Michael Hudson, a professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, is a sharp critic of what he considers the "rent seeking" behavior which has come to dominate the world of global finance. Once upon a time, governments regularly expunged debts to prevent the crises and turmoil that overindebtedness caused. But then came the Romans. For the Romans, "a debt was a debt was a debt". And since then, it has become standard fare to enforce debt contracts even when they are unpayable. Hudson now sees a parasitic financial industry that looks only to determine how much wealth it can extract via fees, interest income, and tax breaks, rather than providing capital to increase. Gonzalo Lira believes that ultra-easy monetary policy will be the demise of the US dollar. In part two of our conversation with Gonzalo, he also explained that his pessimism about the US dollar emanates from his view that the United States has become a "kleptocratic oligarchy" in which investment in capital has become passé and the financialization of the economy benefits a select few. Also check us out on Facebook -- and feel free to ask us questions: http://www.facebook.com/BoomBustRT Follow us @ http://twitter.com/ErinAde http://twitter.com/edwardnh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LYY1pYun1g

Prof. Richard Wolff returns as markets around the world begin to fall. Watch and get his take on what this means for the future. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RT_BoomBust https://twitter.com/bartchilton?lang=en Check us out on Facebook -- and feel free to ask us questions: http://www.facebook.com/BoomBustRT ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPpHCQjOYIU

Trump signs off on tariff’s for steel and aluminum. Alex Mihailovich and Steve Malzberg join host Bart Chilton to discuss the implications. Blockchain and ICOs are becoming more and more common, but does that bode well? Darren Marble discusses the SEC and what the future of ICOs will be under new scrutiny. That and more on Boom Bust. [1034] Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RT_BoomBust https://twitter.com/bartchilton?lang=en Check us out on Facebook -- and feel free to ask us questions: http://www.facebook.com/BoomBustRT [1034] ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiWO49jQ3ZQ

As the world's business and political leaders meet in Davos, one of the main themes is income inequality. The Pope has implored them to take the issue seriously. Back in the US, unemployment in America may be declining, but many are afraid the American Dream is now out of reach for most Americans. Anthony Randazzo, director of economic research for Reason Foundation, talks to Erin Ade about whether income inequality is a problem and what policy makers can do about it. Also, Erin Ade and Edward Harrison discuss the World Economic Forum in Davos. Is it a serious gathering of business and political leaders that has the potential to change policy agendas or is it just another meet and greet amongst elites with no redeeming value? Also check us out on Facebook -- and feel free to ask us questions: http://www.facebook.com/BoomBustRT Follow us @ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQexpOke4GM