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They Thought That Going Soft On Crime Would Make Our Society Better. They Were Wrong.

The radicals that run most of our major cities thought that going soft on crime was the way to go.  So they reduced police budgets, they legalized a lot of things that used to be serious crimes, they decided to stop prosecuting numerous low level offenses, and many hardcore criminals found themselves getting sent back into the streets time after time after getting arrested by the police.  For example, even though the city of Chicago is experiencing a massive crime wave, the jail population in Cook County is “at the lowest level in 40 years” thanks to policies that are extremely soft on crime…

One thing Chicagoans can’t help but notice when scrolling through news feeds: the number of violent crimes committed by defendants while they were out either on parole, probation or awaiting trial.

That’s not surprising given the long-term decarceration trend in Cook County that’s left the county’s jail population at the lowest level in 40 years. Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans started a no bail/low cash bail policy in 2017, resulting in a growing number of pretrial defendants out on bond who are then charged with new crimes, as we reported here. The state’s new SAFE-T Act has taken that policy even further. In September 2023, Illinois became the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail altogether, while the law also reduced the types of crimes for which defendants could be detained before their trial.

So how is that working out?

Has putting violent criminals back into the streets made things safer?

Of course not.

In fact, hardcore criminals that get released just keep committing even more crimes…

  • January 2 – A 21-year-old man shot another man in the face while on bail for one gun case and on probation for another. According to CWB, he was the “30th person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago in 2023 while awaiting trial for a felony.”
  • January 7 – A 31-year-old man and former CVS employee robbed a CVS while on probation for robbing and burglarizing a CVS.
  • January 14 – A 19-year-old gang member shot and critically injured another man in Little Village just three months after getting probation for head-butting a Chicago cop. Prosecutors also dropped a felony gun case on the day he pleaded guilty to the battery.
  • January 18 – A 19-year-old man killed his girlfriend while on probation for a gun charge.
  • January 27 – An 18-year-old man with gang ties gunned down an airport employee while on juvenile probation for gun possession.
  • February 4 – A 56-year-old man killed ex-girlfriend while on parole for strangling his previous partner.
  • February 6 – A 32-year-old man and previous 8-time felon burglarized a restaurant while on probation for burglarizing a nail salon.
  • February 6 – A 16-year-old male allegedly stabbed and killed a man while on parole for attempted murder. Earlier, he was found in possession of a stolen motor vehicle while on that same parole. That case was dropped.
  • February 7 – A 20 year-old man was charged with ‘brutal attack’ of a woman at Chicago Union Station after being released on similar charges under cashless bail law.
  • February 12 – A 33-year-old tow truck driver with two counts of attempted murder after he opened fire on two competitors over a job, while on felony pretrial release.
  • February 13 – A 19-year-old man was caught carrying three guns on CTA less than a month after being placed on “first-time weapon offender probation” for another felony gun case.
  • February 14 – An 18-year-old man killed an Uber driver while on juvenile probation for robbery. He also previously served time in the juvenile justice center for carjacking in 2021.

Unless something changes, the future of Chicago is extremely bleak.

There has been a mass exodus out of the city, and businesses are shutting down at a staggering rate.

For example, we just learned that three KFC locations in Chicago are being permanently closed.

It is really hard to run a profitable business in an environment of complete and utter lawlessness.

Of course similar things are happening all over the nation.

It is being projected that retail theft will be well above the 100 billion dollar mark this year, and organized gangs of thieves are especially having a good time in areas that are soft on crime.

In the Big Apple, a gang of thieves just robbed a Gucci store and were able to run off with $51,000 worth of goods in broad daylight…

Dramatic footage shows the heist unfolding in a matter of minutes at the store in the city’s ritzy Meatpacking District on Monday. Video shows one of the three thieves walk in and point a gun towards a security guard before ransacking the shelves.

The group helped themselves to the designer suitcases and bags, before stuffing them into a stack.

One of the thieves is so over encumbered he trips and falls whilst trying to make his exit.

Many Americans are choosing to avoid the stores altogether, but theft is also a major problem for those who prefer to shop online.

If you can believe it, 90,000 packages a day are stolen in New York City alone…

NYC has the highest number of package deliveries in the country. With the rise of online shopping, the number of stolen packages in the city has increased significantly. Over 90,000 packages are stolen or go missing daily, causing frustration and anger among customers. This highlights the urgent need for effective measures to combat package theft.

Package theft has become rampant in New York City, with thieves commonly called “porch pirates” targeting unattended deliveries left outside homes and apartment buildings. These criminals strike quickly, snatching packages within seconds of delivery and leaving unsuspecting residents empty-handed.

Because package thefts are not considered to be “violent crimes”, doing something about the problem is not considered to be a priority.

But somehow the NYPD is able to find the resources to promote their dance team.

The other day, a performance by that dance team on local television station PIX11 created quite an uproar…

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is under fire for promoting its dance team as residents raise concerns over a wave of migrant-involved crime.

The NYPD dance team performed on local television station PIX11 Thursday. The team, formed in 2022, describes itself as a group “staying mentally and physically well through dance” on social media.

The team has performed at various city events and schools, according to photos shared to its Instagram page. Both community members and lawmakers criticized the team following its Thursday performance, arguing it represents misplaced priorities.

Why are they spending so much time prancing around when they should be fighting the horrible crime wave that is plaguing the city?

If you have not seen them perform yet, you can watch them right here.  But I must warn you, once you have seen this video you will never be able to unsee it.

I have seen a lot of cringeworthy videos in my time, but that definitely has to be near the top of the list.

Most of us don’t want law enforcement officers to dance.

We just want them to do their jobs.

Unfortunately, there are some out there that seem to believe that we haven’t gone far enough in getting soft on crime.

In fact, during an appearance on MSNBC lawyer Ben Crump actually suggested that we should just go ahead and basically legalize all crime…

It is frightening that there are prominent people in our society that actually think this way.

And it is even more frightening that one of our largest news networks would give air time to such opinions.

If we stay on the path that we are on, the chaos in our streets will just continue to get worse and worse.

We don’t have to live this way.

Just look at El Salvador.  They got really tough on crime and it worked.

We could do the same thing, but so far we have chosen not to do so.

