Vietnam.

[GordonJ]

In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina. And thus, the Vietnam War began.

Monday Nov. 11, 2024: The destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance came under fire as they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime choke point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Will Trump bring back the draft?

And what else does the future hold?

The appointees to cabinet positions is telling, with Sec. Def. being a loud critic of our support of The Ukraine in the Russian invasion.

There are reasons to be wary...and also reasons to be prepared, and one of the best preparations any of us can make is to shore up our resources, increase our disposable income, and keep income flowing in.

In 15 days, I'll tell you how.

Gordon

[Dien Rice]

Hi Gordon,

I recently discovered Ipsos's monthly survey results, "What worries the world"...

At the time of writing, the Oct 2024 results are up.

The number one world worry... inflation and the cost-of-living...

This seems to have been the "elephant in the room" during the last election...

My impression is that Biden and Harris were emphasizing how great the economy is. When asked what she'd do differently from Biden, she answered "There is not a thing that comes to mind..." apart from maybe having a Republican in her cabinet...

Nothing about the economy, or helping to fix people's anxieties about not being able to pay their bills...

She seems to have spent a lot of time with billionaires (Mark Cuban, Taylor Swift)... That doesn't give comfort for those struggling to pay the rent or keep the lights on...

(The other elephant in the room seems to have been Gaza... Kamala said she wouldn't do anything different, while Trump said he'd stop the war... He may or may not have been telling the truth, but for many, hope is better than no hope!)

Here's that Ipsos link... along with the "archive" of it so you can see what I'm talking about (for when the main page changes and updates)...!

https://www.ipsos.com/en/what-worries-world

https://archive.md/AASVV

What will Trump do? All I know is times of uncertainty often bring opportunity...

Best wishes!

Dien

P.S. "May you live in interesting times" is an alleged ancient Chinese curse! However, the real original phrase may be...

"Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos."

P.P.S. I'm looking forward to your insights!!!

Originally Posted by GordonJ

In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina. And thus, the Vietnam War began.

Monday Nov. 11, 2024: The destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance came under fire as they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime choke point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Will Trump bring back the draft?

And what else does the future hold?

The appointees to cabinet positions is telling, with Sec. Def. being a loud critic of our support of The Ukraine in the Russian invasion.

There are reasons to be wary...and also reasons to be prepared, and one of the best preparations any of us can make is to shore up our resources, increase our disposable income, and keep income flowing in.

In 15 days, I'll tell you how.

Gordon