I envy anyone who has the choices you are making Karl. As the pool of taxpayers gets smaller and smaller and the government demand for tax money continues to grow the few remaining workers will have a greater "opportunity" to have a greater percentage of their incomes redistributed. For awhile longer, I have to continue in this category. Ugh!

I see some pretty ugly rifts coming soon in the space time continuum!

Best of luck to us all.

Most people have these choices available, but they refuse to make them.

It is not lack of ability, it is addiction to the "power of more", and the allure of "getting ahead."

Really? You're "ahead" when you have $200+/month of cable and cell phone bills? $2,500/year for.... what? So you can post pictures of your cat on Facebook?

And that's just the start. I can go down the list, but won't bother because it is exactly what you're putting forward -- that its "so hard" -- that is part and parcel of the big lie.

Until you stop lying to yourself you will make no progress.

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Bravo, Karl. Just another demonstration that you are what you say you are. I'm delighted to have met you and seen in person that the words and the deeds match exactly. You know how rare it is.

While we keep our internet available (for the time being), in another few months, we'll probably decide other. Our recent shut-down efforts are going to be added to shortly, and our hand=to=mouth existence will get even more basic. But we have PLENTY of that which is really needed. Food, air, water, fine neighbors and excellent friends.

We've had the pleasure of meeting a couple dozen very fine folks via the ticker forum, and we're grateful to those who have kept track of us and our progress. It was a long trip from business executives to subsistence farmers, but it has been a great pleasure to make the trip, and meet the folks along the way.

Hard to know just how many folks have come around your site since I began watching you, but it's been a bunch. There's been no better place to direct folks who want to know the truth than here. Thank you, Sir.

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'...But people better realize that the worst-case scenario could actually happen.9/11 happened. This can happen. An economic 9/11, the likes of which we've never seen.' Gerald Celente

Welcome to the dark side, Karl.



(from another society dropout)

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The entire global financial system is a pawnshop.

If you don't like your life, change it. - Workerbee 5/2/23

I have adjusted the forum's idea of what a Gold Donor is in such a fashion that it should preserve pretty-much everyone's status that had it on the day of this announcement and have been consistently under Gold Status up until that time until 12/31.

There are a handful of people who will get it back that under the black letter of the rule shouldn't, but there is nobody who has had it continually that I can find that will lose it prior to 12/31 the way I have things set now.

If you fall under that new classification rule you may get a notice that your user classification has changed to "Gold Loyalty", either by email or when you log in.

Please PM me if you believe you're an exception and I'll look at it manually.

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^ Thank you!

Are you going to hold a virtual New Year's Eve party in The Bar?

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It is death which gives meaning to life.

Wow... great comments and not much more I can add but to say Thank You Karl for the education and knowledge I've received, and to a large degree put into practice, from you. While I don't day trade or do anything in the financial market, purchasing a Gold Star was one of the wisest investments I've ever made in my life, in terms of knowledge learned. The Ticker is my first "go to" read in the morning, and many times throughout the day. I very much admire your course of action, your integrity, honesty, and passion for doing this. I will continue to decrease my participation in the system.

While I can't always travel the high road whenever I see someone on it in the rear view mirror I'm pulling off to the side and yielding the right of way every single time - respect.

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Taxpayers witnessed a crime and stayed around long enough to get charged with it.

Just a quick note to say thanks, Karl, for enlightening people to the math concerning our predicament, for the diligence to your articles and those who read them and for your honesty.
I'll miss the prolific posting, but I understand and applaud the reason.
Take care.

Thanks is not enough.

I pledge to take material effort in reducing my contribution to the tax hoard.

Principled move Karl - respect.

Thank you for everything you have taught me over the last four years. If it wasn't for your guidance, I would probably be one of the many watching Dancing with the Stars. Thank you for leading be example and good luck on the new chapter in your life.

I posted this in the other ticker on the upcoming changes to TF which has been taken down. I dont normally repost but in this case I want this to remain on record.

IOU wrote..

Just in case this is the end, I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Karl for all he has done for me. Karl is a man of integrity and works diligently to inform the public of the TRUTH. That's why he backs up his positions with math which is the ultimate source of truth. I am so thankful that I found this site in 2008 (wish it would have been a year earlier). I have been transformed into a totally different person (for the better). I remember the fury that flowed within me at that moment when I realized that just about everything I put my trust in was actually evil working against me. That fury still burns but Ive learned to focus it in a positive way.

One of the things that kept me up at night during the early stages of "Waking up" was the overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I thought; "My God, what can I possibly do to fix this? Its impossible". I also remember vividly the feeling in my gut as I sat reading Karls warnings and how our leaders totally ignored every one of them (still to this day). Im sure a lot of you can relate. For those that are still in this place Id like to share the most important lesson Ive learned reading the market ticker which has changed my life.

