Financial, Economic and Social Mood Update (December 1, 2023)
The so-called “mainstream media” says almost nothing about it, but the old order as we have known it is now in the process of crumbling to the ground. If the powers-that-be tell us something, we can be assured that the actual truth is the opposite of what they say. We are told that the economy is doing well. It is not. We are told that the labor market is strong and robust. It is not. The cost of living has been inflated due to the central banking system creating “credit” out of thin air, and due to governments (especially in the USA) spending money which does not exist. The levels of debt of all types which now exist are beyond anything ever seen in recorded history. The same is true for prices – especially for asset prices of all types of assets. The cost of borrowing cannot and will not go down until this debt disappears, and that will be utterly difficult as “deflation” is historically even more painful and destructive compared to “inflation.” Elliott Wave International recently posted two (2) good articles / videos about historical interest rates. The first video discusses the cost of borrowing (i.e. interest rates) going back 5,000 years: https://www.elliottwave.com/Interest-Rates/Interest-Rates-What-a-5000-Year-Chart-Suggests-is-Next?utm_source=com&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=ar-frup&utm_content=frupbsinterestrates231116.
The second video discusses the cost of borrowing going back 700 years: https://www.elliottwave.com/Social-Mood/Mood-Riffs-Interest-Rates-from-1300s-Through-Today-What-History-Teaches-Us?rcn=231119socez&utm_source=com&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=ar-frup&utm_content=231119socez.
Endless War
Just as the old Roman Empire fell, so will every empire eventually fall. We are witnessing this collapse in real time in the USA and with its “military industrial” complex in the form of the so-called “North Atlantic Treaty Organization” (NATO). The old Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) was itself a successor state to the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” (800-1806) – which was itself an attempt to restore old Rome (753 BC to AD 476). The shadow leadership of Austria-Hungary believed that war was the only way to preserve and save their empire. This utterly insane way of thinking led to World War One (1914-1918) which of course destroyed many empires and paved the way for a Second World War (1939-1945) which was even more destructive than the first.
The thinking behind the scenes in today’s Washington, DC is much the same – war in Europe against Russia, war in the Middle East against the entire Islamic world and a potential war against Mainland China over the small island of Taiwan. War is never good – it is always bad. Most of the casualties of war are innocents, civilians and conscripted (drafted) soldiers – not the guilty parties who caused those wars in the first place. Responding to violence with violence only ensures more violence.
Politicians, industrialists, so-called non-governmental “think tanks” and so-called “religious leaders” are the ones who more often than not call for war – and they are NEVER the ones who must fight and die in those wars. In Europe, the battered Ukraine must now negotiate peace with Russia – something which should have taken place years ago – either in early 2022 or even better in 2014. The Ukraine has gone from 90 million people down to less than 20 million people. They are an historical breadbasket especially for Europe, and they will need many immigrants who are willing to do hard honest work on farms if the Ukraine is ever to get back on its feet.
The so-called “Holy Land” must move beyond the never-ending decades of violence since 1948 and accept the concept of “one person, one vote” where all people are legally equal regardless of race, religion or ethnic background.
Politicians and some so-called “religious leaders” like to bang their holy books and have other unfortunate people bang guns. They should take heed that “the meek shall inherit the earth.” I am not one, but I greatly admire the Amish and their fellow Mennonites who lead utterly peaceful and productive lives. They have the highest rates of procreation on earth, they refuse to take up arms, they refuse in serve in any military and they refuse to partake in the Social Security pension system. If everyone on earth were more like them, the world would be a much more peaceful place, a much safer place, a more productive place, and a healthier place. People would live within their financial means and there would be very little crime or violence.
At the end of the day, we should remind ourselves how much better life on earth would be without armaments and endless wars. Our standard of living would be much higher than it is today. Think for a moment of all the hope for the future which has never or not yet materialized. Those of us who are old enough can remember things like General Motors Corporation “Futurama” before and after World War 2, or Walt Disney Land’s “the world tomorrow” as showcased during the 1950s and 1960s.
It is high time to make war itself “illegal.”
