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Guest Post: How to Save Your Money And Your Life
Submitted by Doug Casey of Casey Research
How to Save Your Money And Your Life
I think there are really only two good reasons for having a significant amount of money: To maintain a high standard of living and to ensure your personal freedom. There are other, lesser reasons, of course, including: to prove you can do it, to compensate for failings in other things, to impress others, to leave a legacy, to help perpetuate your genes, or maybe because you just can't think of something better to do with your time.
But I'll put aside those lesser motives, which I tend to view as psychological foibles. Basically, money gives you the freedom to do what you'd like – and when, how and with whom you prefer to do it. Money allows you to have things and do things and can even assist you to be something you want to be. Unfortunately, money is a chimera in today's world and will wind up savaging billions in the years to come.
As you know, I believe we're into at least the fourth year of what I call The Greater Depression. A lot of people believe we're in a recovery now; I think, from a long-term point of view, that is total nonsense. We're just in the eye of the hurricane and will soon be moving into the other side of the storm. But it will be far more severe than what we saw in 2008 and 2009 and will last quite a while – perhaps for many years, depending on how stupidly the government acts.
Real Reasons for Optimism
There are reasons for optimism, of course, and at least two of them make sense.
The first is that every individual wants to improve his economic status. Many (but by no means all) of them will intuit that the surest way to do so is to produce more than they consume and save the difference. That creates capital, which can be invested in or loaned to productive enterprise. But what if outside forces make that impossible, or at least much harder than it should be?
The second reason for optimism is the development of technology – which is the ability to manipulate the material world to suit our desires. Scientists and engineers develop technology, and that also adds to the supply of capital. The more complex technology becomes, the more outside capital is required. But what if sufficient capital isn't generated by individuals and businesses to fund further technological advances?
There are no guarantees in life. Throughout the first several hundred thousand years of human existence, very little capital was accumulated – perhaps a few skins or arrowheads passed on to the next generation. And there was very little improvement in technology – it was many millennia between the taming of fire and, say, the invention of the bow. Things very gradually accelerated and improved, in a start-stop-start kind of way – the classical world, followed by the Dark Ages, followed by the medieval world. Finally, as we entered the industrial world 200 years ago, it looked like we were on an accelerating path to the stars. All of a sudden, life was no longer necessarily so solitary, poor, nasty, brutish or short. I'm reasonably confident things will continue improving, possibly at an accelerating rate. But only if individuals create more capital than they consume and if enough of that capital is directed towards productive technology.
Real Reasons for Pessimism
Those are the two mainsprings of human progress: capital accumulation and technology. Unfortunately, however, that reality has become obscured by a morass of false and destructive theories, abetted by a world that's become so complex that it's too difficult for most people to sort out cause and effect. Furthermore, most people in the OECD world have become so accustomed to good times, since the end of WW2, that they think prosperity is automatic and a permanent feature of the cosmic firmament. So although I'm very optimistic, progress – certainly over the near term – isn't guaranteed.
These are the main reasons why the standard of living has been artificially high in the advanced world, but don't confuse them with the two reasons for long-term prosperity.
The first is debt. There's nothing wrong with debt in itself; lending is one way for the owner of capital to deploy it. But if a society is going to advance, debt should be largely for productive purposes, so that it's self-liquidating; and most of it would necessarily be short term.
But most of the scores of trillions of debt in the world today are for consumption, not production. And the debt is not only not self-liquidating, it's compounding. And most of it is long term, with no relation to any specific asset. A lender can reasonably predict the value of a short-term loan, but debt payable in 30 years is impossible to value realistically. All government debt, mortgage debt and consumer debt and almost all student loan debt does nothing but allow borrowers to live off the capital others have accumulated. It turns the debtors into indentured servants for the indefinite future. The entire world has basically overlooked this, along with most other tenets of sound economics.