That lesson is: I CAN MAKE A DIFFFERENCE.

Once you realize this to be the TRUTH then everyday thereafter will be much more rewarding. The only limit is your imagination. Each of us individually make up the whole thus the whole cannot survive without your individual support.

Thanks again Karl and also to all the wonderful posters that helped enlighten me. Your efforts have not been in vain.

Edit: I mistakenly thought that original ticker was removed but I see its still active. This is a more appropriate ticker for this so hope its OK for it to remain here.

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"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies

Good health, good luck, many happy hours of fishing. Look forward to your political comments.

WOW... BIG CHANGE...

I read a crap ton of stuff on the net... (probably more than I should). In 2005 I was warning my friends NOT to buy houses... that they would likely loose their bums when, as the math suggested at the time, the bottom came out of the banking system. With interest rates at lifetime lows, versus the rush to write CRAP paper, I just had a real bad feeling... and I could NOT get past the math of things. Sure enough, the ones that thought I was a bit dramatic, and poo pooed me, are very polite and respectful... and a couple have apologized and said they wished they had listened.

When I found The Ticker, right as the MERS (should have been a) scandal broke, I found someone who was pragmatic, a great analyst of things economic as well as political, and who was as outraged as I was at the lack of action on the part of the "authorities" in response to "business as criminal enterprise"

That was Karl Denninger on The Market Ticker.

(Now, of course, we know that the reason things are the way they are, is because we have a defacto fascist government, and it would be that way if McStrain was president, as well.)

So The Ticker has become one of my "GO TO" daily visits to read the news. I haven't always agreed with you... we are different free people... but I have always respected you putting yourself out there, and not pulling punches. We agree on most things of import, and politically, we're damn close to being "next door neighbors".

My TV gets turned on for 1 or 2 hours a month, or not at all. (Yes, it's time to pull the plug on my cable, just for starters... thanks for the inspiration in your post and direction, and to those who chimed in about living more simply)

I will miss the daily reality checks from The Ticker... and wholeheartedly congratulate you on your decision Karl!!!

GOOD ON YOU BROTHER KARL!

Regards,

Dave Y
The Peoples Republic of Lawrence, KS

I hope you don't mind, but for everybody:

Cerys Matthews - Arglwydd Dyma Fi (Lord Here I Am)

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If the State was a Nanny, it would have been fired for incompetence, unreliability, and having its hands in the till, a very long time ago now.

So glad to see you uncaging yourself. Jon Corzine and his ilk don't deserve to scrape nickels off your activities in the markets.

I hope your daughter is still at home so that y'all can have some more relaxed time around each other.

Ann Barnhardt will be proud that you have chosen a greater degree of freedom.

A personal thank you from me for all you've written and shared - I thought I understood capitalism quite well, but you have taught me many things about how the scams are working under the radar that I might not have seen otherwise. What an education it's been, and I've enjoyed passing it along to as many others as I can.

Oh ... welcome to the minimalist side ! While I am not 100% there quite yet, I expect I will be so sometime next year. Starving the beast is the only answer to the thievery and slavery coming out of the District of Criminals.

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"Even a dog knows the difference between being stumbled over and being kicked." -Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and h

Not the least surprised!

Best wishes, thanks for providing a forum where some like minds could gather.

Since leaving all market activity a few years back, this has been THE go-to spot for all breaking news. I'll miss that aspect most.

Hope more will decide to scale back and reduce footprint - doing it here too.

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Since this place is "winding down," we all need good spots to get a "reality fix." Here's one: http://www.rooshv.com/we-are-nothing-mor.... -

Gen is right when he points out that it's a matter of choices we all make today, rather than at some undetermined point in the future when we will have "enough" of whatever we think is necessary.

Everyone can do it now.

Like maintaining a healthy weight, it's simple in concept, but difficult to do. Sell everything. Cancel all subscriptions and contracts. All physical assets have a maintenance cost. All non-physical assets aren't assets, except relationships. If you (as I do) count relationships as an asset, they have a maintenance cost too. The more time you spend caring for things, the less time you have available to maintain your relationships.

Time is finite. Mental energy is finite. Every second I spend writing this to you is a second I'll never get back, and that I didn't spend on someone I love. I care enough about people in general to be willing to spend this time in the hope that one person may read it and have the realization hit home. But charity begins at home, so my primary focus is there. I'm only willing to spend my surplus here.

If we all were paying attention to the home front and taking care of the people who are willing to care for us in return (aside from children -- you just have to give it away and know it's the right thing to do), our entire society would function properly.

I can vouch for the fact that owning a house and a car that I can afford without making payments has a heavy social "cost". But is it really a cost to lose relationships with people who judge me on that basis? I say no. Most of my associates don't agree.

