From JS: “How Does a BAD Thing Succeed?”

“As we all know, the country of Argentina is in a very, very bad economic situation, with inflation and poverty skyrocketing – and it was one of the richest countries in the world. How does that happen? Just open your eyes and you’ll figure it out.

“Now Javier Milei, the new elected leader, wants to end this downward slide and he has opposition. But what are they opposing? Success!

“Two different times in this article titled ‘Lefts Take Aim at Argentina’s New President’ in The Daily Signal, The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez, uses the word ‘succeed’ in reference to Milei’s free-market reforms – and then says it’s a BAD thing.

From RD re this essay – “Ego, Inspiration, and Achievement” – that I wrote years ago: 

“Thank you for writing this one. It resonated with me.”

From DG: Suing the COVID Makers

“As you can see from this article, it looks like people are suing the drug companies over the COVID vaccines in the UK. I remember you saying they couldn’t do this in the US, but it does raise another question about how dangerous they are.”

From LM: AWAI Needs You! 

“I recommend that you have AWAI send out a few of your articles each year or each month to the AWAI subscribers so we all can discover MarkFord.net sooner rather than later. I was an early subscriber to Early to Rise and early buyer of your Michael Masterson and AWAI books, and I joined Circle of Success around 2016. But it took me until 2024 to discover MarkFord.net! I learned of this site only through a link at the bottom of your article on goals that Craig Ballantyne recommended in his email.”

My Response: I can’t disagree with you! I Think every success-oriented business should be featuring my essays! The world would be much better, in my humble opinion, with more Mark Ford in it!

From BK: 

“Mark…You are getting more political these days. I like it!”

My Response: Western Civilization is definitely on the downslope. One can ignore some of it, and even laugh about some of it, but there’s never been a time I can remember when so many scary things were going on at the same time. And the war mongers and Big Pharma shills on both sides of the aisle want to make it much worse!

From JM, re my comment in the Jan. 2 issue that, according to several reports, women are more likely than men to have love partners before their divorce: 

“That also happens prior to a marriage. It is a survival strategy of not abandoning one ship before you have a different one to go to….”

From OM, a native of Nicaragua who is currently living in Florida: 

“A close friend of mine just visited Rancho Santana and he was stunned by the property and the beautiful community you built. The fact that you gave back to the locals by providing upward mobility to better their lives is a testament to who you are. Thank you.”

My Response: Thank you for your kind words. Of the many businesses and projects I’ve been involved in during my career, I’m especially proud of Rancho Santana (a for-profit resort) and FunLimón (a non-profit community center across the street from Rancho Santana). When I think that, 25 years ago, they were vacant land and cow pastures in one of the poorest districts in one of the poorest countries of Central America, it blows my mind.

From AS re my bit in the Dec. 22 issue about bad business-management ideas: 

“In my business, I would choose an Employee of the Month, every month. The staff had to park their cars in a lot away from our building. The reward for being Employee of the Month was to park your car right next to our workplace for an entire month.

“The award was in effect for over a year. The same employee, Greg, won it every single month. He didn’t own a car. No one’s feelings were hurt.”

From PJ: 

“I want to thank you for writing Automatic Wealth for Grads. I read it last year just before I graduated from university, and immediately put many of your suggestions to work. So far, I’ve landed a high-paying job, and I’m saving more than a third of my income. This year, I’m going to put some of that to work by investing in rental real estate and your Legacy Portfolio of stocks. I’ll check in next year to update you!”

From CC: 

“Just a short note to tell you that I am very grateful for the generous people God has put in my life… including your blog, which has allowed your readers to learn from your knowledge and wisdom. God bless you and your family.”

Re my essay “A World Divided: Is a New Dark Age Coming?” in the Dec. 10 issue: 

“Today’s post was very well done and lays perfectly a great historical proposition, summary, and conclusion for the argument you make.” – CF

“I thought I had a pessimistic view of the future. A new dark age? I wish I could dismiss your thought as crazy. Every day since you wrote that I’ve been watching the news and thinking, ‘Mark may be on to something!’ Keep on it!” – KC

My Response: Yes, my view on America’s future is dark. In fact, I think we (and Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) have entered another Dark Age. I’d like to think that the “other side” must understand how absurd their ideas are and will come to their senses before it’s too late.

Fans in unexpected places! 

