I try to avoid politics on my blog because it’s just a losing argument; I’d be better off banging my head against the wall and expecting change as a result. People are so stuck in their left vs. right paradigms that there’s no way to break anyone free until they want to see the truth for themselves. I’m not saying that I’m somehow enlightened on the subject since I do have my political preferences, but at some point we, the people, have to start asking ourselves some basic questions about the future.
One of the most glaring problems is the fiscal state of the country. While I realize that the economy is much more complex than I fully understand, it doesn’t take a Harvard-educated economist to realize that we simply cannot continue to spend more than we collect. Yes, we can do things other countries can’t because of the U.S. Dollar being the reserve currency, among other reasons, but history shows us that we can’t keep this up forever.
And as much as I’d prefer we reduce government by a large margin, my guess is that’s never going to occur until a catastrophe happens. I firmly believe we’re going to have an economic collapse at some point. It’s just inevitable. Truth be told, I would’ve expected it by now, but the ability of the powers that be to kick the can down the road (and force the world to comply) is rather spectacular. I would be in awe if I didn’t also believe that the longer we ignore the problem the more difficult a correction will be for the average American.
The problem is that, not only do most Americans not pay enough attention to our fiscal woes, they don’t fully understand just how bad things are. Although I like the idea of DOGE tackling wasteful spending, it’s not nearly enough. It would be akin to a family spending far more money than they take in, having a beach house they never use, five car payments, and jetting off around the world every other month. Finally, they realize that something needs to change, so they decide to stop buying their daily Starbucks latte and saying they’re getting their spending under control. Sure, whatever.
To get a handle on how bad things are, I recommend watching the following interview by Tom Woods. To get to the heart of the matter, I started the video at the 21:32 mark. Watch until about the 26:30 mark so you can truly understand why it is that we’ll NEVER get our spending under control and why, in my opinion, the best action you can take is to prepare like we’re heading off a cliff … because we are heading there no matter who is in charge and no matter what new agency is (supposedly) cutting spending…
Say what you will about his thoughts on what can and should be cut to reduce our spending by two trillion per year, the truth is that this will NEVER happen. Even if we cut out much of the “fat” as he calls it and even got into the “muscle” of so-called defense spending, there’s no politician who will tackle the “bone” of entitlements. Both sides have their blocks that will raise holy hell if they touch their welfare, social security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
And considering that we’re spending more on interest payments (which is projected to rise to unmanageable levels relatively soon) than defense, the hope that we’re going to correct these problems given our current monetary system is ludicrous. Perhaps the only way out is to both cut spending drastically AND grow our way out via technology, which likely includes a heavy reliance on artificial intelligence, has me very wary of just what we’ll hand over to the machines.
So, what’s the likely outcome if we can’t fix things the way they are? I can’t see a solution other than a complete monetary system redesign aside from war. Perhaps we’ll have both – enter CBDC and WW3.
I believe the government has been itching for digital currency for a long time now, and I suspect that our eventual economic collapse will be the catalyst. Unfortunately, we’ll beg for it. Who knows, maybe the change will be a good one in the short term. But I’m willing to bet that over the long term, people like you and I, those who tend to value their freedoms, won’t like it so much. If you thought that government lockdowns over COVID were over-reaching, just wait until they control your bank account directly. But that’s a story for another day, and maybe over a few beers. 🙂
As always, the best way I believe we, the people, can prepare is to continue to prepare ourselves for such an outcome. This means considering:
- alternative currencies, like gold, silver, and bitcoin
- stockpiling goods as I outline in my books, especially supplies we all need, like food, power, medications, etc.
- learning skills, even if it’s nothing more than how to mend a shirt or plumb a toilet (YouTube may not be around forever!)
- making friends in the community, especially people who have skills and tools you don’t, like doctors or nurses and skilled trades
The future isn’t hopeless if you’re willing to see where we’re headed. I don’t know when that time is coming, but I do know it’s coming. And I know I’ve been harping on this topic for weeks as it is, but I believe it’s something that we, preppers, need to take even more seriously than we have been. Because it’s going to be we, preppers, who will help our families, friends, and community get through the coming tough times whether we want to or not.
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