Gage Patterson

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@ElijahEv8 You do great work, keep it up.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@Super70sSports Sixto Lezcano

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@Super70sSports Steve Lake

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@DrJStrategy I'm hoping your post is satire.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@chorizy I miss Hamm’s can’t get it out West.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@barstoolWSD Very young

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@goldengoatguild Nice, I think what works for him is he isn’t overly exposed but at the same time recognizable and IMO can pull off that character which is a unique fit.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@SahilBloom East of Eden

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@esaagar @DropSiteNews This is wildly optimistic

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@Super70sSports Downhill From Here

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@ClayTravis What metrics are you using to define success?

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@HawkEmDownChris Jody Davis

[Mike and Jeff show @AgrisAcademy @AgrisAcademy]

My Venezuela experience as head of trading in the region for Cargill.

Cargill was/is the leading producer of critical staple ingredients such as flour, pasta, vegetable oil, and rice in VZ. I am not saying I agree with grabbing the dictator, but I did have a front row seat to the damage a kleptocracy did to innocent people.
1. The government took over our "minute rice" facility at gunpoint because we were "gouging" the nation's poor. The government was never able to run the plant. It never ran again. It was returned years later with no equipment inside
2. There are 1000's of generals in the army. They are each given a slice of the economy to loot. The large number of generals made it difficult to organize a coup against the regime.
3. The government opened grocery stores and sold staples below the cost we sold them to the government. In theory they used petro oil money to lower grocery prices. Our regular grocery outlets were forced out of business. When the government demanded we sell them products below cost we simply had to shut down. The populous became ever more dependent on the government handouts. (PS this is the mayor of New York City's proposal.
4. Dollars- We needed dollars to go buy raw materials like wheat from places like the US and Canada. The government would periodically allocate us some dollars that could only be spent for raw materials and freight. Eventually only the local companies that can and would pay bribes got dollar allocations. We had several facilities closed for lack of raw material
5. My employees liked working for Cargill. The office was an armed compound with access to a gym, high speed internet, global communications, and a weekly box of basic staples. Cargill provided a safe and secure environment if only for the working hours.
6. Employees became very close to others inside the apartment building. Going out on the street with a desperate population was not advisable.
7. I needed wood pallets for feed. We tried to export wood pallets to swap for grain. We refused to pay the bribes it would take to export the pallets
8. I once tried to set up a closed loop wheat planting to flour mill supply chain. A. They came and stole all the seed wheat for food. When we tried to ship in seed wheat in containers via US donors there was no way to get it out of the port without it being stolen
9. Livestock- Our feed business completely collapsed. Even if you could raise a pig, you couldn't defend it from being stolen. People with guns were hungry.
10. Employees- In the end my highly skilled team alone with other highly educated people chose to leave. Cargill often found jobs for them in other Latin countries. The regime was more than happy to see the well-educated leave the country. Setting these employees up with high quality stable jobs after fleeing remains one of the best things I ever did in my career. No one remembers millions in trading earnings.

This is a short list. In my opinion the first money spent needs to happen now and it needs to be food. The US is already on the clock. The current regime does not care if it starves the population. The orgy of theft will actually accelerate if they believe their days are numbered. VZ should be an outstanding customer of US grown ag products. Rice, bread wheat, veg oil ect. Feed the people first.

Jeff Kazin
Former head trading Cargill

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@Super70sSports Tennessee Jed. There, I said it.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@goldengoatguild Listened to it a couple week's ago on Darryl's rec. Absolutely loved it and bought the hard copy of Crowbar last week.

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@shapsio yikes

[Luke Gromen @LukeGromen]

It is not often I read something that blows my mind, but this did. 🤯

I would highly recommend taking the 5 minutes to read it, and then an additional 5 minutes to pause and reflect to consider all the ways our world is about to radically change.

h/t @matthew_pines

[Gage Patterson @GagePatterson1]

@travisyost So witty!

[Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin]

I hope I'm wrong.

But tonight feels like some sort of invisible line has been crossed that we didn't even know was there. The last time I felt like this was 9/11 when it was clear, without knowing the how and the what, that the world was about to change forever.

Like the rules of the game had been permanently altered and there was simply no going to back to the innocent, peaceful past.

I didn't feel like this when an attempt was made on President Trump's life. If I had to rationalise why I didn't, I guess it's because several US Presidents have been shot at and even assassinated. Somehow it was within the realms of the possible, no matter how awful.

But to murder a young father simply for doing debates and mobilising young people to vote for a party that represents half of America? This is something else.

Charlie's death is a tragedy for his wife, his children and his family. I don't pray often. I am praying for them tonight.

But I fear his murder will be a tragedy for all of us in ways we will only understand as time unfolds.

I hope I'm wrong.