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Tens of millions of Americans will go to the polls tomorrow. Most will cast their ballot against the presidential candidate they hate. And they will wait in fear for America’s days of rage that are likely to ensue.
What’s behind this ugliness? Consider these questions and answers …
Q. What percentage of all voters, including many of her own supporters, distrust Hillary Clinton?
A. The latest polls place Clinton’s unfavorability rating at 60%, higher than for any presidential candidate in recent memory.
Q. What percentage of all voters, including many of his own supporters, distrust Donald Trump?
A. Almost the same — 59%, also higher than any unfavorable rating for a presidential candidate in recent memory.
Q. What percentage of Trump supporters feel disgust, disdain, fear and/or outright hatred for Clinton?
A. In prior presidential elections, 40% might have been considered huge. In this cycle, it’s 90%, the worst in recorded history.
Q. Same question for Clinton: What percentage of her supporters feel disgust, disdain, fear and/or outright hatred for Trump?
A. Also 90%!
Q. Based on these stats, how many adults currently living in the United States will be very upset when they hear the results of the election tomorrow night?
A. There are about 220 million citizens eligible to vote in the United States today. Whether they actually vote or not, the latest polls tell us that about half — close to 110 million — prefer one of the candidates who will lose the election. And as I’ve just shown you, 90% of them despise or hate the opposing candidate. This means that we will have close to 100 million angry, frustrated people when they learn the election results tomorrow.
Q. What will these 100 million angry people do about it?
This may be the most urgent question of all … and also the one for which the answers are the most complex. Still, we can safely say that …
- Many will forever remain passively disgruntled. They are not political activists. They have other priorities — their families, their personal finances, and their health — to deal with.
- But that still leaves tens of millions of people who will enthusiastically support aggressive efforts to…
- reject White House-sponsored legislation,
- investigate alleged criminal activities by the president, and
- pursue impeachment if possible.
- Moreover, the turbulent election also leaves an even bigger problem in its wake: A larger-than-ever group of people who are frustrated with elections, hate Congressional lobbyists, and distrust any other established venue for influencing the direction of the country. According to late-breaking poll results, more than 80% of voters are disgusted with current politics.
- Result: Many will resort to street demonstrations and other nonviolent protests.
- And unfortunately, the election aftermath will also create a growing minority that’s motivated to take up arms. No one can foretell when or how. But we can say with certainty that, like it or not, this country provides multiple opportunities for doing so — via militias, underground rebel groups, criminal youth gangs, and even terrorist cells.
- When will this last trend begin? The fact is it already has begun, as Larry documents in “What Rising Social Anxiety and Record Gun Sales Tell Us.” (To sign up for his free Election Day webinar, be sure to click here)
- The end result will be a distinct rise in domestic strife and rebellion … greater authoritarianism in government … plus still more divisiveness among ordinary citizens along social, ethnic and political lines.
The Latin Americanization of U.S. Politics
None of this is unfamiliar territory for me.
For many years I’ve been in Latin American countries that were exploited by corrupt elites, tormented by revolting masses, and ultimately torn by civil strife.
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I was in Cuba before Fidel Castro came to power. We lived on the Isle of Pines, south of Havana Province. Castro was imprisoned nearby and later went back to rename it Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), helping to transform paradise into wasteland.
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| Top: On the roof of Brazil’s Congress during the military dictatorship; then, on the way home from BrasÃlia to São Paulo with our VW bug. Middle: Elisabeth traveling with me and soldiers in San Miguel, El Salvador, prior to civil war. Bottom: Thumbing for rides in Uruguay during state of siege. But no need. Friendly soldiers with machine guns helped get us all the rides we needed at toll-booth barricades. Click here for full size photo. |
I lived in Brazil under a ruthless military dictatorship. Among other forces, the generals rose to power in the wake of economic disasters — and on the shoulders of a desperate middle class.
I was in El Salvador before a long, bloody civil war. One side was armed by the U.S., Israel and Taiwan; the other, by the U.S.S.R, Cuba, and China.
I passed through Uruguay during a state of siege. The entire country was shut down for a door-to-door search of Tupamaro guerrillas who had kidnapped an American CIA agent.
And I was in Chile during a socialist revolution. It later collapsed with a military coup and a presidential suicide.
Is the United States becoming a banana republic?
No. For the most part, our democratic institutions are far stronger and more deeply rooted. Yet there are many valuable lessons to be learned:
Each time I went to Latin America, I came home to develop a detailed political/social analysis of the events.
