More Red Lines; Throwing The Israelis Under The Bus -- March 18, 2015

It looks like President Obama is ready to throw the Israelis under the bus. Foreign Policy is reporting:

Shortly before this week’s election, the United States informed its diplomatic partners that it would hold off any moves in the U.N. Security Council designed to put Israel on the spot at the United Nations in the event that Netanyahu’s challenger, Isaac Herzog, won the election. But U.S. officials signaled a willingness to consider a U.N. resolution in the event that Netanyahu was re-elected and formed a coalition government opposed to peace talks. The United States has not yet circulated a draft, but diplomats say Washington has set some red lines and is unwilling to agree to set a fixed deadline for political talks to conclude.

Let's see:

• UN resolution written by US condemning Israel
• US sanctions on Israel
• Iran to get nuclear weapons
• What could possibly go wrong? 

Again, President Obama is checking off his bucket list -- damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

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Global Warming

Climate Change

Ice Age Now

Snow to blanket the northeast on the first day of spring. In case the Kennedy kids did not get enough snow this winter, more coming.

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The Limbo 

Sweden cuts its prime rate further below zero.

Sweden's central bank took its key interest rate further into negative territory Wednesday in a surprise move aimed at supporting a return to inflation.

The Riksbank cut its repo rate by 0.15 percentage points to -0.25 percent and said it was buying government bonds worth 30 billion kronor ($3.4 billion, 3.2 billion euros) to prevent an appreciating krona from hindering an uptick in inflation.

Those on a fixed income ...

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Another Question Answered: Why Did CEOs Accept Salaries Of $1/Year?

A Huge "Thank You" To President Bill Clinton

Yahoo!Finance is reporting:

The issue of "tax-deductible performance pay" stems from 1993 legislation that capped corporate deduction of executive pay at $1 million, per executive. Section 162(m) of the IRS code was Bill Clinton's effort to both cap CEO pay and more closely link it to company performance; laudable goals. But the law of unintended consequences prevailed. Since 1993, executive pay has skyrocketed, thanks largely to a dramatic increase in "performance-based" stock options and bonuses, which aren't subject to the $1 million cap.

"Clinton’s law soon became an inside joke in boardrooms across America," David Nelson, chief strategist at Belpointe Capital, writes of the 1993 law. "After 20 years I think it’s safe to say the policy is a failure. Performance-based pay became so attractive that there are countless examples of CEOs willing to accept just $1 in salary. Stock-based compensation in all its forms became the preferred currency. Today, CEOs have no better friend than the IRS."