Oswald Spengler foresaw the peak of Western Civilization coming around the year 2000. Now that we are a quarter of a century into the down cycle, the real questions for us remain the same.
Mr. Bonners solution to his alleged dying nation is to sit back and wait for the "big loss"... then pile in to make more gains?
Good thing Trump is in office.
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Reading this as generalizing if though trade will be shut down...
That is simply not true.
The U.S. economy is less trade-oriented compared to many other countries, with international trade accounting for about 27% of its GDP, while the global average is 63%
Why?
Because the U.S. is a globe within itself.
The U.S. economy far outweighs others and is not as dependent and importantly need not be dependent on foreign economies.
Angry — Bonner’s assertion that our nation’s high water mark was 25 years ago is indisputable.
Trump, a very flawed man, is making history all right foremost by abusing our Constitution, for making imports more costly, for exacerbating our national debt and for mistreating undocumented aliens.
LOLOL…and anyone ok with I L L E G A L entry into this country, sees that as “compassionate”, has forfeited all credibility and de facto illustrates no possession of common sense.
Illegal is not my complaint; it's the way all the undocumented are being treated as if they are all violent criminals.
Overstaying a visa or obtaining asylum but having ICE cancel the court date arbitrarily or living here productively but failing to become "documented" doesn't justify being treated as a violent criminal and summarily jailed prior to being deported to a third world country whose language and customs are not yours.
Too many good productive, church-going, tax-paying people are being rounded up and expelled.
Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented; to prove their value as prospective citizens with community testimonials, tax returns, employer statement about work ethic, etc.
Of course not. Like so many people, and despite the constant screeching about Trump, you DO believe that some people are above the law.
You wrote: “it's the way all the undocumented are being treated as if they are all violent criminals.”
Why are you so fixated on violence, Jimm. Is that the only criteria we should be concerned about when it comes to those who broke the law. If it wasn’t violent they should get a pass, right.
Tell that to the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of American citizens who have had their lives upended because of those saintly illegals. Do you remember the story of the meatpacking plant in Omaha? ICE arrested over 70 illegals who were using stolen SS numbers in order to work there. The Leftists around the country cried alligator tears for these scumbags, but nary a word was said about their victims.
How about the disabled person in Texas who was unable to get their SS payment because one of those “church-going, tax-paying" illegals was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
And how about the person in Colorado who received a notice from the IRS to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal using their identity to work at the plant.
And then there was the full-time nursing student who lost her college tuition assistance because she “earned too much money” due to an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods fraudulently using her Social Security number.
There were many more stories connected to Glenn Valley Foods just like these, but I won’t bore you any further.
No, Jimm, there was no violence to be found among these saintly illegals, but they upended countless lives while they were BREAKING THE LAW!
You wrote: “Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented”
No sir!
Better if there was a system to send EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM back to wherever it was they came from. Then if they want to try the LEGAL route---more power to them.
Might I add... a country with laws that are not enforced, recognized or followed is no longer livable as a country.
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Jimm wrote: "Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented"
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It seems there are indeed ways to immigrate into this country.
They require rules to follow and lines to wait.
I empathize with many of these folks
(living behind enemy lines in California I personally know many).
They are rightfully frightened.
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Sacramento declared California sanctuary state
(citizens were not allowed to vote, it was a decree).
In so luring millions, primarily low-educated to engage the activity of illegally crossing - with the false impression "it's OK!".
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If it were my choice, I would make the one-time exception and allow those that were dupped by the authorities into thinking it's fine to break the law, a path for legality.
Jimm, I actually agree with you that they could do a much better job of how they treat the regular folks compared to the most wanted. It would be great if Congress could overhaul the immigration policy and quotas.
Jimm, I'll dispute it and do so regularly. It's largely a matter of perception and values, anyway. I put it at 1960 as the apogee of America, but what is 39 years in the overall scheme? What is indisputable is that America has had and would always have a high-water mark, but that's not what we, as kids and future stakeholders, were told. We were led to believe that America was not a peak or a blip, but rather a plateau of some kind, which would be a beautiful idyll lasting into perpetuity. So, when things started turning south in the 60s, nobody knew what to do or say, and The Great Foundering began, and not only did it begin, it was unstoppable. Best always. PM
How can something that no one knows be indisputable?
There is a GDP /debt ratio issue that is concerning.
U.S. debt/GDP=123% global average = 95.5%
However, our debt to GDP ratio is 100% better than Japan...
Japan is nowhere near collapse.
Why would the U.S. be near collapse at half the debt and 6X the GDP?
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U.S. GDP - all time high
The United States is the world's third biggest exporter, yet exports account only for 10 percent of GDP.
Our general standard of living is amongst the best in the world.
Our military 2nd to none.
U.S. exports reached record levels in 2025.
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IMO we are more than fortunate to witness a turning point in human evolution as we become even more dependent servants to neo-tech innovations that are just beginning to turn society on its head... never in history has such accumulative and disruptive rapid change been experienced.
Robots, flying cars, living in space, thinking machines, lasers, bio-humans...
With so much life-altering neo-tech barreling towards us at such a terrific pace with the fundamental U.S. economy in tack and ready to rock and roll...
How can anyone assume the U.S. has peaked or is doomed?
Yet Mr. Roberts (and Bonner) indisputably concludes we're toast.
Taking a position and refusing to change that position (even a tiny amount) DESPITE Reality, Facts and Evidence pointing out how wrong you are is the mark of the leftarded everywhere. It is also indicative of personality traits centered around Immaturity, Envy and Irrationality - note the absence in that short list of things like Intelligence or Education. You can be smart and/or well-educated, and still be trapped in the cult of "Progressives", Communists and dimocrats - even though they truly (and mistakenly) believe themselves superior to REAL Americans and Patriots. As a whole, the left is laughable, pathetic and usually criminal, as the world-at-large is beginning to discover.
PS - Perhaps America HAS passed her high point. That doesn't mean that Greatness cannot be achieved again by reversing the policies and removing power from the people who brought us to the recent nadir. THAT is what Trump & MAGA are, fundamentally, all about. And people like Jimmy and Billy HATE us for it and are more than ok with cheering AGAINST their own Country at every opportunity. Lies, Half-truths and Gaslighting are not only acceptable - they are SOP, as BPR proves daily.
Well said Brother, but as you frequently point out, leftards have very little capacity for learning. It's why they're so predictable. I can practically write Billy's missives just by reading the lead ins.
Angry, I agree with much of what your write, but I am still concerned with all the political hacks in our government at all levels. We will have to overcome these statists to move forward. I think Trump could be a good start in the right direction despite my misgivings about some of his actions. He is pro-production, pro-energy (including nuclear), pro-technology and real science, anti-global warming (what a scam), and pro-deregulating the economy, etc. These are the many good policies that Bongo Bill and his sycophants do not even acknowledge. So, there is hope. It depends on how far Trump is willing to go to get the job done.
