There is a $33.7 trillion elephant in the living room.
I’m referring to the massive national debt.
It’s pretty amazing that we have this massive animal sitting right in the middle of everything and most people are just walking around it as if it isn’t there.
The House recently ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the wake of the continuing resolution to keep spending money and avoid a government shutdown. Dissatisfied Republicans frustrated with the GOP’s unwillingness to address the federal spending problem banded together with Democrats to send McCarthy packing.
While the outcome might be politically satisfying to some, it’s not going to solve the underlying problem.
The national debt recently blew past $33 trillion. And yet with the exception of a few intransigent Republicans, there is virtually no discussion about reining in spending.
Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution that did very little to address spending. But as Ron Paul points out, there was a small victory in the CR that could bode well for the future.
The Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates to over 5%. At the most recent FOMC meeting, it indicated that it may have to hold rates higher for longer. But the mainstream remains unconcerned. The narrative is that the Fed has successfully raised rates to fight inflation and is now guiding the economy to a “soft landing.”
In a nutshell, the mainstream financial media seems convinced the US economy has dodged a recession. Meanwhile, the average American seems less than convinced.
So, who’s right?
Last month, the BRICS economic bloc extended invitations to six new members, including Saudi Arabia. What are the ramifications of this expansion? That remains to be seen.
But as Ron Paul pointed out, it could further erode the West’s economic power, and ultimately threaten the status of the dollar as the exclusive global reserve currency.
Gold is nature’s money.
Aristotle listed four characteristics of sound money: it must be durable, portable, divisible, and have intrinsic value. Gold possesses all of these characteristics, which is why gold has served as money for thousands of years.
At its recent summit, the BRICS economic bloc announced it will add six new members, including Saudi Arabia. Many people believe the growing influence of BRICS could ultimately dent Western economic power and undermine the dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency.
Many people frame the rise of BRICS as a battle between East and West, but economist Patrick Barron said it’s more fundamental than that. It’s actually a war between diametrically opposed economic ideas.
The national debt has climbed to a staggering $32.7 trillion. In just the first two months after Congress reached a deal and suspended the debt ceiling for two years, the national debt surged by $1.2 trillion.
And there is no end in sight.
Dishonest money is destroying our standard of living.
What do I mean by “dishonest” money?
I mean government fiat money that it can create out of thin air. This is inflation and it constantly eats away our purchasing power.
The Federal Reserve advertises itself as “independent” and above the political fray.
The Fed is inherently political and makes decisions based on political calculations as much as economic data.
