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   It might be a strange title, but we need to look at the Netherlands in the   
   Golden Age.   
      
   The Netherlands was the most powerful state, had the most powerful navy, held   
   the world currency, and Amsterdam was the center of the world. The Netherlands   
   was where new technological developments took place.   
      
   Everyone with talent came to the Netherlands.   
      
   But 50 years later, the situation was completely different. That's where the   
   US is now.   
      
   Manufacturing goods became too expensive in the Netherlands. Workers were paid   
   well, and that made products expensive. The navy was large and powerful, but   
   expensive. There was plenty of money, but all that money was looking for a   
   return. There was profit to be made in England, just as the US saw that there   
   was profit to be made in China. The Netherlands financed its future enemy with   
   capital that couldn't generate sufficient returns in the Netherlands. Capital   
   knows no flag or nationality. We see that in the US. Apple spent a lot of   
   money educating the Chinese population. Meanwhile, in the US, virtually no   
   money goes to schools anymore.   
      
   The Netherlands invested in the British version of our Dutch East India   
   Company (VOC). After all, it generated higher returns because costs were lower   
   there.   
      
   Even Warren Buffett invested in BYD, which is now bigger than Tesla.   
      
   Ultimately, the guilder was no longer the global currency. England had a   
   large, modern navy, and it defeated the now outdated and obsolete Dutch navy.   
   The Dutch generation that came after the working-class generation became   
   lawyers or asset managers. Innovation in the Netherlands was lost because the   
   next generation was well-off and wanted to provide services, not produce.   
      
   The shipyards went bankrupt in the Netherlands, while those in England   
   flourished.   
      
   Look at the US. The shipyards are bankrupt, the car industry has moved to   
   Canada and Mexico or is facing stiff competition from China. The global   
   currency is under severe attack, and the American military leadership is   
   practically unable to attract enough talented people. There's plenty of money   
   in the US, but it's looking for returns elsewhere in the world.   
      
   The US is a declining global power. On the verge of losing its glory. It could   
   still defeat Venezuela militarily, but that's about as far as it goes. It   
   lacks the industrial strength to commit to a long war. It's on the verge of   
   extinction.   
      
   Capital is either leaving or being invested in hard assets. US entrepreneurs   
   are no longer investing domestically. Foreign investors are supposed to fill   
   that void, but they're also pulling out because the US is fighting with   
   everyone just to maintain its role as world leader. The beginning of the end   
   has begun.   
      
      
    .   
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