Juggling Dynamite

Mohamed El-Erian, CEO and Co-Chief Investment Officer at PIMCO, discusses Federal Reserve easing and its affect on the U.S. economy.Here is a direct link.

Iceland was the only country in 2008 to let their insolvent banks fail and foreign depositors take their losses. They also voted out the government that had aided and abetted the credit bubble that had demolished the domestic economy. Six years later, fed up with persisting capital controls, a kronur that has fallen 60% against the Euro and still crushing household debt levels, Icelanders voted back in the Independence and Progressive parties—which had led the small Nordic state into its financial collapse in 2008. Now forming a coalition, both parties had been promising tax cuts and a hard-line against joining the European union. There was also talk of across the board mortgage debt reduction for homeowners. Campaign promises will no doubt be hard to keep in the midst of some very harsh economic math. See: Iceland ousts pro-European leadership

Here is a direct link.

There are several sides to every story, and this discussion covers some very uncomfortable points about the urge to degrade democracy for vendetta. These are complex issues, but agree or disagree, adults must always be open to consider how our choices may play a leading role in creating our own adversity.

Lawyer, political journalist and essayist, Glenn Greenwald talks about the Boston bombings and government secrecy, and two political scholars explain who’s to blame in Congressional dysfunction.”  Here is a direct link.