The second is inflation. Like debt, inflation induces people to live above their means, but its consequences are even worse, because they're indirect and delayed. If the central bank deposited $10,000 in everyone's bank account next Monday, everyone would think he were wealthier and start consuming more. This would start a business cycle. The business cycle is always the result of currency inflation, no matter how subtle or mild. And it always results in a depression. The longer an inflation goes on, the more ingrained the distortions and misallocations of capital become, and the worse the resulting depression. We've had a number of inflationary cycles since the end of the last depression in 1948. I believe we're now at the end of what might be called a super-cycle, resulting in a super-depression.
The third is the export of dollars. This is unique to the US and is the reason the depression in the US will in some ways be worse than most other places. Since the early '70s, the dollar has been used the way gold once was – it's the world's currency. The problem is that the US has exported about $7 trillion in exchange for good things from around the world. It was a great trade for a while. The foreigners get paper created at essentially zero cost, while Americans live high on the hog with the goodies those dollars buy.
But at some point quite soon, dollars won't be readily accepted, and smart foreigners will start dumping their dollars, passing the Old Maid card. Ultimately, most of the dollars will come back to the US, to be traded for the title to land and businesses. Americans will find that they traded their birthright for a storage unit full of TVs and assorted tchotchkes. But many foreigners will also be stuck with dollars and suffer a huge loss. It's actually a game with no winner.
What's Next
These last three factors have enabled essentially the whole world to live above its means for decades. The process has been actively facilitated by governments everywhere. People like living above their means, and governments prefer to see the masses sated.
The debt and inflation have also financed the growth of the welfare state, making a large percentage of the masses dependent, even while they've also resulted in an immense expansion in the size and power of the state over the last 60-odd years. The masses have come to think government is a magical entity that can do almost anything, including kiss the economy and make it better when the going gets tough. The type of people who are drawn to the government are eager to make the state a panacea. So they'll redouble their efforts in the fiscal and monetary areas I've described above, albeit with increasingly disastrous results.
They'll also become quite aggressive with regulations (on what you can do and say, and where your money can go) and taxes (much higher existing taxes and lots of new ones, like a national VAT and a wealth tax). And since nobody wants to take the blame for problems, they'll blame things on foreigners. Fortunately (the US will think) they have a huge military and will employ it promiscuously. So the already bankrupt nations of NATO will dig the hole deeper with some serious – but distracting – new wars.
It's most unfortunate, but the US and its allies will turn into authoritarian police states. Even more than they are today. Much more, actually. They'll all be perfectly fascist – private ownership of both consumer goods and the means of production topped by state control of both. Fascism operates free of underlying principles or philosophy; it's totally the whim of the people in control, and they'll prove ever more ruthless.
So where does that leave us, as far as accumulating more wealth than the average guy is concerned? I'd say it puts us in a rather troubling position. The general standard of living is going to collapse, as will your personal freedom. And if you're an upper-middle-class person (I suspect that includes most who are now reading this), you will be considered among the rich who are somehow (this is actually a complex subject worthy of discussion) responsible for the bad times and therefore liable to be eaten. The bottom line is that if you value your money and your freedom, you'll take action.
There's much, much more to be said on all this. I've said a lot on the topic over the past few years, at some length. But I thought it best to be brief here, for the purpose of emphasis. Essentially, act now, because the world's combined economic, financial, political, social and military situation is as good as it will be for many years... and a lot better than it has any right to be.
No new advice here, at least as far as veteran readers are concerned. But my suspicion is that very few of you have acted, even if you understand why you should act. Peer pressure (I'm confident that you have few, if any, friends, relatives or associates who think along these lines) and inertia are powerful forces.
That said, you should do the following.
- Maintain significant bank and brokerage accounts outside your home country. Consider setting up an offshore asset protection trust. These things aren't as easy to do as they used to be. But they'll likely be much less easy in the future.
- Make sure you have a significant portion of your wealth in precious metals and a significant part of that offshore.
- Buy some nice foreign real estate, ideally in a place where you wouldn't mind spending some time.
