Summary

Reflecting on the phrase ‘it’s the economy, stupid,’ coined by Democratic strategist James Carvel in 1992, it reminds us that the economy is a crucial aspect of our society.  Despite the humorous context of the phrase, it serves as a vital motto, slogan, catchphrase, and motivating chant, just as it did when it was first uttered.

The economy was on the verge of a systemic meltdown, teetering on the brink of a Depression marked by inflation.  While society was crumbling around us, our leader said that the economy was booming, the borders were secure, our communities were safe, and inflation was under control.  Mismanagement, extreme incompetence, and sheer evil are better explanations.

Article:

Our economy is currently facing numerous urgent challenges that require immediate attention.  Unfortunately, our leadership appears to be preoccupied with politicizing every issue and applying superficial, short-term fixes.  This unsustainable approach, which includes the weaponization and persecution of adversaries, underscores the urgent need for us to address these challenges head-on.  It’s high time we took action, as anyone who speaks the truth is often viewed with suspicion.

Mainstream media is the designated puppet to promote everything and spread false narratives and propaganda.  Please pay attention to us, as we are more intelligent than you and deserve to control the narrative, Wazoo, through propaganda of arrogant superiority; all is good temporarily and beautifully.

As the character Forest Gump famously said,” One Less Thing.’ This quote highlights the aimlessness that can be felt when the government, which is meant to represent the people, lacks clear intentions, purpose, or direction.  However, it’s essential to remember that the government is transparent; we, the people, represent ourselves and our best interests.

That would be the case, but everything in this country is done intentionally to achieve the goals of a tiny segment of society and to transfer wealth, power, and influence into their coffers.  This stark reality underscores the urgent need for systemic societal changes.  We must come together and demand a fairer, more equitable system, as individual actions alone cannot bring about the necessary transformation.  It’s a call for collective action, a reminder that we are stronger.

Money, power, influence, and access are always the goals.

Systemic societal changes are constantly present, and staying informed about them is crucial.  Global manufacturing trends, for instance, are significantly impacting our economy, and understanding these dynamics is critical to navigating the current economic landscape.  The “made in China’ label still holds sway, but ‘Made in America’ is losing ground.  Manufacturers struggle when they are taxed, regulated, and sued to death.  The need for systemic changes is clear; we must stay informed and engaged.

Let’s list a few changes:

The Banking system has monopoly powers.  A perverse crony relationship exists between Wall Street, the administrative state, and the banking system. Systematic monetary manipulation yields unimaginably significant financial gains for the 1% (wealthy individuals).  The Federal Reserve System has become a subordinate captive to Wall Street traders, gamblers, and the powerful. The system ensures that the rich profit handsomely by using highly leveraged derivatives.   If there are substantial losses, they are bailed out with a profit, and taxpayers ultimately bear the losses.  The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 is their insurance policy for protection against highly leveraged financial bets gone wrong.

• Everything that the Federal Reserve does is unnecessary and perverse.  From issuing fiat currency, manipulating interest rates, buying and selling bonds, passing laws, and continuously increasing the national debt and regulations to ensure the status quo, everything is juiced and brought back down occasionally,  like an addicted druggy.  Political expediency is their insurance policy.
• The presidency and senior members of the government complex are chosen as placeholders or gatekeepers for the cabal of corporations, the administrative state bureaucracy, institutions, and the banking system.  Any applicant is well vetted to ensure that they will represent their particular partisan interests.  The usual suspects want to ensure they receive preferential treatment or the status quo.

The consumer, driving 70% of the economic engine, is facing a crisis.  Consumer debt delinquency, including credit cards and auto loan payments, is on the rise.  Consumer spending accounts for most economic activity; a halt in spending due to stressed-out consumers running out of hard cash and available credit could lead to a downward financial spiral, ultimately leading to bankruptcy.  The high interest rates, sometimes reaching 30% or more, are pushing many consumers to the brink, with some even becoming homeless or living in their cars due to delinquent payments.

Consumer confidence continues to be revised downward by the Conference Board.

Inflation is up to unsustainable levels; in just three years, household purchases are up over $1,000, rental rates are up 30%, homeowner insurance is up 38%, 61% of renters cannot afford a median-priced apartment, gas is up 46%, fixed-rate mortgages up 148%, mortgage payments are up 100%, 44% of retired folks are returning to the workforce, retail stores are being crushed closing by the 1,000s, 46% of the people do not have even 500 dollars saved, and in California alone 20% of the people live in poverty.  In the meantime, we pursue imperialistic failures like spending $1,755 billion on the Ukraine/Russia war that Russia is undoubtedly winning.

