“The quality of the cars during the 1940s 1950s and up until 1970 were very good, but the quality started declining as the imports started coming in so our manufacturers had to cut corners, while the imported car manufacturers didn’t have to pay for employee benefits, so they could afford to make them very good. Plus I’m sure the currency exchange rates and tax incentives helped importing them. Rat poison.”

I agree. But that would have been the time to impose tariffs to level out the playing field. Australia did that though, and all it did was encourage low quality manufacturing. People would pay more for a Japanese Toyota than an Australian Toyota, especially on the second hand market. Home made GM and Ford cars became a joke. But apart from the extra benefits, I think the Japanese just worked harder and smarter and it doesn’t seem right to penalise people for working hard. That’s why there’ll be a reckoning when it collapses. Nobody understands hard work. Here in Oz there are movements towards a four day week for the same pay. Four nine hour days instead of five seven and a half hour days. We all know where this is leading.

“As for importing inflation or deflation, we have nothing to lose because we already lost. As for pain during the reversal or transition? No pain no gain. Like somebody breaking a bad drug habit and wants to stop, he has to go thru the pain of withdrawal.

Besides all that I think the rest of the world knows that of the US economy with a $36 trillion national debt is a time bomb, and if the US dollar and US economy crashes the rest of the world is in big trouble. That may be why they are being cooperative.”

Agree, you’ve already lost. And the debt can’t be repaid. There’s no way out.

I don’t know anything about the UK. All I know is after I got out of high school in 1962 until 1969, we made all our needs here, and we lived very good. Probably because of a shortage of labor.

I got a job as a model maker apprentice $1.75/hr. I bought a new 1963 Pontiac tempest with a three year loan. Four other friends bout the same car. The biggest car buying group were under 25 years old. I got married in 1965 had two kids and my wife didn’t need to work.

When I needed a vernier caliper and a calculator made in the USA cost me one weeks pay each. When the Jap stuff came in they cost one days pay. We paid high prices because we were getting paid high.

The quality of the cars during the 1940s 1950s and up until 1970 were very good, but the quality started declining as the imports started coming in so our manufacturers had to cut corners, while the imported car manufacturers didn’t have to pay for employee benefits, so they could afford to make them very good. Plus I’m sure the currency exchange rates and tax incentives helped importing them. Rat poison.

As for the tariffs? We had to do it to something to curb or inhibit the imports like all the other countries did to us. The USA is no more Mr. Niceguy, the good guys always finish last.

As for importing inflation or deflation, we have nothing to lose because we already lost. As for pain during the reversal or transition? No pain no gain. Like somebody breaking a bad drug habit and wants to stop, he has to go thru the pain of withdrawal.

Besides all that I think the rest of the world knows that of the US economy with a $36 trillion national debt is a time bomb, and if the US dollar and US economy crashes the rest of the world is in big trouble. That may be why they are being cooperative.

Japanese needed to keep things smaller and compact for space reasons and gas reasons lack of their own oil. They also had stricter smog regulations. I remember when they used to be called bottle rockets or something, less roomy, objects getting stuck in between the front seats , still do, less leg room in the front seats and no leg room in the back seats. As things changed here with both space in inner city’s and sub divisions along with gas prices so did their choices. Bigger muscle trucks are still in use as needed. Still lots of outdoor camping and activities so they started making some bigger vehicles too. But commuting in busy traffic, gas prices, or finding parking spaces is a different story. I don’t care about electric windows, they can be a death trap. It would be nice if they made a simple car, cheap to buy,  good on gas, safe for crashes, roll up windows with locks for toddlers  in the back  with out all the modules and electronics and has simple parts to fix, a head light goes out you don’t have to replace all the connecting parts with it, heat and air conditioning, fog lights, good breaks, a good emergency light system, maybe a good radio or music system if they teach the kids not to drive to the music instead of the road I think they might be in demand.

