It is sometimes difficult to communicate with those who believe that things will be fine because they always have worked out in the past. Obviously, none of them lived through the decline of the Roman Empire (or many other empires) when their counterparts thought the same thing for the same reason.
We are in the death throes of empire, economy and perhaps society. How fast it will play out is anyone’s guess. These matters generally take much longer than they should. Institutions and countries are slow to die and take whatever actions they can, legal or otherwise, to stave off demise. It will be no different this time. But the evidence is all around us.
In the US standards of living are declining now even faster than during the recession (from which we are told we have recovered). Most businesses refuse to hire or invest in the adverse climate created in Washington. Jobs are disappearing. Conditions rival those encountered in the Great Depression. Ultimately they will exceed those conditions.
The CBO, ostensibly a non-partisan agency, has recently issued the worst and horrifying report that I believe they have ever issued. In essence, in their opinion, unemployment is going to go up this year (and next) and GDP growth is going to slow to 1%. They point out how future deficits are not going to go down in their ten-year forecast. What they don’t say is that we don’t have ten years before serious defaults on government promises and probably debt occur. Ratings agencies are about to downgrade the US again.
Relative to Europe, the bankrupt and spent US almost looks healthy.
Wow, had similar thoughts driving to work this morning. There’s been conspiracy theories around for decades. The trilateral commission and the CFR were out to rule the world 30 years ago. We’ve all heard these things for so long that most have become numb to the concept that the gravy train is over with. I meet a lot of people in my job, most are management people and there are some who get it.
Most are into guns and ammo which I’ll concede doesn’t take much of an excuse for them to stock up on that, I talk them about the rest, food and so forth.
In some ways its an exciting time to be alive. I hope this summer to build an addition on the house and use that for storage. I figure a 20×25 foot room, well insulate it to maintain an even cool temperature year round and stock up. Most of my extended family, while conservative live in la la land, I guess I’ll have to take care of them.
I do have a niece whose husband has a year to go in the Army before retirement that is on board and they’ve been buying foodstuff and they pick my brain for what we need to survive. He’s headed for Afghanistan next month for 9 months, hope that goes well.
Well, anyway Monty, keep being the watchman on the wall.