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Guest Post: Safe Assets In A World Gone Mad
Submitted by Ton Chatham via Project Chesapeake,
Gold and silver are good assets to hold to insure the preservation of EXCESS wealth but there are other assets that are even more valuable longterm. Those things that can be used to produce a product are the elements that can be used to leverage your time, resources and talents to produce wealth. The ability to produce excess is the basis of the need for wealth preservation.
Physical goods in the form of equipment that can be used to create or produce goods needed by society are the basis of prosperity and wealth in the world. Gold and silver only become necessary when society begins to produce more products than the producer can use. This excess production is then traded for those things that can preserve the value of this excess production until it is needed by individuals.
Machines to build or repair such as saws and hammers, sewing machines, metal fabricating machines such as lathes and mills and machines to convert raw materials to value added products such as steel to I beams or pots and pans, wheat to flour or pasta, lumber to finished furniture and cotton to cloth are the assets that define how prosperous you are as a nation. A nation derives its wealth from having a product to sell. That will never change. It is true for nations as well as for individuals.
Individuals need to have the ability to produce something in excess of their needs to advance to the need to store that excess. This requires tools and equipment in most cases. You do not necessarily need to process your own resources to generate this excess. A miller can provide the equipment to grind grain for the community taking part of the production for his time and effort. This gives rise to the service economy where individual specialization is traded for other services and resources rendered. In most cases this service will require specialized equipment not possessed by the general population. This specialized equipment is an asset more valuable than gold and silver in many cases.
The goods need to exist before gold and silver can be traded for them and gold and silver need to exist to preserve this excess production for future use. Storing some of your excess production today in equipment that you can use to start a cottage industry will insure gold and silver will have useful value in the future. You cannot have one without the other.
When a person uses their wealth in such a way that allows them to employ several others, it will not only increase their wealth but insure prosperity for others. The ability to earn payment in return for their time and energy allows these employees to utilize these funds to provide income for the butcher, baker and woodsman. This is the basis for the economy small or large. The economy is what ultimately determines the value of any asset.
The ability of individuals to insure a functioning economy will determine the wealth and standard of living of everyone. A safe asset is one that contributes something to the ability of the economy to function properly. Without that, wealth is determined by what each individual can produce themselves for themselves insuring wealth will be limited for many and unequal as ability will determine what that wealth will be. Restricted access to resources and goods eventually leads to war. In war, no asset is completely safe.
When it comes to the next generation, the options are going to be very limited. If parents expect to pass on any of their hard earned wealth it must be done in a way that prevents government from devaluing or stealing it outright. The use of gold, silver, diamonds and some types of land will likely be the best options. If the government cannot find it or get their hands on it, it will make keeping it that much easier. Given the current situation even guns, ammo and reloading equipment might be seen as a good asset to hold for future use. Along these lines, tools and specialized equipment that can be used to produce some type of income will also be an advantage for youngsters that would otherwise have difficulty finding employment in the future. The greatest thing you could do for your children is to develop some type of business that can be handed down to them to give them the chance to make it in the future where government intervention has destroyed the economy and future job prospects.
Add to this a few small cottages that can be rented out for a modest price and maybe even a small industrial plant to process fibers such as cotton, wool or flax. Mini mills are now available that makes this a possibility today. A small store on site that can sell locally produced items such as soap, candles, food, clothing or medicinal herbs will all add to income opportunities to insure a decent standard of living. The number of products that can be locally made and sold are numerous and allows for many such farms in an area without fear of duplication.
To get by in the future people are going to have to learn to be creative once again in order to take care of themselves and their families. The west line has moved meaning Americans will be forced to live in a smaller economy with a lower standard of living than in the past. If you do not adjust to that now you will be forced to later under much more difficult circumstances. The assets you preserve during the coming years will determine how well you will live and how well your children will live. Nothing is guaranteed at this point so the future is entirely on you.
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I see swarms of Federal Officers from 100 different 3 letter agencies pissing all over your fantasy of "small industrial plants"
If not 3 letters, the free shit army will swarm like hungry ants... :(
The cure for that is to live out in the sticks and obey the three S's. Shoot, Shovel and Shut up.
We were visiting Santa Fe, NM recently and I ran into a "Knife Sharperner", an occupation that has almost disappeared. It cost me $3 to have my knife sharpened, I had to come back after 20 minutes. He had two small pieces of equipment.
My wife told me that in Peru when she was growing up that there was an itinerant knife sharpener who would occasionally come by their neighborhood. Her mom always would grab 3 - 4 dull knives and get the work done.
Lo-tech, but perhaps a GREAT SHTF skill.
When I was a kid back in the '50s we had a guy come around and sharpen knives and mower blades. It was just a normal part of growing up in America before the age of throw-away-junk.
Ever heard of a "butcher's steel"? Old fashioned carving sets used to come with one and you can buy new one too. They are a long circular high carbon steel rod with grooves running from handle to tip. All you do is run your knife across the steel several times alternating sides of the blade with each pass and you are done. In a pinch all kinds of things can be used to sharpen a blade from silicone carbide sand paper to a whet stone. These all take a bit of practice but little intelligence.
Diamonds are near worthless without a market rigged to elevate their value.
Compressed carbon.
a diamond saw blade is well worth the price
Obama will shit Sunshine & Happiness, Unicorns and Rainbows... and Butterflies (SHURB) out of his ass and make the future brighter!!!
yup.
And the reloading equipment will be of very low utility, too.
Small arms primers are the product of high skill labor and materials that may not be in sufficient supply to support commercial sales....same to a large extent with the powders. And we have all witnessed just how quickly these things can vanish from store shelves for long periods of time.
Simply stocking up on .22lr makes much more sense.....oh wait.....22lr at affordable prices vanished years ago.....
Twice a year in our neighbourhood a guy drives by in a 1960's sharpening truck passed on from his dad and rings a bell so the whole area knows he is here.
He will skillfully sharpen all our knives and lawnmower blade for a $20 bill.
Everyone on my street lines up to pay him.
Then some Code Enforcement Officer will show up to run him out of town for not having a business license.
You can sharpen a knife at home using 150-180 grit silicon carbide, "automotive", grit/grind/sand/metallurgical paper found at an auto parts or hardware store. I lay the paper across the curved corner of an appliance and hold the knife at about 20 degrees.
Not so easy if it is a stainless steel blade.