Time for Bonner & company to address America’s multi trillion dollar mineral assets, and Trump is going to open up the mining of precious metals in government land by changing our environmental laws & stopping the “tree hugging crazies” from holding up the mining of those assets and also allowing nuclear power to surge again in America!
Stay tuned for massive growth in the American economy resulting from these changes & the effect of the BBB passage!
As far as comparing the GDPs of Japan and the US maybe it's like comparing apples to oranges? Doing a little research I found info that health care as a percentage of GDP is around 18% in the US and 10-11% in Japan. So 7-8% of our GDP is wasted on more expensive healthcare for a sicker population. Plus our obesity rate is 10× that of Japan.
Obesity is a result of our government allowing the use of growth chemicals in our food chain which started in the 1970’s.
Hopefully the Trump Administration can turn that around so we have healthier food.
They can start with banning High Fructose Corn Syrup & then vegetable oils in our frying oil and require the GOOD oils - Olive, Coconut, or Avocado oils.
to engage. What was bill's financial advice for the day? Can he please tell us all his private research was. Oh I got it.I just got a text everything sucks. Kill yourself the world is ending. I'm still making.
Money I'm reporting here from poor too France. (Not a typo.)
indisputable? Please enlighten us. I'm pretty damn sure that bills made a lot of money in the last twenty five years. I have.Do not claw the debt issue. It's bad. It needs to be fixed promptly. Is it build a guy who says that you can make money and any market? Please enlighten us all again as to how the united states is declined in the last twenty five years. Specifics please. Unless you're talking about the jacked up student's b o m riots, horrible education.......
"As recently as 1999, the US had a budget surplus...debt of only $5.6 trillion...and stocks worth more (in gold and dollar terms) than ever in history.
The US was still widely admired. Its federal debt was bought as a monetary reserve all over the world.
It wasn’t at war and wasn’t sponsoring major wars or paying for mass murders overseas. It encouraged free trade and, generally, favored the rule of law.
That was probably the apogee for the US...and for Western Civilization. It has been downhill ever since."
Specifics: In the last 25 years, largely due to Trump and Biden, our nation has amassed a debt so large that it can never be repaid; needlessly killed millions of Iraqi and Afghans -- two dirt pile countries never a threat to us -- and elected a man who is ravaging our Constitution and employing tariffs galore that will punish US consumers by making nearly everything more costly
Jimm, you fail to mention that oil and gas is much cheaper than 6 months ago under Biden and that is in EVERYTHING. One of the reasons inflation is not going crazy. Everything is transported and my gas price is $2.69 In Kansas. Friend in PA says he is paying $2.89 and PA has one of the highest state tax on fuel. The borders are closed. Remember that there is good going on even if you don’t want to acknowledge it.
"elected a man who is ravaging our Constitution and employing tariffs galore that will punish US consumers by making nearly everything more costly"
Well, the Supreme Court puts LIE to your first statement and economic indicators/inflation rates/tracked statistics put LIE to your second statement.
Come join us in Realville, Jimm - or don't. Nobody cares what your side is currently crying about and trying to get us to irrationally fear as much as you do - because we are grounded in Reality, have a backbone and love our Country.
Alas - it's more than likely nobody will care what you pout about tomorrow either, but keep going. The comedic value alone makes it worthwhile reading what you leftardes write....
Regarding a new civilization, how can that be accomplished? Dictatorship? Change at the point a gun - not nice, and in the end, counterproductive for a society. Oligarchy? Change by imprisonment- not nice, same result. Cultural changes through education? Very long term, including difficult institutional change. The death of certain societies, like fading empires? Not everyone can move to Argentina. Besides, people tend to bring their misconceptions and voting habits with them. As much as many believe in collectivism - anti-individualism - it seems to me, change only comes about by starting with oneself. I cannot change another without improving myself. So, there is the challenge, at least for me. (Plus, I don’t want to be a bully or a busybody).
My disagreement with Bill over Trumps policies have only grown I see Trumps tariffs as proxy for a declaration of a formal end to the WWII era Marshall Plan. A well intended strategy to rebuild the world with what has become an assumption of endless US largesse. One that became so widespread that it would come to a point of even financing the printing sexually explicit alternate lifestyle comic books to be distributed, in chastising fashion, to what were already hostile conservative cultures. Now, that's wealth used generously, even if a bit tone-deaf and at obvious diplomatic cross-purposes.
I'll await an article expressing some understanding that continuing to provide the mercantilist Chinese most favored WTO trade status is patently absurd. That Trumps efforts at "peace through strength" is neither a novel concept or inherently wrong. His proclamations on pending drug cost escalation, as (wait for it) due to the Trump tariff policy, as somewhat under-informed and off-key and lacking any context of critical domestic supply dangers.
I like the fact that Bill takes the long, historical view. That's his real beat. It provides interesting context to current events. Doesn't quite provide a direct parallel to history as Twain would have noted, but it does rhyme, and his books are a perennial good read. His writing skills quite engaging.
However, I'm still waiting for Bill or any of the other investment experts - Wall Street mavens or wherever this opinion springs from, to begin to provide a rationale for precisely why the markets, at least so far, are proving them spectacularly wrong and why the $37tr in debt and our exponentially escalating deficits, far from being Trumps out-of-wedlock orphan, has had many fathers.
But most of all, I'll patiently await their alternative plans for our economy to become paraded out in order to evaluate, before I challenge what Trump "the man in the ring" is trying to do for the nation and for a truly open trading world, built on mutual benefit and trade reciprocity
Well Ed, no matter how many "new" plans come out, it is man that will screw it up any way. Greed and profit are what seems to motivate the thrusters, motivators. I wish that i could solve all mans problems, but history will just repeat and You and I will start again from the same boat. There is a plan out there , but You and I do not seem to comprehend . It is not man made!
Yes Don, I too am a deist and I see greed as well as envy, to be an evil always to be with all of humankind. Profit not as much.
The trick there is what you do in order to gain what is needed to sustain the necessities in life? Your own life and the lives of others, all of which, is a gift from God that has been put in our hands. The question then becomes "how to live?" and, for me good old American capitalism seems to strike the right balance. It motivates us to toil away as is our lot since Eden and, in doing so, great good can spring from our work, Honestly pursued capitalist activity produces life sustaining food and shelter - and more - for us and those others all around us, the old and the sick, both near and far. May not be perfect - as was Eden - but it's the best system honest men have.