In each case, I found that civil strife first began in an atmosphere of civil peace.
And everywhere, I discovered that the underlying causes had a lot to do with the same two megatrends I’ve been warning you about right here in the United States.
This is so important — so critical to understanding the presidential election of 2016 and its aftermath — that I must explain it again right now, before we go to the polls tomorrow.
The two megatrends are:
- The biggest concentration of wealth in 100 years; and, at the same time …
- The worst political divisiveness since the Civil War.
Combined, these create some of the most worrisome risks for citizens and investors in recent history.
The last time we saw a similar convergence of these extremes in the United States was in the early 1860s … and then again in the late 1920s.
In the first instance, the only way a semblance of equilibrium was ultimately restored was with a bloody civil war and many years of painful reconstruction.
In the second instance, the extreme imbalances were ultimately resolved with a great depression, followed by the worst global war of all time.
Is today’s situation as extreme as it was during those historic turning points? Are we destined to repeat some of the consequences? Numbers alone cannot give us complete answers. But here’s a statistical analysis of each megatrend …
Megatrend #1. U.S. Concentration of Wealth
The richest one-thousandth (0.1%) of America’s households owned …
- 7.1% of the nation’s wealth in 1978,
- 22% of the wealth in 2012, and
- An estimated 24% of the wealth in 2015.
That means they’ve more than tripled their share of the nation’s assets.
But it goes beyond that. Zero in on the richest one-ten-thousandth (0.01%) of America’s families, and the changes are even more dramatic. This topmost tier controlled …
- 2.2% of the wealth in 1978,
- 12% in 2012, and
- An estimated 14% in 2015.
This means their piece of the asset pie is now more than six times larger. And it means these super-rich families control 14,000 times more than the average wealth-per-capita in the United States. Everyone else has much, much less.
This is not just a problem for the poor. Nor is it an issue limited to the nation’s middle class. It also may be hindering hundreds of thousands of higher-net-worth investors from growing their portfolios.
With controlling interests in the nation’s big corporations, with the companies’ massive stock buybacks that crowd out dividends, and with rampant collusion among supposedly separate centers of power …
The super-rich are now squeezing the rich!
All this data comes from an exhaustive study recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), encapsulated in the black bars of the chart below.
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| Black bars: Wealth share of richest 0.01% of America’s households. Data: Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman. Red line: Distance between Republicans and Democrats in House of Representatives. Data: McCarty, Poole and Rosenthal. |
Look how the concentration of wealth reached a 100-year low in 1978 … and how it has grown virtually nonstop since then!
Plus, if you follow the chart through time, you’ll see four other, even more revealing, facts.
Fact #1. The last time wealth concentration was so extreme was back in 1929, just prior to the stock market crash. (The time before that, not shown on the chart, appears to have been prior to the Civil War.)
Fact #2. Except for a brief interlude during World War I, there has been only one event in modern history that caused the super-rich to relinquish their stranglehold on the nation’s assets: The Great Depression of the 1930s.
The suffering of that period cannot be discounted. But that’s also when the groundwork was laid for millions of average investors to build substantial wealth after World War II.
Fact #3. Unlike the Great Depression, the Great Recession of 2008-2010 did nothing to stop the ascent of the super-rich. Quite to the contrary, since 2008, the trend toward more and more wealth-concentration has continued unabated.
Why didn’t the Great Recession stop the near-vertical rise of the nation’s billionaires?
One factor was TARP, the U.S. Treasury’s bank bailouts in the wake of the 2008 debt crisis, helping to perpetuate a quasi-monopoly among the nation’s top five megabanks — JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo.
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Indeed, according to recent data provided by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), these five banks represent less than one-thousandth (0.1%) of all the commercial banks in the United States. But they control 46% of all bank assets and 94% of all bank-owned derivatives, or 940-times the average per-bank holdings.
This has helped boost still further the fortunes of their CEOs, their largest shareholders, their highly bonused traders, and their closest corporate clients.
An even bigger factor is the Fed’s relentless, nonstop push for near-zero interest rates for eight long years. This has squashed income opportunities for average investors and retirees. It has facilitated high-profit gambits for those who could best afford the risk. And it has driven even more wealth share into the hands of the super-rich.
