Schwab's Face As Red As His Smacked Ass

Milei, Trump, and Roberts trash the WEF on its own turf (figuratively and literally). [The Rude Awakening] January 19, 2024 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Schwab's Face As Red As His Smacked Ass [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Klaus Schwab's head must be as red as a ripe strawberry. And that makes this an even happier Friday than usual. I know we haven’t solved too many problems lately, but I still think things are turning in the right direction. In Davos, new Argentine President Javier Milei and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts laid their boots into a speechless elite. Closer to home, Republican candidate and former US President, Donald J. Trump, promised to ban Biden Bucks, or Central Bank Digital Currencies. You’ve got to celebrate your wins when you get them. So today is a day we revel. Let’s get to the substance of their messages. First, we head to Davos. Milei Roasts WEF… at the WEF. Doing his best Ricky Gervais impersonation, [new Argentine President Javier Milei laid down the law](. Damn the consequences! It was a sight to behold as Milei advocated freedom and denounced collectivism. Milei opened his speech with this: Today I am present to inform you that the Western world is facing a significant threat. It is in danger because those who are supposed to defend the values of the Western world are co-opted by a worldview that inevitably leads to socialism and consequently to poverty and economic deprivation. Unfortunately, in recent decades motivated by some well-intentioned desires to help others and others by the desire to belong to a privileged caste. The main leaders of the Western world have abandoned the model of freedom for different versions of what we call collectivism. We are here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world, but rather they are their cause.Trust me, there is no one better than us Argentines to provide testimony on these two issues. I could imagine the stifled gasps for air in the auditorium. Isn’t the WEF all about collectivism? How will they ever get us to “eat ze bugs?” After showing that world GDP growth up to 1800 was zero, he goes on to say: Now when studying per capita GDP from 1800 to today, what is observed is that after the Industrial Revolution, global per capita GDP multiplied by more than 15 times, generating an explosion of wealth that lifted 90% of the world's population out of poverty. We must never forget that by the year 1800, about 95% of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. While that number dropped to 5% by the year 2020 prior to the pandemic. The conclusion is obvious: far from being the cause of our problems, free market capitalism as an economic system is the only tool we have to end, hunger, poverty, and destitution throughout the planet. The empirical evidence is unquestionable, therefore, as there is no doubt that free market capitalism is superior in productive terms. And then, after Schwab called libertarianism the “anti-system,” Milei defined it for all posterity. Now, in order to understand what we come to defend, it is important to define what we mean when we talk about libertarianism. To define it, I take up the words of the greatest proponent of the ideas of freedom in Argentina, Professor Alberto Venegas Lynch, who says that libertarianism is the unrestricted respect for the life project of others based on the principle of non-aggression and in defense of the right to life, liberty, and property, whose fundamental institutions are private property free markets without state intervention, free competition, division of labor, and social cooperation, where one can only be successful by serving others with goods of better quality at a better price. In other words, the capitalist, the successful entrepreneur is a social benefactor who contributes to the well-being of society as a whole. In short, a successful entrepreneur is a hero. This is the model that we are proposing for the future of Argentina, a model based on the fundamental principles of libertarianism, the defense of life, freedom, and property. Milei said much more, but this was especially powerful: The market is a mechanism of social cooperation where property rights are voluntarily exchanged. Thus, considering this definition, discussing market failure is a contradiction in terms. There is no market failure if transactions are voluntary. The only situation in which there can be a market failure is if there is coercion present, and the only one with the ability to coerce in a generalized manner is the state that possesses the monopoly of violence. Consequently, if someone considers that there is a market failure, I would recommend that they check if there is state intervention in the middle. If no state intervention is found, I suggest re-analyzing, as it is definitely wrong. [Sean: HA!] Market failures do not exist. An example of the alleged market failures described by neoclassicals is concentrated structures in the economy. However, without functions that demonstrate increasing returns to scale, whose counterparts are the concentrated structures of the economy, we would be unable to explain the phenomenon of economic growth from 1800 to the present day. It was a beautiful thing. Next is a surprise from Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts. [2024 Will Be The Year of AI]( The coming second wave of AI could change your life and your finances starting in 2024. This is why our team of experts went live to show you what you need to do to prepare before it profoundly impacts you and your wealth in the coming months… And to reveal THREE tiny AI stocks set to explode during AI’s Second Wave. [Click here for all the details.]