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Tag: economic collapse

  • New Gas Price Records Set Daily, Stock Market in Turmoil…..Inflation

    New Gas Price Records Set Daily, Stock Market in Turmoil…..Inflation

    The transportation of all goods – including you and I – is getting more and more expensive. Over the past week, several new records have been broken as fuel prices continue their climb. The stock market has dropped 1,100 points just today as recession fears loom. Inflation – that word that’s on everyone’s lips – is making everything more expensive and shrinking the buying power of our dollars.

    Many are predicting these trends will continue and set a course for severe economic strife over the next few years.

    The chart above represents inflation rates in Argentina. It’s an example of what’s possible.

    What’s the solution? Well, that’s above my paygrade. Take care of you and yours. My two cents.

    Take care all.

    Rourke

  • The Inflation Crisis Of 2022 Is Now Worse Than Anything That We Experienced During The 1970s

    The Inflation Crisis Of 2022 Is Now Worse Than Anything That We Experienced During The 1970s

    This post was originally published on a TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com.

    Most Americans don’t realize this, but we truly have entered historic territory.  As you will see below, the inflation crisis of 2022 has now escalated to a level that is beyond anything that we experienced during the horrible Jimmy Carter era of the 1970s.  If you are old enough to have been alive back then, you probably remember the constant headlines about inflation.  And you also probably remember that it seemed like the impotent administration in power in Washington was powerless to do anything about it.  In other words, it was a lot like what we are going through today.  Unfortunately for us, this new economic crisis is still only in the very early chapters.

    Of course the mainstream media would like us to believe that what we are experiencing today is not even close to what Americans went through in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  According to CNN, the U.S. inflation rate hit a peak of 14.6 percent in the first half of 1980…

    The inflation rate hit a record high of 14.6% in March and April of 1980. It helped to lead to Carter’s defeat in that fall’s election. It also led to some significant changes in the US economy.

    Compared to that, the numbers we have been given in early 2022 seem rather tame.  On Tuesday, we learned that the official rate of inflation in the U.S. hit 8.5 percent in the month of March…

    Prices that consumers pay for everyday items surged in March to their highest levels since the early days of the Reagan administration, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday.

    The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, jumped 8.5% from a year ago on an unadjusted basis, above even the already elevated Dow Jones estimate for 8.4%.

    8.5 percent is much lower than 14.6 percent, and so to most people it would seem logical to conclude that we are still a long way from the kind of nightmarish crisis that our nation endured during the waning days of the Carter administration.

    But is that the truth?

    In reality, we can’t make a straight comparison between the official rate of inflation in 2022 and the official rate of inflation in 1980.  The way that the inflation rate is calculated has been changed more than 20 times since 1980, and every time it was changed the goal was to make the official rate of inflation appear to be lower.

    What we really need is an apples to apples comparison, and fortunately John Williams over at shadowstats.com has done the math for us.

    According to Williams, if the inflation rate was still calculated the way that it was back in 1980, the official rate of inflation would be somewhere around 17 percent right now.

    17 percent!

    That means that the inflation that we are seeing now is even worse than anything that Americans went through during the Jimmy Carter era.

    And government figures for individual categories seem to confirm that inflation is now wildly out of control.  For example, the price of gasoline has risen by 48 percent over the past year…

    The price of gasoline rose by 48.0 percent from March 2021 to March 2022, according to numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    In just one month—from February to March—the seasonally adjusted price of gasoline went up 18.3 percent.

    Vehicle prices have escalated to absurd levels as well.  If you can believe it, the average retail selling price of a used vehicle at CarMax has risen by 39.7 percent in just 12 months…

    CarMax experienced a slowdown in fourth-quarter used car sales volume as its average retail selling price jumped 39.7% year-over-year to $29,312, an increase of approximately $8,300 per unit.

    And I discussed yesterday, home prices in the United States have jumped 32.6 percent over the past two years.

    We have entered a full-blown inflationary nightmare, and the Biden administration is trying to blame Vladimir Putin for it.

    Needless to say, that is extremely disingenuous of Biden, because prices were already skyrocketing even before the war in Ukraine started.

    But it is true that the war is making economic problems even worse all over the globe, and that isn’t going to end any time soon.

    A couple of weeks ago there was a bit of optimism that some sort of a ceasefire agreement could be reached, but now there appears to be no hope that there will be one any time soon.

    On Tuesday, Putin told the press that peace talks have reached “a dead end”…

    Talks with Ukraine have reached “a dead end,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in fresh Tuesday remarks. “We will not stop military operations in Ukraine until they succeed.” He explained that Ukraine has “deviated” from agreements and any possible prior progress reached during the Istanbul meetings, according to state-run RIA.

    The strong remarks aimed at both Kiev and the West were given during a joint presser with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. He further hailed that the military operations is still going “according to plan,” Bloomberg reports, however while admitting to the domestic population that “Russian logistics and payment systems remain a weakness and the long-term impact of western measures could be more painful.” But he also said the county has withstood the economic “blitzkrieg” from the West.

    And Volodymyr Zelensky is now saying that the return of Crimea is a “red line” for him…

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named recognition of the annexation of the Crimea region as one of his red lines for Moscow in any potential peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end war between the two countries.

    Russia annexed the southern region of Crimea in 2014. Russian-backed separatists and forces, as well Ukrainian soldiers, have since been fighting in the eastern region of Ukraine.

    Russia will never, ever willingly give Crimea back to Ukraine.

    Anyone that thinks otherwise is simply being delusional.

    So unless someone changes their tune, this war between Russia and Ukraine is going to keep going until someone achieves total victory.

    And that could take a really long time.

    Meanwhile, global food supplies will get tighter and tighter, and global economic conditions will continue to rapidly deteriorate.

    In other words, the kind of nightmare scenario that I have been warning about for years is now upon us.

    And so what happens if another “black swan event” or two hits us later in 2022?

    We are so vulnerable right now, and it wouldn’t take much at all to push us over the edge and into an unprecedented worldwide crisis of epic proportions.

  • What are people to do?

    What are people to do?

    Over the past three weeks, I’ve had numerous discussions with people regarding the world today. These include people of varying economic classes, races, education levels – and political perspectives. None would be considered serious preppers. Concerns over inflation, food shortages, inflated stock markets, increasing cost of housing, and a ridiculous national debt were involved in these discussions. Something else that came up was an inability – or at least a suspicion – that most ANYTHING heard on the national news could not be believed.

    Of course, within the group of people I am referring there were varying degrees of opinion, but, the sentiment remained the same: people are troubled and truly look at the future with a giant question mark.

    In most cases, my discussion never entered the realm of preparedness. The discussions stayed more mainstream.

    Inflation and fuel prices were major concerns. What was absent was blame. Most just focus on the results rather than the equation. I guess for the most part the reason doesn’t matter as we have to deal with it and have little control over the causes.

    One individual was very frustrated with the cost of housing. She mentioned that rent for apartments had risen over the past year and combined with everything else made life extremely difficult.

    Buying extra food and “stocking up” were mentioned by most. Putting together a food storage program was outside the realm of most people’s thinking. A few extra cans of soup, an extra bag of flour – and some additional meat in the freezer seemed to make sense for most.

    Those who I suspected of being towards the bottom of the income scale mentioned fuel prices most. While food was certainly a concern and complained about – less expensive meals can be planned but gas has to be put in tanks to get back and forth to work. Several complained that although they have seen their wages increase over the past year those increases were nowhere near enough.

    One person, in particular, recognized the serious economic times were are in. He was well versed in the annual Federal deficit and astronomical National Debt. He also mentioned the massive printing of money that has occurred in just the past two years. He was the only person that actually suggested that there may be no end to this trend and saw bad things happening in the future.

    Interestingly – no one mentioned the Russia-Ukraine issue.

    So – what does all this mean and what are people to do?

    My 2 cents say that over the coming months as things do in fact get worse protests leading to riots will happen. Unless the government quells the masses with stipends, some form of guaranteed income, or “stimulus checks” – many of those same people who rioted over social justice issues will take to the streets over economic injustices. A number of those who find themselves struggling to make ends meet, put a roof over their head, and fuel their car to get to a job that hasn’t kept up with inflation will join them.

    The question once again: What do people do?

    The simple answer is people need to put themselves in a position where they are insulated from the effects of inflation, supply chain issues, and food shortages. Well, insulated as much as possible.

    In today’s world, this is not easy. People are responding to the changes going on by adapting in a variety of ways. Some are decreasing their housing costs by renting out rooms in their home. Some are using alternative housing such as buying a camper, living in a van or converted cargo trailer – and even in tents. People are eliminating debts and reducing monthly expenses to free up income to go towards necessities. Others are taking on additional jobs and starting their own side businesses to increase income.

    Thoughts? What are you doing to combat inflation and deal with these issues? Do you have advice you would provide to others?

    Take care all –

    Rourke

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  • The Global Energy Crisis Just Escalated To An Entirely New Level, And This Is Just The Beginning…

    The Global Energy Crisis Just Escalated To An Entirely New Level, And This Is Just The Beginning…

    The following is being republished with permission from TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com.

    Now we are being told that we are all going to “have costs” for the crisis in Ukraine.  More specifically, the global energy crisis just took a dramatic turn for the worse, and so that means that all of us will soon be hit by dramatically higher energy prices.  It is going to be much more expensive to fill up your vehicle, it is going to be much more expensive to heat your home, and increasing costs to transport the goods that we buy will make the overall rate of inflation even worse.  Up to this point, a large chunk of the U.S. population really didn’t have much interest in following the conflict in Ukraine, but now it is going to have a huge impact on every single one of us.

    In response to the Russians moving forces into Donetsk and Luhansk on Monday, the Germans decided on Tuesday to put the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold indefinitely…

    Germany on Tuesday halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany, after Russia formally recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

    Europe’s most divisive energy project, worth $11 billion, was finished in September, but has stood idle pending certification by Germany and the European Union.

    Will this hurt Russia?

    Of course it will.

    But it is also going to hurt Europe.  Following Germany’s announcement, the price of natural gas in Europe shot up by about 10 percent…

    But on Tuesday the European benchmark gas price, currently the Dutch March contract, was up 9.8% at 78.95 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) at 1607 GMT, much like the price for the fourth quarter, when Nord Stream 2 had been expected to start.

    And this is likely just the beginning of another natural gas price shock in Europe.  Dmitry Medvedev is warning that Europeans “are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas”…

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued an order to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Well. Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!

    If the price of natural gas actually gets that high, it will be completely and utterly devastating for Europe.

    The Europeans never should have allowed themselves to become so dependent on natural gas from Russia, and now a tremendous amount of pain is ahead.

    Meanwhile, the price of crude oil surged once again on Tuesday and has now almost reached 100 dollars a barrel…

    U.S. crude surged more than 3% at one point to a high of $96. The contract ended the session 1.4% higher at $92.35 per barrel. Brent traded as high as $99.50, before settling at $96.84 per barrel for a gain of 1.52%.

