Money

Are you convinced that we are headed for societal collapse?  If so, you are definitely not alone.  Survey after survey has shown that faith in all of our major institutions is dropping, and there is a growing consensus that very challenging times are ahead of us.  Here in 2024, we will be facing the most chaotic election season in our entire history, multiple wars are erupting all over the planet, economic problems are rapidly growing, destructive natural disasters are becoming more frequent, global authorities are warning us to brace ourselves for the next pandemic, and our cities are being absolutely overwhelmed by endless waves of new migrants.  The stage is set for a societal implosion of epic proportions, and many Americans are feverishly preparing for a coming collapse that they believe is inevitable.

For a long time, many people had faith that the government would be able to keep society stable, but now that has changed.  In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 71.2 percent of all Americans “have no faith in the U.S. government to save them or prevent a doomsday event”…

According to a survey of 6,200 Americans conducted by BonusFinder.com, 71.2 percent of Americans say they have no faith in the U.S. government to save them or prevent a doomsday event. Even more unnerving, many respondents believe Doomsday could come within the next year.

If you actually believe that the government will be there to rescue you when things really start hitting the fan, you are just being delusional.

If it was equally divided up among the entire population, the emergency supplies that the government has on hand would last less than a day.

Many Americans are realizing that they will be forced to rely on themselves as society collapses, and so an increasing percentage of the population is spending significant money on emergency preparedness…

Last April, the financial-services firm Finder found that the number of Americans who said they’d recently spent money on emergency preparedness jumped from 20% in 2020 to 29% in 2023. They spent an average of $150 on items such as nonperishable food, medical supplies, and cases of water. Today you can’t turn on a streaming platform without catching recommendations for popular survivalist reality shows such as “Alone” or “Naked and Afraid,” and on social media, homesteading and disaster-prepping influencers have amassed millions of followers across various platforms.

Disaster preparedness is on the rise, in large part, because disasters are as well: from the supply-chain shortages caused by COVID-19 lockdowns to the climate crisis, from wars in Ukraine and Gaza to tech-driven loneliness, from runaway disinformation to intractable political polarization. More people are asking: Am I better off being hyperdependent on the global industrial economy? Would it be safer to grow my own food, store my own water, and not depend on complex systems I don’t understand?

I am glad that more people are waking up and getting prepared.

But spending a couple hundred dollars on some emergency preparedness items simply is not going to be enough to survive what is eventually coming.

In Missouri, one woman named Rowan MacKenzie has literally spent $90,000 to prepare her family for what she believes is ahead of us…

A woman who has built a doomsday bunker says the door will remain closed to anyone outside her home, including family.

Rowan MacKenzie, from Missouri, who became a social media phenomenon after revealing she’s been prepping her home for 12 years, believes it’s necessary to prepare for the end of the world.

She previously hit the headlines after revealing she spent over $90,000 on her hidden bunker stockpile.

The 38-year-old began stocking up her cupboards 13 years ago and initially, bought lifelong essentials, such as beans and rice, which she taught herself to preserve through trial and error.

Do you agree with her approach?

When things get really bad, will you shut your door to those that are requesting help?

Of course there are many that will just try to take whatever they need.  Crime rates are already spiking all over the nation, and violent predators are seemingly everywhere.  Earlier this week, Zero Hedge posted an excellent article about the vast hordes of psychopaths that are coming out of the woodwork these days…

Discussions on collapse often turn to signs and signals – The economy, politics and social tensions have become increasingly unstable for many years now, and much like adding more and more weight to a man standing on a frozen lake, eventually the ice is going to break. The question is, how do we know when that moment will be?

As cultural systems begins to dissolve due to political clashes and economic decline the real evil tends to slither out of the woodwork. It happens slowly at first, then all at once. A sure sign of accelerating collapse is the growing prevalence of psychopaths and psychopathic behavior in the open.

The US appears to have entered the middle stages of such a collapse with many sociopaths and psychopaths beginning to feel that they might be able to act out their worst impulses without consequences. They are beginning to test the waters to see what they can get away with.

Those paragraphs really resonated with me, because they are so true.

I am sure that you have noticed the same thing.  Evil is literally growing all around us, and the inmates are taking over the asylum.

And I am entirely convinced that 2024 is going to be a historic turning point.

Are you ready for the tremendous chaos that is coming?

If you have not figured out where you want to be located during the chaotic years that are ahead, that is the first thing that you need to do.

Once you have settled on a location, then you need to store up enough food and supplies for yourself and for everyone that will be depending upon you for as long as you plan to stay alive.

Of course you will also need to determine how you will protect all of your food and supplies as well.

This is not a game.

The collapse of society really is coming, and most of the population will find themselves completely and utterly unprepared when it finally happens.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s highly controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  You can connect with Michael on social media on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

How does it feel to have the largest government that the planet has ever seen?  When I was growing up, I was taught that we had a capitalist system and that we had a limited federal government.  Of course neither of those things has been true for a very long time.  Today, the United States has the biggest government in the history of the world, and it gets even bigger with each passing year.  Running that gigantic government requires more money than we actually have, and so we are going into staggering amounts of debt.  But there is no way that our politicians will ever agree to reduce the size of the federal government to an appropriate size.  So we are stuck with this system until the day when it finally collapses.

