By Jeff Voudrie Recent purchases of billions of rounds of ammunition and 1400 Armored Vehicles for use WITHIN the United States should cause retirees to ask themselves whether the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) knows something that they don’t.
The Department of Homeland Security was formed in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and was given a single task: keeping the American people safe. A Presidential Proclamation celebrating the 10th anniversary of its formation states that “DHS has taken action to make our borders and ports more secure, our critical infrastructure and cyber networks more resilient, and our people more engaged in addressing the dangers we face.”
In other words, the focus of DHS is on terrorism within the United States of America—on ‘home’ soil as opposed to ‘foreign’ soil. Based on two recent purchases, those inside the DHS likely expect mass unrest within our borders.
News reports indicated that over the last year, the Department of Homeland Security has purchased and stored 1.6 billion rounds of handgun ammunition (.40 caliber and 9mm). Considering something like 70 million rounds of ammunition are used in an active battlefield in a year, that purchase seems excessively large.
Now, DHS has purchased 2700 Mine Resistant Armor Protected Vehicles “for service on the streets of the U.S.”
Retired investors already face the daunting task of trying to get sufficient income from their assets to meet their needs in a low interest rate environment. They already have to deal with the long-lasting impact of excessive debt levels and out-of-control spending. They have to factor in the prospect of Iran becoming nuclear.
Do they now have to factor in the potential for riots in American cities and/or domestic terrorism?
Twitter: @JeffVoudrie @seeitmarket
Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.