    It won’t be too long before the global price of oil goes well beyond the $100 per barrel threshold.

    Needless to say, that won’t be good for the global economy at all.

    On Tuesday, JPMorgan specifically warned about what an “energy price shock” could mean…

    As oil rapidly approaches $100 a barrel, JPMorgan warned Tuesday that a spike in energy prices and other ripple effects from the Russia-Ukraine crisis could hurt both the stock market and the economic recovery.

    “An energy price shock amidst an aggressive central bank pivot focused on inflation could further dampen investor sentiment and growth outlook,” JPMorgan strategists wrote in a note to clients.

    But Joe Biden says that all of the bad things that are about to happen are necessary because we are “defending freedom”…

    “Defending freedom will have costs, for us as well, and here at home,” he said during a speech at the White House. “We need to be honest about that.”

    The president specifically warned of higher gas prices as a result of the sanctions but promised he would use “every tool” possible to reduce gas and energy prices.

    “I want to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump,” he said.

    Of course higher energy prices won’t cause much pain for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because they are both multi-millionaires.

    What Biden should have admitted is that you will be paying the price for his administration’s horrific foreign policy decisions.

    On Tuesday, it was being reported that the price of gasoline in downtown Los Angeles has already risen above six dollars a gallon…

    Fuel customers in California were in for a shock this week as gas prices at the pump hit upwards of $6 in downtown Los Angeles.

    In a report by Bakersfield ABC affiliate KERO-TV, gas station customers expressed being overwhelmed by the extremely high gas prices.

    “They’re too damn high,” one customer told reporters, adding it’s made commuting much more difficult as she normally fills her tank three times a week.

    I remember a time when I could fill up my vehicle for less than a dollar a gallon.

    And just a couple of years ago, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was less than three dollars a gallon.

    Sadly, this is just the beginning.

    Once a major global conflict erupts, we could eventually see the price of gasoline go beyond ten dollars a gallon.

    I know that may sound crazy right now, but remember where you heard it first.

    Of course higher energy prices filter through every level of our economy, and we are already in the midst of the worst inflation crisis that any of us have ever experienced.  In fact, we just learned that home prices increased by a whopping 18.8 percent last year…

    Home prices rose 18.8% in 2021, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index, the biggest increase in 34 years of data and substantially ahead of 2020’s 10.4% gain.

    All regions saw price gains last year, but increases were strongest in the South and the Southeast, each of which were up over 25%.

    The stage has been set for the sort of hyperinflation that I have been warning about for a very long time.

    But even though Biden’s absolutely disastrous domestic and foreign policy decisions have brought us to this point, the mainstream media and millions upon millions of “sheeple” will continue to cheer Biden on.

    Despite so much evidence to contrary, they will continue to believe that Biden and his minions can guide us through this mess somehow.

    Unfortunately for all of us, Biden and his minions are completely and utterly incompetent, and the worst is yet to come.

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  • In Early 2022, Prices Will Be Going Up 20 To 25 Percent On Thousands Of Different Products

    In Early 2022, Prices Will Be Going Up 20 To 25 Percent On Thousands Of Different Products

    This post has been published with permission from The Economic Collapse Blog and written by Michael Snyder.

    If you think that inflation is bad now, just wait until we get into early next year.  As you will see below, some of the biggest corporations in the entire country have just announced major price increases which will take effect during the first few months of 2022.  So if there are some things that you want to stock up on, you may want to do it now, because your money won’t stretch as far once we get a few months down the road.  I really wish that I had better news for you.  I really wish that I could tell you that prices are going to level off and that economic conditions will return to normal soon.  Unfortunately, the truth is that it appears that our problems will soon be accelerating.

    Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that General Mills has announced that prices on “hundreds of items” will be jacked up dramatically in early 2022.  In some cases, prices “will go up by around 20%”…

    General Mills (GIS) notified retail customers that it’s raising prices in mid-January on hundreds of items across dozens of brands. They include Annie’s, Progresso, Yoplait, Fruit Roll-Ups, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charm’s, Wheaties, Reese’s Puffs, Trix and more, according to letters General Mills sent to at least one major regional wholesale supplier last week.

    For some items, prices will go up by around 20% beginning next year.

    Ouch.

    When you go to the grocery store after the holiday season is over, get ready for a case of severe sticker shock.

    Of course General Mills is not the only large corporation that will be doing this.

    According to CNN, Tyson Foods, the Kraft Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly Clark have all announced significant price increases for 2022…

    General Mills’ plans are the latest evidence that rising prices won’t be going away anytime soon for some of the most recognizable food and household brands. The company is the latest consumer manufacturer to announce price hikes beginning next year, joining Tyson (TSN), Kraft Heinz (KHC), Mondelez (MDLZ), Procter & Gamble (PG), Kimberly Clark (KMB) and others.

    In my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like this.

    Right now, a single shopping cart of food can easily run more than 250 dollars at the grocery store.

    Once these price increases go into effect, will it take 300 or 400 dollars to purchase a typical shopping cart full of food?

    Just thinking about that gives me the shivers.

    Things are going to be changing at your local dollar store too.

    This week, it was announced that the standard price point at Dollar Tree will be moving to $1.25 “by the end of April”…

    After 35 years of selling goods for a buck, Dollar Tree is boosting its standard price point to $1.25 by the end of April, the company said in a statement Tuesday. While the decision is “not a reaction to short-term or transitory market conditions,” Dollar Tree acknowledged the inflationary environment and said the price boost will help mitigate historically high costs, including freight and distribution expenses, as well as wage increases.

    “Lifting the one-dollar constraint represents a monumental step for our organization,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Witynski said in the statement. The move will allow Dollar Tree to expand its product assortment and reintroduce some items that were pulled due to the $1 constraint.

    It was inevitable that this day would come, but it is still very sad to see it actually happen.

    When I was growing up, I remember going to the “five and dime”, and in those days you could actually buy things for a nickel or a dime.

    Many readers may think that a 25 cent increase is not that big of a deal, but for the millions of impoverished Americans that regularly shop at dollar stores that will really add up.

    Suddenly moving from $1.00 to $1.25 is a 25 percent price increase, and that change will literally apply to thousands upon thousands of different products.

    Inflation is rapidly eroding our standard of living, and the American people are not happy about it.

    In fact, Americans disapprove of the way that Joe Biden is handling this crisis by about a two to one margin…

    Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the inflation crisis (67%), according to the results from the latest CBS-YouGov Poll.

    There were 33% of Americans that did approve, though, which is just 11 points less than Biden’s presidential approval rating of 44% in the poll.

    Biden keeps spouting lots of empty promises that make it sound like he intends to do something to combat rising inflation, but his actions show that he really doesn’t care.

    He keeps pushing for Congress to pass more absolutely colossal spending bills, and he just nominated Jerome Powell for a second term as the head of the Federal Reserve.

    Powell and his cronies pumped trillions upon trillions of fresh dollars into the system in order to prop up the financial markets, but in the process they have unleashed a tsunami of inflation that is unlike anything we have seen since the 1970s.

    And this is just the start.  As I warned in both Lost Prophecies and 7 Year Apocalypse, eventually we are going to be facing inflation that is far, far worse than anything that we experienced back in the 1970s.

    But Janet Yellen continues to insist that everything will be just fine.

    According to Yellen, inflation will be subsiding by “the second half of next year”…

    “I think in the second half of next year, we’ll begin to see inflation subside and the way you’ll be able to see that is by looking at monthly inflation rates,” added Yellen, who addressed the forum virtually.

    Even though she has been wrong over and over again, you can keep believing her if you want.

    And you can keep believing Jerome Powell, Joe Biden, “Dr. Fauci” and all the rest of them if you want.

    But they aren’t telling you the truth.

    These are the days of the great currency meltdown that so many have been warning you about.

    The dollar is in the process of dying, there are shortages all over the country, our economy is being shaken in hundreds of different ways, and the worst global energy crisis in decades has suddenly erupted.

    Unfortunately, things are going to get even worse in 2022.

    So hold on tight, because a really bumpy ride is ahead of us.

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  • Is a Collapse Around The Corner?

    Is a Collapse Around The Corner?

    We are heading for a new great depression, but most of us are completely unaware. If you do not pay attention and look for specific news it’s easy to just assume everything’s OK.  It’s not. The world is simply getting crazier day by day. Keeping up with the pieces of the puzzle is not easy.

    Here are a few pieces:

    • Inflation(being underreported by the government) continues to increase week after week.
    • Climate Change and White Supremecy are considered the biggest threats to the United States by the Biden administration.
    • National deficits are growing and taking us to a Federal Debt of $30 trillion.
    • The USD is losing value basically creating a pay decrease for all Americans.
    • Continued rising tensions with China and Russia.
    • Several cyberattacks have occurred hitting different industries. The threat from cybercrimes is increasing and could play a very large role in a future SHTF event.
    • It’s become blatantly obvious that the government has taken full advantage of COVID to push forth agendas which they normally wouldn’t.
    • Anti-police activity which led to defunding of police departments across the nation is reeling as crime spikes.
    • Thefts are up as well as rapes, murders, and other violent crimes. Reports are coming in that these crimes are occurring in areas that typically are peaceful.
    • Illegal drug use is up and homelessness is as well.
    • Division amongst citizens continues to grow with many sides becoming more organized, decisive, and radical.
    • Supply chain issues continue across numerous industries and for a variety of reasons.
    • Illegal immigration continues to trend upwards as the current Administration welcomes those crossing the border.
    • Firearm purchases continue to be strong among those favorable to the 2nd Amendment as well as those typically NOT in favor of guns.

    economic collapse, United States, SHF, prepper, preparedness, survival

    Many have predicted economic collapse and other calamities for years. Time and time again accurately predicting the future is shown to be extremely difficult, well, pretty much impossible. What can be done is to look at as many data points as possible and come to a consensus as to the direction of the data points. While timing is difficult to determine I’ll say the indicators are not good. The pieces of the puzzle can just now start to be assembled and the corresponding picture is horrific.

    line

    What do you think? What is going to happen over the next 2-3 years? 5-7 years? 

    What are your biggest concerns?

    Interesting time no doubt.

    Rourke

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  • Biden’s $6 Trillion Socialist Budget Will Cause Even More Inflation And Even More Shortages

    Biden’s $6 Trillion Socialist Budget Will Cause Even More Inflation And Even More Shortages

    By Michael Snyder  – Originally published over at TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com, republished here with permission

    If you are enjoying the ride on the highway to hyperinflation, then you are going to absolutely love Joe Biden’s new budget.  Instead of realizing the mistakes that he has made and reversing course, Biden has decided that now is the time to push the accelerator to the floor.  That means that a lot more inflation is on the way, and I am encouraging all of my readers to do what they can to get prepared for that.  In my latest book, I sound the alarm about what hyperinflation will eventually do to our economy.  We are literally in the process of becoming Venezuela, and most Americans have absolutely no idea how horrific that will be.  In Venezuela today, almost everyone is a millionaire, but just about everyone is also living in poverty because the money is absolutely worthless.  We don’t want to end up like that, but that is the road that we are on.