I found out what was going on in Japan with protesting migration too. It’s mostly because of the Chinese not assimilating, bringing their as everyone has them poverty population, not following the laws selling stuff on the streets like third world country’s, stealing from farms selling their produce and getting too many of them. Feral migrants is a pretty accurate word.

Even now you have to rely upon a South Korean company using illegal and very cheap labour to build a tariffs busting factory. How much more will the batteries cost (which we both agree are totally unnecessary and inflationary of themselves) now Hyundai are going to have to pay legal rates and add-ons to build and operate it?

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/450-illegal-aliens-arrested-hyundai-battery-plant-georgia

There isn’t an answer that doesn’t involve pain. Much pain. So much instant gratification built upon debt requires much more delayed gratification to balance out. But the debt collapse will impose much, much more delayed gratification and require 90% of the population to grow up very quickly.

And positive for gold. I think. My doubts arise because of his language. He seems to actually thinks that bitcoin occurs naturally, and gold is kind of a natural resource, and almost like natural bitcoin. Maybe he comes from a planet where bitcoin grows on trees.

What would have been much better is if you stupid Americans had learnt from the Japanese, and produced equally good if not better cars by improving quality, reducing fuel consumption and adding on the extras. We were equally stupid in the UK, with our manufacturers refusing to change. As a kid I couldn’t understand how the Japanese could build a better, more reliable, less rusty, more economical and better equipped (electric windows, cruise control, central locking, radio cassette player, sunroof etc. etc. as standard) AND ship it half way around the world for less than the price of a pile of British Leyland, Ford or Vauxhall junk. Only because we were stupidly stubborn. Mind you, it certainly left more money in our pockets to be able to afford a house …. Not that I ever bought a Japanese car in England, I’ve always been a second hand buyer/maintainer, but we do have an ’85 Mazda now. Electric windows and mirrors, sunroof, keyhole light, cruise control, aircon, no electronics. And hey! It all still works! And I can buy parts for it from the local Mazda dealer.

And now you are importing inflation with your tariffs. Either the prices go up because of tariffs, or the prices go up because you have to pay American labour rates and American bureaucracy costs to make the same thing that has previously been made in low cost/low paperwork countries. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

You beat me to it. Excellent article.

Gotta look up this Elemental Althius?

Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, has reportedly been in discussions with mining and investment groups to deploy billions into the gold industry, according to a Financial Times report late Thursday.

The talks reportedly span mining, refining, trading, and royalty companies, following chief executive Paolo Ardoino’s view of gold as “the natural Bitcoin.”

“I prefer to think in Bitcoin terms, and I think gold is kind of a resource of nature and is almost like the natural Bitcoin,” Ardoino said onstage at the Bitcoin 2025 conference back in May.

Tether is also moving to deepen its role in the sector, planning to spend about $100 million more to increase its previous 37.8% stake in Toronto-listed Elemental Altus Royalties, a Canadian firm that buys future revenue streams from gold mines, according to a report from Bloomberg early Friday.

I saw one of these short videos where some guy and don’t know what state was ranting that in order to buy a house now he found to have to make 66 a hour or over 100k a year. The ages to buying houses is going up especially if single parents for child care reasons. Not only the extra cost including child care but if they lost child care they could have to relocate somewhere closer to it in order to work. Also with prices driven so high for the same square footage, insurances going up  and economy they would lose money buying it. People are starting to pool resources with other family members.like WW11. That’s why I find it so interesting that SS is now thinking of ways to pass the buck on what they owe retirees to family or spouses even non spouses which appears unconstitutional and theft  trying to dump their debt on someone else.

The main problem after our peak of prosperity, was too many Americans gleefully started buying IMPORTED cars. Do you drive one? I’ll best most posters here own one or two. I tried warning my friends to not do that. I drive a 2001 GMC Jimmy, and an ’89 Chevy van and my son drives a ’98 GMC Jimmy.

Business people I knew started buying Japanese and Korean machinery because they were so good and so cheap. I warned them too, they were buying and eating rat poison they re all out of business because the dumb as a stump USA during Ragan gave tax breaks to buy them.

