Ride America's Coffin to Riches!

All of DC and the Military Industrial Complex do it. You should, too! [The Rude Awakening] February 08, 2024 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Ride America's Coffin to Riches! [Wall Street] [Sean Ring] SEAN RING The Wall Street Journal recently published an article titled “[Why Americans Are So Down on a Strong Economy]( Unlike The Journal, I don’t think the people they interviewed are idiots. These people, like most, have found out that disinflation doesn’t equal deflation. That means the rate of price increases has slowed (disinflation), but prices haven’t fallen (falling prices means deflation). [Meme] Credit: [@beinlibertarian]( My friend and colleague Zach Scheidt gave this example: “If you’re in a car and go from 65 mph to 95 mph, you’ve accelerated (inflation). But if you’re going 95 mph and put the car in cruise control, you may not be accelerating anymore (disinflation), but you’re not slowing down either (deflation).” Americans intuitively and empirically understand that. Government statisticians, Fed-subsidized economists, and “Nobel Prize Winners” like Paul Krugman don’t. But here’s another reason. [ATTENTION: WAREHOUSE CLEAROUT SCHEDULED FOR 2/11]( [Click here to learn more]( The Financial War Kit Includes everything necessary to protect yourself from an all-out financial war… Global factors indicate that a currency war is only a few weeks away. And when it breaks out, the U.S. dollar that currently makes up your savings could be deemed worthless… [Making this box critical to your financial survival.]( [Click Here To Learn More]( The S&P 500 5,000? The broad market is about to hit 5,000, yet another all-time high! [S&P 5000] Yesterday, we reached 4,999.89 in intraday trading before closing at 4,995.06. It’s just a matter of time before we bust through 5,000, the algos go wild, and we’re trading well above that level. In fact, my long-term target for the SPX is 6,000. And we may get there before the end of the year. By that notion alone, you must participate in this rally. Everyone in the market continues to get richer. Even if you’re not fully invested yet, you still have a chance to get in. And you should. Today. [Margin %] Credit: [( We're not even near the all-time highs in margin, which is the amount investors borrow to speculate in the market. The thing is, most Americans aren’t participating. And if they are, they do so through their 401(k) plans, so the wealth increase doesn’t feel tangible. As you’ll see below, much of this “wealth” is related to US debt. But first, let’s visit my pick of the year. Blue Horseshoe Loves PLTR Palantir popped on Tuesday when they announced their first annual profit… and higher-than-expected forecasted earnings for 2024. [pub] I recommended PLTR at the Paradigm Shift Summit 2023 back in October. It briefly rose above $20 before falling back to $16. Now, it’s flown through that $20 level and closed at $23.60. You’re sitting on a nearly 50% gain if you bought back in October. Congratulations! Incidentally, PLTR’s new target price is $32. So, you still have time to make a return of over 33%. Ok, enough of my self-congratulatory nonsense. Why did I pick Palantir? Because the USG loves to spy on everyone: Russians, Chinese, American citizens. And since you can do nothing about it, you may as well be compensated for it. Economists call it [The Cantillon Effect]( which I wrote about in the Rude before. And that’s my theory here. America is in its declining years, and the USG is intent on destroying what’s left of the city on the hill. So you may as well get compensated for it. How is the USG wrecking the place? With insidious and unpayable debt due to unwinnable wars. Vindman’s Hoodwink This week’s Tweet of Economic Illiteracy goes to Alex Vindman, the Ukrainian-born US Army Colonel. Clearly, Vindman isn’t remotely acquainted with the economic concept of opportunity cost or Bastiat’s broken window fallacy. He loves to use his ancestral homeland as an excuse to rebuild the US Army. Read this first. [Vindman X] Credit: @AVindman First, those funds - all $60 billion - will flow straight into the US military-industrial complex. But for how many jobs? And it won’t add to the tax base; it redistributes from the already existing tax base. How about a big refund, then? Can’t do that because we’ve got a $33 trillion debt? Then why spend more at all? Second, since it’s your money, not his, what would you do with your share of the $60 billion? Help pay for your kid’s tuition? Put an addition on your house? Take a nice vacation? Who knows… but you almost certainly wouldn’t be buying arms to fight a war that has nothing to do with you. That’s opportunity cost, or what Bastiat would call “The