However, greed and envy and the theft of ones humanity they inspire (or worse), is always to be confronted in this world. So, we are counseled to always remember:
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" - Mark
Or, given this same warning with a bit more of a humorous spin:
Good write up. That is still one of the reasons that I like this site . You do not put the onus on one particular person , but open the eyes and ears to what is for all to see!
Hahaha, they’re all the same Bill, a bunch of Ivy League ventriloquists with Alan Greenspan’s ideology up their ass, making puppet-speak about “soft landings” while the rest of us are face-planting into ramen noodle futures!
Jerome “Print Daddy” Powell is sitting front row VIP like a Bond villain who moonlights as a substitute economics professor with a Fed printer strapped to his chest like Iron Man’s arc reactor.
Let’s call it what it is, the Federal Reserve is just a legalized counterfeiting cartel run by guys who look like they sell time shares to aliens. They flood the economy with fake money like it’s Monopoly Night in Hell, then act shocked when everything costs more than a kidney on the dark web. “Oh no, inflation!” NO SH*T, SHERLOCK! You pumped more stimulus into this country than a weekend bender in Hunter Biden’s iCloud and now act like you’re the fireman trying to put out the blaze you started with a flamethrower and a fifth of Everclear.
“We’re bringing inflation down,” Powell says, sipping Chardonnay in a room full of economists who’ve never been within fifty miles of a grocery store. Yeah, you’re bringing it down alright, right on the heads of single moms, small business owners, and every poor bastard who thought maybe, just maybe, they’d own a home before their skeletons do.
The Fed is a Banana Republic wearing a Brooks Brothers suit and a central bank badge, giving reach-arounds to billionaires while telling the middle class to “just stop eating eggs.”
So go ahead, Jerome, cross your legs, nod politely, and pretend you’re not the Wizard of Oz pulling levers behind the curtain of a flaming clown economy. But just remember, history’s watching and it ain’t buying your bonds.
If I remember correctly, it was the bankers with the government of the day that created the fed. Does this not seem like the fox in the hen house scenario?
I love your brilliant wit. Here Sopping up the tears of joy. Hoping that the belly laughs offset the lack of sit-ups (while continuing to plan for weight loss). Cheers!!
It all started with the phrase "an honest days work for an honest dollar." People have always been willing to work under a fair system. In the dot-com and 2008 crashes everyone was going to be rich. The personal acquisition of money has become that national mandate. Who would want to be the next Einstein or Wernher Von Braun because there is NO MONEY in it. IBM and GE were gutted to enrich the executive suites. It is more profitable to be a YouTube star than perform a task that enhances overall society. So the question is where do we go from here? The answer is simple, we can elect people who solve real problems or those who pander to our fears. Do we really need to spend a trillion dollars on Defense (fear)? As the FED noted last year, they had growing concern about Americans ability to buy a new car and pay for the insurance. That seems to be a problem! Leadership, if it existed, could propose revitalizing and expanding our public transportation system enabling people without cars to actually have jobs (problem). We can choose to change, but we are so entrenched in fear.
Excellent observations. One small note: since we spent billions to construct a new light rail / subway system, the thoughtful “non-leaders” of Los Angeles have for the past decade allowed them to become dirty, unsafe, filled up, MOBILE HOMELESS STORAGE UNITS. Only now Mayor Karen Bass may be assigning law enforcement as opposed to kind greeters (who accomplished nothing). In this example having adequate Public Transportation if the “leaders” are too weak to require safe clean standards (that may insult the poor).
Bill is spot-on and Mussolini is being proven right as well. Big Man Government is never the answer. War after War after War is insane - especially considering all have been losses. Instead of spending well over a trillion on defense which systems are woefully interior to others and bases spread out across the globe, the focus should be back on America. But, Oh No - that wouldn't do. Trump is supporting the genocide in Gaza which is horrific. It is simply evil beyond imagination and one day Israel will pay the price as will the U.S. Trump doesn't care about the American people - he just does what his handlers direct. The U.S. will reap what it has sown. If the U.S. took that trillion+ and put it into either U.S. infrastructure and/or aiding trading partners with improvements in their countries then America has a chance to grow. This is what China is doing and why their economy is growing worldwide. But, that simply won't happen. Nothing there for the Big Man to gloat over and pat himself on the back. If he did, any project's pay-off will be long after he is gone. No upside for Trump and that is all he cares about. There are 193 countries in the world and 192 don't trust the U.S. including the evil government in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately it takes decades and decades to turn that around. Think the U.S. is self-sufficient - that is so far from the truth to be risible. The continuing demising of America is ineluctable. Enjoy your day!
Western Civilization has been an array of different depictions that have nothing to do with any core idea or philosophy: Christ or Machiavelli to Marx.
Even in the US it has produced atrocities: slavery and genocide of Indians.
Who knows what the guiding principle is now.
“You have to live with what you have; there is no other alternative.”
We all have different ideas about causes and dots.
One saying that is true, “You can’t put new wine in old wine skins.”
Maybe, you must think out of the box devise a new civilization.
I am not a fan of the so-called nation state. I don't think it's a sustainable model. In our case, America of 1960 seems to be the best that we could do. The country was about as close to unity as possible. I'd cite factors , reasons, and statistics, but this is a comment forum and not a place for essays and polemics. When America started getting to being 50-50 (as opposed to its historical 90-10 or 80-20 standard) in its culture, politics, beliefs, and practices, which is what we have now, stagnation and failure became assured and certain. That's really all we need to know. Best always. PM
Fret not, Paul. Millions of Americans have awakened in the last decade and many of the most vital Cultural and Societal Issues are, once again, at an 80%-20% split.
Due to their hatred of Trump and accompanying mental illnesses, the dimocrats consistently champion the 20%.
Keep going. You think you are Virtue Signaling while you are only driving people away in droves....
Glad to see your cosmic thumbs-up from orbit, figured you’d been abducted by common sense or kidnapped by CNBC. Welcome back to the freak show, brother, kept your seat warm and your skepticism sharper than ever.
To me, the individual is supreme then family. Local government seems to be a farce; it is not close to people controlled by interests, mostly developers. I like the idea of nation-state, but, as you said there is only confusion.
I don’t know what would work, confusion and destruction reigns.
The philosophy has devolved into, every man for himself, the opposite of Christianity…evil.
“Love your neighbor as yourself. Every man a servant. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be given.”
In 1960, and before, there was always the yeast and the salt. It’s lost its flavor and is, the prevailing crap, good for nothing.
Appreciate your written the Intelligent comments .
Yeast and salt? Sounds like diabetes farts and high blood pressure.
