42 to taxpayers. We have seen a similar dynamic in the European Union. In part, this reflects the desire to run the economy by rules instead of allowing markets, com- munication, and allocation to be driven by freely determined prices. The new US administration has indicated a desire to turn things positive for taxpayers. Howev- er, the win-lose relationship between the Popsicle Index and the Dow Jones Index is old and deep – and reflects the powerful divergence of Fortune 500 revenue growth from GNP growth that began in the mid- 1990’s. Can we turn this situation into a win-win relationship? This choice is not as important as whether we choose to have a human culture or not. However, optimiz- ing the economy may help us rebuild trust destroyed by inequality creating corrup- tion, share natural resources intelligently and protect the environment as we move towards creating a more human culture. Here are the resulting four scenarios for 2018 and beyond – same as for 2017. If you click on each title, you will find a presentation dedicat- ed to each one. Scenario #1: Popsicle Index Rising (Weighting: 10%; down 20% from 2017) A commitment to human values, environmen- tal stewardship, market economics, and global cooperation are successful. Scenario #2: Global Musical Chairs (Weighting: 60%; up 20% from 2017) A commitment to human values, environ- mental stewardship, and market economics are constrained by a failure of national and global cooperation. This results in continued high levels of debt, military expenditures, and disaster capitalism. Scenario #3: Mind Control (Weighting: 20%) A commitment to command and control gov- ernance and transhuman values combined with success at re-engineering government resources creates a world of “friendly fascism.” Scenario #4: The War Machine (Weight- ing: 10%) A command and control world without human values and with little success at optimizing resources perpetuates a state of war. Scenario #1: Popsicle Index Rising (Weighting: 10%; down 20% from 2017) https://pension.solari.com/2018/01/02/sce- nario-1-popsicle-index-rising/ A commitment to human values, environ- mental stewardship, market economics and global cooperation are successful. Weighting = 10% (down 20% from 2017) • Multipolar World • Positive Return on Investment to Tax- payer Initially, a combination of Donald Trump’s blunt talk, Brexit negotiations, and European elections serve to unravel both old and new world orders. However, fundamental eco- nomics draw us together in new and enduring ways. The Trump administration in the United States is quite messy as the Washington estab- lishment, Hollywood, and corporate media’s refusal to adjust to the end of the debt growth model makes governing difficult. However, the re-engineering of the federal budget is ulti- mately successful. The economy has rocky pe- III. 2018: GET READY, GET READY, GET READY!