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 extremely 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 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.

This Is A Tale Of Two Americas, And Those At The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain Are Being Hit Extremely Hard

If you have plenty of money and you are able to shield yourself from what is happening to the tens of millions of people that are wallowing in poverty, life in America is still good in 2024.  Stock prices have been hovering near record highs, and companies that cater to the rich and famous have been raking in the cash.  But for most of the rest of the country, things are not going so well.  Homelessness has been rising at the fastest rate we have ever seen, crime is out of control all over the nation, and large companies are laying off workers at a very frightening pace.

If you live in the version of America that is still living the high life, good for you.

But if you live in the version of America that the rest of us live in, conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

Earlier today, I came across an article in the San Francisco Standard that detailed what life is like in Oakland, California these days…

A Prius hanging out of a dumpster. Stripped-down cars. Burning trash cans. These are some of the East Oakland sights set to a new catchphrase that’s blowing up on social media: “Oakland, California, … donde la vida no vale nada.”

Even cops, government officials, firefighters and kids are repeating the catchphrase on social media and on the streets of the Town.

That catchphrase was created by a man named Gregorio Ramon.

He has posted hundreds of videos on social media that document what is happening to the city where he has his home…

It’s all because of Gregorio Ramon, who coined the saying in videos on his Instagram @oakland_california_2023 and TikTok @gregorio1976 accounts documenting crime and mayhem in the East Bay city. Since mid-2022, Ramon has been capturing footage of everything from police chases to cars on fire and the boarded-up Denny’s that closed last month due to public safety concerns.

In every video, he says, “Oakland, California, … donde la vida no vale nada, donde la cuidad nos tiene abandonados.” The phrase translates to English as, “Oakland, California, … where life is worthless, where the city has abandoned us.”

Of course the same thing could be said about our nation as a whole.

While the elite are swimming in money, homelessness in the U.S. has reached “the highest level on record” and it also has been rising at the fastest pace ever recorded.  The following comes from the Wall Street Journal…

The U.S. count of homeless people surged to the highest level on record, reaching more than 653,000 people early this year as Covid-19 pandemic-aid spending faded, new federal data show.

The increase reflects a collision of factors: rising housing costs; limited affordable housing units; the opioid epidemic; and the expired pandemic-era aid that had helped keep people in their homes, federal officials said Friday. A surge of migrants into shelters in places such as New York City, Massachusetts and Chicago also contributed to the challenge.

The data released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show a 12% gain since last year, marking both the biggest increase and highest tally since the U.S. first published comparable data for 2007.

Homelessness didn’t even increase this fast during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009.

On top of those that are living in the streets, millions of other Americans are living in cars, trucks, vans and RVs.

In some of our wealthiest cities, you can see such vehicles lined up on the side of the road for miles.

Areas that are right along a river or a lake are particularly popular for those living in their vehicles because that gives them easy access to water.

Of course millions of Americans that actually have homes are also living in poverty.

Today, approximately one out of every eight Americans is on food stamps.

Just think about that for a moment.

One-eighth of the entire country relies on the government for food every month.

Sadly, things are only going to get worse as economic conditions continue to deteriorate.

The cost of living just continues to become even more oppressive, and at this stage buying a decent home is out of reach for most Americans.

As a result, “mini-homes” and “tiny homes” have become extremely popular.

One 23-year-old man that recently purchased a 600 square foot one-bedroom “mini-home” from Amazon was very excited that he was able to get it “for just under $27,000”…

A man has taken people inside a house that he bought off Amazon after it was delivered to his doorstep.

Last month, Jeff Bryant, 23, of Los Angeles, decided to purchase a prefabricated, one-bedroom mini-home off the online marketplace for just under $27,000.

‘B**ch I didn’t even think twice about it, I just did it!’ he admitted in an initial TikTok video about the buy.

‘I don’t even know where I’m going to put the house!’

It certainly beats living in the streets.

But this is not what “the American Dream” is supposed to look like.

In some parts of the country, entire subdivisions of small homes are popping up…

Robert Lanter lives in a 600-square-foot house that can be traversed in five seconds and vacuumed from a single outlet. He doesn’t have a coffee table in the living room because it would obstruct the front door. When relatives come to visit, Mr. Lanter says jokingly, but only partly, they have to tour one at time.

Each of these details amounts to something bigger, for Mr. Lanter’s life and the U.S. housing market: a house under $300,000, something increasingly hard to find. That price allowed Mr. Lanter, a 63-year-old retired nurse, to buy a new single-family home in a subdivision in Redmond, Ore., about 30 minutes outside Bend, where he is from and which is, along with its surrounding area, one of Oregon’s most expensive housing markets.

Mr. Lanter’s house could easily fit on a flatbed truck, and is dwarfed by the two-story suburban homes that prevail on the blocks around him. But, in fact, there are even smaller homes in his subdivision, Cinder Butte, which was developed by a local builder called Hayden Homes. Some of his neighbors live in houses that total just 400 square feet — a 20-by-20-foot house attached to a 20-by-20-foot garage.

Much earlier in my life, I actually lived in an apartment that was about 400 square feet.

It wasn’t pleasant.

But in this economy, people are just trying to survive.

And things are not going to get any easier in 2024.  In fact, CNBC is warning that large companies all over America are focusing on cutting costs this year…

Corporate America has a message for Wall Street: It’s serious about cutting costs this year.

From toy and cosmetics makers to office software sellers, executives across sectors have announced layoffs and other plans to slash expenses — even at some companies that are turning a profit. Barbie maker Mattel, PayPal, Cisco, Nike, Estée Lauder and Levi Strauss are just a few of the firms that have cut jobs in recent weeks.

Department store retailer Macy’s said it will close five of its namesake department stores and cut more than 2,300 jobs. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines have offered staff buyouts, while United Airlines cut first-class meals on some of its shortest flights.

So many people are going to lose their jobs during the months ahead.

It is going to be such a difficult time, and even Citi’s chief economist is publicly admitting that it appears that the U.S. is heading into a recession this year…

The soft-landing dream is over; instead, the US economy is headed for a recession in the middle of 2024, Citi says.