Having said that, If it's a date of reference. In fact, the Doctor's Zhivago, I'm hearing that tell me a revolution. It matters a great deal. You did you need to make bread, and you need salt to live . Well done it if that was your perspective. Dated reference for younger viewers if you don't know the movie Doctor Zhivago or the novel check it out you will learn a great deal. It's a tragedy but it's excellent.
Jim, you simply must be kidding! Trump is worse than the stumbling, bumbling empty suit that dishonored
& disgraced the Presidency not even mention the Senate???I truly hope there is no one else living under the rock you crawled out from ! While America may be un decline(debatable) it sure beats the hell out of 162 other places on Mother Earth.
Earlier in the week you stated “We were wrong about Tariffs”, today you are back on teh hate Trump and all he has done band wagon. Which is it??? Can not have it both ways? Did you forget, did you take Ambien?
"Tariffs have become just another sleazy way to raise taxes and give the Big Man more power." Fortunately there is another strong, less TDS possibility- that Trump and his admin plan to return us to the Hamiltonian system last implemented by President McKinley which included protectionist tariff policies emphasizing using tariffs to shield domestic industries from foreign competition, foster home-grown production, and boost national economic growth. The Hamiltonian / American system was a nationalist economic vision that emphasized a strong federal government's role in promoting economic growth through industrialization, a national bank, and a sound financial system. It involved government support for domestic industries, a national currency, and the assumption of state debts to strengthen the nation's credit. I encourage everyone to check out "Promethean Updates" on YouTube for a much more positive and I think insightful view of the Trump admin than Bill's CNN influenced point of view.
I think it only FAIR to save your comments about Trump & tariffs until he has completed his program and see what the results are by the first of the year 2026. Any comments now is just guessing & hypothetical conjecture!
What are some numbers showing what other countries have been "ripping us off" with tariffs? Think this has been posted before but a refresher would be good to compare to the now presented tarriffs.
Take away Jeep and Stellantis is already long gone. It's not just Stellantis. The government has over-regulated the car manufacturers to the point of failure. I think the government's intention is to kill private transportation for the sake of control. It's OK if you wish to call me paranoid, but I think this is the only logical conclusion to draw. Best always. PM
Not paranoid at all. And it's also for control of distance movement by the minions.
An EV like a Tesla might be great for local trips (and shifting the exhaust emissions to the stacks of the local power plant), but totally impractical for long-distance travel.
I get amused at the Teslas, still backed up and plugged in, driver reading a book, as I've gassed up, took a leak, grabbed a drink, and back on the road...but I'm sure all of their "green" feeling more than makes up for the sit.
Having been in the auto industry for many years regardless, anyone with an eye can see the changes. Its no secret the automotive industry has had years of the failure rates in its designs down to a fine art. The industry as a whole can design vehicles to last with long term realibility in its execution however its as you said its been outside their control. Someone should have stood up to those external miscreants decades ago.
I, too, spent the bulk of my career in the automotive sector. It's a shame what happened, but big government makes a big mess, and we are living it. Best always. PM
Sister & brother-inlaw have a 2010 Renault C4 Grand Picasso Van they bought in Europe. Decent mileage owned it for a few years just recently they had asked me if I could look at a problem they were experiencing with the instrument cluster (digital display) that would come off and on while driving and sometimes not work at all. Let me tell you I replaced rear shocks in that van and had a pretty good loom over and my definitive conclusion was if you gave me the vehicle I would not take it. I checked over their new problem and had deduced it had something to do with the shifter module. I told them sorry as I was not wanting to touch it any further. They took it to the dealer and got hit with a $1400€ bill for a new transmission module. We know another couple that bought a "Picasso" same year and it burst in flames while they were driving it !. I did a bulletin search on these vehicles from the manufacturer and let me just say its inundated with all kinds of issues some of them a real concern regarding safety protocols.
Always happy to get on Substack and read the latest news and opinion and analysis and bias and drivel.
In my opinion Bill Bonner is brilliant, our sense of humor resonates, and he informs with view points that hadn’t crossed my mind.
Correspondingly, this member audience can be delightful with both intelligent and informative agreement or disagreement (when not too rude, or not crude, and are somewhat entertaining in mild insult as well). Thank you Dan and Tom.
With the crackup boom in full swing I'm holding onto max safety or what I perceive as max safety mode. I'm not sure of anything quite frankly but gold seems better than everything else to me. I even think determining whether max safety mode is doing it's job will be difficult even during a discernable collapse. So far my view is that Trump is the best thing going at least he has direction and is taking action that appears to benefit me and the middle class, not that some of his friends aren't allowed to make easy money. I'm loving the border closure, USAID and Dept of Education stuff. Talk about traitorous activity.
Why does Bill write what he writes? Why do people comment? The end of the world is nigh. It’s not like the good old days when Europeans were slaughtering each other on a regular basis. Gold, silver, International Living, who cares. It’s all over now.
Mr. Bonners solution to his alleged dying nation is to sit back and wait for the "big loss"... then pile in to make more gains?
Good thing Trump is in office.
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Reading this as generalizing if though trade will be shut down...
That is simply not true.
The U.S. economy is less trade-oriented compared to many other countries, with international trade accounting for about 27% of its GDP, while the global average is 63%
Why?
Because the U.S. is a globe within itself.
The U.S. economy far outweighs others and is not as dependent and importantly need not be dependent on foreign economies.
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Only the globalists think this is a crisis...
Angry — Bonner’s assertion that our nation’s high water mark was 25 years ago is indisputable.
Trump, a very flawed man, is making history all right foremost by abusing our Constitution, for making imports more costly, for exacerbating our national debt and for mistreating undocumented aliens.
Biden was bad; Trump is worse.
“Undocumented aliens”…lolol…you leftists are nothing if not entertaining in your linguistic lunacy.
When they were doling out character attributes, they forgot to give you care, consideration, compassion and common sense.
LOLOL…and anyone ok with I L L E G A L entry into this country, sees that as “compassionate”, has forfeited all credibility and de facto illustrates no possession of common sense.
Again, your leftist lunacy is entertaining.
He is nuts.
Jimm, sluggo has a point. What part of illegal do you disagree with?
Illegal is not my complaint; it's the way all the undocumented are being treated as if they are all violent criminals.
Overstaying a visa or obtaining asylum but having ICE cancel the court date arbitrarily or living here productively but failing to become "documented" doesn't justify being treated as a violent criminal and summarily jailed prior to being deported to a third world country whose language and customs are not yours.
Too many good productive, church-going, tax-paying people are being rounded up and expelled.
Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented; to prove their value as prospective citizens with community testimonials, tax returns, employer statement about work ethic, etc.
You wrote: “Illegal is not my complaint”
Of course not. Like so many people, and despite the constant screeching about Trump, you DO believe that some people are above the law.