Unseen.” Third, replacing munitions that are either blown up or, in Ukraine’s case, more likely stolen and resold in arms auctions, is not a good use of money in any event. [As Bastiat wrote]( HAVE YOU EVER WITNESSED the anger of the good shopkeeper, John Q. Citizen, when his careless son happened to break a pane of glass? If you have been present at such a scene, you will most assuredly bear witness to the fact that every one of the spectators, were there even thirty of them, by common consent apparently, offered the unfortunate owner this invariable consolation: “It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Everybody must live, and what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?” Now, this form of condolence contains an entire theory that it will be well to show up in this simple case, seeing that it is precisely the same as that which, unhappily, regulates the greater part of our economic institutions. Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier’s trade — that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs — I grant it; I have not a word to say against it; you reason justly. The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, “blesses the careless child. All this is that which is seen. But if, on the other hand, you come to the conclusion, as is too often the case, that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it, you will oblige me to call out, “Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.” It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way that this accident has prevented. Vindman thinks like a bureaucrat because, ultimately, he is a bureaucrat. And, well, the government doesn’t have to make a profit, as we can see next. Debt: Crowding Out or Propping Up? It was a shame seeing Larry Kudlow cry about how he was wrong about a recession. No, Larry, the economy is a disaster. The numbers won’t reflect it because of all the new debt issued. The debt masks the recession. For every $1 of growth, we add $1.55 to the deficit and $2.50 of new debt. It’s a goddamned disgrace! [GDP Vs budget] Credit: [@DarioCpx]( Let’s do a quick thought experiment. What if I told you that the Suez Canal was shut to Western tankers, there were wars in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan (very soon), and yet the US economy was humming along just fine? Where do you think oil would be trading? $100, $125, $150 a barrel? WTI Oil is trading under $75. That’s how bad the economy is doing. Wrap Up There’s no saving the world. There is only saving yourself. I’m sorry America and the rest of the West are in such a sad state. But there’s nothing we can do about it but protect ourselves. So, if you haven’t already, get long. We’ve got a lot of time left in this rally. The SPX may hit 5,000 today, but it’ll reach 6,000 before you know it. But if you’re still scared… still unconvinced… then [listen to my friend and colleague James Altucher](. James isn’t telling you to buy AAPL… that’s way too expensive for now. But how about a $2 stock of a company that supplies AAPL for their all-important new Vision Pro? You can still make out big even if you only buy 50 shares. James thinks this stock can hit $200 in ten years. That’s a $100 investment potentially turning into a $10,000 win. [Just watch this video]( to see what James has to say. Ride on Coffin Riders! Baby, ride on! Have a great day. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… Tucker/Putin: Interview of the Century [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Of course, Russian President Vladimir Putin would grant US newsman Tucker Carlson an interview. Putin knows he’ll get a fair shake. Christiane Amanpour can cry in her coffee some more. That’s what happens when you take sides. The entire Anglosphere’s Media Industrial Complex decided in February 2022 that Russia was the bad guy and that Ukraine was the poor, invaded country. There was no mention of the prior eight years when the Ukrainian government was shelling Russian speakers in the Donbas. As of 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Italy time (04:30 a.m. Eastern Time), Carlson had yet to air the interview. So everything in this Rude is predicated on the fact I don’t know what will be said until it airs. In the meantime, let’s have some fun with the objections to this interview. Just Because No One Interviewed Putin Doesn’t Mean We Haven’t Tried! [Rude awakening] Credit: [@BBCSteveR]( Oh, Steve. The BBChé, once the most respected news organization in the world, has given way to the most heinously biased reporting. Everything the Beeb reports has a leftist tinge. It’s plain awful. Steve, you shouldn’t take Putin ignoring you as a personal rejection, however personally responsible you are