It takes a long time for people to adjust to, or even recognize what’s happening. Out of the 300 million Americans, probably not more than a tenth of them really know the pickle we are in, with huge, unpayable debts, and a Congress of both parties, who just keep spending us into the grave. Some Republicans gave in to the Democrats yesterday, and to hell with their supposed beliefs.
Take Germany, as a classic example. Siegfried, a client of ours, is German, and he came here when is was a teen. He’s old now, and suffered through World War Two, its end, and the division of Berlin, with Socialists turned into Communists in the east, and freedom in the west. He was in East Berlin till he was a teen, when he fortunately came to America. Siegfried still visits his people in East Berlin, and they still have not totally discovered the beauty of the free West, even though the wall was knocked down decades ago. Under communism, they had those terrible little junk Trabant cars, while in the West, Germans were driving BMW’s and Mercedes. West Berlin was prospering, but in the east, even after 65 years, they still have not completely figured out how wonderful those in the west, live and thrive. Seigfried told me that it will take more than one generation, to abolish the brainwashing that communism did to East Berlin and East Germany. One of the funniest movies ever made, is, “One, Two Three,” with Jimmy Cagney, which perfectly illustrates the differences. Rent it!
In America, the South has never really forgotten the “War of Northern Aggression,” falsely called the “Civil War.” Abraham Lincoln, like Alexander Hamilton, and most Democrats since, wanted then, and still vote for, big, central, all powerful government. How can the South forget being invaded and defeated? It has to a degree, but certainly not completely. Republicans still adore Abe Lincoln, even though his war was responsible for 610,000 deaths, and indescribable carnage and suffering. Sherman’s bloody march to the sea is still in their craws. The South knew, when Lincoln was elected, what he was up to, and began to secede.
The bitter hatred between the French and British seems to have subsided a bit, and especially since America and Britain saved France in World War Two. Without France, we never would have defeated the Brits in our Revolution, but the hatred of the Brits for us, and vice versa, has subsided after over 200 years. Besides, we saved them in the Great War. It takes a long time for nations and people to forget. The Koreans and Chinese hate the Japanese because of World War Two. Japs forced Korean women into prostitution for their soldiers, plus the rape of China by the Japanese in 1937, and this ill will has not disappeared.
A possibly super thing has happed recently, and it is that North Korea has made friendly gestures towards reconciliation with South Korea. Kim Jong-Un, North Korea’s ruler, unlike his father and grandfather, was sent to school in Switzerland and France. He knows English, and has experienced how free people live and prosper. When he went back to North Korea as its ruler, surely his experiences in free nations, must have made a huge impression on him, and made him realize just how backward and enslaved his people are. He imported Walt Disney characters to entertain his people, and had fireworks for New Years. That, my friend, is a huge infusion of the west and South Korea into North Korea. He gave a New Year’s speech, advocating reunion with the South, which is unheard of in North Korea. Maybe, just maybe, Kim Jong-Un is trying to plant seeds of freedom and happiness in the grimy soil and brains of North Koreans. They have been subjugated and ruled by harsh communism for over 60 years now, and if North Korea is to be reunited with the South, it will take many generations for it to succeed. We can hope, can’t we?
How long will it take for America to realize that Obama is trying to socialize, and maybe communize America? How long will it take Republicans to realize that Abe Lincoln was a disaster, not a hero? How long will it take for voters to realize just how far down the primrose path, politicians have taken this once great nation? Will they ever? Will Americans ever realize by the millions, that dollars are trash, and mere pieces of paper with printing on them, and backed by nothing? If millions of Americans got wise, got out of dollars, and into gold and silver, they would save their net worth, and hedge themselves against the impending hyper-inflation. If, by the millions, Americans realized it and acted, prices of gold and silver would go to the heavens!. Happy New Year people, and let’s hope for the best, even though it appears only a dim hope. As I used to end my columns on Gold Eagle…”Protect Yourself.”