Hint: high-carbon steel gives a sharper blade that is ridiculously easy to resharpen. It rusts, is its only downside. Think about whatr is more important to you: a sharp blade, or a shiny blade? Then throw away or you expensive blades, and replace them with $10-20 carbon steel blades that outperform them in every way except....staying shiny.
Since I woodwork, I have one of these...
http://www.tormek.com/en/
Visited my uncle recently who was an art teacher/artist and was surprised to see he had one as well.
Sharpens knives as well as well as everything else under the sun.
An oil stone works just fine with no power.
While I agree with you and like high-carbon steel blades as you do, exotic hard stainless like 154CM and SV30 does have its merits. I sit down with my ceramic sharpener and diamond honing pastes maybe once every 3-4 months for 10-15 minutes and get a crazy sharp edge on my hard stainless blades that will still be 90%+ sharp months later.
If I needed shaving-sharp every day, though, I'd want high carbon since getting that level of sharpness is a breeze to do daily with that steel. I find myself using the hard stainless blades way more often so I'm not sharpening every few days like I used to.
Yes, the difference is toughness vs. hardness. The most common high carbon steel is O1 which has a range of 56-58 RC generally for knives. It is not as hard but it is tough, which means more sharpening but also that you will be less likely to chip the edge. Chipping and bad rolls are very easy with a scandi/chisel grind and O1 is arguably the best there is in this area.
The 'exotic' or super-steels have a higher hardness, in the 60s range, but are less tough. They maintain their sharpness much longer but have a tendency to chip out. With a convex grind there is a less chance of chipping but woodworking is much more difficult than scandi.
Spot on--S30V is just amazing. I sold all my 154CM knives and upgraded to S30V when I discovered it. It stays sharper for far longer and still has excellent corrosion-resistance. I still have a few carbon steel knives, but it is so annoying to have to deal with their tendency to rust that I wonder why I keep them. Collectiibility, I guess.
New folding or fixed-blade everyday carry knife buyers: I can't recommend Benchmade's Doug Ritter RSK knife series enough. It's a low price for what you get--an outstanding S30V blade design and highly ergonomic and practical grip. The full-size Doug Ritter folder is pretty much the perfect if-you-can-only-ever-buy-one-knife knife.
Agree. If you are in a situation where you think you need a stainless blade then the Swedish stuff is the way to go. Mora and Marttiini stainless versions are almost as good as high carbon, but the same problem with it being harder to sharpen.
Easiest sharpening system is wet/dry sandpaper stuck to a bit of board using carpet tape. The Fallkniven DC4 is a great portable sharpener, and if you need a file the Pferd or some other German files are good. Most of the other files are made in Mexico or China and may not be hard enough to sharpen some axes.
Also recommend Mors Kochanski's 3 dollar booklet "Knife Sharpening".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14hrK7XCpSs
One person mentioned sharpening steels. These do not actually sharpen the blade, they realign the rolled edge which gives the appearance of sharpness very quickly, especially for chef and butcher knives which tend to be from a softer steel. Generally speaking, with a woodworking knife you only want to roll the steel back once or twice with the rod. In between you can use the strop to maintain sharpness for a few days work (the strop is similar, it does not really sharpen but removes the burr), go to the rod, back to the strop for a few more days, and then to sharpening. An alternative is to sharpen more frequently with a very high grit sandpaper or Japanese water stone, 8000-10,000. After a while you'll figure out what works best for you and your knives.
Look up "martensitic stainless steel".
No blade is truely sharp in this manner, anything under 6000 grit and a finish with a strop it's not hair whittling sharp
Different finishes for different functions, and convenience.
The context here is, generally, home food preparation. A tear/rip action at the blade edge is what cleanly cuts through the variant texture media (e.g.: tomatoes). A "knife" is not intended to be "razor blade". Knife blade toughness depands on intended application, but food preparation does not demand toughness, unless gutting/preping carcases at home, perhaps.
My grandfather was the youngest of 6 boys born on a farm. When he was barely into his teens his father grabbed his things and sent him off with the traveling copper-smith that went from place to place fixing copper pots. Copper pots = whiskey stills. He learned to weld and fabricate and went to work in the Norfolk ship yards at 16. It sounds cruel, but getting apprenticed to a craftsman as a kid was the start of a really great life.
Its cool to hear about another old traveling profession. Life sure was different for that generation. And it wasn't really all that long ago!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compagnons_du_Tour_de_France
If anyone is looking for a forgotten skill to learn for SHTF, look into copper pot re-tinning. Copper pots and skillets use a thin layer of tin that is wiped on at around 600 degrees F or so to prevent the copper from reacting with acidic foods during cooking. I looked into having some pots re-tined a few years back and found I would have to ship them to Colorado for the work. I gave up using those pieces in hopes that someone closer would pick up the art. If they have, I haven't found them yet.
Doesn't need to be a collapse for that....
"The greatest thing you could do for your children is to develop some type of business that can be handed down to them to give them the chance to make it in the future where government intervention has destroyed the economy and future job prospects."
The biggest issue is finding a business that will survive further gov't intervetion. Even Small farmers are getting culled as the gov't slaps on rediculous regulations that favor mega agra, but force small farms out of business. Stuff like knife sharping has litle to no margin, and that's why its uncommon to see anymore. Even if you start a good busines that has good margins, it will do you no good if everyone is broke and can't pay.
As I see it, the best option is to become self-reliant and don't worry about making money. Save enough to pay your properly taxes in (store PMs), grow your own food, have access to a large wood lot (for heating, cooking), Stock up on must have consumables (spare parts, spices, nails/screws, ammo, etc), set up workshop for repairs (lathe\mill, welding, carpentry), and so on.
Even Small farmers are getting culled...
The USDA has picked a fine time to import cranberries from foreign countries with US cranberry growers starving in their own fields.
With 80 percent of last year’s US cranberry crop supply still in freezers, prices for this year’s record crop have been driven so low that many small independent cranberry growers in Oregon and Washington will take on any menial job they can to survive – just to put food on the table. Many of these growers drive vehicles so ancient and rusted, that a newly arrived illegal wouldn’t be caught dead in one.
At the same time, the US Dept of Agriculture has moved to allow fresh imports of cranberries into North America from Chile, according to the Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report.