You wrote: “it's the way all the undocumented are being treated as if they are all violent criminals.”
Why are you so fixated on violence, Jimm. Is that the only criteria we should be concerned about when it comes to those who broke the law. If it wasn’t violent they should get a pass, right.
Tell that to the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of American citizens who have had their lives upended because of those saintly illegals. Do you remember the story of the meatpacking plant in Omaha? ICE arrested over 70 illegals who were using stolen SS numbers in order to work there. The Leftists around the country cried alligator tears for these scumbags, but nary a word was said about their victims.
How about the disabled person in Texas who was unable to get their SS payment because one of those “church-going, tax-paying" illegals was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
And how about the person in Colorado who received a notice from the IRS to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal using their identity to work at the plant.
And then there was the full-time nursing student who lost her college tuition assistance because she “earned too much money” due to an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods fraudulently using her Social Security number.
There were many more stories connected to Glenn Valley Foods just like these, but I won’t bore you any further.
No, Jimm, there was no violence to be found among these saintly illegals, but they upended countless lives while they were BREAKING THE LAW!
You wrote: “Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented”
No sir!
Better if there was a system to send EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM back to wherever it was they came from. Then if they want to try the LEGAL route---more power to them.
...Mr. Roberts,
A country without borders is not a country.
Might I add... a country with laws that are not enforced, recognized or followed is no longer livable as a country.
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Jimm wrote: "Better if there was a system for the undocumented to voluntarily become documented"
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It seems there are indeed ways to immigrate into this country.
They require rules to follow and lines to wait.
I empathize with many of these folks
(living behind enemy lines in California I personally know many).
They are rightfully frightened.
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Sacramento declared California sanctuary state
(citizens were not allowed to vote, it was a decree).
In so luring millions, primarily low-educated to engage the activity of illegally crossing - with the false impression "it's OK!".
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If it were my choice, I would make the one-time exception and allow those that were dupped by the authorities into thinking it's fine to break the law, a path for legality.
“Better if there was a system for the undocumented”…there you go with the “undocumented” bullsh!t again. Why are they “undocumented”, Jimmmm?
You just can’t say it, can you? Can’t call it what it is. Sad. So, so, sad.
Jimm, I actually agree with you that they could do a much better job of how they treat the regular folks compared to the most wanted. It would be great if Congress could overhaul the immigration policy and quotas.
Jimm, I'll dispute it and do so regularly. It's largely a matter of perception and values, anyway. I put it at 1960 as the apogee of America, but what is 39 years in the overall scheme? What is indisputable is that America has had and would always have a high-water mark, but that's not what we, as kids and future stakeholders, were told. We were led to believe that America was not a peak or a blip, but rather a plateau of some kind, which would be a beautiful idyll lasting into perpetuity. So, when things started turning south in the 60s, nobody knew what to do or say, and The Great Foundering began, and not only did it begin, it was unstoppable. Best always. PM
...Mr. Roberts;
How can something that no one knows be indisputable?
There is a GDP /debt ratio issue that is concerning.
U.S. debt/GDP=123% global average = 95.5%
However, our debt to GDP ratio is 100% better than Japan...
Japan is nowhere near collapse.
Why would the U.S. be near collapse at half the debt and 6X the GDP?
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U.S. GDP - all time high
The United States is the world's third biggest exporter, yet exports account only for 10 percent of GDP.
Our general standard of living is amongst the best in the world.
Our military 2nd to none.
U.S. exports reached record levels in 2025.
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IMO we are more than fortunate to witness a turning point in human evolution as we become even more dependent servants to neo-tech innovations that are just beginning to turn society on its head... never in history has such accumulative and disruptive rapid change been experienced.
Robots, flying cars, living in space, thinking machines, lasers, bio-humans...
With so much life-altering neo-tech barreling towards us at such a terrific pace with the fundamental U.S. economy in tack and ready to rock and roll...
How can anyone assume the U.S. has peaked or is doomed?
Yet Mr. Roberts (and Bonner) indisputably concludes we're toast.
"𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘳. 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘴 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳) 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵."
Taking a position and refusing to change that position (even a tiny amount) DESPITE Reality, Facts and Evidence pointing out how wrong you are is the mark of the leftarded everywhere. It is also indicative of personality traits centered around Immaturity, Envy and Irrationality - note the absence in that short list of things like Intelligence or Education. You can be smart and/or well-educated, and still be trapped in the cult of "Progressives", Communists and dimocrats - even though they truly (and mistakenly) believe themselves superior to REAL Americans and Patriots. As a whole, the left is laughable, pathetic and usually criminal, as the world-at-large is beginning to discover.
PS - Perhaps America HAS passed her high point. That doesn't mean that Greatness cannot be achieved again by reversing the policies and removing power from the people who brought us to the recent nadir. THAT is what Trump & MAGA are, fundamentally, all about. And people like Jimmy and Billy HATE us for it and are more than ok with cheering AGAINST their own Country at every opportunity. Lies, Half-truths and Gaslighting are not only acceptable - they are SOP, as BPR proves daily.
Rather disgusting IMO...
Well said Brother, but as you frequently point out, leftards have very little capacity for learning. It's why they're so predictable. I can practically write Billy's missives just by reading the lead ins.
Roberts is bats shit crazy.
Angry, I agree with much of what your write, but I am still concerned with all the political hacks in our government at all levels. We will have to overcome these statists to move forward. I think Trump could be a good start in the right direction despite my misgivings about some of his actions. He is pro-production, pro-energy (including nuclear), pro-technology and real science, anti-global warming (what a scam), and pro-deregulating the economy, etc. These are the many good policies that Bongo Bill and his sycophants do not even acknowledge. So, there is hope. It depends on how far Trump is willing to go to get the job done.
Angry - you are a member of the Dick Chaney School of Economics (“Deficits don’t matter”); I’m not.
...incorrect Mr. Roberts... I do believe deficits are a problem indeed.
I merely suggest the U.S. position is not as dire as Mr. Bonner laments.
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There is no reason this country is destined to demise.
Especially just because some just think so...
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Technological upheaval is already changing the globe.
Great change allows for greater opportunity.
Republicans reasoning at the moment is we need to increase the deficit, or we won't get re-elected.
Perhaps true... we'll have to give in to find out.
IMO the returning to the previous political trajectory will ensure we are toast.
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Deficits can be reduced by increasing domestic production and smarter governing.
But as you remind us, we must rely upon the current politico's to "do the right thing".
...and yes, that is frightening!
Time for Bonner & company to address America’s multi trillion dollar mineral assets, and Trump is going to open up the mining of precious metals in government land by changing our environmental laws & stopping the “tree hugging crazies” from holding up the mining of those assets and also allowing nuclear power to surge again in America!