• Housing has become unaffordable for all but the top 14% or so of income-earning households.  Housing prices have increased by 47% in the last four years.  Production costs are up, home repairs are up, and rents are up, in some cases dramatically.  City shelters and people living on the streets in major cities like Chicago have tripled between January 2023 and January 2024
• Commercial real estate, including large office buildings, continues to decline.  Banks are offloading their portfolios to cut losses.  The double punch of vacancy, a byproduct of the COVID-19 hangover, and higher interest rates has hammered the subset of real estate.  There is no short-term solution in sight.  Cash-on-cash yields disintegrated, and capitalization rates became nonexistent because there was little or no income.
• The most significant banks are insolvent because they hold a large number of U.S. Treasury securities that they cannot easily liquidate.  If they were to dispose of the securities at a mark-to-market valuation, as the Law requires, their capital would be wiped out, and an economic meltdown would instantly occur.  To conceal the problem, the government amended the rule, allowing them to report valuations as held to maturity.  This is a quick fix and prestidigitation (sleight of hand magic trick).  In the meantime, banks are stuck with securities yielding one to two percent, when current replacement securities yield five percent or more.
• Society has changed; a tremendously large portion of middle-class workers have given up.  Far too many people in America no longer want to work in a productive enterprise.  After receiving the lunch provided by all the handouts, they grew accustomed to it and assumed that the benefits were entitlements.  Many believe they are entitled to everything for free, including debt forgiveness.
• Though theft has been sanctioned as acceptable behavior, prices are increased for productive people to offset shelf pilferage.  Dependency and entitlement in the economic system have taken on a new meaning.

Another concerning trend is the prevalence of quiet quitting in today’s labor force.  This behavior, where individuals avoid stressful confrontations and work-related tasks, is a symptom of a more significant issue.  It indicates a societal shift in which many are no longer willing to strive for a successful outcome.

Quiet quitting is a term used to describe a situation where a person does not outright quit their job but regularly shuffles their daily activities to avoid stressful confrontations, outbound calls, and sales rejections.  Instead of focusing on business-related tasks, they may spend their time on social media or commiserate with others about work-related issues.  Going the extra mile or any mile at all is not part of the equation for those with a tidy paycheck, no matter how temporary or short-lived.

Quitting, also known as the Great Resignation and the Great Reshuffle, is an economic trend in which employees are unsatisfied with their jobs but find a way to avoid action by becoming parasitic on their employers’ payrolls.  Most employers will only pay salaries for a limited period of time.  No results, sorry Charlie, no pay, no job!  Then what?

How about a very inexpensive gadget, a mouse jiggler, which artificially simulates keyboard activity and mouse movement, creating the impression of active work?  Taking advantage of your employer is so simple today.  Some who work remotely have attempted to outsmart their management by engaging in fake work activities.  Management may use productivity monitoring software as a surveillance mechanism to ensure compliance with company work requirements, while the parasitic quiet quitter engages in fraud.  According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, significant corporations estimate that 8% to 10% of their remote workers are involved in fraud.  Of course, that could eliminate the entire annualized profit for a company. Increasingly, companies are adopting electronic surveillance systems for their employees.

• Many human parasites today thrive, exploit host organisms, and live on their hosts while contributing nothing.  These individuals are sometimes referred to as “useless eaters.”
• Reduced individual productivity, lower profits, and competition with foreign workers are all factors that disadvantage the U.S.A.  However, these challenges can be overcome with a strong focus on individual productivity and self-motivation.  By countering the trend of ‘quiet quitting’ and embracing a proactive work ethic, we can navigate these challenges and contribute to a more productive economy.

Made in China is not going away.   Home manufacturing may be transferred to other countries, such as Thailand, India, Indonesia, or Vietnam.  Low cost and productivity dictate the market.  These countries promote accountability and self-sufficiency.  Cheap labor is also hard to counter.  Advancements in technology and innovation are likely to offset each other.

• Large and small companies are laying off workers across the nation.  Truckers, retailers, restaurants, manufacturers, and others are laying off 10 s thousands of workers.  When you read about employment increasing by 300,000, you will find that 75% of the workers are foreign nationals and 25% are government employees.  Private enterprise workers looking for a job find themselves at a disadvantage for stuff like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or because companies have been given the directive not to hire white males, a clear sign of reverse racism.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is part of the complex tapestry of social justice movements that often disguise themselves as progressive, yet are sometimes linked to Marxist ideologies. Many states, such as Florida, Texas, and Utah, have banned DEI initiatives in corporations and state-funded colleges and universities.
• Homelessness, poverty, hunger, and theft are all rising.  Still, the only solution seems to be to continue taxing the productive people and throwing money at the problem as the easiest solution.
• Government solutions are merely dancing around the periphery as conditions deteriorate.  Real solutions would get in the way of government objectives, resulting in increased dependency, government regulations, and taxation, while confining people to a small circumference with limited options.

