Part 1/9:
The Economic Landscape: A Retrospective on the Post-Gold Standard Era
Looking back at economic trends over the last half-century reveals a troubling narrative: wages lagging far behind productivity, housing shifting from a necessity to a speculative asset, diminishing savings rates, escalating prices for basic goods, and rising levels of debt that are deemed unsustainable. Compounding these issues is a stark increase in inequality; for the first time since the Gilded Age, the wealth of the top 0.1% in America eclipses that of the bottom 90% combined. Iconic figures like Elon Musk have even surpassed historical titans such as John D. Rockefeller in terms of wealth, highlighting a systemic issue within the modern economic structure.