Bandon, Oregon, cranberry grower Charlie Ruddell, says low prices have forced some growers to reduce investments in bogs or give up entirely. “Some farms have been abandoned.” he said.
Independent growers slightly outnumber cooperative members in Oregon.
To make matters worse, the USDA has estimated this year’s crop surplus in the US and Canada will equal roughly 90 percent of annual sales a year from now.
http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150814/usda-forecasts-large-northwest-cranberry-crop
So make your cottage industry bee keeping. Nothing like a swarm of angry bees to discourage the federales.
They're already doing that to both large and small. I'm thinking the author (if I'm wrong then the best meaning for me) was speaking of really small as in hidden or covert. Here's a link of some of the worlds largest businesses that all started in a garage. http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2011/10-big-businesses-that-started-in-a-garage/
a young, sweet smelling vagina is one of the best assets to have in any economy.
but the maintenance cost is a bitch
And depreciation is a real killer. No matter what you spend on maintenance it's gonna fall apart....
If it's got tits or tires, it's going to cost ya.
Moreover, the return policy often has very high restocking penalties!
+10000000
Best ZH thread I have read all week.
It doesn't last long. So make the most of it.
Somehow that just sounds wrong coming from scruffy old Anthony Quinn.
The concept of productivity is totally beyond the comprehension of the pea brain imbecile fudgepacker & its similarly cerebral horsepower deficient progressive liuuberal democraps. Fukem all.
The concept of productivity is totally beyond the comprehension of the pea brain imbecile fudgepacker & its similarly cerebral horsepower deficient progressive liberal democraps. Fukem all.
I'm going to start making jalopeno jam this next week. That should be a hot item when SHTF?
how about chicken??
Long coffee and bourbon and sugar and TP.
Tampons! Just imagine a world without them.
Good article, In the long run PM's will work with a recovering economy but until then everyone needs the basics to continue.
"Given the current situation even guns, ammo and reloading equipment might be seen as a good asset to hold for future use."
Future use?...lol.
I asked my broker what I should be buying in this economy,,,, He said Ammo and canned goods...
What's the ticker?
I suggest RGR and CPB...lol
I hear ya...all that gold & silver ain't gonna mean shit when the zombies attack... lead and the brass will have more value..maybe rope too
Bear-grade pepper spray for the intermediate threats.
Gunsmithing would be a good skill to pick up...
if you have 25 years to "pick it up"
Learn the refrigeration trade, everyone wants cold beer
If you live near Amish communities and have PMs, you should be fine....
The skill and knowledge to use those machines is far more valuable than the machines themselves and much easier to transport and hide. The machines will be there when needed.
I'm thinking flame throwers, maybe a sewing machine...
Feed a pressure washer some diesel and you got an awesome flame thrower.
The K-Model worked for the Polish...
Not too complicated, either. Almost like I could buy a pump-action flamethrower in a store...
But that's preposterous.
Need electricity for a sewing machine, unless you go back to a treadle-powered. Same for lathes and milling machines.
Long steam power.
I have this idea that the US Congress is not doing it's job.
I am Musing tonight that our Federal System wastes money at a faster and faster rate each year. There must be some way to expose and rein in Fraud, Waste and Abuse as it occurs at the Top, In Congress, and as a Lazy Congress that does what Rich People want through the Private Stockholder Owned US Federal Reserve.
Federal Budget 2014 = $3.5 Trillion (B. Obama)
Federal Budget 2012 = $3.54 Trillion (B. Obama)
Federal Budget 2010 = $3.45 Trillion (B. Obama)
Federal Budget 2008 = $2.98 Trillion (G.W. Bush)
Federal Budget 2006 = $2.65 Trillion (G.W. Bush)
Federal Budget 2004 = $2.29 Trillion (G.W. Bush)
Federal Budget 2002 = $2.01 Trillion (B. Clinton)
Federal Budget 2000 = $1.79 Trillion (B. Clinton)
Federal Budget 1998 = $1.65 Trillion (B. Clinton)
Federal Budget 1997 = $1.6 Trillion (B. Clinton)
$T Debt Added
J. Carter, ,$0.37 T (4 yrs)
R. Reagan, $1.69 T
G. H Bush, $1.4 T (4 yrs)
W. Clinton, $1.627 T
G. W. Bush, $4.357 T
B. Obama, $6.365 T (4 yrs)
B. Obama, $8 T (6 yrs est.)
- Immigration Reform is a big Spending Bill
- Accepting Refugees from the Middle East is Treason since G.W. Bush declared a Crusade and a War Against those people, then ripped the shit out of Iraq causing millions of people misery, disease, rape, crime, murder, lost of family businesses and income, destroyed the Iraqi and other Cities in the Middle East Economy...
- Fuck it. This is Treason. Everyone knows war is a racket and that bankers make money off of funding both sides. Oh what is that the Bankers are paying money directly to our Congressmen and Presidential Campaigns? Treason.
The traitorous illegal indonesian kenyan alien muslim pathological lying fudgepacker needs to have its skin sandpapered off, buried in salt, then thrown out in the middle of an Iran desert with a can of Pennzoil. Fuk the treasonous turd.
Promising people "retirement" may be the biggest Ponzi Scam of all time.
The thing about a Ponzi scam, even if you are trying to get something for nothing, THEY DID TAKE OUR MONEY.
And they will take more before it is all over. Bail ins, more bail outs, confiscation.
I know all this.
I am still filled with rage.
I will not be the only one.
Good luck one and all. Even you pathetic trolls, shillin' for the enemy. You will be screwed too, then you will wake up and realize you helped them, or not.
There was enough for SS to last through the Boomers retirement but they decided to add more entitlements and fucked the whole thing up. Worst. Generation. Ever.
Boomers decided to add more entitlements and fucked the whole thing up? No, that would be the politicians in Washington promising more "free" shit in exchange for votes.
Worst. Government. Ever.
Who elected them? Then reelected them, rinse and repeat? Not my generation. (That being said it's not all the boomers for sure. Plenty of prudent folks in that group, which must have been really tough. Sucks being the designated driver.
No one elected them sweet heart. They were purchased. You and I never stood a chance. This idea that someone voted keeps you distracted and your eyes away from the truth. You think someone wins without corporate and bankster money? They pay for our "choices" on that ballot.
Like the story of Christ driving the money changers out of the temple, we need to get Messianic on their asses in Congress, the Whitehouse, and SCOTUS.
