In Marinaleda, he has promoted equal wages policies, scrapped the police force and offered mortgages on previously state-owned properties, which cannot be sold on for profit, of just €15 a month.

On May 2, Obama named Froman his new US trade representative. He's a former Harvard law school classmate. He's currently a key adviser.

May 04, 2013 - Znet

When nations such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy tried to slow down the rate at which their debts were rising, the results were absolutely devastating. A full-blown economic depression is raging across southern Europe and it is rapidly spreading into northern Europe. Eventually it will spread to the rest of the globe as well.

By Ingo Schmidt - May 1, 2013

Austerity is the only policy game in town at this point in the core capitalist countries. But it has growing doubters amongst ruling elites and is deeply resented by the working classes. In the zones of severe crisis, the free market ideology is losing even more credibility...An upsurge in right-wing populism in many countries...is one of the expressions of the deep crisis of legitimacy that is befalling neoliberal capitalism in the midst of continuing economic crisis and another sharpening of economic inequalities.

By Alejandro López - WSWS

Spanish people have come to dread governmental announcements made on Fridays after the Council of Ministers meeting. The weekly custom is for Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría of the ruling Popular Party (PP) to announce cuts in public spending, tax increases and new attacks on the living standards of workers.

By Dana Gabriel

ACTA is part of the international agenda of patent, trademark and copyright lobbies. The agreement favours big businesses over individual innovators and creators. It was designed to protect the interests of multinational corporations at the expense of fundamental civil rights. ACTA is being used by the U.S. to pressure other countries into adopting a new global standard for intellectual property enforcement. The supranational treaty would impose draconian laws which threaten the sovereignty of member nations.

By David Bush - April 22, 2013

The problem is that this reading of austerity as not working papers over the political trappings of the word "working". Who is austerity supposed to be working for? What is it supposed to be fixing? The point here is that the very understanding of social policy as a politically neutral undertaking should be questioned. Austerity is a political answer...to a series of political and economic problems. So when we question austerity, we do it from a political position whether we realize it or not.

It is for now. Don't bet against it longer term. Value eventually wins out. Gold's secular bull market continues. Experts believe it has a long way to go.

It's getting hammered. In August 2011, it rose above $1,900 an ounce. It was an all-time high. At midday April 15, it was $1,364. It's a 28%+ decline.

If job creation kept pace with typical expansions, another 4.2 million Americans would be working. Instead, hundreds of thousands drop out monthly. Hard times get harder. America's indeed on a fast track toward third world status.

It's way past time predatory international lending agencies were abolished. Saving humanity depends on it.

On April 4, the Financial Times headlined "Bank of Japan follows the Fed, on steroids." Pedal-to-the-metal reflects new governor Haruhiko Kuroda's policy.

Money power in private hands games the system. It does so destructively. Controlling money, credit and debt for private enrichment assures speculation, booms, busts, inflation, deflation, instability, crisis, recessions and depressions.

Canada endorses Cypriot harshness. It's parliament authorizes depositor haircuts.

Grand theft reflects official policy. Money is made the old-fashioned way. It's stolen. Nothing's done to stop it. Corrupt politicians and regulators permit it. They do so for benefits they derive.