The Klarenbach Report, Nov 21

I was a conspiracy theorist. Or so people would tell me. I preferred the term, part-time conspiracy theorist. The difference between a part-time and full-time conspiracy theorist is blurry and subjective. Is it a matter of time spent conducting internet “research”? Is it defined by the number of conspiracies that one has “knowledge”? Either way, I found comfort with the part-time label.

It was during lunch at Bredy’s Country Store in Eatonia when I met my buddy, Scott. Scott was performing home renovations for a buddy, and I joined them for lunch. And Scott’s home renovations are a performance.

For some reason, Scott, whom I had never met before, mentioned a conspiracy. I replied, “Oh, you are one of them? This led to a shared discussion of various theories while our buddy laughed at us. If he only knew…..

Scott had recently returned from a David Icke event in Vancouver and shared some VHS videos regarding the shape-shifting reptilian humanoids controlling the earth. While I politely received the videos, I could not bring myself to watch them. Further confirmation that I was only a part-timer.

That was then, and this is now.

My time becomes more valuable each year, and how I spend it has changed. Time is my most valuable asset, and investing more in “researching” conspiracies will only add to that sunk cost.

Last week, I wrote about attending a weekend seminar with Canada’s Largest Ponzi scheme. The inspiration was the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and the significant collateral damage of its collapse.

The reader is likely wondering how I ended up with this group. Let me tell you.

It began with a family reunion. My mother’s family takes turns hosting reunions where the siblings, children and grandchildren get together. They are great events providing opportunities for bonding with relatives and in-laws alike. I cherish them.

My cousin’s then-husband and I get along great. He is ambitious with skills and a personality different from mine. We decided that we could complement each other in business and would consider opportunities.

My cousin and husband were engaged in a business that provided significant cash flow and returns. Would I be interested in learning about it? It was the early 2000s and I had recently struck out farming on my own. My farm company was struggling, and I was looking for diversification and, preferably, passive income. As one to never pass up an opportunity to learn, I said, “Hell, yeah!” I fuelled up my truck and drove to Calgary. I knew that I would gain knowledge and visit my cousin. The first night was a lesson in sales training. We met with a Strategist, as they were called, from Saskatchewan. I cannot recall his name; however, he had farmed, had been involved with greenhouses and might have been an Agro. Oh, yeah, he had some misgivings about the Federal Reserve. Nice guy, we had a commonality, and we connected—basic sales principles at work. The Strategist provided a high-level introduction to the opportunity, which involved sales to others and the creation of an offshore corporation. I was uncomfortable with sales work and did not desire to recruit or sell the products. The offshore corporation? Well, that was another story. How do I sign up?

The seminar started the next day.

We were seated in a semi-circle with a projector screen for presentations. The attendees were an eccentric group of individuals. Most of the men wore mock turtlenecks with a jacket. It was before the movie, Anchorman; however, I am unable to get the image of the Ron Burgundy look-alike image out of my mind. They also had these big, fat, shiny, heavy ballpoint pens.

I rolled in with my finest jeans, a Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt and a Bic pen that I found in the console of my truck. It was suggested that I improve my pen gamesmanship and buy an $80 pen as it represents success. This conversation occurred 20-some years ago, and I did not feel financially successful; however, my farm budget was likely 3-4 times their annual income. But what do I know?

Note that I was a conspiracy theorist, albeit part-time. These people were next level. Some of you won’t believe me; however, they were more angry and dissatisfied with the Federal Reserve and Central Banks than I was. As I reflect, I wonder why we, as Canadians are so concerned about all things American, including the Federal Reserve.

In the coming weeks, I will share more of this experience, what I learned and why it did not pass my BS detector.

In the meantime:

Trust your intuition.

Spend your time wisely.

Trent Klarenbach, BSA AgEc, publishes the Klarenbach Grain Report and the Klarenbach Special Crops Report, which can be read at https://www.klarenbach.ca/