Kontrarian Korner #149 - Tom Luongo

On Monday I had Tom Luongo back on the podcast, and we did a bit of a detour from the usual geopolitical topics. We talked about food in the US, the meatpacking monopoly, societal changes that are coming, and the tax system. We also covered how recent moves in international bonds markets are connected, from Japan to the US and Europe. You can find Tom on Twitter and his podcast at Gold, Goats n’ Guns.

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Podcast Summary

* The meatpacking monopoly and his first hand experience working as a goat farmer.

* Why ranchers are getting squeezed, and the insane regulatory environment (for dairy as well as meat) that was designed 100 years ago.

* The diminishing returns on a safety first culture, and the move from an estrogen based society to a testosterone based society.

* Why we should incentivize farming at home.

* The wasted man hours in the US around the tax system.

* Why property taxes are a pay as you go unrealized capital gains tax, and why Social Security is a pay as you go death tax.

* Connecting the dots between Japan, the US, and Europe as far as financial markets.

* The influence operations being run on social media and podcasts.

* Book Recommendation: The Gap Cycle Series by Stephen Donaldson.