Happy Rude Year!

It’s been a year since I’ve started writing the Rude… Were you forwarded this email? [Sign-up to Rude Awakening here.]( [Unsubscribe]( [The Rude Awakening] Happy Rude Year! - I took over the Rude 366 days ago. - It’s been a crazy political and economic year. - Thank you for your fantastic support and encouragement! Recommended Link [Shocking! Crypto Millionaire Demonstrates Insane Free Crypto “Internet Hack” Live on Camera]( [Click here for more...]( Have you seen [this]( yet? It's a viral video spreading across the internet. And it shows crypto millionaire James Altucher demonstrating a [“free crypto hack”]( live on camera. One allows you to generate up to $167 of FREE crypto without risking a single dime of your own money. I’ve checked it out. It's all “above board” and completely legitimate. And he really does show you how to do it for free. [Click Here To Learn How To Claim Your Free Crypto]( Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Happy Friday, as well! It’s been a crazy few weeks in Italy, as we’re still looking for an apartment from which we can complete all our immigration formalities. In essence, we need to rent until the paperwork is done, and then we can buy a house. It’s been a bit uncomfortable as Italy shuts down over Easter. And since there are few taxis in Asti, I’ve had to wheel our big bags from Airbnb to Airbnb. My forearms haven’t been this sore since my freshman year in high school! Nevertheless, the process has been well worth it, even if a bit more expensive and time-consuming than I thought it would be. The late, great Jim Camp talked about knowing how much your opponent has spent in time, energy, emotion, and money during the negotiation process. I’ll add that it’s perhaps even more important to know your own - and your spouse’s! So crazy has it been that I missed our first Rude anniversary, which was technically yesterday. That’s ok, as I prefer to wait until something’s past me, like a goal line, before I start to celebrate. So in today’s edition, let’s talk about what happened over these insane 12 months. Afghanistan Disaster In the history of mankind, no Catholic has ever executed a worse pull-out than Joe Biden. So incompetent was the Afghanistan withdrawal that even Biden’s most ardent supporters couldn’t defend it. They had to ignore it, especially because we left an enormous military gift on the ground for the Taleban. Yes, the same Taleban whom the USG allegedly fought for the past 20 years. The same Taleban, who hung out the “Under New Management” sign that was never supposed to appear. The blood and treasure the USG spent to gain absolutely nothing is a permanent stain on the US’s reputation. Afghanistan certainly burnished theirs as the “Graveyard of Empires.” History will almost certainly agree. Build Back Better Never Gets to the Senate Thank heavens for Joe Manchin. Though a Democrat, he hails from West Virginia, so he can’t be as wasteful a spender as his Northeast and West Coast counterparts. “I’ve never found out that you can lower costs by spending more,” Manchin allegedly said. Can you imagine the inflation numbers if Congress passed this idiotic bill? I shudder to think what Americans would have to pay for the follies of their socialist overlords. No Net Netflix Let’s do this one in pictures. First, we have Bill Ackman, owner of Wall Street’s most punchable face, tweeting the following in January: Next, we have NFLX’s latest chart: Yes, it dropped from about $700 to $218.22. Finally, we have the headline: Credit: [ZeroHedge]( I don’t want to hang shit on Ackman. He’s at the top of this field and a multibillionaire. But this is the end of the FAANG era, I think. The Great Unwashed are tired of paying multiple subscriptions for mediocre content generated by untalented woke writers who hate their audiences. And it’s not only NFLX. Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida and probable Republican nominee for President in 2024 is about to have Disney’s special status removed. From [NBChé]( The legislation would dismantle Disney’s special district on June 1, 2023. The district, which was created by a 1967 state law, allows Disney to self-govern by collecting taxes and providing emergency services. Disney controls about 25,000 acres in the Orlando area, and the district allows the company to build new structures and pay impact fees for such construction without the approval of a local planning commission. The effort to eliminate Disney’s district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, comes after DeSantis began targeting the corporation over its leaders’ criticism of legislation he recently signed that would prevent classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through the third grade. I can’t believe they’re teaching that stuff that early anyway in the States. But that’s neither here nor there. What’s pertinent is that parents, via their elected officials, are regaining control of what’s entering their kids’ heads. And that spells colossal trouble for Big Tech. That, coupled with high inflation, means I’m not a tech bull. By the way, how are you enjoying your [CNN+ subscription]( BAHAHAHAHAHA! Recommended Link [These weird devices are about to appear all over America]( [Click here for more...]