I read a book a few weeks ago called "Contagion" by John Talbott. I like learning from people that not only shouted the warning signals before our country collapsed, but also had a strong understand of why it happened and where we go from here.
This morning I received my annual bill from the Realtor Association in North Carolina. They charge me about $1,000 a year in total fees to keep my real estate license active. I was upset having to pay the dues, however, after reading Contagion I have a much clearer understanding of what that money is used for.
The National Association of Realtors, the national mortgage association, the national appraisal association, (every association involved with the real estate industry), pays enormous booster fees to politicians every year toward their campaigns.
When those politicians take office they then feel obliged to turn around and return the favor. Right now real estate prices are falling and the real estate industry is contracting. If you haven't noticed, the government is doing every thing possible to keep home prices at artificial, unaffordable, bubble prices to help out my industry.
A significant part of my $1,000 fee is sent to politicians, and that money is now being re-sent out all across the country to subsidize housing prices.
It is essentially the same format for education, health care, etc. This is obvious by Obama's new stimulus plan that contains no stimulus. The stimulus is a payoff sent out to all the associations that helped the Democratic party get to where they currently are. (Republicans are equally bad, the party makes no difference.)
Their activity in the free market is keeping real investors on the sidelines, waiting to see the government's next move.
I would love to buy American stocks right now. I would love to own a part of this once great country. I would love to own American real estate as a rental investment. I think real estate is the best long term investment based on numerous tax advantages, cash flow, and control you have over the property.
When will I buy these things? When they become priced correct to purchase them. If that means I have to wait 40 years to purchase a home to live in, that's how long I will wait. I'll just keep on renting with the "lower class" Americans. If I have to wait 20 years for American stocks to be a good value based on price to projected earnings, that's how long I'll wait.
Because it is the government's goal to not allow asset prices to fall, the price of everything else will just rise up to these artificial levels through inflation. This means I will continue buying gold and silver as I have over the past 4 years. Does this mean I am buying an anti-American investment? You betcha. I already sent my $1,000 contribution to the government. Now that I've done my part I can sit back and watch them destroy what's left of our country.
