Poor
Man Survival
Self
Reliance tools for independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
Fixing
our Political System
Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder
respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
>George Orwell
The economic
misery of the middle class and the
resentment our government has fostered among the electorate for its overbearing
and crushing anti-freedom policies has fueled the rise of Trump and
anti-establishment feelings in this country.
New data from Wells Fargo indicates that something is spooking a sector of the U.S. population, for example, — the nation's seniors — in a serious way.
On its Investor and Retirement Optimism Index, which tracks investor sentiment, retiree optimism dropped 23 points in a single quarter.
"It was a very big drop, and the first time in over a year that retirees were less optimistic than non-retirees," says Zar Toolan, director of advice quality for Wells Fargo Advisors.
COSTS RISE, INVESTMENTS FLAT
With the cash in their bank accounts earning virtually nothing, and the stock market essentially flat for the year, retirees have not been seeing any portfolio improvements. Inflation, a notorious portfolio-killer, looms whenever an economy is heating up.
Meanwhile, living expenses are lofty. Healthcare costs in retirement for a 65-year-old couple now stand at an estimated $245,000, according to Fidelity Benefits Consulting.
What really drives the point home for retirees is that they have a shorter investment horizon than those still in the prime of their careers. An investor at age 70 or 75 cares very much about shorter-term portfolio gains.
As a result, financial planners report having do an increasing amount of hand-holding with their senior clients.
"They worry about ISIS, rising interest rates, income disparity, European recession, dysfunctional Congress, slowdown in China, and falling commodity prices," says Austin Frye, a financial planner in Aventura, Florida. "There is, in fact, a lot for them to worry about.
Over the past
half century, our two-party system has managed to create a nightmare of red
tape and regulation at the federal and state level which has strangled our
growth and freedom while feathering their respective nests.
The “G” in government now represents GREED and GOUGE the
citizen. Even our courts have become
another taxing authority with ludicrously high fines and costs. Unelected officials via hundreds of agencies
now rule our nation and levy fines created out of thin air without benefit of
legislation creating a nationwide pit which has sucked the lifeblood out of our
once famous middle class job creation machine.
The average
American has been dummied down or has lost faith in our system while our middle
class has been decimated as a result of too much government….
Case in Point: A Texas 7th grader was ordered to
cover up his Star Wars T-Shirt because it violated the school’s ban on symbols
oriented towards violence. Colton
Southern was told to zip up his sweatshirt to conceal the image of a Storm
Trooper holding a blaster.
We’ve witnessed incidents in CA where children were told
they could not wear an American flag on their shirt as it “might offend”
others.
If things don’t change soon, there won’t be much left to
govern. The United States has become a
parody of George Orwell’s book 1984. This became especially true
after 911 when suddenly all citizens lost their privacy and saw many of their
freedoms and Bill of Rights diminished due to the results of a hastily and
poorly conceived set of laws poorly named the “Patriot Act.”
Our nation’s greatness did not erode overnight but it
sure seems the quality of our leadership [from either party] has.
Personally, I put much of the blame for our demise on
career politicians. George Washington
warned against this in his farewell speech but that seems have been forgotten
by the political elite who have figured out just how profitable it is to
continually feed at the public trough, often collecting multiple public
pensions and gold plated perks [Congress, for example, gets an automatic pay
raise but usually forgets about our military or Social Security recipients].
Some Solutions
1.
TERM
LIMITS-This is a must. Our Founders
served without pay, only expenses. I
suggest current elected leaders get paid a salary and perks for 20 years and
that’s it. If they feel inclined to
‘serve’ further, they can do so for expenses only or perhaps at the same rate
Social Security recipients get AND if they need it, they should get Medicare at
the same scale as well. This should
apply across the board – no job hopping or switching states [as the Clinton’s
did so she could get a New York Senators job] to get extra pensions as is so
often the case in politics.
2.
OVERHAUL
OUR TAX SYSTEM – Our system is antiquated, outdated and overly
complex. A flat tax system is in order
in which everyone pays a percentage including foreign corporations doing
business here. The US has a high
corporate tax which is why so many incorporate elsewhere. Many low income people receive refunds
despite never paying into the system.
Since the United States has become an expensive nation in which to live,
a better system might be to completely eliminate ALL taxes for low income
people on the first $25,000 of income.
That would give them an immediate boost income without hurting small
businesses.
3.
START
ELIMINATING government agencies and red tape which hamper job creation or
duplicate each other. For instance, we
do not need 51 Department’s of Education, we do not need the BATF, etc. If an agency doesn’t help to boost new jobs, cut
costs or help citizens or industry become more productive – GET RID OF IT!
4.
WELFARE-If
you’re not here legally, you’re not entitled to food stamps, Section 8 housing,
free schooling, free medical care, etc. – Period! If you continually have illegitimate
children, don’t expect the government/taxpayers to pay for them. One is a mistake but three or more is a way
of life.
5.
If you
have a felony conviction, [EX: the late Marion Barry, former Mayor of
Washington, DC] you should not be allowed to run for office…if cannot legally
own a gun, you shouldn’t be in office.
Many of my
colleagues in the financial sector are saying this is the lull before the final
storm and frankly, I often agree. The
wizards in Washington always manage to pull another rabbit from the hat despite
rapidly mounting debt and inflation.
The world is already at peak debt yet…
Politicians
continually seek new ways to fleece the public of their money and their rights
so I too feel it is only a matter of time before the casino collapses.
Personally, I believe some kind of collapse will have to
take place before a new system replaces it…that would be how history normally
operates and your best bet is to cover your bets as best you can. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Yours for better living in
the New Year,
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
My New Year’s Gift to you [Donations appreciated]
How to Survive
the…
War on Middle Class and All 14 Bonus Reports can be
downloaded here:
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