Summary: This week on Business Matters, we get a wake-up call about what business and social trends really portend. It’s a different world, and no matter how much we want to be blind to what’s happening, knowledge offers the power of preparation. Where are the primary trends shifting? How can you align yourself and your business with the trends, so that you and your community can find success and stability in this time? First, we hear about the effects of centralization and discuss suggestions for both broad policy changes and wise alterations of behavior for businesses and individuals. Our economy is in a “slow burn.” People are terrified because of a lack of transparency, privacy has declined extraordinarily, and everything is politicized. The pie has shrunk and the world is dangerous, and people are feeling it, despite their desire for things to be going well. As a result, the role of investment has changed. There is opportunity in decentralization, but it takes local organization and forethought, as well as discernment, to implement it. What are the most prudent choices for each of us in the year ahead? Who can we trust? Next, we take a look at the United States in comparison to Russia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. While many predicted complete failure in the beginning, Russia’s solid social services protected the people’s basic needs during the rough transition. The country is now progressing on every level, embracing change as necessary to progress. The United States, on the other hand, appears to be attached to the idea of maintaining the status quo. Entrenched interests are fighting tooth and claw to maintain their positions in American society, and the political system is supporting their tenacity. There is an appearance of political will for obust social services, but crises reveal its thin veneer. There has been a great deal of disinvestment in the country in general; the economic sector having been hollowed out and class divides increasingly sharply. This situation could become startlingly life-changing for many Americans in a short amount of time. Awareness is a crucial first step. How are we aiding and abetting a future we do not intend? Listen to this program;| Download MP3 Guests Catherine Austin Fitts Catherine Austin Fitts' understanding of the global financial system and the inner workings of the Wall Street-Washington axis is unparalleled. As the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner, Catherine was one of the first to warn of an approaching housing bubble. Her prediction that a 'strong dollar policy' would ultimately lead to a weakened federal credit is currently being proven correct. Catherine is the founder and managing member of Solari Investment Advisory Services, LLC.; and President of Solari, Inc. an online media company focused on ethical investment. Earlier in her career, she was a Managing Director and member of the board of Wall Street investment banking firm Dillon Read & Co. Inc. (She writes about her experience there in Dillon Read and the Aristocracy of Stock Profits.) Download MP3 Dmitry Orlov Emigrating from the Soviet Union at 12, Dmitry Orlov became an eye witness to the collapse of the Soviet Union. These lessons have informed his observations and writing about the collapse of the U.S economy and our preparedness to handle the fallout.In 2005, Dmitry wrote Closing the Collapse Gap, about how Russia was much better prepared for the collapse after the fall of communism that America is after the fall of consumerism. He has also written other articles on culture change include The New Age of Sail , The Despotism of the Image, That Bastion of American Socialism and Thriving in an Age of Collapse. Orlov's book Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Experience and American Prospects has received numerous awards including the 2009 independentPublisher Silver Medal. Visit Dmitry Orlov at his website. Download MP3
