I completely agree that we need to have the fortitude to stomach a lower standard of living. But I also think we need to understand why our standard of living is being reduced.

The U.S. set itself up for an imploding debt trap with a fiat-based economy 100+ years ago. The check we’ve written has been waiting to be cashed for decades, and I doubt what’s coming will be temporary.

I believe Putin and Xi are convenient distractions; they are simply exploiting our accumulated weaknesses.

And if we don’t learn the lessons from our mistakes, we’ll be doomed to repeat them after this collapse by allowing our leaders to lead us to make the same mistakes — this time with a “digital” dollar.