What do you think?
Brazil Is the New America: How Brazil Offers Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World
Look to Brazil for safe, stable investmentsAs the future of the American economy seems to get bleaker by the day, it is tempting to look abroad for business opportunities. Europe and Asia don't provide much hope, but what about somewhere that's both closer to home and sunny year-round? In "Brazil is the New America: How Brazil Offers Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World, " James D. Davidson shows that the current financial situation in Brazil is a haven for those looking to make money in a world in turmoil.
With a population just 62 percent the size of that of the US, Brazil has added 15,023,633 jobs over the past eight years, while the US has lost millions. In a world burdened by bankrupt governments and aging populations, Brazil is solvent, with two people of working age for every dependent. In a world of "Peak Oil" Brazil is energy independent, with 70 billion barrels of oil, 60% of the world's unused arable land, and 15% of its fresh water. Comparatively non-leveraged--and with significant room for growth and expansion, as well as vast natural resources, Brazil is a haven of opportunity.
Written by James D. Davidson, the editor/publisher of "Strategic Investment" and cofounder of Agora and the media outlet, Newsmax, "Brazil is the New America details: "How the original "America" now embodies the brightest hope for realizing the American Dream while the "Old America" is headed for a dramatic decline in the standard of livingInvestment opportunities not only for those willing to relocate, but anyone who can consider investing thereThe cost structure of employment in Brazil versus the United States
Brazil has already learned its lesson about the dangers of inflation. Cash has taken the place of credit, and high interest rate returns are now the norm.
With a population just 62 percent the size of that of the US, Brazil has added 15,023,633 jobs over the past eight years, while the US has lost millions. In a world burdened by bankrupt governments and aging populations, Brazil is solvent, with two people of working age for every dependent. In a world of "Peak Oil" Brazil is energy independent, with 70 billion barrels of oil, 60% of the world's unused arable land, and 15% of its fresh water. Comparatively non-leveraged--and with significant room for growth and expansion, as well as vast natural resources, Brazil is a haven of opportunity.
Written by James D. Davidson, the editor/publisher of "Strategic Investment" and cofounder of Agora and the media outlet, Newsmax, "Brazil is the New America details: "How the original "America" now embodies the brightest hope for realizing the American Dream while the "Old America" is headed for a dramatic decline in the standard of livingInvestment opportunities not only for those willing to relocate, but anyone who can consider investing thereThe cost structure of employment in Brazil versus the United States
Brazil has already learned its lesson about the dangers of inflation. Cash has taken the place of credit, and high interest rate returns are now the norm.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
James Dale Davidson
47 books180 followersJames Dale Davidson is an American writer and private investor. He specializes in the domain of economics and finance. Davidson had a successful career as a financial advisor, and in the year 1969, he established the National Taxpayers Union. James Dale Davidson was an alumna of the Oxford University. He pursued an undergraduate degree in the institution. As of now, we aren’t aware of any additional details about his education.
Currently, Mr. Davidson holds the position of Co-Editor in the department of Strategic Investment at Banyan Hill Publishing. He retired from the world of investment in the year 2004, only to eventually return to the firm.
He has spent a significant part of his life discussing about an overreaching government. He is best known as an economist and financial predictor, who allegedly predicted every significant financial event since the last thirty years.
Currently, Mr. Davidson holds the position of Co-Editor in the department of Strategic Investment at Banyan Hill Publishing. He retired from the world of investment in the year 2004, only to eventually return to the firm.
He has spent a significant part of his life discussing about an overreaching government. He is best known as an economist and financial predictor, who allegedly predicted every significant financial event since the last thirty years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 13, 2017
This book painted a picture that was too rosy even in 2012, Brazil has never come close to become "the new America" and it still faced tough challenges typical of an underdeveloped country. However, it had finally found economic stability since 1994 and especially since 2003, where it indeed started offering the upward mobility mentioned by the book, a good reason why it emerged mostly unscatched from the 2008 financial crisis. This has become moot since 2014, because Brazil has been under a nearly 3-year long recession.
However, Brazil has always been a minority rule country. That changed when former trade unionist Lula became president, mobilizing the lower classes of the country, which are mostly mixed-race of black. These classes were able to enjoy a social mobility that had been unique to them in Brazil, which meant really high approval ratings for then-president Lula, especially during his second term (he left office with a 80% approval rating), but that didn't come without conservative backlash, since the white minority that used to rule the country unopposed and segregated from the poor started to bother about that mobility.
