"This Is The Worst Year For The U.S. Dollar Since The Oil Crisis Of 1973"

"This Is The Worst Year For The

 U.S. Dollar Since The Oil Crisis Of 1973"

by Michael Snyder

"The U.S. dollar just keeps getting weaker and weaker, and that is a major problem because our current standard of living depends on having a strong dollar. When the U.S. dollar is strong relative to other national currencies, our paychecks stretch farther and we can buy more stuff. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar is weak relative to other national currencies we can’t buy as much stuff and our standard of living goes down. So the fact that the U.S. dollar is “having its worst start to the year since 1973” should deeply alarm all of us…

The US dollar - once a pillar of American economic strength - is having its worst start to the year since 1973. President Trump’s whipsawing trade and economic policies have prompted investors to sell what is still the world’s dominant currency. So far in 2025, the dollar index - which tracks the greenback against major currencies like the euro and pound - has dropped more than 10 percent. That marks the sharpest first-half fall since the collapse of the gold-backed Bretton Woods system more than 50 years ago sent the dollar down 15 percent.

Were you alive in 1973? If so, you probably remember that it was a horrible year. The Vietnam War was raging, tax rates were sky high, crime rates were rising, the U.S. economy was in really rough shape, and Arab nations hit us with a crippling oil embargo.

Unfortunately, we are facing a similar scenario today. We are involved in wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the federal government is drowning in debt even though tax rates are still way too high, there has been rioting in the streets of Los Angeles and other major cities, economic conditions just continue to get worse, and a global trade war has erupted.

The rest of the world is losing confidence in us and in our currency, and the dollar index fell once again on Monday…"The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.15% to 97.05, on track for its sixth straight month of losses. It is set to mark its worst half-year since the 1970s."

The fact that the dollar index has now fallen for six consecutive months is a major national crisis. Why aren’t more people talking about this? The silver lining of having a weaker dollar is that it is supposed to make our products more competitive to the rest of the world and reduce our trade imbalances. But instead, the U.S. current account deficit exploded to a brand new record high during the first quarter of 2025…

"The U.S. current account deficit widened to a record high in the first quarter as businesses front-loaded imports to avoid President Donald Trump’s hefty tariffs on imported goods. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Tuesday the current account deficit, which measures the flow of goods, services and investments into and out of the country, jumped $138.2 billion, or 44.3%, to an all-time high of $450.2 billion. Data for the fourth quarter was revised to show the gap at $312.0 billion instead of $303.9 billion as previously reported."

Meanwhile, our economy as a whole actually contracted at a 0.5% annualized rate during the first quarter of this year…"The U.S. economy contracted a bit faster than previously thought in the first quarter amid tepid consumer spending, underscoring the distortions caused by the Trump administration’s aggressive tariffs on imported goods. Gross domestic product decreased at a downwardly revised 0.5% annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said in its third estimate of GDP on Thursday. It was previously reported to have dropped at a 0.2% pace."

One of the big reasons why our economic performance has been so dismal is because the U.S. housing market is having “its worst year in decades”…"Meredith Whitney thinks the housing market is set for “its worst year in decades.” The CEO of investment research firm Meredith Whitney Advisory Group and senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group told Yahoo Finance that 2023 and 2024 were both bad years, but it’s now looking even worse with about 4 million sales of existing homes expected. Whitney thinks the actual number may be significantly below that figure. “That poses a real problem for the general economy,” she said."

The Federal Reserve needs to reduce interest rates immediately. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell seems to think that everything is just fine. I can certainly understand why President Trump is so frustrated with him. On top of everything else, now that the student loan payment pause is over we are facing a student loan delinquency crisis of unprecedented magnitude…

Another significant development for consumer spending power is the return of student loan delinquencies. After a 43-month payment pause, nearly one in four student loan borrowers (23.7%) were behind on their student loans in the first quarter of 2025. The scale of this change is unprecedented. According to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit published by the New York Fed, more than 2.2 million newly delinquent borrowers have seen their credit plunge by over 100 points, while more than 1 million have experienced drops of at least 150 points."

This isn’t just about student loans – it’s about access to consumer credit going forward. An estimated 2.4 million delinquent borrowers previously had credit scores above 620, meaning they qualified for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards before these delinquencies hit their reports. Many no longer do.

We have got a real mess on our hands. Nobody can deny this. Looking ahead, there is a tremendous amount of trouble looming on the horizon. In fact, CNN just published an article that warns that “economic hell” could be coming this summer. According to that article, one of the reasons why “economic hell” could be approaching is because the pause on “reciprocal tariffs” on most of our trading partners ends on July 9th…"The first is July 9, which marks the end of President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on what he termed as “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of America’s trading partners. Unless those countries reach trade deals with the US, they could potentially face much higher tariffs."

That is a really big deal. If tariffs suddenly go far higher on literally thousands upon thousands of imported products, that is going to cause an immense amount of economic pain. And the war between Israel and Iran could potentially erupt again at any time. If that were to happen, the Iranians would likely close the Strait of Hormuz, and that would make the oil embargo of 1973 look like a Sunday picnic.

