Over the last 2,000 years, history records that there have been three great experiments in authoritarian government, with each becoming nihilistic and failing. Massive intrusion and chronic inflation eventually collapsed the economy. Shockingly on each, European governing classes granted themselves the privilege of state murder. But control freaks living well as most citizens suffer has inspired benign popular uprisings that brought reform.
And then on November 3rd folk went to bed in America and woke up in Venezuela, which insult cries for reform.
In reviewing the last century of violent politics, the dispassionate observer would conclude there have been two kinds of nihilism. One naive and the other intentionally destructive. Naive would be the earnestness of the first few generations of socialists. Originally, Communists ardently believed that central planners could create the "perfect" man.
Control freaks reduced oil-rich Venezuela to penury and servitude
This writer has a retired academic acquaintance who believes that today's conservatives should not be allowed to vote. The politically correct administrative state would ensure that nothing could go wrong.
But today's socialist dreamers have more than a hundred years of evidence demonstrating that utopian schemes have forced dystopian disasters. On the nearer term, in less than twenty years control freaks reduced oil-rich Venezuela to penury and servitude.
Now having to import gasoline and hyper-printing currency.
A fresh case study in naivety combined with scorn for competent petroleum engineers and operators.
Both long and recent history show that under any banner authoritarianism wreaks hardship.
The positive instruction has been the remarkable boost to employment and prosperity inspired by Trump's reforms. It is worth emphasizing that that his administration has been the executive of another benign popular uprising. Such popular movements forced dynastic changes in Ancient Egypt, reformed the venal and murderous Church of the 1500s and took down the Berlin Wall in 1989.
When they erupt, benign uprisings are a formidable carrier wave of change.
The only differences between previous political bullies and ours are the banners and slogans used to impose control. In the early 1900s, it was the perfect man within the perfect society. Now it is the perfect society with the temperature of the nearest planet set perfectly
Earlier control freaks were naïve. But today's bullies know their intrusions will impose hardship, so the real exercise is malevolent destruction. The reward is control of the resulting disaster. Ordinary people suffer massive loss of independence and prosperity.
Control freaks detest normal life, they crave destitute masses dependent upon bureaucratic handouts
Control freaks detest normal life, they crave destitute masses dependent upon bureaucratic handouts.
A while ago a list of ironies circulated the internet. One was that if a Republican did not like a TV channel, he would change stations. If a Democrat did not like a channel, he wanted it banned.
In today's real world, those who offend the Doctrine of Political Correctness are "cancelled'. In the former Soviet Union, opposition was "disappeared". An outstanding example was Trotsky being buried in a Communist plot.
Under similar oppressions in the 1500s, independent thinkers wanted to join a congregation with tithes they could afford. Whose preachers were uplifting rather than venal.
More specifically, a congregation that celebrated family, thrift, morals and business acumen as well as worker's skills was offensive to the establishment. And heretics were burned at the stake, by control freaks in the Church.
The atrocity known as St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre virtually eliminated France's business and financial community, who were hated Protestants.
Overall, Protestants were protesting the murderous bureaucracy that had corrupted the Church. Today's control freaks are corrupting the Constitution, inspiring another phase of benign protestants. Pronounced "pro-test-ants".
Fortunately, the history of great experiments in authoritarian government provides clear instruction on the demise. Desperate for revenues, the state resorts to chronic inflation, resulting in volatile financial and economic booms. An inordinate expansion of rules and regulations impairs the economy such that when the ultimate boom fails the contraction is severe. And suffering hardship as the governing classes enjoy the good life has inspired popular uprisings.
Right back to Ancient Egypt.
As we have seen, everyone gets busy in a boom. While most of the attention may be on stock or commodity markets, consumers become extra-active. In the political arena, authoritarians and bureaucrats become hyperactive.
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Even America went Left with President Wilson as his government was nationalizing railroad
And the action in today's political markets is now extraordinarily reckless. In the financial markets it is measurably reckless, from which a collapse is inevitable. It could take equally reckless political speculation with it.
This occurred with the big reversal in 1920.
In the decade going into that transitional year, political speculation ran rampant with the Bolsheviks gaining control of Russia. And most every country going authoritarian each in its own way. Of course, the greatest political speculation is war, with WWI being particularly devastating to life and treasure.
Even America went Left with President Wilson as his government was nationalizing railroads.
Commodity prices always soar during war, which with the expanding credit bubble was the big action in the financial markets. This climaxed in the middle of 1920, when dramatic inflation suddenly reversed to equally dramatic crashing of most asset prices.
With this, political ambition deflated. Russia went from pure Communism to some kind of socialism and America started privatizing railroads.
Something similar happened with the French Revolution setting up the Napoleonic dictatorship. With the subsequent post-bubble contraction France enjoyed a limited constitutional monarchy, which politically was relatively undemanding
Indeed, society's default position through most of history has been tolerant and affordable government. With individuals and families protected by local law and order. As best possible.
The opposite has been centralized brutality and today is recording the most bizarre action in American history. That's in the finance and politics.
With the Democrat grab of power, the goal is to make that power permanent
With the Democrat grab of power, the goal is to make that power permanent.
The possible rigging of the November election has yet to be examined. But the following numbers provide perspective:
In the 2008 election, 69 million voted for Obama. In winning benchmark states Florida and Ohio, he also won in 873 counties. A gifted politician.
In 2020, 74 million voted for President Trump, who also won Florida and Ohio. And won 2,497 counties.
With this, 81 million votes went to Biden as he lost in Florida and Ohio. He was the winner in only 477 counties. Done without campaigning.
Politico reports that some 70 percent of Republicans think that the election was "not free and fair".
Moreover, the gloating article in Time "The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved the Election" https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/ detailed the intrigue used to cancel Trump. And the key bill right now is H.R. 1, which is designed to make all of the sneaky and illegal tricks--legal.
Enabling the Democrat wing of global authoritarians to establish a one-party government.
But this is wild and with the equally wild financial speculation soon failing, political history is set for another magnificent change. This one conducted not by neurotic intellectuals but by ordinary folk, who have had it up to here with in-your-face and in-your-wallet government.
Nihilism has been trashing freedom and soon the economy. Enough of the public will soon figure it out and again advance the benign popular uprising. Control freaks who hate America and its Constitution will be overwhelmed.
On the last successful popular uprising, unarmed East Germans took on an armed and murderous police state.
Freedom-loving Americans can do no less.
Bob Hoye (BobHoye.com) has been researching investments for decades, which eventually included the history of financial and political markets. He considers now to be the most fascinating time for both since the Great Reformation of the 1600s. Bob casts a caustic eye on all promotions and, having a degree in geophysics, is severely critical of the audacity that a committee can “manage” not just the economy, but also the temperature of the nearest planet. He has had articles published in major financial journals and, as a speaker, has amused assemblies in a number of cities, from London to Zurich to Tokyo.
Over the last 2,000 years, history records that there have been three great experiments in authoritarian government, with each becoming nihilistic and failing. Massive intrusion and chronic inflation eventually collapsed the economy. Shockingly on each, European governing classes granted themselves the privilege of state murder. But control freaks living well as most citizens suffer has inspired benign popular uprisings that brought reform.
And then on November 3rd folk went to bed in America and woke up in Venezuela, which insult cries for reform.
In reviewing the last century of violent politics, the dispassionate observer would conclude there have been two kinds of nihilism. One naive and the other intentionally destructive. Naive would be the earnestness of the first few generations of socialists. Originally, Communists ardently believed that central planners could create the "perfect" man. 
