“I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. That’s my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor… and surviving.” Colonel Kurtz, Apocalypse Now

Amidst the backdrop of total economic dread, an act of violence has underscored the public’s frustration and rage against America’s systemic healthcare failures. On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was brutally gunned down in Midtown Manhattan, outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where he was to attend a crucial investors’ meeting. His death, marked by the chilling messages “Delay”, “Deny”, “Depose” etched on the cartridge casings, reflects a deep-seated animosity towards the insurance industry’s practices of claim denials. Thompson had been under fire for his company’s portfolio insurance, artificial intelligence, algorithmic policies, and the threat against his life was not new.

The suspect, Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old genius from the University of Pennsylvania, was arrested five days later, carrying not just the tools of his crime, a 3D-printed pistol and suppressor, but also a manifesto that echoed Ted Kaczynski’s critique of society, specifically targeting the use of artificial intelligence algorithms in the healthcare system.  Mangione’s motivations seem rooted in personal grievances, possibly from an injury that left him disillusioned with health insurance company practices. This act of human desperation, while extreme, has ignited a polarized response from the American populace akin to the Revolutionary fervor of the French Revolution.

Thompson’s assassination didn’t just shock, it catalyzed a public discourse that revealed the deep fractures in our society’s trust towards corporate America, particularly in healthcare. While some condemned the act, others on social media platforms expressed contempt for Thompson and UnitedHealth, lauding Mangione as a vigilante against an insurance system known for its heartlessness. Surveys post-incident have shown a significant portion of Americans attributing some responsibility to the health insurance industry’s practices for inciting such violence, with younger and liberal demographics showing more sympathetic views towards Mangione.  This event has not only raised questions about executive security but has also intensified scrutiny over the U.S. healthcare industry’s role in societal well-being.

The surge in inquiries about protective services for CEOs reflects a broader fear among the elite of becoming targets in a society increasingly disillusioned with the status quo.  In the heart of Silicon Valley, where innovation meets opulence, there exists a modern parallel to the historical indifference encapsulated by Marie Antoinette’s “Let them eat cake.” Here, the U.S. tech elite have coined their own version of this callous human disregard on numerous internet Podcasts, yodeling at the top of their lungs, “Let them wear Loro Piana.” This new Silicon Valley phrase, invoking the name of a luxury brand known for its high-priced cashmere and vicuña garments, signifies the deep disconnect between Silicon Valley’s wealthiest and the everyday struggles of the masses of Americans living hand to mouth. It’s a mantra that suggests that the problems of job loss, housing crises, and economic disparity can be overlooked by simply aspiring to the luxury that the tech magnates enjoy, mocking the very real issues with a display of wealth.  This Loro Piana slogan, often uttered in the hallowed halls of tech success or at exclusive gatherings, reflects a Silicon Valley culture that has grown alarmingly out of touch with common American economic realities.

Instead of using artificial intelligence to solve everyday problems of health and wellness to America’s most disadvantaged, these “Tech Bros” of Silicon Valley’s technological elite, draped in their Loro Piana like the French aristocracy before the revolution, seem to believe that their prosperity can somehow insulate them from the consequences of American societal divide. Yet, this haughty attitude might well be the modern-day prelude to widespread civil unrest, where the hubris of “Let them wear Loro Piana” could accelerate the very economic collapse and social discord they might wish to ignore, echoing the lessons of history left unheeded.

Against this violent backdrop, the Western economic narrative is no less dire. The European financial markets, inflated by manipulation and false narratives, are on the verge of collapse. The American housing market, propped up by governmental and Federal Reserve interventions, shows signs of imminent collapse with sales at a 29-year low and prices still artificially high. The average American, facing unprecedented inflation and rising debt, is on the brink of financial ruin. The narrative spun by those in power is a mere distraction, a veil of fear masking the true, grim reality that the United States economy is on a collision course with catastrophe. With the national debt skyrocketing by $2.3 trillion in the last fiscal year under the watch of both the Biden administration and the so-called GOP fiscal conservatives, we are witnessing an economic condition so unsustainable that it propels the nation towards a disastrous rendezvous with destiny. By the time Trump’s inauguration rolls around, another $400 billion will have been added, pushing the national debt to an ominous $36.1 trillion, a 30% surge that will be a tsunami to the Titanic “tulip bubble” in artificial intelligence stocks as well as health insurance stocks.