So, how do we overcome or work around all these barriers?

• Become a Self-Starter and reject parasitism and mediocracy:

Becoming a self-starter is not just a destination but a fulfilling journey of proactive achievements and empowerment.  It’s a plan, the execution of which involves a series of actions, accomplishments, and numerous interruptions.  It’s about self-motivation to learn competencies and skill sets and repeatedly complete incremental, small successes over time, rather than relying on inherited abilities.  The process involves developing an attitude, motivation, enthusiasm, self-confidence, talent, tenacity, and flexibility through repeated experiences and, in many cases, redundant actions to accomplish your goals.

Remain active, accept responsibility, lead with courage, and be patient.   Please don’t expect immediate gratification.  If you work for a company, your responsibility is to be productive enough that the company makes a profit from your efforts, exceeding your costs.  As you become more valuable, you will advance and earn more income and gratification.  You bring intellectual and human capital to the company through information, competency, knowledge, expertise, and productivity.

This accumulation of experiences and successes sets you apart, earning distinction in the top 10% of your field.

Focus on yourself, your family, and your career. The remainder of societal problems will take care of themselves.

• Be charitable, willingly sharing your knowledge with others when possible, but not foolish.
• We should advance our knowledge base and careers, protect our families, show dignity and respect to others, and essentially wear blinders as we fight through a forest of deception.
• We must continue to pursue our personal growth, intellectual development, and keen memory, while also being aware of societal obstacles, nd refusing to give up or allow others to infringe upon our person.  Investing in ourselves has many rewards.
• Stay physically active.
• Spending well-earned time in your mental hobby shop is essential.  It will help you escape the pressure and recharge your focus.
• Learn to live in uncertainty and not become a victim of anxiety and fear.
• Fear is a wasted emotion.  It does not produce any actions, solutions, or results.
• Eliminate consumer debt.  Business-related debt designed to leverage your enterprise to achieve higher profits is still acceptable.
• Hard cash is k  n. Keep some handy.
• Keep your close relationships close to your heart.
• Surround yourself with positive people and eliminate those who do not share your attitude and enthusiasm.
• Regardless of the strife, antagonism, and insanity surrounding us, we all should rise in the morning to be productive.
• Become more productive and work harder than those around you.
• Please fill your days with action items characterized by effective time use and accomplishment.
• You can quickly expand your marketing outreach program.  This is a common flaw among successful businesspeople.
• Eliminate operational redundancies and ineffective marketing strategies.
• Technology will drive much of the future’s success, wealth accumulation, and innovation.  Would you be willing to adapt and join the revolution?
• Have the attitude of being ever-present and the last man (person) standing if necessary.  Those with tenacity will be successful.
• Relying on your intuition and the 80/20 rule, you earn 80% of your income from the most productive 20% of your activities.
• Attempt to eliminate clutter in 80% of activities, which will get 20% of the results.
• America cannot compete with cheap labor; robotics and technological advances will sharpen our competitiveness.
• Could you discuss possible offensive and defensive measures with friends, business associates, and neighbors, and ask them to do the same?
• Please don’t assume that social media is your friend.  It is about steering the narrative and allocating advertising dollars to corporate media enterprises.  o not become enslaved to likes on your phone.
• Trust nothing from mainstream or social media without independent verification. Eliminate unlikely opinions or explanations and keep isolating the discussion until the likelihood of truth becomes apparent.  Trust your instincts; your real-life experience becomes paramount.  This will enable independent verification, empowering us to take control of our understanding of the situation.
• Question the validity and purpose of every action taken by Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Banks, Wall Street, Big Media, the military-industrial complex, and the various Big Government monopolies.  Their agenda is not about representing your best interests.  It is about profits and the status quo.  The spin doctors work 24/7 to keep the public isolated from truth and reality.
• Government-manufactured statistics, biased polling data, ideologically polarized scholars, and spin-doctor research intentionally keep the public ill-informed about actual conditions.
• One of the primary reasons people are being informed of the truth is that they can now circumvent mainstream media and spend their time being educated on alternative news sources.  Hey, you are no longer required to be subjected to 24/7 propaganda.
• Protect the family’s inalienable rights and personal sovereignty.
• We must work to change our leaders so that they represent the people rather than themselves.  That is a tall order.