The first half of 2025 has been crazy, but I am even more concerned about the second half of 2025. I believe that it is going to be filled with all sorts of unpleasant surprises, and that won’t be good for any of us."

- https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/

"Monetary Witchcraft And A Total Wipe-Out Of Everything You Thought Was Real"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 7/1/25

"Monetary Witchcraft And A Total Wipe-Out

 Of Everything You Thought Was Real"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Gregory Mannarino, PM 7/1/25

"U.S. Factories Are Dying Faster; 

Senate Passes Massive Spending Bill"

-  https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Bill Bonner, "An Abundance of Scarcity"

"An Abundance of Scarcity"

by Bill Bonner

Youghal, Ireland - "Is the war still going on between Russia and the Ukraine? Are there still any Palestinians alive in Gaza? Who knows? The news cycle has moved on. No time to think about it. No time for study or reflection...The incoming news rushes in like drones, hot and heavy. Newsweek: "Republicans Ask Donald Trump To Revoke Zohran Mamdani's Citizenship." That would be one way to eliminate the political threat. And it would be a lot easier than actually addressing the reasons why so many voters turned to a “communist lunatic” for mayor of New York.

We all know, for example, that the US economy is exceptionally beautiful - Biden and Trump both told us so. But the voters didn’t believe Biden...and apparently New Yorkers don’t believe Trump. Historian Adam Tooze doesn’t seem to believe either of them:

"The largest increase in poverty in NYC between 2019 and 2022 was amongst those in “deep poverty” which is defined as less than half of the federal poverty level. In 2022, the federal poverty threshold was $14,880 for a single person, and $29,678 for a four-person family with two adults and two children. In New York City, nearly 52 percent of the city’s poverty population of 1.5 million in 2022 lived in “deep poverty,” that is 750,000 people. Poverty affects entire sections of the city. In the borough of the Bronx, with a population of 1.4 million, the median income is $45,517, uncomfortably close to the Federal poverty line for a family of four. In 2022 New York City recorded a child poverty rate of just shy of 25 percent."

In terms of the inequality of income, between rich and poor, New York is right up there with Rio de Janeiro; it has many of the richest people in the US...and many of the poorest. No surprise that Mamdani’s promise of ‘free stuff’ was a vote getter. Free schooling...from kinder-garden all the way through university? Free public transportation? Reduced rents? ‘State-run food stores? How would you pay for these things? Squeeze the rich until the pips squeak!

But in today’s world, the ‘pips’ not only squeak...they leave town. Rich New Yorkers already have second homes in Florida, Arizona, or Mexico. Give them a good reason and they will split the Big Apple in a New York minute. Then, where are you? The gap between rich and poor would narrow...everyone would be poor!

Inequality is a fake problem. It is a symptom, not the disease itself. And when we set aside the headlines du jour, and look more closely, what we see is a whole edifice of fakery - statistics that don’t mean what you think they mean...news that is meaningless...numbers that are false...‘facts’ that are fraudulent...and problems that are not really problems at all. No wonder the solutions are also fake!

So, along come leading democrats with a new one. The Washington Post: "Top Democrats convened a “WelcomeFest” event recently to discuss “abundance” - the hot new idea circulating in the Democratic Party. The debate has been fueled by a recent book, “Abundance,” by journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Well-meaning Democrats, it argues, have embraced so many complex rules and time-consuming procedures that government has all but lost its ability to produce - or get private companies to produce - obvious needs like affordable housing or high-speed rail."

Democrats are now proposing to ‘Get Sh*t Done’ - by cutting back on their own regulations. Yes, they’ll repair the damage that they caused...and avoid facing up to the real problem - themselves...by un-doing ‘improvements’ they made over the last five decades. After all, it was Democrats who ran the last two successful government programs - the Grand Coulee dam...and WWII. And they can do it again. Then, what do we have...abundance!

Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds. It includes, for example, building government-run grocery stores in poor neighborhoods. Supermarkets - even the most efficient ones - operate with very slender margins. Typically, they make about a three per cent profit on the goods they sell. What are the odds that a bureaucrat-run grocery store will keep a 3% margin? Approximately zero. The stores will lose money, just like Amtrak.

No matter. Build government-operated grocery stores all over the country. Hire thousands of clerks. Sell billions worth of purple drink and pop tarts. GDP goes up. Unemployment goes down. The statistics mayl never look better. But wait. A loss means that you’ve put more resources, capital, energy, and labor into a project than you get out of it. Real wealth is destroyed, not created. And as you destroy wealth, you end up with scarcity, not abundance. More to come..."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

Prepper News, "Alert: How Close Are We To Nuclear War?"

Full screen recommended.

Prepper News, 6/30/25

"Alert: How Close Are We To Nuclear War?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Warning: U.S. Dollar Crashing Worst In 52 Years, Economy Continues To Die Slowly"

Jeremiah Babe, 6/30/25

"Warning: U.S. Dollar Crashing Worst In 52 Years,

 Economy Continues To Die Slowly"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, "Greater Than The Sum"

Full screen recommended.

