Post Hill Press

Much of the contemporary crazy can be traced to the 1980s—America of the 2020s is living with the cultural shapeshifting rooted in that decade.

Americans lived in a different reality in 1980: Vermont was the only state that let residents carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Twenty-four states now allow this—and numerous other gun laws have fallen by the wayside. When police were accused of wrongdoing, the default answer from society’s arbiters—courts, politicians, newspaper editors—was: “The police wouldn’t lie.” Editors steered clear of stories about rape and sexual violence. The word “homeless” wasn’t in common use. The fabric of the middle class had not yet begun fraying.

America of the 2020s is living with cultural shapeshifting rooted in the 1980s. History, of course, is not a snapshot—it’s a film. To understand the United States today, we have to know the 1980s. American Doom Loop chronicles the first part of that moving picture, then brings the story forward.

As a newspaper journalist, Dale Maharidge had a front-row seat to this decade, immersed in disparate worlds. He was in the Philippines during the last days of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, witnessing the US lose a critical piece of its empire dating to the Spanish–American War; he traveled to Central America where the East-West conflict was playing out by proxy; he smuggled a Salvadoran family marked by death squads, driving them through trackless desert to the US border; he embedded with a group that was a precursor to the Oath Keepers; and he investigated police, who kept trying to get him fired.

Through it all, Maharidge gained an invaluable view of a complicated decade that offers insight into our society today.

You receive investment advice from a financial advisor, have your tax returns prepared by an accountant, and have your will and estate plan written by an attorney. When was the last time these three key consultants got together to discuss your overall financial game plan? You might have taken all the right steps, yet the trap has been set. You're basically working with three blind mice, and that can end up being very costly to you . . . because the blind mice don't pay the price, you do. Three Blind Mice supplies the understanding and tools you need to keep your key consultants connected and operating on the same financial game plan-because your financial future depends on it. The book includes links to additional resources that can help you avoid common retirement mistakes. It also explains ways you can:

• Help your heirs and the executor of your will avoid the daunting disaster of probate
• Ensure your family avoids unnecessary chaos and family squabbles after you are gone
• Protect your assets if you, your spouse, or parents must go into a nursing home
• Avoid paying any more in taxes than you're required to