Before you say "Oh, well, easy for you to say if you can afford things for cash!" ... I'll give you the purchase prices. House: $12,000. Yes, it's 100% serviceable and functional. You may have guessed it's a trailer, which makes me "trailer trash" in the eyes of some. Lot rent is $225/mo. I can't make the case for buying land at this time because taxes would be higher than rent, and I'd have to maintain my own well, septic and driveway.

I have three vehicles. The truck (for taking garbage to the dump once every month or so, and helping friends with their incessant moves as they try to stay ahead of rising rent -- $2,000. A car that gets 30 mpg for commuting, and for friends who don't have cars to borrow -- $500 + $1,000 for a replacement engine. A motorcycle that gets 50 mpg for commuting on nice days, and weekend fun trips to the mountains, etc. $6,000 (OK I splurged on that).

The entire process started in 2005, when my last kid moved out. Like Karl, I was a single parent. Unlike Karl, I was not lucky or smart enough to make highly profitable financial choices. In 1992, I made the choice to work 100% on commission for the simple reason that I never wanted to be a cost item on anyone's bottom line. By 2005, however, employers had learned that they could squeeze commissions really hard. And they did. Over time, 30% with big cash performance incentives went to 12% with $100 here and $100 there being passed off as "generous" bonuses. The difference went directly to shareholders.

The costs of my 15-year divorce battle and medical care for my allergy-prone youngest kid finally caught up with me. I woke up one day and realized I no longer needed to live in a specific school district. House went up for sale that day. Then I took a look at my bills and realized I was insolvent. Pure and simple. I picked up the phone and called my creditors one by one. I offered what I had and could pay. They ones who played games got nothing until they were willing to accept what I had to offer. Note that I did not go bankrupt. I simply gave them what I had and negotiated settlements. It wasn't easy. But it was simple. I was called every name in the book, and sent all manner of threats. At the end of the day, though, I had nothing so they could get nothing.

I sold everything and divvied up the proceeds to my creditors. Again, simple. But not easy. I never went on food stamps, unemployment or welfare. It's not because I'm a good person. It's because I didn't want to be a slave to a different master. Switching a government master for a corporate master would have done exactly zero for solving my predicament.

Now, I don't want to try to "recover" what I had. Why would I?

"But what if you get kicked out of your park?" I've been asked. This is always a remote possibility. But no more likely than getting kicked off "my" land for back taxes, were I to "buy" it.

I also can't afford to call 911. Catastrophic coverage doesn't cover such things. I can afford a doctor's visit once or twice a year. But I'm also OK with the fact that I'm human and that God will determine when my time is up. Not some medical-industrial complex.

I feel like an adult in a nation of children. Adults make choices. Children expect wishes to be fulfilled. The only thing that scares me is what happens when a nation of children hears the word "no" for the first time in their lives.

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

Thank-you so much from a many years daily reader who admires and respects you more than you could know. Not much more to add really - everything already said is spot-on. Best of luck to you and your family - I will miss all that you offer here very much.

Putting your money where your mouth is.

Integrity.

Thanks Karl.

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'Keep pushing fuckers, you'll find the trip wire eventually'
~ Quik49

"Our demons tend to be ourselves, a more powerful foe&

Thank you very much for the efforts you have made to educate people like myself over the last several years.

I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
-From J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

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Gun Control: because what's the fun of being in the Majority if the Minority are able to defend themselves?
Your ignorance is someone else's superpower.
CRT isn't meant to radicalize young minoritie

Makes sense. Here's hoping the site does continue humming along, even if the articles reduce to a trickle. This place is one of the few bastions of truth left. I've sort of come to depend on it for my sanity. I'd adjust if you shut it down, but it would definitely suck.

After several years of being a technical cube dweller, a couple decades ago I started my first small business almost accidentally on my kitchen table. Ran it while staying in the cube to pay the bills. No vacation for 11 years.

Finally made the break and have now started 6 companies, abandoning the state of my birth (CA) along the way, due to democRats, quite some time ago.

End of July, I sold my most recent business with the following vows: I will NEVER AGAIN undertake or support a payroll. I've signed the front side of thousands of paychecks and it's just not worth the expense, hassle, taxes and government bullshit anymore to sacrifice so that others can show up to a job for which they get paid before I do (assuming there's anything left this month to pay me) and via which they qualify for medical and unemployment insurance (paid for by me) that I don't qualify for, since I just pay the premiums and owners don't qualify for that which I pay for.

I will NEVER AGAIN collect and remit sales taxes for any government entity. Same reasons. Screw 'em.

From now on, my personal revenue models have changed. Turns out, I like trading and am getting fairly good at it.

Go, Karl! At the very least, I owe you for turning me on to the Z-10, not to mention all the interesting reads here.

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He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. - The Declaration of Independence