2002, "Greater Than The Sum"

In ancient Greece, philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.)

wrote “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”

"A Look to the Heavens"

“How many arches can you count in the below image? If you count both spans of the Double Arch in the Arches National Park in Utah, USA, then two. But since the below image was taken during a clear dark night, it caught a photogenic third arch far in the distance- that of the overreaching Milky Way Galaxy. Because we are situated in the midst of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, the band of the central disk appears all around us.

The sandstone arches of the Double Arch were formed from the erosion of falling water. The larger arch rises over 30 meters above the surrounding salt bed and spans close to 50 meters across. The dark silhouettes across the image bottom are sandstone monoliths left over from silt-filled crevices in an evaporated 300 million year old salty sea. A dim flow created by light pollution from Moab, Utah can also be seen in the distance.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110524.html

"The Sometimes Hidden Beauty of ‘This Too Shall Pass'"

"The Sometimes Hidden Beauty of ‘This Too Shall Pass'"

By Richard Haddad

"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence to be ever on view and which would be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words, 'And this, too, shall pass away.'" “This too shall pass.” The sentiment may be difficult to accept amidst so many hardships from lost jobs, lost businesses and lost lives.

This adage grew from the roots of a Persian fable and became known in the Western world primarily through a 19th-century retelling by the English poet Edward FitzGerald, who crafted the fable “Solomon’s Seal” in 1852 illustrating how the adage had the power to make a sad man happy but, conversely, a happy man sad. The fable was reportedly also employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became the sixteenth President of the United States.

But the version I want to share today that I think is most beautiful and powerful was written in 1867 by American newspaper editor and abolitionist Theodore Tilton. He reworked the fable into a poem called “The King’s Ring.” Here again, the retooled adage wields a double-edged sword. It can help us endure the passage of difficult times, or keep our perspective and humility during good times. Here is the Tilton poem:

"The King’s Ring"

"Once in Persia reigned a King,

Who upon his signet-ring

Graved a maxim true and wise,

Which, if held before his eyes,

Gave him counsel, at a glance,

Fit for every change or chance;

Solemn words, and these are they:

“Even this shall pass away.”

Trains of camels through the sand

Brought him gems from Samarcand;

Fleets of galleys through the seas

Brought him pearls to rival these.

But he counted little gain

Treasures of the mine or main.

“What is wealth?” the King would say;

“Even this shall pass away.”

In the revels of his court,

At the zenith of the sport,

When the palms of all his guests

Burned with clapping at his jests,

He, amid his figs and wine,

Cried, “O loving friends of mine!

Pleasures come, but do not stay:

Even this shall pass away.”

Lady fairest ever seen

Was the bride he crowned the queen.

Pillowed on his marriage-bed,

Whispering to his soul, he said,

“Though no bridegroom never pressed

Dearer bosom to his breast,

Mortal flesh must come to clay:

Even this shall pass away.”

Fighting on a furious field,

Once a javelin pierced his shield.

Soldiers with a loud lament

Bore him bleeding to his tent.

Groaning from his tortured side,

“Pain is hard to bear,” he cried,

“But with patience day by day,

Even this shall pass away.”

Towering in the public square

Twenty cubits in the air,

Rose his statue carved in stone.

Then the King, disguised, unknown,

Gazing at his sculptured name,

Asked himself, “And what is fame?

Fame is but a slow decay:

Even this shall pass away.”

Struck with palsy, sere and old,

Waiting at the Gates of Gold,

Spake he with his dying breath,

“Life is done, but what is Death?”

Then, in answer to the King,

Fell a sunbeam on his ring,

Showing by a heavenly ray -

“Even this shall pass away.”

I believe enduring well is an essential part of the test we must pass while on this Earth together. I am still taking this test. We all are. I also believe we must have a certain amount of faith and hope as we do all in our power to make things right in this world while also accepting that we don’t have the power to control all outcomes. I’ve been learning these truths and striving to apply them more in my own life. In the past I have sometimes hearkened to gloomy voices in the world. Many a time I entertained unnecessary doubt and worry. But I am learning that worry works against faith and hope. My mother once shared this other saying with me that I have tried to apply in my older years - “Worry is interest paid on money never borrowed.”

"May we all strive to endure, live and love well, for this too shall pass."

- https://www.dcourier.com/

"The Constitution – The Past and Present"

"The Constitution – The Past and Present"

by Jeff Thomas

"In recent years, many Americans have become refocused on the Constitution in a spirit of returning the country to its original objectives and values. This is not surprising. The US has deteriorated, both economically and governmentally, to such a degree that the very structure of the US is in danger of collapse. Small wonder that many Americans are hoping for a return to the simplicity and unified focus that can be found in the country’s original “business plan.”

The framers of the American Constitution borrowed ideas from historical governmental structures, particularly the Roman Republic. They added a few new ideas and came up with a document that may well be the finest concept that has yet been written by which to govern a country.

It is difficult for us to grasp today that, at the time the new Republic was created, it was viewed by the rest of the world as an experiment. Not even the framers of the Constitution were convinced that the Republic would last. After all, the country was broke from having fought a major war, they had no currency of their own and none of them had previously held political office.

It has been stated that the Constitution is brilliant in its brevity; that it had not become bogged down in reams of detail. This is true. One only need look at the weighty Constitution of the European Union as an example of how not to write a constitution.

