🧵 THREAD: Everyone's arguing about whether Tariffs are a tax, while missing the real story
Real purpose: Tariffs are a catalyst injected into an unsustainable System to force foundational change
To understand why they are necessary, let's start with the unbalanced System
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2/ The @AquaVisX Pillars of Power framework helps you understand the System from first principles...
Shedding light on the underlying System components themselves:
- CAPITAL is Money (stored Energy)
- LABOR is Energy (more efficiently harnessed via Technology)
Shedding light on the underlying System components themselves:
- CAPITAL is Money (stored Energy)
- LABOR is Energy (more efficiently harnessed via Technology)
3/ UNSUSTAINABLY IMBALANCED SYSTEM
Today, the System is unsustainably imbalanced – many pendulums have simply swung too far.
After decades of Order (suppressed Entropy), we are beginning to see Disorder (rising Entropy)
Like any Natural System, it is constantly seeking Balance
The System, as structured today, is not sustainable. Left alone, it collapses under its own weight within the decade...
Today, the System is unsustainably imbalanced – many pendulums have simply swung too far.
After decades of Order (suppressed Entropy), we are beginning to see Disorder (rising Entropy)
Like any Natural System, it is constantly seeking Balance
The System, as structured today, is not sustainable. Left alone, it collapses under its own weight within the decade...
4/ PRINTING MONEY TO PAY INTEREST
The US added more debt in the last 4 years than its first 220 years combined.
Interest payments > defense spending - historically, when great powers spend more on interest than defense, they cease to be great powers.
Ferguson's Law in action. The math is grade school simple.
The US added more debt in the last 4 years than its first 220 years combined.
Interest payments > defense spending - historically, when great powers spend more on interest than defense, they cease to be great powers.
Ferguson's Law in action. The math is grade school simple.
5/ CAPITAL GOING TO THOSE WHO HAVE CAPITAL
Majority of these growing interest payments (funded by the incremental debt) are going to people/companies who already have Money - Money in proportion to how much ‘excess’ Money they already have...
This incredibly regressive policy allocates capital unproductively, balloons the Debt, and exacerbates the already extreme wealth divide in the System
Majority of these growing interest payments (funded by the incremental debt) are going to people/companies who already have Money - Money in proportion to how much ‘excess’ Money they already have...
This incredibly regressive policy allocates capital unproductively, balloons the Debt, and exacerbates the already extreme wealth divide in the System
6/ EXTREME WEALTH IMBALANCES
And an output of this System design is the extreme wealth imbalance we see today:
- Top 10% control 60% of all US assets
- Bottom 50% control just 5% of assets
And an output of this System design is the extreme wealth imbalance we see today:
- Top 10% control 60% of all US assets
- Bottom 50% control just 5% of assets
7/ EXTREME CONSUMPTION IMBALANCES
And this wealth imbalance leads to an extreme consumption imbalance:
- the top 10% account for 50%+ of all US consumption
And this wealth imbalance leads to an extreme consumption imbalance:
- the top 10% account for 50%+ of all US consumption
8/ THE FRAGILE CIRCULARITY
Consumption by the top 1% is driven by the Capital (i.e. Market) they've accumulated..
Decades of regressive policies favoring Capital over Labor led to the financialization of everything
Asset swings now drive Consumption:
Consumption by the top 1% is driven by the Capital (i.e. Market) they've accumulated..
Decades of regressive policies favoring Capital over Labor led to the financialization of everything
Asset swings now drive Consumption:
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9/ TAIL WAGGING THE DOG
It’s no wonder why everyone is so focused on the Stock Market (a primary Asset) – the top 10% controls most of it, and when it goes down, Consumption goes down.
The Economy is increasingly Financialized – Asset market fluctuations drive Economic fluctuations. This rising Reflexivity in a very unbalanced System is dangerous.
It’s no wonder why everyone is so focused on the Stock Market (a primary Asset) – the top 10% controls most of it, and when it goes down, Consumption goes down.
The Economy is increasingly Financialized – Asset market fluctuations drive Economic fluctuations. This rising Reflexivity in a very unbalanced System is dangerous.
10/ THE DIVERSIFICATION ILLUSION
What is even more concerning is majority of Capital is allocated to the stock market...
And the stock market itself is incredibly concentrated:
- Top 5 companies (1%) = ~30% of market cap
- Bottom 495 companies (99%) = ~70%
When you buy the index, you are essentially buying 5 stocks - all of which are driven by the singular AI theme...
What is even more concerning is majority of Capital is allocated to the stock market...