    While he was still in the White House, President Trump’s proposed budget for 2021 was $4.8 trillion.  That is an extremely high number, but Joe Biden’s new budget for 2021 is actually 25 percent larger…

    The proposal represents a 25 percent increase over what former President Donald Trump proposed in his final budget – in a year that would be upended by the coronavirus.

    The spending levels would continue on an upward trajectory, hitting $8.2 trillion at the end of a decade, according to detailed top-line numbers leaked to the New York Times.

    I could sit here all day and still probably not be able to come up with sufficient words to describe how insane it would be for the U.S. government to spend 6 trillion dollars in a single year.

    According to Biden, his new tax increases will offset part of the new spending, but even his own projections show us running trillion dollar deficits long into the future…

    The budget would have the nation continue running deficits of more than $1 trillion, a level it already topped with the onset of the pandemic – with estimated annual deficits of $1.3 trillion amid enacted and proposed federal programs.

    Of course these sorts of projections are usually way too optimistic.

    In my estimation, Biden’s plan would have us facing deficits of at least two trillion dollars per year throughout his presidency and beyond.

    We can’t keep doing this to our children and our grandchildren.  Already, borrowing and spending giant mountains of money that we do not have has resulted in the worst stretch of inflation since the Jimmy Carter years of the 1970s.

    Larry Summers was the former director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama, and even he is warning that big time inflation is coming…

    He told a CoinDesk conference: ‘We’re taking very substantial risks on the inflation side.

    ‘I think policy is rather overdoing it. The sense of serenity and complacency being projected by the economic policymakers, that this is all something that can easily be managed, is misplaced,’ he added.

    When even Larry Summers is sounding the alarm, you know that it must be really late in the game.

    As I have detailed in numerous recent articles, prices are absolutely exploding all over the nation right now.  And today we learned that one prominent analyst is claiming that “US inflation data surprises are at their highest in the 20-year history of the series”…

    As we noted over the weekend, positive US data surprises seem to be normalizing (i.e. the Citi US econ surprise index has flatlined) due to a combination of analysts catching up with the prior stronger pace of growth, and also due to some evidence that the rate of change of US growth is peaking out (JPMorgan disagrees).

    However as DB’s equity strategist Parag Thatte points out in his latest positioning piece, “US inflation data surprises are at their highest in the 20-year history of the series with the last 10 data points almost ‘off the chart’.“

    We should be taking emergency measures to get inflation under control, but instead Joe Biden has decided that this is the perfect time for a spending spree.

    Inflation is one of the hallmarks of a socialist economy, and another thing that we commonly see in socialist systems are shortages.

    At this moment, we are witnessing the most severe shortages that the U.S. has experienced in my entire lifetime.  As I discussed the other day, Bloomberg is reporting that “the world economy is suddenly running low on everything”.

    When there are way too many dollars chasing way too few goods and services, it is inevitable that shortages will happen.  And we are being told to expect that some of the shortages will get even worse in the months ahead.  In fact, CNN is telling us to expect very serious gasoline shortages this summer…

    And that could be the least of the problems for the those taking to the highways for summer vacations. The gas shortages experienced earlier this month when a key pipeline shut down could once again be on the horizon, according to experts.

    This time, the squeeze could be triggered by the lack of tank truck drivers to deliver the fuel, and a repeat of panic buying by travelers topping off their tanks.

    Meanwhile, economic conditions continue to deteriorate for those at the bottom of the food chain.

    Earlier today, an article about current economic conditions in New York City really struck an emotional chord with me…

    In Times Square, the most densely tourist-populated place in the United States, a mentally disturbed man known as Mr. Kim begs cops to kill him. ‘I want to die. You have a gun? Shoot,’ he pleads. After the officers demur, he picks up a plank of wood and starts smashing it against the Pele soccer shop.

    On Sutton Place, one of the most affluent residential areas in the city, a lone man squats on the sidewalk, intently reading a paperback novel next to a shopping cart that contains his worldly goods. He begs for cash with a sign saying he has lost everything. ‘Trying to survive,’ it adds.

    Joe Biden may think that he is going to bring the U.S. economy back to life with all of the borrowing and spending that he is doing, but the truth is that it is just going to make our long-term problems even worse.

    Unfortunately, a lot of our long-term problems are rapidly becoming short-term problems, and that is not good news for any of us.

     

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  • Government 4.2% Inflation Reported…..Bull$#it

    Government 4.2% Inflation Reported…..Bull$#it

    The Consumer Price Index, which measures an allotment of goods as well as energy and housing costs, rose 4.2% from a year earlier. This means that the average prices on those items covered in their analysis increased in price 4.2 cents on the dollar. The CPI does NOT include gas nor food.

    Am I missing something here? I mean, if the government is tracking prices which consumers are paying I’m fairly certain that GAS and FOOD are major expenses that consumers pay.

    4.2% over the past 12 months?

    I don’t think so.

    We are approaching $30 trillion in Federal debt and with trillions to be added. The government continues to manipulate the bond market and downplay the economic impact of stimulus packages and Federal unemployment payments. There are supply shortages across many industries and prices are skyrocketing for raw materials. Used cars and trucks are on the increase and prices for campers and trailers are shooting upwards.

    It’s an understatement that things are not good.

    Could this be the beginning of the end? Many think so. Many are selling off everything and buying land out in the country, putting a tiny home or camper on it- and planning to wait out the storm.

    It’s interesting that over the past few decades that economic collapse has been the main focus of my preps. When playing scenarios of what may happen and how almost everyone starts with massive government spending and the beginning of the end with inflation. Inflation.

    Go get the popcorn and get ready to see the show. It’s going to be interesting.

    Rourke

  • Colonial Pipeline Disruption

    Colonial Pipeline Disruption

    OK, folks, we’ve seen this before. Remember Katrina? Fuel disruptions to a specific area of the country? Gas prices surge upwards and supply runs low? Demand skyrockets due to the mainstream media telling everyone there will be gas shortages? Yes. The news has to sell their stories to gain viewership and in turn, people freak out and go out and overbuy fuel causing a shortage.

    Yes – I’m included.

    Knowing that people will create a shortage out of fear I went out and topped off the gas tanks.

    This is temporary. They will get everything back online and supply will flow as it did before. Colonial is estimating fuel will begin flowing at the end of the week. As preppers, we should be prepared for these types of events so when they occur we make adjustments and keep going. No big deal, right?

    If you don’t have a few gas cans set back go ahead and handle it now. Yeah – a couple of weeks ago might have been better but do it now. Gas cans are still available if you look. Other containers will work as well even though they may not be “red.”  Even if it is mid-next week this is not the apocalypse we all have been prepping for.

    Logical and commonsense preparing. It’s what we do. If the zombies start moving through the streets searching for brains to eat – well, we will be better off than most everyone else.

    Rourke

    [ecwid widgets=”productbrowser” default_category_id=”0″ default_product_id=”0″ minicart_layout=”MiniAttachToProductBrowser”]

     

  • National Debt Approaches 30 Trillion Dollars

    National Debt Approaches 30 Trillion Dollars

    The National Debt clock just surpassed $28 trillion dollars. It’s not even close to slowing down or going backward. With the upcoming passing of the latest “COVID Stimulus Bill,” the total debt will surpass $30 trillion.

    Over the years it’s been predicted that when we hit $6 trillion, $10 trillion, $16 trillion, and even $20 trillion that inflation would skyrocket, the United States would default on its payments – and the economy would crash.

    It never happened….at least not yet.

    There will come a time when the money supply surpasses the ability for the perceived value of the US dollar to remain normal. Normal is where the average person sees $20 being able to buy what is perceived as $20 worth of stuff. That money supply will go beyond the demand – and prices will increase. Inflation. Hyper-inflation.

    When?

    That’s the $100,000 grand question.

    It will happen eventually. That is a certainty. 2 years? 5 years? 15 years?

    What do you think? Comment below.

    Rourke

    tactical, shooting, deals, save money, prepping, ammunition, firearms, daily deals

     

  • FUBAR: Government Passes COVID Relief and Spending Bill

    FUBAR: Government Passes COVID Relief and Spending Bill

    The House of Representatives split the coronavirus relief and government funding legislation passed Monday into two separate votes — allowing members to vote against the part that included military and Homeland Security funding. The entire spending bill passed to the amount of approx $2.3 trillion dollars. 

    With all this money being spent and added to the national debt – most citizens are reportedly going to receive a stimulus check for $600. If you take the $900 billion, which is targeted towards COVID relief, and divide it by 330 million people in this country – that’s roughly $2700 per person.

    I did a little math. The United States gives Israel approx $3.8 billion dollars per year. That’s around $422 per Israeli citizen. The United States is giving every Israeli citizen $422!!!!!

    The following is floating around the internet today. I haven’t fact-checked it and even if the numbers are skewed it’s not far off showing the pathetic efforts by our government to do their job.

    Behind your little $600 check….

    1.      $300,000,000 for Migrant and Refugee Assistance pg.. 147
    2.      $10,000 per person for student loan bailout
    3.      $100,000,000 to NASA, because, who knows why.
    4.      $20,000,000,000 to the USPS, because why not
    5.      $300,000,000 to the Endowment for the Arts – because of it
    6.      $300,000,000 for the Endowment for the Humanities/ because no one even knew that was a thing
    7.      $15,000,000 for Veterans Employment Training / for when the GI Bill isn’t enough
    8.      $435,000,000 for mental health support
    9.      $30,000,000,000 for the Department of Education stabilization fund/ because that will keep people employed (all those zeros can be confusing, that’s $30 BILLION)
    10.   $200,000,000 to Safe Schools Emergency Response to Violence Program
    11.   $300,000,000 to Public Broadcasting / NPR has to be bought by the Democrats
    12.   $500,000,000 to Museums and Libraries / Who knows how we are going to use it
    13.   $720,000,000 to Social Security Admin / but get this only 200,000,000 is to help people. The rest is for admin costs
    14.   $25,000,000 for Cleaning supplies for the Capitol Building / I kid you not it’s on page 136
    15.   $7,500,000 to the Smithsonian for additional salaries
    16.   $35,000,000 to the JFK Center for Performing Arts
    17.   $25,000,000 for additional salary for House of Representatives
    18.   $3,000,000,000 upgrade to the IT department at the VA
    19.   $315,000,000 for State Department Diplomatic Programs
    20.   $95,000,000 for the Agency of International Development
    21.   $300,000,000 for International Disaster Assistance
    22.   $90,000,000 for the Peace Corp pg. 148
    23.   $13,000,000 to Howard University pg. 121
    24.   $9,000,000 Misc. Senate Expenses pg. 134
    25.   $100,000,000 to Essential Air carriers pg. 162. This of note because the Airlines are going to need billions in loans to keep them afloat ($100,000,000 is chump change.)
    26.   $40,000,000,000 goes to the Take Responsibility to Workers and Families Act. This sounds like it’s direct payments for workers pg. 164
    27.   $1,000,000,000 Airlines Recycle and Save Program pg. 163
    28.   $25,000,000 to the FAA for administrative costs pg. 165
    29.   $492,000,000 to National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) pg. 167
    30.   $526,000,000 Grants to Amtrak to remain available if needed through 2021 pg. 168 (what are the odds that doesn’t go unused) Hidden on page 174 the Secretary has 7 days to allocate the funds & notify Congress
    31.   $25,000,000,000 for Transit Infrastructure pg. 169
    32.   $3,000,000 Maritime Administration pg. 172
    33.   $5,000,000 Salaries and Expensive Office of the Inspector General pg. 172
    34.   $2,500,000 Public and Indian Housing pg. 175
    35.   $5,000,000 Community Planning and Development pg. 175
    36.   $2,500,000 Office of Housing

    Are you angry yet? Enjoy the pocket change while everything else gets bailed out.