“I’ve been following your personal blog for a long time. I am a fan of the way you write.” – RF, writing from Brazil

“Your book Living Rich resonated with me to such an extent that I have begun translating it into Romanian. It’s an honor to bring your valuable ideas to my fellow Romanians. Furthermore, your blog and other works, such as Ready, Fire, Aim, have been instrumental in my personal journey, helping me increase my net wealth by twentyfold.” – RS, writing from Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania

My Response: Thanks, RS.

Reminder: Readers of this blog can order most of my books – including Living Rich and Ready, Fire, Aim – directly from us at a discounted price. Click here.

From JS re what I said about my recent doctor visit in the Dec. 10 issue: 

“I never did get vaccinated as I didn’t trust it. Now you are the third person I have known to have adverse effects. Glad the good doctor was receptive to your concerns.”

From FP re my “World Divided” essay: 

“Loved your brief history of post-modernist thinking. It’s amazing to realize that college kids today buy into the idea that Israel colonized Palestine and runs an apartheid state.”

My Response: I’m sure they don’t even know the basic definitions of apartheid and colonialization. If they did, how could they possibly take the positions they are taking?

From GF: 

“I have been following you for about three years and have purchased several of your books. Thanks for all your writings. I truly enjoy!”

From AM: Now I’m in Charge. Help! 

“I recently took over the management of a small family-run enterprise. Although I have had the privilege of working for the company in the past, I am now faced with the challenge of steering it forward…. I am reaching out to seek your guidance and expertise. If you have any insights that might be beneficial in formulating an effective sales strategy for our niche, I would be grateful.”

My Response: I don’t take new clients, but I’d be happy to provide you with suggestions in this forum (my blog), as it can be useful to other readers. But before I can do that, I need you to be more specific in terms of your primary challenges and how you are approaching them.

From TQ: Thanks! 

“Just a short note to say thank you for all the wisdom you’ve shared. I’ve saved a lot of your articles, and they still give me a lot of value.”

From ND: 

“I pretty much agree with everything you say. Especially on the economics, COVID, and Israel/Palestine topics. And you are far too modest when it comes to some readers questioning your take on business and how money works. Your work has always been an inspiration to me, and I attribute a good chunk of your ideas to [the success of my business] so far.”

From PN: 

“This article makes a good case for why Biden will remain the Democratic candidate. I just wanted to share another view.”

My Response: The article explains the reasons Trump will almost certainly be the Republican candidate. But when it comes to Biden, the argument is that, despite his cognitive problems and low ratings, he will get the support of the Democratic machine and that will be enough to bring him to victory.

I think that’s doubtful. Given Biden’s current mental condition, I don’t believe he could stand up against Trump during a tough election. And if it becomes a Trump-Biden race, it will be sorely contested. Again IMHO, he will lose by a large margin.

My argument is that the key decision makers in the party have, at this point, the same doubts about Biden’s performance capability as I do. And being so close to him, and having had the advantage of speaking directly to him, they long ago decided that unless something drastic changed, he would not be the candidate they would put up against Trump in 2024.

They also realized that, given his current physical condition, he couldn’t possibly make it through another term. Which means he can’t have Kamala Harris as his running mate. She may be the most unpopular presidential figure of all time.

My prediction – that he will step aside and endorse Gavin Newsom to succeed him – is based on my belief that the Democrat decision-makers aren’t stupid. Nor are they ignorant about what it takes to get elected. Their primary interest lays in keeping and getting control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. And the only way they can do that is by putting Biden out to pasture and bringing in someone younger, quicker, and more charismatic. Newsom.

From CL re my musings on charity in the Nov. 21 issue: 

“It’s funny you don’t like the word ‘charity’ as I wish it were used more often – especially at church – instead of talking about ‘love’ left and right. ‘Charity’ would be the perfect candidate to revive the ancient distinction between eros and caritas.”

My Response: I understand what you mean. And although it may seem contradictory, I agree with you that in many cases the word charity is the best word to use. That’s because charity has the connotation of being voluntary – not forced – and certainly not an obligation on the part of the giver. It implies that the donation is a gift, not an entitlement, and that the recipient should see it as something he or she should be grateful for, rather than as something he/she is entitled to for whatever reason.

What I don’t like about the word is that it also connotes doing something that is a prima facie good, which I don’t believe it is.