PARALLELS, NASTY ONES

My perspective is economics, not that I am unaware of or concerned about the philosophic, moral, or political issues, but other people are writing about those and doing a fine job. I don’t see a reason for duplication. I don’t see much written about the economic implications and that is more where my experience and education lies, so, with that in mind, let me ask:



Do you notice the parallels between FDR and BO? Both began office after a huge dive in the economy: the stock market dove spectacularly in both cases, unemployment has soared to similar heights, there were financial crisis in both cases, both were preceded by Republicans who are regarded as somehow pro-capitalism but aren’t, both have pushed through public works bills, both pushed for overhauls of major parts of the economy, both are presenting themselves as saviors, and both are more concerned with power than any other issue. I am sure that there are more economic parallels.


Here we are into the second year of BO’s presidency, and, in spite of what the Fed and other government economists say, we are still in the recession. Unemployment is expected to remain high for years to come. Businesses and banks are unsure as to what to do because of the uncertainty as to what BO and his Congress will do to them in the near future. Further, what BO has done recently promises to weigh down the economy with massive expenses, higher federal debt, and tighter restrictions on production.


In other words, we have no good reason to think that our future will be any different now than the people in the 1930’s experienced. (It is true that BO has not started destroying food. Don’t put it past him.) To say this correctly, we are currently headed for continued recession that could last for years. Since BO, Treasury Secretary Geithner, and the Fed’s Bernanke do not know why the economy is not recovering, and would not consider freedom as an acceptable solution to the lack of recovery, we can expect more “solutions” that will sap our savings, and drive us further into recession/depression. Last time the Great Depression lasted 16 years without any questioning of the doctrine that kept us from prosperity. Even after the economy began working again, in 1946, when FDR was dead and Truman had put in his own people, no one questioned how the economy recovered without the government’s input. Today, no one is asking why the “recover” is so slow. Instead, they are doing everything possible to prevent recovery.


Further, after 70 or so years of encroachment by anti-capitalist measures, our economy has less vitality and room to maneuver than it did in the 30’s and 40’s. The government has more tools to manipulate and degrade economic performance today than it did before.


On the other hand, in some ways current businesses are more flexible and know more about their businesses than business managers in the 1930’s. Further, American businessmen have nearly a century of experience of how to work around government regulations and manipulation. That is not to say that they can bring our economy out of the recession, but they may be able to maintain their own and be modestly profitable. The large number of businesses dependent on government handouts will be a drag, as they continue to absorb savings and made-up money. It might sound as though this paragraph contradicts the previous one, but I am looking at the problem from first the restriction side and then the victim side. I don’t know which one will dominate, but both trends exist.


Frankly, what we have is uncertainty all around. But, keep in mind that uncertainty, in this circumstance, is a better condition than outright deterioration or a further dive.


In terms of your own situation, the best advice is to keep flexible. That doesn’t mean to stay in cash, including foreign cash, because cash is a guaranteed loss in a time period longer than a year. That doesn’t mean all gold, because the gold price, as we have seen over the last year, is bounced by many factors besides being a store of value. It doesn’t mean all foreign investments, because foreign economies are being buffeted by the same factors as the U.S. economy, including their own governments and central bankers. Foreign economies are also very dependent upon the U.S., so if we are failing, the likelihood of their flourishing is low.


What I think your best position includes is diversity, more so than ever, including foreign and domestic stocks, cash, foreign cash, and etf gold (least expensive way to hold it). No bonds of any kind. You do not want to be a lender in these circumstances.


Residential real estate is risky. If the situation is that your job could be in jeopardy, trying to hold on to the house could be a major problem. Buying today, even at low rates and lower prices is no guarantee that the purchase will work out for you in the next five years. If you have owned the house for some time and have equity in it, and the payments are relatively low, and you have some reserves, you are in a decent position. The biggest problem in these times is that the mortgage payment will tie you down, reduce your flexibility, and tend to present an inducement to remain in a perilous circumstance.


More than ever, you need knowledge. You need to know how these markets work. You need to know how the dollar relates to other currencies and foreign assets. You need to know how to watch your countries inflation monitors. You need to know what sources you can trust.


How long will this uncertain-stage last? It has lasted for several months so far, since the rush to dump employees slowed. We are waiting to see what effect BO’s massive new debt will have, we are waiting to see what the Fed does with all the money it created, we are waiting to see what consequences the new wave of regulations on all parts of the economy will have, we are waiting to see if BO can carry forward his massive expansion of government, and we are waiting to see if people are actually beginning to resist BO and the Dems. Combined, all of these issues are bad for even maintaining the current lull.


Prosperity is very unlikely if even a few of these economically stressful government activities come to fruition. I do not expect prosperity without at least some movement away from the future the present government and Congress have planned. Let’s say the Republicans win significantly in November. Will that mean that they will back us off of what BO will have instituted in his two years? It is unlikely. They may just decide that it is an opportunity for their brand of fascist state.


We could also see the economy begin a slow dive, not a panic, but just a decline as businesses find that they are not able to pay their debts or payrolls. This decline will not be signaled by any specific event. It could even be hid by the government’s statistical procedures. Just keep an eye out for a lack of growth, lack of non-government hiring, government talk of some segment or other of the economy failing to do their part, and the housing sector seeing more foreclosures and lower sales.


We may end up wishing we had a John Galt to unplug the minds keeping this thing alive.


Now, my focus is our economy. But as I said at the beginning of this post, I know that there is connection between the moral, political, and the economic, i.e., without freedom we cannot have a productive, prosperous economy. Without the morality of reason, of self-interest, we cannot have freedom. I am an advocate of individual rights and lazi-faire capitalism, of the virtue of selfishness.


I am talking to those whose fight is to achieve freedom. I merely want you to protect as much of your personal wealth and wiggle room as possible.