Stay tuned for massive growth in the American economy resulting from these changes & the effect of the BBB passage!
As far as comparing the GDPs of Japan and the US maybe it's like comparing apples to oranges? Doing a little research I found info that health care as a percentage of GDP is around 18% in the US and 10-11% in Japan. So 7-8% of our GDP is wasted on more expensive healthcare for a sicker population. Plus our obesity rate is 10× that of Japan.
Obesity is a result of our government allowing the use of growth chemicals in our food chain which started in the 1970’s.
Hopefully the Trump Administration can turn that around so we have healthier food.
They can start with banning High Fructose Corn Syrup & then vegetable oils in our frying oil and require the GOOD oils - Olive, Coconut, or Avocado oils.
...not sure the gov't is who we want to rely upon for health.
And blaming the gov't is somewhat nebulous, as we are (allegedly) the gov't.
We can likely blame capitalism and media for the junk food, oh... and ourselves because Mmmmm junk food is so tasty!
All the chemicals and additives?
Blame the capitalist for want of longer shelf life, reduced processing expenditures and more attractive shelf display.
Blame the consumer because if it's not the right price, color, shape or texture we won't buy it.
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Education will make us healthier.
It seems some in the gov't have made more people aware of the importance of good health, it's a really good thing...
Coke is already going to sugar instead of chemicals in 2026 I believe
...yes it is a disparate comparison.
And yet similar comparisons are made all the time on BPR.
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As are most all the comparisons to the U.S. economy...
Comparing the U.S. to any one country can be deceptive.
The state of Indiana's GDP equals that of Turkey!
Indiana's GDP ranks amongst the lower half of U.S. States.
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The U.S. is a globe unto ourselves... our weighted dependency upon other nations is only because our leaders have betrayed us.
“Biden was bad; Trump is worse.”….LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL…good GAWD! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Is brain dead troll getting us.
to engage. What was bill's financial advice for the day? Can he please tell us all his private research was. Oh I got it.I just got a text everything sucks. Kill yourself the world is ending. I'm still making.
Money I'm reporting here from poor too France. (Not a typo.)
How is Bills assertion.
indisputable? Please enlighten us. I'm pretty damn sure that bills made a lot of money in the last twenty five years. I have.Do not claw the debt issue. It's bad. It needs to be fixed promptly. Is it build a guy who says that you can make money and any market? Please enlighten us all again as to how the united states is declined in the last twenty five years. Specifics please. Unless you're talking about the jacked up student's b o m riots, horrible education.......
"As recently as 1999, the US had a budget surplus...debt of only $5.6 trillion...and stocks worth more (in gold and dollar terms) than ever in history.
The US was still widely admired. Its federal debt was bought as a monetary reserve all over the world.
It wasn’t at war and wasn’t sponsoring major wars or paying for mass murders overseas. It encouraged free trade and, generally, favored the rule of law.
That was probably the apogee for the US...and for Western Civilization. It has been downhill ever since."
Specifics: In the last 25 years, largely due to Trump and Biden, our nation has amassed a debt so large that it can never be repaid; needlessly killed millions of Iraqi and Afghans -- two dirt pile countries never a threat to us -- and elected a man who is ravaging our Constitution and employing tariffs galore that will punish US consumers by making nearly everything more costly
Jimm, you fail to mention that oil and gas is much cheaper than 6 months ago under Biden and that is in EVERYTHING. One of the reasons inflation is not going crazy. Everything is transported and my gas price is $2.69 In Kansas. Friend in PA says he is paying $2.89 and PA has one of the highest state tax on fuel. The borders are closed. Remember that there is good going on even if you don’t want to acknowledge it.
Oh and let’s not forget that men are no longer in women’s sports
Careful. Jim loves men in women's lockerrooms. He just loves old JB.
"elected a man who is ravaging our Constitution and employing tariffs galore that will punish US consumers by making nearly everything more costly"
Well, the Supreme Court puts LIE to your first statement and economic indicators/inflation rates/tracked statistics put LIE to your second statement.
Come join us in Realville, Jimm - or don't. Nobody cares what your side is currently crying about and trying to get us to irrationally fear as much as you do - because we are grounded in Reality, have a backbone and love our Country.
Alas - it's more than likely nobody will care what you pout about tomorrow either, but keep going. The comedic value alone makes it worthwhile reading what you leftardes write....
Wow!!! You are truly another insane liberal.
"mistreating undocumented aliens."
Illegal aliens. Fixed it for you.
And he's treating them a hell of a lot better than they deserve.
I totally respectfully disagree‼️
Regarding a new civilization, how can that be accomplished? Dictatorship? Change at the point a gun - not nice, and in the end, counterproductive for a society. Oligarchy? Change by imprisonment- not nice, same result. Cultural changes through education? Very long term, including difficult institutional change. The death of certain societies, like fading empires? Not everyone can move to Argentina. Besides, people tend to bring their misconceptions and voting habits with them. As much as many believe in collectivism - anti-individualism - it seems to me, change only comes about by starting with oneself. I cannot change another without improving myself. So, there is the challenge, at least for me. (Plus, I don’t want to be a bully or a busybody).
Exactly change comes from within. You and I can not change others, only our selves.
Exactly. And we can barely change ourselves
My disagreement with Bill over Trumps policies have only grown I see Trumps tariffs as proxy for a declaration of a formal end to the WWII era Marshall Plan. A well intended strategy to rebuild the world with what has become an assumption of endless US largesse. One that became so widespread that it would come to a point of even financing the printing sexually explicit alternate lifestyle comic books to be distributed, in chastising fashion, to what were already hostile conservative cultures. Now, that's wealth used generously, even if a bit tone-deaf and at obvious diplomatic cross-purposes.
I'll await an article expressing some understanding that continuing to provide the mercantilist Chinese most favored WTO trade status is patently absurd. That Trumps efforts at "peace through strength" is neither a novel concept or inherently wrong. His proclamations on pending drug cost escalation, as (wait for it) due to the Trump tariff policy, as somewhat under-informed and off-key and lacking any context of critical domestic supply dangers.
I like the fact that Bill takes the long, historical view. That's his real beat. It provides interesting context to current events. Doesn't quite provide a direct parallel to history as Twain would have noted, but it does rhyme, and his books are a perennial good read. His writing skills quite engaging.
However, I'm still waiting for Bill or any of the other investment experts - Wall Street mavens or wherever this opinion springs from, to begin to provide a rationale for precisely why the markets, at least so far, are proving them spectacularly wrong and why the $37tr in debt and our exponentially escalating deficits, far from being Trumps out-of-wedlock orphan, has had many fathers.
