| “Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it’s realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.” - Congressman Ron Paul, M.D.
Ron Paul predicted it before it all happened...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEP0gDgumLQ
He states the issues between the implied Republic of the American States vs, the perceived Democracy of today inside the nation (and throughout the world). He lays out the current situation where we are forcing interest rates to be lower than the market would assume: “…with the additional spending to wage war, while propping up an even increasingly expensive and failing welfare state and the added funds needed to police the world all in the midst of a recession, we are destined to see an unbelievable huge explosion of deficit spending. Raising taxes won’t help, borrowing the needed funds for the budgetary deficit plus the narrower daily borrowing from foreigners required to finance the ever growing account deficit, will put tremendous pressure on the dollar. The time will come when the Fed will no longer be able to dictate low interest rates, reluctance of foreigners to lend the exuberant size of our borrowing needs and the risk premium will suddenly send the interest rate upwards. Price inflation will accelerate and the cost of living for all Americans will increase. Under these conditions, most Americans will face a decline in their standard of living. Facing this problem of paying for past and present excess spending, the borrowing and inflating of the money supply has already begun in earnest. Many retirees depending on their 401(k) funds and other retirement programs are suffering the ill effects of the stock market crash., a phenomenon that still has a long way to go. Depreciating the dollar by printing excessive money, like the Fed is doing, will EVENTUALLY DEVESTATE THE purchasing power of those retirees who are dependent on social security. Government cost of living increases will never be able to keep up for the loss. The elderly are already unable to keep up with the inflated cost of medical care, especially the cost of pharmaceuticals. The reality is we will not be able to inflate, tax, spend, or borrow our way out of this mess that the Congress has delivered to the American people. The demands that come with pure democracy always leads to an unaffordable system that ends with economic turmoil and political upheaval. Tragically, the worse the problems get , the louder is the demand for more of the same government programs that caused the problem in the first place. [ 2:48 – 4:59 ]” January 29, 2003 Dr. Ron Paul
Anyone my age who is working that pays rent, has a debt to the college loans, a fresh start even, needs to understand that fiscal, money, monetary, inflationary, whatever word you choose to use, policy is not a backburner issue. In this age of ‘financial crisis,’ you and I have to figure out what the heck is going on. You and I need to see that the system in place now is flawed and we have the ability to change it. It is not what I thought or what I was raised to think. The law of the land is meaningless because the people let the people who govern us make our decisions, when in reality all we do is gradually reduce our rights. THIS IS SO EVIDENT WITH THE BAILOUT. I wrote all the MD legislators expressing my disgust, you should think about whether or not you think it a good idea to reelect these traitors. That said, let’s go to the future:
No one can predict the markets. One can analyze charts and graphs, but like meteorology forecasters, it is an art that can infer only history and speculation. Anyone who claims they know what this bailout means for America or what they foresee down the line, in my views, is subject to error based on the fact this is an unprecedented situation. People can cite for clues:
Rome: The depletion of money through military actions and debasement of currency
Japan: The inflationary depression of 90s because of cultural obligations and the inability for Japan to recover quickly
Argentina: Hyperinflation through reckless printing of monies after Peron
Germany, during and after WWI: The destruction of the currency through excessive printing of fiat money If Obama wins, or if McCain wins, or if Palin takes over, or if Biden takes over, it is an issue that will have little relevance. The issue will be the Congress and if spending is a llowed to continue. As Paul said, if you continue to see that we spend more because we are in more trouble, the cycle will only get worse. There is not such thing as free money. The prediction is that we are in a deflationary period, where commodities are lowering in price. Though I would make the argument that gold and other precious metals are based solely on the paper market and not the physical Market, the prices are confusing. Gold is harder to get, but the price is going down. People anticipate the price will shoot up. But this is not the case; in reality, the price will APPEAR to go up, but all that would happen, as has been happening for the last decade is that the price of the dollar is losing its purchasing power. I hear that from various places. There is the motto that cash is now trash. Anyone who sees this invariable scenario is getting rid of firstly, any outstanding debts, and then converting any savings to an asset that is protected against inflation. Foreign stocks, currencies, gold, silver, etc. People act as if I am overreacting to all this: the way I see it is that I can be laid off at any moment. To excessively spend or live beyond my means in the face of potential economic hardships would be foolish. This is not the time to think that the government is safely handling all this – after all, they did pass this intrinsically hyperinflationary bill. The fed, will continue to cut interest rates, much like they already have, in efforts in increase the money supply, therefore, making dollars more and more worthless, making things more expensive. So if the DOW goes up, the issue is not to look at it in positive terms…because the more money is in circulation to place in the markets, the better starks APPARENTLY do. But if you price these stocks in gold, or in just ‘things’ the trend is apparent. The last decade was a lie; a lie thru inflation and a lie through speculation and a lie thru credit. This credit bubble was not allowed to explode, and so we face the popping of it and the serious decline of living standards. Not to scare, but this could mean gasoline goes to 5, 6, 7, dollars a gallon, people have to wait in lines to get it, products on shelves will in turn with higher gasoline transport fees be more…not to mention the commodities themselves. I don’t know how exactly it will be, but some predict at this time next year, the US Govt, the American people, and the economy will look completely different. And this is not variable. It is a lie to think any candidate, of all the running parties, can reserve it. We should be upset, because the manipulation of the markets of the Federal Reserve and the treasury for decades has led to issues of malinvestment and misleading speculation in the markets. IRA and 401(k) are depleting and fast. But even if Social Security checks last, even if people have unabated savings in banks, the interest, which is so unbelievably low, cannot even compare to the rate of inflation that we ALREADY see. Not to even speculate how high it can go. Anyone my age with little savings has to be aware of this: in a credit market economy, like the US, we are expected to stimulate the economy through spending. But in reality, it is the savers that should be rewarded, but won’t be. It is a perverse system. It is against the fundamental laws of economics. Some compare this to a form of ‘financial terrorism.’ I am not overreacting, I am just looking at the situation as I see it. It will be tough, particularly for my friends that are ARCHs because construction has seen such a boom in the last few years, and it is coming to a scretching halt. Our jobs are incumbent upon the ability to get contracts signed and bids made, and in a market where confidence is low and credit is hard to achieve, it is not good. I anticipate I could lose my job any given week – I think I am safe through til January, because there are still tasks to work on and my company’s clients are pontiffs and state and county education facilities. But this will last only so long, and as I can tell, all it takes is a phone call to call it all off. It is hard to imagine what will come of it all, losing a job, with little money to spend, in a tough market, which doesn’t seek to employee anyone new. The market is contracting, which is natural, but this time at a catclismic rate – this is because we refused the 2001 recession, with 9/11 with Fed intervention, and now it is coming back to haunt us. Credit expansion is a farce, a shell of a real capitalistic system. The reality that the US is based only on services and not goods, because of our outsourcing is apparent. Luck will be a playing factor. I wish all of you luck in the coming months. I know I will need it. FP |