The implication of the simplicity of the Constitution is that the framers were fully in agreement on the basics, and, that they felt that the rest could be sorted out later by the Legislature. This is partly true – thankfully, the framers were not politicians and they did believe that simplicity was better. But the document is also brief because the committee of ten that wrote it disagreed so extensively on some basic concepts that it was difficult to get anything on paper that they could all accept.

They did agree that they would form a Republic and that it would be run by democracy. (Today, these words have, to some extent, lost their meaning. A republic is a form of government in which each citizen possesses stated rights… while democracy is only a means of governing, in which each citizen has an equal vote. The US is no longer a republic and it can be argued that it is no longer run by true democracy.)

From the beginning, the primary disagreement was the role of the Federal Government. John Adams, who later found the Federalist Party and became the first Federalist president, argued that a strong central government was essential to hold the states together (at that time, the word “state” meant “country”). Jefferson disagreed, arguing that “That government governs best that governs least,” and sought to have as minimal a central government as possible. Jefferson later helped found the Democratic Republican Party and became the first Democratic Republican president. To a great degree, Jefferson won out backed by the Constitution’s principle author, James Madison, and others.

However controversial the founding concepts were, we assume today that once the Constitution had been signed, that was it, done deal. But this was not so. Almost immediately the various factions began to “interpret” the Constitution and even recommend amendments… each seeking to bend the Constitution into the direction that would allow him to achieve his personal goals for the union. (Does this sound familiar?)

From the start, Alexander Hamilton (first Secretary of the Treasury) sought to create taxation. When Jefferson admonished him by saying that they had just fought a war to end taxation by King George, Hamilton responded that this taxation was different, as they would be the recipients of the money, not the king. This event should remind us that in every country, in every era, there will always be those who adjust their ideals according to whether or not they themselves are in power. At that time, Hamilton also attempted to create the Bank of the United States — a federal bank.

To Americans today, Jefferson has emerged as the hero of the Constitution and deservedly so. As president, however, when he had the opportunity to purchase Louisiana for the bargain price of $15,000,000… he couldn’t resist. He had previously often argued that the central government should not make major expenditures and then pass the bill to the states. Yet at the time, the Louisiana Purchase was the greatest expenditure that had yet been considered by the Federal Government. Jefferson made possible the western expansion of the US by making the purchase. But in doing so, he allowed future presidents to take on huge expenditures. Was he right to sacrifice his own principles in order to do so?

This trend continues today on a grand scale. Even the most conservative politicians have their pet projects they feel should be fully funded… while de-funding the projects of others. Human nature dictates that while we may strive to agree on basic principles, as soon as we have agreed, we begin making exceptions. Human nature also dictates that power corrupts. In the early days of the union, Washington, Jefferson and even Adams believed that to accept public office when called upon was a duty… but… that having completed a term or two, it was time to return to the farm. Yet they all found that once having been in office, they were reluctant to leave.

So, where does this leave us today? Has nothing changed? Actually yes, there have been significant changes… each one for the worse. First, beginning with John Quincy Adams, the concept of career politician has come into existence. Ideally, each candidate for office should have had an alternate career prior to running for office. At the very least, this would provide some objectivity. But career politicians generally have a very poor grasp of the real world, because they have never worked in it.

Second, the bureaucracy has become so ponderous that the bureaucracy itself routinely takes precedent over the best interests of the country in the present day, pork is still being seen as more important to legislators than a balanced budget.

The US is now entering the greatest period of crisis since the creation of the union itself. What will be the fate of the Constitution? Will it be discarded? Will there be revolution?

I believe that the answer will be that the Constitution will remain… but will have ever-decreasing significance. The reasons are these: First, politicians of today no longer represent the voters. They represent those who pay for their campaigns. These groups are already in control of the country and, to them, the Constitution is irrelevant. Second, all Americans receive benefits of some kind from the federal government. They can wave the flag all they want, but when their pet entitlements are threatened, they will scream bloody murder. The fact that the entitlements are not allowed for in the Constitution will have little significance.

In the end, with or without electoral shakeups, with or without a second revolution, Americans will argue in favor of their own entitlements and against the entitlements of others. This is not an issue that will reach a resolution. Just as in ancient Rome, once the republic had become watered down to the point of corruption on the one side, and entitlements on the other, the republic had run its course and the slow collapse began. Concurrently, the “barbarians” (the third-world of their day) took the lead both economically and governmentally and Rome became a backwater.

The writing of the American Constitution was a high-water mark in governmental history. Today, however, the truth is that not even those who profess to honor it would be prepared to make the sacrifice necessary to live by it. Just like the Romans before them who settled for “bread and circuses”, rather than economic recovery, Americans will choose the inevitable decline of their country rather than give up “entitlements.”

If you've made it to the end of this piece, you understand what so many refuse to admit: the Constitution may still exist, but its influence is fading fast - and with it, the principles that once made the United States unique. As explained above, the decay is not just political or philosophical - it’s systemic, financial, and accelerating. The parallels to ancient Rome are no longer cautionary tales; they are playing out in real time."

- https://internationalman.com/

"Wars And Rumors Of War: The Middle East"

Full screen recommended.

Mahmood OD, 6/30/25

"The Real Reason Behind The Deal?