Umm hmm, and the bank forced those people to buy more house than they could afford. The collapse will come because everyone knows there's a problem... But it's always the other fucking guys fault.
What does that have to do with blaming the "voters?" My comment was addressing your comment that the voters are to blame, I said the vote is bought and paid for before you and I vote. Your answer was not about voting at all, never mind addressing my comment.
What about the idea that people cannot vote, because their choices are already paid for? Show me I am wrong. I'd love to believe, like I used to, that voting mattered.
I only hope when my 8 y/o son is all grown up that he brings home a girl like you. I did, so there is hope!
My point was no one wants to accept the blame for anything. So big money spent a lot to get candidates in front of you? So what? Who's votes were bought? Lazy apathetic losers who can't be bothered to look beyond what's spoon fed to them? That may or may not include you, I'd have no idea as I don't know you. But as a generation the Boomers ate that shit up by the bucket.
If you don't believe me, who's generation oversaw the decline of America? Who's generation had it better than both their children and parents? Who ran up the debt? You can't blame DC, when the same people have been in office for a very very long time. You can't blame big money, they didn't run out and pay you to vote for someone. They made it hard for anyone real to be heard, but there were real candidates out there. Just because you (as a people not you personally) didn't take the time to look for them and vote for them doesn't mean it's big money's fault for not making it easy. That's fucking lazy and pathetic. That's the kinda shit I'd expect to hear in section 8 housing.
You say the votes bought and paid for, I ask you to show me large swaths of the voting block that got money for voting a certain way... Oh wait, they got money for voting a certain way when the welfare state was expanded. Yep, bought and paid for it is.
But you're missing a point here, too. What about those hanging chads? Diebold machines? Voting booths placed in the boondocks? Too few booths for tons of voters? Votes thrown out or 'lost' for some reason or another? Or presidents who won the popular vote but lost the stupid 'electoral college' sham vote? Or what about viable candidates dropping out due to pressure, like Ross Perot? Or seemingly great candidates who turned tail once they got in office?
This whole voting shitshow has NEVER been about putting the best person in office. It has ALWAYS been about money, power, and control. Except for maybe local elections, our votes NEVER MATTERED. Now, it is so obvious that often less than 25% of eligible voters even bother to vote at all. What does THAT say about our system? IT DOES NOT WORK, and was NEVER meant to work (even going back to the original constitution) but to 'appear' to give the unwashed masses a say in their government.
If I was going to hold a grudge against Boomers, it would be that they did not drive out the "money changers" from all of politics. They knew the truth (that the wars were banker wars, politician wars), they protested, and then...wait for it...they had kids and wanted security and bought in to the system with a vengance.
I don't blame them because it took me a long time to wake up myself and the age thing is as divisive as the dem/rep, gender, race, religion, gay/straight, thing. They want us to hate each other, when they (the Rockefeller level folk) should be the targets of our ire.
The bailouts the welfare folk get do not compare to the special favors the .001% get in legislation, tax breaks, etc.
"If I was going to hold a grudge against Boomers, it would be that they did not drive out the "money changers" from all of politics. They knew the truth...."
And there you have it. They bought into the system and watched it bloat up and did nothing to stop it. Instead they fed the fucking beast. They oversaw the decline of America and only hoped to kick the can so they could have security. If it was for their kids they would have done the right thing and not fucked the following generations.No way I'm buying into the it's for the kids. Gun control is for the kids, Ritalin is for the kids... I could go on and on with this list but lets face it, they fucked it up. They've created a nation of pussies and junkies while they craved 'security'...
Their parents were born into the worst period in American history then went off and won WWII. They came home and build the nation from dirt roads and poverty into an electrified modern marvel. Took us to the moon, fought for civil rights (people seem to give this to the Boomers, but it was their parents that started the civil rights movement) invented the internet, everything you use now started with them. They could have bought into the system and settled for security but they didn't. They fought for everything and busted ass to get shit done. They didn't settle and they didn't sell out for 'security'.
Boomers were too weak, stupid, selfish and lazy to do the right fucking thing? That's the argument here? Fuck that, I'm not buying into some grand conspiracy to enslave the masses. There doesn't need to be a conspiracy for that, the masses want to enslave themselves anyway.
Some of us placed our principles before profits and refused to compromise our ethics. Some refused to participate and limited our own complicity.
As a result some were ostracized and went without, not taking advantage of "gaming rhe system". Just how muxh anger is stored up in those, a potential of enraged and destructibe energy, awaiting the most opportune moment for release?
That is the reason why I am looking forward to this oncoming collapse and consequential suffering, especially the suffering of those trolls who are here shilling for the system.
Y'all deserve it...YOU ALL SUPPORTED WAR. There were MINIMAL PROTESTS. That is what collapsed this economy.
You want war?
Hell maybe an Rocket Propelled Grenade attack on an Open Air Stadium hosting an NFL Game will appear as a Sunday walk in the park before this is over...
How does that one grab you? You want a war?
These RPGs are rather easy to construct. All you need to do is remove the innards of a Shotgun Shell, the Wadding and Shot, and place that in an appropriate sized tube with a commercially available Hobbyist Rocket Engine behind it. The payload needs to be near the top as the Rocket's Center of Gravity needs to be forward of the Center of Pressure for stable flight. The Ejection Charge is just as Powerful as a Shotgun Blast. And that charge is delayed. It'd cost about as $1000 to make 100 of them.
That can happen you know...
Y'all want WAR.
Maybe the TSA needs to place Snipers on the Upper Decks of those Stadiums, overlooking those Parking Lots where those Tailgate Parties happen. Maybe the TSA Snipers can accidentally shoot some Tailgate Partiers so that everybody inside of the Stadium can "feel safe". LMAO
"Uhhh...Ooops...We acidentally shot the people shooting off the Skyrockets when the Home Team Scores. Damn it. We're so sorry."
Of course this battery of 100 can be set up and remotely, electronically, triggered. Those Rocket Engines are fired off by Electronic Matches anyway. Most pyrotechnics, these days, are electronically triggered.
As for guidance a Stadium is a rather large target. How can one miss?
Now I am NOT advocating this type of action by any means. In fact I am hoping that the LEOs, here, are reading this.
The War on Terror is a farce. I know this as this type of event would have already happened. IT HAS NOT.
Too fucking bad. You cannot even conduct a fake "War on Terror". But you support that....with your tax dollars. Financial support IS SUPPORT.
