FEAR: THE NEW ’OLD’ BUSINESS MODEL

Am I Next? Fear: The New "Old" Business Model

There have always been charlatans and hucksters selling their newsletters and investment predictions on the basis of an upcoming catastrophe. Using alarmism to rise above the background noise of omnipresent and to command your attention with unconventional advertising. My favorite format is the informational video that always uses a shocking headline indicating an impending financial collapse or medical breakthroughs that are available to readers of a particular and costly newsletter. The best of which appears to be products from the multi-millionaire newsletter guru Porter Stansberry of Stansberry Research.

Some of my favorites include “12-Term Congressman Ron Paul's Warning to Americans about the Coming Currency Crisis” and the Stansberry’s 2010 “End of America” video. Many featuring headlines from reputable news organizations and scientific institutions that were cherry-picked to support the main story theme. Many taken out of context and using events with an extremely low probability of occurring in your life.

And, then there is NASA with its newsletter, “Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet" to sell the "scientific consensus" on global climate change. Of course, the consensus is a political process, not a valid scientific method.

But, we are now seeing the rise of the mainstream marketing of products and services that exaggerate the impact of global climate change, the presidency of Donald Trump, and the failure of our healthcare system to sell everything from prepper-approved supplies to insurance policies.

Think about it carefully, you are visiting this website because you are worried and asking the question, “Am I Next?”.

Bottom line: fear could be our future

POLITICAL SCARE TACTICS THREATEN JOB LOSSES

Am I Next? Job Loss. Political Scare Tactics.

It seems the politicians and special interests never get tired of threatening workers when workers oppose legislation that does not advance the politician's self-serving needs or political agenda. It appears that a “new analysis by The Commonwealth Fund predicts steep job losses if the Senate version of Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal-and-replace legislation ever becomes law.” The report projects a major increase in employment in 2018 (projected at 753,000 more jobs) followed by a decline of 1.45 million jobs by 2026, “compared to levels under the current law.” “Hardest hit would be  employment in health care with a projected 919,000 fewer health jobs.”

Most of these analyses are based on voodoo economics which counts zombies as humans. First, the legislation has not been written. What has been submitted is a broad-brush outline of such complexity as to be almost impossible to score. Second, Nobody knows the composition of the Congress in after the 2018 congressional election cycle or the 2020 presidential election cycle, so who is to say that additional legislation, amendments, and riders will not affect the calculations and produce an entirely different result. Third, economists have a propensity to speak with certitude that belies the historical failure of their profession to even predict gross changes in our economy and employment outlook.

This should serve as a cautionary tale for all workers to keep abreast of the news and to avoid being whipsawed into supporting politicians and positions without a little common sense thinking. That means, do not take the media and political crazy-makers at face value. 

Are you asking yourself, Am I Next?