Tucker Wants You Lashed to the Mast—Don’t Be

Why Having a 'Plan B' Isn’t Unpatriotic

This weekend, Tucker Carlson spoke at SAS 2025, a conservative conference hosted by Turning Point USA in Tampa, Florida—and said something that made me sit up and pay attention. I quote (bold emphasis mine):

You know, there’s something about being lashed to the mast. Like, everyone can see that America’s in trouble. The demographic trends are really bad, and the country is decaying—cities are falling apart. So you’re like, “Oh wow, maybe I should flee.”

And then I’m like, “My ancestors are from here. My parents are buried right across from my kitchen. I’m staying here.”

And the second you make that decision in your head—like, “I don’t care what happens to America, I will be here”—it totally changes your attitude.

Tucker’s central argument here—as he made clear later in the speech—is that you should be “all in” on America. And he clearly meant that for everyone—not just U.S. politicians with dual Israeli citizenship, whom he took aim at earlier and again later in the same speech.

Real patriots, in his view, don’t hedge. No backup plans. No exit strategies. No Plan B.

The crowd loved it. There were lots of applause and enthusiastic shouts.

The Problem

Now, I frankly liked a lot of what I heard in Tucker’s speech—not least because I just appreciate Tucker’s no-nonsense delivery. He doesn’t mince words. Reminds me of our own Doug Casey.

But here’s the cold, harsh truth…

America's problems aren't fixable with patriotic sentiment. They're mathematical realities that don't care about your flag-waving.

The national debt recently hit $37 trillion. By 2033—the same year Social Security's trust fund runs dry—we're looking at debt exceeding $50 trillion. Interest payments alone will consume nearly half of all tax revenue.

At that point, the Federal Reserve will have no choice but to print tens of trillions of dollars to bail out the Treasury. The resulting inflation will make the early 1980s look like a picnic.

And of course, as I mentioned in a recent piece, whether it's $37 trillion now or $50 trillion in about eight years, the headline number is just the tip of the iceberg.

Add it all up—Medicare, Social Security, federal pensions, and other off-the-books promises—and the real financial hole the U.S. government faces is closer to $150 trillion. That’s nearly $1 million per taxpayer.

The point is, one of this gets repaid. Ever. You'll just keep paying interest until the system breaks down or we get hyperinflation.

You can be as patriotic as you want, but patriotism won't protect your savings from getting wiped out. It won’t shield you from runaway inflation. It won’t shield your retirement from erosion.

Look at history, and you’ll see that when governments face fiscal collapse, they do what they’ve always done: sacrifice their citizens’ wealth to save themselves.

That’s not to say I don’t get the emotional appeal of Tucker’s message. I do. There's something stirring about the idea of going down with the ship, fighting to the bitter end, never surrendering.

But there's also something deeply irresponsible about a guy who made $10 million a year at Fox News telling regular Americans (especially the young people this event was aimed at) not to have a Plan B.

The truth is, Tucker can afford to be "lashed to the mast" of a sinking ship. When inflation hits double digits—and it will—it won’t really affect him. When the dollar collapses, he’ll still be fine—with all the assets and offshore arrangements he almost certainly has.

Most Americans just don't have that luxury.

It's Just Insurance… And People Know That

I’ve got to say, I resent the implication Tucker’s making here.

Having a Plan B doesn’t make you unpatriotic—it makes you rational.

You buy homeowners insurance not because you hate your house, but because you love it enough to protect it. You have life insurance not because you want to die, but because you want to provide for your family if something happens.

A Plan B works the same way. It's insurance against sovereign risk—the risk that your government's bad decisions will destroy your family's future.

And while Tucker’s telling regular Americans to stay “lashed to the mast,” an increasing number of Americans are quietly doing the opposite. Just look at the chart below—Google searches for “dual citizenship” have been spiking again and again over the past 18 months.

The takeaway?

More and more Americans are seeking geographic optionality. This isn’t fringe behavior anymore. Here’s a snippet from a recent Al Jazeera report (bold emphasis mine):

According to citizenship and residency advisory firms such as Latitude Group and Arton Capital, demand from United States citizens for second passports or long-term residency in other countries – often through investment schemes offered by those countries – has surged dramatically in recent years.

The specifics behind that dramatic surge are pretty eye-opening.

Arton reported a 400% increase in U.S. clients in just the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier. Latitude, meanwhile, noted a 1,000% increase in applications from Americans since 2020.

A recent piece in the Financial Times underscored the same pattern, noting:

A growing number of Americans are quietly assembling a contingency plan for life abroad in case the U.S. becomes too uncomfortable, expensive or unsafe. It’s not just the super-rich, but consultants, doctors and accountants.

Now, we talk about all of that—geographic optionality, backup plan abroad, internationalization, call it what you want—in our essays, podcasts, and publications.

But no amount of reading or listening can replace boots-on-the-ground experience.

That's why last March we organized our first Plan B: Uruguay event. Attendees came to explore what Uruguay offers—legal residency, foreign bank accounts, property investment.

It was a huge success. And since many couldn’t attend last time due to limited spots, we’re bringing it back this year.

Matt Smith and Doug Casey—who chose to settle in Uruguay after exploring over 130 countries—will share why they made it their Plan B destination.

If you’ve been thinking about a Plan B, this is worth your attention (more info at the link below).

Again, this has nothing to do with abandoning America or being unpatriotic, as Tucker would suggest. It’s simply about making rational choices—while you still can.

And that’s another thing… most people don’t realize you need to set up your Plan B before things go south—while the system still works and your options are still on the table. Because once a country tips into a full-blown financial crisis—or social and political upheaval—it might already be too late.

Regards,

Lau Vegys

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