“There’s this very powerful and seductive narrative around a soft landing, and we’re just not seeing it in the data,” Citi’s chief US economist, Andrew Hollenhorst, said in a CNBC interview.

He is quite right.

The numbers are telling us a very troubling story.

If you think that things are bad now, you will definitely not like what is coming.

With each passing day, more Americans are going to be falling out of the middle class.

And with each passing day, more Americans are going to be falling into poverty.

But if you are wealthy, there is still a little bit of time left to live the high life.

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, and a day of reckoning is rapidly approaching for all of us.

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 extremely 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 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.

Chaos Erupts! We Are Witnessing Riots, Protests And Civil Unrest All Over The Western World In 2024

Order is breaking down all over the western world as governments lose control of their populations.  Farmers have been holding angry protests throughout Europe, enormous groups of migrants have been rioting on a regular basis, looting has become a way of life in many communities in the United States, and now truckers are calling for a historic boycott of New York City.  We are witnessing very alarming explosions of anger and frustration all over the western world right now, and there are no easy answers because most of us have lost faith in those that are governing us.

I would like to start by discussing the rioting that just took place in the Netherlands.  A fight between two rival groups of Eritreans resulted in a massive riot which transformed the streets of the Hague into a war zone…

A violent riot erupted on the streets of the Hague last night, as ‘migrants’ attacked cops with bricks and torched police cars.

Dozens of rioters were filmed surrounding the Opera conference hall along Fruitweg in the Netherlands, as multiple police vans drove to the scene.

Another clip also showed the aftermath. The building had several smashed windows and parked vehicles were on fire, with the street left looking like a warzone.

A fight broke out between two groups of Eritreans. ‘It got seriously out of hand,’ The Hague Municipality spokesman Robin Middel said last night.

“Seriously out of hand” is a major understatement.

It is going to take a very long time to repair the immense damage that was caused by the rioters.

Elsewhere in Europe, there were “angry clashes between police and demonstrators” when a couple hundred thousand pro-Palestinian protesters flooded into central London on Saturday…

A video has shown angry clashes between police and demonstrators during a pro-Palestine march in central London today which is estimated to have attracted between 200,000 and 250,000 to the capital.

A total of eleven people have been arrested, including at least on suspicion of support for a proscribed organisation, with the demonstration scheduled to end near the Israeli embassy, with pictures showing police lined up in front of it, apparently to guard it.

Needless to say, such a sizable protest never would have happened 20 years ago.

But in recent times millions of migrants have been pouring into Europe, and the EU just passed a “migration pact” which will completely open the floodgates…

The EU has passed a migration pact dubbed “the suicide of Europe” which could lead to the continent being flooded with as many as 75 million new migrants.

The European Parliament’s LIBE committee passed the act on Wednesday, which formalizes the distribution of migrants to member states and punishes those that refuse to take them.

Because cultural enrichment and diversity is “our greatest strength,” countries that try to maintain their national identity without being subsumed by migrants will be hit with severe financial penalties.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of National Rally’s parliamentary wing, previously said the pact would lead to “the suicide of Europe,” adding that it was a deal with the devil and represents an “organized plan of submersion of Europe and the nations which compose it.”

Of course it isn’t just migrants that have been taking to the streets.

In recent weeks, vast numbers of farmers throughout Europe have been expressing their deep displeasure with those that are ruling over them…

Farmers are holding protests across Europe, clogging the streets with their tractors, blocking ports and pelting the European Parliament with eggs over a long list of complaints from environmental regulation to excessive red tape.

“We are no longer making a living from our profession,” one aggrieved farmer in Paris told CNN.

While some of the most dramatic protests have been in France, similar action has been taking place in a host of countries including Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Normally farmers are not radical activists.

But they have been pushed way too far, and they have decided that enough is enough.

Here in the United States, truckers that are infuriated by the verdict that was just handed down in New York City are pledging to boycott the Big Apple from this point forward…

Some Trump-supporting truckers are refusing to transport loads to and from New York City after the former president was fined $355 million and had his ability to run businesses in the state suspended in Friday’s civil fraud verdict.

A pro-Trump truck driver known as “Chicago Ray” posted a video to X following the verdict, sharing that he and several of his colleagues are declining NYC delivery jobs due to Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling.

“I’ve been on the radio talking to drivers for about the last… hour and 15 minutes… I’ve talked to at least ten drivers… they’re going to start refusing loads to New York City starting on Monday,” Ray said.

Will this boycott be widespread enough to make a huge difference?

I don’t know.

But if enough truck drivers joined the boycott, it could certainly cause a lot of pain.

As Zero Hedge has pointed out, truck drivers move “between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States”…

Truck drivers transport between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States. Therefore, when truckers begin discussing plans on social media to boycott loads to progressive hellhole New York City, it’s important to pay attention.

Following the verdict, many business owners in New York City were concerned that they could receive the same treatment that Trump just received.

In response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul explained that business owners have nothing to fear as long as they are “law-abiding and rule-following”…

New York Governor Kathy Hochul attempted to reassure business owners in New York that they have nothing to fear after the state’s Attorney General fleeced $355 million from President Trump for running a business in the state.

Hochul told John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM where she was asked if other New York businesspeople should be worried that if “they can do that to the former president, they can do that to anybody.”

According to Hochul: “I think that this is really an extraordinary unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.”

Do you think that such a statement will make anyone feel better?

Of course not.

There is so much anger over what just happened.  At this point, Wayne Allyn Root is calling for a nationwide boycott of the entire city…

All 100 million of us must boycott New York City. No more vacations there. No business trips. No more attending conventions. No Christmas trips to see the Rockettes and the tree at Rockefeller Center. No more clothes shopping on Fifth Avenue. No Broadway shows. No more spending at hotels or fancy restaurants. Just say, “NO!”

Ask every store or online site you buy from, “Are you based in New York City?” If they are, find someone else to buy from.

All of the examples that I have shared in this article share a common theme.

The elite are losing their grip and are having a very difficult time maintaining order.

This is happening despite a very sophisticated campaign to censor the Internet and control what we think.

It just isn’t working.

They are trying to pull our strings, but most of us are no longer obeying.

