Federal Bailout “Prevention”

Asset managers such as Pacific Investment Management Co look set to lose hard-fought protections against the cost of a bank failure, when the Federal Reserve on Tuesday proposes yet another rule aimed at preventing taxpayer bailouts for financial firms.

How disingenuous does this sort of administration get?  No rules are needed to prevent taxpayer bailouts for financial firms, or any other enterprise, government (Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, for instance) or private.  There’s no need for preventing what ought not exist in the first place; there’s only need for firing politicians and bureaucrats who keep trying for taxpayer bailouts.

Free Speech PRC-Style

Chinese authorities are training their sights on a new set of targets: economists, analysts and business reporters with gloomy views on China’s economy.

Securities regulators, media censors and other government officials have issued verbal warnings to commentators whose public remarks on the economy are out of step with the government’s upbeat statements….

And

Early this year, Mr Xi [Jinping] visited the country’s three big state news organizations—Xinhua, the People’s Daily and China Central Television—to lecture them on the need to toe the party line, “tell China’s stories well” and enhance the nation’s influence in the world.

But, of course.  Can’t have truth conflict with Party.  After all, “truth” means that 2 + 2 will be 5 whenever the situation warrants.