Things are Precarious in the Economy How To Challenge The Shifting Paradigm

By Dan Harkey

Summary:

The shifting paradigm resulting from significant economic changes is reshaping our daily lives.? For instance, the rise of remote work is revolutionizing the traditional work structure, offering more flexibility to both employees and employers. ?

The economy is close to a systemic meltdown into an inflationary depression. While society is crumbling all around us, our leaders (elites) tell us that the “economy is booming,” “borders are secure,” “our communities are safe,” and “inflation is under control.” The economy is excellent for the government complex and the massively large corporations that operate on super high leverage and make money from inflation but terrible for the middle class. Mismanagement, extreme incompetence, and sheer evil are better explanations.

Our esteemed leaders come from the school of thought that believes the state of the economy is purely a psychological phenomenon. They think the people will be happy if they tell the masses that the economy is excellent. They believe that “ignorance is bliss.” But, what is fully apparent is that the people see through the mountain of lies. The people see financial and monetary risks from poor governance decisions. ?We are assured that the manipulations, including statistical numbers of the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the mainstream media, will continue.

“It’s the economy, stupid,” reflecting on the phrase coined by the Democratic strategist James Carvel in 1992. He may be a clown from Arkansas, as I am, but he is a brilliant clown. ?His mantra, designed to be a motto, slogan, catchphrase, and motivating chant, is as vital now as it was then.

Article:

Money, power, influence, and access are always the goals. The status quo is the secondary goal. After all, if you control everything and possess 99% of the wealth, why change anything?

Systemic societal changes are ever-present, and staying informed about them is crucial. Global manufacturing trends, for instance, are significantly impacting our economy, and understanding these dynamics is critical to navigating the current economic landscape. The 'Made in China' trend is alive and well, while 'Made in America' is less. Manufacturers and small businesses cannot compete if taxed, regulated, and sued to death. This underscores the importance of staying informed and adapting to these changes.

Let’s list a few changes:

·????? The Banking system has monopoly powers. A perverse crony relationship exists between Wall Street, the administrative state, and the banking system. Systematic monetary manipulation provides unimaginable significant financial gains to the 1% (wealthiest people). The Federal Reserve System has become a subordinate captive to Wall Street traders, gamblers, and the powerful. The system ensures that the rich profit handsomely using highly leveraged derivatives bets.? If there are substantial losses, they are bailed out with a profit, and the losses are dumped on the taxpayers' backs. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 is their insurance policy for protection against highly leveraged financial bets gone wrong.

·????? Everything that the Federal Reserve does is unnecessary and perverse. From issuing fiat currency, manipulating interest rates, buying and selling bonds, passing laws and regulations, and continuously increasing the national debt and rules to ensure the status quo. Everything is juiced for maximum based upon principles of financial repression and corporate maximized leverage. ?Political expediency is their insurance policy.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-repression.asp#:~:text=Financial%20repression%20is%20a%20term,cost%20funding%20for%20government%20expenditures.

·????? The president and senior members of the government complex are chosen as placeholders or gatekeepers for the cabal of corporations, the administrative state bureaucracy, institutions, and the banking system. Any applicant is well vetted to ensure that they will represent their particular partisan interests. The usual suspects want to ensure they receive preferential treatment or the status quo.

·????? The consumer drives 70% of the economic engine. Consumer debt delinquency, including credit cards and auto loans, is rising. Since consumer spending accounts for most economic activity, we can expect that they stop spending as stressed-out consumers run out of hard cash and available credit. Defaulted debt becomes a finance death spiral downward into bankruptcy because the interest rate can be 30% or more. Many consumers have cast all reason to the wind and become homeless or live in their cars because of delinquent payments.

Consumer confidence continues to be revised downward by the Conference Board.

·????? Inflation is up to unsustainable levels; in just three years, household purchases are up over $1,000, rental rates are up 30%, homeowner insurance is up 38%, 61% of renters cannot afford a median-priced apartment, gas is up 46%, fixed-rate mortgages up 148%, mortgage payments are up 100%, ?44% of retired folks are returning to the workforce, retail stores are being crushed closing by the 1,000s, 46% of the people do not have even 500 dollars saved, and in California alone 20% of the people live in poverty. In the meantime, we pursue imperialistic failures like spending 175 billion on the Ukraine/Russian war that Russia is undoubtedly winning.

