Mailbag: Our Liberty Is at Risk

Andy Snyder|April 20, 2020

Somebody reminded us about our campaign to win the White House.

With all the hoopla these days, we’ve hardly given it a thought.

Golly… what a thing to forget.

There’s good news, though. We looked at the polling. There’s been no change in the numbers.

We’re still entirely unelectable.

But facts never stop a good politician from doing what he wants. So we figure they shouldn’t stop a bad politician from at least pretending like he has a shot.

Our campaign message this week is simple. With governors across the nation sorting essential vs. nonessential workers, we figure it’s time for a similar mandate in Washington.

When we move to the White House in January, our first order of business will be to indefinitely quarantine all nonessential laws.

Get ’em off the books, we’ll say… They’re sickening the nation.

Only when the economy develops a vaccine for overregulation and massive government intervention will they be allowed to see the light of day.

Until then… board the doors shut.

If our keepers can force us into our homes, after all, don’t we have the power to lock up their laws?

If not… we should.

Then again, we’re just some money wonk who wants to right the wrongs. Who’d ever elect a guy like that?

Maybe the mailbag will offer some clues…

Liberty at Risk

Your column is about the only venue that addresses the erosion of the fabric of America. I don’t care who or for what reason; the revocation of our rights is just wrong. When was the First Amendment repealed? The right to assemble and speak our minds is basic to our national psyche, and permitting ANYONE to take away that right will set a dangerous precedent that will result in the death of America. Of course, my rights end where they infringe on yours, but the government or anyone else simply removing them is wrong. President Trump’s statement that he has the authority to define our rights is not only wrong – it’s dangerous and illegal, and somehow we must rein him in. Keep up your fight for the Triad. – Reader R.B.

Ah… there it is. Somebody else who gets it.

Without a doubt, this has been the hottest topic in our mailbag this month – and perhaps ever.

That’s good. It’s serious stuff. It shows the dangers of the slippery slope we so often talk about.

Nearly 20 years ago, we gave the government the right to tell us to strip down and take off our shoes if we want to fly… and now folks are handing over a boarding pass and a few drops of blood.

The way we figure it, if the government can lock you in your house… it can just as easily lock you out.

It’s proof that sometimes we must force the evil out of our lives. This reader did…

About 30 years ago one of my daughters asked me once again to look at her school project.

I did the usual and told her to wait until this TV “show” was over. The look in her young eyes about tore my heart out.

After a sleepless night I made a very hard decision… get rid of the TV. I got up the next morning, loaded the monster in my truck with a sledge hammer and went to the free landfill.

With tears running down my face, I asked God to forgive me for allowing the beast into my home as I pummeled it with the big hammer. Freedom rained down on me that morning, and the action has continued to bless our family for many years. Reading became the default entertainment, among other things. Now both daughters are well-read, educated, and published.

The reason for this letter is to suggest to some that the resistance they may meet in their homes with such a suggestion may be lessened if they commit to throw a bed sheet over the TV for just one week. Just a tryout period to see how things go. There is a good chance they will be surprised.

Thanks for all you do in your work and with such a willingness to share with others. – Reader B.T.

Very nice. We wish more folks would do the same. Eradicate something for just one week and see how it works out.

We never take notes when watching a TV program… but give us a book and we’ll have one hand holding the page and the other feeling for a pen.

1 + 1 = 3

Speaking of books…

Is there any Know-How behind keeping multiple books open on the nightstand at once? Is it to keep variety and reduce boredom? Why not power through each one? Neuroscience must provide an answer… – Reader G.S.

Great question. The answer is an idea we stumbled onto by accident. But we believe it absolutely makes sense to read more than one book at once.

First, our moods tend to vary from day to day. Some days we want a deep, information-rich book. Other days, life’s been hard and we need something softer, perhaps some easy-to-read history (please note that we read only nonfiction). By having a couple of books on the pile, there’s no way to let our mood give us an excuse not to pick one up.

But it’s the second idea that’s more powerful.

It has to do with an element of our Triad… Connections.

We’ve written about it before. When we read two or more books at the same time, the knowledge compounds. We connect the ideas from one book with the other – no matter how unrelated the topic.

The wonks call this “literary synergy.” We call it powerful and smart.

Market Commentary

And now for the topic that’s on everybody’s mind…

I keep hearing that we may not be at the bottom of the stock market. Most bear markets didn’t happen with the swiftness of this latest one. Things began to deteriorate at a slower rate.

Don’t you think that there is a good chance that an ensuing bull market will occur with the same swiftness, especially in light of the improving COVID-19 picture? – Reader R.P.

Or here is another way to look at it.

I have been reading your emails on a daily basis since you started your project and I still continue to look forward for your email every day to see what fresh insight you will provide to the hot topic of the day.

I had a question about the market analysis you did within the last week. In the April 8 email you asked to pay close attention to the volume, implying that the volumes are low and it is likely the market will test the lows again. However in today’s email you said that given the Fed is pumping in trillions of dollars into the economy the market will go up, and in your words, “we can’t fight the Feds.”

Are you now suggesting that it is time to get into the market now?

Thank you in advance for your answer and looking forward to another interesting email from you. – Reader T.F.

Just about every investor is looking at the market these days wondering what in the world will happen next. So far, the ride higher has been smooth.

But we didn’t say the market is likely to test its lows. We said the market’s fate hinges on volume. In our own words… “If you’re serious about using this downturn to get rich or to rebuild your portfolio… challenge yourself to not look at the market’s price tag over the next week. Instead, look only at its volume.”

Since the market hit bottom on March 23, volume on up days has been far stronger than volume on down days. That’s a very good sign.

But as for R.P.’s question on timing, we already know the answer. It took just one month for the market to go from its highs to its lows. We’re now nearly a month from those lows and have a long way to go before getting back to the highs.

We’ll get there, but the easy ground has likely been made up.

From here, there will be massive opportunities, but the quick gains will come to those who have the quickest brains and the quickest fingers.

It’s a stock picker’s market…

And that’s music to our ears.

Keep the comments and questions coming. Send us an email at mailbag@manwardpress.com.