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If you’ve ever played speed chess, then you can appreciate what President Trump is about to do to “official” Washington. This won’t be like 2017, when the president did everything he could to work amicably with House and Senate Republicans. This time, you either get on the “Trump Train” or kindly throw yourself from the back car. There’s no time to waste, and the president won’t be slowing down for stragglers.
After his first election, President Trump arrived in D.C. with Republican majorities in Congress, too. He expected that the people who had promised to repeal Obamacare for seven years would have a legislative package ready for him to sign into law. He expected that Republicans who had campaigned on securing the border for four decades would be prepared to do what it takes to achieve that goal for the American people. His expectations were met with the disappointing reality of squishy Republican backbones and Uniparty backstabbing.
While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell informed President Trump which of his potential nominees would get Republican support (McConnell’s wife, for instance, would have no problem winning confirmation), House Speaker Paul Ryan told him that there was just no money to build a border wall (because Ryan had already spent trillions supporting Barack Obama’s policy agenda). Both Republicans took turns publicly laughing at Trump for arriving in D.C. with the misguided belief that the work of government could be anything other than slow. McConnell and Ryan wasted most of President Trump’s first year in office bickering about how best to dismantle Obamacare before finally throwing up their hands in feigned exasperation after Senator John McCain saved the Democrats’ costly expansion of government-directed medicine with his final “screw you” vote.
On the other hand, McConnell and Ryan took the Russia collusion hoax very seriously. Although Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Brennan, Jim Comey, and numerous other coup-plotters inside the Intelligence Community had created that fantasy as a mechanism for illegally spying on candidate Trump before his election and as a mechanism for overthrowing President Trump after his inauguration, congressional Republicans treated the matter as if it deserved their utmost attention. McConnell and Ryan both knew that the allegations against Trump were ridiculous, but they eagerly assisted Democrats in their efforts to paint the president as a Russian spy. Why? Because holding Trump’s fate in their hands gave them power over his presidency.
President Trump entered office in 2017 beholden to no one. No secret billionaires had funded his campaign. No foreign governments had secretly supported his run for office. Unlike other politicians who are easily controlled once the Intelligence Community digs up enough dirt from their pasts, President Trump has never had a problem showing the public exactly who he is. How do you manipulate a man who has few secrets and whose peccadilloes are already widely known? You make him “Putin’s puppet” and enlist Republican leaders to legitimize the farcical intelligence operation. With “friends” like McConnell and Ryan, President Trump was surrounded by enemies.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you can play that phony card only once. There will not be another round of Uniparty and Intelligence Community hijinks engineered to divide the American people and stifle the MAGA agenda. The “news” organizations that ran Russia collusion stories for years have exposed themselves as mere propagandists for the State. The credibility of the media, Intelligence Community, FBI, DOJ, and Uniparty lies in tatters. The “Trump Train” has left the station, and it’s picking up speed.
Heads must roll. People who fabricated the Russia collusion hoax must pay a price. Because nobody ever suffered for inflicting this fraud upon the American people, the worst offenders just continued offending. We got the fake quid-pro-quo Ukraine impeachment (which was designed to cover up real quid-pro-quo crimes of the Biden Crime Family and other powerful political-crime families in D.C. that rake in a great deal of money from foreign regimes). We got the J6 psy-op in which demonstrators protesting for free and fair elections were condemned as “insurrectionists.” We got the unending lawfare from Democrat prosecutors and Merrick Garland’s Department of (in)Justice designed to imprison Trump, his friends, and his voters. These crimes against the American people will not stop until the perpetrators are brought to justice. Conspirators, fraudsters, and government employees who used their offices to persecute innocent Americans for their political beliefs must be held accountable.
While President Trump and his new administration sort through the nest of vipers in D.C., they will keep the guilty preoccupied. It is difficult to respond to the president’s constant moves when you’re spending fifteen hundred dollars an hour on legal representation. Expect President Trump to show Establishment Republicans just how much can be accomplished in Washington when the overarching command is simple: Let’s get s— done.
Illegal immigration, inflation, crime, economic malaise, bureaucratic regulation, “woke” indoctrination, censorship, and the growing likelihood of WWIII are the consequential issues that broadened and strengthened President Trump’s MAGA coalition in 2024. Americans feel that their country is vulnerable and in decline. They overwhelmingly believe that their country is on the wrong track. They are desperate for the federal government to take their worries seriously. With their votes, they have spoken loudly. President Trump has been given a mandate to execute on his policy initiatives and to prove to the American people that their voices have been heard.
President Trump will give the Deep State a magic show. As is his wont, he will move fast, change directions, and keep his opponents off guard. He will juggle numerous balls in the air and still surprise his adversaries with a rabbit from under his hat. Pay attention.
President Trump is serious about mass deportations. The American people cannot be made to feel unsafe in their own communities. Expect to see the Obama-Biden handouts for illegal aliens come to an end. Expect to see violent criminals rounded up. Expect to see border security reactivated. Expect to see the completion of a border wall. And expect international cartels currently in control of the U.S. border to be designated as terrorist organizations. The old way of doing things is over. Those who have been destroying America with fentanyl, human-trafficking, and organized crime have no place to hide. Their days are numbered.
Bureaucratic regulations operate like hidden taxes that increase the cost of necessary purchases, such as food and fuel. When agencies issue new rules, they steal liberty from the American people and empower themselves with additional authorities. Expect President Trump to send in the equivalent of several Special Operations Forces to wage war on the administrative state. Their mission is to slash red tape, battle the bureaucratic Leviathan, liberate markets from undue restraints, and return freedom to the American people.
Expect President Trump to return to tariffs as his preferred tool for battling international foes while increasing economic opportunities for America’s middle class. Wall Street hates tariffs because multinational companies do not benefit from “America First” policies. Main Street, however, benefits greatly. When the cost of doing business overseas is greater than the cost of producing goods in America, domestic manufacturing rises. When foreign regimes respond with their own tariffs, it becomes more expensive for American-produced food and energy to be exported. Those supplies stay home, and domestic prices decrease. Expect President Trump to accomplish through deregulation and tariffs something that the “experts” say is impossible: deflation in the United States.
President Trump sees America’s natural resources and the American people’s unmatched ingenuity as the country’s greatest weapons. He will unleash domestic productivity and, by doing so, use the nation’s economic strengths as both sword and shield against foreign enemies. The rabbit under his hat is the prospect of global peace.
Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