But most of all, I'll patiently await their alternative plans for our economy to become paraded out in order to evaluate, before I challenge what Trump "the man in the ring" is trying to do for the nation and for a truly open trading world, built on mutual benefit and trade reciprocity
Well Ed, no matter how many "new" plans come out, it is man that will screw it up any way. Greed and profit are what seems to motivate the thrusters, motivators. I wish that i could solve all mans problems, but history will just repeat and You and I will start again from the same boat. There is a plan out there , but You and I do not seem to comprehend . It is not man made!
Yes Don, I too am a deist and I see greed as well as envy, to be an evil always to be with all of humankind. Profit not as much.
The trick there is what you do in order to gain what is needed to sustain the necessities in life? Your own life and the lives of others, all of which, is a gift from God that has been put in our hands. The question then becomes "how to live?" and, for me good old American capitalism seems to strike the right balance. It motivates us to toil away as is our lot since Eden and, in doing so, great good can spring from our work, Honestly pursued capitalist activity produces life sustaining food and shelter - and more - for us and those others all around us, the old and the sick, both near and far. May not be perfect - as was Eden - but it's the best system honest men have.
However, greed and envy and the theft of ones humanity they inspire (or worse), is always to be confronted in this world. So, we are counseled to always remember:
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" - Mark
Or, given this same warning with a bit more of a humorous spin:
"I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul".
Good write up. That is still one of the reasons that I like this site . You do not put the onus on one particular person , but open the eyes and ears to what is for all to see!
Hahaha, they’re all the same Bill, a bunch of Ivy League ventriloquists with Alan Greenspan’s ideology up their ass, making puppet-speak about “soft landings” while the rest of us are face-planting into ramen noodle futures!
Jerome “Print Daddy” Powell is sitting front row VIP like a Bond villain who moonlights as a substitute economics professor with a Fed printer strapped to his chest like Iron Man’s arc reactor.
Let’s call it what it is, the Federal Reserve is just a legalized counterfeiting cartel run by guys who look like they sell time shares to aliens. They flood the economy with fake money like it’s Monopoly Night in Hell, then act shocked when everything costs more than a kidney on the dark web. “Oh no, inflation!” NO SH*T, SHERLOCK! You pumped more stimulus into this country than a weekend bender in Hunter Biden’s iCloud and now act like you’re the fireman trying to put out the blaze you started with a flamethrower and a fifth of Everclear.
“We’re bringing inflation down,” Powell says, sipping Chardonnay in a room full of economists who’ve never been within fifty miles of a grocery store. Yeah, you’re bringing it down alright, right on the heads of single moms, small business owners, and every poor bastard who thought maybe, just maybe, they’d own a home before their skeletons do.
The Fed is a Banana Republic wearing a Brooks Brothers suit and a central bank badge, giving reach-arounds to billionaires while telling the middle class to “just stop eating eggs.”
So go ahead, Jerome, cross your legs, nod politely, and pretend you’re not the Wizard of Oz pulling levers behind the curtain of a flaming clown economy. But just remember, history’s watching and it ain’t buying your bonds.
If I remember correctly, it was the bankers with the government of the day that created the fed. Does this not seem like the fox in the hen house scenario?
I love your brilliant wit. Here Sopping up the tears of joy. Hoping that the belly laughs offset the lack of sit-ups (while continuing to plan for weight loss). Cheers!!
It all started with the phrase "an honest days work for an honest dollar." People have always been willing to work under a fair system. In the dot-com and 2008 crashes everyone was going to be rich. The personal acquisition of money has become that national mandate. Who would want to be the next Einstein or Wernher Von Braun because there is NO MONEY in it. IBM and GE were gutted to enrich the executive suites. It is more profitable to be a YouTube star than perform a task that enhances overall society. So the question is where do we go from here? The answer is simple, we can elect people who solve real problems or those who pander to our fears. Do we really need to spend a trillion dollars on Defense (fear)? As the FED noted last year, they had growing concern about Americans ability to buy a new car and pay for the insurance. That seems to be a problem! Leadership, if it existed, could propose revitalizing and expanding our public transportation system enabling people without cars to actually have jobs (problem). We can choose to change, but we are so entrenched in fear.
Excellent observations. One small note: since we spent billions to construct a new light rail / subway system, the thoughtful “non-leaders” of Los Angeles have for the past decade allowed them to become dirty, unsafe, filled up, MOBILE HOMELESS STORAGE UNITS. Only now Mayor Karen Bass may be assigning law enforcement as opposed to kind greeters (who accomplished nothing). In this example having adequate Public Transportation if the “leaders” are too weak to require safe clean standards (that may insult the poor).
Bill is spot-on and Mussolini is being proven right as well. Big Man Government is never the answer. War after War after War is insane - especially considering all have been losses. Instead of spending well over a trillion on defense which systems are woefully interior to others and bases spread out across the globe, the focus should be back on America. But, Oh No - that wouldn't do. Trump is supporting the genocide in Gaza which is horrific. It is simply evil beyond imagination and one day Israel will pay the price as will the U.S. Trump doesn't care about the American people - he just does what his handlers direct. The U.S. will reap what it has sown. If the U.S. took that trillion+ and put it into either U.S. infrastructure and/or aiding trading partners with improvements in their countries then America has a chance to grow. This is what China is doing and why their economy is growing worldwide. But, that simply won't happen. Nothing there for the Big Man to gloat over and pat himself on the back. If he did, any project's pay-off will be long after he is gone. No upside for Trump and that is all he cares about. There are 193 countries in the world and 192 don't trust the U.S. including the evil government in Tel Aviv. Unfortunately it takes decades and decades to turn that around. Think the U.S. is self-sufficient - that is so far from the truth to be risible. The continuing demising of America is ineluctable. Enjoy your day!
Western Civilization has been an array of different depictions that have nothing to do with any core idea or philosophy: Christ or Machiavelli to Marx.
Even in the US it has produced atrocities: slavery and genocide of Indians.
Who knows what the guiding principle is now.
“You have to live with what you have; there is no other alternative.”
We all have different ideas about causes and dots.
One saying that is true, “You can’t put new wine in old wine skins.”
Maybe, you must think out of the box devise a new civilization.
I am not a fan of the so-called nation state. I don't think it's a sustainable model. In our case, America of 1960 seems to be the best that we could do. The country was about as close to unity as possible. I'd cite factors , reasons, and statistics, but this is a comment forum and not a place for essays and polemics. When America started getting to being 50-50 (as opposed to its historical 90-10 or 80-20 standard) in its culture, politics, beliefs, and practices, which is what we have now, stagnation and failure became assured and certain. That's really all we need to know. Best always. PM
Fret not, Paul. Millions of Americans have awakened in the last decade and many of the most vital Cultural and Societal Issues are, once again, at an 80%-20% split.
