I don’t know about you but the 4th of July for me brings back many fond memories of baseball, hanging out with friends, games, and fireworks. It also reminds me of when I was proud to be an American. To be an American when I was growing up meant independence, it meant hard work would get you ahead and most everyone had an OPPORTUNITY to better themselves- no guarantees. In the past we could all rally around the flag and get along in times of turmoil. Today, it appears that those that disagree would just as well destroy the other side rather than having a debate or calm discussion. It also appears that far too many people of all ages are content to be cared for by the state and are not concerned about creating any VALUE for themselves or others. This is likely the HUGE reason we are running $1 TRILLION plus budget deficits and are over $32 TRILLION in debt on the books and who knows how many hundreds of trillions off the books (wars, social security, medicare, prescription drugs, etc.)
I believe a lot of that has to do with the debasement of our currency which dilutes the VALUE of work immensely. Think about earning an hourly wage and busting your butt to do it. Now consider that a few at the top can do a few mouse clicks and conjure up a trillion dollars with no effort and EXTREMELY little cost. Of course, it creates NOTHING but the ability of that person “clicking” to buy stuff and make what you need to buy more expensive because of his or her actions. GREAT for the few but not for you!
I believe that this has also taken place because we have allowed lawlessness to take place for too long. Criminals are being let out in major cities to create more chaos while law-abiding citizens are vilified for protecting themselves or others.
People, cities, states and even the federal government is borrowing and spending beyond belief to give the illusion that we are still solvent when the numbers continue to explode higher and it appears that there is little, if any, chance that the debt could ever be repaid- particularly if those expecting to be paid expect the VALUE that appeared to be promised. Of course, this would be because of the inflation caused by conjuring up “money” out of nowhere to pretend that we earned it and pay the promise off.
If any person- outside of the Fed did this- we would be in jail for a LONG time. This is counterfeiting pure and simple. The penalty back in revolutionary times was simple- death. Today, there are a select few who are exempt from the rules the rest of us follow and they have hijacked our country.
Our politicians have become a ruling class even though congress was set up to be the protector and voice of the people. It has been sold out to the highest bidders like the military industrial complex, big pharma, big tech, and anyone else who can write big checks. This was meant to be a service rendered to the country but it has become a rich-person country club where there are entirely different rules for them. How about guaranteed lifetime pensions that most Americans don’t have? How about politicians trading on “inside” information from upcoming votes, leading to massive profits that would land us in jail but make them rich with no consequences? How about their own health plans that are FAR superior to what we have available unless you can afford massive premiums?
We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave but the land of “give me what’s free and I don’t care if I’m a slave”.
While we can’t do anything about what is taking place around us, we can take responsibility for ourselves, position ourselves to have purchasing power when the debt bubble bursts, and keep our eyes on the prize.
Personally, I believe that the things that are ASSETS will likely to FAR outperform debt-based assets and that those hard assets will likely give us that purchasing power that we can use to buy up assets that have been artificially propped up with low rates and “money printing” and buying favored assets to keep the public in the dark as to what has actually been happening- the destruction of our currency and most of the currencies of the world..
After having said all that, I hope that this weekend- and maybe even the next weekend – will allow you to make some special memories with your families and friends.
Tomorrow is promised to no one so enjoy what you can while you can… and in the meantime,
BE PREPARED!
Any opinions are those of Mike Savage and not necessarily of those of RJFS or Raymond James. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice. The information in this report does not purport to be a complete description of securities, markets or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources deemed to be reliable but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct.
Commodities are generally considered speculative because of the significant potential for investment loss. Commodities are volatile investments and should only be a small part of a diversified portfolio. There may be sharp price fluctuations even during periods when prices are overall rising.
Precious Metals, including gold, are subject to special risks including but not limited to: price may be subject to wide fluctuation, the market is relatively limited, the sources are concentrated in countries that have the potential for instability and the market is unregulated.
Diversification does not ensure gains nor protect against loss. Companies mentioned are being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Investing involves risk regardless of strategy.