And in many of our communities, social order is totally breaking down.  As I mentioned earlier, there are some parts of the country where looting has become a way of life…

By now it’s a familiar scene: a group of seven men walked into a a clothing retailer Thursday wearing face coverings and robbed the place blind in broad daylight, walking out with armloads of merchandise while the store was still open. But this wasn’t San Francisco or Los Angeles, it was in Memphis last week, and the retailer says this was one of more than 60 similar incidents to happen in the last year in their Memphis area stores alone.

According to WREG-TV, police released surveillance video of the alleged shoplifting gang who walked out of a local City Gear store carrying armloads of pilfered merchandise. Police say, after reviewing the footage, that at least seven individuals participated in the organized theft. Neither police, nor City Gear’s parent corporation Hibbett have released an exact dollar amount of the merchandise that was stolen, but it was described as a “large amount.”

At this point, things have gotten so crazy that it really takes a lot to shock me.

But I was shocked by one story that I read earlier today.

One man that had just been released from prison decided to hijack a car hauler truck that was transporting 10 Chevrolet C8 Corvettes…

Fox 10 Phoenix reports that a 23-year-old man, freshly out of jail, hijacked a tractor-trailer loaded with exotic sports cars, telling law enforcement after he was caught, he simply needed a ride.

According to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department in Phoenix, Arizona, the suspect, Isaiah Walker, “assaulted and robbed” a truck driver at a Willcox Loves Truck Stop.

“Walker grabbed the victim and threw him from the cab,” the sheriff’s department wrote on Facebook.

The suspect then “entered the vehicle, locked the door, stole the vehicle, and drove it from the parking lot,” the sheriff’s department continued, adding the truck was hauling ten Chevrolet C8 Corvettes with an estimated value above $1.25 million.

Sadly, this is just the beginning.

2024 is less than two months old, and I believe that by the end of this year we are going to see far more chaos than we are witnessing now.

So watch your back and keep your head on a swivel, because we are entering a time when danger will potentially be lurking around every corner.

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 extremely 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 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.

All Of The Elements Are In Place For An Economic Crisis Of Staggering Proportions

They were able to delay the U.S. economy’s day of reckoning, but they were not able to put it off indefinitely.  During the pandemic, the Federal Reserve pumped trillions of dollars into the financial system and our politicians borrowed and spent trillions of dollars that we did not have.  All of that money caused quite a bit of inflation, but it also created a “sugar rush” for the economy.  In other words, economic conditions were substantially better than they would have been otherwise.  Unfortunately, there will be a great price to be paid for such short-term thinking.  From the federal government on down, our entire society is absolutely drowning in debt, and now it appears that our economic problems are about to go to the next level.

In early 2024, there are all sorts of signs that economic activity in the U.S. is really starting to slow down.

For example, we just learned that consumer spending “fell sharply” during the month of January…

Consumer spending fell sharply in January, presenting a potential early danger sign for the economy, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Advance retail sales declined 0.8% for the month following a downwardly revised 0.4% gain in December, according to the Census Bureau. A decrease had been expected: Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were looking for a drop of 0.3%, in part to make up for seasonal distortions that probably boosted December’s number.

However, the pullback was considerably more than anticipated. Even excluding autos, sales dropped 0.6%, well below the estimate for a 0.2% gain.

Sadly, the truth is that U.S. consumers just don’t have as much money to spend these days.

They are up to their eyeballs in debt, and delinquency rates have been spiking.

Many consumers are tightening up on their finances, and so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Disney+ lost more than a million subscribers during the fourth quarter of last year…

Disney+ Core subscribers (which include U.S. and Canada customers, as well as international users, excluding the India-based Disney+ Hotstar) dropped to 111.3 million from the 112.6 million reported in the previous quarter, according to Disney’s quarterly earnings results released Wednesday.

In early 2024, we have also seen large employers ruthlessly slash payrolls all over the nation.

The following summary of some of the most shocking layoffs that we have seen recently comes from Zero Hedge…

1. Twitch: 35% of workforce
2. Roomba: 31% of workforce
3. Hasbro: 20% of workforce
4. LA Times: 20% of workforce
5. Spotify: 17% of workforce
6. Levi’s: 15% of workforce
7. Xerox: 15% of workforce
8. Qualtrics: 14% of workforce
9. Wayfair: 13% of workforce
10. Duolingo: 10% of workforce
11. Washington Post: 10% of workforce
12: Snap: 10% of workforce
13. eBay: 9% of workforce
14. Business Insider: 8% of workforce
15. Paypal: 7% of workforce
16. Okta: 7% of workforce
17. Charles Schwab: 6% of workforce
18. Docusign: 6% of workforce
19: CISCO: 5% of workforce
20. UPS: 2% of workforce
21. Blackrock: 3% of workforce
22. Paramount: 3% of workforce
23. Citigroup: 20,000 employees
24. Pixar: 1,300 employees

During the pandemic we witnessed a lot of temporary layoffs, but the last time we saw large corporations conducting permanent mass layoffs on such a widespread basis was in 2008 and 2009.

And we all remember what happened back then.

Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to rise faster than paychecks.

For example, it is being reported that the cost of auto insurance has been increasing at “the fastest annual rate on record”…

The cost of auto insurance jumped 1.4% in January, bringing the total annual gain to 20.6% – the fastest annual rate on record. When compared with early 2019, motor vehicle insurance is nearly 40% more expensive. Experts say the problem could soon get worse before it begins to improve.

Needless to say, most Americans have not seen their paychecks increase by 20.6 percent over the past year.

Of course just about everything else has been rapidly getting more expensive too, and that isn’t going to change any time soon.

On top of everything else, we are also facing an unprecedented commercial real estate crisis.

Our financial institutions are sitting on mountains of bad commercial real estate loans, and Kevin O’Leary is warning that “thousands more” will fail within the next three to five years…

Regional banks are doomed.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing… if you’re prepared for it.

It’s been almost a year since Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed in March – the victim of idiotic management. But the sobering reality is the small banking crisis is far from over.

In the next three to five years, thousands more regional institutions will fail. That’s why I don’t have a dime saved or invested in a single one.

Is Kevin O’Leary right about this?

I don’t know.

We will just have to wait and see what happens.

