Obama and Bankers Peacocking on Capitol Hill

Obama’s meeting on this week with the CEOs of most of the major banks in the US was nothing more than political posturing from both sides – peacocking for Joe the Plumber by the financial services industry and Obama. A day before, Obama called bankers “fat cats” and after the meeting, the CEOs claimed there is a ‘disconnect’ between their personal wishes and the actions of the lobbyists their firms spent $300 million on to fight proposed regulatory reform.

The inherent conflict of interest between the financial services industry and that of the government is inevitable. For profit businesses exist to make money and consumers’ best interest is not always the most profitable route. The banks will continue to fight new regulations and Obama's reform plan, introduced earlier this year, will continue to be watered down as it finishes its cycles in the House and Senate.

It is time for the US to sever its ties with Israel

United States’ Parasitic Ally Has Become a Costly Distraction

It is sad to see the current healthcare overhaul debate between Democrats and Republicans take such a nasty turn. We are all Americans, right? Shouldn’t we provide for our own? The crux of the disagreement is cost, yet we spend more money per capita on Israeli citizens than we do on our own. Israel has become a costly distraction that we can no longer afford, not to mention that the relationship does not have the same geopolitical value it once did when Israel was our only Middle East foothold.

Let’s be honest. Israel is a selfish nation that is only interested in expanding its wealth, military power and geographical footprint. It will and can only do so at the cost of others. Consider a couple recent examples:

Israel consistently treats the civilian population in Gaza inhumanly, as documented by many sources, denying Gaza contact with the outside world by imposing blockades to stop humanitarian aid from entering the region. Israel’s 2009 Gaza invasion is probably the most sickening example - even Zionist Richard Goldstone, who led the United Nations Human Rights Council investigation, expressed shock over the “gross violations of the laws of war”.

On top of the atrocious crimes against humanity, think about how this affects the US taxpayer… We foot the bill for Israel’s invasion of Gaza by providing it with the military technology (i.e. planes, missiles, weapons, etc.) and financial and political backing. Using US planes and tanks, Israel crushed Gaza stone throwers and innocent civilians, then left the US to clean up its mess – which will now cost the US taxpayers an additional $900+ million USD on top of the usual $6 billion or so that we send annually.

From a geopolitical perspective, the US now has control of other Middle Eastern assets in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anyway you look at it, Israel is a bad ally and a bad investment. It is clearly time for the US to drop Israel from our ‘friends and family circle’.