HARD TIMES AHEAD IN UKRAINE
The self-proclaimed government in Kiev is reportedly planning to cut
pensions by 50 percent as part of unprecedented austerity measures to save
Ukraine from default. With an “empty treasury”, reduction of payments might
take place in March. Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy reported on December
1, 2013, that an average pension in Ukraine is $160....The European Commission offered
Ukraine an 11 billion euro loan if Kiev agrees a deal with the IMF, European
Commission President Jose Barroso announced on Wednesday. As a rule, help from
financial organizations such as the IMF or the World Bank normally includes
drastic austerity measures. Accepting IMF money will mean many sacrifices
for Ukraine’s economy, which are likely to include increased gas bills, frozen
government salaries, and all around budget cuts.
- Presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is
calling Putin another Hitler for his "invasion of Crimea". Here we have
the US, with more than 800 military bases around the world, lecturing Russia on
such matters. The US spends more $$$
on weapons and war than all other nations on the planet combined. The US
invades countries willy-nilly to grab their resources. It's a classic
case of the pot calling the kettle black.
- Early tomorrow morning I head to Las Vegas to speak at the annual Pacific
Life Community retreat. This west coast gathering of Catholic Worker
activists and their supporters will run March 7-10 and will include morning
peace vigils at Creech AFB (major drone operations base), Nellis AFB, and the
Nevada Test Site.
- Then on March 14-16 I will be in Santa Barbara, California for the Global
Network's 22nd annual space organizing conference. Things get started
with a March 14 protest at Vandenberg AFB (major space launch center) and on
March 15 we will hold an exciting public forum in Santa Barbara featuring some
great speakers. You can find the whole schedule of events here.
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