Let me give you some numbers that illustrate what I am talking about.

-Approximately 3 million people work directly for the federal government.

-The federal government spent 6.13 trillion dollars in 2023.  That figure is larger than the GDP of every nation on the entire planet except for the U.S. and China.

-More than 70 million Americans are on Social Security.

-More than 65 million Americans are on Medicare.

-More than 81 million Americans are on Medicaid.

-More than 41 million Americans are on food stamps.

Of course there are many more programs that hand out money to the population on a regular basis.

We have reached a stage where most U.S. households are at least partially dependent on the federal government.

We very much prefer not to call ourselves “socialists”, but that is precisely what we are.  Sadly, if we attempted to go back to the way things were 100 years ago, most Americans would not know how to survive.

The massively bloated federal government that so many of us depend upon constantly consumes enormous mountains of money.

We cannot provide enough money to keep it going, and so the federal government has been piling up insane amounts of debt.

Since 1980, the size of the U.S. national debt has gone from 1 trillion dollars to 34 trillion dollars.

The combined wealth of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Ken Griffin, Mark Cuban, Ray Dalio and George Soros would not be enough to even pay the interest on our national debt for a single year…

The combined net worth of the most prominent billionaires in the United States would not be enough to pay a single year’s interest payment on America’s ballooning national debt, which currently stands at an astonishing $34 trillion.

The combined net worth of some of America’s most prominent billionaires, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Ken Griffin, Mark Cuban, Ray Dalio, and George Soros, adds up to approximately $726 billion according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Meanwhile, the net interest on our national debt is currently at $730.8 billion, dwarfing the sum for previous years.

We are now at a point where the national debt has become a major national crisis, and the percentage of Americans that believe that our politicians should do something about this has been going up…

A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of Americans said reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for the president and Congress, up from 45% the year prior.

But the politicians in Washington don’t have the stomach to do anything about the wild spending.

They know that if we tried to live within our means, it would instantly plunge the U.S. economy into a horrifying economic depression.

And voters wouldn’t like that at all.

So instead they are just going to try to keep the party going for as long as they can.

In fact, the size of the federal deficit in December was 52 percent larger than for the same month a year earlier…

The U.S. federal government posted a December deficit of $129 billion, up $44 billion or 52% from a year earlier as outlays rose while receipts fell from December 2022 levels that were swelled by pandemic-deferred tax payments, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday.

The Treasury said that outlays for December rose 3% to $559 billion, a December record, partly as a result of higher Social Security outlays and interest on the public debt. Receipts for the month fell 6% to $429 billion.

America’s “empire of money” really has reached the endgame.

Our debt spiral is out of control, our currency is rapidly losing value, and everyone can see that our entire system will inevitably collapse.

But for the moment, the talking heads on television continue to tell everyone that our leaders know exactly what they are doing, and millions of people actually believe that nonsense.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Is the financial chaos that is currently happening in China a harbinger of things to come here in the United States?  Today, the global economy is more interconnected than ever before, and economic warning signs have been popping up all over the planet in recent weeks.  Of course the U.S. has certainly not been an exception.  Employers are throwing workers out into the streets in very large numbers, and we have reached a point where hunger, poverty and homelessness are all growing at extremely alarming rates.  The U.S. economy has clearly entered a very troubled period, but for the moment U.S. stock prices are still stable.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Chinese stocks.  In fact, Newsweek says that China’s stock market “appears to be in free fall now”…

After a rocky couple of years for the Chinese economy, the country’s stock market appears to be in free fall now, with authorities asking institutional investors not to sell stocks in an attempt to stabilize share prices as foreigners are pulling out.

Compared to 12 months ago, the FTSE China 50 index is down almost 30 percent…

The FTSE China 50 index—a real-time tradable index comprising 50 of the country’s largest and most liquid stocks—has plunged by 1.77 percent between Monday and Tuesday as part of a long-term large decline over the past six months. Compared to one year ago, the index is down by 29.24 percent.

China’s market regulators have tried to stabilize the market by imposing restrictions that stop some investors from being net sellers of equities on certain days. This strategy—with authorities offering what’s known as “window guidance” in an attempt to help the country’s stock market bounce back—was first introduced in October.

Wow.

Nearly a third of the entire value of the FTSE China 50 index has already been wiped out.

Needless to say, we have not seen a similar crash in the U.S. yet.

But many believe that one is coming.

On Tuesday, the Dow was down 231 points, but that is nothing to get excited about.

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see more down days in the near future, because stock prices are way too high right now.

In fact, one expert just told CNBC that the market “looks overvalued by about 9% to 10%”…

The market looks overvalued by about 9% to 10%, according to Aswath Damodaran.

“The expectation game has turned against the market,” the professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Tuesday.

A stock market decline of 10 percent certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world.

