Americans have no idea that the United States is on the brink of an economic crash. It is really not conceivable to the majority of Americans. We have been told by President Obama that we are experiencing economic growth and that the economy has been stable for a number of years now. The stock market continues to surge to new heights. The NASDAQ is at a brand new all-time record high.
So how in the world can anyone be talking about an economic collapse? Many Americans will agree that we did have a big bump in the road back in 2008, but things have pretty much returned to normal now. Unfortunately, this brief period of stability that we have been enjoying is an “illusion”.
The fundamental problems that caused the financial crisis of 2008 have yet to be addressed. Our long-term economic problems have actually gotten worse. In the 8 years that the Fed has been doing QE, our leaders in Congress and the White House have made no progress towards the required Fiscal Policy changes that have to be addressed. Of course, it has just been business as usual back in Washington DC.
Today, the entire economic system in the United States is based on debt. Without debt there is little to no economy. Thus, debt comes from the banks and the concept of the “too big to fail banks” is at the heart of this debt-based system.
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If the economy was expanding and is as healthy as we have been led to believe, there would be lots of buying and selling, and money would be moving around rapidly. The U.S. economy is behaving exactly contrary to that right now. The velocity of M2 has fallen to an all-time record low. This is a very powerful indicator that we have entered a deflationary era and that the Federal Reserve has been attempting to combat this by flooding the financial system with more money through more QE.
The main problem with this economy is that it has not been repaired. The only fiscal change taking place in the high echelons of Congress has to do with the way that money is being spent without having any money. This is what is fundamentally wrong with our economy.
In the past 7 years, it was imperative for the government to have focused on a much more balanced budget. On a very basic level, the amount of economic activity that we have been witnessing is not anywhere near where it should be, and the flow of money through our economy is very stagnant. They can try to mask it for a certain period of time, but it will come unraveled.
Why would McDonald’s plan to permanently close 700 poorly performing restaurants over the course of 2015? Why would they be doing this if the economy is “getting better”? Procter & Gamble announced that it will be cutting up to 6,000 more jobs from their payroll. JP Morgan just announced 5,000 layoffs last week. Why would they be doing this if the economy is “getting better”?
Because the economy is NOT getting better, it has just been getting worse. Our Government has persistently manipulated the formula in order to create a facade that they want us to see. They are changing the calculations on GDP for the 2ND Quarter of 2015 so they will not result in a negative number. That is truly how bad the economy really is. As recently as today, the Fed has made a 3rd revision of the GDP which is more negative.
“The American Dream” is now dead. We live in a country where almost everyone is drowning in debt and where a vast number of people are simply broke. This is the reason that both parents are working in most families today. In fact, both parents are working multiple jobs in a desperate attempt to make ends meet.
Over the years, the cost of living has risen steadily, but American paychecks have remained the same over the last 40 years. The erosion of the middle class will continue until it will just not exist anymore. Our dream in America has always been that we could afford a home, a car or two, and a nice annual vacation. “The American Dream” is out of reach for more Americans than it ever has been before. As it stands now, the middle class is dying right in front of our eyes.
It is empowering to know what is coming in the future and especially to understand why it is coming. It is vitally important to get prepared in advance for turbulent times. It is totally necessary to have a plan for the years ahead. My intention is to inform and educate before it all falls out from under us.
Everyone should be prepared well ahead of time, especially now. Have you ever visited a “food bank” near you? You should go see how much longer the lines are getting and nothing really explosive has happened yet. Americans are so poor that many of them can’t even afford to shop at Wal-Mart and Dollar Stores anymore. They are now going to their local charities and churches in order to get through the day. They are asking for help from food banks and churches, plus going to used second-hand clothes stores and emergency assistance in order to keep their electricity on.
How prosperous are Americans in the United States today? Let’s take a look at what the BIG BOYS are doing. Bank of America and Merrill Lynch wrote that the client’s net sales of US stocks amounted to $4.1 billion last week, the largest total since January 2008. Most of the selling is being led by the institutional investors. Hedge funds were net sellers for the ninth consecutive week, while private clients bought stocks last week following the previous week’s net sales. Most of the money came out of healthcare and financial stocks. Last week outflows from healthcare were the largest on record.
Chris Vermeulen
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