Fact #4. The most shocking revelation of all: About six years ago, the wealth share controlled by the richest one-ten-thousandth (0.01%) in America matched that of 1929 almost to a tee. But with the bank bailouts and near-zero interest rates, it has now become even more extreme today than in that memorable year of that historic stock market crash.
Megatrend #2. U.S. Political Division and Dysfunction
Most economists would argue that, in a capitalist society, some concentration of wealth is necessary, even desirable.
The question is: How much is too much?
I get it. You’re probably thinking this second topic is strictly for cocktail-hour chitchat. Or maybe you’re wondering how I’m going to take this conversation beyond the typical tussles between Clinton and Trump?
Read on and I’ll show you how.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, the same chart I just showed you also has a red line that measures political division and dysfunction in America …
- When the red line is lower, it means that Republicans and Democrats in Congress vote more by the issues: They cross party lines and draft legislation together.
- When the red line is higher, it means they more often disregard the substance of the issues: They vote strictly along party lines, get nothing done, and throw bricks at each other.
(The chart is based on an exhaustive study of voting patterns in the U.S. House of Representatives, courtesy of political scientists McCarty, Poole and Rosenthal. Similar data for the Senate shows essentially the same pattern.)
The evidence is clear that what we’re witnessing now is worse than Washington gridlock. That was just the passive-aggressive phase of America’s power struggles. Instead, what we’ve seen in this presidential election cycle is outright political warfare that splinters the two major parties … tears apart the fabric of society … and may threaten future chaos in financial markets.
Has this ever happened before? Yes.
It was right after the American Civil War. And based on the measure I just showed you — of political division and dysfunction — it’s now even worse:
- Back in 1879, shortly after the post-Civil War Reconstruction years, the distance between the parties in the House of Representatives was a very high 0.79 (on a scale of zero to 1). That was bad.
- In 2010, it was 0.97. That was worse.
- And now, it’s probably even more extreme.
That doesn’t exactly augur well for the prospects of coming together to resolve the nation’s most intractable problems — massive deficits in the federal budget, Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits … a chaotic immigration system … the threat of domestic terrorism … or the rumblings of nuclear war.
Widespread Investment Consequences
For eight long years, a broad series of market trends have been steady and apparently unshakable:
U.S. stock averages have moved dramatically higher with few meaningful interruptions.
The U.S. bond market has done the same.
Short-term interest rates have hugged the zero line.
Despite the low yields, the U.S. dollar has reigned supreme, while foreign currencies slumped.
Commodities, especially crude oil, have taken one beating after another.
Gold has held up relatively better, but has still disappointed gold enthusiasts.
Here’s the key: The political and social turmoil that follows this unprecedented election is the kind of force that can potentially turn most of these eight-year trends upside down and inside out.
Fear and uncertainty are at an all-time high. And regardless of who wins tomorrow … the ensuing turmoil could have a devastating impact on your portfolio.
Larry Edelson is holding a briefing tomorrow afternoon — yes, on Election Day — to help investors plan how to navigate the crises ahead.
It’s free for Money and Markets readers. So just click here to register before 5 PM Eastern time tonight.
Good luck and God bless!
Martin
P.S. Reminder: My special offer on your custom Medigap guide is expiring at the end of this week. That means you only have a few days left to save 50% on the one guide that can show you the unfortunate truths about Medicare supplement insurance that are costing you thousands every year… Remember, my company, Weiss Ratings, is the only one in the country that has all the data and can find the few safe companies that can save you a not-so-small fortune. To find out more about these unfortunate truths-and learn how to keep from spending a dime more than you should- (AND still save 50%), click here!
Dr. Weiss founded Weiss Research in 1971 and has dedicated his entire career to helping millions of average investors find truly safe havens and investments. He is Chairman of the Weiss Group, which includes Weiss Research and Weiss Ratings, the nation’s leading independent rating agency accepting no fees from rated companies. His last three books have all been New York Times Bestsellers and his most recent title is The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession and Depression.
{ 47 comments }
Dear Dr. Weiss,
Thank you for a most informative article, and the other excellent programs that you and your team have made available!
I’m a happy regular reader and delighted member of the brilliant Larry Edelson’s Gold Mining Millionaire program that has enable excellent returns compared to other investments.
Keep up the good work!