But what if the conflict in the Middle East evolves into a major regional war and the U.S. economy plunges into a very deep recession?

What would that do to stock prices?

Without a doubt, the U.S. economy is already heading in the wrong direction.  On Tuesday, we learned that the Empire State manufacturing survey for the month of January was absolutely abysmal…

Well, no one saw that coming…

The New York Fed’s Empire State Manufacturing Survey for January crashed from -14.5 to -43.7 – the worst print in the survey’s history outside of the COVID lockdowns…

The -43.7 print was a stunning 10 standard deviations below expectations of a bounce to -5.0…

Under the hood, it was a bloodbath. New orders slumped more than 38 points to minus 49.4, the weakest since April 2020, while shipments dropped by the most since August. Worse still, the index of prices paid for materials increased to a three-month high.

Take a moment to read that again.

It isn’t every day that we see a 10 standard deviation miss.

The truth is that the U.S. economy is in far worse shape than we are being told.

At this stage, things are so bad that even Pixar is conducting mass layoffs…

Disney-owned animation studio Pixar is poised to undergo layoffs this year, TechCrunch has learned and the company confirmed. While sources at the company said the layoffs would be significant and as high as 20% — or reductions that would see Pixar’s team of 1,300 dropped to less than 1,000 over the coming months — Pixar says those numbers are too high. Rather, the studio said the number of impacted employees is still being determined due to factors like production schedules and staffing for future greenlit films.

For many more examples of the mass layoffs that are happening all over America, please see the article that I posted yesterday.

The private sector has been hemorrhaging full-time jobs, but government hiring has helped to mitigate the damage.

Of course the level of government hiring that we have been witnessing is simply not sustainable.  The federal government, state governments and local governments are all drowning in debt, and so belts will need to tighten at some point.

If you can believe it, the federal government actually ran a 129 billion dollar deficit during the month of December alone…

The U.S. federal government posted a December deficit of $129 billion, up $44 billion or 52% from a year earlier as outlays rose while receipts fell from December 2022 levels that were swelled by pandemic-deferred tax payments, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday.

The Treasury said that outlays for December rose 3% to $559 billion, a December record, partly as a result of higher Social Security outlays and interest on the public debt. Receipts for the month fell 6% to $429 billion.

What we are witnessing is insane.

129 billion dollars in a single month is madness.

But they are just going to keep borrowing and spending until everything completely crashes.

We really are in the endgame.

Our leaders are going to try to keep the party going for as long as they possibly can, but it won’t be too long before the lights are finally turned off for good.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The layoffs are starting to come at a fast and furious pace now.  At what point will the mainstream media finally admit that we are facing a major crisis?  In recent days, I have been writing quite a bit about the alarming transition that the employment market is going through.  There is a lot more competition for any jobs that are still available, and one recent survey discovered that almost 40 percent of U.S. companies anticipate that they will be conducting layoffs in 2024.  But even though I am just reporting the facts, I have had people write to me and insist that things really aren’t that bad.  Even though the government’s own numbers show that the U.S. lost a ton of full-time jobs in December, these people apparently believe the propaganda that is being fed to them by the Biden administration.

Look, the truth is that the economy really is bleeding good jobs.  In this article, I am going to provide you with 20 examples of large companies that have just decided to conduct mass layoffs…

#1 One of our “too big to fail” banks has just announced that it will be eliminating 20,000 good paying jobs…

Citigroup on Friday said it will slash 20,000 jobs.

The reductions, detailed in the company’s fourth-quarter financial results deck, can be linked to Citi continuing to execute its ongoing reorganization.

Citi will axe the positions “over the medium-term,” something that should ultimately bring its expenses down by $2-2.5 billion, according to the company.

#2 Even though this is an election year, NBC News has decided that a bunch of far left staffers have become expendable…

NBC News has laid off several dozen staffers, the latest of dozens of companies to start off the new year with bad news for its employees, USA TODAY confirmed Friday.

A source familiar with the plans said that employees were given a 60-day notice and will get severance packages and outplacement.

#3 Universal Music Group is making a ton of money from their relationship with Taylor Swift, but they still have decided to eliminate hundreds of jobs…

Universal Music Group, the corporate home of mega pop star Taylor Swift, is reportedly set to slash “hundreds” of jobs in the latest bloodbath to hit the entertainment industry.

The music label is planning to eliminate hundreds of jobs in the first quarter of the year, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg News. The company’s recorded music division will be hit hardest.

Taylor Swift ranks among the label’s biggest stars, having signed a recording deal with the company in 2018 and an exclusive publishing contract two years later. The label also represents Drake and “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi.

#4 Xerox was once one of the most famous companies in the entire world, but now they have decided to reduce their workforce by another 15 percent…

Xerox on Wednesday announced it will cut 15% of its workforce as part of a plan to implement a new organizational structure and operating model.

Xerox, which offers digital printing and document management technologies, had about 20,500 employees as of Dec. 31, 2022, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Based on this figure, Wednesday’s layoffs will affect about 3,075 employees.