John Milton in Paradise Lost said that, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..”, a dream state where Americans are stashing their retirement dreams into 401ks and IRAs, blissfully unaware and all snug in the S&P 500 because, you know, stocks “always” go up, right. Who needs to know about financial risk when there’s such a comforting fairy tale to believe in! It’s not like anyone on CNBC or in the financial sector would dare tell us the unvarnished truth about the economic markets, why ruin the party with facts?  And let’s talk about those top 10 American stocks, shall we? The average American, with their retirement savings precariously invested in the S&P 500, trusts in the myth of perpetual growth, blind to the seismic risks at play. This is a reality-distorting farce because without the artificial life support of $7 trillion in government spending, the American economy would be in a deep depression.

Thanks to the ingenious artificial intelligence “algorithms” of the Wall Street cabal, we’re all supposed to believe we’re living in an economic utopia. Sure, it’s all smoke and mirrors, but who cares when the illusion looks so pretty? Meanwhile, the other 490 stocks are just chilling, not doing much because, apparently, they didn’t get the memo on the government’s $7 trillion spending spree to fake a depression away.  Anyone claiming we’re not in a bubble must be either on the payroll or just loves living in denial. After all, this bubble’s bigger than the Dotcom fiasco and the 2008 housing debacle combined! The market’s P/E and CAPE ratios scream overvaluation, foretelling a catastrophic stock market correction.  The 40% market value of the top 10 stocks is a full 50% higher than the Dotcom bubble in 2001 and 75% higher than the 2008 housing bubble top. Even a minor reversion to the mean would cause a catastrophic stock market crash.  But hey, what’s a little market crash among friends? Let’s keep pretending everything’s fine until it’s not.

As we look to 2025, the question isn’t if but when the American stock market tulip bubble will burst. Trump’s potential policies, whether they aim to cut government spending or not, are likely to either accelerate this American economic downturn or force a necessary but painful reset. The coming years could see the U.S. grappling with either deflationary depression or hyperinflation, each scenario offering its own form of societal upheaval.  The assassination of Brian Thompson serves as the stark symbol of the broader multi-systemic U.S. government organ failures of our time: economic, political, and social. As we brace for the confirmation of Trump’s cabinet and the potential for deep reforms, the specter of total economic collapse looms large, with the violence directed primarily against healthcare artificial intelligence, a grim reminder of the consequences of systemic neglect and abuse of those most marginalized in American society. Our philosopher’s journey ahead is fraught with danger, and as this American societal transition accelerates to its climax, we are all left to ponder not just the future of our economy but the very fabric of our American society.

The assassination of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, also brings to light a critical issue of our time about the necessity for medical autonomy, free from the clutches of corporate health insurance company algorithms. Much like America’s Founding Father, John Adams’ historical outcry against judicial dependency on the Crown, the modern American health sector faces a similar peril with insurance companies wielding AI algorithms to make life-altering decisions about patient medical care.  John Adams argued that judges should not be “entirely dependent on the Crown for Bread [as] well as office,” a sentiment that resonates with the need for doctors and patients to make healthcare decisions without the overshadowing influence of profit-driven AI health insurance financial portfolio systems. The violent end of Brian Thompson’s life starkly illustrates the American public’s deep-seated frustration with a health insurance system where financial algorithms might prioritize cost over care, echoing the need for medical professionals to regain control over their practice of medicine, much like Jay and Hamilton fought for judicial independence.

Alexander Hamilton’s advocacy for an independent judiciary, emphasizing in Federalist No. 78 that liberty hinges on the separation of powers, parallels today’s call for American medical autonomy. Hamilton pointed out the judiciary’s need to be free from external pressures to serve as a “bulwark” against encroachment, a notion that directly applies to U.S. healthcare. In an era where UnitedHealthcare’s AI algorithms could dictate medical treatment plans based on financial metrics rather than medical necessity, the integrity of U.S. medical practice is at stake. Just as Hamilton fought for American judges to have permanent tenure and secure compensation to maintain impartiality, there’s a compelling case for American medical professionals to be insulated from financial artificial intelligence algorithms that do not account for the nuanced, human aspects of healthcare. The implications of this “Satanic” dependency could lead to an American societal breakdown, akin to the economic collapse of historical “tulip bubbles”, where the trust in our U.S. healthcare system might burst, leaving patients and doctors at the mercy of an opaque, profit-oriented, health insurance, artificial intelligence algorithm rather than the art and science of human medicine.

“That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil”-Friedrich Nietzsche