Warm regards,
Joyce
According to History of the USA, from the Civil War of 1861 to 1865 which ended with about 750,000 soldiers dead followed by the emancipation of slaves and civil rights. President Abraham Lincohn died for mankind irrespective of color. He is a white man with his colleagues who sympathized with black people and said God created all in His image and they got a right to live. Civil Rights Act of 1964 is his legacy, which was enacted into law by Congress after Martin Luther King which is in the largest Library of Congress. Now, Donald Trump breached the US Constitution by gun violence against Civil Rights Act of 1964; will African Americans vote for him?, the answer is no!! we’ll vote for Hillary Clinton who protects the US Constitution. The threatened women who go around New York with fear, will they vote for Donald Trump? I got my M.S,. Ph.D., another Ph.D on Copyright Law U.S.C am I safe; the answer is no? and I vote for Hillary Clinton for saving and protecting the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Mr. Matthe,
Sir, you were spot on with Lincoln’s attitude towards slavery during the Civil War. You totally lost me however when you said Donald Trump breached the Constitution by gun violence against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I see no examples of this at all. All you have to ask yourself is weather the country was more divisive now or 8 years ago.
well david lets ask you this first of all who was abraham lincoln …….. i bet you think he was a democrat….. he wasnt a democrat he was a republican ………….. who signed the emancipation proclamation not the democrats but the it was the republicans , who wanted slavery ? it was— the democrats , who shot lincoln ? it was a democrat john wilkes booth that fled the ford theatre who david started the KKK ? cmon guesss it was the democrats who initiated the 2nd amendment right THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS which in essence says you have the right to defend yourself , who gave all individuals after the CIVIL WAR THE RIGHT since so many blacks were being killed and tormented by the democrat controlled KKK not the democrats but it was the republicans and since ive thrown a little history in there which you are lacking or should i say twisted THINK ABOUT THIS WHO HAS FOR DECADES BEEN TAKING AWAY PEOPLES RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS IT HAS BEEN THE DEMOCRATS SEE BILL CLINTON tried banning all pistols he said they could be concealed and turned into a assassins weapon he then said he needed to ban all rifles because they could be affixed with a scope and turned into a sniper rifle and then lastly he needed to ban all shotguns since they shot multiple projectiles and were weapons of mass destruction so if you look at the facts democrats have been trying to disarm the american people for decades NANCY PELOSI , HARRY REID , BARBARA BOXER, BILL CLINTON , HILLERY CLINTON, BARACK OBAMA , MICHELE OBAMA AND OTHERS HAVE TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES so before you speak learn the truth not the twisted facts the democrats feed you
Larry a picture is worth more than a thousand words. You have been around lots of the world and seen it all I value that, there’s nothing like experIence. This message is from a Canadian, we hope this election goes over without problems, however i dont think this will be the case. To much doom and gloom in the USA something will bust and soon after the election. I wish the USA lots of luck in the days ahead. God Bless This Mess.
DR. WEISS,
THE BIG BANKS ARE CONTROLLING EVERY THING AND NOT GIVING ANY
DECENT ENTEREST RAISES ON THE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS. THE KEEP IT MOST OF IT FOR THEM SELVES, BY GIVING THEM SELVES BIG BOUNES. THEY ARE ALL GREEDY LIKE BEING A COMMINIST.
Larry
The best summation and world view I have read.
Chip Wood
Weiss Research, Here in Australia we have been watching this event, Americans love their Country how sad a few greedy people have brought this most generous nation to its knees, I pray to God that the people will be guided when voting for their country, this will also affect us here in Australia
Gridlock in Washington would imply the country becomes ungovernable, unable to change anything. Executive orders could be used to effect change but surely that would move the country towards becoming a de-facto dictatorship with the president as the dictator. Perhaps this would lead to massive population revulsion triggering a groundbreaking change of mindset among the members of congress motivated by their political survival or the emergence of a popular third party. We live in interesting times.
Thanks for the article. Sobering stuff.
Your left wing leanings are not only obvious but unbalanced and unfair and beneath you and your organization. Obama, Clinton, Holder and Lynch (and their minions) have done more to stir up racial and other unrests than ever before. The violence that was perpetrated by Dems at Trump rallies and all the BLM aggressions are examples of the most recent and blatant violence but have zero mention here. Too bad because you’re quite good at most of what you do.
5.And unfortunately, the election aftermath will also create a growing minority that’s motivated to take up arms. No one can foretell when or how. But we can say with certainty that, like it or not, this country provides multiple opportunities for doing so — via militias, underground rebel groups, criminal youth gangs, and even terrorist cells.