#5 Things aren’t going very well for the auto industry these days, and Stellantis has just announced that more than 500 employees will be “permanently separated” from the company…

Stellantis NV said Monday that 539 supplemental employees across its U.S. manufacturing footprint are being “permanently separated” from the company following an evaluation of operations.

The automaker said it notified on Friday the affected workers, who are part of a class of lower-paid employees known as temporary workers at General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. The workforce reduction was effective immediately.

#6 Software company MeridianLink has decided that it is time to delete 9 percent of its staff…

Thoma Bravo-backed MeridianLink, which sells software to financial institutions like regional banks and credit unions, is laying off 9% of its staff, according to a regulatory filing Thursday. The cuts followed a sharp slowdown in MeridianLink’s revenue growth and a 69% drop in its operating income in the first nine months of last year.

#7 Apparently there aren’t enough simps watching half-naked women playing video games these days, and so Twitch will be laying off more than a third of its entire workforce…

Amazon’s livestreaming platform, Twitch, announced it would cut 35% of its workforce in a blog post.

“As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible,” wrote Twitch CEO Dan Clancy in a blog post. “Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company, and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step of reducing our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch.”

#8 At this point things are so bad that even Google is laying off lots of workers…

Google is starting 2024 by cutting several hundred jobs across the company.

The company confirmed the layoffs to USA TODAY Friday and that they will impact employees within Google’s hardware and central engineering teams, as well employees who work on Google Assistant, the company’s voice-activated software product. Other parts of the company were also affected.

Are you starting to get the picture?

For those of you that still need additional examples, here are 12 more that were just posted by Susan Duclos…

• Disney’s Pixar could cut staff by 20% this year, TechCrunch reports.

• Discord will eliminate 17% of its employees to “sharpen focus,” The Verge reports.

• Amazon will lay off hundreds of Prime Video and MGM Studios workers, The Hollywood Reporter writes, as well as 5% of its Audible staff.

• BlackRock will lay off 3% of its global workforce, Bloomberg reports.

• The NFL has offered buyouts to around 200 of its 1,100-person staff, CNBC reports.

• Rent the Runway will cut 10% of its corporate employees, including its COO, Bloomberg reports.

• Unity Software will lay off 1,800 people (25% of its workforce), Reuters reports.

• Duolingo will eliminate 10% of its contractor positions, Bloomberg reports.

• Newell Brands, Sharpie and Rubbermaid producer, will cut 7% of its office roles, The Wall Street Journal reports.

• VideoAmp will lay off 20% of its employees, AdAge reports.

• The Messenger will cut around two dozen jobs, The New York Times reports.

• Cheddar has furloughed workers due to “unforeseen” factors, The New York Times reports.

This is really happening.

The U.S. economy really is bleeding good jobs at a staggering rate.

And the long-term outlook is not good at all.  In fact, the IMF is projecting that nearly 40 percent of all global jobs “could be affected by the rise of artificial intelligence”…

Almost 40% of jobs around the world could be affected by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a trend that is likely to deepen inequality, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In a Sunday blog post, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva called for governments to establish social safety nets and offer retraining programs to counter the impact of AI.

“In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers must proactively address to prevent the technology from further stoking social tensions,” she wrote ahead of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where the topic is set to be high on the agenda.

It won’t be too long before AI takes millions of American jobs.  I would encourage you to get my new book for a deeper look at why artificial intelligence is likely to turn our society completely upside down.

Of course AI is just one of the trends that is working against us.

We are moving into a future in which much of the population will no longer be needed to run the gigantic corporations that dominate our society.

The gap between the wealthy and the poor is already larger than it has ever been, and it gets even bigger with each passing year.

The stage is being set for a massive societal meltdown, and it isn’t going to be pretty.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

2024 is going to be such a crazy year.  So many of the extremely alarming trends that we have been watching for many years are now reaching a crescendo, and events are starting to accelerate at a very rapid pace.  Last week, I wrote about three major developments which have enormous implications for all of us.  Today, I am going to tell you about a dozen.  Instability is a word that you are going to hear a lot this year, because order is breaking down all over the planet.  The following are 12 examples of the tremendous chaos that is suddenly erupting all over the globe…

#1 The candidate that China hated the most just won the election in Taiwan.  Needless to say, this makes a Chinese invasion much more likely…

Voters in Taiwan elected Vice President Lai Ching-te as their next president on Saturday, defying warnings from Beijing not to support a candidate it has called a separatist and a “troublemaker.”

The election, which China had described as “a choice between war and peace,” could test recent efforts by Beijing and Washington to repair relations that in recent years have fallen to their lowest point in decades. The status of Taiwan, one of the strongest democracies in Asia, is among the most sensitive issues between the two superpowers, and focus will now turn to any potential show of force from Beijing in response.

As I have been warning my readers for a long time, the moment that China invades Taiwan we will be at war with the Chinese.