( [Click Here To Learn More]( Roberts Dismisses WEF Panel Runner I don’t agree with Roberts on everything he said. [But I’m still glad he said it.]( He kicked off superbly: It's laughable that you or anyone would describe Davos as protecting liberal democracy. I'll be candid here because I think I've been invited here. To be candid, elites tell us that open borders and even illegal immigration are okay. The average person tells us in the United States that both rob them of the American way of life. Elites also tell us that public safety isn't a problem in big American cities. Just travel to New York or Washington or Dallas, Texas. The average person will tell you that the lack of public safety damages not just the American way of life but their life. Elites tell us that we have this existential crisis with so-called climate change. The solutions, the average person knows cost more human lives, especially in Europe during the time that you need heating than do the problem in the problems themselves. The fourth is China, the number one adversary, not just to the United States, but to free people on planet Earth. Not only do we at Davos not say that, we give the Chinese Communist Party a platform. And fifth, as we sit here, another supernational organization, the World Health Organization is discussing foisting gender ideology upon the global south. These are practices that are under review, if not being rejected by countries in Northern Europe. The new president, especially if its President Trump, will as you like to say, “trust the science.” He will understand the basic biological reality of manhood and womanhood. And do you know why? Not because of retribution, not because he's a dictator, but because he has the power of the American people behind him. Let me just correct the slight assertion you made there. We want Ukraine to win. We want to see Ukraine win with a lot more help from European allies. I think the United States has a role. Heritage has been clear about this for two years now, that there is a world in which we support military aid for Ukraine. Our first obligation in foreign policy is to look at it through the lens of what's best for the American citizen. Joe Biden has done a godawful job in articulating what that is. The kind of person who will come into the next conservative administration is going to be governed by one principle, and that is destroying the grasp that political elites and unelected technocrats have over the average person. And if I may, I will be candid and say that the agenda that every single member of the administration needs to have is to compile a list of everything that's ever been proposed at the World Economic Forum and object to all of them wholesale. Wow. Powerful stuff right in the center of Davos. Finally, on to The Man Himself, Donald J. Trump. Trump Promises to Ban Biden Bucks Reader, take a bow. We couldn’t have done it without you. When Paradigm Press started writing about Biden Bucks or Central Bank Digital Currencies, we merely hoped it would have a significant impact. Thanks to your spreading the word, you’ve won a great victory… if the election goes our way. Yesterday, in front of a crowd in Portsmouth, NH, the once and future president told the crowd he decided to ban the Fed from pursuing a CDBC. From [Zero Hedge]( Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to never allow the use of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), as it would "give the government absolute control over your money." "This would be a dangerous threat to freedom – and I will stop it from coming to America. We are also going to put in place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to de-bank you for your political beliefs. That will never happen while I am your president," Trump told a crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire - as first reported by The National Pulse. What a great couple of days! Wrap Up Milei, Roberts, and Trump got the elite on the ground and kicked the mess out of them. Let freedom ring and damn the Biden Bucks. Who knows? Things may be getting better… Have a wonderful weekend! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… This Man Understands What’s At Stake in Ukraine [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Good morning Reader, I was poking around X.com when I ran into a post from Glenn Diesen ([@Glenn_Diesen](. Glenn is a geopolitical analyst and author who’s appeared on one of my favorite geopolitical YouTube channels, [The Duran](. [Glenn’s post]( was about the Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, and [his op-ed in the Slovakian newspaper,](. I just read that editorial. It’s brilliant, and I want to share it with you. There are a few reasons why. As for me, since I’m on the other side of the world from the United States, I think I must provide you with information you’d never get from the US Media Industrial Complex. Also, politicians who write in their local language in their local newspapers aren’t targeting US citizens. They’re targeting their own, which means you get a genuine message. Just because Prime Minister Fico comes from a small country doesn’t render his message unimportant or irrelevant. He’s serving his third term as Slovakian PM and has been in Europe’s political trenches for over thirty years. Finally, Hungary’s Viktor Orbàn isn’t alone in the EU anymore, trying to prevent more Ukrainian lives from being lost. [James Altucher: THIS is my top AI investment pick]( I’ve been called a “genius investor” by my fans… And an “eccentric millionaire” by some others. I think it’s because I make big predictions that [tend to come true.]( Today, I’m making my boldest prediction ever. Revealing the AI stocks I believe… Could turn as little as $10,000… Into $1 MILLION over the next few years. To show you I’m serious about helping you get in on this opportunity, I’m giving away one of my top 5 AI 2.0 stock picks – free. [See my top 5 pick here now.]( [Click Here To Learn More]( A Word On Slovakia Slovakia isn’t the country Melania Trump comes from. That’s Slovenia, which was a part of the former Yugoslavia. Slovakia was once one-half of Czechoslovakia, along with Czechia, but they mutually decided to conduct “The Velvet Divorce,” which separated the countries without a shot fired. Czechia’s capital is the world-famous Prague. Slovakia’s capital is the less famous but altogether charming Bratislava. Daddy fixing Micah’s hood in Bratislava’s Old Town in December 2019. Credit: Sean Ring Here’s Slovakia within Europe: Credit: Google Maps Now, let’s get into the meat of the PM’s editorial. But before we do that, please know I used Google Translate to translate the PM’s original Slovakian into English. It’s a good tool, but not perfect. So don’t mistake wonky translation for the PM’s educational level. The West’s Ukraine Strategy Isn’t Working Credit: [Pravda (Slovakia)]( From the very beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, I rejected a black-and-white vision, as desired in Washington or Brussels. The war in Ukraine has its roots already in 2014 and in the development of the Ukrainian political scene and its relationship with fellow citizens of Russian nationality. And, of course, in the total influence of the USA on everything that happened and is happening in Ukraine after 2014 until now. I may or may not be exaggerating a bit, but let's imagine, for example, that the entire Department of Defense of Mexico, as a neighboring country of the US, was under the complete control of Russia, not to mention the political leaders, including the president. First, Fico cites 2014 as the year this mess began in earnest, not 2022. He also blames the US. Notice his analogy of Russia controlling Mexico. It’s hardly original, but it makes the point effectively. Would the US ever put up with that? Of course not. Fico continues: Russia responded to the security situation and Ukraine's pressure to join NATO by violating international law, using military force without an international mandate. Big countries often do that, let's see what the US accomplished in Iraq. And the West, instead of immediately making every effort to achieve a quick ceasefire, at the beginning of 2022 without even losing a tenth to Ukraine, made a huge mistake. He incorrectly evaluated the use of Russian military force as an opportunity to bring Russia to its knees. One look at history. Russia was invaded by Hitler in June 1941, but the Western Allies did not open a second front until the summer of 1944, when the outcome of the war was clear in favor of the former USSR. It is proven that at the very beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the West did not allow the Ukrainians to conclude a ceasefire with fair terms on at least two very promising occasions. Because a painfully wrong decision has already been made. The West will take advantage of Russia's violation of international law, supply Ukraine with piles of weapons, billions of dollars, load Russia with massive sanctions, attack Russia's main mineral income and expect the Ukrainian soldier, down to the last, to bring him the Russian bear's head on a platter in in the form of a militarily exhausted, economically ruined, internationally isolated and internally politically subverted Russia. This was and unfortunately still is the Western strategy, which I openly say at home and