Sorry, forgot to put quotes re: #5 of your piece
Mistrust of leaders,greedy leaders,stupid leaders.no idea leaders,I could go on but your getting the general idea.Clinton just more Obama,Trump is a change,might do good,can he do worse,I dont think so,at least he knows the USA should be making a profit,Best of luck
My advice, get at least two years of property tax and related expense cash in your coffee can. Those that have access to real money are more likely to survive a big turn down than those that do not. It is just a waiting game. In the mean time, there is no incentive for us small players to move into any kind of a risk market.
Excellent essay.
The biggest difference is that today we are fighting to keep Communism out of DC and losing the battle. Which party wants to wreck certain parts of the Constitution? The Dems want to take away the 1st and 2nd amendments. When that happens, there goes capitalism and what remains of free markets.
The system has more or less worked for a couple of centuries. Most people will just sit back and wonder what next. It is those few who want to “do something” that we have to worry about. Especially when law and order have just about disappeared in many cities, and even some more rural locations.
Since the financial reporting press is a full partner in the Cabal that runs the country, they have been effective in convincing investors that Trump’s election would crush the market. Since his agenda is to rebuild American infrastructure, the market will benefit from more government spending throughout this country. Hillary’s agenda is more welfare for the unproductive citizens. I suppose if your portfolio is primarily in consumer securities and HUD rentals then you will benefit from a democrat victory. With dead people voting in Chicago and Baltimore and illegal’s voting in Northern Virginia and California, it is doubtful that Trump will gain the required number of electoral votes to win the election. So, relax the election is over and Hillary is the winner. The election process is just a charade to appease the masses that they can influence the status quo. Mark my words. He has no chance of winning enough electoral votes. The fix was in when the Republicans selected an unelectable candidate. Take a deep breath and relax, buy the dips and watch your nest egg grow. She will direct the FED to just keep printing money which will continue to fuel the market.
One more comment. How do you arrive at 90%? The spineless RINOs have always approved all Obama’s budgets. The congress has no backbone, that is the problem and they never will develop a backbone. The Republicans selecting Trump as their candidate was a gift to the democrats. The irony is that he is not and never was a conservative but New York liberal.
I wish some one in your outfit could offer specific guidance to the middle class investor, that is something affordable, with a great chance for some BIG WINS. Larry E claims to hold that kind of info, but wants too much up front. I am growing tired of his :free” advice tied to a major investment that the little guy can afford! Now I feel better.
The most profound political emotion in this country is apathy. Apathetic citizens do not riot or revolt.
we had a chance to vote for berie, but we blew it. :-(
This is probably the most important election of all time. Trump might be a bit more pro European considering he’s married to one.I don’t see how Brexit is good the EU. The central European free trade association was originally signed by Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Ferederal Republic of Yugoslavia, Hungary, the former Yugoslav Republic (FYR), Macedonia, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. Benign neglect is the policy of non intervention in foreign exchange markets followed by the United States from March 1973 until the end of 1977 and from 1981 to 1985. What perhaps America should engage in is double factoral terms of trade. The ratio of the price index of its imports times the ratio of the ratio of the productivity index in the nations export sector to the productivity index in the nations export sector to the productivity index in the nations import competing sector. I don’t know what zirp, zero interest rate payments are. Interest rates will always be positive since it will always cost money to borrow money. Sure that’s what usury is. Surely what they should be trying to do is strengthen the European union try and get more countries into it. I think Trump might be better negotiating with Putin on a man to man level. What we need is another Jamaica Accord the agreements reached in January 1976 and ratified in April 1978 that recognized the managed float and abolished the official price of gold. What we need is a return to the Bretton Woods system the gold exchange standard that operated from the end of world war 2 until 1971. What countries need to look at is the gold export point. The mint parity plus the cost of shipping an amount of gold equal to one unit of the foreign currency between the two nations. The gold import point is really important too. The mint parity minus the cost of shipping an amount of gold equal to one unit of the foreign currency between the two nations. Maybe its the gold standard we should look at, the international monetary system operating from about 1880 to 1914 under which gold was the only international reserve, exchange rates fluctuated only within the gold points, and balance of payments adjustment was described by the price specie flow mechanism. The gold tranche is really important too, in that the 25 percent of a nations quota in the IMF that the nation was originally required to pay in gold and could then borrow from the fund almost automatically. Its the precious metals market to invest in as Larry said all along. Its liquid it can be converts into cash quickly and can be stored in vaults around the world. The International Finance Corporation the affiliate of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development set up in 1956 to stimulate private investments in developing nations from indigenous and foreign sources. This bank itself was investing in gold. Martin I am not American so I cant vote. But these usually work the opposite to what you think. So you think Clinton to win the presidency but its actually Trump who will get in. I am bullish about the stock markets though I think you might see a rising stock, equities and commodities market. I think that this might have an effect on companies isocost a line showing the various combinations of two inputs that a firm can hire for a given expenditure and factor prices.
