The Clinton Foundation’s finances are so messy that the nation’s most influential charity watchdog put it on its “watch list” of problematic nonprofits last month. The Clinton family’s mega-charity took in more than $140 million in grants and pledges in 2013 but spent just $9 million on direct aid. The group spent the bulk of its … Read more
The issue of academic journals and whether or not they should be available to everyone for free online was a topic that catapulted into the national consciousness a little over three years ago with the untimely and tragic death of child prodigy Aaron Swartz. For those of you not up to speed on that story, … Read more
Least transparent ever. The Associated Press reports: WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration set a record for the number of times its federal employees told disappointed citizens, journalists and others that despite searching they couldn’t find a single page requested under the Freedom of Information Act, according to a new Associated Press analysis of government … Read more
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has not had a great last couple of months. The Florida Congress member and embattled Democratic National Committee Chair has been repeatedly criticized for leading the committee both ineffectively and with a heavy hand, and for an alleged bias toward Hillary Clinton that has made the party’s presidential debates few and far … Read more
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently. – Warren Buffett He walked them through Clayton-built homes on the lot, then into the sales center, passing a banner and posters promoting one subprime lender: Vanderbilt Mortgage, a Clayton subsidiary. Inside, he handed … Read more
A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier. – H.L. Mencken The saga surrounding American oligarch Sheldon Adelson’s purchase of Las Vegas’ largest newspaper, The Review-Journal, is turning into a murder-mystery of sorts, with the primary victim being the truth. There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s get … Read more
All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him… The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the … Read more
Here, as in other roosting places of the superrich, the recent influx of foreign money has gone hand in hand with the rising use of shell companies — generally limited liability companies. Shell companies were used in three-quarters of purchases of over $5 million in Los Angeles over the last three years, a higher rate even … Read more
The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 came and went, with the dimwitted American public immediately being informed that the “Axis of Evil” had been identified by government. We were told it consisted of Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Mind you, a total of zero terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks came from these three countries, while … Read more
I’ve mentioned John Kiriakou several times before on these pages. In case you forgot, he was the only person jailed for the CIA’s torture program. Unsurprisingly, he was the guy who blew the whistle on it. Fortunately, John has served his time and, rather than riding off into the sunset, he continues to courageously speak … Read more