by Keven Kerr
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The late George Carlin, the outspoken and controversial comedian and modern day philosopher, said it best:
“The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
Well these days that’s certainly true.
America’s forefathers and the first colonists risked everything to escape tyranny in Britain, and they fled to the New World to form ‘a more perfect union.’
So what has happened in the last 235 years that has brought the United States to the sorry condition it’s in today?
New American Nightmare
First, it’s important to define what exactly the “American Dream” is anyway? Many people nowadays may not even know.
In fact, for some struggling Americans today the ‘new American Dream’ could be radically different from what it was in the past. Today it could simply be not being foreclosed on, or a few more weeks of unemployment benefits, or more food stamps. That’s how bad it is.
The definition of the American Dream by writer and historian James Truslow Adams in 1931 stated that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This meant regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.
The idea of the American Dream is the very essence of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which proclaims: “… that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This clearly doesn’t mean more food stamps or longer unemployment lines.
The American dream has turned into more of a nightmare for most people.
Exporting the American Dream
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| Source: endoftheamericandream.com |
The lifeblood of America has always been small business and entrepreneurs, as they provide the much-needed jobs and tax revenues that help support the nation and make it prosperous.
They also provide the innovation that has created some of the world’s most important inventions, such as electric light, computers, space travel, medical advances, entertainment, and on and on.
The achievements and the contributions Americans have made over the short existence of the country are simply miraculous. But as they say, “the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long,” and America has burned very brightly.
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| Source: economicnoise.com |
Unfortunately, as time passed the country lost many of its core values. Today, we have numerous barriers to the American Dream and all that’s associated with it.
Homeownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is clearly out of reach for the large majority of would-be homebuyers. Job losses, tight credit, or non-existent credit, have made it next to impossible for potential buyers.
And for those unfortunates who are owners and want to sell, it’s worse.
Homeowners have seen their property values sink, and are often simply throwing the keys in the air and walking away because the properties are so upside down it simply makes no sense to continue to pay for it. Small and medium businesses are impacted too.
The idea of having a vision for a new product or service and developing it and growing it has always made America the land of opportunity. Unfortunately, today there are many major hurdles for anyone seeking to accomplish this goal.
Regulatory agencies, taxes, legal, and credit woes, etc. make the idea of starting and growing a business in the United States a complicated affair.
Many people are opting not to attempt to follow their dream, or, like myself, are picking up and taking their dream elsewhere.
Building Your Own Mayflower
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| Source: moveoneinc.com |
The idea that things may not get better for a long time, or possibly ever, is depressing. After all, most of us have been brought up to believe that if we work hard, save, and contribute to our communities that we too could live the American Dream, it’s simply not the case anymore.
I believe the colonists who first set sail to the New World had the same concerns, and also the same fears about the unknown. Yet they took the risk, boarded boats, and set sail for better or worse.
Today you can too.
Opportunities abound abroad, and as the new global economy grows that will only increase. Asia, Eastern Europe, (where I live), Russia, and elsewhere are all expanding. While every place on earth has challenges, the concept of ‘anything is possible’ is fresh and alive in these places.
But what can investors do if they just can’t take the major step of packing up and shipping out? There are many steps investors can take to protect themselves, but here are four, key action steps everyone can take right now.
Here is my four-point action plan to help you protect yourself and even prosper from the crumbling American Dream:
#1. It’s said a lot, but you must reduce or diversify out of the U.S. dollar as much as possible and into tangible assets. Gold and silver are the most common, but there are many other ways too. The more diverse your holdings, the better.
#2. Pay down your debts as quickly as possible, so your credit cards and other borrowings don’t bury you. Cut the dead weight and turn from a massive consumer to a pragmatic saver and investor.
#3. Become irreplaceable where you work. Take classes outside of work and educate yourself, so you have valuable skills to offer the global marketplace in case you lose your job or want to leave the country. Make your skills portable and desirable. This is key in the new world workplace.
#4. Keep the dream alive, and don’t fill yourself with fear and loathing. Instead, look for what really makes you happy and imagine your glass as half full. You don’t have to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality. Just be sure to see what the reality is and what it’s not.
I love America, and every part of my being wishes and hopes that the dream at home will be resurrected and even improved on. For now, however, I have decided that to protect myself and my family and to give my children a better chance, the opportunities elsewhere are better.
As I said in my first action step, some great ways to take measures to protect and diversify your wealth, are with gold and silver investments.
Using specific gold and silver mining stocks, and ETFs such as GLD and SLV and others. You can also purchase gold bullion coins from reputable dealers such as, American Century, Dillon Gage, FideliTrade, Manfra, Tordella & Brookes, and Rare Coins of New Hampshire.
Remember though, ETF options are what I like best because they offer you leverage on ETFs and you get an added bonus: Limited risk.
They’re the tool I use to help my Master Trader members seek gains in any major asset class in the world — stocks, precious metals, commodities, bonds and even foreign currencies — no matter what event or trend is happening in the world!
The bottom line is America is an amazing country that has simply lost its way. Hopefully, the dream can return. But in the meantime, investors have no choice but to take steps to protect themselves and their families, even if that means taking drastic measures.
Yours for resource profits,
Kevin Kerr
Source: http://www.moneyandmarkets.com