This podcast explores the fading American dream, gaslighting in Black Friday sales, regulatory pressures on non-KYC wallets, and the impact of a Binance settlement on Bitcoin ETF possibilities. It also discusses the election of Argentina's new president and the support expressed by the IMF managing director.
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
The American dream is fading due to factors such as the increase in the Fed's balance sheet and national debt, stagnant wages, and rising costs of essentials, making it harder for Americans to make ends meet.
Despite claims of low prices, the rising cost of living is evident, as shown by the significant increases in groceries, home values, rent, electricity bills, used cars, car insurance, and childcare, while gaslighting from elected leaders denies the problem and cherry-picks data to paint a rosy picture.
Deep dives
The Decline of the American Dream
The American dream, which represents the idea that anyone can achieve financial independence and their goals through hard work, is fading. Factors such as the increase in the Fed's balance sheet and national debt, stagnant wages, and rising costs of essentials have created a cost of living crisis. However, elected leaders gaslight the public by denying the problem and cherry-picking data to paint a rosy picture. The reality is that groceries, home values, rent, electricity bills, used cars, car insurance, and childcare have all significantly increased, making it harder for Americans to make ends meet.
Inflation and Black Friday Deception
Despite claims that prices are down, the rising cost of living is evident. The government's gaslighting is exemplified by the White House press secretary's misleading statement that Thanksgiving dinner was the fourth cheapest ever. In reality, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner increased by nearly 30% in 2021. Moreover, Black Friday deals were exposed as fake, with no actual discounts. Record-breaking online sales on Black Friday were not adjusted for inflation and were driven by higher price tags. The use of buy now, pay later options reflects consumers' desperation to cope with inflation and financial constraints.
Regulatory Pressure on Bitcoin Businesses
The wallet of Satoshi, a popular lightning wallet, decided to no longer serve US customers, potentially due to regulatory pressures concerning anti-money laundering and know your customer laws. This highlights the increasing hostility of the US environment for Bitcoin businesses that value customer privacy. It also emphasizes the power of Apple and Google in determining the success or failure of startups by controlling access to their app stores. While existing users will still have access to their Bitcoin, this development underscores the importance of easy-to-use tools for individuals to buy, hold, and transfer Bitcoin amid the rising cost of living.
Bitcoin Nashville is July 25-27, 2024: Get 10% off your passes using the code HODL at https://b.tc/conference
CrowdHealth offers the Bitcoin community alternative to health insurance. I now spend just ~$100 a month on my health care. Sign up:https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/natalie
Coinkite is your go-to tech company for top-notch Bitcoin custody solutions, including the cold card wallet. Get 5% off using my link: https://store.coinkite.com/promo/COINSTORIES
Buy vaulted gold, silver, and platinum in seconds with OneGold: https://onegold.me/3s6cGg4. Use code COINSTORIESAU for gold and COINSTORIESAG for silver.
Fold is the best Bitcoin rewards debit card and shopping app in the world. Get 10,000 satoshis when you sign up and spend $20 on the card: https://www.foldapp.com/natalie
If you’re looking for the highest-quality sustainable pork, steak and seafood products, look no further than Campo Grande. For $20 off use code HODL: https://eatcampogrande.com/HODL
This podcast is for educational purposes and should not be construed as official investment advice.