#2 In Germany, massive demonstrations by farmers and train drivers have caused much of that nation to come to a standstill…

In Germany, where workers and bosses run many companies jointly, a big strike is unusual. A wave of big strikes is almost unheard of. Right now the country of “co-determination” is simultaneously facing an eight-day “action week” by irate farmers, who blocked roads with tractors, a three-day strike of railway workers and, to top it off, a looming strike of doctors, who already closed surgeries between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This Mistgabelmop (pitchfork mob), as some have taken to calling it, will test Germany’s harmonious labour relations in the year to come.

#3 In Argentina, the annual rate of inflation has reached 211 percent…

Argentina’s annual inflation soared to 211.4% in 2023, the highest rate in 32 years and highest in the world, surpassing Venezuela, according to figures released Thursday by the government’s INDEC statistics agency.

The data reflects the strong impact of a series of shock measures, including a 50% devaluation of the nation’s currency, implemented by right-wing President Javier Milei in hopes of eventually bringing the country’s roaring inflation under control.

#4 In Ecuador, an “internal armed conflict” has turned that country into a war zone…

The government of Ecuador formally declared an emerging gang war in the country an “internal armed conflict” on Wednesday, vowing to curtail the deadly violence that dramatically intensified the day before.

The terrorist actions committed by Ecuador’s criminal gangs on Tuesday — which included kidnappings, prison riots, and the use of explosive devices against civilian and police vehicles — left at least ten dead, including two policemen. On early Wednesday morning, police authorities found a burned vehicle with three burned people inside in a Guayaquil neighborhood.

#5 Oklahoma was just hit by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake…

According to a U.S. Geological Survey report, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 5:36 a.m. about 4 miles east-northeast of Edmond. The report says it could be felt throughout the Oklahoma City metro.

#6 There was another enormous volcanic eruption in Iceland on Sunday…

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland early Sunday, sending lava flowing toward a nearby town for the second time in a few weeks, authorities said.

The eruption began north of the town of Grindavík just before 8 a.m. UTC (2 a.m. ET), the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said.

The town was evacuated on Saturday as fears of an imminent eruption rose following multiple earthquakes in the area.

Barriers of earth and rock were built in recent weeks in a bid to prevent lava from reaching Grindavík, but authorities said the latest eruption has apparently breached those defenses.

#7 Dmitry Medvedev is warning that any deployment of British troops in Ukraine would be a “declaration of war”…

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, made the comments in response to a visit by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Kyiv to announce an increase in military funding to help Ukraine purchase new military drones.

“I hope that our eternal enemies – the arrogant British – understand that deploying an official military contingent to Ukraine would be a declaration of war against our country,” Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

#8 A “coalition” led by the United States has conducted two rounds of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in recent days, but instead of deterring the Houthis it is just making them even angrier…

These two rounds of attacks, which included Tomahawk missiles and even submarine launched missiles, have done nothing to deter the Iran-linked Houthis.

They are now threatening “strong and effective response” as regional waters remain on edge for what comes next. The Houthis have repeatedly said they are not scared of US and UK threats. The reality too is that the Houthis have been battling Saudi-UAE-US airpower going all the way back to 2015, amid an ongoing war for control of the country.

#9 Hezbollah continues to strike targets in northern Israel, and this ensures that the war on Israel’s northern border will continue to escalate…

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah announced on Saturday carrying out a number of operations against Israeli targets in northern occupied Palestine.

In a series of statements, the group reiterated that the operations are in support of “our resilient Palestinian people in Gaza and their courageous and honorable Resistance.”

Hezbollah said it conducted the first operation at 11:20 am, targeting the Israeli al-Assi military site, facing the Lebanese village of Mays al-Jabal, using appropriate weapons and confirming direct hits.

#10 The war in the south continues to escalate as well.  It is being reported that the IDF is planning an operation “to seize Gaza’s border with Egypt”…

Israel has informed Egypt of its plans to launch a military operation aimed at retaking control of the key Philadelphi corridor in the southern Gaza Strip, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Citing both current and former Israeli and Egyptian officials, the report noted that the IDF operation would “likely involve removing Palestinian officials from a key crossing point and stationing Israeli forces along a stretch of land from Gaza’s southeastern corner abutting both Israel and Egypt toward the Mediterranean Sea about 12 kilometers (8 miles) to the northwest,” as per the WSJ.

#11 Anti-Israel protesters just vandalized the Los Angeles National Cemetery.  Almost 90,000 U.S. war heroes are buried there…

Video posted online showed a demonstrator spray-painting “Free Gaza” with an upside-down red triangle on the entrance to the National Cemetery as a protest shut down a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building on Saturday.

Demonstrators wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyehs were seen waving Palestinian flags and holding signs accusing President Biden of being an enabler of genocide and Zionists of being Nazis.

They chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan that the Anti-Defamation League has labeled antisemitic, saying it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.

#12 On Saturday night, there was a violent riot directly in front of the White House, and anti-Israel protesters came very close to breaching the perimeter…

The metal perimeter was shaken so hard, that portions of it were damaged shunting backward. Secret Service operatives rushed to prevent an absolute breach that would allow the rioters to march toward the White House.

The pro-Hamas rioters are also flinging bloodied dolls over the fence across the White House lawn as they attempt to and lodging them at the Secret Service operatives.

JUST IN: Pro-Palestine protesters try to breach the security fence outside of the White House, forcing DC police to hold the fence.

If they were wearing red MAGA hats this would be all over the news.

According to @Julio_Rosas11, the fence was attacked so badly that Secret… pic.twitter.com/1vwVxE7WEe

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 14, 2024

If protesters are this violent already, what will they do once the war in the Middle East escalates to a much more intense level?

And what sort of protests will we see if the U.S. ends up in multiple wars simultaneously?

Of course war is not the only “black swan event” that we could potentially be facing in 2024.

We really have entered a “perfect storm”, and crisis after crisis is erupting all around us.

Many of the experts assure us that “nothing is going to happen” and that our leaders have everything under control.

But if “nothing is going to happen”, then why are so many billionaires rushing to complete massive survivalist compounds all over the world?

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Many among the elite don’t really care that tens of millions of Americans on the bottom of the economic food chain are deeply suffering right now.  It is being reported that approximately 93 percent of all stock market wealth held by U.S. households is controlled by the top 10 percent, and the stock market has been performing remarkably well in recent months.  As long as their stock portfolios look good, there won’t be too much concern about the economic pain that the masses are experiencing.  But they should care, because what we are witnessing is going to deeply affect all of us.

2023 was really tough for much of the country, and many of the economic trends from last year just continue to intensify.

For example, just look at what is happening at food banks all over the nation.  At one location in southern California, demand is up almost 60 percent since before the pandemic…

The nonprofit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, which provides food for 400,000 people a month in Orange County, has seen a nearly 60 percent increase in demand since before the pandemic.

“If we are really going to help lift people out of poverty, they need fresh food,” Claudia Keller, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County,

At a food bank in the Big Apple, demand has actually doubled since before the pandemic, and now they are being forced to turn people away due to a lack of food…

The shelves at a Bronx food pantry have been bare for the past two weeks as hungry New Yorkers face heightened food insecurity at the beginning of the New Year.

The Albanian American Open Hand Association (AAOHA), located in Pelham Parkway, fed around 800 weekly before the pandemic, but that has since doubled to 1,600.

For the first time in 10 years, the pantry has been forced to turn people away.

This is something that is going to become increasingly common.

From coast to coast, donations are down and food costs are up, and so in the months ahead more desperate Americans that have lined up for hours at food banks around the nation will be told that there is “no food today”…

Food pantry president Alexander Nilaj told The Post Tuesday that he has had to turn them away.

“It’s very heartbreaking. People line up at six or seven in the morning,” the 52-year-old said in a phone interview. “We tell them: ‘Don’t wait, we have no food today.’”

Despite all of the happy talk that we are constantly getting from the Biden administration and the mainstream media, the truth is that poverty is exploding and homelessness in the U.S. has been growing at the fastest pace ever recorded…

Homelessness is on the rise in the United States, and it’s growing at a rate never seen before, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report shows that more than 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the U.S. — marking a 12% increase from 2022. The report uses compiled Point-In-Time Count data — a method that attempts to count every person living homeless one day out of the year — from across the nation to track the ebbs and flows of the nation’s homelessness crisis.

Unfortunately, our economic problems appear to be accelerating.

According to the government’s own numbers, the U.S. lost a whopping 1.531 million full-time jobs in December alone.

And layoffs continue to be announced at a furious pace here in January.

Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that Pixar has decided to conduct mass layoffs…

Walt Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios is set to cut jobs as the studio has completed production on some shows and now has more staff than it needs, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.

TechCrunch reported earlier that Pixar was set to undergo layoffs as high as 20% this year, with the studio’s team of 1,300 people reduced to under 1,000 over the coming months.

Twitch is laying off workers too.

In fact, more than a third of their workers will soon be searching for new employment…

Amazon’s livestreaming platform, Twitch, announced it would cut 35% of its workforce in a blog post.

“As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible,” wrote Twitch CEO Dan Clancy in a blog post. “Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company, and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step of reducing our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch.”

Sadly, even Google is laying off workers at this stage.  We are being told that “hundreds of staff” are getting the axe…

Google has laid off hundreds of staff across the company as it tries to cut costs and focus on artificial intelligence.

The tech titan confirmed the new wave of mass firings on Wednesday night, which employees claimed was more than 1,000 people.

Welcome to 2024.

This is going to be such a crazy year.

And as more companies lay off workers, large numbers of Americans won’t be able to pay their bills.

In fact, credit card delinquency rates at all stages have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels…

More Americans are buckling under the weight of mounting credit card debt.

All stages of credit card delinquency (30, 60 and 90 days past due) jumped higher during the third quarter of last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to a report released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Don’t let anyone tell you that the economy is in good shape.

The elite may be doing just fine for the moment, but most of the country is really struggling.

Do you remember the tremendous suffering that we witnessed during the Great Recession?

Well, what is ahead will be even worse.

