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I have, perhaps, an out-of-date professional financial background. My cloudy crystal ball, even with new virus strains, forecasts a solid economy by mid-late 2022, with upward employment. I have made a bet with members of my investors club that inflation will fall to 2% or lower in November, 2022. P. S. As professor (age 58-to-80) I taught ECONOMICS FROM FEUDALISM TO THE PRESENT. (It’s much easier to analyze the past than predict the future.)

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So sorry not to have been a student of yours when you taught the economy in feudal times. Aren't there still some aspects of feudal economies in countries around the world? What about in the USA?

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Fern I find it futile to probe feudalism these days, as we had slithered back to the Dark Ages in various ways. No king or pope was ever as rich as some of today’s tech moguls, and the peasants of yesteryear often had more security than the working poor today. Back then the land barons offered life-long employment and protection to their serfs. Today many corporations treat employees as disposable widgets. Back then folks died young. Now we have the ‘problem’ of folks living too long, threatening to bankrupt Medicare and Social Security. Something can be said for an ancient Indian custom of serving grand pa a sumptuous meal before guiding him alone into the forest to expire with a full belly. Personally I now look askance at family-planned sumptuous meals and am thankful that I’m still around after Thanksgiving dinner. My next gastronomic ‘hurdle’ is Christmas dinner. I hope to be unforested for the new year.

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May you be "unforested" for years to come!

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Keith, I retracting 'wily' for riveting. You are one riveting fellow whatever you're up to.

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A Holiday hug for the wily Professor. Naturally, you keep teaching us. Many folks did better under feudalism than we do under capitalism. I started to mouth-off but will stop at the top of the iceberg. Naturally, it is going to melt any second, thanks to...

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