Every year newer the cars get worse for all the stupid stupid welfare electronics. Who the hell wants a car that the motor shuts off every time you stop at a lite. I knew something was wrong when they killed JFK in 1963, and then came the dumb ass stump gov’t gave us the gun control act of 1968. The end of mail ordering a rifle. Plus they stuffed us into the stupid Vietnam War and so many others.

Basically to have a minimum wage equal to pre 1970 minimum wage it would have to be $50/hour, that $2000/week meaning you can afford $2000/month for rent. Joe McCarthy Was Right.

If America continues following the course shown in this essay… it is imperative that you teach your grandchildren about Communism and how to say with mindless enthusiasm… “Yes, Comrade!”

“Who controls the rural areas and suburbs during chaos and civil unrest… controls the destiny of America” – Author Jack Lawson If America continues following the course shown in this essay… it is imperative that you teach your grandchildren about Communism and how to say with mindless enthusiasm… “Yes, Comrade!” When there’s no hope but the empty promises of communism…

by Tyler Durden and Author Jack Lawson

Check out the original article HERE.

The foundational pillars of the American middle class have been crumbling for decades, crushed under the weight of unaffordable housing, runaway education costs, and the rising price of just about everything. This full-blown affordability crisis is hollowing out the middle class from within. Add years of mass migration of millions of illegal aliens, and the wealth and opportunities once available to the native population have eroded even further. It’s becoming impossible to ignore that many policymakers in Washington, seemingly aligned with the globalist billionaires, have deliberately waged economic war on America’s middle class. This is precisely why President Trump rose to power.

Two of the core bedrocks of the middle class include homeownership and family formation. These two pillars provide economic stability, social cohesion, and long-term investment that sustain a prosperous and resilient society.

Alarm bells have been sounded, and the Trump administration had better be paying attention, because a new chart that shows the estimated percentage of 30-year-olds in the U.S. who are both married and homeowners, spanning from 1950 to a projected 2025, has completely collapsed.

The chart was first posted on X by Nathan Halberstadt of New Founding, who stated this is a “critical civilizational problem.”

Halberstadt is correct: Young Americans can’t afford homes, can’t start families, and increasingly see the American Dream as just a dream. This has given rise to socialism and Marxism, spreading across the nation like cancer. It’s as if the globalist elite in Washington deliberately sabotaged the middle class over the years, hollowing it out with decades of destructive policies designed to break those key pillars.

This chart was enough for Elon Musk to respond with “!!” as he, too, understands there needs to be a drastic and sharp course correction or risk losing the country to socialists and Marxists.

The reason Communism failed to take hold in the U.S. in the 1960s post-WWII is that the economic expansion had stable jobs, rising wages, access to homeownership, and upward mobility. The revolution didn’t die, it just changed tactics with all things woke re-emerging in the current unaffordability crisis that has taken decades to play out.

From Author Jack Lawson… The PILLARS THAT KEEP A GOVERNMENT IN POWER are in the depiction above. When one or more crumble, it can end that government’s control, function and existence.

The destiny of America will not only be towards Communism, it will be the slow extermination of the White Anglo Saxon Race and absorption of American born and American thinking Orientals, Hispanic and blacks into this population of feral illegals. Couple the above chart with the previous one…You born and bred Americans of all colors will be overrun and absorbed by FERAL ILLEGALS who have a total different set of values or no values, don’t think like Americans and actually hate you. Even Kermit the Frog will get steamrollered and stomped on by these FERAL ILLEGALS.

America will be a Third World Country you won’t recognize… Why!? Because you haven’t been with the common people in the Third and Fourth World like I have and seen how they live.

That’s the best scenario I’m hoping for and returning all that money they stole from us would help too. As far as SS if they’re not refunded I’m gonna start a new movement. We want a pay off starting no.less than a million and moving up in pay the younger we are starting with the oldest person living not their made up Expiration dates.

