084: Preparing for the Storm with Chris Martenson

I cannot tell a lie… Despite the fact that I am a libertarian and seem to run in circles with some pretty depressing people: I do not see the future filled with doom and gloom. I do not believe that the United States is screwed and that you should start preparing for Armageddon. I do not believe that you need to buy a wheelbarrow to carry your cash to the supermarket in hopes of buy the last loaf of bread on the shelves. I do not own any army fatigues nor do I have a hide out place in the mountains. No…overall, I'm pretty optimistic about the world and our future. What history tells me is that we, as humans, are pretty good at adapting and are pretty good at solving the problems of our day. In 1798, Thomas Malthus famously predicted that human population growth would outpace the world's food supply and push us back into darker times. It didn't happen. Instead, we just invented some better farming equipment. Technology always moves quicker than we think it will. Look around you. Much of what you see around you technologically will be obsolete in 20 years. It reminds me of walking down the street in London with my oldest daughter when she was 4 years old. She saw a phone booth and asked, "Daddy, what's that?" Now, I am not saying that we are not going to experience some tough times. I'm sure we will. I think we are at a time in history when there will be some dramatic shifts in the world economy that will result in some fairly dramatic shifts to the world as we know it. But…I think we will land on our feet and I have no doubt that the United States of America will continue to be the envy of the world until the day I die. I don't need another passport. If the US is going down, there will be no place to hide. I know people feel otherwise, but I'm not one of them. It's probably because I am the son of immigrants who barely had enough to eat who came this country in the late 60s and became a real estate millionaire. So, I don't prescribe to apocalyptic beliefs about this world or our country. But…like a fellow Minnesotan said back in 1964, "The times they are a-changin" and to not recognize that and be ready to adapt is not very smart either. The biggest concern that I have for my children is climate change. Now I'm not going to get political here and I don't pretend to know the solution. Alex Epstein gave us the moral case for fossil fuels a few weeks ago and I don't know if he's right or wrong. But... the weather is getting funky. Can we agree on that? That was a lot of hurricanes this year, right? If you don't believe something's going on, how many thousand year storms do you need to have in one year to convince you otherwise? I'm hoping we figure this one out and maybe we will. I saw something on TV the other day about how sending a bunch of sulfur dioxide into the air could reverse global warming. That sounds great except…would that mean that everything would smell like rotten eggs? In the meantime, we've got a new reality on our hands. The weather is really unpredictable and it made me realize that survival strategies aren't just for people wearing camouflage anymore. After all, look at Puerto Rico. No electricity for how long? Houston? What if you spent a little time now on coming up with a strategy for food reserves? What about medication? Maybe you are a diabetic or an asthmatic. What would happen to you if you weren't able to get your medication for a month or two? What we've seen happen in some of these areas with big weather related catastrophes makes this all very real doesn't it? It does for me. That's why I asked Chris Martenson to come back on Wealth Formula Podcast this week. Chris is a smart guy. There is no question about that. He backs up everything he says with a tremendous amount of financial and scientific data. Given the flux of the global economy and geopolitics along with what happened to the weather this year, I couldn't think of a better person to speak to as we approach the New Year. So if you want to be prepared for all the changes that are happening in the world today, do not miss this episode of Wealth Formula Podcast!