Riots Du Jour!

February 20,2014

By: Kevin Kerr, Managing Editor and Trader for CommodityConfidential.com

Can the American Implosion Be Far Off?

Chaos in Caracas, the UN fiddling while Ukraine burns, political uncertainty in Italy, the list of unrest in various nations is long, and getting longer.  How long will it be before we see struggling, angry Americans picking up their pitchforks and torches and heading to the streets, only time will tell.  I think we are getting closer every day.

Here in the good old USSA the boiling frog syndrome is alive and well.  Producer prices are climbing, housing starts are down and job growth is nominal at best.  The list of negative data goes on ad infinitum.

The late George Carlin, the outspoken and controversial comedian and modern day philosopher said it best:

“The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”

Well these days that’s certainly true.

America’s forefathers and the first colonists risked everything to escape tyranny in Britain, and they fled to the new world in order to form ‘a more perfect union’, and they did that.

So what has happened in the last 235 years that has brought America to the sorry condition it’s in today?

New American Nightmare

First, it’s important to define what exactly is the “American Dream” is anyway?  Many people nowadays may not even know.

In fact, for some struggling Americans today the ‘new American dream’ could be radically different then in the past.  Today it could simply be not being foreclosed on, or a few more weeks of unemployment benefits, or more food stamps, that’s how bad it is.

The definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931 stated that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” this meant regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.

The idea of the American Dream is the very essence of the United States Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that “all men are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. So clearly this didn’t mean more food stamps or longer unemployment lines.

No the American dream has turned into more of a nightmare for most people.

Exporting the American Dream

The lifeblood of America has always been small business and entrepreneurs, as they provide the much-needed jobs and tax revenue that help support the nation and make it prosperous. They also provide the innovation that has created some of the World’s most important inventions.  Things such as Electric light, computers, space travel, medical advances, entertainment, and on and on.

The achievements and the contributions Americans have made over the short existence of the country are simply miraculous.  But as they say, “the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long”, and America has burned so very, very brightly.  Lights Out!

Unfortunately, as time has gone on the country has lost many of its core values, and today we have numerous barriers to the American dream and all that’s associated with it.

Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American dream is clearly out of reach for the large majority of would be home buyers.  Job losses, tight credit, or non-existent credit, have made it next to impossible for potential buyers.                                                                                                                                                                                             

And for those unfortunates that are already are owners and want to sell, its worse.

Homeowners have seen their properties sink, and are often simply throwing the keys in the air and walking away because the properties are so upside down it simply makes no sense to continue to pay for it. Small and medium businesses are impacted too.

The idea of having a vision for a new product or service and developing it and growing it have always made America the land of opportunity. Unfortunately today there are many major hurdles in front of anyone seeking to accomplish this goal.

Regulatory agencies, taxes, legal, and credit woes, etc. all make the idea of starting and growing a business in America a complicated affair.  So many people are either opting not to attempt to follow their dream or, like myself, are picking up and taking their dream elsewhere.

Building Your Own Mayflower

The idea that things may not get better for a very long time in America, or possibly ever, is a very depressing concept.  After all, most of us have been brought up to believe that if we worked hard, saved, and contributed to our communities that we too could live the American dream, it’s simply not the case anymore.

I believe the colonists who first set sail to the new world had the same concerns, and also the same fears about the unknown. Yet they took the risk, boarded boats, and set sail for better or worse.

Today you can too.

Opportunities abound abroad, and as the new global economy grows that will only increase. Asia, Eastern Europe, (where my family and I live, at least part time), Russia, and elsewhere are all expanding and while every place on earth has challenges, the concept of ‘anything is possible’ is fresh and alive in these places.

But what is an investor to do if they just cannot take the major step of packing up and shipping out?  Well there are many steps one can take to protect themselves, but here are four key action steps everyone can take right now.

Here is my 4-point action plan to help you protect yourself and even prosper from the crumbling American dream:

#1— It’s said a lot, but you must reduce or diversify out of the US Dollar as much as possible, and into tangible assets, gold and silver are the most common, but there are many other ways too. The more diverse your holdings are, the better.

#2— Pay down your debts as quickly as possible, so that your credit cards and other borrowings don’t bury you. Cut the dead weight and turn from a massive consumer to a pragmatic saver and investor.

#3—Become irreplaceable where you work. Take classes outside of work and educate yourself so you have valuable skills to offer the global marketplace in case you lose your job or want to leave the country. Make your skills portable and desirable, this is key in the new world workplace.

#4-Keep the dream alive, don’t fill yourself with fear and loathing. Instead, look for what really makes you happy and imagine your glass as half full.  You don’t have to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality, just be sure to see what the reality is and what it’s not.

I have decided that to protect myself and my family, and to give my children a better chance, the opportunities elsewhere are far superior.

As I said in my first action step, some great ways to take measures to protect and diversify your wealth, are with gold and silver investments.

The bottom line is America was an amazing country who simply lost her way, hopefully the dream can return, but in the meantime investors have no choice but to take steps to protect themselves and their families, even if that means taking drastic measures.

Yours for Resource Profits,

Kevin Kerr, Managing Editor and Trader for CommodityConfidential.com

About the author: Kevin Kerr, is managing editor and trader for CommodityConfidential.com and he has successfully traded commodities professionally for the last 24+ years. His unparalleled expertise in commodity and resource futures, options, and equity trading, has made him a regular contributor to news outlets like CNBC, CNN, FOX News, CBS Evening News, Nightly Business Report and many others.