Weighing on silver some, but gold not too much. Might make for an interesting close.

Gold shares are just unbelievably good today. Some of the silver’s are a little sketchy, some strong. At least of the ones I watch.

Hard to see what will take us down. I suppose they can manufacture a selloff in the bond market and some dollar strength for a day or two, but bonds are looking for a .50 pt. cut. If we only get .25, that might take us down for a bit.

Still have to think we can get to $4K and $50 by year end with all the central bank accumulation, but we’ll see.

Maddog – yes, Trump needs rates down to 1-2% to reduce the debt payments. Tariffs are helping somewhat, but he’s got to cut spending and a big part of that is removing illegals that are on the government dole. I think it was 4 million illegals were given full disability benefits by Social Security at $4k a month per. That’s just outrageous. There are so many things like that to cut.

Mr Copper – I thought the video was AI as well but the message was spot on.

Unbelievable day for the pm sector. I thought we’d get a pullback for sure.

What happens if the Globalists get defeated…very likely ….Trump makes peace in Ukraine and Rusia returns to the fold…..Xi is booted in China…highly likely and reformers take back control …again highly likely…..the world would be a much saner place !!!!

Since you haven’t seemed to get too burnt out see if you can notice a pattern. 08 in the US was fast but I could see it, or the top was defying gravity before the fall. Next one I spent hours making indicators and found it by 2010-11 but it wasn’t as  fast. ” It changed after 08 ”  Plus PMs manipulation was  going on rewarding equities while they were purposely attacking the PMs, punishing commodities. A slow take down.  Then 2020 was fast. A bio event to divert from the repos and deficits and push a agenda maybe fearing pitchforks coming after them.

Nevertheless a every other bust year changed from  fast, to slow, then back to fast, as far as wall  street. Tricky??  I’m not sure of all their options but wouldn’t rule out a false flag event either.

Re: sell signal since the 2008 Lows…..?!! Yikes

He did say it could happen fast and no one’s sure so to be prepared on what to do. He said it could happen at the end of the year but like all the others saying 26 is gonna be a rough year. No ones sure. One said even Buffett got out too early. That isn’t normal for him or doesn’t seem normal.

I like listening to his numbers too but have mixed feelings about what kind of economy he’s describing at oil 500 plus all the other numbers. They all seem to be hinting to a WW11 economy including Armstrong talking about making victory gardens hinting to food prices. People are already struggling with that now

He mentioned after the coming bust “which is already here for most people”  so obviously talking about wall street when ever that may happen it will change to a commodities boom with some of the stocks like individual tec companies be be okay but won’t be the same as now.

Ps I’m just comparing.

23% is a big piece! I’m sure he knew about the merger ahead of time.

PS Sprott is so heavy into the miners the co. must be making a fortune!

https://x.com/JrMiningNetwork/status/1963750915468660958

Also, the news about a week ago, where Eric Sprott bought another 12.2 million shares in a private placement. He now owns 23% of the float!

Re rates

What bshould be happening here, is that with Trump at least trying to solve yr debt problem, US rates should be a little easier, wheras there shud be a real crisis in Europe, as none of their governments are doing anything , apart from talking occasionally….Japan shud have rising rates, as it does…..Europe is well out of step and I suspect intervening heavily, to try and pretend there is no problem….There is and it is fatal.

We may yet see defaults on Euro and UK debt…..got Gold.????

New Found Gold to acquire Maritime Resources, creating emerging Canadian gold producer

https://newfoundgold.ca/new-found-gold-and-maritime-enter-into-definitive-11467/

https://x.com/PapiTrumpo/status/1963775214598476039

Wow. We haven’t even reached the point of mania yet. Hard to imagine what it will look like when the metals are rising 3-4% a day. Looks pretty good right now and gold is only up 1.25%

Good times.

Maddog – it seems to me all these governments and economies need 0% rates to survive. Fruits of living on borrowed money.