Lula's high approval ratings meant he was able to elected his successor, Dilma Rousseff, who adopted some populist policies who backfired, slowing the growth down and leading to inflation, however, the worst was yet to come. She was able to win a tough reelection fight but then the conservative backlash started to finally take over, chasing her over a quasi-fascist hunt over corruption, despite being extremely corrupt themselves. Using lawfare and legislative obstruction, they were able to impeach the president, who still hasn't been indicted for any crime.
The new president, Michel Temer, is a dream for the white elite, a social conservative who supports tricke-down economics and male supremacy (you can see it in his internation women's day speech, where he said women were good because they are able to check supermarket prices). Since taking office, Temer has embraced an austerity-heavy, trickle-down agenda, thwarting any possiblity of upward mobility. Despite Temer's claims that he would be able to take the country off its current recession, GDP growth has been adjusted down for 2017, unemployment rate is at 12%.
President Temer, despite his questionable legitimacy, doesn't care, while his approval rating may be hitting 10% (similar to Rousseff's when she was impeached), he has close to 80% support in both chambers of Congress, meaning he has no check to his power despite his unpopularity. The movements who led the claims for Rousseff's impeachment have since become entrenched onto Temer's government (especially Free Brazil Movement). While corruption was the main reason to unseat the former president, Temer's government has been plagued by scandals since day 1, because it's been supported by the most corrupt sectors of brazilian politics (like agrarians and the religious right).
The country has been in turnmoil and the situation has only gotten worse, the next presidential election is scheduled for 2018 (albeit no one knows if it's really going to happen). Former president Lula currently leads the polls but has become an extremely polarizing figure since leaving office, because he is the #1 enemy of the current leaders of the conservative backlash, who have spent years trashing his public image, including threatening him with indictments that would prevent him from running. The conservative movement, despite finally achieving power, wants to move even further to the right, empowered by Donald Trump's win in America, their biggest hope is retired soldier Jair Bolsonaro, who, despite being in Congress since the early 90s, has positioned himself as an outsider who is running under a Trump-like platform of law and order (crime in Brazil is quite high and that has never changed, meaning his extreme solutions, including reinstating the death penalty, have gained support), extreme social conservatism, especially against LGBT people, who are to him what muslims are to Geert Wilders and a heavy dose of nationalism.
He is an open supporter of the military dictatorship that ruled the country for 20 years after a coup d'etat in 1964, meaning his idea of "making Brazil great again" (despite the fact that Brazil has never come close to greatness and faces tons of problems) is returning to that era of authoritarian rule and censorship.
However, Brazil has always been a minority rule country. That changed when former trade unionist Lula became president, mobilizing the lower classes of the country, which are mostly mixed-race of black. These classes were able to enjoy a social mobility that had been unique to them in Brazil, which meant really high approval ratings for then-president Lula, especially during his second term (he left office with a 80% approval rating), but that didn't come without conservative backlash, since the white minority that used to rule the country unopposed and segregated from the poor started to bother about that mobility.
Lula's high approval ratings meant he was able to elected his successor, Dilma Rousseff, who adopted some populist policies who backfired, slowing the growth down and leading to inflation, however, the worst was yet to come. She was able to win a tough reelection fight but then the conservative backlash started to finally take over, chasing her over a quasi-fascist hunt over corruption, despite being extremely corrupt themselves. Using lawfare and legislative obstruction, they were able to impeach the president, who still hasn't been indicted for any crime.
The new president, Michel Temer, is a dream for the white elite, a social conservative who supports tricke-down economics and male supremacy (you can see it in his internation women's day speech, where he said women were good because they are able to check supermarket prices). Since taking office, Temer has embraced an austerity-heavy, trickle-down agenda, thwarting any possiblity of upward mobility. Despite Temer's claims that he would be able to take the country off its current recession, GDP growth has been adjusted down for 2017, unemployment rate is at 12%.