for the awful reporting. Take it as a repudiation of Britain’s state-sponsored media terrorism and, therefore, a diplomatic move by He Who Would Be Czar. Of course, every news organization has asked Vlad for an interview, but he correctly judged that it was in his best interest to avoid the Western media entirely. Why play the game when the field isn’t at least level? Tucker Won’t Ask Him Hard Questions [Rude awakening] Credit: [@Glenn_Diesen]( Glenn is right to ask this question. And Elon is correct in his snarky retort. It’s incredible how the Left has mastered Goebbels's advice: “Accuse your enemy of that which you are doing.” If you want a softball interview, watch [alleged reporter Scott Pelley interview Zelensky for]( Minutes](. Here are a few choice quotes from the interview. Pelley: It is a critical time. U.S. officials tell us that over nearly 600 days, almost half a million troops have been killed or wounded on both sides altogether, part of the cost so far of Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion. Pelley: He [Zelensky] told us that his people are dying every day to prevent World War III. Zelensky: Russian Society has lost the respect of the world. They elected him [Putin] and re-elected him and raised a second Hitler. Watch it. It’s worth thirteen minutes of your time. [Biden "Spy Tool" A Major Threat to Your Privacy]( In a despicable move behind closed doors, and without the approval of Congress, Biden may have just signed the "death warrant" on Americans' right to privacy. [Learn more here.]( [WARNING] What you’re about to see is very controversial. Viewer discretion is advised. [Click Here To Learn More]( Tucker is a Danger to the War Effort [Rude awakening] Credit: [@SantiagoAUFund]( My goodness, I hope so. First, this war never should’ve happened. But it happened. Next, it should’ve been stopped only months after it began. Then, Boris Johnson landed in Kyiv and told Zelensky that The West didn’t want him to make peace. From [Ukrainian Pravda]( As soon as the Ukrainian negotiators and Abramovich/Medinsky, following the outcome of Istanbul, had agreed on the structure of a future possible agreement in general terms, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared in Kyiv almost without warning. "Johnson brought two simple messages to Kyiv. The first is that Putin is a war criminal; he should be pressured, not negotiated with. And the second is that even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not. We can sign [an agreement] with you [Ukraine], but not with him. Anyway, he will screw everyone over", is how one of Zelenskyy's close associates summed up the essence of Johnson's visit. Behind this visit and Johnson's words, there is much more than a simple reluctance to get involved in agreements with Russia. Johnson’s position was that the collective West, which back in February had suggested Zelenskyy should surrender and flee, now felt that Putin was not really as powerful as they had previously imagined. If not for Boris Johnson running a fool’s errand - and you know who the fool is - the war would’ve ended long ago. Do I hope Tucker finishes the job? You betcha! Tucker Is a Propagandist Because Putin Imprisons Real Journalists [Rude awakening] Credit: [@TuckerCarlson]( [Rude awakening] Credit: [@SociatUSA]( And this is where losing the high ground hurts The West the most. Julian Assange is still in jail in the UK, awaiting extradition to the US for the crime of reporting on the USG. It’s utterly ridiculous. If not for Assange, we wouldn’t know half of what the USG was doing around the world. Carlson talked about Assange and his admiration for him in December. Gonzalo Lira is dead. I never met Gonzalo, but I was on a conference call with him several times. He was cogent and logical and fought hard to understand what was happening in the world. Lira was an American citizen journalist reporting in Ukraine. Since he disagreed with Ukrainian propaganda, the Ukrainian government killed him. There wasn’t an ounce of support from his home government, which is an everlasting stain on its reputation. I always laughed at Americans abroad when they told me they’d never give up their citizenship because they knew “the Navy would come and save me.” I thought they were asshats then. Now, unfortunately, I have my proof. Wrap Up I hope Tucker destroys the Deep State, Uniparty, and Neocons in one fell swoop. It would be a fitting end for them, as the lies have become too big to contain. Then, and only then, can we start to rebuild the world. Fingers crossed. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2024 Paradigm Press, LLC. 1001 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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