    Participation at the ballot box continues to be largely a waste of time.

    A pissed-off Rourke

  • STATUS REPORT: Election Less Than Two Weeks Away, 2021 Within Sight

    STATUS REPORT: Election Less Than Two Weeks Away, 2021 Within Sight

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of October 23rd, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 41,798,042

    Global Deaths: 1,138,696

    Global Recoveries: 28,392,918

    US Confirmed Cases: 8,411,262

    US Deaths: 223,059

    US Recoveries: 3,353,056

    US Active Cases: 4,835,147

     

    Commentary: Looking at the number of COVID deaths on a daily basis the trend has turned upward slightly since the beginning of October. The trend had been consistently lowering week after week since the end of August.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directly affecting the economy. Many businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closed. Reopening is happening at different levels and even seen some movie theaters are starting to reopen. Businesses of all sizes including manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. Some industries have seen a spike in business, while others have been decimated. Limits on the number of people allowed in businesses continue to be widespread, and mandated masks are common.  Government-mandated practice varies depending on the state and area. Florida has ended all restrictions while other states are still locked down.

    Commentary: The economy continues to rebound even with continued struggles in numerous markets. The country wants to be back to normal. Trillions of dollars from the Federal government has been injected into the economy and no doubt has had a positive effect.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • A huge story was published by the New York Post regarding Joe Biden’s son – Hunter Biden. It appears that there is significant evidence that Joe Biden was – at a minimum – caught lying regarding his knowledge of Hunter’s business in Ukraine and China. It appears Hunter was paid to try to influence and gain access to his father representing a private business. Illegal? Likely not but certainly corrupt.
    • Nancy Pelosi continues to NOT work with the White House nor Congress on a new COVID relief package.
    • The 2nd debate between Trump and Biden occurred this past Thursday night. The consensus is President Trump had an excellent debate and Biden struggled. One major story out of the debate is Biden stating his plan to is eliminate the oil industry. States who have major oil reserves as well as coal should take note.

    Commentary:   As usual, Democrats and Republicans remain on opposite ends of the opinion spectrum to best serve this country….and pretty much everything else. The hypocrisy of the Left continues to be seen everywhere.

    The admission from Biden that he plans to eliminate the oil industry is major. His son’s involvement with China, Ukraine, and released pictures and video of him supposedly with an underaged female could make a difference in this election. The FBI is getting ready to interview a former associate of Hunter Biden related to foreign influence on Joe Biden.

    Social media continues to censor free speech primarily from Conservatives. My own Facebook account was deleted – no warnings, no explanation.

    Everyone is wanting 2020 over in hopes that 2021 will be better. We can all have hope. If the trend from the last few years continues……

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: Hope in 2021

    STATUS REPORT: Hope in 2021

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of October 9th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 36,577,872

    Global Deaths: 1,062,677

    Global Recoveries: 25,486,188

    US Confirmed Cases: 7,609,505

    US Deaths: 212,840

    US Recoveries: 3,021,252

    US Active Cases: 4,375,413

     

    Commentary: Since the week of August 1st, 2020 – the number of COVID-related deaths has decreased each and every week in the United States. 

    The media and many in politics continue to use COVID as a means to further an agenda. I have yet to hear any mainstream media outlet portray accurate facts regarding the consistent decrease in weekly deaths. No – they would rather broadcast certain states or areas where increases have occurred which sends a message things are not improving.

    Look at the statistics. The vast majority of all deaths fall within a very limited age range and with those that are already very ill. These people can and should be protected, however, the rest of the country should not continue to be constrained which is causing continued damage to the populace in numerous ways which we will feel for years to come.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closed. Reopening is happening at different levels and even seen some movie theaters are starting to reopen. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. Some industries have seen a spike in business, while others have been decimated. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks  – many businesses are just trying to stay afloat.

    • Regal has announced the closings of all movie theaters. They are the second-largest movie theater chain in the United States.
    • The unemployment rate dropped to 7.9% for September.
    • Food prices are continuing to inch upwards as inflation takes hold.
    • The stock market continues to do well since the aftermath of deep drops due to COVID.
    • Fuel prices remain low as oil supply is high and demand is steady on the low side.
    • With an already record deficit in 2020, Trump and Congress continue to discuss the possibility of adding trillions more to the National Debt with a COVID relief package.

    Commentary: The economy continues to rebound even with continued struggles in numerous markets. The country wants to be back to normal.

    My hope is that Congress will NOT provide another dose of stimulus for people. It’s a political ploy to buy votes.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • Just days after President Trump was “reported” to refuse to devow white supremacy during his debate with Biden, a white supremacist militia group has been arrested for plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan.
    • Nancy Pelosi is promoting the 25th Amendment as a means to replace the President.

    Commentary:   As usual, Democrats and Republicans remain on opposite ends of the opinion spectrum to best serve this country….and pretty much everything else. The hypocrisy of the Left continues to be seen everywhere. Pelosi doing what she says others cannot is just the latest example.

    With Pelosi looking into the 25th Amendment it is apparent that she continues to explore any ad all means to remove Trump from office – especially if he wins in November.

    After Trump was released from the hospital he made a few comments regarding COVID. In typical Trump fashion, he put a positive spin on the negative – leading the nation forward. The Left and MSM completely lost their mind.

    See video below with my thoughts:

     

    Everyone is wanting 2020 over in hopes that 2021 will be better. We can all have hope. If the trend from the last few years continues……

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: Trump COVID Positive

    STATUS REPORT: Trump COVID Positive

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of October 1st, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 34,345,342

    Global Deaths: 1,023,817

    Global Recoveries: 23,890,360

    US Confirmed Cases: 7,279,109

    US Deaths: 207,816

    US Recoveries: 2,860,650

    US Active Cases: 4,210,643

     

    Commentary:  The 7 day moving average of new cases has been steadily falling since July. I’m not sure this is publicized much and is important as testing has increased over this time. On July 24th the 7-day moving average was over 74,000 new cases. At the end of September, the 7-day moving average was a little over 41,000 daily new cases. This is positive news.

    Reported average daily deaths have been on a decline since August 1st. This is more good news.

    While many areas have opened their economies closer to what used to be normal, many policies continue such as social distancing and wearing masks. Some areas have spikes in cases as well as deaths, and others the opposite.

    [CHART]US Confirmed Daily Deaths

     

    Look at the statistics. The vast majority of all deaths fall within a very limited age range and with those that are already very ill. These people can and should be protected, however, the rest of the country should not continue to be constrained which is causing continued damage to the populace in numerous ways which we will feel for years to come.

    TRUMP TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

     

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: West On Fire, South Drenched, Winter Approaching

    STATUS REPORT: West On Fire, South Drenched, Winter Approaching

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of September 17th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 30,019,763

    Global Deaths: 943,515

    Global Recoveries: 20,416,103

    US Confirmed Cases: 6,513,489

    US Deaths: 197,589

    US Recoveries: 2,540,334

    US Active Cases: 3,775,566

     

    Commentary:  The 7 day moving average of new cases has been steadily falling since July. I’m not sure this is publicized much and is important as testing has increased over this time. On July 24th the 7-day moving average was over 74,000 new cases. On September 3rd the 7-day moving average was a little over 41,000 daily new cases. This is positive news.

    Reported average daily deaths have been on a decline since August 1st. This is more good news.

    While many areas have opened their economies closer to what used to be normal, many policies continue such as social distancing and wearing masks. Some areas have spikes in cases as well as deaths, and others the opposite.

    [CHART]US Confirmed New Cases

     

    Look at the statistics. The vast majority of all deaths fall within a very limited age range and with those that are already very ill. These people can and should be protected, however, the rest of the country should not continue to be constrained which is causing continued damage to the populace in numerous ways which we will feel for years to come.

     

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    Riots continue in several areas of the country – especially in Portland, OR. Protests are ramping up after the police shooting of a black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

    • Professional sports continue to bring politics and social justice into their games. Players – especially in the NBA –  are often seen wearing BLM shirts and hats and making statements in support of BLM. Recently the Houston Texans stayed in the locker room during the national anthem.
    • 2 LA County deputies ‘fighting for their lives’ after ambush shooting; Search for suspect underway. Protestors outside hospital chanted “We Hope They Die”
    • A “trained Marxist” founder of Black Lives Matter has teamed up on a new venture with a pro-Chinese Communist Party organization. Alicia Garza is now behind the advocacy group Black Futures Lab, which is backed by the Chinese Progressive Association.

    Commentary: Athletes have tremendous influence and they’re pushing a Marxist, often violent agenda will not have positive results. The number of citizens who believe that violence and destruction is a tool that will get them what they want is increasing. Those willing to use violence and destruction as a tool to further than agenda is increasing. This is not going away.

    Evil exists. We see rioters chasing down mothers and daughters and little kids. We see cops being ambushed, shot, attacked. We see innocent people walking down the street and severely injured or killed for simply being connected to an ethnic group or political ideology. Evil exists and we are seeing but a small part of its true presence right now.

    A good friend has told me over and over again for the past year: Rourke – when it truly comes all crashing down, the horrendous things that people will do to each other you simply cannot imagine. People truly do not comprehend how bad it will get.

    I believe him.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closed. Reopening is happening at different levels and even seen some movie theaters are starting to reopen. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. Some industries have seen a spike in business, while others have been decimated. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks  – many business are just trying to stay afloat.

    • Permanent business closures continue to rise.
    • The unemployment rate dropped to 8.4% for August which was much better than expected.
    • Food prices have rose 3.1% in 2020 compared to those same products in 2019.
    • The stock market continues to do well since the aftermath of deep drops due to COVID.

    Commentary: The economy continues to be held up by Federal spending, bubble gum, and duct tape. Reopening in areas continues to be a positive force in the economy, however, we are nowhere near the economic activity pre-COVID but there is hope. The economy and commerce in this country have been changed and the evolution continues. So many businesses have disappeared completely. Others have been damaged severely. Businesses have changed the way they conduct their activities due to COVID as well as political correctness.

