Stories That I'm following...

Here's what's on my mind and the stories I've been following:

First and foremost, the ongoing economic crisis. Most people out there still don't realize the amount of trouble we are in. The destruction of the global economy will lead to all sorts of economic, social, and political problems. Wars, drugs, domestic violence, crime, corruption, and general violence will increase as law and order break down from the economic meltdown.

There is still time to prepare ourselves for what might happen. For a long time, I did not think this was going to happen. I thought this would be a mild recession and that we could pull out of it, just like we had for the past 20-30 years. But the failure of Lehman Brothers and its aftermath started to change my views. Lehman was simply too big to fail and it is very clear that everything started to fall off a cliff after the government decided that they would not or could not save Lehman. Now you could argue that they were not the cause. The problems we face are the results of years and decades of reckless spending and borrowing at all levels of society (individual, corporate, and government). But it is very clear that Lehman was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Second, the Mexican drug war is worsening. I'm watching the development here as this could potentially be a huge issue for all the states that border Mexico. Being that I live in Texas, this is a story I'm following closely as it could easily spill into south Texas, and even central Texas if things start getting really bad and our border patrols are not able to contain the violence at the border. I wonder if people know the kind of people they are supporting when they buy or use illegal drugs. These drug gangs are involved with drugs, human slavery, smuggling, prostitution, murders, and just about every nasty organized crime that's out there.

Third, thing I'm tracking is employment, crime and general social unrest. As more people are thrown out of work, the incentive for crime increases. And it is questionable whether municipalities will have the funding as tax revenue dries up to meet this crime wave with increased policing.