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Great Depression Deja Vu - "A Chicken In Every Pot And A Maserati In Every Garage"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/02/2014 20:25 -0500

• Great Depression
 
• Mark Spitznagel
 
• Reality
 
• recovery

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In 1928, just as income inequality was surging, stocks were soaring and monetary distortions were rearing their ugly head, the now infamous words "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" were integral to Herbert Hoover's 1928 presidential run and a "vote for prosperity," all before the market's epic collapse. Fast forward 86 years and income inequality is at those same heady levels, stocks are at recorderer highs, the President is promising to hike the minimum wage to a "living wage" capable of filling every house with McChicken sandwiches and now... to top it all off - Maserati unveils their (apparent) "everyone should own a Maserati" commercial. It would seem that chart analogs are not the only reminder of the pre-crash era exuberance and its recovery mirage and massive monetary distortions.

Income inequality - check

The last time the top 10% of the US income distribution had such a large proportion of the entire nation's income was the 1920s - a period that culminated in the Great Depression and a collapse in that exuberance.

"Wealth effect" - check

Monetary distrortions - check

"Today there is a tremendous amount of monetary distortion, on par with the 1929 stock market and certainly the peak of 2007, and many others," warns Universa's Mark Spitznagel.

and "a Maserati in every garage"

It's a great looking car and emotionally imploring but... did they really just suggest (subliminally of course) that such luxury is to be had by all?

Perhaps a gentle reminder of the reality for 99.99% of Americans...compared to the Maserati buyer...

As Mark Spitznagel warned:

The reality is, when distortion is created, the only way out is to let the natural homeostasis take over. The purge that occurs after massive distortion is painful, but ultimately, it’s far better and healthier for the system.

While that may sound rather heartless, it’s actually the best and least destructive in the long run.

Look what happened in the 1930s, when the actions of the government prolonged what should have been a quick purge. Instead, the government prevented the natural rebuilding process from working, which made matters so much worse.