Conclusion

Find your inner joy. What brings joy to your life? Is it your spouse, your children, your garden, your hobbies? Cherish those people and experiences. It will be quite important in 2013 that we maintain our positive perspective and our internal joy while the external world deteriorates.

Why? The answer lies in our No-Thanks-Giving parade of those who caused or enabled the current financial and economic trauma.

NO THANKS to the politicians who borrowed and spent OPM - Other People's Money - and produced nothing lasting except debt. Was there a better way?

NO THANKS to the military who turned wealth and value into a decade of death, destruction, and debts. Was it really necessary?

NO THANKS to the Federal Reserve for creating all the dollars that enabled the excessive spending on warfare and welfare and left Americans with the debts. It was profitable for the bankers and major corporations, but not for the majority of Americans.

NO THANKS to the creators of the mortgage-backed securities and their derivatives. Those weapons of mass financial destruction enabled a housing bubble and a financial crisis, and the result was millions of foreclosures and lost homes.

NO THANKS to the politicians who arranged for the bailouts, at taxpayer expense, of all those banks, AIG, Fannie, Freddie, the FHA, and many others.

NO THANKS to the lobbyists who worked frantically to preserve the highly profitable status quo for the political and financial elite.

"When the present path cannot possibly lead to success, regardless of the labor and treasure poured into the effort, then risking the unknown by trying something different is the only way forward." Charles Hugh Smith - November 20, 2012.

The current financial path of the United States is unsustainable, so we must do something utterly different. My suggestion: is Let's Be HONEST and admit:

• Continuous creation of more debt, both public and private, is not the answer.

• The VALUE of Social Security and Medicare benefits will necessarily decrease. Perhaps the number of dollars in our monthly Social Security check will increase slightly, but if it only buys a few loaves and fishes and a tank of gas, its VALUE has decreased. Perhaps Medicare benefits will be rationed or severely limited - thereby reducing their value.

• Taxes will increase.

• New taxes will be imposed. We might see a "Carbon Tax" or a VAT.

• Military expenses will decrease - not because anyone wants a reduction, but because they must.

• Inflation in consumer prices is returning. It will get worse.

• The standard of living for most Americans will decline. The purchasing power of the dollar will substantially decrease in the coming years.

• "Gold is money. All else is credit." J. P. Morgan to Congress 1912.

• Things you NEED will cost more - food, energy, transportation, medical care. Things you want will cost less, relatively speaking.

• Paper money comes and goes throughout history. In the 21st century, it appears to be "going."

• 2013 probably will not be a "Happy New Year" for most Americans.

Read We Have Been Warned! and Gold, Paper, and a Train Wreck.

Conclusion

Find your inner joy. What brings joy to your life? Is it your spouse, your children, your garden, your hobbies? Cherish those people and experiences. It will be quite important in 2013 that we maintain our positive perspective and our internal joy while the external world deteriorates.

The two most influential heavenly bodies are the golden sun and the silver moon. The two most important investments for this decade are gold and silver. The true gifts for Thanksgiving and Christmas are silver and gold. Let's give thanks for the individuals who spoke with wisdom and truth about the lasting value of gold and silver: Jim Sinclair, Richard Russell, and many others.