abroad that it does not work, that it has failed. And I don't even agree with her. I am not one of the Slovak politicians who are happy that in Slovakia the Russian Federation is being made a mortal enemy, and I do not at all like that we are labeled as an enemy country in Russia for this reason. Like many Western politicians, Fico alleges Russia violated international law. But he’s quick to note the US does it all the time. Fico also notes the West stupidly didn’t agree to a ceasefire that would’ve saved Ukraine in its present form. (That may still happen, but every day that passes throws the situation into further doubt.) Fico also alleges the West is taking advantage of Russia’s international law violation to get the Ukrainians to fight the war for the West. He knows this strategy is a failed one. Fico quickly says he disagrees with Russia, which distinguishes him from Orbàn. But he’s unhappy about Slovakia's inclusion on Russia’s enemies list. Fico goes on: It is literally shocking to see how the West has repeatedly made mistakes in assessing the situation in Russia. The facts are inexorable. Russia completely controls the occupied territories militarily, and attempts to convince the international community with demagoguery about the demoralization of the Russian soldiers and the huge human losses are increasingly showing themselves as empty demagogic wishful thinking. Ukraine is not capable of any meaningful military counter-offensive, it has become completely dependent on financial aid from the West with unforeseeable consequences for Ukrainians in the years to come. It is only a matter of time when official information about land ownership in Ukraine, about the largest foreign owners, will begin to be published. The position of the Ukrainian president is shaken, while the Russian president increases and strengthens his political support. Neither the Russian economy nor the Russian currency collapsed, anti-Russian sanctions increase the internal self-sufficiency of this huge country, Russian energy giants report record deliveries to China and India. On the other hand, people from around the Ukrainian president, for the prestigious, I repeat prestigious foreign media, say that there is theft in Ukraine as if there was no tomorrow. Of course, I do not dare to claim that Russia is not feeling the negative consequences of its February 2022 decision to use military force in Ukraine. But not by any chance to the extent that it would ruin it, as the Western planners had predicted. Fico states the obvious: Russia is winning, and Ukraine is losing. But we’ve known this for ages. It’s refreshing to hear it from someone who deals with this stuff daily. He also ridicules the sanctions, as we all should. Fico knows Russia is stronger thanks to its immense self-sufficiency. But Fico also thinks Russia is suffering a bit, though he doesn’t elaborate. Fico ends his piece with this: I often ask myself what is defeatist about realistic and fact-based considerations about the necessity of a cease-fire in Ukraine, when it is absolutely clear to everyone that the crisis in Ukraine has no military solution. If I wish for something, it is for the Slavs to stop fighting each other for geopolitical reasons, both on the American and Russian sides. Let Ukraine follow its sovereign, not dictated, path. If he sees himself in the EU, let him get this chance, provided he meets the conditions. We will be happy to help. Russia also needs its security guarantees. And I continue to believe that we should return to the recent European rhetoric of how the EU and Russia are somewhat connected vessels and how they need each other. As Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, I will not spread hostility towards any country in the world, I also wish for the gradual standardization of relations between EU member countries and Russia. And I will no longer be subject to stupid liberal and progressive demagoguery that offends basic human justice and will ultimately cause enormous harm. Fico leaves the EU door open for Ukraine, though I doubt Russia will ever agree to it. And I doubt the neocons who currently run the US and EU will give Russia any security guarantees. Wrap Up This piece didn’t set the world on fire because of who wrote it and where it was printed. And that’s a damn shame. I can’t see much to disagree with. Robert Fico wrote a heartfelt piece hoping to kickstart a peace process the USG isn’t willing to start on behalf of its vassal states in Europe. How long will this last? I suspect not much longer. With the Middle East on fire and Taiwan electing a new president, I can see America cut its losses in Europe and move on to greener pastures. But that may be the opening Europe is looking for. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Contributing Editor, The Morning Reckoning feedback@dailyreckoning.com X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2024 Paradigm Press, LLC. 1001 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. 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