Welcome to day 36 of the "apocalypse" - also known as the longest government shutdown in US history. Except nothing actually collapsed. Parks closed while we sent billions overseas. SNAP benefits are being held hostage while Congress gets paid. It's almost like they're using your groceries as a political weapon. Luke Tatum & Rob Brayton from Perfect Spiral Capital, and myself break down the strangest hostage crisis in American history - where 42 million people (34% of which are children) get caught in the crossfire between politicians arguing about which subsidies matter more. Healthcare subsidies versus food subsidies. Or more accurately the warfare state versus the domestic population? As if we couldn't just let people keep their own money in the first place.? The SNAP Reality Check: The average family receiving benefits receives $350/month. This makes up to 1.8% of total federal spending. We're running half a trillion dollar monthly deficits but somehow feeding people is what gets dropped? Rob points out the absurdity - we've got enough waste in the other $6+ trillion to cover this without blinking. The Real Problem: It's not about whether people should or shouldn't receive benefits. It's about sociopaths using food access as their political cudgel. That's terrorism by definition - leveraging human suffering for political means. Luke shares the deeper issue: the benefit cliff. Make any money, lose everything. It's not about helping people thrive - it's about control. When government controls whether you eat, they control what you do. The MMT Con: Modern Monetary Theory says you can print infinite money as long as you pay it back during good times. Except we never get to those "good times" where paying back happens. Just endless pulling on the credit card while pretending math doesn't exist. Austrian Reality: Rob and Luke bring the Austrian economics perspective - value needs to come from somewhere. You can't just print prosperity. But somehow during shutdowns, billions still flow overseas while Americans worry about groceries. The Positive Spin: Instead of depending on systems designed to keep you dependent, build your own foundation. Rob shares the mindset shift: take $100, turn it into $200 in 30 days. Buy a dresser, refinish it, sell it for profit. This abundance thinking beats trading time for money. Check out Perfect Spiral Capital's Eight Forms of Capital article to understand how to leverage different types of assets into actual wealth. When you control your own capital through properly structured systems, you don't need politicians deciding whether you eat. The government breaks your legs then hands you crutches. Maybe it's time to stop saying thanks. Ready to build wealth systems that don't require government permission? Visit PerfectSpiralCapital.com/podcast for the free toolkit on taking control of your money.