 Top Netanyahu Aide Reveals The Truth!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Dialogue Works, 6/30/25

"Larry C. Johnson: Shockwave in Israel: 

Iran’s Missiles Break All Expectations!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 6/30/25

"Alastair Crooke:

 Who Won the 12-Day War?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Saint Charles, Illinois, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Free Download: Rumi, "The Essential Rumi"

"All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there. Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul? I cannot stop asking. If I could taste one sip of an answer, I could break out of this prison for drunks. I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way. Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home."

- Rumi, "The Tavern," Ch. 1:, p. 2, from "The Essential Rumi"

Freely download "The Essential Rumi" here:
- https://littlethingsaboutmeeh.files.wordpress.com/

“Allegory Of The Cave Updated”

“Allegory Of The Cave Updated”

by T4C

"Socrates: “Why do people think philosophy is bullsh*t? Let me put it this way - imagine you’re in a cave, all chained up so you can’t turn your body at all, and all you get to look at is this one wall. Some fools behind you are making shadow puppets using the light from a fire and making echo noises and that’s all you or anyone else chained up has seen or heard all your life. Sounds terrible, right? Except it’s all you’ve ever known, shadows and echoes, and that’s your whole world - there’s no way you could know that, really, you’re watching a slightly-improved M. Night Shyamalan film.

In fact, you get pretty good at understanding how the patterns in the show work, and everyone else chained up is like, ‘Holy sh*t bro, how did you know that that tree was going to fall on that guy?’ and you’re like, ‘It’s because I f*****g pay attention and I’m smart as sh*t.’ You’re the smartest of the chained, and they all revere you.”

Glaucon: “But Socrates, a tree didn’t really hit a guy. It’s all shadows.”

Socrates:  “No sh*t, Glaucon, but you don’t know that. You think the shadows are real things. Everyone does. Now STFU and let me finish.

So eventually, someone comes and unchains you and drags you out of the cave. At first you’d say, ‘Seriously, what the f**k is going on?!’ Well, actually, at first you’d say, ‘HOLY SH*T MY EYES’ and you’d want to go back to the safe, familiar shadows.” But even once your eyes worked you wouldn’t believe them, because everything you ever thought was real is gone. You’d look at a tree, and say ‘That’s not a tree. I know trees. And you, sir, are no tree. THAT DOWN THERE is a tree.’ But you’re wrong. Down there is a shadow of a tree.

Slowly, as your eyes got better, you’d see more and more. Eventually, you’d see the sun, and realize that it’s the source of all light. You can’t see sh*t without the sun. And eventually, you’d figure it out. Something would click in your brain: ‘oh, sh*t, that IS a tree. F**k me. So… nothing in the cave was real? I feel like such an assh**e.’ 

But it’s not your fault, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Finally you’d want to go down and tell everyone about everything you’ve discovered. Except, and here’s the hilarious part, they think you’ve gone f*****g crazy. 

You’d say, ‘Guys, real trees are green!’ and they’d say, ‘What the f**k is green? THAT is a tree over there.’ And you’d squint and look at the wall, but you know you’re f***ed because now you’re used to having sunlight, and now you can’t see sh*t. So they’d laugh at you, and agree that wherever it was that you went, no one should go there because it turns people into idiots.

Philosophy, same thing. The soul ascends and apprehends the forms, the nature of everything, and eventually the very Idea of Good that gives light to everything else. And then the philosopher has to go back to the cave and try to explain it to people who don’t even know what Green is, to say nothing of the Good. But the philosopher didn’t make up the Good, it was always there, and the only way to really make sense of it is to uncover it for yourself. You can’t force knowledge into a dumbass any more than you can force sight into a blind man.

So if you want to learn, be prepared for a difficult journey, and be prepared to make some mistakes. That’s okay, it’s all part of the process. True knowledge must be obtained the hard way, and some people just don’t want to see the light.”

- https://www.theburningplatform.com/

◆

Put another way...

"In 'The Republic', Plato imagines human beings chained for the duration of their lives in an underground cave, knowing nothing but darkness. Their gaze is confined to the cave wall, upon which shadows of the world are thrown. They believe these flickering shadows are reality. If, Plato writes, one of these prisoners is freed and brought into the sunlight, he will suffer great pain. Blinded by the glare, he is unable to seeing anything and longs for the familiar darkness. But eventually his eyes adjust to the light. The illusion of the tiny shadows is obliterated. He confronts the immensity, chaos, and confusion of reality. The world is no longer drawn in simple silhouettes. But he is despised when he returns to the cave. He is unable to see in the dark as he used to. Those who never left the cave ridicule him and swear never to go into the light lest they be blinded as well."

- Chris Hedges

"The Monstrous Thing..."

"The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should want roses. For some reason or other man looks for the miracle, and to accomplish it he will wade through blood. He will debauch himself with ideas, he will reduce himself to a shadow if for only one second of his life he can close his eyes to the hideousness of reality. Everything is endured- disgrace, humiliation, poverty, war, crime, ennui- in the belief that overnight something will occur, a miracle, which will render life tolerable. And all the while a meter is running inside and there is no hand that can reach in there and shut it off."

- Henry Miller, “Tropic of Cancer”

"Anyone Who Isn't Confused..."

 

The Poet: Clarice Lispector, "Change"

"Change"

"Change.
But start slowly, because direction is more important than speed.
Sit in another chair, on the other side of the table.
Later on, change tables.
When you go out, try to walk on the other side of the street. Then change your route, 

walk calmly down other streets, observing closely the places you pass by.
Take other buses. Change your wardrobe for a while; give away your old shoes 

and try to walk barefoot for a few days– even if only at home.
Take off a whole afternoon to stroll about freely,
 listening to the birds or the noise of the cars.
Open and shut the drawers and doors with your left hand.
Sleep on the other side of the bed. Then try sleeping in other beds.
Watch other TV programs, read other books, live other romances–
 even of only in your imagination.
Sleep until later. Go to bed earlier.
Learn a new word a day.
Eat a little less, eat a little more, eat differently; choose new seasonings,

 new colors, things you have never dared to experiment.

Lunch in other places, go to other restaurants, order another kind of drink 

and buy bread at another bakery.
Lunch earlier, have dinner later, or vice-versa.
Try something new every day: a new side, a new method,
 a new flavor, a new way, a new pleasure, a new position.

Pick another market, another make of soap, another toothpaste.
Take a bath at different times of the day.
Use pens with different colors.
Go and visit other places.
Love more and more and in different ways. Even when you think that the other will be
 frightened, suggest what you have always dreamed about doing when you make love.

Change your bag, your wallet, your suitcases, buy new glasses, write other poems.
Open an account in another bank, go to other cinemas, 
other hairdressers, other theaters, visit new museums.

Change. And think seriously of finding another job, another activity, 

work that is more like what you expect from life, more dignified, more human.
If you cannot find reasons to be free, invent them: be creative.
And grab the chance to take a long, enjoyable trip – preferably without any destination.
Try new things. Change again. Make another change. Experiment something else.
You will certainly know better things and worse things than those you already know, 

but that does not matter. What matters most is change, movement, dynamism, energy.
Only what is dead does not change – and you are alive."

- Clarice Lispector

"How It Really Is, And Will Be"

 

"A Parade Of Fools..."

"Humanity is a parade of fools,

and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton."

- Dean Koontz

Dan, I Allegedly, "The Economic Collapse is Here - No One Saw it Coming!"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly, 6/30/25

"The Economic Collapse is Here - No One Saw it Coming!"

"The economic collapse of 2025 is hitting harder than anyone expected, and in this video, I break down the latest shocking stats and surveys that highlight just how tough things have become. From skyrocketing insurance cuts to plummeting home sales and job losses driven by AI, no one is untouched. Did you know up to one in three drivers now lack insurance? Or that restaurants, manufacturing, and even gaming industries are collapsing under economic strain? It’s a tough time, but you're not alone, and there are steps we can all take to get through this."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Most Dangerous Man to Any Government"

"The Most Dangerous Man to Any Government"

by Brian Maher

“The most dangerous man to any government,” argued Henry Louis Mencken, “is the man who is able to think things out… without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos.” “Almost inevitably,” continued Baltimore’s sage…“He comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable… Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.”

It appears these United States are rolling out increasing numbers of dangerous and decent men. That is, of men able to think things out, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos… Men who have come to the conclusion that the government they live under is dishonest, insane, intolerable… men ashamed of the government they live under.

They are not ashamed of their country, mind you - though some may be. They are merely ashamed of the government that crowns it. For instance:

They are ashamed of the government that wrecked their lives and livelihoods and jailed them in over a manageable virus.

They are ashamed of the government that would mandate them to take aboard an experimental vaccine without adequate testing - a vaccine that has proven destructive to many - and fatal to some.

They are ashamed of the government that spawned a horrific inflation and branded it “transitory.”

They are ashamed of the government that cynically labels a $700 billion spending bill the “Inflation Reduction Act.”

They are ashamed of the government that trumpets social values often alien to their own.

They are ashamed of the government that censors them and tapes their mouths shut when they dissent.

They are ashamed of the government that tells them their national borders are “secure,” while millions jump them illegally.

They are ashamed of the government that elevates foreign and corporate interests above their own.

Here we name but some sources of ashamement. Many others exist - be assured. Are these torts accurate in every detail? Perhaps not always and in every case.

A man convinced of government treachery anywhere will tend to see it everywhere. Yet the fact is: Millions of Americans believe they are being bossed and gooned by an overbearing, abusive and rampaging government. They further believe they are languishing at the base of the economic pyramid… while the pyramid’s tip lives grandly - nearly royally - at their expense. And they are hot to change it.

The “people” give the orders in democracy, say the civics books. Yet millions and millions of Americans have come to believe that unelected and unaccountable judges, bureaucrats, pettifoggers, understrappers and jacks-in-office do the primary bossing. Thus they are prepared to heave their civics book into the hellbox.

“This is a representative republic,” some may shout, “not a democracy. We elect officials to whom we entrust these decisions. If we disagree with them, we get to vote the bums out next time. That’s how it works.” Just so. Yet when one bum goes out, another generally comes in. Not always - not always - but often enough.

