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he New York Times reported last month that a record number of cargo container ships were anchored off the California coast. The logjam continues today. Although few news outlets are giving it much attention, large corporations are certainly taking notice and preparing for serious supply chain delays, and so should every American.
Walmart is in the process of remodeling its stores and reducing its number of shopping aisles. Although it may result in more space for consumers, some are claiming it is a sign that the retail giant is anticipating smaller inventories. Just last month, Doug McMillion, the CEO of Walmart, announced an infusion of $14 billion in supply chain capital investments. Executives claim they are seeing the worst supply chain problems and inventory shortages in their entire careers. Where is this shortage coming from, and what are the potential repercussions for average Americans?
Although supply chains have shown strain over the last decade, the predominant cause in the current supply chain bottleneck is COVID policy. Supplies from Asia have been hindered the most. The main ports of entry for container ships coming from Asia, are in liberal cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, and Long Beach. These cities advocated for some of the most restrictive COVID protocols and have been resistant to getting their citizens back to work. Some large port employers downsized during the pandemic. Additionally, federally subsidized unemployment payments have incentivized many longshoremen to remain at home.
Meanwhile, online shopping has grown exponentially. Modest estimates have e-commerce growing by 14 percent in 2021. Walmart’s online sales grew 79 percent in its most recently completed fiscal year. Unfortunately for Walmart, its supply chain may be incapable of meeting the growing online demand. This is a simple supply and demand problem. So many Americans are ordering items online that the demand is greater than the supply chain can manage. Airfreight does supplement shipping and is recording record profits but is unable to replace maritime supply chains.
The bottleneck at U.S. ports of entry is likely to worsen with the upcoming holiday season. But the repercussions for average Americans could be more detrimental than […]
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They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We have a Giving Fuel page to help us pay the bills. It’s brand new so don’t be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It’s a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there’s a reason others haven’t been donating. In our situation, we’re just getting started so please don’t be shy if you have the means to help.
Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker