http://nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
Odious debt In international law, odious debt, also known as illegitimate debt, is a legal theory that holds that the national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, should not be enforceable. Such debts are, thus, considered by this doctrine to be personal debts of the regime that incurred them and not debts of the state. In some respects, the concept is analogous to the invalidity of contracts signed under coercion. Origin[edit]
Because Of A ZeroHedge Post, Tons Of People Are Worried About A Commodity Market Meltdown On Monday A few emails like this have hit our inbox this morning: Have you seen this CME margin thing? Isnt this global meltdown on Monday???????????? Seen on 0hedge and The Trader. What's happening? The True Cost of US Military Equipment Embed this infographic on your site! <a href=" src=" alt="Military Equipment Costs" width="500" border="0" /></a><br />From: <a href=" This infographic takes a look at the amount of tax payer money that goes into funding specific military equipment ranging from the 'small' items to the truly gargantuan in price. The graphic then compare these prices to things that the average American can relate to such as median income, cost of a college education, health insurance, or the price of buying a home.
More Small Businesses Are Pulling Their Accounts Out Of Big Banks Even in a tight credit market, David Meinert didn't think he'd have a problem getting funding from his bank. He was a model entrepreneur, with good credit and a profitable business earning $2 million in revenue. But when he applied for a relatively small $50,000 line of credit from Chase in late 2010, he got denied in 12 hours, with no explanation. "It was insulting and made no sense, even to the banker. And there was no one to even talk to about it," Meinert says. Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights Today, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. With over 2.3 million men and women living behind bars, our imprisonment rate is the highest it’s ever been in U.S. history. And yet, our criminal justice system has failed on every count: public safety, fairness and cost-effectiveness. Across the country, the criminal justice reform conversation is heating up. Each week, we feature our some of the most exciting and relevant news in overincarceration discourse that we’ve spotted from the previous week. Check back weekly for our top picks.
Corzine resigns as CEO of bankrupt MF Global In this Jan. 9, 2011 file photo, former New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine reflects on his four year term in office during an interview with The Associated Press at his home in Hoboken, N.J. File,AP Photo/Rich Schultz America Has Become Incarceration Nation December 21, 2006 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Two remarkable developments in Washington in the past week highlight the extent to which the United States has become the land of mass incarceration. First, the Supreme Court denied the appeal of Weldon Angelos for a first-time drug offense.
US Bank President Richard Davis to disillusioned country: "Get over it" US Bank President Richard Davis addressed the 1% at a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce luncheon this afternoon while the 99% protested outside. The "Golden Boy of Wall Street," as the New York Times recently dubbed him, was there to discuss the chamber's 2012 legislative priorities -- none of which include housing, the foreclosure crisis, or banking issues, although "tax reform" is on the agenda as the body's "major policy initiative." Outside, a group of protesters including Occupy MNers and community leaders rallied to demand banks stop "foreclosing on the American Dream." In a speech lasting about half an hour, Davis did not address the Occupy movement sweeping the country. The banker began his speech to the assembled fat cats by introducing the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," and Minnesota's state motto, "Get prepared." That, Davis said on numerous occasions throughout the speech, was the key to making it through this recession.
US Has the Most Prisoners in the World WASHINGTON - Tough sentencing laws, record numbers of drug offenders and high crime rates have contributed to the United States having the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world, according to criminal justice experts. A U.S. Justice Department report released on November 30 showed that a record 7 million people -- or one in every 32 American adults -- were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year. Of the total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail. According to the International Centre for Prison Studies at King's College in London, more people are behind bars in the United States than in any other country. China ranks second with 1.5 million prisoners, followed by Russia with 870,000.
BREAKING: OCCUPY & ANONYMOUS JOIN FORCES Our Senators and Representatives showed how little they cared about personal freedoms when they voted overwhelmingly to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA allows for the indefinite detention of individuals based merely on a suspicion or allegation of sympathizing with questionable groups or causes. This act is a prominent threat to the inalienable due process rights of every US citizen as laid out in the Constitution. It allows the military to engage in civilian law enforcement, and to suspend due process, habeas corpus or other constitutional guarantees when desired.
The prison industry in the United States: big business or a new form of slavery? Human rights organizations, as well as political and social ones, are condemning what they are calling a new form of inhumane exploitation in the United States, where they say a prison population of up to 2 million – mostly Black and Hispanic – are working for various industries for a pittance. For the tycoons who have invested in the prison industry, it has been like finding a pot of gold. They don’t have to worry about strikes or paying unemployment insurance, vacations or comp time. All of their workers are full-time, and never arrive late or are absent because of family problems; moreover, if they don’t like the pay of 25 cents an hour and refuse to work, they are locked up in isolation cells. There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country.
Private Prison Corporation Offers Cash In Exchange For State Prisons As state governments wrestle with massive budget shortfalls, a Wall Street giant is offering a solution: cash in exchange for state property. Prisons, to be exact. Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent letters recently to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons as a remedy for "challenging corrections budgets." 'Occupy Wall Street' Issues First Official Declaration Since the occupation of Wall Street first began on September 17th, the mainstream media has criticized the general assembly for its lack of a cohesive list of complaints or demands. Not to be rushed by expectations of corporations and the elite they serve, the Occupy Wall Street action took its time fulfilling this demand. On Thursday night, Occupy Wall Street participants voted on and approved the first official “Declaration of the Occupation of New York City.” It it reprinted in its entirety below. As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together.