And even if they outlawed Model Rocketry and outlawed the legal sale of the Rocket Engines it is still far too simple to make your own Rocket Engines, more powerful than the commercially abailable Black Powder Engines, from Sugar and KNO3. Thus ioutlawing it cannot stop it.
The same type of device can be used to shoot down Aircraft...on approach...or departure.
So you want a War?
Downarrowing this post will not change the facts. This is not only feasible but it is economical. And all wars are economixal. All of them.
And if I can see this then others can. They probably are thinking up some possibilities which I have not yet even considered.
Yes they are angry. They are livid. They are patient. They are just under the radar and not writing about it.
But just ask yourself...How many Stadiums have I knocked off in the past? How many planes have I shot down?
Yet consider this. Hell there are some here, posting on ZH, that can actually give a score on shot down planes or people that they have killed. They were Fighter Pilots or soldiers...following orders. I was not.
Well congratulations. You have killed people. You have harmed their loved ones. Government Sanctioned Murder is MURDER.
Self defense? Bullshit. We have been the aggressors. Nobody invaded us. And as for 911..WE DID THAT TO OURSELVES TO JUSTIFY WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ...when the Saudis FUNDED and manned the False Flag Operation..
I know. I am such a bad guy...because I do not support the Death and Debt Paradigm.
We could have delayed this collapse...or even repaired our broken economy in the 2000s, when we had some strength.
But the GenXers and Boomers chose WAR which totally devastated our economy.
Yes. You are to blame for that WAR GenXers. You actually are complicit and deserving as you were the boots on the ground. They could not have done that without your MORAL and FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
Now we all will pay the price....FOR YOUR PERSONAL ACTIONS YOU LAZY AND WICKED GENERATION. At least the Boomers protested Vietnam and brought that fucing fiasco to an end...BEDFORE FAR TOO MANY OF US ABANDINED OUR PRINCIPLES for EXPEDIENCE'S SAKE.
But NOT YOU GEN XERS. YOU WERE TOO WILLING and TOO COMPLICIT and are the most deserving of your fate.
I watched you all in disgust as it began in the early 2000s. FUCK YOU.
You want war?
This is the price. idiots.
Posts like this are honey traps for the FBI. Don't be a patsy.
"Whose" not "who's".
I think getting Medieval on their asses would be quicker (and a lot more fun for us :))
I was playing with that very idea, but since Christ is pre-medieval, I had to go look for a different term.
Worst...OLIGARCHY...Ever (you ain't seen nuttin yet)
The maximum monyhly payout for a boomer retiring today at age 66 (full retirement age) is $2663/month. One would receive this maximum amount only if they have made the maximum annual contributions to social security during 35 working years. For 2015, the maximum earnings subject to social security taxes is $118,500/year (average wages are about $35,000/year, with household median income about $50,000/year). Currently, average monthly social security payout is about $1300/month, and due to CPI falsification, recent Cost-of-Living Adjustments have been about $20/month. Regardless of the looting and mis-management of Social Security, the SS payouts associated with retirements are not making the retirees rich.
One simple way to improve the SS fund would be to have workers pay social security taxes on all earned income, not limiting it to the first $118,500/year.
It is also recognized that the majority of Social Security Disability Insurance payouts are being made on the basis of fraudulent claims, facilitated by the unethical participation of certain legal and medical professionals.
I would suggest we also make it means based. SS is supposed to be insurance not a pension.
How about they let me opt out.
I am getting old and would still choose to take care of it myself.
Thats peanuts compared to what the FSA leeches get from the fudgepacker. At least the boomers worked & paid taxes and are U.S. citizens. Fuk da FSA.
"they" decided?
I'll tell you, I had two large organic gardens this last summer (still producing), that provided a banner crop starting in early spring, not only for me, but for most of the neighborhood. I feel safer knowing that my neighbers appreciated the free food, if you get my drift.
Giving away food you grew is a joy.
The idea that a person is saying they have too much and is asking people to please come and take it from them is Un-American.
A little bit.
Then again, we had the Mob, and all they ever asked for was "a favour, friend..."
"Free" is the most expensive thing in the world...
You fuggin' Tea Partier. Ya don't fool me one bit with your 'come and take it' shit.
You're strange.
Fresh cantalope from my garden is like nothing you have ever put in your mouth. The flavor makes store bought taste like styrofoam, so bland. I did not plant them this year, they were volunteers. So were my numerous heirloom tomato plants. Just grew.
My neighbor was buying mint. Silly, it grows like a weed in my yard, I have to control it. Of course she can have as much as she wants free.
I share with the neighbors because I do not want it to go bad.
I am not a tea partier, and don't know how it would be relevant if I was.
Are your feelings hurt? Was it something I said?
I think it was a satire attempt, but hard to tell sometimes.
Yes, once you taste homegrown vegetables and fruit it is hard to buy from the store. And guess what? All that taste is extra nutrients. Wonder why so many people are fat? Because all the nutrients are removed from food and they add some synthetic trash afterwards.
Tomatoes are the best. I find the store ones have a bit of a fish taste. Could be my imagination or it could be gmo.
I missed the satire, bet you are right. So many things to do with good tomatoes. I have been ill and they were the only thing I could eat, good medicine.
Fishy maters are scary maters, I have tasted that before, never thought about the GMO thing just never got them again from that store.
Giving away food that someone else grew is also a joy-- due to your constant re-election.
I've grown tomatoes and strawberries like everyone else, but this is my first year to really try a proper garden... and it's REALLY hard work. Props to you MsCreant and others that can grow enough to share with neighbors!
Each year I will get a lot of a few things, but I also fail at a lot too. I have a lot of radishes right now. But I don't eat many of those! Beets? Only a few came up. Sweet potatoes? They all have flowers so I am worried (they are not supposed to). Apples? Raccoons got em all. Figs? We shall see if they get eaten, still too green. Lots of asparagus this year, black berries, strawberries. They kind of grow themselves with only a little care once established. The few peaches I had were also eaten by raccoons. Can't get the blueberries to fruit at all. Then, like I said, things I did not plant are doing great! Tons of herbs. The point is that I don't have lots of everything to share. But when I do, it is great fun to do so.