President Temer, despite his questionable legitimacy, doesn't care, while his approval rating may be hitting 10% (similar to Rousseff's when she was impeached), he has close to 80% support in both chambers of Congress, meaning he has no check to his power despite his unpopularity. The movements who led the claims for Rousseff's impeachment have since become entrenched onto Temer's government (especially Free Brazil Movement). While corruption was the main reason to unseat the former president, Temer's government has been plagued by scandals since day 1, because it's been supported by the most corrupt sectors of brazilian politics (like agrarians and the religious right).
The country has been in turnmoil and the situation has only gotten worse, the next presidential election is scheduled for 2018 (albeit no one knows if it's really going to happen). Former president Lula currently leads the polls but has become an extremely polarizing figure since leaving office, because he is the #1 enemy of the current leaders of the conservative backlash, who have spent years trashing his public image, including threatening him with indictments that would prevent him from running. The conservative movement, despite finally achieving power, wants to move even further to the right, empowered by Donald Trump's win in America, their biggest hope is retired soldier Jair Bolsonaro, who, despite being in Congress since the early 90s, has positioned himself as an outsider who is running under a Trump-like platform of law and order (crime in Brazil is quite high and that has never changed, meaning his extreme solutions, including reinstating the death penalty, have gained support), extreme social conservatism, especially against LGBT people, who are to him what muslims are to Geert Wilders and a heavy dose of nationalism.
He is an open supporter of the military dictatorship that ruled the country for 20 years after a coup d'etat in 1964, meaning his idea of "making Brazil great again" (despite the fact that Brazil has never come close to greatness and faces tons of problems) is returning to that era of authoritarian rule and censorship.
November 26, 2013
The book I read to research this post was Brazil Is The New America by James Dale Davidson which is an excellent book which I read at
http://safaribooksonline.com
This book argues that Brazil is the economy to watch in the coming years and will attain the status Britain had in Victorian times & the USA currently has of being the strongest economy in the world. Brazil has had problems like debt and runaway inflation which was at around 6,000% and resulted in high speed cheque clearing systems that are only now catching on in the rest of the world. Brazil has abundant natural resources and is one of the 5 biggest nations in both area and population. Despite that it has a young population that is rapidly growing unlike China where the population is generally aging due to measures to curb any increase. Also Brazil is relatively sparsely populated with much land that is cheap and can be cultivated which has been attracting farmers from abroad. Brazil is the world's biggest producer of beef and poultry. The potential for alternative energy is huge with many fast flowing rivers and sunshine. There has been crude oil discovered which they are developing and the cost of crude is likely to rise in coming years as light crude becomes scarcer and they have to turn to more sulphurous crude which is more expensive to refine. The people in Brazil tend to be either very poor or very rich and a problem in developed countries is the cost of a benefits system which is right but does slow down the economy. I would like to read more on Brazil and I did really enjoy reading this book and it's an interesting subject.
http://safaribooksonline.com
This book argues that Brazil is the economy to watch in the coming years and will attain the status Britain had in Victorian times & the USA currently has of being the strongest economy in the world. Brazil has had problems like debt and runaway inflation which was at around 6,000% and resulted in high speed cheque clearing systems that are only now catching on in the rest of the world. Brazil has abundant natural resources and is one of the 5 biggest nations in both area and population. Despite that it has a young population that is rapidly growing unlike China where the population is generally aging due to measures to curb any increase. Also Brazil is relatively sparsely populated with much land that is cheap and can be cultivated which has been attracting farmers from abroad. Brazil is the world's biggest producer of beef and poultry. The potential for alternative energy is huge with many fast flowing rivers and sunshine. There has been crude oil discovered which they are developing and the cost of crude is likely to rise in coming years as light crude becomes scarcer and they have to turn to more sulphurous crude which is more expensive to refine. The people in Brazil tend to be either very poor or very rich and a problem in developed countries is the cost of a benefits system which is right but does slow down the economy. I would like to read more on Brazil and I did really enjoy reading this book and it's an interesting subject.
November 3, 2012
THe book starts with an interesting theme and in the first part tries to put some scientific spin on it. But halfway towards the end, the book takes a turn for the worst. It starts with some complaining about how America (meaning USA) is treating its citizens badly, how difficult is for an American to get a passport and its global tax system on Americans. Not terribly interesting for 95% of the world population. The final third is even worst, when he starts talking about Brazil.
September 17, 2012
Very interesting on the world economy and history of oil and development of nations. Easy to follow and fascinating!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews