I love a predictable market. In 2008 I had some extra money. I invested in all of the major gun manufacturers. I figured a “foreign,” black, “terrorist-loving” “probable antichrist” Democrat president would give the NRA and the manufacturers regular opportunities to blindly stampede their customers into the stores.

Sure enough, about every six months the cry went out: “They are going to take away your guns tomorrow! Buy more now! You may never have a chance again!” My stocks performed quite handsomely over those eight years.

A week before the 2016 election, I sold all of my stocks at a tidy profit on the off-chance President Trump would win. If Hillary had won, I would have quickly bought them all back with minimal loss.

In two short years, sales had tanked. The companies were seriously talking bankruptcy. I bought them all back, plus more, at close to multi-decade lows. The NRA and such tried to stampede their followers a couple times but failed miserably.

2020 was an unexpected surprise. All of the: “Civilization is coming to an end!” Or the opposite: “The government is going to take over!” Strangely some people said both things at the same time. That pushed things to new heights. COVID and demand created a shortage and price inflation that may take another year or more to clear up. I was doing fine.

I would have sold all my stocks by early summer if President Trump had been reelected, figuring the market will collapse again from lack of demand by 2022. President Biden has the usual suspects starting the old: “Buy Now or else!” chant to the sheeple.

That combined extending the current shortage for an indefinite period will work quite well for me through 2024. Maybe longer, depending on who wins. I sincerely wish to thank those people for being so predictable.

Bob Mitchell

Enumclaw