A giant economic mess has already begun, and 2024 will be even more painful than 2023 was.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Global events are moving very rapidly now, and rumors are flying all over the place.  I am going to share some very alarming developments with you in this article, but it is important for me to note that each of these stories is still developing.  So as we get more information these stories may move in different directions.  We have already seen so much happen during the initial days of 2024, and I am entirely convinced that things will get even more chaotic as this year rolls along.

Just within the past 24 hours, several more bombshell stories have appeared in the news cycle.  The following are 3 extremely alarming developments which could have enormous global implications…

#1 Hospitals In Northern Israel Are Being Ordered To Prepare For “Thousands Of Casualties”

We have seen a series of escalations on the northern front in recent days, and that includes the assassination of the brother-in-law of the leader of Hezbollah.  Now, Israeli media is telling us that hospitals in the north are being ordered to get ready to receive large numbers of war casualties…

Israeli media reports IDF ordered preparation for the expansion of the fighting in the north (Lebanon).

Israeli Ministry of Health ordered the hospitals to be prepared to receive “thousands of casualties” in a short time.

Why would such an alert get issued now?

Is something major about to happen?

According to a prominent Israeli news source, one hospital has actually been instructed to prepare for a “desert island” situation…

The Israeli Health Ministry ordered hospitals in the north to be ready to receive thousands of wounded, under extraneous conditions, as fighting intensifies on Israel’s border with Lebanon, according to a report by Kan.

The Ziv Hospital in Safed and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya started preparing for what has been described as a “desert island” situation, meaning days without equipment, medicines or food in the event of a massive Hezbollah attack.

The hospitals in Safed and Nahariya have also been instructed to prepare for the transfer of patients to other medical centers. Furthermore, the Health Ministry advised an increased vigilance and preparedness in all hospital systems and health insurance funds across the country.

To me, it certainly sounds like Israeli authorities are anticipating that a full-blown regional war could soon break out, and that would have massive global ramifications.

Israeli media reports IDF ordered preparation for the expansion of the fighting in the north (Lebanon).

Israeli Ministry of Health ordered the hospitals to be prepared to receive “thousands of casualties” in a short time. pic.twitter.com/hlESK3ViZE

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 9, 2024

#2 A Deadly New Variant That Is 100% Fatal In Mice “Due To Infection Of The Brain”

I don’t even know what to make of this story.

Apparently, a team of scientists has been messing around with a coronavirus variant that has killed all of the mice that have been exposed to it…

The research group of former PLA scientist Yigang Tong has published a new paper showing a “pangolin” coronavirus (GX_P2V) variant is 100% fatal to hACE2 mice likely due to infection of the brain.

You can see the research paper for yourself right here.  Needless to say, any variant that can cause “100% mortality” in human ACE2-transgenic mice should deeply concern all of us…

SARS-CoV-2-related pangolin coronavirus GX_P2V(short_3UTR) can cause 100% mortality in human ACE2-transgenic mice, potentially attributable to late-stage brain infection. This underscores a spillover risk of GX_P2V into humans and provides a unique model for understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-related viruses.

Hopefully someone doesn’t make a “mistake” that results in this new variant getting “accidentally” released.

This is concerning https://t.co/3mvu3irsKR

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) January 8, 2024

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Dr. Peter Daszak has discovered “a never-before-seen virus with ‘almost’ as much potential to infect humans as Covid”…

A zoologist whose organisation funded controversial experiments in Wuhan which some fear started the pandemic has presented the discovery of a never-before-seen virus with ‘almost’ as much potential to infect humans as Covid.

Dr Peter Daszak, head of the New York based non-profit EcoHealth Alliance, detailed his finding in bats at an event held by the World Health Organization (WHO) on future pandemic research preparedness.

EcoHealth had its funding pulled and projects to find viruses in China cancelled due to concerns about its ties to the Covid lab leak theory — but it has continued to operate in Thailand and other parts of Asia with millions of dollars in US government grants.

As I have repeatedly warned my readers, we live in an era when great pestilences will erupt quite frequently all over the globe.

It is just a matter of time before the next global pandemic arrives, and so I hope that you have been getting ready.

#3 Civil War In Ecuador

Have you heard about what is happening in Ecuador?

We are being told that a “civil war” has erupted, and at this point the entire nation has descended into a state of complete and utter chaos…

Ecuador is descending into civil war after a bunch of masked thugs stormed a television station in the port city of Guayaquil yesterday while taking prison guards hostage and murdering civilians.

Viewers watched in horror last night as the men threatened presenters and workers with automatic weapons and explosives on live television, with the sound of gunshots and terrified hostages begging for mercy audible in the background.

Of course the incident at that television station was only a small part of the widespread violence that we witnessed on Tuesday…

The terrorist actions committed by Ecuador’s criminal gangs on Tuesday — which included kidnappings, prison riots, and the use of explosive devices against civilian and police vehicles — left at least ten dead, including two policemen. On early Wednesday morning, police authorities found a burned vehicle with three burned people inside in a Guayaquil neighborhood.

The internal conflict decree designates over 20 of Ecuador’s most dangerous criminal gangs as military targets, allowing the nation’s armed forces to conduct operations to “neutralize” them. The decree goes hand in hand with a 60-day state of emergency declaration and curfew President Daniel Noboa approved this week.

