(End of the American Dream)—When I was young, I often wondered what it must have been like to live during the fall of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, now I have a pretty good idea. Just like the Roman Empire, the United States is falling. Every day our decline gets even more pronounced, and you can see evidence of this all around us. Virtually all of our major institutions are crumbling, and virtually all of our most critical systems are failing.
We tend to blame our problems on our politicians, but the truth is that the rot that is rapidly spreading throughout our society runs a lot deeper than that. Millions upon millions of us have completely rejected the values that this nation was founded upon, and so now we have a giant mess on our hands. The following are 12 absolutely insane examples that show just how far the U.S. has fallen…
#1 A social media influencer that returned a couch to Costco after using it for more than two years is telling her followers to buy all of their furniture from Costco because “you can return it when you don’t like it anymore”…
A woman named Jackie shared she bought a couch from Costco over two and a half years ago, in a video posted last week to TikTok that’s attracted nearly 3 million views.
Jackie admits she was nervous to return the large item to the warehouse store and felt intimidated by other shoppers staring at her while waiting in line.
“But who cares. Return it. They have an awesome return policy,” she tells her followers. “Buy your furniture from Costco, girl. You can return it when you don’t like it anymore.”
#2 The U.S. Navy is having a really difficult time recruiting young people, and so they have decided that a radical new approach is needed. From now on, a high school diploma will no longer be necessary…
“We get thousands of people into our recruiting stations every year that want to join the Navy but do not have an education credential,” said the branch’s chief of personnel Vice Admiral Rick Cheeseman. “And we just turn them away.”
Now the Navy will accept some of those potential recruits lacking a high school diploma or GED, assuming they’re able to score 50 or above on a qualification test.
The move comes after the service previously lowered their qualification requirements in 2022, again amidst recruitment challenges. The Navy is the only branch of the US armed forces that admits applicants who score below 30 out of 100 on the qualification test. Officials say some positions, such as in maintenance or food preparation, don’t require a conventional education.
#3 Three years ago, the city of Portland decriminalized the possession of all drugs. Let’s check in and see how that is working out…
Oregon leaders have declared a 90-day state of emergency in Portland to battle the city’s debilitating fentanyl crisis three years after decriminalizing possession of all drugs.
Governor Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made the declaration and are directing their agencies to work with first responders in connecting people addicted to the synthetic opioid with resources including drug treatment programs and to crack down on drug sales.
#4 Western Oregon University has found a way to keep students from failing. D- and F grades will no longer be earned by anyone because they are being abolished…
Citing a wrongheaded “GPA fixation,” Western Oregon University leaders have announced plans to abolish D- and F grades for students.
They will replace them with “no credit” in an effort to support student success and encourage struggling undergrads to continue their education despite obstacles, they said.
The public university announced in a news release this month the changes would start in the fall.
#5 From this point forward, every police officer in El Paso, Texas will be forced to ask for the preferred pronouns of every person that they encounter…
The policy, called “Constitutional Policing,” was introduced in December 2023; however, it was not implemented until January 2024 and will require officers to ask every person they encounter, “How would you like to be referred to?”
The gender-inclusive policy was created with the help of the Borderland Rainbow Center, an “LGBTQ Community Center,” in El Paso, Texas, and exists so that LGBTQ “people and their allies can heal, grow, and empower themselves and others.” The director of the center, Amber Perez, told a local news station, “This is just the start.”
“The most important thing is that we can’t change the past,” Perez said. “[B]ut what we can do is take this first moment and run with it and continue the conversation and be able to speak to each other with respect.”
#6 A group of migrants that was caught on camera physically attacking cops in Times Square was shocking released without even having to post bail…
Police officers and other critics are slamming Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for refusing to seek bail for the rowdy migrants arrested after allegedly being caught on camera attacking NYPD cops in Times Square.
Veteran police officers fumed to The Post Saturday that Bragg made a mockery of the entire justice system by letting five migrants walk after they were arraigned Wednesday on charges of second-degree assault on a police officer and obstruction of governmental administration in the shocking Jan. 27 beatdown.
“Alvin Bragg just showed all New Yorkers that the Police Department doesn’t matter to him,” said an NYPD detective with more than two decades on the job.