But without a doubt, things certainly do not look good at this moment.

Needless to say, it isn’t just the U.S. that is experiencing economic turbulence these days.

This week, we learned that the Japanese economy has officially entered a recession…

Japan has lost its spot as the world’s third-largest economy to Germany, as the Asian giant unexpectedly slipped into recession.

Once the second-largest economy in the world, Japan reported two consecutive quarters of contraction on Thursday — falling 0.4% on an annualized basis in the fourth quarter after a revised 3.3% contraction in the third quarter. Fourth-quarter GDP sharply missed forecasts for 1.4% growth in a Reuters poll of economists.

The Germans are facing big problems too.

In fact, Germany is being called the “sick man of Europe” right now.

Interestingly, it is at this time that Jeff Bezos has decided to sell off billions of dollars worth of Amazon stock…

Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos has sold another $2bn worth of the company’s stock, bringing the total value of shares he has offloaded in the past week to $4bn, according to regulatory filings.

An Amazon filing on Tuesday showed that Bezos, who stepped down as the Seattle-based company’s chief executive in 2021 but remains executive chair, sold 12mn shares for about $2bn between Friday and Monday.

He certainly doesn’t need the cash.

So why is he doing this?

Does he know something that the rest of us do not?

I don’t think so.

Instead, I think that he can see what the rest of us can see.

Stock prices have risen to record highs even as the overall economy is clearly heading into a major downturn.

That makes this the perfect time to sell.

Jeff Bezos didn’t get to where he is by being stupid.  He can see what is coming and he is getting out while the getting is still good.

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 extremely 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 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.

Israel’s National Security Minister Ominously Delcares “This Is War” After Hezbollah Unleashes A Barrage Of Missiles

The countdown to a cataclysmic conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is rapidly picking up momentum.  On Wednesday, a missile barrage that was unleashed by Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon hit multiple targets in northern Israel.  If Hezbollah really wants peace like they claim that they do, they have a really strange way of showing it.  It is being reported that this missile barrage “appeared to be the fiercest attacks from Lebanon since the confrontation began”…

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah intensified on Wednesday when Israeli towns and an army base came under what appeared to be the fiercest attacks from Lebanon since the confrontation began four months ago.

The assault, presumed to be carried out by Hezbollah fighters based in Lebanon, prompted Israeli fighter jets to launch extensive strikes on the Iran-backed group’s positions.

At one military base that was hit, a female IDF soldier was killed and eight other individuals were injured…

A female IDF soldier was killed and eight other people were wounded in Tzfat on Wednesday morning in a missile barrage fired by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon in a clear escalation of the conflict launched on October 8th against Israel by the terror group.

Quite a few other targets in northern Israel were targeted as well…

Other areas in the Upper Galilee were targeted as well, including several IDF bases and the city of Kiryat Shmona, which has been attacked repeatedly since October 8th. The Red Alert incoming rocket siren was not triggered in Kiryat Shmona.

Some of the rockets were aimed at the headquarters of the IDF Northern Command, and some targeted the Meron radar base, Israeli media reported.

We have seen Hezbollah and the IDF exchange fire on a regular basis over the past few months.

But this time was different.

In response to this barrage, Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir ominously declared that “this is war”…

“This isn’t just a dribble anymore, this is war,” Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who’s long advocated a more aggressive stance against Hezbollah, said. “It is time to change the way we think.”

Other officials were more measured, but also implied Israel would retaliate aggressively.

“This morning we experienced a severe attack for which the response will come soon and with strength,” said Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet but who heads an opposition party.

Sadly, there is no turning back now.

All of the Israeli citizens that have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel can never return until Hezbollah is pushed north of the Litani River.

And Hezbollah will never pull back willingly.

The IDF will be going into southern Lebanon.

It is just a matter of time.

Even now, it is being reported that the IDF is preparing a “significant response” to this latest barrage which will go beyond “just attacking the source of fire”…

The Ynet news site reports that the military is preparing a “significant response” to the deadly rocket barrage on Safed this morning, which it describes as meaning more than just attacking the source of fire.

MK Yuli Edelstein, head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says Hezbollah will be moved off the border one way or another.

“Either there will be all-out war and Hezbollah will be moved away, and it will bear responsibility for the results in Beirut and Lebanon, or we won’t let them raise the bar and exact a severe response, and they will be moved away from the border,” he says, according to Army Radio.

Needless to say, every time the IDF responds, so will Hezbollah.

A war on the northern front is already here, and it is going to get really crazy in the months ahead.

By the way, the U.S. is already at war in the Middle East too.

Since the middle of October, 186 U.S. troops in the Middle East have either been killed or wounded…

Roughly 186 troops have been injured or killed in attacks on U.S. personnel in the Middle East since mid-October. Of those, 130 have been traumatic brain injuries, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday.

That means TBIs resulting from the blast impacts of missiles, mortars and drones make up 70% of the total number of casualties, which include three soldiers who were killed in the Jan. 28 attack on Tower 22 in Jordan.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are buzzing about a “serious national security threat” that is apparently related to Russia in some way…

House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner has made information concerning a “serious national security threat” available to all members of Congress to review, the committee said on Wednesday.

While Turner and the White House remained vague on what the threat entailed, two sources and a US official tell CNN the threat is related to Russia. Multiple sources familiar with the intelligence characterized it as “very sensitive.”

One of the sources who has seen the intelligence confirmed that “it is, in fact, a highly concerning and destabilizing” Russian capability “that we were recently made aware of.”

As I write this article, we don’t know what that “serious national security threat” is.

My guess is that it is something that we already know about.

As I have repeatedly warned my readers, the Russians have been feverishly preparing for a nuclear conflict with the United States for many years, and at this point their weapons systems are superior to our own and they have the strategic advantage.

But most Americans have no idea.

The Chinese have also been preparing for the coming global war, and that is why the unprecedented surge in Chinese nationals crossing our southern border is so alarming…

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), since October 2023, almost 16,000 Chinese migrants have attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border — more than doubling the previous fiscal year’s total number of Chinese migrants in a matter of months. These unprecedented numbers are making Chinese nationals the fastest growing population to cross into the U.S. from Mexico.