    My hope is that Congress will NOT provide incentives for people to remain out of work. Ingenuity will create solutions where problems lie and many businesses will regain their ability to succeed. Should the Trump administration continue for another 4 years, it is likely that further trade deals and deregulation will have a positive impact on the economy, thus helping a recovery.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • Amy Dorris alleges Trump forced his tongue down her throat and groped her at 1997 US Open
    • The stalemate in Congress has continued and officials appear to be losing hope for a new coronavirus stimulus package before the November elections. In an interview Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) claimed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to pass a bill for $1.5 trillion in coronavirus relief. The proposal, which was rejected by the Democrat House Committee chairs on Tuesday, was made by the the Problem Solvers Caucus with bipartisan support.
    • On Thursday, citizens of Michigan rallied in support of their Second Amendment rights in Lansing. Armed demonstrators gathered at the state capitol, where they demanded Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats stop infringing on their right to bear arms.

    Commentary:   Seriously – can the Left not come up with something more original? A woman comes out right before the election with accusations against Trump. Predictable. There will be more.

    The most destructive wildfires in history have decimated the West – and the Left have politicized thos unfortunate event. Not surprising. Hurricane Sally has caused severe flooding and damage in areas. Fall is fast approaching with Winter right after that. You know what that means….flu season.

    It’s going to be interesting.

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: New COVID Revelations & Dangerous Political Rhetoric

    STATUS REPORT: New COVID Revelations & Dangerous Political Rhetoric

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of September 4th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 26,333,573

    Global Deaths: 869,306

    Global Recoveries: 17,543,692

    US Confirmed Cases: 6,151,101

    US Deaths: 186,806

    US Recoveries: 2,266,957

    US Active Cases: 3,697,338

     

    Commentary:  The 7 day moving average of new cases has been steadily falling since July. I’m not sure this is publicized much and is important as testing has increased over this time. On July 24th the 7-day moving average was over 74,000 new cases. On September 3rd the 7-day moving average was a little over 41,000 daily new cases. This is positive news.

    Reported average daily deaths have been on a decline since August 1st. This is more good news.

    While many areas have opened their economies closer to what used to be normal, many policies continue such as social distancing and wearing masks. Some areas have spikes in cases as well as deaths, and others the opposite.

    6% of COVID Deaths Only Had COVID: The announcement that the CDC provided analytics stating that 6% of deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause has created a wave of anger and outrage. Many are suggesting that the true death rate of COVID is much less due to this revelation. This is simply not true and this announcement should not be surprising. We have known for quite some time that COVID was particularly threatening to those that are older, and/or had secondary health concerns.   What this data does show and should generate anger and frustration is the fact that the current practices of economic restrictions imposed in most areas due to the virus should be lifted. There is no reason people cannot go back to work, go back to school – and go out to eat. No restrictions. The CDC recommendations should be for THOSE AT RISK to self-quarantine, wear masks, and take steps to protect themselves.

    Look at the statistics. The vast majority of all deaths fall within a very limited age range and with those that are already very ill. These people can and should be protected, however, the rest of the country should not continue to be constrained which is causing continued damage to the populace in numerous ways which we will feel for years to come.

     

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    Riots continue in several areas of the country – especially in Portland, OR. Protests are ramping up after the police shooting of a black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

    • Professional sports continue to bring politics and social justice into their games. Players are often seen wearing BLM shirts and hats. Some athletes are protesting by foregoing games and events.
    • The National Guard made an appearance in Kenosha and the rioting has now largely stopped. This, of course, is after rioting went on for days causing millions of dollars in destruction and cost people their lives.
    • A video has been released from this past March showing police restraining a black male, placing a bag over his head, and laughing. The man was running around the street naked and his brother called for help. The man told the police he had COVID and the police put a “spit bag” over his head. After the man tried to get up the police further restrained him and he stopped breathing. Rioting broke out in Rochester, NC.
    • The Antifa protestor who shot and killed a Trump supporter was killed by law enforcement as they were attempting to make an arrest.

    Commentary: Athletes have tremendous influence and they’re pushing a Marxist, often violent agenda will not have positive results. The number of citizens who believe that violence and destruction is a tool that will get them what they want is increasing. Those willing to use violence and destruction as a tool to further than agenda is increasing. This is not going away.

    Evil exists. We see rioters chasing down mothers and daughters and little kids. We see innocent people walking down the street and severely injured or killed for simply being connected to an ethnic group or political ideology. Evil exists and we are seeing but a small part of its true presence right now.

    A good friend has told me over and over again for the past year: Rourke – when it truly comes all crashing down, the horrendous things that people will do to each other you simply cannot imagine. People truly do not comprehend how bad it will get.

    I believe him.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closed. Reopening is happening at different levels and even seen some movie theaters are starting to reopen. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. Some industries have seen a spike in business, while others have been decimated. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks  – many business are just trying to stay afloat.

    • Permanent business closures continue to rise.
    • The unemployment rate dropped to 8.4% for August which was much better than expected.
    • Food prices have rose 3.1% in 2020 compared to those same products in 2019.
    • The stock market continues to do well since the aftermath of deep drops due to COVID.

    Commentary: The economy continues to be held up by Federal spending, bubble gum, and duct tape. Reopening in areas continues to be a positive force in the economy, however, we are nowhere near the economic activity pre-COVID but there is hope. The economy and commerce in this country have been changed and the evolution continues. So many businesses have disappeared completely. Others have been damaged severely. Businesses have changed the way they conduct their activities due to COVID as well as political correctness.

    My hope is that Congress will NOT provide incentives for people to remain out of work. Ingenuity will create solutions where problems lie and many businesses will regain their ability to succeed. Should the Trump administration continue for another 4 years, it is likely that further trade deals and deregulation will have a positive impact on the economy, thus helping a recovery.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • Secret Service confirmed that “something” happened while Biden was Vice President, and agents are talking. They state that there were incidents of Biden grabbing women of all ages and even cupped a agents’ girlfriends breast while taking a picture. The agent shoved Biden and he was suspended.  The report on the incident did exist, but was destroyed. The Secret Service confirmed the destruction of the document.
    • Biden joked while talking to members of the community in Kenosha that if he didn’t stop talking someone would probably “shoot me.”
    • Governor Cuomo of New York in response to Trump wanting to defund the State as they defund police and allow rioting – – > “He better have an army if he thinks he’s gonna walk down the street in New York. New Yorkers don’t want to have anything to do with him,” the Democrat said, all but threatening the commander-in-chief.
    • Nancy Pelosi was caught in a hair salon that was shut down due to mandatory COVID policies.

    Commentary:   As usual, Democrats and Republicans remain on opposite ends of the opinion spectrum to best serve this country….and pretty much everything else. The hypocrisy of the Left continues to be seen everywhere. Pelosi doing what she says others cannot is just the latest example.

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: Increased Violence and Civil Unrest Leave Many Thinking, “Civil War”

    STATUS REPORT: Increased Violence and Civil Unrest Leave Many Thinking, “Civil War”

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of August 27th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 24,266,622

    Global Deaths: 827,527

    Global Recoveries: 15,839,685

    US Confirmed Cases: 5,838,695

    US Deaths: 180,020

    US Recoveries: 2,084,465

    US Active Cases: 3,574,210

     

    Commentary: The past 3 weeks is showing a slight trend downward for deaths attributed to COVID and a fairly significant drop in new cases.

    One of the biggest things we can do right now from a preparedness perspective is to take care of ourselves. Exercise, lose weight, stop smoking, and improve immune systems. There are many thousands of people across America right now laying in a hospital bed who thought it wasn’t that big of a deal.

    With the year nearing the end of summer let’s hope the “second wave” fails to transpire with Fall approaching.

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    Riots continue in several areas of the country – especially in Portland, OR. Protests are ramping up after the police shooting of a black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

    • The NBA boycotted several games in response to the Kenosha shooting.
    • Kenosha has become a battlefield. Several people have been shot and killed with one incident recorded on video as a man with an AR-variant was chased and attacked. He shot several of his attackers.
    • A total of 71 people were arrested during protests over Breonna Taylor’s death in Louisville, Ky.
    • Rioters in Portland tried to set city hall on fire Tuesday during another chaotic night that resulted in the arrest of nearly two dozen people.
    • A suspected gunman fatally shot himself Wednesday as Minneapolis police were moving in to arrest him for a slaying committed hours earlier, sparking looting in the downtown area. Area residents were blaming the police for the death with many believing police shot the man.
    • The majority of professional sports are canceling games as a protest against the shooting in Kenosha.

    Commentary: While overall protesting and violent civil unrest have decreased across much of the country there is no doubt the sheer violence and intensity has increased. BLM continues to ramp its rhetoric as well as Antifa. Most major businesses and sports are doing the “politically correct” thing and creating policies in support of BLM. Some businesses are even giving preferential support to minority-owned businesses in an effort to remain off the “targeted” list of BLM and the Left.

    We are seeing that most any event perceived as race-based is generating an outburst of protests and rioting. Where this will all go especially with the increase in violence is unknown. I suspect it is not going to suddenly improve.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closed. Reopening is happening at different levels and even seen some movie theaters are starting to reopen. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. Some industries have seen a spike in business, while others have been decimated. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks  – many business are just trying to stay afloat.

    • It’s easier to understand gold’s record-breaking move up if you look at it from the other side of the equation. The dollar is now at its all-time low compared to gold. In simple terms, the dollar is losing value and dollar debasement is driving up the price of gold. This isn’t a narrative you don’t typically hear on the mainstream financial networks, but there seems to be a growing awareness that the dollar and the system based on it might be in trouble – even in the mainstream investment world.
    • The National Debt is approaching 27 trillion dollars.
    • Jobless Claims: The 1.006 million claims was a very modest improvement over last week’s 1.104 million but is the 22nd of the last 23 weeks where over 1 million Americans have filed.
    • The stock market continues to hover unrealistically high and counter to economic indicators. This is a positive thing for 401k’s.
    • Record GDP Plunge Revised Slightly Higher: US Economy Contracted 31.7% In Q2. The decrease in real GDP reflected decreases in consumer spending, exports, business investment, inventory investment, and housing investment that were partially offset by an increase in government spending. Imports, a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.
    • Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell announced a new strategy of average inflation targeting. According to reports Thursday, the central bank formally agreed to the policy to allow inflation to “moderately” run higher than the two-percent target for an undetermined time.

    Commentary: The economy continues to be held up by Federal spending, bubble gum, and duct tape. Reopening in areas continue to be a positive force in the economy, however, we are nowhere near the economic activity pre-COVID. The economy and commerce in this country have been changed and the evolution continues. So many industries have disappeared completely. Others have been damaged severely. Businesses have changed the way they conduct their activities due to COVID as well as political correctness.

