The Struggle is real

There has never been a time where Americans are so desperate for a recession. The inflationary asset bubble created by central banks has made us all, particularly young people, severely distressed about our financial future. Many of us did everything we were supposed to do. We went to college, got the degree, and endured corporate employment. In many ways this amounted to nothing. We’re staring down mountains of debt with zero chance of saving for a decent home. When we complain about the inconceivable cost of living, the elder generations tell us to quit spending so much money on Starbucks and Netflix. Our financial anguish falls on deaf ears.  

The disconnect between us and our parents is astounding. The Boomers and Gen Xers were endlessly told by our media that their kids and grandkids have it so easy and they just don’t work hard enough. Yes, it is true that we don’t have to hike uphill both directions to the library anymore. Of course, the age of information has improved our experience in many ways but that does not make up for the financial imposition we must bear.

The 15 years of fiscal stimulus has surely benefited the people who bought everything cheap and rode them to the top of the asset bubble. Our parents paid for their own college with a part-time job at a bowling alley. Their degree was actually worth a damn and gave them a livable wage. They bought their homes for a $150 and a deck of cards. Moreover, the responsible ones made a small fortune off Microsoft and AT&T stock. This is all hyperbole of course, but the effects of inflation are exponential. The excerpt from our grandparents “I used to buy a bottle of coke for a nickel” sounds just as ridiculous as our parent’s “we saved 2 months wages for a downpayment on a home”. For many individuals my age, the simple task of saving 10% of our income is insurmountable. The wages promised to us by the arbiters of higher education are not keeping up with the cost of food, gas and rent.

I will admit that our generation prioritizes the appearance of wealth over actual affluence. This is mainly due to the vanity spurred by social media. Our predecessors did not experience the relentless envy of our peers and obligation to experience the same luxuries. We are plagued by a constant stream of designer cloths, fancy vacations, and cinema-like nights out. This part of the generational poverty is our own doing. However, the vices encouraged by social media were never cautioned. We were the lab rats of online presence and targeted advertising. These lavish aspects of life are not required but very much pressured socially. Most of us do not realize that the affluent lives of our peers are practiced with their parent’s money. Our feeble attempts to match their trust-fund experience with a simple wage is financial suicide.

The consumerist culture created and sustained by our elders has surpassed the entry-level wage. We still want things and experiences, but those indulgences have become unaffordable. Those of us who care not for the appearance of wealth and attempt to actually accumulate it have unfortunately been born at the top of the bubble. The prospect of purchasing real estate and investments is insanely risky in terms of fair value and profit potential. If you ask a Millennial or Zoomer of their intentions to purchase a home, they will say “I’m waiting for another housing crash”. This bubble pop may never arrive, if it does, who will be dumb enough to sell? Our choices are limited, knowingly buy at the top, or rent forever.  

This economic situation is not sustainable, the older generations are reliant on the constant appreciation of their assets while the younger generations beg for a crash. We know not of the negative aspects of recessions. We will likely go down with the ship of unemployment, but it’s our only chance for the same opportunity to build wealth our parents experienced. The ebbs and flow of business cycle are necessary for a healthy economy that supports everyone. The inflationary pressures by central banks and irresponsible governments have distorted the natural order of things for their own financial benefit and amplified authority. Free market enterprise died long ago, in its place resides crony capitalism and an unstable currency designed to subjugate us all. The possibility of retirement is wanning, the wealth gap is widening, our culture is degenerating, and the American Dream has vanished. The freedom to pursue liberty and prosperity has been replaced with corporate slavery and indebtedness.

There is a solution to these financial woes, but it requires sacrifice and pain. The monetary stimulus and financial backstops we’ve become accustomed to must cease to exist. The return to assets priced at fair value and a job market that appropriately rewards productivity requires a purge. The inflated home prices and stocks must crash. The useless jobs and unprofitable companies must fail. The safety nets and welfare provided by our governments must come to an end. It will not be easy as many will suffer from the disappearance of monetary Ponzi Schemes and bottomless budgets. We have built ourselves a cage of endless debt and dependance. The promises of social security, pensions, welfare, and subsidized services were always empty and paid for with inflation, courtesy of central banks. The deficits created by our representatives always had a price, but it was the slow creeping cost of barely noticeable currency devaluation. These “benefits” were simply a prison of monetary addiction that only caused future financial pain and supplementary dependency. An animal born in captivity has no understanding of true autonomy. The animal is fed and cared for, but it is not free, nor does it want to be.

We need a return to the callous and unforgiving world of free markets and real money. It won’t be easy, but life was never meant to be simple. The abolishment of federal apportionments means that we must take care of each other. Our local governments will need to provide more, and our charities will be essential to continue civilized society. Those who are loyal to the “something for nothing” lifestyle will be left behind. Everyone will have to earn their keep or suffer alone. This might sound like hell to some, but to the productive individuals it is fair and prosperous. This is not society moving backwards, it is a reversion to the mean. Imagine a civilization with medieval like freedom, coupled with present day technology and access to information.

The current systems of government and corporate monopolies are severely archaic in a technological world. We have every capability of feeding and housing all the people of world, providing real education and professional occupations. The power structure we’re used to has held us back and purveyed widespread poverty for the advantage of a few bureaucrats. We never needed them, but they convinced us that we never could have made it without them. The Earth provides the basic essentials for all of us. Human ingenuity provides the art and innovation that enhances our life. God instilled us all with kindness, love, and care for our fellow man. All we ever needed was each other.

A man can dream of a better world that may never come. Utopia can never be created without the necessary sacrifice. We can get there, but the revolution must come first. Buckle up.