US Economy Forecasts

Robert A. Meyer asked:


The thing we fear most has come upon us-and that is extreme economic crisis. Years of government intervention is reaping havoc on the market place. Deficit spending, easy money policies that cause boom and bust cycles, foreign excursions, excessive taxation, crippling regulations on business, the drug war, war on poverty, welfare schemes, pyramid schemes such as social security, mass liberty violations etc.-are breaking the back of our economy and destroying the American Dream. What is an individual to do? How does he discover personal salvation when everything around him is falling apart?

Illusions and Delusions

Generations of Americans have believed the illusion that government can control the economy and make their lives better. Of course the establishment does everything possible to reinforce this illusion. Politicians and bureaucrats made sure the citizens of our once great nation became dependent on the government for their very existence- reducing them to government benefit addicts. The establishment media is devilishly effective in reinforcing this illusion through the use of their propaganda machine. Once people steadfastly refuse to give up their illusions-become attached to them-they mutate into delusions-delusions that are destroying everything that America once stood for.

Social Altruism

Altruism is the philosophy of selflessness and self-sacrifice. Altruists claim that it is a loving and giving philosophy-but this is nothing but an illusion. It is actually a cannibalistic philosophy of hate and plunder. Government has institutionalized it-and it is the main weapon politicians use to plunder productive citizens. And it is their weapon of choice in their systematic destruction of America. The philosophy of altruism is the philosophy of anti-life.

The media acts as if altruism is the solution to all our problems-even while they are reporting all the stories of crime and economic crisis. You would think they would see the connection. Social altruism destroys both the ones forced to supply the help and the ones who were “helped.” The plundered ones suffer diminished productive power-the ones “helped” become more dependent on the booty. They become less self-reliant, living their lives as helpless children. Total productivity eventually plummets-hurting all.

If you want to live as a happy, free individual you must reject the philosophy of social altruism. It is detrimental to your loved ones, your pocketbook and your personal liberty and freedom. Continuing to support this predatory philosophy of anti-life is destructive to all the values you worked so hard to achieve. Of course the establishment would like for you to keep believing all the illusions they trick you with. Their motto is ‘You must be kept dumb.” Believe me-they depend on your support-on you continuing to play the part of the victim. Ayn Rand speaks of the “Sanction of the Victim.” Well it is time you withdraw your support, discover your personal power and give up the role of victim.

Personal Altruism

You may be asking “Well what about voluntarily helping others? Shouldn’t one our goals be to help the less fortunate? How about helping family members or close friends?”

Helping others on a personal level isn’t as cut and dried as some may think. I know from some of my own personal experiences.

You are presented with a situation where a friend, relative or even an acquaintance is in a dire situation. As an empathetic human you can actually feel some of their pain and suffering. Your heart goes out to them. If it is your son and daughter that is in trouble it is almost impossible not to help them.

Unfortunately it is possible for your heart to take over and for your head to take a vacation. With good intentions you move forward with the help of your time and money-often to your detriment. Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And what is tragic is the person you “helped” ends up considerably worse off. They fail to help themselves-they end up as much weaker individuals-they lose their initiative and self-reliance. And you are also much worse off-your time and money have vanished-you received nothing in return-not even the satisfaction of performing a good deed.

I have to admit that this has happened to me several times (you’d think I would have learned my lesson after the first time). And I’m still paying the price for my mistakes. “What you don’t learn through wisdom you learn through woe.” Well I’m done with woe. I now learn through wisdom.

I believe in helping others. Doing small favors for others is pleasurable. You feel good and they feel good. However when you do big favors for others such as giving extended help, make sure that it actually benefits everyone involved-or your help could not only be self-destructive but it could also destroy the one you attempted to help.

During the coming economic chaos you have to discriminate between truth and falsehood. You must see through illusion. Otherwise, your own delusions will destroy you.

In Part 2 I will discuss the dangers of irrational selfishness-a phenomena that is out of control.

Julie Redstone asked:


The apprehension that the economy will get a lot worse grows daily among people in all walks of life, with signs of distress showing in the visible instability of the stock market, lowered consumer spending, higher unemployment, and the as yet unsolved credit crisis which has created massive restrictions in the lending industry. Anxiety about the future is widespread, with a sense of there being no clear way to avoid the coming trouble.

Within this atmosphere, fear and anxiety are rampant, and it becomes even more important to find a basis for trust that does not depend upon external circumstance, but rather on a sense of hope and conviction that the present turbulence will lead to a positive outcome.

Such hope and trust becomes more difficult to achieve when one’s personal fortunes are jeopardized either by loss of work, loss of one’s retirement fund, savings, or investments, or the inability to obtain a loan for a purpose deemed vital. All of these bring the present crisis home in a personal way. Even more personal would be the loss of the value of the dollar which would be able, then, to purchase less in the way of critical commodities, and would create widespread financial restrictions both within the banking system and within our personal lives. In the blink of an eye, we would no longer be a nation of prosperity, but would have to face poverty amidst vastly changed economic conditions.

How to remain hopeful during a time of fear is an essential part of what a spiritual life is about. It places the onus of responsibility on each soul for defining their own reality in terms that are internal, rather than external, and gives each one the choice of how to view that reality. Moving with collective consciousness is easy, especially when the emotional and intellectual currents are strong, and fear-producing announcements and predictions are everywhere. Moving with one’s own internal guidance concerning what we should believe, feel, and do, is more difficult, for one must shut out the external noise in order to find and hear a different voice that dwells within.

This is the spiritual imperative in a time of turbulence and uncertainty. It is to strengthen one’s inner connection with Divine guidance, truth, and support, so that the external voices are not the arbiter of how we hold reality. When we listen to the voice of the Divine within, we are given a way through any situation. Like a boat that must sail through difficult waters, spiritual anchoring takes us step-by-step through time and space and creates a unique and individual pathway for each soul to enable them to move through crisis most effectively.

The imperative is to listen to our inner voice, not the voices of others, and to believe that this voice is not only present, but active within our life as a force for good and a force for stability. No matter what the external circumstances that must be faced, the inner Presence of Divine love and truth can lead each soul and the nation’s soul through all measures of adversity.

It is more important than ever before to have a means of spiritual anchoring on a regular basis. It is more important than ever before to place ourselves in environments that are supportive to a trusting and positive outlook, in order to remain free of the voices of fear that grow louder.

Fear is the domain of darkness. It can lead to decisions that are not of the light that are based on partial truth and on the assumption that we, as individuals, as a nation, or as a planet, are alone with our own dilemmas. This is not the case. More guidance than ever before is available now to individuals and to those who guide nations. More guidance than ever before can help us uphold an inner sense of stability in the midst of change. The requirement is not to ignore the serious nature of what is happening around us and to us, but to know that this is not the only reality than we are involved in.

The world as we know it is changing and we must change with it. The call is going forth to allow change to bring us to a new place in our collective history. It is asking that we have the trust and courage to find a new basis for our collective life.

Beloved Ones, believe in this, know this, feel this - that the present crisis will lead to the advent of a new consciousness and that trust is possible in the guidance that is the Divine birthright of your very own soul. Out of this outlook possibilities will grow for steering through all difficulty that lies ahead.

Robert A. Meyer asked:


In Part 1 I discussed the destructiveness of social altruism and the pitfalls of personal altruism. Irrational selfishness ties in with altruism because altruists need irrationally selfish people. Often they go hand in hand-attempting to achieve the same illogical goals. Other times it is the self-destructive actions of the irrationally selfish that give altruists, do-gooders, world improvers and politicians something to moralize about-and unfortunately something to campaign against.

One example was prohibition. Some people destroy themselves with excessive alcohol consumption. This is a personal problem that mainly affects the individual and those close to him. The lush, alcoholic or whatever you want to call him is indulging in irrational selfishness. The altruist sees this as a social problem and begins a campaign against the sale and use of alcohol. The next thing you know laws are passed forbidding the sale of alcohol in a futile attempt to discourage its use.

I don’t have to go into all the gory details about the unfortunate consequences of prohibition. Some of these were dangerous bathtub gin, blatant disregard of the law, the rise of organized crime and a decade of the twenties called “the roaring twenties.” The prohibition amendment was finally repealed.

What is amazing is that the same economic laws that doomed prohibition also spell the doom of the drug war. Government has absolutely no chance of winning it. By now you should know that this doesn’t deter government or its representatives (politicians). They have been attacking economic law since the beginning of time-and have intensified their attacks against all logic and reason. That is why we are now witnessing an economic crisis.

Just as you must shun the anti-life philosophy of altruism-you must rid all irrational selfishness from life. It is also critical that you avoid the company of the irrationally selfish whenever possible.

Irrational Selfishness - Others

You have probably heard the old saying about “keeping good company”. Often old-fashion wisdom is applicable to the trials and tribulations of modern times. Irrationally selfish individuals may tell you that these are modern times and the “old ways” are no longer applicable. This is pure hogwash. The laws of human action have been valid since the beginning of time-and will remain valid through eternity. As long as there are beings with the logical structure of mind that humans possess-the laws of human action are true-and can guide the actions of men and women.

Irrationally selfish people indulge in self-destructive behavior. Hanging around these kinds of individuals could very well result in you adopting their ways of acting.

These types of people sacrifice long-term benefits for immediate gratification. They over-eat, shun exercise, drink too much, indulge in dangerous drugs, spend most of their money on unnecessary consumption items, etc. They also indulge in the negative emotions of anger, hate, jealousy, envy and guilt. They have low self-esteem and self-worth because their lives are out of control. Are these the people you want to associate with?

As mentioned earlier altruists need these types of people. Irrationally selfish people are the first ones to line up at the banquet of government benefits and handouts. Obviously since they indulge in self-destructive behavior-and lack self-control and self-sufficiency they come to depend on the “nanny’ state for their very survival. What they consider their personal salvation is poison to you-your beverage of hemlock. Is it any wonder we are rushing head-on into economic chaos?

Personal Irrational Selfishness

Can you afford to indulge in irrational selfishness during the chaos of economic disaster? I think it is obvious that the answer is a resounding NO. Indulging in irrational behavior will only cause you misery-and eventually accelerate your demise. Many people resort to alcohol and drugs during bad times out of sheer despair. They watch too much television or spend money they don’t have on entertainment. They will do anything to escape their pain and suffering-not realizing they are only increasing it in the not too distant future.

I expect you to live a life of joy and ecstasy. It is your perfect right to enjoy Libertarian Pleasures. The irrationally selfish individual has neither joy nor ecstasy in his life-and his enjoyment of Libertarian Pleasures is greatly diminished. There will be no personal salvation for this person.

In Part 3 I will reveal what type of person will survive and thrive during the coming economic chaos.