Let’s all be cautious how we view and analyze news reports and anecdotes about retail theft (especially of food) now that SNAP benefits have frozen in most states. If the MSM and the internet all decided on one weekend in the past to shine a bright light on theft from food stores and related hijinks the average American would be shocked. It’s YUGE! On any given day, police are kept busy responding to retail thefts and robberies, and some of the stories are astounding. So let’s don’t get fooled by the media saturation coverage that is about to break open because SNAP benefits in most states are frozen shut as of November 1. What we really want to know is what is about to be covered by the media any worse than any other week in America, especially the big cities. That will take some statistical comparisons and some on-the-ground anecdotes. Gathering that info will take a week, a month or longer.
I did the math and a single person gets on average $43.50 a week on SNAP. If someone is in that position, they’re already in tough shape. I suspect some of the stealing that will be highlighted by media because “Trump bad” goes on already, as you know from your experience in Philly. Now that we have “enlightened “ DAs and it’s no longer a crime to shoplift, it sure seems disingenuous or outright racist to make a big deal about it. (Said tongue in cheek.)
And they wonder why places are food deserts.
I remember one tidbit: Clinton gave Jeltsin 5Bn$ to Russia to basicly buy loyalty of Jeltsin and that Russia for 90s until Putin.
Recently those color riots in US or abroad, can cost same 5Bn$ just one riot. Clearly this old playbook isnt working and should look what China is doing and trying to learn. 90s liberal hubris is still strong in US administration though. It’s crazy racket in housing in west bringing us down. Somewhere in world they pay 300$ rent. With that US mall security guard can survive at 1000-1500$ salary. Then would be not as much need for STAMP,SNAP and whatnot taxmoney waste programs. If this is not possible, no immigrants should be had, as too many of them in strained economy strain it more (eg use SNAP and other benefits). This is plain common sense. Sure let terrorists do human rights crimes other side of world but cut their funding first. They have to do it with knives, not RPG/Stinger fancy stuff(WMD version to bring down plane).
If MAGA wants to survive past Trump they have to consider these topics. Otherwise people stop support. Same applies to leaders everywhere.
In UK they also talked of rentier class. Literal renters. I find this biggest flaw of west this is so rampant. Insurances are second. I thought why would I buy insurance if I didnt have time to visit that place when something happens. Eg I would be paying for “good mood” of safety.
So another K-shaped recovery. “great”. Lower interest rates always meant people who get loans, will max them and buy more assets. Not helping economy any way. Number go up, real economy goes down.
Spesifically Japan or USA too? Which one goes down first…
Japan has been posterchild and omen for all western countries for decades. So far they’ve managed to slowdown the can dropping since 1991. Although that is not so great life for ordinary person, 30+ year everything is huge grind, no party, no rest.
Japan is remarkable how well they have managed that. No other place in world could do that. Social discipline is just so heavy there. However regardless of economy, they have to stop that at some point when TFR and population is declining too fast. Not yet. At 60mn (half) mark maybe?
“Okay! We give up! You peons like gold. We get it. We hate it, but … fine. So, here’s what we propose…”
Cool. Think they’ll stamp my wallet address on the bars?
My head is still ‘sploded from Aaron’s talk.
I liken 99% of “Government action” as taking dollars and giving us pennies.
Having worked with coworkers that I liked as a person, but wished they would just stay home is somehow a familiar feeling when I think about most of government.
“All At Once” Bingo anyone?
Yes and I suspect that ever increasing numbers are doing it out of necessity. They can no longer afford the basic american dream much less the “white picket fence” a dog, 2 car and 2.1 children lifestyle.
Some are just a footstep or a low level emergency away from bankruptcy or true homelessnes.
This is the AI generated response.
“The aging homeless population is projected to nearly triple by 2030, with many older adults facing homelessness due to rising housing costs and insufficient income. Additionally, a growing number of families are living full-time in RVs as a response to the unaffordable housing market.”
Lazy on my behalf but seeing everything we’re seeing unfold, I don’t doubt the numbers. I even suspect, knowing what “we” know, they’ll be higher.
Other figures I found…
“More than 486,000 Americans now live in RVs as their primary residence—more than double the number in 2021.”