CBP data reveals that from January to November of 2023, over 30,000 Chinese people were detained by border agents after crossing illegally. In 2021, meanwhile, there were only 323 crossings.

Recently, videos that were posted on social media that apparently show some of these Chinese migrants training with firearms have created quite a stir…

Videos posted to X (Twitter) show Chinese migrants firing pistols. One video is of a Chinese female with a sniper rifle.

There is no Second Amendment in China, and Chinese citizens are not permitted to possess firearms. So is it possible that the shooters in the videos are merely taking advantage of a new-found freedom in their new home country ?

Unlikely.

One of the migrants videoed was in America for only three weeks and arrived in the country with no money and no identification.

If you had just landed somewhere as a migrant with nothing to your name, you would undoubtedly be preoccupied with finding your next meal, getting a place to live, making a livelihood.

You would not, within weeks of entering your new homeland, be sharpening your skills to kill.

Most of our politicians don’t care about national security, because otherwise they would be doing something about this.

We are literally committing national suicide, and at one of the most critical turning points in our history we have a guy in charge that literally doesn’t know where he is much of the time.

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 extremely 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 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.

Just Wait Until You See What Happens When They Realize What Is Really Happening To The Economy…

If stock prices are going to start plunging just because inflation is running a little bit hotter than expected, what is going to happen once the market finally realizes that the entire economy is literally starting to come apart at the seams?  Consumer delinquency rates are spiking, the commercial real estate crisis is rapidly picking up steam, banks from coast to coast are in deep financial trouble, large corporations all over America are conducting mass layoffs, and homelessness has been rising at the fastest pace ever recorded.  But if you ignore all of those little details, you can be just like Joe Biden and pretend that everything is just fine.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 524 points.  It was the largest one day loss since March 2023…

U.S. stocks tumbled in a broad sell-off after a hotter-than-expected inflation report may jeopardize the Federal Reserve’s plan to cut interest rates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 524 points or 1.3%, trimming a deficit of over 700 points reached during the session. It is the worst trading day in 11 months.

The benchmark has erased almost half its gains for 2024 with the 10-year Treasury yield hitting 4.3%.

So why did this happen?

Well, we are being told that stock prices fell because the inflation numbers that were just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were a bit disappointing…

The latest Consumer Price Index revealed that prices rose by 3.1% for the 12 months ended in January, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday. On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.3% last month.

Both measures came in hotter than expected: Economists expected inflation to ease to 0.2% from December and slow to 2.9% annually, according to FactSet.

Honestly, I don’t know why anyone gives those numbers any credibility anyway.

Over the decades, the formula that is used to calculate the consumer price index has literally been changed dozens of times.

If inflation was still calculated the way that it was back in 1980, we would still be in double digit territory right now.

Meanwhile, we continue to get more signs that economic activity has reached a major turning point.

During the final three months of last year, Hasbro managed to lose more than a billion dollars…

For the last three months of 2023, Hasbro lost $1.06 billion, or $7.64 per share, drastically wider than losses of $128.9 million, or 93 cents, a year earlier. After major adjustments related to goodwill and intangible assets, the company reported adjusted earnings per share of 38 cents, still well below analysts’ estimates.

For the full year 2023, revenue declined 15% to $1.29 billion, including double-digit sales drops in its consumer products and entertainment segments.

I know that times are tough, but I have no idea how a company like Hasbro can possibly lose more than a billion dollars in just three months.

We are talking about a level of incompetence that is absolutely staggering.

Do they have Joe Biden running the company?

Because I don’t know how else to explain it.

Hasbro says that it plans to reduce costs by 750 million dollars by the end of next year, and that means that more mass layoffs are coming…

The company now expects to cut $750 million in costs by the end of 2025, up from a previous target of $350 million to $400 million.

In December, the toymaker laid off 1,100 employees after it had already cut 15% of its workforce earlier in the year.

Of course lots of other big names are laying off large numbers of workers as well.

In fact, I was quite surprised to learn that Paramount has decided that it is time for hundreds of their employees to hit the bricks…

Paramount Global is laying off hundreds of employees, just one day after the company announced CBS had record Super Bowl viewership, Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish said Tuesday in an internal memo to employees.

Paramount will lay off about 800 people, or an estimated 3% of its workforce, according to a person familiar with the matter. Paramount Global ended 2022 with about 24,500 full-time and part-time employees.

The days when it was easy to find a decent job are gone.

Right now, corporate executives are discussing layoffs during earnings calls at a higher rate than we have ever seen before…

US companies are discussing cost control (i.e., layoffs) on earnings calls at a record rate, amid a push to reallocate funds and invest in new technologies, according to an analysis by Morgan Stanley strategists.

Transcript mentions of “operational efficiency” are at highest ever in the US during this earnings season as companies focus on expense discipline, but also invest in technologies “that can drive future productivity like AI,” a team led by Michael Wilson wrote in a note.

If you have a good job that you value, hold on to it as tightly as you can.

Because things are about to get really crazy out there.

So much of what we are witnessing at this moment reminds me of 2008.

Earlier this week, I was stunned to learn that a very large commercial building in Ohio just sold for 9 dollars a square foot…

A 262k sq ft building in Ohio has just sold for $2.4 million, or $9 per sq ft

Yes that’s not a typo – it literally sold for $9 per sq ft

It was the former site of FedEx Custom Critical in Green, Ohio

The commercial real estate ‘correction’ has gone from concerning to an outright apocalypse, primarily impacting office properties in most cities across the US

It is crazy how far commercial real estate prices have already fallen.

And the lower they go, the more financial pressure there is going to be on our banks.

In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, banks have been shedding workers and closing branches at a frightening pace…

American banks are continuing to close costly branches this year, notifying their regulator of a total of 36 closures in a single week.

At the head of the pack was US Bank, which between January 28 and February 3 told its regulator it would close 23 branches across the country – seven are in Oregon.

It was followed by Wells Fargo, which reported to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) it would shut five. Two were in California but the rest were scattered across the US.

Oh, but don’t worry.

Everything is fine.

Joe Biden is in control, and he is going to lead us into a new golden age of peace and prosperity.

Of course if you actually believe that nonsense there is a bridge in California that I would like to sell you.

