by far, is not market risk – huge as that will be – but political risk. The only way to insulate yourself from such risk is to diversify yourself politically and geographically.”
January 26th, 2012 | Doug Casey | 4 comments | Continued
Getting Out of Dodge: Part I
An interview with international investor Doug Casey conducted by Louis James, Editor, International Speculator.
January 25th, 2012 | Doug Casey | 0 comments | Continued
Australia’s Place in the World of Debt – An Each-Way Bet On The 21st Century
Australian government debt (Federal) crossed the $200 billion barrier last year. In a few short years, then, the government has gone from a modest $20 billion surplus to a $200 billion debt. That debt is still small as percentage of GDP compared to the US, Japan, and the UK. But it’s a lot larger than it was a few years ago…and once these things get rolling, they have a way of building momentum.
January 25th, 2012 | Dan Denning | 7 comments | Continued
Megaupload, Orwell and Knowing Your Role as an Obedient Citizen
Now, one might assume that artists would want their music distributed, to have their artwork seen and heard by as many eyes and ears as possible. Correct. In fact, that was exactly what Megaupload – a website owned and operated by recording artists – was trying to accomplish.
January 24th, 2012 | Joel Bowman | 13 comments | Continued
