How do politicians earning $175K a year end up leaving office with a $200M net worth?. I asked Democrat @SenOssoff and Republican @timburchett whether Congress will ever ban stock trading among its members. Their answers surprised me. ft. @ValentinaForUSA and @PelosiTracker_

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I have talked more about how the national debt will break America and what you can do about it in my latest newsletter. Read here:.

Because here’s the truth: staying debt-free isn’t optimal in a debt-driven system. The real strategy is using the right kind of debt while avoiding the wrong kind. Get it right, and the debt crisis becomes your opportunity. Get it wrong, and it buries you.

The smart money isn't waiting for the crisis. They're positioning now:. → Eliminating high-interest consumer debt.→ Building cash reserves for opportunities.→ Acquiring hard assets before prices crash.→ Thinking like investors, not consumers

This pattern will repeat. When America’s current debt spiral breaks, those trapped in consumption debt will face job losses, defaults, and repossessions. Those positioned in asset-class debt will buy what others are forced to dump. The only question is: which side are you on?.

We’ve seen what happens when bubbles burst. In 2008, millions lost their homes. But private equity firms and investors bought properties at fire-sale prices using cheap debt to scoop up assets from desperate sellers. That proves every crisis is a wealth transfer.

Meanwhile, the wealthy borrow at 3–7% to buy assets growing 7–10% annually. Their debt pays for itself. They keep the spread. Same system, same mechanics. But opposite outcomes. And this divide only widens when debt bubbles pop.

The numbers:. - US households hold $18.2T in total debt. - 70% is mortgages (asset-backed). - But the other 30% is deadly: $1.6T in student loans, $1.6T in auto loans, and $1.2T in credit card debt. That $10k credit card balance at 20% interest bleeds $2k/year in pure cost.

Debt has split America into two realities. One side uses debt to buy assets: real estate, businesses, investments, generating cash flow and appreciation. The other side drowns in credit cards, auto loans, and student debt that compound at 20%+ interest with nothing left behind.

America’s debt just hit $37 trillion. Politicians frame it as tomorrow’s problem. But it’s already reshaping who gets rich and who gets crushed. The truth is that debt isn’t good or bad. It's a weapon. And how you use it decides which side of the crisis you land on. 🧵

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So, the tariff story reveals something fundamental: the gap between what politicians promise and what economics delivers is where ordinary people get caught. I have talked more about it in my latest newsletter. Read it here: .

Trump celebrates collecting nearly $30 billion in tariff revenue in July alone. But here's what he doesn't mention: every single dollar comes from American pockets. Despite claims that "China pays," U.S. importers pay tariffs to U.S. Customs, then pass costs to consumers.

Small businesses faced an impossible choice: absorb costs that threaten survival, or pass them to customers already stretched thin. Most chose survival. That means American consumers are finally paying the real price of the trade war.

For example:. - Bikes that sold for $730 now cost $800 (66% combined tariffs). - Hair dryers jumped from $65.99 to $95.99. - Wine refrigerators went from $1,499 to $1,999. Even American-made appliances rose 4-6% due to tariffed steel and aluminum.

By summer 2025, that cushion was gone. Small businesses across America became unwilling transmission belts for a trade war they never chose. These businesses employ 46% of American workers, so when they hurt, the entire economy feels it.

This stockpiling created a temporary buffer that kept prices stable for months. Headlines proclaimed minimal inflation while politicians claimed victory. But economic buffers don't last forever. And once they're gone, there's nothing left to cushion the blow.

When tariffs were announced, something unexpected happened that delayed the economic pain:. Importers sprinted to beat the deadline and crammed warehouses with pre-tariff goods, creating what economists call the "inventory effect.". Retailers sold these pre-tariff goods.

President Trump promised tariffs would make America rich, foreign countries would pay, and American jobs would return. But four months later, tariffs are hitting American consumers at home. Here's how the promise became a hidden tax 🧵

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