    My hope is that Congress will NOT provide incentives for people to remain out of work. Ingenuity will create solutions where problems lie and many businesses will regain their ability to succeed. Should the Trump administration continue for another 4 years, it is likely that further trade deals and deregulation will have a positive impact on the economy, thus helping a recovery.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that former Vice President Joe Biden cancel his three scheduled debates with President Trump because the commander-in-chief would “belittle” the forum and engage in “skullduggery.”
    • Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised the Milwaukee Bucks for “standing up for what they believe in” following the team’s decision to boycott their NBA playoff game in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the team’s home state of Wisconsin.
    • Latest Fox News poll has Biden winning should it happen now.
    • Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday charged that President Trump is “rooting for more violence, not less” after two people were killed in Kenosha, Wis., amid turmoil following a law enforcement officer wounding 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake.

    Commentary:   As usual, Democrats and Republicans remain on opposite ends of the opinion spectrum to best serve this country….and pretty much everything else.

     

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    patreon, banner, logo, survival, preparedness, SHTF, prepper,

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy Project only on Patreon.

  • STATUS REPORT: Things Continue to Heat Up Along With Summer Temperatures

    STATUS REPORT: Things Continue to Heat Up Along With Summer Temperatures

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of July 30th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 17,067,754

    Global Deaths: 667,935

    Global Recoveries: 9,995,227

    US Confirmed Cases: 4,447,648

    US Deaths: 151,077

    US Recoveries: 1,389,425

    US Active Cases: 2,907,146

    • Deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus continues upward and the country leads the globe in the number of cases and fatalities.
    • Florida: After seeing 10,000 new cases a day become the norm across the state in July, many of those on the frontlines are frustrated with the apparent inability of local, state, and federal governments to coordinate an adequate response. They are equally aghast with what appears to be the reluctance or refusal of many Floridians to honor safety precautions to stop the spread of coronavirus.
    • Rep. Louie Gohmert — a Texas Republican who has been walking around the Capitol without a mask — has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple sources.
    • Douglas Marks, 29, was arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, use of a firearm to commit a felony and discharging a firearm in public. He fired a gun in a hotel due to people not social distancing.
    • Herman Cain — the maverick American business czar and Republican presidential candidate who campaigned for a sweeping tax reform plan called 9-9-9 — died Thursday morning after a monthlong battle with the coronavirus. He was 74.

    Commentary: COVID-19 continues to be a force to reckon with. Despite conspiracy theories on how the virus originated and early reports of inflated lethality rates – people are dying daily from the disease. Herman Cain’s death is significant as he is likely the highest-profile victim. COVID is dangerous to millions of Americans, and not so to millions more. We will continue to see the death’s climb and as a result, the impact to our personal freedom and economic viability will be impacted. In many cases, actions taken are purely for optics and publicity rather than true effectiveness.

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    • New York: Protests appear to be diminishing, however, in some areas they remain violent and destructive. If the spike in shootings isn’t keeping NYPD commissioner Shea up at night, the protesters must be. A group of demonstrators shined lights and blared sirens at the top cop’s W. 73rd Street home at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to a video posted to social media.
    • Portland: Federal and Oregon state officials have developed a plan to cooperate on securing the Portland federal courthouse from rioters, however differences regarding the deployment of federal law enforcement remain. Portland has seen nightly riots since the death of George Floyd. Rioters have consistently targeted the federal courthouse in Portland, attacking federal law enforcement with various weapons including Molotov cocktails, and in some cases blinding officers with lasers.
    • Minneapolis: Police say a man captured on surveillance video breaking windows at an auto parts store is a Hell’s Angels member who was bent on stirring up social unrest.
    • Another night of rioting and lawlessness exploded in more than half a dozen U.S. cities Saturday night — with the mayhem including damage to federal buildings, local police precincts, and a fatal shooting in Austin, Texas.
    • A growing number of Washinton Elite believe that the rioting, ad much of the protests, would disappear if Trump would resign as President.

    Commentary: While the overall numbers of protesting have decreased, there are still pockets of civil unrest and violence in many areas. Liberal cities are the primary areas of concentration where frequently lawlessness is being allowed to occur. It has been mentioned in previous installments the new normal will see protests and riots flare up with little provocation.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closing. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks increase ultimately businesses suffer.

    • “While the USPS is able to fund its operating expenses without additional borrowing at this time, we are pleased to have reached an agreement on the material terms and conditions of a loan, should the need arise,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.  10 billion dollars.
    • The U.S. economy suffered its worst period ever in the second quarter, with GDP falling a historic 32.9%.
    • The number of Americans who filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week totaled 1.434 million, the Labor Department reported Thursday, roughly in line with expectations, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the U.S. economy.
    • Food insecurity for U.S. households last week reached its highest reported level since the Census Bureau started tracking the data in May, with almost 30 million Americans reporting that they’d not had enough to eat at some point in the seven days through July 21.

    Commentary: The economy is in serious trouble. The amount of money that has been removed from the economy is massive – and much of it is permanent. The Fed has helped keep the economy going and will continue to do so. There is much talk of more stimulus going to the American people. While the Conservative, free-market person in me disagrees with the premise, I believe that is all that is keeping us from teetering over the edge. I am looking for a few years at most to prepare for the eventual crash into the abyss.

     

    POLITICS/WORLD EVENTS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • China’s English language state-run Global Times, which often serves as an unofficial foreign policy arm of Beijing signaling the communist government’s intent and messages to the West, has issued a new article along with tweets saying the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stands ready to ‘retaliate’ amid rumors the US could launch attacks on Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
    • The Trump administration has reiterated its support for a short-term extension on federal unemployment benefits, as well as a moratorium on evictions. Unemployment benefits will lapse at the end of the month, while the federal moratorium on evictions expired on July 24.
    • Gold and silver continue to climb upwards as it becomes obvious the economy is in serious, longterm trouble.
    • Last week, the head of the U.S.’s newest military branch, the Space Force, cautioned publicly for the first time that Moscow had undertaken at least two concerning anti-satellite weapon tests in recent months, in a potential bid to develop on-orbit efficiency that could dangerously hinder the U.S.’s heavy dependency on space-based systems.
    • President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested delaying the November election until ‘people can properly, securely and safely vote.’
    • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mandated the wearing of face masks in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.

    Commentary: Nothing surprising here. The political division continues to grow and the pathetic display by many in Congress to push agendas rather than effective solutions.  One example is related to the COVID stimulus. Many people could be going back to work, however, they have been making more money sitting at home than working due to the $600 per week Federal stipend. It has now ended and one side wants to minimize the weekly amount while the other side wishes to maximize it – and continue to provide an incentive to NOT work.

    Insanity. It will continue.

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    (HINT……..September 1st)Patreon, survival, preparedness, civil war, CW2

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy only on Patreon.

    Officially launching September 1st. Become a member now. It’s $1.

  • STATUS REPORT: Division Remains As Election Draws Closer

    STATUS REPORT: Division Remains As Election Draws Closer

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of July 23rd, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 15,284,136

    Global Deaths: 624,665

    Global Recoveries: 8,709,300

    US Confirmed Cases: 3,987,584

    US Deaths: 143,446

    US Recoveries: 1,210,849

    US Active Cases: 2,633,289

    • A public health employee predicted Florida’s coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired: ‘This is everything I was trying to warn people about’
    • A new coronavirus mutation has become the most dominant strain of the virus — and is causing outbreaks to spread more quickly across the world, an expert said.
    • A report out of Florida shows many people who have never been tested for COVID-19 are receiving phone calls claiming they’ve tested positive.
    • 60 percent of the 26,160 temporarily closed restaurants as of July are now permanently shut. Temporary closures are dropping, and permanent shutdowns are increasing.
    • Mayor of Washington, DC Muriel Bowser (D) issued an executive order Wednesday requiring residents to wear masks outside of the home as the city battles rising coronavirus cases. Fines up to $1,000 are permitted should anyone outside of their home not wear a mask.

    Commentary: Those of us who have said – “There’s got to be more to this than what we are seeing” just several weeks ago can now see it….if you look. Hospitals across the nation are filling. This is not fake. It is real. While COVID-19 maybe not much more than the flu for most – it is deadly for many. 

    One of the biggest things we can do right now from a preparedness perspective is to take care of ourselves. Exercise, lose weight, stop smoking, and improve immune systems. There are many thousands of people across America right now laying in a hospital bed who thought it wasn’t that big of a deal.

    Those that never make it out of that hospital will tell you that it is. Don’t let social media develop your opinion on things.

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    Protests appear to be diminishing, however, in some areas they remain violent and destructive.

    • The city of Portland, OR continues to see violence and rioting almost nightly. Wednesday evening Federal law enforcement agents fired tear gas into a growing crowd outside the Justice Center to disperse the crowd. Mayor Ted Wheeler was in the crowd and later thanked everyone for coming out against the Trump occupation of the city.
    • Seattle leaders state they do not want Federal law enforcement personnel in the city regardless of the violence that erupted on Sunday. Storefronts were smashed, court buildings and police stations were attacked as well.
    • Downtown Raleigh, NC is struggling to recover from riots in the wake of George Floyd protests in late May. And some businesses that haven’t yet reopened may not come back at all. Many of these businesses are owned by African-Americans.
    • Police in Pittsburgh, PA shared pictures of 5 people who are believed to have instigated a riot in late May. They are seen via video and camera footage throwing items at police.

    • Louisville, KY: Both the First and Second Amendments could be on full display in Louisville this weekend if and when an armed Black militia group comes to town. The group, known as the NFAC or the Not F***ing Around Coalition, says it won’t be demonstrating or marching, but lining up a formation of armed Black militia members. The group’s founder, Grandmaster Jay, has recorded several social media videos promoting the event. Of note is that there will be other militia’s with differing beliefs than the NFAC also present. This is a powderkeg just waiting to blow.

    Commentary: While overall protesting and violent civil unrest have decreased things are not back to normal. BLM continues to ramp its rhetoric as well as Antifa. Most major businesses are doing the “politically correct” thing and creating policies in support of BLM. Some businesses are even giving preferential support to minority-owned businesses in an effort to remain off the “targeted” list of BLM and the Left.

    I suspect that moving forward it will not take much to spark a sudden increase in protesting, and following that civil unrest. What will happen when federally funded unemployment compensation runs out? The new normal has those easily triggered taking to the streets and defying all sense of morality.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closing. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks increase ultimately businesses suffer.

    • Bullion has gained 22% this year and is within about $70 of an all-time high. And with five-year Treasuries now yielding -1.15% once the effects of inflation are stripped out, a seven-year low, there’s little reason to expect a slowdown in precious-metal buying as investors fret about the weakness of the economic recovery, prospects for further outbreaks of Covid-19 and the impact of central bank bond buying.
    • ‘Now’s not the time to turn off the faucet when, you know, we should be using our strong balance sheet to borrow to stimulate the economy’ – California Democratic Rep. Scott Peters. The National Debt is approaching 27 trillion dollars.
    • AT&T Inc., for the first time, disclosed how many customers stopped paying their phone bill because of economic hardships related to the virus-induced recession. The company said 338,000 regular mobile-phone subscribers stopped paying in the second quarter; an additional 159,000 broadband customers and 91,000 TV subscribers stopped paying as well.
    • The stock market continues to hover unrealistically high and counter to economic indicators. This is a positive thing for 401k’s.
    • Real estate picked up in June as many sellers and buyers re-entered the market. Low supply, higher demand, and low-interest rates have helped bolster a market that was depressed over the past few months. Of particular interest are land parcels located out in the country away from cities.