( According to America’s top tech futurist – dubbed the “Tech Prophet” by Forbes – millions of these strange little devices are about to appear in every corner of our country… including your home. What are they? And why did one tech insider with connections to Apple and Microsoft claim they’ll “rewrite the rules of what’s possible?” [Click Here To Learn More]( Putin’s Price Hike (GUFFAW!) If there were ever a line that set off even the laziest bullshit-o-meter, it’s “Putin’s Price Hike.” No one bought it for a second. I’m sure the White House interns were sitting around Grandpa Joe’s office helping him brainstorm - sorry, brain drizzle - a solution to the inflation problem. “Let’s blame that on the Russians, too!” But the data says otherwise. We know the government manipulates inflation data using “harmonics,” so the numbers would be even worse otherwise. “Liar, liar, Creepy Joe’s Pants are on fire!” Credit: [Senate Republican Policy Committee]( It’s amazing what happens when you won’t open the spigot for the Keystone XL pipeline, let your Fed Chairman print wildly, and give into the ESG crowd. Again, if Build Back Better got through Congress, these numbers would be even more astronomical. Powell’s Panic Now, Jay Powell is pooping the bed. It’s glorious to behold. He knows he left rates too low for too long, and now, like the numbskull he is, he’s going to make up for it by hiking bigger, more quickly. From the [WSJ]( “It is appropriate in my view to be moving a little more quickly” than the Fed has in the recent past, Mr. Powell said Thursday. “I also think there’s something in the idea of front-end loading” those moves. So do I, Jay… I think frontloading will tank the stock market. Yesterday’s stock market moves seem to confirm my view. Credit: [Stockcharts.com]( Oh boy… From the same WSJ article: In prerecorded remarks at a separate conference on Thursday morning, Mr. Powell extolled the example of former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, who raised interest rates aggressively in the early 1980s to stamp out inflation. “Chair Volcker understood that expectations for inflation play a significant role in its persistence,” said Mr. Powell. “He therefore had to fight on two fronts: slaying, as he called it, the ‘inflationary dragon’ and dismantling the public’s belief that elevated inflation was an unfortunate, but immutable, fact of life.” “He had to stay the course,” Mr. Powell said. If Powell had stayed the course at the end of 2018, we’d be living in a different world now. The Fed Funds target range right now is 0.25% to 0.50%. If they raise by 50bps, that makes the range 0.75% to 1.00%. That looks like nothing, but if you take the medians (0.375% and 0.875%), you’re actually raising rates 2.33x! There will be no “soft landing.” Things will get ugly quickly. Wrap Up It’s been a year filled with idiotic military “strategy” - their word, not mine - tech companies getting wrecked, and inept central bankers trying to make up for lost time. Oh, and that little European war going on. But from where I’m sitting, it’s been one of the most rewarding, thrilling, and happiest years of my life. It’s a privilege to write for you everyday and I hope you enjoy our little ranting sessions. Special thanks to Pam and Micah, Chris (my publisher), my fantastic network of friends who critique my work for free(!), and, of course, you! Let’s continue our journey together, hoping for better times. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend! All the best, Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening To sign up for the Wiggin Sessions, [click here.]( By clicking this link, you will receive a free subscription to Wiggin Sessions and offers from us and our affiliates that we think might interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time. [Privacy Policy](. [Whitelist Us]( | [Archive]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( Rude Awakening is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Rude Awakening, feel free to [unsubscribe](. 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