And the stock market itself is incredibly concentrated:
- Top 5 companies (1%) = ~30% of market cap
- Bottom 495 companies (99%) = ~70%
When you buy the index, you are essentially buying 5 stocks - all of which are driven by the singular AI theme...
11/ CONCENTRATION BREEDS FRAGILITY
Whether you look at People, Businesses or Stocks, the concentration and imbalances are getting to unsustainable extremes – fractals of widening divides in Society. Concentration all the way down...
And these are all outputs of the current System by design.
Labor share of GDP: All-time lows
Capital share of GDP: All-time highs
Whether you look at People, Businesses or Stocks, the concentration and imbalances are getting to unsustainable extremes – fractals of widening divides in Society. Concentration all the way down...
And these are all outputs of the current System by design.
Labor share of GDP: All-time lows
Capital share of GDP: All-time highs
12/ LET THEM EAT FLAT SCREENS
As an output of this System and its incentives, the West has shipped its Production to China - driven by CEO stock price decisions (Capital over Labor)
And become a Consumption economy driven by the Few
It's all interconnected. It's all one System
As an output of this System and its incentives, the West has shipped its Production to China - driven by CEO stock price decisions (Capital over Labor)
And become a Consumption economy driven by the Few
It's all interconnected. It's all one System
13/ NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
Left unaddressed, the extremes would continue to get more extreme...
And the unsustainably imbalanced System would become a National Security concern for its architect.
We're there.
Left unaddressed, the extremes would continue to get more extreme...
And the unsustainably imbalanced System would become a National Security concern for its architect.
We're there.
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14/ RE-EVALUATION TIME
The Purpose of a System is what it does. And if what the current System does is perpetuate inequality and unsustainable imbalances – some of which threaten the very National Security and livelihood of the Architect – then it’s likely time to re-evaluate it...
Why haven't we?
The Purpose of a System is what it does. And if what the current System does is perpetuate inequality and unsustainable imbalances – some of which threaten the very National Security and livelihood of the Architect – then it’s likely time to re-evaluate it...
Why haven't we?
15/ POWER & CONTROL
Most people in Power do not want change – they have Control. Why would they ever come to the table to actually address imbalances and/or change a System that serves them?
Most people in Power do not want change – they have Control. Why would they ever come to the table to actually address imbalances and/or change a System that serves them?
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16/ POWER PRESERVATION
Majority of those in Power are linear thinkers focused on preserving the current System.
Given their age, wealth and Power (all high and rising), they are focused on the short term and not the Future and/or nonlinear change.
Majority of those in Power are linear thinkers focused on preserving the current System.
Given their age, wealth and Power (all high and rising), they are focused on the short term and not the Future and/or nonlinear change.
17/ WEALTH PRESERVATION
Who holds the vast majority of the aforementioned Wealth? The Old — primarily the Boomers in the top 1%.
Why would they want change? They have accumulated Capital, the growth of which enables their Consumption
Who holds the vast majority of the aforementioned Wealth? The Old — primarily the Boomers in the top 1%.
Why would they want change? They have accumulated Capital, the growth of which enables their Consumption
18/ NARRATIVE CONTROL
And those in Power use the media to suppress any calls for change or actual critical thinking.
Using complexity as camouflage - 'too complicated for you to understand, trust the experts.'
Is it any wonder no one trusts the media? It does not serve the majority..
And those in Power use the media to suppress any calls for change or actual critical thinking.
Using complexity as camouflage - 'too complicated for you to understand, trust the experts.'
Is it any wonder no one trusts the media? It does not serve the majority..
19/ NATURAL RE-BALANCING
Like any natural system pushed to extremes, counter-forces emerge:
- Demographics shifting (Boomers aging out)
- Trust collapsing (media, government, institutions)
- Fourth Turning accelerating (crisis drives change)
The System will change. The question is whether we control it or chaos does.
Like any natural system pushed to extremes, counter-forces emerge:
- Demographics shifting (Boomers aging out)
- Trust collapsing (media, government, institutions)
- Fourth Turning accelerating (crisis drives change)
The System will change. The question is whether we control it or chaos does.
20/ WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity to re-architect the System from the foundation using first principles is here.
The US has all of the ingredients to make it work:
- Technology - AI + Blockchain revolutions
- Energy - abundant, low cost to power it
- Money - still the world currency to fund it
But we must wake up...
The opportunity to re-architect the System from the foundation using first principles is here.
The US has all of the ingredients to make it work:
- Technology - AI + Blockchain revolutions
- Energy - abundant, low cost to power it
- Money - still the world currency to fund it
But we must wake up...
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