The truth is that the economic difficulties that we have been through so far are not even worth comparing to the tremendous chaos that is ahead.

This crisis has been percolating for a number of years, and now we have finally reached a boiling point.

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 extremely 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 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.

You Will Live In Tiny Homes And Electric Vehicles And Be Happy – This Is The Future They Have Planned For Us

In recent years, “van life’, “car life” and “tiny homes” have all become extremely hot topics on social media.  Millennials and Generation Z have been particularly eager to try out these “minimalist” lifestyles.  At a time when home prices have risen to absurd levels and the cost of living has become exceedingly oppressive, it can be very tempting to adopt a low cost way of life.  But it is also important to understand that the elite are very much encouraging these trends.  If they could get most of us happily living in tiny homes and electric vehicles, they would be very pleased.  You see, the truth is that the smaller our living spaces are, the less carbon emissions we will produce, and that is precisely what they want.

Today, millions of Americans cannot afford to purchase normal homes, and so more of us than ever are turning to “tiny homes”.

A “tiny home” can be anywhere from 100 to 400 square feet, and today Airbnb has thousands of such listings.

It has been reported that 55 percent of tiny home owners are women, and 56 percent of all Americans say that they would actually consider living in a tiny home.

The biggest appeal of living in a tiny home is the cost.  It has been estimated that the average cost of a tiny home is just $52,000, and that is “87% cheaper than the average price of a typical U.S. home”…

The average cost of a tiny home is $52,000, 87% cheaper than the average price of a typical U.S. home. Building or buying a tiny house requires far less capital than a standard house. This significant price difference allows more Americans to achieve homeownership without taking on a burdensome mortgage.

If you are very stressed financially, I can definitely understand why such an option would seem appealing.

It is certainly not easy to live a typical middle class lifestyle in today’s world.

One woman that now lives in a 300 square foot home made from straw bales and cob says that her life “looks radically different” compared to when her family was living in a large four bedroom house…

Ten years ago I was living a typical suburban life on the outskirts of Denver. My husband, Casey, and I were both teachers. We lived in a four-bedroom house with a small yard where our two kids liked to play.

Today our life looks radically different. We live entirely off the grid in a 300-square-foot home that we built from straw bales and cob, a natural building material made from soil, water, and other organic matter. We rely on solar power for electricity and rain collection for water, and we use a drop toilet to create “humanure” — compost made from human waste.

If this is what makes her happy, good for her.

But don’t let the elite push you into such a lifestyle.

The elite have been promoting the concept of tiny homes for a very long time.  For example, the following comes from the official website of the WEF…

Interest is surging in tiny homes – livable dwelling units that typically measure under 400 square feet. Much of this interest is driven by media coverage that claims that living in tiny homes is good for the planet.

The reason why they love tiny homes so much is because they believe that they are good for the environment.

In fact, the same article that I just quoted above claims that for those that moved into tiny homes “ecological footprints were reduced by about 45% on average”…

I found that among 80 tiny home downsizers located across the United States, ecological footprints were reduced by about 45% on average. Surprisingly, I found that downsizing can influence many parts of one’s lifestyle and reduce impacts on the environment in unexpected ways.

“Van life” is another lifestyle that has become extremely trendy in recent years.

At one time, people looked down on those that “live in a van down by the river”, but now literally millions of Americans are doing it…

“Van life” or “van living” is a term that is becoming more popular around the country. People packing up their lives, moving into a mobile unit and exploring the states.

According to Yahoo Finance, the number of American van lifers has increased by 63% over the last couple of years, going from 1.9 million in 2020, to 3.1 million in 2022.

I was stunned when I first saw those numbers.

Needless to say, not having a mortgage or a rent payment is a big plus.

But there are a lot of negatives to such a lifestyle.

For one woman, regularly using public restrooms was something that she just couldn’t get over when she tried “van life”…

I pulled into a Shell gas station in my rented Ram ProMaster campervan.

Once parked, I headed into the convenience store and beelined to the bathroom.

Inside, there was an impossible-to-describe stench. Toilet paper covered the restroom floor, and pee covered the toilet seat. I used the bathroom as fast as humanly possible.

I certainly can’t blame her.

Most public restrooms along our major highways are simply disgusting.

And as the number of Americans living in their vans has multiplied, many communities have grown tired of them.  Here is just one example…

The city of St. Petersburg is working to erase so-called eye sores downtown.

Thursday afternoon, city leaders will take a closer look at “van life” and where drivers can set up camp.

This comes after many complaints came into the city from residents within the city limits who say oversized RVs, large busses and conversion vans are taking up too much space and for too long.

Unfortunately, as economic conditions deteriorate more Americans than ever will be choosing to live in their vehicles.

In fact,”car life” is now being hailed by many on social media as an even cheaper alternative to “van life”…

YouTuber Michael Hickey – likely kicked out of his parent’s basement – built a bed in his 2009 Kia Rio. He said this option allows him to “live rent-free” and travel the country.

In the video, Hickey said the best parking lots to sleep in are ones owned by Cracker Barrel restaurants. He purchases groceries from supermarkets and prepares them right there in the parking lot on a portable stove.

As for showering, he uses a network of Planet Fitness gyms to exercise and shower.

To make money, he works side-gigs, such as DoorDash and Instacart.

Hickey is not alone. Tons of other Gen-Zers post their stories of living in cars on YouTube.

Did you ever imagine that we would see a day when being homeless and living in your vehicle would be considered “trendy”?

But this is where we are at.

Millions of those at the bottom of the economic food chain are trying to make the best of a very bad situation.

Unfortunately, life in America is going to become a lot more harsh during the very painful years that are ahead.

So what will young people start doing once “van life” and “car life” become too expensive?

There is only one more step down, and that is living in the streets…

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 extremely 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 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.