Added: Barack Obama divided the nation. His presidency was a platform for revolution.
His Middle East intervention builds factories for endless war, bankrupting the nation.
Never before has the Fed had so much control over the entire economy. It has made it so the stock market is the only viable option for wealth maintenance and propped up the stock market and banks with money creation and with one turn could crash it all after they have accumulated all the wealth they want. One election is not going to end the corrupt political/financial complex that has bankrupted the nation. Only the total destruction of wall street and washington dc will do that.
Great insight and content, especially when you took the political pulse of the country. I am 62 years old and have never seen a more hateful, devisive election in my lifetime. This is the climate we create when we put two of the most reviled opponets up against one another. They are polar opposites, one representing the left and Romney’s 47 percenters who is corrupt to boot vs a loudmouthed, narcissist Capitalist representing the conservatives. Pick your poison. The self loathing begins Nov.9 th.
President Allende of Chile was killed by the forces of General Pinochet. He did not commit suicide and Pinochet expressed pride in having murdered him. Very important to be really accurate.
@ DR TRIESMAN… If accuracy counted for anything in the death of Salvador Allende, it would include the fact that even Allende’s supporters accept that his death was a suicide by firearm. No one seriously contests this.
To the election at hand: I hope Trump can successfully drain the swamp as he has vowed, but conditions are ripe for an outbreak of open hostilities, civil war right in the capital, should that work get started. It’ll clear the air, eventually, once the cordite & napalm settles. Forgive my mordancy, but I hope he wins.
Very interesting piece you wrote here and it makes complete sense…My only question is that it seems that throughout your whole life you somehow where always living in the middle of some conflict or another… Quite the coincidence and knack for finding trouble…almost sounds like maybe you were the one causing them?! and look now, you are going to be living in the USA during this whole debacle… Whatever you do, please don’t move to Canada, we don’t want to be next!…LOL!!
Dr. Weiss, once again you have given enlightenment and wisdom. I thank you for your post that share facts and figures, which is rare now days. Wish you the best.
There are several things that concern me about Hillary Clinton. But the three greatest concerns are these:
1. She wants open borders. Open borders means…come on, come all….don’t like the USA?…come anyhow. There will be no control over who comes or why they are coming. It could lead to ONE PARTY governance and all the corruption that entails and or much more terrorism and violence. Witness Venezuela.
2. She will appoint radicals to the court that do not agree with our constitution or capitalism.
3. Corruption from her “Foundation” will continue to metastasize within our government.
Hi Martin
The greatest loss I will feel after election day is the disunity among us all. At a political level the FBI may not have charged HRC earlier for fear of her having been pardoned by BHO. If the elite win I see divisiveness and corruption continuing. It is hard not to get swept up in the enthusiasm for the change and restoration the swamp cleaners want. However without some attention to our debt and unfunded liabilities we are living in a fool’s paradise.
Also consider the sacrifices one of the wealthy has made to enter a contest of this nature to begin a reset. What chance have the disheartened got if he fails. Who would stand up in the future to put themselves through this ugly examination of their past errors of judgement and yet it is a powerful figure for change that is needed. A major print media source recently asked ‘Plunging print ad sales and an explosion of online outlets spreading inaccurate information threaten to diminish, and in some cases extinguish, the impact of traditional media companies.’ Traditional media has stopped providing reliable and trust worthy journalism, where the issues were debated from a position of balance and neutrality. It is the elitist media’s own fault that many now seek this sense of balance from other more reliable sources.
The rich control the media and therefore the masses. Until people get their info from alternative media like Democracy Now, comedian Jimmy Dore, The Young Turks,
Redacted Tonight, Truthdig, Common Dreams and If Americans Knew, we will be in trouble.
Work for media reform and publicly funded elections.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOcstHhtL4Y
Saddening statistics re: 2016 election. But informative.