And if a good man somehow makes it in? He must acquire an extravagant taste for boot polish. He must go along… else he will not get along. He will find himself in a sort of political no-man’s land, obscure and futureless. In most instances he succumbs.

Meantime, elites sob about this or that threat to “our democracy.” Yet deeper examination reveals their commitment to democracy is highly… conditional. They do not trust “the people” to do the “right thing.” The Bible-thumpers will ban abortion if you let them vote on it, say the pro-choicers. The isolationists will pull up the overseas stakes, cry the American exceptionalists… and withdraw from the world.

The gold bugs and the cryptocurrency kooks will topple the monetary system, lament our monetary mandarins. Anti-democratic hellcats will fan misinformation and disinformation among the red-necked and stump-toothed, yell the censors.

Yet the entire lot of them sing hosannas to “democracy.” In reality, they believe no more in democracy than they believe in honesty. They believe merely in their own higher vision - and the power to enforce it.

Are we too harsh? Your editor is a man of remarkable equanimity and serenity - if he can say it for himself. Yet here he is insufficiently harsh in all likelihood. Somehow the business seems beyond all human agency, beyond all control. ‘What can I do?’ a fellow wonders, defeated. He may cluck-cluck his opposition to it all - but he is largely a man resigned. His only resort is the voting booth. Will it yield the change he seeks?

It is unlikely. It will instead represent the supreme triumph of hope over experience…Below, we show you why anyone seeking high office should be feared - but also pitied. Read on to learn about the strange, sad life of a politician..."

"The Sad and Strange Life of a Politician"

By Brian Maher

"A man hunting high office is a man to be watched. And the higher the office he seeks, the closer he must be watched. For this is an ambitious man. And as one fellow who raged with ambition - Napoleon Bonaparte - stated: "Those endowed with (great ambition) may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them."

We generally place our money on “very bad acts.” That is because we have canvassed the history books. Yet a man after high office - in a democracy specifically -- is also a man to be pitied. Why pitied?

All dignity, all honor, all pride, he must sacrifice in exchange for power. That is because he must face election. Consider the roles that must combine in him: He must be a magician pulling rabbits from top hats. He must be a seller of pre-owned - that is, of used automobiles. He must likewise be a street beggar. He must beg for the franchise of those whom he considers his lessers. After all… if they were not his lessers they would not require his leadership.

And so you have the aspirant of high office - by turns showman, confidence man and beggar. Thus this man is a preposterous formula - a man to be both feared and pitied at once. Is this the description of a respectable man? Of a normal man? It is not. Yet it is the description of a man seeking high office. It is the description of a man who believes he is a big deal in this world. It is the description of a man who believes he should lead you. And that you should follow him. But who respects a follower? Not his leader.

What Politicians and Salesmen Really Think of You: A political candidate and a salesman are brothers. The one solicits your trade, the other your vote. Each pitches his whim-whim at you until he fetches his game. Assume you end up in the bag. He is thrilled to have your sale, to have your vote. But he merely regards you as a means to a rewarding end. He disesteems you inwardly. Behind his flashlight smile he disdains you. You have been duped by his razmataz.

He regards you as an all-day sucker. Who then does he respect? He respects the man who refuses the sale, the man who yawned in his face or who voted against him. That is, he respects the man who sizes him accurately. This man he will look straight in the eye... and extend a firm handshake of respect.

An Intoxicating yet Horrifying Power: Picture our office-seeker in his natural habitat. He stands upon a podium gazing out upon a rustling crowd. What does he see? He does not see individuals. He sees rather a vast, undifferentiated mass. That is, he sees a forest - but no trees. Or to switch metaphors: He is addressing a wheat field. His whoops and shouts raise a mighty breeze. The entire field sways in the wind, this way then that way, back then forth... on his command. He is at once intoxicated by the power he wields over the great human mass, yet horrified that it can be so easily throttled up. It is fearsome to behold.

Pressing the Flesh: Our candidate must also appear directly among smaller chunks of this human mass. He considers them his inferiors, yet pretends to be their equals. Their equals? No - their servant! He must visit factories and feign interest in their goings-on. Though he despises others’ children he must plant kisses on infant foreheads. He must attend local eateries, munch bad food and battle bellyaches while shaking countless hands and jabbering with idiots. Invariably, a man takes him by the ear and will not let go. He babbles about his family, his job, his bowling trophy. All the while he longs to be loafing on his sofa in his underwear, looking at the television.

The sufferings he must endure in pursuit of power! Enduring his terrific breakfast, he is tortured further by the realization that he must repeat the act at lunch in Columbus and dinner in Wilkes-Barre. Then there is tomorrow in Ocala, Macon and Raleigh. It is dreadful business.

The Price to Pay for Power: In his private moments, in the silent watches of the night, he wonders if it is all worth it. He decides - begrudgingly - that it is. Such is his lust for office. It simply overwhelms and envelops him. He assures himself it will all be a distant memory once he is secure in office. He will then be free to renege on all the promises he had made to those half-wits and quarter-wits on the campaign trail...

“Don’t these people realize that they’re being used as political pawns? Do they think that eating pancakes with me and telling me about their mother is going to somehow influence me?” Let us assume our seeker of high office has pulled enough wool over enough eyes… and wins the election.

The Money Is Great: He is relieved that he can proceed straight to the business of governing. That is, to the business of picking pockets, trading horses, scratching backs, greasing palms, cracking skulls... and breaking promises. But his reprise is brief. In two years or four years or six years, he will seek reelection. And the entire process must begin anew. Only next time his cynicism has doubled - no, tripled. The political process has worn the very soul out of him.

Yet he is consoled and soothed by this one central fact: He has grown extremely wealthy being a humble servant of the American people. As we indict this morally bankrupt fellow, we must nonetheless turn and face a mirror. “Every nation gets the government it deserves,” said 18th-century French philosopher Joseph de Maistre. We must conclude that we deserve the scoundrel above described - and others like him. The admission brings pain, yet truth often does.

Is there a way out? Inaction! Another long-deceased Frenchman - Monsieur Étienne de La Boétie - holds out one potential escape, for those in search of one: Inaction. Inaction breaks the politician’s spell. That is, action is not required - merely inaction: "You can deliver yourselves if you try, not by taking action, but merely by willing to be free. Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces."

Perhaps the time has come to abandon the ramparts, lay down the muskets… and twiddle the thumbs…To reclaim our power, perhaps it is time for inaction."

- dailyreckoning.com

Bill Bonner, "Two Strains of the Same Disease"

"Two Strains of the Same Disease"

by Bill Bonner

"I’ve dealt with many American presidents. They come into office with ideas, but then men in dark suits and briefcases, wearing blue ties, show up and explain to them the world the way that it will be. And so you never hear of those ideas again."

- Vladimir Putin

Youghal, Ireland - "New York city was rocked awake this week as the future knocked on America’s door. A man Donald Trump described as a ‘communist lunatic’ won the Democratic primary; most likely, he will soon be sitting in Rudolph Giuliani’s chair in the mayor’s office.

The mainstream press didn’t know what to make of it. It was a victory for muslims, says the New York Times: "Zohran Mamdani’s stunning performance in the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday amounted to a watershed moment for Muslim New Yorkers, who could see one of their own lead City Hall for the first time should he succeed in the general election in November."

New York City is home to roughly one million Muslims; they made up 12 percent of the electorate in the 2021 mayoral election. Mr. Mamdani wove his faith into his campaign from its earliest days, hitting the trail while fasting for Ramadan and taking his message of affordability to mosques and Muslim community centers throughout the city.

The Democratic leadership saw the victory in terms of ‘energy, style, and vibes.’ Tommy Victor on Pod Save America said it had an ‘Obama in 2007 feel...nimble and fun.’ Others think the Democratic Party leaders themselves are the real problem. Solis Doyle, who ran Hillary Clinton’s 2008 bid for president: “Right now we’re leaderless, we’re messageless, we’re agendaless, we don’t have any alternative ideas to the president and the Republicans right now. So, you know, I’m concerned, to say the least,”

And here is where it gets interesting. Sasha Stone: ‘Democrats’ biggest problem is that all they have to sell for ten years is their war on Trump. In Zohran, the young have found someone they believe in. He will sell them exactly what they didn’t even know they wanted, but now they want it really bad. He’s the Music Man.’

The billionaires backed Andrew Cuomo, the safe choice, who promised ‘more of the same.’ The New York Times: "With $25 Million, Pro-Cuomo Super PAC Shatters Outside Spending Records."

But what did the voters want ‘really bad?’ Free stuff! Yes, it’s back to basics for the ‘liberals.’ Gone is the divisive claptrap - the dumbbell pronouns, DEI, the trannies and weirdos...even Black Lives don’t matter anymore. The winning formula was on clear display in New York. Democrats are now promising free transportation, rent controls, free university. Free childcare. And more.

And now, Naked Capitalism: "All the stupid money on Earth can’t save the nihilistic neoliberals from the likes of Mamdani..." From our big picture perspective, this should be no surprise. As an Empire dies, the two factions - left and right - fight ever more fiercely over the rotting corpse. People still vote. But the center gives way.

Gone is the ‘consensual democracy’ and civility of the Eisenhower era. Trump won’t be with us forever. He will be followed by hack Republicans - perhaps by Trump Jr. They will have to get tough to defend policies that haven’t worked. And they will be up against more Mamdanis - candidates with actual ideas and programs, albeit terrible ones. As on the streets of Berlin in the 1930s, it will be a brawl between brown shirts and black shirts...two strains of the same disease.

It used to be that the democrats were the party of Big, Ambitious Government (BAG). They were opposed by the old Republicans, who generally favored smaller, more conservative government. Like Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill, they disagreed on policy issues...but compromised, and then went and played golf together.

But now, Republicans have turned into fawning, Big Man bootlickers...and the old, whiney Democratic centralists are turning into communist lunatics. And the more they seem to move apart, the closer they become, one to another. Both ruthless. Both witless.

Rich New Yorkers are said to be looking at real estate in Florida. They might want to consider going further afield. Unwittingly or not, both parties still dance to tunes called by the Deep States’ ‘men in blue suits.’ More spending, more debt, more war, more chaos and more police - both still tap their toes to the rhythms of Empire History."

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/