    Commentary: The economy continues to be held up by Federal spending, bubble gum, and duct tape. The economy and commerce in this country have been changed and the evolution continues. So many industries have disappeared completely. Others have been damaged severely. Businesses have changed the way they conduct their activities due to COVID as well as political correctness.

    My hope is that Congress will NOT provide incentives for people to remain out of work. Ingenuity will create solutions where problems lie and many businesses will regain their ability to succeed. Should the Trump administration continue for another 4 years, it is likely that further trade deals and deregulation will have a positive impact on the economy, thus helping a recovery.

     

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the nation is suffering from the “Trump virus,” or the results of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus.
    • Voters in the crucial battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina will begin casting ballots in September, giving President Donald Trump and Joe Biden just weeks to make their cases to voters.
    • Negotiations continue in Washington DC over the next coronavirus relief package, Republicans and Democrats have shifted their focus to the next round of direct stimulus payments.

    Commentary:   As usual, Democrats and Republicans remain on opposite ends of the opinion spectrum to best serve this country. Regarding the COVID relief package, Democrats want to provide incentives for people to remain out of work, while Republicans want the opposite. The blatant opposing perspectives for both the Right and the Left could not be more evident and obvious. Longtime Democrat-run cities have fared poorly during the economic crisis compared to the Conservative to Moderate-run cities. Over and over again throughout the world and through history it has been shown that individual freedoms and efforts trump socialism every time.

     

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

    (HINT……..September 1st)Patreon, survival, preparedness, civil war, CW2

    ……and follow my progress as I work on my American Exit Strategy only on Patreon.

    More announcements coming next week.

  • STATUS REPORT: America Unsettled and Uncertain About the Future

    STATUS REPORT: America Unsettled and Uncertain About the Future

    Every week we provide insight on events as they develop and transpire across America. In these unprecedented times, it’s difficult to grasp the complexity of everything that’s going on. We are not a news agency and make no claims to be experts on the topics discussed. What is absolutely certain is we are investing time to research information with a quest for truth using facts, logic, and some common sense thrown in.

    Share this article on social media and email it to your friends and relatives. Spread the word.

    COVID-19

    The spreading of COVID-19 continues with the number of cases and deaths worldwide increasing daily.

    Here are the numbers as of July 16th, 2020:

    Global Confirmed Cases: 13,578,608

    Global Deaths: 584,782

    Global Recoveries: 7,596,551

    US Confirmed Cases: 3,499,771

    US Deaths: 137,420

    US Recoveries: 1,367,648

    US Active Cases: 1,994,703

    • A 37-year-old Iraqi war veteran in Ohio dies of COVID after posting on social media that he doesn’t believe the hype. On July 1st he began to have symptoms. Three days later he was dead. 
    • Love Connection host Chuck Woolery Tweeted the following….“The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19,” Woolery wrote. “Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most ,that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election.” 
    • Cities across the country in areas showing an increase in positive COVID cases are suggesting a new wave of shutdowns. An Example: Houston leaders are calling for another lockdown as the number of active cases of the coronavirus in the county increased to more than 27,600 on Sunday. Houston’s Harris County — the most populous county in Texas — has been the hardest-hit in the Lone Star State.
    • California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Monday all counties in the state to close indoor operations for a handful of businesses, including restaurants, bars, movie theaters and museums, as Covid-19 cases continue to climb.
    • Schools across the nation are developing strategies to be able to open and handle children while reducing the spread of the virus. In Los Angles, the superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Monday that students will not return to the classroom when the fall semester begins next month because of the surge in coronavirus cases across the area.
    • Cities across the country are passing city ordinances requiring all citizens to wear masks when out in public. The repercussions of not doing so carry penalties from absolutely nothing – up to fines and jail time.
    • Georgia Governor bans all cities from mandating masks to be worn.

     

    Commentary: The “new normal” continues to evolve. Policies on social distancing, wearing masks, and limits on the number of people allowed in a particular space are criteria that are just getting started and will likely be strengthened and required for years to come. The new normal will fundamentally change this country and society itself. The significant impact on the economy and the repercussions of that impact are highly underestimated.

     

    PROTESTING/RIOTING/CIVIL UNREST

    Protests continue to occur across the nation. Many demand racial justice, the defunding of police, or societal change towards socialism. The removal or destruction of symbols from history continues to be relevant.

    • 87 protestors were arrested as they conducted a “sit in” at the home – and on the property of – Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Tuesday. They were demanding justice for Breonna Taylor – who was killed as part of a No-Knock warrant by police. They were at the wrong home.
    • In North Portland, a crowd of over 200 protested against police brutality. Items were thrown at police as well as a construction worker who was boarding up the police station in that area.  A recent shooting where a black man was killed as by police seemed to be an ignitor.
    • There has been a massive spike in gun and ammunition purchases across the country as riots and protests have people on edge and have contributed to a growing level of uncertainty. A large percentage of buyers are new to the world of firearms.
    • A Supreme Cout police vehicle was set on fire by an individual who poured a flammable liquid on the car and then ignored it. The suspect has been arrested.

    Commentary: Civil unrest, rioting, and protesting seem to be on the decrease. While this is good news there are still pockets of violence erupting in various places. One thing that appears to be true is that the “new normal” has that almost any controversial event will cause riots and civil unrest to occur.  There is little more American than protesting, however, the recent examples have certainly led to more significant and detrimental activities.

     

    ECONOMY

    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to be directed affecting the economy. Businesses across the nation have closed….and many are still closing. Businesses of all sizes are included as manufacturing plants down to small mom & pop shops feel the effect. With the rise of cases, limits on the number of people allowed in the business, and mandated masks increase ultimately businesses suffer.

    • Texas is the latest state to consider reversing its re-opening and begin shutting down “non-essential businesses.”
    • Schools in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Atlanta will begin entirely online, officials said Monday. Schools in Nashville plan to do the same, at least through Labor Day. The economic impact of schools not reopening with normal attendance across much of the country is significant.  Daycare facilities and retail sales for school clothes and supplies will suffer greatly.
    • Businesses across the country cannot get people to come back to work as they can often make more money being in unemployment than working.

    Commentary:

    The COVID bailouts of businesses and payments made to Americans via stimulus checks and unemployment stipends show the inept ability of the government to do anything right. Over 3 trillion dollars spent and added to the National Debt and the vast majority of it went to big corporations and businesses who scammed the system. Companies with 10 employees reported saving 500 jobs as one example.

    The government is now too big NOT to fail.

     

    POLITICS

    Much of the divide that is present in the nation is directly correlated to the divisive political environment currently in existence. Beyond healthy debate or even normal agenda-driven bias, the level of aggressive and purposely damaging action taken by Progressive politicians and groups is at an all-time high.

    • Joe Biden is running ads in Texas. The significance of this cannot be overstated.  Normally valuable campaign funds would only be used in a state in which the candidate believes they have a chance to win. The largely Conservative Texas has largely been signed by Democrat Presidential candidates.
    • The Trump campaign is running ads in Georgia. Similar to the above story – Trump would not normally spend campaign funds this early on a state which he is sure to win. Georgia has largely been considered a shoo-in for Trump – until now.
    • Shutdowns: At this point, the division is obvious.  President Trump and other top Republicans are adamant against lockdowns, but Democratic politicians in many areas of the country are suggesting their need or implementing them.

    Commentary:

    Politicians are elected to serve their constituents. The reality is on both sides far too often their election leads to their serving a powerful base of special interests, donors, and large corporations. We continue to see people on the opinion spectrum well away from each other on opposing sides. Way on the Left you have Progressive Socialists who have one belief and perspective. Way on the Right you have Conservative Patriots who have quite a different perspective. What we know for a fact is one side aligns with what the Founders of this country believed and established. One side aligns with the Constitution. The other side does not.

    You be the judge.

    The unpredictability of these times is maddening. It’s like trying to find Waldo while on a roller coaster doing multiple loops at 90mph. It’s an effort in futility. I suspect this will continue for months and it will be months before we realize the true effect all of this will have on our daily lives – and our future.

    Please share this article across social media including Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, MeWe, Parler, etc.

    Comments welcome below.

    Stay safe.

    Rourke

  • Politicians Lied About the Lockdowns

    Politicians Lied About the Lockdowns

    Over the last few months, we’ve been told the peak was coming – we just need to make it through the peak. Then, “flatten the curve” was the line repeated over and over again when asking about reopening States. Now many politicians are saying reopening cannot occur until every citizen has been tested and/or a cure is found.

    This is for a virus that has an effective lethality rate MUCH lower than originally forecasted. While a segment of the population remains at risk for COVID-19, EVERYONE is at risk of suffering the consequences of economic collapse. It seems commonsense that those at risk from a health perspective should be quarantined – not everyone in the country.

    The video below sums my own feelings very well.

    Please share your own thoughts in the comment section below.

    Rourke

  • Economic Collapse: Stock Market as an Indicator

    Economic Collapse: Stock Market as an Indicator

    The severity of the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic is just now being recognized – and in a historical timeline just getting started. So far there have been three Federal initiatives totaling well over $2.3 trillion dollars(eventually to total between $4-$6 trillion).

    The National Debt now sits at $24.5 trillion dollars.

    The reality of what is occurring and the long-range impact to the economy is catastrophic. Thousands of businesses have closed their doors, never to reopen. Thousands more are struggling and their fate remains questionable. Millions of American’s have lost their jobs and countless more will.

    The Federal government’s response is anemic at best. The $1,200 stimulus check that many are receiving pales in comparison to their lost revenue. Federal unemployment dollars will certainly be a help but is a short term stopgap measure. The bottom line is there are massive layoffs, businesses closing, inflation has started and many of those businesses and jobs will not be coming back.

    Far too many in the mainstream media and elsewhere are using the stock market as an indicator for economic health. This is an effort based on a falsehood – which is the value of the stock market itself. Don’t get me wrong the economy was doing much better thus the stock market deserved to be elevated, but not nearly to the level it was – or is.

    Stock Market/DOW Level

    Look at the image at the top of this post. About one year ago the DOW was sitting at around 23,500. Today – the DOW sits at around 23,500. The market did rise at one point to over 29,000.

    Should the market be at the level it is right now? The answer is simple: No.