Imagine being in a country where voting didn’t happen, where your opinion is completely irrelevant and you have no right to a say in government. Imagine, for a moment, living in a country where class truly defines your position in that nation and there’s no hope of ever changing it, no matter how many generations come after you. Imagine living in a country where true dictatorship prevails and brutal reprisal is a regularity for any expression of opinion contrary to the status quo.
It’s hard to imagine. It’s even harder to believe that those sorts of things still exist (they do).
Voting is not compulsory. However, if you really care about what it means that the United States of America is the land of the free and the brave, get off your butt and go vote. No good options you say? I bet that American Revolutionaries looked those “no good options” in the face and took a risk to move forward the notion of what this great country can be, despite fear of failure and incredible odds.
Go be brave. Go be free. VOTE!
What an enormous relief to read an analysis of the election and the current state of the economy that is, besides insightful and lucid, civil and objective. Despite all, there is hope.
Funny that 90% of the people I talk to in a given day are ALL Solidly behind Trump and in my job I talk to many people from all over the USA. The signs in my neck of the woods are all for Trump. We just came back from a road trip to the deep south & I talked to toll road personal , truckers , state workers ,etc – it was all the same – ALL for Trump
Given the hard facts – how could anyone even consider voting for Crooked Hillary. Well of course those on the Government Dole are solidly behind Crooked Hillary – but the hard working American is 90% or better for Trump
Despicable that Crooked Hillary was not indicted (YET) & the totally biased media is totally against Trump , throwing up day after day words spoken 11 years ago & totally ignoring Crooked Hillary’s criminal acts – only in a non-Democracy does this happen
You have hit the nail on the head.
It has been clear for some time that the big problem, that no one wanted to admit to, is that too few people have far too much money.
They have sequestered this money in non-productive accounts, effectively reducing the velocity of many billions of dollars to zero.
Money, that in the hands of people who need it, would have been rapidly circulating and stimulating the economy.
People are angry, as they should be, at the super rich takers. They own Congress and don’t intend to give it up.
Some people work past 5pm and can’t register.
Dear Martin,
It is all peace & tranquility here in Cedarburg, WI.
I have picketed over the freeway with HONK TO IMPEACH regarding the obamatraitor and got 18,000 honks (I counted them) before a Deputy kicked me off. Then I picketed recently in Grafton WI with HILLARY FOR PRISON and got a vigorous response, until a City Cop kicked me off. We will vigorously vote for the Trumper today!
If hillery wins, I will become Michael Milktoast and fade into the woodwork.
All the best and Godspeed !
MPR
Friends. Remember the last eight years. Be careful of what you say and your comments. The IRS and Justice Department is watching and you don’t want get one their list. DB
Let’s hope that Trump wins! God save us from Hillary!
Thank you Dr Weiss for a very interesting article.
If congress will be to be deadlocked, no president will be able to function well. The existing USA constitution was written under the assumption that people are reasonable and willing to compromise when necessary. But what can the nation do if congress is deadlocked again, and the president and congress do not want to compromise again?
If that happens again, it will be time to think about a changing the constitution!!! It is shameful that something that worked, at least since the Civil War, will have to be replaced. But America cannot continue being a superpower, WHEN its politicians cannot make decisions.
dear Weiss research
please stick to finances with out the politics.
well trump has won! good man! now we will have peace..i think. but look whats coming! i can almost guarantee that obama will declare martial law in a few days. why? because there will be a massive destabilisation of the country by islam extremists (already in usa) and obama will use this as an excuse to bring in over 300,000 u.n. troops from the russian border via an armada of transport shipping and airlifts under way right now. now that usa won’t attack russia under trump somehow obama must escape the wrath of the american people when all is exposed soon and also hillary clinton etc. etc. etc. will want the same. it will be a massacre. and not many people are aware. now martin please print this ..you might save a few lives. if you don’t you might be responsible for the deaths of many people. do you really want that? fellow commentators please note. forewarned is forearmed.
Very good article Dr Weiss, Thank you.
I believe this hits at the center of what we see happening. Society is certainly divided and no wonder as one side gets all the money while the cost of providing them more is thrust upon the poorer side. I never could understand how politics in other countries could become so corrupt but now it’s here in the US with everyone grabbing for the money.
Considering the fact that a huge ending triangle has formed in the Dow it looks like the start of the market downturn will happen in the days following Thanksgiving. I looks like the Great Depression again should ensue as the sovereign debts we’ve accumulated with the rich paying themselves off at the expense of the poor can’t continue forever.