It has been reported that the migrants were seen getting on a bus to California, and so hopefully someone can track them down before they disappear completely.
#7 A group of pro-life activists in Tennessee face 11 years in prison for praying and singing outside of an abortion clinic…
Nearly three years ago several pro-Life activists held a prayer rally at a Tennessee abortion clinic.
The Christian protesters prayed and sang hymns.
They were sitting peacefully in the lobby of the abortion center.
The protesters included: Chester Gallagher, 73, of Lebanon, Tennessee; Heather Idoni, 58; Calvin Zastrow, 57; and Caroline Davis, 24; all of Michigan; Coleman Boyd, 51, of Bolton, Mississippi; Dennis Green, 56, of Cumberland, Virginia; and Paul Vaughn, 55, of Centerville, Tennessee.
#8 The 24-year-old aide to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin that was filmed having gay sex in a Senate hearing room will not be charged with breaking any laws…
As reported earlier – The United States Capitol Police have concluded their investigation into a controversial incident involving Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a 24-year-old former aide to Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland.
Maese-Czeropski had been embroiled in a scandal after a sexually explicit video recorded in the Senate hearing room surfaced online.
The video, which depicted Maese-Czeropski and his partner engaging in anal sex inside the Senate Hearing Room, sparked nationwide controversy. Clad only in a g-string jockstrap, Maese-Czeropski was seen atop the senator’s desk, a setting traditionally reserved for grave legislative deliberations and Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
#9 Violent carjackers are fearlessly roaming the streets of Washington D.C., and anyone that resists one of those young carjackers can end up dead. Sadly, that is precisely what just happened to an official that worked in the Trump administration…
Former Trump Administration official Mike Gill has died after being shot in front of his wife during a carjacking in Washington DC.
Gill, a married father of three, was shot by Artell Cunningham on K Street NW about 5.45pm last Monday and died in hospital on Saturday.
He was collecting his wife, an education lawyer, when he was shot inside the car by the attacker. He stumbled outside the vehicle and collapsed.
#10 The Chinese and other foreign buyers are purchasing millions of acres of U.S. farmland, but nobody knows exactly how much farmland they now own and very few of our politicians are interested in stopping this practice…
America is seeing more and more of its most fertile land snapped up by China and other foreign buyers, yet problems with how the US tracks such data means it’s difficult to know just how much, according to a report.
Foreign ownership and investment in property such as farmland, pastures and forests jumped to about 40 million acres in 2021, up 40% from 2016, according to the US Department of Agriculture data. But an analysis conducted by the US Government Accountability Office — a non-partisan watchdog that reports to Congress — found mistakes in the data, including the largest land holding linked with China being counted twice. Other issues include the challenge of enforcing a US law that requires foreigners to self-report such purchases, the report said, citing USDA.
#11 So many radical Muslims have moved into Dearborn, Michigan that the Wall Street Journal is referring to it as “America’s Jihad Capital”…
A Michigan suburb with the largest Muslim population in the US has upped its security in fear of hate attacks after it was branded America’s ‘jihad capital.’
The headline of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published on Friday read ‘Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital’ – a title given to the city by the publication because of its residents’ pro-Palestine stances.
#12 A teacher in Massachusetts that had a spotless record for 23 years was fired after she revealed the truth about what was really going on in her school…
“Bonnie Manchester had a spotless record in 23 years as a teacher at Baird Middle School. She laid it all on the line when she saw what was now happening to vulnerable children,” the organization reported. “Bonnie Manchester is a Christian middle school teacher who was fired from her job in 2021. Her ‘crime’ was informing a father and mother that school officials were referring to their daughter as a boy and keeping it secret from them.”
How are people supposed to have faith in a system that is this broken?
Unfortunately, things are only going to get worse.
As a society, we are the most divided that we have been in modern times, and with each passing day more foreigners that have come into this country illegally pour into U.S. cities that are already overwhelmed by crime, drugs, violence, homelessness and depravity.
The stage is being set for chaos on a scale that most Americans never even dreamed would be possible.
The election of 2024 is going to be the most divisive election that any of us have ever seen, our economic problems are rapidly accelerating, and global events threaten to turn all of our lives completely upside down.
So I hope that you have been getting prepared, because things will soon start breaking loose in a major way.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.
