This isn’t to downplay state-sponsored terrorism, but as the previous annotation mentioned, this isn’t exactly a new thing. In fact, some intellectuals, most notably Noam Chomsky and Ed Herman have argued that the U.S. is the foremost supporter of global terrorism, i.e. “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.” Some of the well-established instances of this include:

• Latin American “death squads”
• Iran-Contra affair
• Backing up Saddam Hussein as he gassed hundreds of Iranians
• Continued military support of repressive states such as Egypt, Israel, and Turkey, whose civil conflicts have lead to thousands of innocent deaths over the last decade.

In other words, the U.S. has been around the block a few times…

According to their Treasurer:

Today, Rhode Island has a $5 billion unfunded liability, which is the highest unfunded liability per capita of any state in the country. In 1998, our budget was paying $145 million into the pension. This year, we will be $335 million. And five years from now, it will double again.

Detroit’s $18 billion bankruptcy dwarfs even the second largest municipal filing of $4 billion (Jefferson Co., Alabama).

At the moment, they are citing nearly $11 billion of that as unfunded pension and/or post-employment related benefits. Altogether, it would take roughly $24,000 from each resident to keep Detroit out of bankruptcy.

Furthermore, as bad of a rap as Detroit has gotten over the last decade, if the bankruptcy plans are allowed to continue, we will see many other municipalities follow suit:

Everyone will say, ‘Oh well, it’s Detroit. I thought it was already in bankruptcy,’ but Detroit is not unique. It’s the same in Chicago and New York and San Diego and San Jose. It’s a lot of major cities in this country. They may not be as extreme as Detroit, but a lot of them face the same problems.

Operating margin is the “net profit margin”, i.e. the amount of money the company keeps, before taxes/interest, for each dollar it records in sales.

According to Sotheby’s (pg. 49), their operating margin was 29% in 2012, 34% in 2011, and 37% in 2010. The latter values are the best they’ve had in years. To clarify, they keep about .29 cents of every $1.00 they make in sales.

Compared to their biggest competitor Christie’s, who had margins of 20%, -30%, and 29% over the last 3 years, Sotheby’s numbers don’t seem as bad as Loeb makes it seem.

Of course, Loeb’s worth $1.5 billion, so he probably knows what he’s talking about…

This 1976 Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-Trust Improvements Act was put in place to screen mergers, acquisitions, and transfers of assets. There are generally 3 tests to determine whether or not an individual/company must first file for HSR approval before continuing any transactions:

1. It affects U.S. commerce.
2. (a) If one party has > $136million in assets and the other has > $13.6 million or (b) the amount of stock being acquired is worth $272.8 million or more.
3. the value of the securities or assets of the other party held by the acquirer after the transaction is $68.2 million or more.

In 2011 alone, Sotheby’s had private sales of $814.6 million, while also bringing in $5.8 billion total. As far as total assets, they’ve reached $2.74 billion. Likewise, Loeb’s Third Point LLC has some major assets as well, topping $13 billion

Obviously, the Federal Trade Commission found no potential for anti-competitive outcome here though, as Loeb received approval to move ahead with the transaction.

The U.S. has a different command center for each region of the world and, aside from the Gulf War, we haven’t had a greater absolute number of troops overseas since 1970. There’s estimated to be a total of 700-1000 U.S. military bases around the world, though, only a few know for sure. See this incredibly detailed map for more information.

Got them nukes for daayz..

Actually, the our nuclear arsenal has decreased significantly over the years, but that’s mainly due to the face that our current nuclear weapons are about 55 times more powerful than “Little Boy”, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Also, Russia has a bigger stockpile, but far fewer weapons that are operational and currently in rotation abroad.

The worst part about this whole shutdown is how blatantly the Republican party has been exploiting the scenario to solicit campaign donations. Sen. Mike Lee sent out emails amid the shutdown battle saying:

Speeches alone aren’t going to win this fight for us The only way we can win is if the American people raise their voices and engage their representatives. The clock is ticking, and I need your help right now.

Next to these inspiring words, a giant DONATE button. It’d be interesting to hear how more money is going to spur on legitimate negotiations…

Of course, the GOP isn’t the only party whose pockets are benefiting for the shutdown.

As a behind-the-scenes power player, Kilberg has worked within the Republican Party for years. She’s served a number of Presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

She currently serves as president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, as well as a Republican party advisor and fundraiser.