I’m often reminded of the first three subjects of our Cooperative: Kobe Bryant, Bill Russell, and Ronald Reagan. They exhibited such different yet such wonderful strengths. Kobe Bryant had a unmatched work ethic and a self- assurance that his way would be successful, Bill Russell was driven by sacrifice and understanding team dynamics to become the greatest winner in team sports, and Ronald Reagan was the graceful communicator, who helped put inflation to bed by almost sacrificing his country by standing aside and letting Paul Volcker finish off inflation even though it drove us into recession. Reagan charmed us with his wit and his wisdom. All of them became successful because they made others around them better, but they didn’t suffer fools.
Kobe ran Shaquille O’Neal out of town for not working hard enough and he had the last laugh by winning two more titles to Shaq’s one. Bill Russell suffered racist abuse throughout his career in Boston and when Coach Red Auerbach retired, rather than let someone he felt was inferior take the job, Russell coached his team and himself to two more titles showing his leadership and intelligence to his doubters. When the air traffic controllers threatened to shut down the country’s air travel, Ronald Reagan fired them all and made sure they didn’t work for the government again.
All of these decisions were successful because each man was sure of himself and his logic for doing so. Kobe and Russell won titles to show that their way was correct with Kobe famously picking Bill Russell’s brain much to the chagrin of Bill Simmons. Reagan showed America that it was not only ok but productive to not be held hostage by labor and that not working and walking out wasn’t an option for America. We have often talked about cycles in this cooperative and I see many similarities today. Labor is having a moment, people are saying that money can grow on trees and we just need to print more, and that debt doesn’t matter and inflation and higher oil prices are nothing to worry about long term. They are falling C Thomas, stop worrying. Last week was proof. Last week was a violent bounce back for bonds, stocks, and anything that was traded it seemed. When you are trying to advocate for prudence in the face of animal spirits it can be a lonely trek to school in the snow up hill both ways and into a headwind. It can cause the most devout to go looking for wisdom and I found mine in the Proverbs in what is known as the Wisdom’s Rebuke. This Bygone Relic comes from Solomon, son of David, referring to wisdom as a she as he preaches wisdom over foolishness.
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Solomon is preaching wisdom over foolishness. Wisdom is calling out he writes in the public square. This isn’t some secret of the foolishness of our society. How long will you who are simple love your simple ways and fools hate knowledge? I have to say I almost spit out my coffee reading this. Most people today do hate knowledge. They refuse to think for themselves, but regurgitate sayings like a damn parrot or just look it up on Google. It costs more to support a criminal on death row than a kid in college. Let’s protect the wicked at the expense of the sheep, that’s what we have done. Just today I read that Seattle, Washington is trying to pass a levy on homeowners to support the homeless. It will raise the levy almost 3x. Raising money for the wicked from the coffers of the productive. I also read Jeff Bezos finally ditched Seattle for Miami. Seattle is quickly becoming the new San Francisco or Portland. People know this as it isn’t a secret, but the people love their simple ways. They hate knowledge. Let’s explore this passage in a little more detail.
If you repent now at my rebuke, wisdom will share her teachings. The teachings are everywhere. Ron Paul and Ross Perot ran for president on this platform of solid money. They preached the non-stop spending would be the downfall of the country, the end of what was once good and right. Doing what is right and what is legal are not the same things. Remember, this country was built by lawbreakers who did what was right and illegal in the eyes of the crown.
“But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I, in turn, will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you. The old testament God simply didn’t mess around even when speaking about wisdom. Solomon continues” Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.” I don’t know that we live in Old testament times of fire and brimstone, but I can assure you that those that didn’t listen in the Panic of 1857, 1873, 1893, 1907, 1929 the granddaddy of them all, 1969, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1987, 1999, 2000, and now the biggest bubble of them all learned or will learn the power of an angry old testament God.
“Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.” Speaking of schemes, Sam Bankman Fried is now awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of fraud. Indian police arrested 8 people today in yet another $300 million crypto fraud. “Listen, here’s the thing, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” People want to skip the steps and magically become rich for some reason as if that will fill the void in their lives. Sam Bankman Fried needed suckers and he found them in Shaq, Tom Brady, Giselle, and that bald dumbass from that get rich quick show. Raising money isn’t a business, it’s a shortcut and people love their shortcuts, but if it was easy it would be called the way. These celebrities are more than willing to say and do whatever for money that keeps them in their life of leisure and their adoring public buzzes around them like flies to a cow’s ass.
“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” That isn’t old C Thomas saying that, but a man with complete confidence and self-assuredness in his beliefs. I am merely looking for wisdom and trying to share, but this man has it in spades. That brings us to the word of the week-waywardness.
Waywardness- turning away from what is right or proper.
I am always amazed at how my understanding of these words is just a little bit off from the literal. I also can’t think of a better word to describe the immorality of the citizens of this country. Let’s punish the citizens of our cities by forcing them to walk through drug-infested streets to work. Let’s take their tax dollars and give it to junkies. Let’s let criminals steal from stores so the citizen’s prices are higher. This is the government that is leading us. It is not an old testament government. The wayward have always been punished throughout history. What arrogance we must have to think that we are somehow immune or special? The rest of the world is taking notice.
America thinks that they are in control because we have been for almost 75 years, that is such a small amount of time in history, but that is all the wayward know. The wayward don’t want knowledge they want Bumble swipes, and Avocado toast likes, and they want something for nothing. They have a willing bedfellow in the modern day politician and the politicians have been doing business for a couple generations now and business is good. Wise people have warned, wise people have been shunned as kooks, wise people say that it is better to avoid debt than rise in it. How outdated Mr. Franklin? The old testament God didn’t say he would punish them he said they would be killed and the fools destroyed.
Humans are lucky enough to be blessed with the ability to think and develop knowledge and use logic and reason as our guide instead of our stomachs or our dicks. We have an entire swath of society that is choosing not to. Is there any harm in saving for a rainy day? Another old proverb? No. How about reaping what you sow? Another old proverb, no. How about treat others as you would like to be treated? No. These are called little nuggets of wisdom. If we listen and apply them to our lives then we might also be able to live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. Proverbs is also known as a parable, the sayings of the wise. I can’t think of any society more in need of listening than ours. You don’t have to listen to me, for I don’t have the power to smite you. But you might want to listen to wisdom because that is advice worth acting upon.
Sincerely Yours,
C Thomas Printer
On this date in history…100 years ago to be exact, Adolf Hitler became famous for an insurrection against the hyperinflationary Weimar Republic know as the Beer Hall Putsch although it was suppressed the next day, Hitler wasn’t to be.
Today’s thought experiment…what is the cost of listening to wisdom. It is not going on vacation, it is not acting the fool, and it is not failing to prepare for something unforeseen. It is having the ability and being wayward is not doing so. I think the reason we have gotten so many warnings is because when the storm strikes, those without a canoe, will be up shit creek. It is fiscal Darwinism.
Also born on this date…Nathan Rothschild a man who once said “I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the Empire on which the sun never sets. The man who controls Britain’s money supply controls the British empire, and I control the British money supply.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%201&version=NIV
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/11/06/indian-police-arrest-8-more-in-300m-crypto-scam-report/