During the last decade the spectacular growth and development of Iran placed the Persian nation as a superpower in the Middle East and one of the most relevant actors on the international stage. However, 2012 was a challenging year for the country and 2013 promises to be even more turbulent. With an economic crisis developing, … Continue reading
On the eve of talks between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish government, three female members of the outlawed organization are found dead in Paris. The three women were no ordinary women; each was a high-ranking member of the PKK. Sakine Cansiz was a founding member, a symbol of the struggle. Fidan Doğan … Continue reading
By Chris Hartline The American political system is broken. Congress is broken. Our representatives don’t represent us. These are common refrains you hear particularly outside of Washington – though inside as well – and they possess some semblance of truth. The 112th Congress was the most unproductive Congress in 60 years and the 2nd year of … Continue reading
Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL) is making efforts to relieve bipartisan stress and initiate action on reducing the nation’s debt. Earlier this week he submitted two bills that would reduce government spending, the BOLD Act and the ZERO Act. The BOLD Act seeks to reform how the government handles money by reducing the White House’s and … Continue reading
Members of Congress and President Obama are squaring off for a showdown. The US will hit the debt limit by the end of February, and with Obama insisting that he will not negotiate, “dooms day” scenarios are being predicted. Discussions of alternative solutions have yielded little in the way of progress. The idea to mint … Continue reading
In a recent report published by the New York Federal Reserve Bank, student debt in America now totals $956 billion in outstanding loans. Consequently, the delinquency rate on student loans in 2012 was higher than any other type of consumer loan, which includes credit cards or auto loans. In the same year, the average student … Continue reading
Last week the president of the United States once more disappointed the Cuban American community by nominating an unpopular character to a key position in his administration. Chuck Hagel’s popularity among Cuban Americans has been low ever since he decided that American foreign policy towards Cuba needed a 180 degree switch. The media in Miami … Continue reading
Late last week a seldom heard voice echoed throughout the regulatory reform debate forum when the U.S. Department of State openly stood behind the controversial Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ‘Resource Extraction Rule.’ This rule, developed as part of the continuing cavalcade of Dodd-Frank initiatives, went into effect last August with the goal of requiring … Continue reading
These days it is impossible to go anywhere without hearing about the current budget crisis and the need to cut spending. An often-overlooked solution to cut spending is to simply stop producing so much money, namely, small value coins. In February of last year it cost 2.4¢ to produce a single penny; it costs twice … Continue reading
With the dust settled and the fallout well underway from early January’s fiscal deal to postpone sequestration, the economy’s market participants must also now turn a wary eye toward the agenda of the nation’s top independent regulatory agencies (IRAs). On January 4th Sam Batkins of the American Action Forum noted that initial estimates of the … Continue reading
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