Economic Illiterates in Washington-Give Us a Break!

The economic illiterates in Washington are so impressed with the “success” of Cash for Clunkers that they’re readying Cash for Clunker Appliances. The ludicrous “stimulus” bill gave $300 million to the Department of Energy to provide rebates for 10 types of appliances that have been rated energy efficient.
Before government extends Cash for Clunkers to more [...]

Deception at Core of Obama Plans

Health, education and energy — worthy and weighty as they may be — are not the cause of our financial collapse. And they are not the cure. The fraudulent claim that they are both cause and cure is the rhetorical device by which an ambitious president intends to enact the most radical agenda of social [...]

Bolivia pins hopes on lithium, electric vehicles

“Lithium is the hope not just for Bolivia but for all inhabitants of the planet,” President Evo Morales said before meeting in Paris last month with Bollore Group, one of several companies vying to extract the metal from remote salt flats in the poor landlocked nation.
via Bolivia pins hopes on lithium, electric vehicles – Americas [...]

US recession ‘may last into 2010′

US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke has warned Congress that without the right policies from the government, the US recession could last into 2010.
But he said if the Obama administration and the central bank can restore some measure of financial stability, 2010 could be a year of recovery.
Mr Bernanke made the comments to the Senate [...]

Stop the Democratic Suicide

As more Americans lose their jobs and their homes, as more businesses crater and banks topple, popular anger is rising like a wall of water over a suddenly quiet beachfront resort. You’d think that the Democrats in Washington would be aware of the danger. After all, the massive expansion of Great Society spending in the [...]

China set to boost Venezuela ties

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is due in Venezuela as part of a visit to boost Chinese ties in the region.
Mr Xi is expected to sign agreements including joint ventures with Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said.
China is also set to inject $4bn (£2.8bn) into a joint investment fund that was [...]

Economic Bad Times Put Minorities at Higher Crime Risk

When the economy goes sour, certain minority groups suffer at the hands of criminals more than others, a new study finds.
National crime statistics from 1973 to 2005 show an increase in violent, non-lethal crime against blacks and Latinos during and after periods of recession, according to research that was scheduled for presentation Sunday at the [...]

‘Buy American’ Provision in Stimulus Package Concerns China

China on Monday criticized a clause in the 787-billion-dollar stimulus package passed by the US Senate which requires the use of US goods and warned against trade protectionism.
“We believe that protectionist measures will make a bad situation in the financial crisis even worse,” Trade Ministry spokesman Yao Jian told journalists.
Without naming the US directly, he [...]

Latino Day Laborers Want Stimulus Help

Workers and members of the Latino Union of Chicago rallied Monday at the intersection of Belmont and Milwaukee. They want to put a face on the unemployment statistics for day laborers, those who work construction, repair city streets, schools and infrastructure.
A local union leader says day laborers are averaging work about once every two months.
“Here, [...]

Unemployment Rises Sharply Among Latino Immigrants in 2008

The current recession is having an especially severe impact on employment prospects for immigrant Hispanics, according to an analysis of the latest Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.
The unemployment rate has increased more and the share of the working-age population that is employed has fallen more [...]