·????? Housing has become unaffordable for all except the top 14% or so of income-producing earners. Housing prices have increased by 47% in the last four years. Production costs are up, home repairs are up, and rents are up, in some cases dramatically. City shelters and people living on the streets in major cities like Chicago have tripled between January 2023 and January 2024

·????? Commercial real estate, huge office, continues in a downward trajectory. Banks are offloading their portfolios to cut losses. The double punch of vacancy, a byproduct of the COVID hangover, and higher interest rates had hammered the subset of real estate. There is no short-term solution in sight. Cash-on-cash yields disintegrated, and capitalization rates became nonexistent because there was little or no income.

·????? Most significant banks are insolvent because they hold many U.S. Treasuries they cannot eliminate. If they were to dispose of the securities at a mark-to-market valuation, as the law requires, their capital would be wiped out, and an economic meltdown would instantly occur. ?To hide the problem, the government changed the rules so they could report valuations as “held to maturity.” This is a quick fix and prestidigitation (sleight of hand magic trick). In the meantime, banks are stuck with securities yielding one to two percent when current replacement securities are 5% plus.

·????? Society has changed. ?A tremendously large portion of middle-class workers have given up. Far too many people in America no longer want to work in a productive enterprise. After the free lunch provided by all the money handouts, they got used to it and assumed that the benefits were entitlements. Many believe they are entitled to everything for free, including debt forgiveness.

·????? Though theft has been sanctioned as acceptable behavior, prices are increased for productive people to offset shelf pilferage. ?Dependency and entitlement in the economic system have taken on a new meaning.

·????? Another concerning trend is the prevalence of “quiet quitting” in today’s labor force. This behavior, where individuals avoid stressful confrontations and work-related tasks, is a symptom of a more significant issue. It indicates a societal shift where many are no longer willing to try to achieve a successful outcome.

“Quiet quitting” is a term used to describe a situation where a person does not outright quit their job but regularly shuffles their daily activities to avoid stressful confrontations, outbound calls, and sales rejections. Instead of focusing on business-related tasks, they may spend their time on social media or commiserate with others about work-related issues. Going the extra mile or any mile at all is not part of the equation for those with a tidy paycheck, no matter how temporary or short-lived.?

Quiet quitting, also known as the “Great Resignation” and the “Great Reshuffle,” is an economic trend where employees are not satisfied with their jobs but find a way to avoid action by becoming parasitic on their employers’ payrolls.? Most employers will only pay salaries for so long.? No results, sorry Charlie, no pay, no job!? Then what?

How about a very inexpensive gadget, “mouse jiggler,” artificially simulates keyboard activity and mouse movement, creating the “impression of active work.” Taking advantage of your employer is so simple today. Some who work remotely have attempted to outsmart their management while engaging in fake work activity. Management may use productivity monitoring software as a surveillance mechanism to ensure compliance with company work requirements, while the parasitic quiet quitter engages in fraud.? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, significant corporations estimate that 8 to 10% of their remote workers engage in fraud. Of course, that could eliminate the entire annualized profit for a company. More companies are turning to electronic-worker surveillance systems.

·????? Many human parasites today are happily developing, exploiting host organisms, and living on their backs while contributing nothing. These people are sometimes referred to as “useless eaters.”

·????? Reduced individual productivity, lower profits, and competition with foreign workers are all factors that disadvantage the U.S.A. However, these challenges can be overcome with a strong focus on individual productivity and self-motivation. By countering the trend of 'quiet quitting' and embracing a proactive work ethic, we can navigate these challenges and contribute to a more productive economy.

·????? Made in China is not going away. Some manufacturing may be transferred to other countries like Thailand, India, Indonesia, or Vietnam. Low cost and productivity dictate the market. These countries promote accountability and self-sufficiency. And cheap labor is hard to counter. Advancements in technology and innovation are the likely offset.

?

·????? Large and small companies are laying off workers across the nation. Truckers, retailers, restaurants, manufacturers, and others are laying off tens of thousands of workers. When you read about employment being up by 300,000, you will find that 75% of the workers are foreign workers and 25% are government workers. Private enterprise workers looking for a job find themselves at a disadvantage for stuff like “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or because companies have been given the directive not to hire white males, a clear sign of reverse racism.

·????? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is part of the contrived tapestry of social justice warriors pushing progressive movements that are Marxist in disguise. Many states, such as Florida, Texas, and Utah, have banned DEI initiatives in corporations and state-funded colleges and universities.

·????? Homelessness, poverty, hunger, and theft are all rising, but the only solution seems to continue taxing the productive people and throwing money at the problem as the easiest solution.

·????? Government solutions are just dancing around the periphery as conditions deteriorate. Real solutions would get in the way of government objectives, resulting in more dependency, government, regulations, and taxation while confining the people to their ward—a small circumference with limited options.