    Let’s compare December of 2018, to April of 2020:

    12/2018:  DOW – 23,500 estimated

    • US economy booming
    • Record low unemployment rates for all Americans including African-Americans, Hispanics, and women
    • Wages trending upward
    • Manufacturing sectors reporting growth and expansion
    • US/Mexico/Canada Trade Deal just signed in November
    • Largest tax overhaul in U.S. history implemented in 2018

    04/2020: DOW – 23,500 estimated

    • Trillions being added to National Debt(total amount unknown)
    • Worldwide pandemic causing sickness to over 2 million and 160,000 deaths
    • United States cases well over 700,000 with nearly 40,000 deaths
    • U.S. unemployment rate estimated to be between 13%-20%
    • Shelter-In-Place stays ordered across the nation
    • Tens of thousands of businesses closed
    • Many major food producers shutting down
    • Economic outlook in the United States, and the World = dismal

    So much more could be added to the 04/2020 list but I believe the point has been made.  The stock market has already dropped from its high of over 29,000 and should be down closer to 14,000. The reality of current economic conditions is not reflected in the market – yet.

    What Are We To Expect?

    Over the coming month’s we are going to hear a lot of positive things coming out of government. This has to happen to denote hope and quell panic. Consumer confidence is extremely low and is a contributing factor to any “recovery” that may occur. What might be considered a recovery is really a pause for what is to eventually arrive.

    Am I right? Does this make sense? Is everything going to be fine and return to normal?

    Hey – what do I know? I’m just an unemployed writer with a propensity towards reality.

    Take care all.

    Rourke

  • A personal view of New Zealand’s bankruptcy

    A personal view of New Zealand’s bankruptcy

    Note: This post was originally posted over at SeasonedCitizenPrepper.com. Very interesting insight.

     

    New Zealand Economic Collapse

    By Harriet, Australia

    Country-wide economic collapse. Do I have to bug out? One person’s experience.

     Back in 1984 I lived in New Zealand during the time the country’s economy collapsed. I was told by someone working very close to the incoming government that the country technically became bankrupt over the weekend after the 1984 elections. This meant the incoming government had no money in its coffers to do anything but stagger from day to day hoping that the news of the country’s bankruptcy wouldn’t hit the media.

    nzmap 

    We were, of course, told of dire financial problems. Over the following few weeks the country was advised that we must restructure the economy to meet the IMF (International Monetary Fund) requirements so all spending had to be cut. The previous government, despite being the supposedly right wing party, was strongly socialist believing in the government driving the economy. As a result there were huge numbers employed by the government in forestry, the electrical production and delivery systems, the railways, the coal mines, the road construction and maintenance and government even had their own printing company to put out government information and propaganda. This was expensive and the “think big” employment programs of the 1970s lead the country to bankruptcy.

     

    One night the new government withdrew all subsidies from the farmers. We had a plant nursery and about 60% of our turnover was from servicing the farmers. Overnight the farmers closed up their check books and stopped buying anything. Within weeks the forestry employees lost their jobs. They had bought about 20% of our stock. The local town used to service the farmers and the forestry workers and all the small businesses cash-flows were similarly effected further impacting on each others cash flow as the money ceased to flow through the community. Other rural areas had the same problems and as the coal mines were shut down and the railway employees lost their jobs things became dire. Many rural businesses sunk without trace and rural communities suffered.

     

    What made life so difficult was that socially it seemed that we were picked off one at a time. People in jobs made those who lost them feel like there was something wrong with them. This particular person lost their job as they “were not up to scratch”, or they had a psychological problem, or had some other socially undesirable characteristic. While we saw the structural dynamic behind mass unemployment it still felt like each person was individually at fault. 

     

    We were picked off one working unit at a time as each local office or workplace was closed down. The government started at the far ends of the rural and remote communities first where there was no media to hear our complaints. After about two years of “restructuring” the rural sector out of jobs the mass restructuring of the cities began.

     

    Some people were able to reapply for their own jobs again in the SOEs – the State Owned Enterprises, as they came to be named, as they were readied for a fire sale. But over about 5 years about 30% of the working population lost their jobs at least once, and some lost them many times. 

     

    We had lived on five acres in the country. We had grown our own food and could have stayed but the psychological pain was enormous. Our business couldn’t survive and we couldn’t afford to pay for fencing – no fencing, no way of protecting your food from roaming animals. 

     

    The local rural community got nasty. People got picked on socially. This was particularly so when newcomers – those who had moved in to the community in the last 25 years, still had jobs and the old timers lost theirs. Male violence against women sky rocketed. But it was all private violence. It didn’t spill out into the streets. When a woman was raped or beaten up in the home, it was understood to be her fault, not the males. 

     

    It was not a nice place to be and we, along with many others went to the city. There was still the promise of work in the cities, though it didn’t eventuate to much. There we looked after each other much more. We were all in the same boat. There was probably violence hidden behind closed doors, but I didn’t hear about it. We struggled from week to week, sought work where we could get it and took the chance to get an education when work wasn’t available. 

     

    We were much too concerned with collecting wood and working out how to buy coal to keep warm to complain publicly and rioting would have been unthinkable. In fact the whole country restructured its economy without rioting in the streets. We worked hard at making do and doing what we could to help ourselves and help others. It was really hard – psychologically more than anything else.

     

    So we had no rioting and no public violence though it was turned inwards on ourselves. We all ate most of the time and ate huge amounts of potatoes and carrots. We shared. We helped each other where we could. We did sometimes go cold. The children had to go to school with holes in their shoes. They didn’t have the clothes I would have liked and during growth spurts they looked as their clothes had shrunk. As I look back now I don’t know why we didn’t go bankrupt personally, but somehow we made it through. All this with mortgage interest at 18% and inflation was similar.

     

    It was hard, hard, hard. But we didn’t think to bug out to the country – we went from the country to the city instead. We went to where we hoped we could find work. We went to where the resources were.

     

    I do wonder from time to time why New Zealand didn’t become overtly violent and crime ridden as Argentina and Russia did. Perhaps it had to do with the basic community psyche. I’m sure someone could come up with an explanation.

     

     

  • 2016 Market Meltdown: We Have Never Seen A Year Start Quite Like This

    2016 Market Meltdown: We Have Never Seen A Year Start Quite Like This

     

    By Michael Snyder – posted originally at The Economic Collapse Blog

    We are about three weeks into 2016, and we are witnessing things that we have never seen before.  There were two emergency market shutdowns in China within the first four trading days of this year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has never lost this many points within the first three weeks, and just yesterday we learned that global stocks had officially entered bear market territory.  Overall, more than 15 trillion dollars of global stock market wealth has been wiped out since last June.  And of course the markets are simply playing catch up with global economic reality.  The Baltic Dry Index just hit another new all-time record low today, Wal-Mart has announced that they are shutting down 269 stores, and initial jobless claims in the U.S. just surged to their highest level in six months.  So if things are this bad already, what will the rest of 2016 bring?

    The Dow was up just a little bit on Thursday thankfully, but even with that gain we are still in unprecedented territory.  According to CNBC, we have never seen a tougher start to the year for the Dow than we have in 2016…

    The Dow Jones industrial average, which was created in 1896, has never begun a year with 12 worse trading days. Through Wednesday’s close, the Dow has fallen 9.5 percent. Even including the 1.3 percent gains as of noon Thursday, the Dow is still down nearly 8 percent in 2016.

    But even with the carnage that we have seen so far, stocks are still wildly overpriced compared to historical averages.  In order for stocks to no longer be in a “bubble”, they will still need to decline by about another one-third.  The following comes from MarketWatch…

    Data from the U.S. Federal Reserve, meanwhile, say U.S. nonfinancial corporate stocks are now valued at about 90% of the replacement cost of company assets, a metric known as “Tobin’s Q.” But the historic average, going back a century, is in the region of 60% of replacement costs. By this measure, stocks could fall by another third, taking the Dow all the way down toward 10,000. (On Wednesday it closed at 15,767.) Similar calculations could be reached by comparing share prices to average per-share earnings, a measure known as the cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio, commonly known as CAPE, after Yale finance professor Robert Shiller, who made it famous.

    Of course the mainstream media doesn’t seem to understand any of this.  They seem to be under the impression that the bubble should have lasted forever, and this latest meltdown has taken them totally by surprise.

    Ultimately, what is happening should not be a surprise to any of us.  The financial markets always catch up with economic reality eventually, and right now evidence continues to mount that economic activity is significantly slowing down.  Here is some analysis from Brandon Smith…

    Trucking freight in the U.S. is in steep decline, with freight companies pointing to a “glut in inventories” and a fall in demand as the culprit.

    Morgan Stanley’s freight transportation update indicates a collapse in freight demand worse than that seen during 2009.

    The Baltic Dry Index, a measure of global freight rates and thus a measure of global demand for shipping of raw materials, has collapsed to even more dismal historic lows. Hucksters in the mainstream continue to push the lie that the fall in the BDI is due to an “overabundance of new ships.” However, the CEO of A.P. Moeller-Maersk, the world’s largest shipping line, put that nonsense to rest when he admitted in November that “global growth is slowing down” and “[t]rade is currently significantly weaker than it normally would be under the growth forecasts we see.”

    In addition, another very troubling sign is the fact that initial jobless claims are starting to surge once again…

    The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in mid-January reached seven-month highs, perhaps a sign that the rate of layoffs in the U.S. has risen slightly from record lows.

    Initial jobless claims climbed a seasonally adjusted 10,000 to 293,000 in the seven days stretching from Jan. 10 to Jan 16, the government said Thursday. That’s the highest level since last July.

    Since the last recession, the primary engine for the creation of good jobs in this country has been the energy industry.

    Unfortunately, the “oil boomtowns” are now going bust, and workers are being laid off in droves.  As I mentioned the other day, 42 North American oil companies have filed for bankruptcy and 130,000 good paying energy jobs have been lost in this country since the start of 2015.  And as long as the price of oil stays in this neighborhood, the worse things are going to get.

    A lot of people out there still seem to think that this is just going to be a temporary downturn.  Many are convinced that we will just go through another tough recession and then we will come out okay on the other side.  What they don’t realize is that a number of long-term trends are now reaching a crescendo.

    For decades, we have been living wildly beyond our means.  The federal government, state and local governments, corporations and consumers have all been going into debt far faster than our economy has been growing.  Of course this was never going to be sustainable in the long run, but we had been doing it for so long that many of us had come to believe that our exceedingly reckless debt-fueled prosperity was somehow “normal”.

    Unfortunately, the truth is that you can’t consume far more than you produce forever.  Eventually reality catches up with you.  This is a point that Simon Black made extremely well in one of his recent articles…

    Economics isn’t complicated. The Universal Law of Prosperity is very simple: produce more than you consume.

    Governments, corporations, and individuals all have to abide by it. Those who do will thrive. Those who don’t will fail, sooner or later.

    When the entire financial system ignores this fundamental rule, it puts us all at risk.

    And if you can understand that, you can take simple, sensible steps to prevent the consequences.

    Sadly, the time for avoiding the consequences of our actions is now past.

    We are now starting to pay the price for decades of incredibly bone-headed decisions, and anyone that is looking to Barack Obama, the Federal Reserve or anyone else in Washington D.C. to be our savior is going to be bitterly disappointed.

    And as bad as things have been so far, just wait until you see what happens next.

    2016 is the year when everything changes.

     

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