As the years pass, it will be less work. I am still learning. Good luck.
as the survival books, say.. when you have critters in your garden, remember that protein is more valuable than vegetables, get one of those cheep driveway alarm motion detectors. for 20$ and every time they're in your garden, free protein
blue berries need acidic soil, and pollinators
eat the raccoons.
i have heard some suggest that the reason
the youth in the rural communities are
attracted to opiates and those derivatives
has to do with the lack of urban or suburban
entertainment/"education" and or other leisure shopping
type activities. can you imagine? could one suffer
from a deficit of over stimulation and associated
attention deficit velocity of money?
crazy man.
Top three jobs of the near future; Government employee, Snitch, Grave Digger......
You forgot Criminal Entrepreneur.
Canada's Economic Action Plan is already diverting money to CSIS, and not too hard to find their recruiting ads. All three of your industries in one!
Too bad those positions will be held by one individual.
Multitasking.
Excellent advice.
My grapes produced after 3 years and pruning right.
Produced a ton of carrot seed, brocolli seeds, spinach seed, radish seed, dill seed, dill weed.
Strawberrys did good and ran, Got a lot of raspberries coming soon, elderberry produced a little medicine.
A lot of my plants bolted this year, perhaps they know something. Hmmn.
Not real sure where this guy is coming from and what he sees in the future collapse (and recovery). I don't disagree that lathes and mills and machines are nice things - but unless you can compete with Chinese robots that can make 1000 widgets to your one - they serve no immediate need. And if you view these tools for 'post recovery' then you have to assume electricity - a very big if. The presence of electricity assumes the electrical grid is up, coal and natty gas are being delivered to power plants, railroads are running, people are driving to work at these plants, food is being delivered to stores for the workers to eat, farmers are growing the food, food packaging companies are working -- basically a 'non collapse'!
Sure, you can run a lathe with chipmunks running on a belt - but again - who is going to need something made on a lathe at that point in a collapse? And even if you have such equipment - where will you get your raw materials? There won't be a corner steel mill or lumberyard. Better to own sheep, know how to shear, and know how to knit - something where you control everything. Own chickens, grow grain, and sell eggs. Learn how to reload ammo and buy THAT equipment and lots of supplies. Learn how to fix a seized tractor engine. Learn the skills to make your own raw materials -- AND -- learn how to make something useful from those materials!
Why do you assume the Chinese will keep making and shipping us shit in that kind of SHTF scenario? I don't.
Store enough supplies to help you get through the transition, first and foremost. You will not know what it will absolutely look like until you are in it. Making guesses is helpful.
Looking into the history of Cuba after Russia pulled out is not a bad way to get some ideas. They were put on a very calorie restricted diet (2000 a day). The average Cuban lost 20 pounds. Some starved. Everyone grew some of their food at home (like the old victory gardens). Farmers became high status individuals. Farming was THE job to have. Folks hitched rides on other vehichles out and back. Their alternative medicine got so good they are training foreign medical students how to do it. They learned to make do.
I feel sorry for them we are back in their lives. They get used to our shit, their future crash will suck harder.
It's subsistence vs getting ahead. You need to able to subsist...but its nice to be able to get ahead. Meaning excess production, as the author says. Or value-added production, selling denim instead of raw cotton, for example. Or skills, like knowing how to get a gasoline engine running off wood gas. How many have a clue about that?
I saw a movie last night, PUMP. They think all cars with either a computer hack or a kit could be made to run on ethanol, methanol, or gas. They claim that the car makers deliberately program cars to run poorly on the alcohols. The movie claimed the whole fuel problem could be solved with biomass. I always thought that was not possible, but if the movie is correct, it is not only possible, but that the oil giants are deliberately rigging legislation and such so that we are dependent on oil.
There are so many conspiracy theories running amok out there, it is so hard to know what is true. It would be great to think it was that easy.
Ethenol kinda sucks as fuels go. The CR on most cars is to low to get much out of it. Blending it sucks too. Not my first choice as a fuel.
I have heard these stories since I was a teenager and that was a few decades ago
These stories are bullshit.
Think about it logically.
The car manufacturers compete for customers.
If one of them developed a way to get 100 miles per gallon car that car would be on sale as soon as possible.
That company would corner the market.
Good comments. You inadvertently used words directly from TPTB playbook:
"Better to own sheep, know how to shear, and know how to knit - something where you control everything."
How about a basement full of decent whiskey in glass bottles? Keeps forever and depressed people need it to feel better. Tobacco would be good too, if you can find a way to preserve it.
Maybe a new auto plant that makes cars with two stone rollers connected with logs...you run with it as you drive it, and shove your barefoot leg out the side to brake. It can have a nice leather canopy on it as you drive to the Buffalo Lodge meeting.
Fred...
Modern men are not made of the same stuff you are...
...celluloid.
I heard that now that we have gay marriage legal, that Fred and Barney have come out of the closet and are planning nuptials...
Must be why Fred was always saying "Ya ba daba do.
Long action figures.
Just Gold & Silver please...Ain't there an abundance of the other?
china, made sure of that!...enough for a lifetime...Right?
There should be a bunch of cheap older or classic Lincoln engine drive welders for cheap out there by now. A lot of the classic ones are DC but still plenty useful if you have AC/DC tools and you can find them pretty cheap here and there, just make sure the shunts aren't blown and it has all copper windings. If you pick up a decent older AC or DC Lincoln it is a permanent piece of equipment. They come in handy when the lights go out.
I wouldn't bother trying to do little pissant repair work with one though it is too expensive to run an outfit if your not making the big money, the hombres own that side of the business now. If you just throw one in your garage or backyard it's pretty unlikely to be stolen because they have to be moved with equipment unless you throw it on wheels or something.
Not quite cheap enough yet; the oil/gas boom has made them go up in price. I bought my first Lincoln SA200 in 2009, a 1969 all copper on a nice trailer for only $1,800.00 dollars... nowadays forget those prices. Everyone seems to think their rusty, beat up, no doors, barely working Lincoln is worth like 5-6K. And the newer Sa250 diesel machines, even more. I just bought a SA200 'blackface' at a local Ritchie Bros auction here in AZ, still have to go pick it up, looks pretty beat up... hope it runs!
Exactly.
Been saying this here (and elsewhere) a long time.
PM's and other so-called "assets" like, shacks you don't own, are extremely limited in value.
You won't get to keep the shack you don't own, and because NO ONE can predict what PM's will buy when it goes up...