Due to their hatred of Trump and accompanying mental illnesses, the dimocrats consistently champion the 20%.
Keep going. You think you are Virtue Signaling while you are only driving people away in droves....
Starman!
Glad to see your cosmic thumbs-up from orbit, figured you’d been abducted by common sense or kidnapped by CNBC. Welcome back to the freak show, brother, kept your seat warm and your skepticism sharper than ever.
So true, but the damned 20% scream and yell so loudly they make it seem like everything is split 50-50.
1960 was good to me, as were the 60’s- 90’s.
To me, the individual is supreme then family. Local government seems to be a farce; it is not close to people controlled by interests, mostly developers. I like the idea of nation-state, but, as you said there is only confusion.
I don’t know what would work, confusion and destruction reigns.
The philosophy has devolved into, every man for himself, the opposite of Christianity…evil.
“Love your neighbor as yourself. Every man a servant. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be given.”
In 1960, and before, there was always the yeast and the salt. It’s lost its flavor and is, the prevailing crap, good for nothing.
As always.
Appreciate your written the Intelligent comments .
Yeast and salt? Sounds like diabetes farts and high blood pressure.
Having said that, If it's a date of reference. In fact, the Doctor's Zhivago, I'm hearing that tell me a revolution. It matters a great deal. You did you need to make bread, and you need salt to live . Well done it if that was your perspective. Dated reference for younger viewers if you don't know the movie Doctor Zhivago or the novel check it out you will learn a great deal. It's a tragedy but it's excellent.
I have not read Dr. Zhivago since 197O
so I am reading it again.
America was amazing in the sixties
Jim, you simply must be kidding! Trump is worse than the stumbling, bumbling empty suit that dishonored
& disgraced the Presidency not even mention the Senate???I truly hope there is no one else living under the rock you crawled out from ! While America may be un decline(debatable) it sure beats the hell out of 162 other places on Mother Earth.
He just showed his true colors.
Earlier in the week you stated “We were wrong about Tariffs”, today you are back on teh hate Trump and all he has done band wagon. Which is it??? Can not have it both ways? Did you forget, did you take Ambien?
"Tariffs have become just another sleazy way to raise taxes and give the Big Man more power." Fortunately there is another strong, less TDS possibility- that Trump and his admin plan to return us to the Hamiltonian system last implemented by President McKinley which included protectionist tariff policies emphasizing using tariffs to shield domestic industries from foreign competition, foster home-grown production, and boost national economic growth. The Hamiltonian / American system was a nationalist economic vision that emphasized a strong federal government's role in promoting economic growth through industrialization, a national bank, and a sound financial system. It involved government support for domestic industries, a national currency, and the assumption of state debts to strengthen the nation's credit. I encourage everyone to check out "Promethean Updates" on YouTube for a much more positive and I think insightful view of the Trump admin than Bill's CNN influenced point of view.
Appreciate the information, thank you.
I think it only FAIR to save your comments about Trump & tariffs until he has completed his program and see what the results are by the first of the year 2026. Any comments now is just guessing & hypothetical conjecture!
Appreciate the calm perspective, thank you.
What are some numbers showing what other countries have been "ripping us off" with tariffs? Think this has been posted before but a refresher would be good to compare to the now presented tarriffs.
Now might be good time to short Stellantis a $28B Mcap 5.4M cars sold 2024
300K employees. Innovative manufacturer is its bold headline makes me think of the adds of Jaguar.
Take away Jeep and Stellantis is already long gone. It's not just Stellantis. The government has over-regulated the car manufacturers to the point of failure. I think the government's intention is to kill private transportation for the sake of control. It's OK if you wish to call me paranoid, but I think this is the only logical conclusion to draw. Best always. PM
Not paranoid at all. And it's also for control of distance movement by the minions.
An EV like a Tesla might be great for local trips (and shifting the exhaust emissions to the stacks of the local power plant), but totally impractical for long-distance travel.
I get amused at the Teslas, still backed up and plugged in, driver reading a book, as I've gassed up, took a leak, grabbed a drink, and back on the road...but I'm sure all of their "green" feeling more than makes up for the sit.
And then imagine that sit at sub-zero temps in the not so warm areas of the great continent. For every 2° below zero you lose 1.0 Volt !
100%.
Precisely Paul.
Having been in the auto industry for many years regardless, anyone with an eye can see the changes. Its no secret the automotive industry has had years of the failure rates in its designs down to a fine art. The industry as a whole can design vehicles to last with long term realibility in its execution however its as you said its been outside their control. Someone should have stood up to those external miscreants decades ago.
I, too, spent the bulk of my career in the automotive sector. It's a shame what happened, but big government makes a big mess, and we are living it. Best always. PM
You want to laugh ?
Sister & brother-inlaw have a 2010 Renault C4 Grand Picasso Van they bought in Europe. Decent mileage owned it for a few years just recently they had asked me if I could look at a problem they were experiencing with the instrument cluster (digital display) that would come off and on while driving and sometimes not work at all. Let me tell you I replaced rear shocks in that van and had a pretty good loom over and my definitive conclusion was if you gave me the vehicle I would not take it. I checked over their new problem and had deduced it had something to do with the shifter module. I told them sorry as I was not wanting to touch it any further. They took it to the dealer and got hit with a $1400€ bill for a new transmission module. We know another couple that bought a "Picasso" same year and it burst in flames while they were driving it !. I did a bulletin search on these vehicles from the manufacturer and let me just say its inundated with all kinds of issues some of them a real concern regarding safety protocols.
Agreed
Always happy to get on Substack and read the latest news and opinion and analysis and bias and drivel.
In my opinion Bill Bonner is brilliant, our sense of humor resonates, and he informs with view points that hadn’t crossed my mind.
Correspondingly, this member audience can be delightful with both intelligent and informative agreement or disagreement (when not too rude, or not crude, and are somewhat entertaining in mild insult as well). Thank you Dan and Tom.
With the crackup boom in full swing I'm holding onto max safety or what I perceive as max safety mode. I'm not sure of anything quite frankly but gold seems better than everything else to me. I even think determining whether max safety mode is doing it's job will be difficult even during a discernable collapse. So far my view is that Trump is the best thing going at least he has direction and is taking action that appears to benefit me and the middle class, not that some of his friends aren't allowed to make easy money. I'm loving the border closure, USAID and Dept of Education stuff. Talk about traitorous activity.
Why does Bill write what he writes? Why do people comment? The end of the world is nigh. It’s not like the good old days when Europeans were slaughtering each other on a regular basis. Gold, silver, International Living, who cares. It’s all over now.