Hello from Freedomfest in Las Vegas,
For a guy like me, if I am forced to spend time in the USSA, there are worse places than Las Vegas. I'm a 24 hour kind of person, don't like early bar closing times, like drinking while I walk down the street, like smoking indoors (especially when it is 109F outside), playing poker and always having the option to do something.
In those terms, Vegas is like an oasis in the oppressive US. It's like they just allow one place where US tax slaves can go for a weekend and have just a little bit of freedom. Even at the strip clubs, the girls actually take their clothes off!
I first heard the term, an "all nude stripclub" in Shreveport, Louisiana when my friend mentioned we should go check it out. I stood for at least five seconds computing the term. "What do you mean an all nude stripclub?" I responded very confused.
"The girl's actually take off their clothes there… but we have to drive to Texas for that," he said.
I still was not understanding. "You mean, there is such a thing as a 'non nude stripclub'?" I asked, as I stroked my chin trying to fathom how that is possible.
Yes, it turns out, in most strip clubs in the USSA, the girls don't actually strip.
"They should just call it a 'club' then," I said, as we started driving to Texas.
But here, in Vegas you are allowed a little, tiny bit of freedom. If you talk to many Americans they'll tell you they love to go to Vegas. I always ask, why don't you just allow those things where you happen to live?
No one ever seems to get it. They just assume that is the way life is. You can't have too much fun where you live, of course. What if, in Los Angeles, for example, they allowed all nude strip clubs where you could actually drink alcohol or the ability to walk down the street with a drink? Why, then, it'd be like Vegas! It'd be chaos!
And then, people couldn't repeat the tired and lame old mantra, "Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!"
It's all really very lame. These casino/hotels all look the same, artificial, very dated style and hordes of incredibly obese people sitting in front of machines like rats tapping a lever for cocaine. Many will return home to tell their friends what a wild and crazy time they had. The rest of the world is like Vegas, but without the lameness.
I can at least guarantee that the term "all nude stripclub" doesn't even exist in the Spanish language in Latin America!
FREEDOMFEST
I am glad I came though. Although I do still find it strange to have a freedom conference in one of the least free countries on Earth. I just left a table with drinks and cigarettes with people like Jeffrey Tucker to write this. And I hope to get back to the table soon.
If you've never been to Freedomfest and do believe in freedom, I suggest you try to make it. Although, by this time next year, I am not sure it will be safe nor even possible to visit here as the USSA economic system continues its collapse. Doug Casey and I leaned back in our chair yesterday and surveyed the hordes of people all spending money and queried, "Where do they get the money to do this?"
I think the answer is tri-fold. Many Americans save up all year for a Las Vegas weekend as their wild and crazy trip of the year. Many others have been fooled by the inflation, which has pushed the Dow Jones to new all-time nominal highs, and think they are richer than they are. They probably lease their car, have a huge mortgage on their house and tens of thousands on their credit cards, but CNBC tells them that we are in a recovery and they have been fooled by Keynesianism into thinking that they can afford to splurge a bit.
And, finally, there are some people in the US who still have some money, but every conversation I've been unfortunate enough to overhear shows that most are in unsustainable businesses… mostly the financial industry which is about to implode.
Much like Vegas, most things in the USSA are fake and illusory. No one seems to have any idea on what is about to come. I'll be happy to watch it on my flatscreen from Acapulco beach or Galt's Gulch Chile (GGC).
GALT'S GULCH CHILE
GGC has been the hit of the show. Countless people came to inquire into purchasing property at GGC at the GGC booth at Freedomfest and many others had a scared look in their eye and told of how they are trying to liquidate some assets to get out of the US.
GGC now has the new, official website launched and it is beautiful with much more information and photos. You can see it at http://galtsgulchchile.com/.
Judging from the response at Freedomfest, the pre-sales and Founders Club round will be sold out quite quickly. In fact, GGC has been hiring sales staff almost daily to keep up with demand.
As I stated here at the conference, this property, in the world famous wine-growing region of Chile, Casablanca, less than an hour from the Hong Kong of South America, Santiago, and less than an hour to the top beachside resort of Vina del Mar will rise in price by 10-fold in the coming 10-15 years… or less. Chile is booming and the real estate prices have not risen with it… yet. Chile is still, outside of our writings here, fairly unknown. That, also, won't last much longer.
The world is changing dramatically. When a person like Edward Snowden becomes a political refugee from the US and defects to China and Russia… we live in a brand new world. The future now lies in Asia and Latin America.