...once your stack is gone...
...it be gone.
m
Get familiar with biogas, use the biochar as garden feed, the heat for heat, and the gas for power.
A 3'fer
"The assets you preserve during the coming years..."
Has it occurred to the author that an asset to preserve is the fundamental Principles upon which this place was founded, and that without such preservation you are wasting keystrokes, and without effort to that end wasting time?
I think that likely has occurred to the author, and to most who think like him. But it has also occurred to them that when you have to choose between eating and a constitution, eating comes first.
I wasn't aware that that choice has been presented.
You show the weakness, though, and how we deserve the trajectory.
Good for you...
you've wasted more keystrokes and wasted more time.
The two greatest forms of capital, are skill, and ambition...
Without them, all your equipment sits idle, and productive output drops to zero.
Yes friend that is called control of the fruits of MY efforts.
Lately besides tools like engine driven welders, I have picked up a couple of older motorcycles, both 1978, a Yamaha and a KZ1000. Cheaper at intial purchase, easy to work on, and lets face it, gas could go anywhere from expensive, to scarce, to non-existent, so the more MPG the better. *And* the ladies dig them :)
I restored a Z1 and a KZ1000ltd. Yer right about being easy to work on and I was surprised at parts availabilty.... I'd do another is someone presented a bike and 4k.
I built my own power plant before hurricane ike came ashore and it worked out great. Ive often thouggt of getting me an engine lathe, mill and radial drill press for retirement income and have the shop driven by another 1 cylinder engine driving a 3hase st head this time.
And of course an garden, chicken coops/rabbit hutches, etc....
People cant do without refrigeration either, and I got that down.
Plumbing? /p>
The Federal Reserve is now good at fostering ever larger amounts of debt.
Those PhD's at the Fed think manufacturing is old school. Just like Gold and Silver is.
Just print all the money you need. Backed by nothing.
The 2008 crash took me down completely and I had to get by on my survival stash for quite some time. Generator to power the house and well. Stored food to eat. The whole enchilada. And here are the lessons that trial run showed me...
1) Those who worry about such situations put way too much emphasis on guns and ammo. Most of mine ended up in the pawn shop. The crisis you think you are planning for is not necessarily the one you will get.
2) Most long-term food supplies are shit that you will not eat now and will not eat in the future. I had two truckloads of stuff that I never touched even though I was honest-to-god starving. Other long-term stuff I would have eaten except that it was defectively canned and unusable but I didn't find that out until it was too late to do anything except scream in frustration. I still got all that stuff piled in a closet, but I don't expect it to be usable as food, only as trade goods. If I need to abandon anything, that pile of shit is first to go over the side. MREs and Mountain House are the names to know. Forget about all other freeze-dried brand names. Total inedible shit. Canned goods, sure. Frozen stuff, sure. But store what you already like to eat, not what is cheap to buy. In time of stress, you will need some normality to fall back on. A mad , incessant craving for caffeine, chocolate, pizza, tacos, and sweets is the thing that most sticks with me from that time.
3) Gas. I'll say it again. Gas. You cannot store enough gas. Gas to make electricity. Gas to get you into town where you might be able to find some work for a day or two. Without gas, your generator and your super survival vehicle are scrap iron. I made trips into town on trickles of rotten gas siphoned from lawn mowers and junkers in the back yard mixed with vodka, coleman fuel, whatever would burn. Store more gas. I've got about 500 gallons lying around and worry about not having enough. Gas, gas, gas. Without it, your lifestyle degrades rapidly and often irretrievably.
4) When they cut off your electricity, your water bed is one cold son of a bitch place to sleep. Warmer on the carpet.
5) Unless you have mass quantities of the stuff, you will quickly sell or trade all the gold and silver you own for edible food and gas.
6) Tools to power an independent life are great-- but you'll end up selling/pawning/trading them for gas and food.
Gas. Palatable Food. Electricity.
Worry about everything else afterwards.
Go forth and conquer.
Good post.
How long can you live off rice and beans? A long time. But you may want to kill yourself.
It's an important consideration, you gotta have backup in case you can't secure meat for a while. I just realised how expensive freeze-dried food has become, definitely worth learning the skill. And practising storage before the need arises is definitely the way to go.
Gas could become a huge problem with combined prices and civil unrest, probably a good idea to learn about wood gas.
A good estimate for keeping warm is an inch of total loft (above and below) for each 10 degrees below room temperature. This means 9-9.5 inches for a sleeping bag that will keep you warm at -20. Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends are about the best companies. They are about a thousand dollars for a true winter bag, but worth it. Consider that if you're tired or sick you may need that 15 to 20 degrees beyond the rating of the bag. If you have to go cheap then get a bag at least 20-25 degrees lower than what you think will be the coldest temperatures you'll face. Clothing and sleeping bags are quite neglected knowledge this day and age.
Pawning tools is the only thing I'd disagree with in your post. Don't do it. The collapse we are facing should make tools one of the most important group of items to have.
The problem with many types of crises is that it takes time to realize that you are in the middle of one rather than just going through a slow period or a temporary burp. So you take out your worst cordless drill, your worst battery and oldest charger and you pawn it since it is a tool you never use anyhow. And so it goes from there, one piece at a time until you have nothing left except the tools that the pawn shops won't take.
You sell a couple of silver dollars to buy materials for a job you've got to do, a little gas in the truck, and a Happy Meal. So you'll feel like a regular human being instead of an animal, and you tell yourself that you'll refill the silver stash as soon as things get going again.
Make no mistake, I completely agree with your advice in theory. It's exactly the advice I would give myself, but I wasn't in a position to take it. I did what had to be done and it was a very unpleasant revelation as to how prepared I actually was as opposed to how prepared I thought I was. The crisis I expected did not come. The crisis that came I did not recognize until I had already lost a lot of stuff bit by bit that I could have used to rebuild with if I had gotten rid of it all at once and used the cash to start some new enterprise. Instead, I slowly bled myself to death.
You gotta have gas to get around. Many people have no concept of how much gas they use per month even now.
You skip the mortgage payment but keep the lights and TV and phone on. Then the TV has to go and then the electricity. The phone is last since you hope to find work with it. Eventually, they come for the house and you have to pack up whatever's left and move on. It doesn't all happen at once. Even then, it is very hard. By the time you really realize this is a crisis, you are deep inside it and have few options other than to hold the fort and hope it gets better before you run out of stuff to sell.