Over the past few years, we have seen a series of pro-western governments fall around the globe.

Will Ecuador be the next domino to tumble?

Let us hope not, but at this point the tight grip that the U.S. and the EU once had on so much of the planet is starting to falter.

We really have entered a period of tremendous worldwide chaos, and I fully expect things to get even more wild during the months ahead.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Americans are going into debt as if tomorrow will never come, but of course tomorrow always arrives eventually.  What we are witnessing right now is truly a historic debt binge, and to many of the experts it seems like there is no end in sight to the unrestrained spending that is going on.  But are U.S. consumers going into record levels of debt because they are feeling good about things or because they are trying to survive in an increasingly harsh economic environment?  In America today, the cost of living has become exceedingly oppressive, employers are laying off large numbers of workers, and poverty and homelessness have been absolutely exploding all over the country.  Millions of U.S. households are just barely hanging on by their fingernails, and many desperate consumers have been piling up debt in a frantic attempt to stave off the inevitable.

According to new data that was just released by the Federal Reserve, consumer borrowing increased much faster than expected during the month of December…

US consumers did not rein in their spending this past holiday season, and now have near-record-breaking debt balances to show for it, according to new Federal Reserve data released Monday.

Consumer borrowing spiked by $23.75 billion in November, more than doubling economists’ expectations for a $9 billion increase and sending outstanding credit balances north of the $5 trillion mark for the first time on record, the Fed’s latest Consumer Credit report showed.

The monthly increase during the critical holiday shopping month was driven by higher rates of revolving credit (which includes mostly credit cards), which soared by nearly $19.5 billion — the third-highest monthly increase on records that go back to 1943.

For quite a while, U.S. consumers were able to handle rapidly rising debt levels, but now it appears that we are reaching a breaking point.

In fact, we are being told that “delinquencies are at their highest level since 2012”…

However, the sharp increase in credit balances is starting to be a cause for concern, Ted Rossman, Bankrate senior industry analyst, told CNN via email.

“Credit card usage and Buy Now, Pay Later usage seemingly surged during the holidays, on top of already hefty debt loads,” Rossman said. Now, delinquencies are at their highest level since 2012.

In 2012, we were just coming out of the Great Recession.

Those were very painful days.

And actually the average credit card interest rate is even higher than anything that we witnessed back then…

The average credit card rate is now more than 20%, on average — an all-time high — after rising at the steepest annual pace ever, in step with the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike cycle.

“Most cardholders’ rates have risen five-and-a-quarter percentage points during that span as a result of the Fed’s rate hikes meant to combat inflation,” Rossman said. “It’s no wonder, then, that we’re seeing more people carrying more debt for longer periods of time.”

Piling up credit card debt can be fun, but high interest rates will absolutely suffocate you financially for many years to come.

Unfortunately, one recent survey discovered that 56 million cardholders in the United States have been carrying balances “for at least a year”…

Nearly half, or 49%, of credit card holders carry debt from month to month on at least one card, up from 46% last year, the report found, and 56 million cardholders have been in debt for at least a year.

Avoid credit card debt if you can, because it is literally financial poison.

Of course many Americans have no choice.  More than 60 percent of the nation is living paycheck to paycheck, and just trying to pay the bills from month to month is really a struggle for millions upon millions of Americans.

Our leaders insist that they have inflation under control, but we can all see that is not the case.

This week, a restaurant owner that charges 16 dollars for a BLT sandwich made headlines all over the nation, but because of rapidly rising costs he only makes 2 dollars on each sandwich…

A restaurant owner has explained how raging inflation means he has to charge $16 for a BLT sandwich – yet makes under $2 on each.

Brian Will, boss and founder of Central City Tavern sports bar chain, decided to speak out after a pal confronted him over his sandwich prices.

The ingredients – bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo and bread – cost $5, up more than a dollar since three years ago.

I still remember the days when a trip to the grocery store would cost me about 20 bucks.

Now 20 bucks will buy one sandwich.

Ouch.

Sadly, the economic outlook for the year ahead is not promising at all.

According to Business Insider, economist Cam Harvey is very confident that a recession is coming in 2024…

Cam Harvey, the economist who discovered the Treasury yield curve’s ability to forecast recessions, is reiterating his call that a downturn is likely ahead in 2024.

Harvey’s model says that when yields on 3-month Treasury bills stay higher than those on 10-year notes for at least three months — triggering an official inversion — a recession will follow. The indicator has preceded each of the last eight recessions and has not produced any false positives.

Yields on the two government bond durations have been officially inverted for 12 months now.

I can’t argue with his analysis.

But what we are facing in the long-term is not just another economic downturn.

Ultimately, what we are facing in the long-term is a “perfect storm” that will result in a complete meltdown of our entire system.

The tremendous economic turmoil that we have been experiencing during the Biden administration is just the beginning.

All of the long-term trends are pointing in one direction, and the consequences of decades of very foolish decisions are starting to catch up with us very rapidly.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.