Daily Briefing for Monday, June 4, 2012

And It Just Keeps Getting Better.

I know you probably won't believe this, but I am truly an optimistic person.  I just think we have a lot of negative juju we're going to have to work through as a world citizenry before we can begin to function (somewhat) normally again.

In order to get there, we're going to have to re-think many of our previous theorems and widely held assumptions.  We'll also need to decouple ourselves from the entitlement mentality which has effectively bankrupted the developed economies of the world.

To that end, I share with you three brief reading assignments.

First, we must end the traditional notion that Americans get to retire and get subsidized health care at age 65.  There's no reason for us spend roughly a third of our adult lives sitting on our asses, drawing a "so-scurity" check (as my Florida Constitutional Law professor used to call it) while getting cheap health insurance from Medicare.  We are put on the planet to be productive.  It's one thing if you aren't physically capable of working, but many over 65 are.  The Suburban Dad Survivalist says we need to start a phased in increase of the Social Security and Medicare eligibility age.   We really don't have a choice. 

Second, we need to take a hand in actively managing our finances.  That's not to say you shouldn't get professional guidance if you feel you need it, but you need to be paying attention to what you're invested in.  Today, CNBC reported the uber-wealthy are getting out of stocks and instead are parking their money in things like private businesses, commodities (gold, silver, ag products, natural gas, etc.) and real estate.  If they are making major shifts in their portfolios, it's worth it to us to find out why and to see if such investments are right for us. 

Finally, start drilling down into the news and commentaries to really understand what the cultural and fundamentals are that got us where we are at the moment.  Memphis Jeff sent me this piece by Mark Steyn, capturing the reasons behind much of the problems we and the Europeans face.

Friends, we must start clearing our minds of the Obama Sucks/Bush Sucks paradigm, and instead start putting a premium on intellectual honesty.  Search for the truth, wherever it leads you.  Prepare for the future.  Start talking about it with your friends, encouraging them to do the same.