A real, full-blown blood-in-the-streets crisis will contain elements of these problems but severely magnified and instantly, rather than incrementally, applied.
I'm a big fan of the Army's new MSS bag, which has add-on modules so that it can be used in all seasons. I also keep my old reliable GI mummy bag on hand. One of the most useful things anyone can buy to get started is an old RV. I've bought several in the 700-900 dollar range and they all came complete with generators, dual power fridges, heaters, A/C, and bathrooms. An entire house on wheels that can be stuffed full of useful things ready to go anywhere you may need to travel.
These aren't memories I like to relive, but the time is approaching when people need to know. The gurus are all out to make a buck and haven't actually been there. I bought lots of stuff from professional preparedness firms that had been in business for decades and found out that much of what they sold was useless crap. ALWAYS eat some of what you buy rather than store it away intact for a rainy day. I discovered #10 cans of fruit juice powder that were single rocks I had to chop apart with a bayonet in order to get a few driblets of beverage. I had cans of tomato power that had a nasty moldy smell to them. Alpine Aire Freeze Dried Gourmet Reserves that turned out to be 3 small mylar packs sealed inside a #10 can and contained about 1/4th of what I thought they held-- plus THEY WERE HIDEOUS TO EAT. Test everything.
tarabel, thanks for sharing your experiences. just bought land in the country. moving out there and living in a fifth wheel while i build a house and shop. your experiences will help me see what is important. thanks...
you guys are sooo funny. I grew up in a family of 10 brothers and sisters. Dad bought potatoes by the 100lbs and we ate rice and beans 6 of 7 days a week. I still love rice and beans. Rice and beans also make a livable combination of carbs and proteins. know how to raise chickens and you have eggs and meat forever. One cow for milk. Done. My 57 acres paid in full, fire burning stove, cords of wood stacked along the fence, with drinkable spring water and a 22 for hunting deer. Garden, canning experience and equipment. No debt, Life is good.
PS Gas only stores for about a year. Better have a plan B, Horses.
PPS. I am most proud to say over the past 8 years my formerly taxable live style has devolved back to the 1800s trade-able services and land produced goods which do not show up on the radar. No bank account. Nothing to see here, move along.
STRONG agreement.
I earned a huge once-in-a-century profit from riding the QE elevator back up after the 2009 crash forced me below ground level. I believed that another crash could happen, so I strategically planned for it starting in 2010. Searched for and bought a small farm plus adjacent forested land parcels very close to very good small town commercial district (for shopping, eg Ranch Supply, ACE, etc, all on very level ground, ie easy to ride a leg-powered bicycle or use a cart pulled by an animal.
I grow enough crops (eg vegetables, fruits) and have enough animals (chickens, rabbits, cows) to easily feed myself plus have enough surplus to sell/barter. I have very high-efficiency wood-burning stoves for heat and cooking if nat gas/propane and electricity become unaffordable and the forested parcels produce plenty of free wood for burning. I bought lots of solar panels directly from China at prices far below what they cost in the USA, so I have plenty of power for high-efficiency lights, computers, satellite radio, and satellite TV. My next experimental/fun project is going to be a generator propelled by steam produced by anything that combustible that I can get, eg wood, refuse, bio-gas from digester, etc so that I can generate enough electrical power to drive motors and a battery charger for the periods when there is not enough sun for the solar panels.
Regarding rice and beans, I had to live on survival rations for a year when I was starting my business many years ago and I found that canned fish (sardines, herring, chum salmon) made the rice and beans much more palatable long-term and also provided high protein.
You lucky bastard...our dad made us hoe and dig potatoes.
Store high test gas without ethanol in it. That corn shit evaporates and the residue gums up carburetors.
And remember to store 2 cycle oil for chain saws.
Finally someone talking sense and not more gold-bug stupidity.
Four letters: S T I L L
Good article with a simple yet effective premise; build or buy an asset that provides you wealth, use gold and other PM's to store excess wealth. I have been following that model for past 14 months. I built a s business selling gold bullion that provides me with excess income which I store in gold Bullion!! it doesn't get any better guys. It costs virtually nothing to join, the work is easy and the rewards are huge..
www.teamramgold.com/about-us
. I built a s business selling gold bullion that provides me with excess income which I store in gold Bullion!! it doesn't get any better guys.
Could you translate this? You sell gold, make excess income, and "buy" gold with it?
If that's really the case, what does gold have to do with it? Even a comedian was able to succinctly describe what's in a business degree: "Buy low, sell high".
You guys are nuts making cotton gins.
>>>> A nation derives its wealth from having a product to sell. That will never change. It is true for nations as well as for individuals.
Why produce anything when you can send other nations some accounting entries in a digital format and they will send you real things for it???
Hey dumbass, learn the difference between "insure" and "ensure".
Most multigenerational business don't make it past the first generation much less the second. Although it's probably worth the effort.
Most multigenerational business don't make it past the first generation much less the second. Although it's probably worth the effort.
BooBoo warms that even in a collapse "swarms of Federal Officers.." will ruin our local businesses [through the usual taxes and regs].
The government is going to have difficulty funding their oppressive operations in a collapse with a hyper-inflated dollar.
Hopefully government funding will collapse completely too vs the 30s Depression with it's 25% 1933 unemployment that's similar to today.
We need a total collapse with only G & S functioning as money to develop a new and better economy.
We also need a 50% die off of the sickest and most obstinate sheeple as they will obstruct any reform and seek socialism.
There are a lot of mentally impaired zombies out there that are going to obstruct everything you do.
Only with anarchy, will we be able to grow hemp and make clothing, building materials, food, medicine and other uses.
Our Nazi government along with their brainwashed sheeple masses will insist on maintaining their War on Drugs and continue banning hemp.
The 1938 Prohibition against Hemp was to destroy our economic independence while the banning of cannabis was to destroy our consciousness enabling further enslavement.
Thomas Jefferson envisioned America as a nation of independent farmers and producers with little government, no standing armies, G & S only and government debt banned.
We finally have a chance to realize this vision but only if government collapses also. Government has to die if we are to get our freedom to be independent farmers and globally competitive producers.
Government is the enemy and has to die with a stake through it's heart. Then we can start fresh with our own arrangements, payments and local decisions.
No more government tyrany, deception, manipulation or fraud.