Chaos Reigns In The Streets Of America As An Epic Crime Wave Terrorizes The Nation

If you were hoping that the United States would become a lawless society, you have now gotten your wish.  Some of the numbers that I am about to share with you are just mind blowing.  For example, I had no idea that police in New York City were injured by criminals thousands of times last year.  All over the nation, law enforcement is losing control and violent criminals are getting the upper hand.  We have never seen anything quite like this before, and I am entirely convinced that this crime wave is only going to get worse as economic conditions deteriorate.  Even in our capital city, crime is completely and utterly out of control.  If you can believe it, the number of carjackings in Washington D.C. was up 97.9 percent last year…

Residents of the District of Columbia paid the sixth-highest amount on car insurance when compared to the 50 states in 2023 with an average annual full-coverage rate of $2,756 last year – which amounts to nearly $230 a month, according to a report by Insurify. The report found that Washington, D.C., residents’ car insurance premiums were 37% higher than the national average, which was $2,019 for a full-coverage policy, as national auto insurance rates increased by 24% last year.

Police data show carjackings in the nation’s capital spiked by 97.9% in 2023 with 958 reported carjackings last year compared to 484 in 2022, with motor vehicle theft up 82% from 3,756 in 2022 to 6,829 in 2023. Vehicle theft in the greater Washington-Maryland-Virginia area also rose by 68% last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Vehicle theft is even worse in some areas along the west coast.

In Oakland, approximately one out of every 30 residents had a vehicle stolen from them in 2023…

Robberies grew 38% last year in Oakland, according to police data. Burglaries increased 23%. Motor vehicle theft jumped 44%. Roughly one of every 30 Oakland residents had a car stolen last year, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis.

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was taking action, deploying 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the surrounding area to conduct a law enforcement surge operation. The aim: to crack down on crime, including vehicle theft, retail theft and violent crime.

Gavin Newsom wants to run for president at some point, and so he doesn’t want to look soft on crime.

Unfortunately for him, it is way too late for that.

Other west coast cities are also experiencing unprecedented crime waves.

In Seattle, one restaurant has actually been broken into five times in the last six months…

The sound of crashing glass has become too familiar at Sandia, a Mexican restaurant in Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood on NE 45th Street.

“As of today, now we have been broken into five times,” said Nathan Yeager, the owner.

In the surveillance video provided to KING 5, you can see criminals break the front door with a crowbar, climb over the counter, steal money from the till, and then sneak around while looking in every door for something to take.

There is no way that I would open a small business in Seattle.

Or Portland.

Or Oakland.

Or San Francisco.

Or Los Angeles.

Of course I could say the exact same thing about many cities on the east coast as well.

In New York City, police officers “are getting beaten at a record-setting pace”…

City cops are getting beaten at a record-setting pace — a disturbing and dangerous trend fueled by radical protests, an influx of criminal migrants, bail reform, anti-cop rhetoric and soft-on-crime prosecutors, experts told The Post.

The number of cops hurt by suspects surged 20% in 2022, when 4,724 uniformed officers suffered injuries in attacks, compared to 3,933 in 2021.

But the law enforcement nightmare grew worse last year, when 4,077 cops were hurt by suspects in just the first nine months of 2023 — on pace for a record-breaking 5,436 injuries, the latest NYPD stats show.

At this stage in our societal collapse, the criminals are not even afraid to attack the cops.

It is so difficult to be a police officer these days.  They literally put their lives on the line for us every single day.

Of course the Biden administration has made the national crime wave significantly worse by allowing millions upon millions of migrants to come pouring over the southern border.

In fact, we just learned that police in the Big Apple have arrested a “very, very violent” migrant that shot a tourist in the leg “after opening fire in Times Square”…

A teenager gunman burst into tears as he was hauled away in handcuffs for allegedly shooting a tourist in the leg after opening fire in Times Square.

Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, 15, a migrant from Venezuela, was arrested by US Marshals in Yonkers after a nearly day-long manhunt.

NYPD Deputy Chief of Detectives Jason Savino called him a ‘very, very violent’ suspect who recklessly fired a ‘very large’ .45 caliber handgun in a crowded area of New York City.

Needless to say, our wide open borders have also made it easy for cartels to transport drugs all over the country.

Earlier today, I came across an article that explained that drugs that are produced in Mexico have been flooding the state of Montana…

Illegal drugs have long flowed from Mexico to the more remote parts of the U.S. But with the rise of fentanyl, cartel associates have pushed more aggressively into Montana, where pills can be sold for 20 times the price they get in urban centers closer to the border, state and federal law enforcement officials said.

Cartels have been particularly focusing on Indian reservations throughout Montana, and one state lawmaker says that it seems like “fentanyl is raining on our reservation”…

On some reservations, cartel associates have formed relationships with Indigenous women as a way of establishing themselves within communities to sell drugs, law enforcement officials and tribal leaders said. More frequently, traffickers lure Native Americans into becoming dealers by giving away an initial supply of drugs and turning them into addicts indebted to the cartels.

“Right now it’s as if fentanyl is raining on our reservation,” said Marvin Weatherwax, Jr., who serves on the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council and represents the 15th district in the Montana House of Representatives.

There is nowhere that you can go in the U.S. to completely escape all of this.

From coast to coast, our society is literally coming apart at the seams.

In Alabama, thieves recently stole an entire 200-foot tall radio tower…

A landscaper in Jasper, Alabama, was doing a property cleanup when the crew discovered that a 200-foot radio tower was missing.

Brett Elmore, general manager of WJLX, said that every piece of equipment at the radio tower’s site had been stolen and the wires cut out.

“This is going to get out eventually, so I might as well make it public before it does,” Elmore wrote on Facebook. “I have heard of thieves in this area stealing anything, but this one takes the cake. This morning, my bush hog crew went down to a tower site we have … when [they] arrived, he called and notified me that not only was my building vandalized, but my TWO HUNDRED FOOT TOWER WAS GONE!” the radio manager wrote.

If things are this bad now, what will our society look like once millions upon millions of people in this country become extremely desperate?

You might want to think about that, because we really are right on the brink of an extremely apocalyptic chapter in human history.

But most people don’t want to think about such things.

Most people just want to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is okay.

It can be so easy to ignore what is really going on in the world and tune in to the alternate reality that television creates for us.

Did you know that a 30 second commercial during this year’s Super Bowl cost 7 million dollars?

After sitting in front of the television for a few hours, you may be tempted to buy into the fictional reality that they are trying to sell you.

But the truth is that life in America is not good right now, and the crime in our streets is only going to intensify during the months and years ahead.

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 extremely 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 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.

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