So, how do we overcome or work around all these barriers?

·????? Become a Self-Starter by investing in yourself.

Becoming a self-starter is not just a destination but a fulfilling journey of proactive achievements and empowerment. It's a plan, execution of the plan, a series of actions, accomplishments, and many interruptions. It's about self-motivation to learn competencies and skill sets and repeatedly complete incremental small successes over time, not inherited abilities. The process involves developing an attitude, motivation, enthusiasm, self-confidence, talent, tenacity, and flexibility through repeated experiences and, in many cases, redundant actions to accomplish your goals.

Remain active, accept responsibility, lead with courage, and be patient. Do not expect immediate gratification.? If you work for a company, your responsibility is to be productive enough that the company makes a profit from your efforts above your costs. As you become more valuable, you will advance and make more income and gratification. You bring intellectual and human capital to the company through information, competency, knowledge, expertise, and productivity.

This accumulation of experiences and successes sets you apart, earning distinction in the top 10% of your field.

·????? Focus on yourself, your family, and your career. The remainder of societal problems will take care of themselves.

·????? Be charitable, willingly sharing your knowledge with others when possible, but not foolish.

·????? Advance our personal knowledge base and careers, protect our families, show dignity and respect to others, and essentially wear blinders as we fight through the forest full of deception.

·????? We must continue our personal growth, development of intellect, keenness of memory, and awareness of societal obstacles and refuse to give up or allow others to infringe on our person. Investing in ourselves has many rewards.

·????? Stay physically active.

·????? Spending well-earned time in your “mental hobby shop” is essential. It will help you escape the pressure and recharge your focus.

·????? Learn to live in uncertainty and not become a victim of anxiety and fear.

·????? Fear is a wasted emotion. It does not produce any actions, solutions, or results.

·????? Eliminate consumer debt. Business-related debt designed to leverage your enterprise to achieve higher profits is still acceptable.

·????? Hard cash is king. Keep some handy.

·????? Keep your close relationships near and dear to your heart.

·????? Keep positive people in your life and eliminate those who do not subscribe to your attitude and enthusiasm.

·????? Regardless of the strife, antagonism, and insanity surrounding us, we all should rise in the morning to be productive.

·????? Become more productive and work harder than those around you.

·????? Fill your days with action items characterized by effective time use and accomplishment.

·????? Dramatically expand your marketing outreach program. This seems to be a dominant flaw in most business people who have been successful despite themselves.

·????? Eliminate operational redundancies and those marketing strategies that do not work or have limited effectiveness.

·????? Technology will drive much future success, wealth accumulation, and innovation. Adapt and get on board.

·????? Have the attitude of being ever-present and the last man (person) standing if necessary.? Those with tenacity will be successful.

·????? Relying on your intuition and the 80/20 rule. You earn 80% of your income from the most productive 20% of your activities.

·????? Attempt to eliminate clutter in 80% of activities, which will get 20% of the results.

·????? America cannot compete with cheap labor; robotics and technological advances will sharpen our competitiveness.

·????? Discuss possible offensive and defensive measures with friends, business associates, and neighbors and ask them to do the same.

·????? Do not assume that social media is your friend. It is about steering the narrative and advertising dollars for corporate media enterprises. Do not become enslaved to “likes” on your phone.

·????? Trust nothing from mainstream or social media without independent verification. Eliminate unlikely opinions or explanations and keep isolating the discussion until the likelihood of truth becomes apparent. Trust your instincts. Your real-life experience becomes paramount. This call for independent verification empowers us to take control of our understanding of the situation.

·????? Question the validity and purpose of every action taken by Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Banks, Wall Street, Big Media, the military-industrial complex, and the various Big Government Monopolies. Their agenda is not about representing your best interest. It is about profits and the status quo. The spin doctors work 24/7 to keep the public isolated from truth and reality.

·????? Government-manufactured statistics, biased polling data, ideologically polarized scholars, and spin-doctor research intentionally keep the public ill-informed about actual conditions.

·????? One of the primary reasons people are being informed of the truth is that they can now circumvent mainstream media and spend their time being educated on alternative news sources. They are no longer required to be subjected to 24/7 propaganda.

·????? Protect the family’s inalienable rights and personal sovereignty.

·????? We must work to change our leadership so that they represent the people rather than themselves. That is a tall order.

Thank you for your valuable time. Please share with others.

Dan Harkey

Educator & Private Money Finance Consultant 949 533 8315 [email protected] Visit www.danharkey.com

?

?

?