I think your previously memtioned idea of building out several RV hookups on your property is a very good one!
Interesting you say that. I would think it’ll be mayhem, shelf clearing type stuff because, “it’s what I’m owed!” However, regarding daily theft, the Wally World in freaking Poteau, Oklahoma loses over a million dollars in theft per year which shocked the crap out of my wife and I so you might be spot on.
The other thing people don’t take into account is inflation is permanent. The prices you are paying now, for everything, are never going back down, and over time, prices are only going to continue going up.
Saw this earlier as well and scoffed. But wait!
“The precious metal issued in token form uses the same technology that underpins cryptocurrencies, with issuer guarantees that the tokens are backed by physical gold securely held and designed to closely mirror the price of gold.”
…
“While tokenized gold can theoretically be redeemed for physical gold or traded like any other cryptocurrency, Peck sees it used in a similar fashion as bitcoin (BTC-USD), with both assets coexisting as ways to hedge against inflation.”
Oh, I feel so much better now, I thought this tokenized gold would be backed by paper, or crypto. Securely held? Like this pre-33 $20 gold piece I’m rolling across my knuckles? Old coin gold, 90%. Constitutional money.
Mas:
Gold Token Market Swells to $3.9B as CZ Calls It a ‘Trust Me Bro’ Asset
“Tokenizing gold is NOT ‘on chain’ gold,” CZ wrote in a post on X. “It’s tokenizing that you trust some third party will give you gold at some later date, even after their management changes, maybe decades later, during a war, etc.”
Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
(maybe I’m too young for this crowd, 62 and retired? For some reason that song makes me ROTFLMAO)
‘Tokenized’ is another word for NFTs. Remember monkey pictures and everyone was laughing at them? Now bankers try this again with other words. I hate this part of ‘meritocracy’ of west where same bs is told by “expert” and it goes through in system.
Haven’t central banks alone bought more gold than that? Maybe the chart is just retail investors?
I wonder what the bitcoin line on that chart would look like.
Yes, and wages have not grown as much as inflation.
The other black hole in news coverage is any real concern for the air travelers impacted.
About 300 million Americans fly (rest never flew) an average of about 1.4 flights a year. So on average, maybe 35 million Americans take a flight in a month. (Frequent flyers fly more than once.) If these AI stats are about right, then 40 million air travelers have been impacted by the shutdown. This is about the same number of people now impacted by SNAP cuts.
So WHY are people not demanding Air Traffic Controllers get paid. This is not just a convenience and stress issue. If it goes on long enough, the probably of an accident caused by inadequate staffing increases. Especially at the holidays, I suspect most of these travelers are middle income - the group the elites love to throw under the bus. The media seems to care more about the plight of Air Traffic Controllers than about the impact on middle income travelers.
You might want to take a look at Joan Williams’ Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back.
She argues that the values of the rich and the poor differ from those of the workaday middle, for whom stability, self-discipline, and directness are the dominant ideals. To reverse its political fortunes, the broad left must stop neglecting these pillars of the average American worldview.
Leftist politicians and media benefit themselves behind the scenes. They claim to care for the poor, who they don’t want to better their lives. They are actively hostile to any policies that will provide obvious benefits to the hard working middle 50%.
Hi, Chris – longtime follower circa 2008! I got grapes this week from the food bank in Quebec (by way of Spain) that legitimately taste like cotton candy, so I suppose I should count myself lucky!
In defense of the powers that be, we have no examples in all of economic history of a developed country detransitioning from a high-cost service-based economy back to an economy based on manufacturing. The factors of production are just too expensive – with the possible exception of our unique brand of “liquidity.” So while I expect valiant efforts to re-shore and improve the fundamentals (and rein in the corruption), this will take sustained effort over many investment cycles and the country is starting from a difficult position. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, just don’t expect overnight results, or that the money spigots will be turned off!
Yes - at the current value of the dollar.
Trash the currency and have a bout of massive inflation, and the US would regain a competitive foreign exchange rate where we would be competitive on price.
I think TPTB see this and it’s partly why they are deliberately trashing the dollar.
The Wally world next to me converted everything to self checkout a year ago. And in the last 4 months, converted it all back. Woops!