Truth, Lies and Inequality

January 31, 2025

Hello everybody, I hope you’re all doing well out there.

We are now eleven days into the second term of the Trump Administration. It seems clear how few people are able to make sense of the chaos. Over 30 executive orders signed within the first week, laying the groundwork for Project 2025.

I want to provide a lens for others to make sense of our new reality.

Politics through an Economics Lens

One helpful way to understand today’s political landscape comes through the lens of economics. By definition, economics is the study of resources, their scarcity, and the implications for how they are used to produce goods and services, drive growth, and affect welfare over time.

Viewed through this lens, the political dynamics of 2025 and beyond can be simplified: Ultra-wealthy—individuals, including the world’s richest man and corporations alike are now fully entrenched in a public, high-stakes chess game for all resources. These resources include money, assets, and political power.

While the practice is nothing new, it has been done at a comparatively limited and mostly domestic level; mostly behind closed doors via unethical lobbying effors. Today, one cannot deny the game has now become public, promoted, and downright encouraged for the entire world to witness.

What is the Game?

In this game, the ultra-wealthy are a collection of players seeking to collect all resources. Period. This includes access to natural resources such as land, but also government resources in the form of contracts worth literal Trillions in public tax dollars. Over the next four years, much of this money will be funneled into coveted private government contracts for projects including rockets parts, artificial intelligence research grants, and other ventures which provide revenue in place of pure profits. Look no further than the recent inauguration, where technology company CEOs lined up to bend the knee to kiss the ring during Trump's Inauguration. After all, all CEOs ultimate responsibility is to increase shareholder value. In the process, one is more likely to exponentially increase the already lucrative individual compensation package.

Maneuvers within the Game

To advance and ulimately succeed in this new game, several effective methods exist. Simply put - promote inequality. Period. One could parrot or promote the current administration's viewpoints, setup Quid pro Quo favors in exchange for campaign donations to candidates who promote inequality, and/or go onto an alt-right podcast to scapegoat socio-economic inequality onto the most vulnerable groups in society, such as immigrants.

Those already in positions of power and influence will continue to launch offensive attacks on all opposing viewpoints, amplified by lies, misdirection, and strategic legislation. Recent events, including the tragedies in Washington and the Palisades Fire, highlight the power of this strategy to blame, distract and divide.

Why Play This Game?

For the ultra-wealthy and powerful, the pursuit of money and influence is both a game and, in their eyes, a necessity. Regardless of how incorrect, there is actually a real fear for the ultra wealthy, of losing all their wealth — whether through personal mismanagement or an incompetent next generation. This fear fuels and drives much of the action. Regardless of how legitimate this fear seems to others, it drives decision-making in ways that prioritize self-preservation above all else.

For those uninterested in playing this game of inequality, unfortunately you have no choice. Whether you work a job, pay taxes, provide a home for your family, attend public school, enjoy food, the public library or parks or clean air to breathe — we are all impacted.

Ramifications & Side Effects

For those who do not have millions of dollars to buffer themselves from the Game, the truth is harsh: Inequality will continue. Some argue that inequality is not just the goal, but increased inequality is the ultimate goal of the billionaire class.

The next few years, possibly decades across the world will be challenging for your mental health, certainly your finances, and society.

Americans should expect the following:

• Higher taxes: lower classes will pay for corporate welfare, lower taxes for the wealthy, and initiatives that act detrimental to their own good.
• Higher costs: of goods and services across all aspects of their life, including eggs, bacon, oil, heating and electricity, and insurance.
• Less public services: espectially for low-income kids and senior citizens for programs like Meals on Wheels, Headstart, preschool and afterschool programs, cafeteria meals and cuts for public school.
• Income Instability: we all might feel increasingly insecure or inadequate compared to just a few years ago as tariffs force companies to make difficult financial choices (i.e. jobs cuts).
• Interest Rates: expect higher interest rates, as this allows billionaires to make more money in passive savings accounts while they take more vacation.
• Privatize Treasury Access: expect billionaires to raid the databases of government institutions, including the U.S. Treasury, as silently as they possibly can, in order to gain control of critical financial levers. This allows private oligarchs access to (a) shut off financial payments for equality-based public services including medicaid, medicare, social security payments, while simultaneously (b) prevents the lower class or public officials from being able to restore access.
• Lock Voting Access: through new legislation and/or government controls, it would become possible for American citizens to nearly be unable to change the course of this new America.

Larger Implications

Having now studied for over two decades some of the most irresponsible governments to ever exist, a few observations and predictions come to mind. The breakdown of the social contract often leads to social instability required for stable government. Therefore it is not without reason to place the United States on the same course that set the stage for the French Revolution.

No, I do not foresee a civil war. If the masses can still access Netflix streaming services and order McDonalds delivery via Uber Eats, there should be no fear of taking up arms. Cardiovascular disease is another reason, but I digress.

The French Revolution and Enlightenment period highlight the intellectual dissonace between Citizen and Government which will manifest today in a number of ways. For that reason, we will wait to see whether a disenchanted Trump supporter takes literal aim at the President again. The other class of players who actively partake within this Game could become targets. We recently saw this when a Cybertruck blew up outside Trump Tower.

Finally, due to what seems likely an all but certain future of tariffs and trade wars between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and our longtime allies, the possibility for a major domestic terrorist event on U.S. soil will significantly increase. Under normal administrations previously, the State Department would issue an alert for U.S. citizens travelling outside the U.S. However, in this new reality where perception overrules reality, one can foresee news reports of increased U.S. hostages (or worse) being met with outright denial by the Trump Administration.

Painfully, far too much of this was foreseen. Recall the 2020 blog post Pajama Republic, written as the U.S. spent $6 trillion nearly overnight. Those who painted themselves to be fiscal conservatives back then are nowhere to be found today. Unfortunately, history does not generally remember all responsible Senators who aimed in that spending spree. I still recommend revisiting that post, as it still remains very relevant today.

A Path Forward: Unity in Economics, Not Politics

Forget the traditional Left vs. Right divide. The most important axis today is vertical —Up and Down—on the economic scale. Sooner than later, the Trump voter will find themselves upset about lack of money, heating, and/or other opportunities. The crux will depend on who they deem responsible — Themselves, Immigrants or Billionaires.

For the political opposition, the method to victory is the same method to improve America: acknowledge the game we have all be thrust into, identify the rules, step outside the traditional Left-Right boundaries and labels being forced upon us, and build coalitions and alliances capable of challenging the status quo. Only then can anybody hope to equalize the game.

The 2020 election showed us the blueprint for change:

• Stay Positive because if you lose that, all else fails.
• Reach Out: Form alliances and coalitions with the poor and underrepresented.
• Focus Message on undeniable inequality that transcends partisan divides.
• Pursue all legal and non-violent means to restore balance and accountability.
• Stay Unified: We are in this Together.

Finding Hope in Awareness

I believe the American public will eventually recognize the situation. Deep down, many already do. We’ve simply grown accustomed to the “3 D’s of accountability”—deflect, deny, and diffuse. Collectively, We have grown too numb.

The masses have been successfully fragmented via culture wars for far too long. Perhaps no more pointing fingers right and left, much to the chagrin of those in power above, at the top, snickering at our inability to raise our head toward the sky.

Sincerely do I wish safety and equality to all. The pursuit thereof requires resilience, unity, and clarity of purpose.