Friday, April 10, 2009

Peak Oil Financial Crisis: Regulatory "Stress Tests" for banks to determine their capital needs under more adverse economic conditions.

"Banks asked to keep quiet on stress tests"

By Karey Wutkowski, Reuters, April 10, 2009

WASHINGTON – "The U.S. Treasury Department is asking banks not to mention the regulatory 'stress tests' as part of their first-quarter earnings results, according to a source familiar with government discussions."

(Continued here).

Most readers won't understand this article. It appears that the U.S. Treasury Department is not as optimistic about the economy as public statements would indicate. This is a study to see how much more money the public will have to fork out to subsidize the banks and their friends as the economy implodes.

Some of the financial crisis is due to Peak Oil, but most is caused by years of corporate and government mismanagement and corruption. Who is paying for this? The poor and unemployed.

Rather than subsidizing the banks and affluent, the government could provide public works and public service employment. But that would mean "subsidies for the poor" and "make work" for millions of unemployed workers. Public works and public service employment could be directed to building a national rail system to prepare for Peak Oil impacts.

No comments: