2024: Year of Issues

Population

The new year will ring with a big, round number concerning global population. There are 8-billion of us. At the same time, agricultural land is being threatened by expanding local population, development, taxes, inflationary prices, soil erosion, lack of water and or, the price of water and labor along with pollution. You can find examples everywhere. We will use two. In Florida, disease gets added to the list of issues facing farmers of citric. Florida production has declined for the last decade and the price for juice keeeps rising. In our leading produce state, California, farmers can't get water. When they do, they cannot find drivers to deliver their harvest to sell. Have you checked the price of a can of tomatoes? Our government is full of BS concerning inflation. A can of tomatoes that cost .50-cents in 2022, now costs .85-cents. This product gets multiplied by the many food products on the market. So, if next month a can of tomatoes only cost .79-cents, the government says deflation. We say BS! It is up over 50%. This is inflation when it becomes ingrained and it hurts all of us. 

Connect the Dots

The government says food increased by 2.9% in 2023. Forget the lie. We now have 8-billion mouths to feed with rising costs. Food banks are becoming a way of life in America. Our poor citizens will multiply claims for SNAP and wear-out the good intentions of good people to care for each other. Where are those migrant millions on the border going to get something to eat, shelter and a job that pays a living wage? Where do people in Gaza go? Where do poor people in the continent of Africa go? In the Caribbean, in South America? Ukraine is a world supplier, but is suffering war. Where can that supply be covered? Another global food supplier, the Philippines is worried about EL Nino. Climate is affecting food growers every where. Food insecurity will be a world issue in 2024.

Education

It may not sound like an important issue, but the media keeps this off the radar. Home schooling is expected to reach 2.7 million students in 2024. COVID began the change. Mass shootings do not help the overall picture of schooling in America. Declining enrollment is on the surface, Behind the front and center of students in the classroom is the results of our teachers. It is a BIG MISS! Kids cannot read, write or do math at grade level. Thry know little about our nation and democracy. Bring back a revised civics class that calls out our government and political parties with the idea of truth. In addition, the kids are obese. Bring back PE! I repeat. Bring back PE! Provide more funding for free meals at school. Give funding to home education, but test the kids to prove that they are meeting basic requirements. We also need to prepare for those migrants who cannot speak English. Maybe we should add a requirement to immigration. The first to enter are those who took the time to learn English. This is an unspoken reason why our overall education is failing. Kids cannot follow in class because they do not speak the language.

There are many other issues like homelessness. Our poor paying jobs have people living in their cars or RVs. Shelters are at full capacity and our streets are littered with the rest and now, migrants. Supply and demand says housing will rise due to the many problems facing our cities.The government says shelter rose in 2023 by 6.5%. When are we going to realize that inflation index should be led by the three things that we all need everyday: energy, food and housing. The Federal Reserve does not include the trio in their phony matrix formula. Another reason to End the Fed!

In addition

Mental health, surging mob/crime in retail, guns and mass shootings (over 600 in each of the last four years), insurane - home and auto, our national debt and the rising cost of interest with that debt will all be on the table for discussion. We also see more labor unrest. Strikes will come to government unions like police, fire, prison help and infrastructure. With that said, the powers-to-be still go status quo. The military budget grows and there is no money for the listed problems above and the unknowns that will appear like the banking problems in 2023 to which still remain behind the scenes. The year 2023 under the Chinese zodiac was the Year of the Rabbit. They had it right with the world population growth. 2024 is their favorite, the Year of the Dragon. I don't put beliefs in horoscopes. I, we believe in God, but there are similarities in signs. We pray that new techniques to agriculture will solve some of our problems. After a good meal, we can think better and be more appreciative of His blessings. 

Get Gold!

Inflation is a world problem. You can see the results if you view the price and value of foreign currencies. At the same time, compare the price of gold to any currency. No experts stated that gold would end 2023 at over $2000. It did at $2071. Look at the Japanese yen. Compare to the Euro. Check out the Turkish lira. How about the poster child, Argentina? It began 2023 at 365 pesos to the dollar. It is now over 800. If those people purchased gold, they would be ahead of the game. King $Dollar is falling. It is testing 103 in a bounce. It appears to heading to test .99. The next level is .96. Each drop adds to the value of gold. We see $2500 in the tea leaves. You have to protect yourself from the reckless idiots responsible for our dollar and its place as the world's reserve currency.  Peace and Happy New Year!