- Work on getting official residency in another country, as well as a second citizenship/passport. There's every advantage to doing so, and no disadvantages. That's true of all these things.
One more thing: Don't worry too much. All countries seem to go through nasty phases. Within the lifetime of most people today, we've seen it in big countries such as Russia, Germany and China. And in scores of smaller ones – the list is too long to recount here. The good news is that things almost always get better, eventually.
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... hard to get a passport? ... who told you that? Unless your address has been San Quentin for the past few years, getting a passport isn't much more painful than renewing your drivers license.
I would agree that for people that have never in their life traveled internationally that the act of relocating out of the country would be overwhelming.
But for those that have traveled extensively for work or pleasure, the emotional decision may be daunting, but the logistics are managable.
Dude, for a white trash trailer park meth addict getting a passport is a task worthy of Superman. I mean you have to fill out the form, get the photos, write a check.....I mean come on.
The author recommended a second citizenship and passport. I'm not saying it is hard to obtain the first passport.
I have looked at moving abroad and unless one is a Doctor, Engineer, or willing to pump loads of money into a foreign country, most are no so excited to accept new residents. In any case, it's usually a long, difficult process - not something we can just run out and take care of.
So my question remains: Which countries can we just move to and get a second passport? Belize is probably the easiest and cheapest, and it takes about 18 months to become a Permanent Resident. To become a citizen it takes 5 years.
Not so difficult. Although I am a dual citizen (US and EU), I have permanent residency in the Philippines. It is easy to get, there are many ways (marry a Filipina, invest $50K in a condo, house, business, etc., or employ 10 Filipinos). The Philippines seem to have weathered the storm so far. One of the reasons is that it is a poor country and does not have far to fall. The other is its major export, the Filipino, who sends money home from all over the world.
There are many, many expats living here and not just from the US. You can live very well on $1,000/month and like royalty on $2,000. I know some people who live on less than $700/month, have live-in domestic help, eat in nice restaurants, etc. The banking system is solid, many banks have US subsidiaries with access to the Fed trough but have not made stupid loans. For years the exchange rate has been steady, between 42 and 45 peosos per US dollar.
Most of the things in a previous post about Costa Rica hold true for the Philippines, plus most everyone here speaks English, TV broadcasts in English, newspapers in English, school instruction in English, etc. Also, rapidly growing SE Asian cities are within easy reach, for $50 - $80 airfare you can be in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, etc.
Many thanks for the info.
I am a US citizen and have been to the Philippines 11 times. What this poster said is true. It is where I will be retiring which should be soon.
Maybe you should mention the insanely high early demise rate in that country for westerners? The high probability of ending up with a knife sticking out of you? The serial murderers (Dizon) who kill multiple westerners and their local wives/girlfriends?
The police corruption which thrives on exploiting foreign tourists and expats? I mean there is a lot to cover which you and above poster failed entirely to mention.
Mexico may be safer. Less fun, but safer, probably.
I have been shaken down by cops in Mexico but never the Philippines. There are drug wars in Mexico too. I will never go back there.
I don't know if you checked out the Dominican Republic. I read into it in October 2011 and from memory, at the time, it took 3-3.5 years and about $6-7k to obtain a passport.
You don't need to live in the country during any of the process. It takes two trips a couple months apart, a couple days long with a decent agency, to obtain your residency card. After having your residency card for one year, you return to get your citizenship paperwork processed, which takes a few days. Then, after being a citizen for two more years, you apply for your passport. I don't remember the time it took to actually get the passport but I don't think it was long.
The DR passport is good for about 15-17 (working from foggy memory here) more non visa countries than a US passport.
A St. Kitts passport can be had in months for about $80k, as I remember.
I'm still pondering it myself, just in case I want to be elsewhere or be "from" somewhere other than the US in my travels. Also, the DR has all nationalities so race is not an issue.
It's been several months so things may have changed a bit. Google is your friend in getting a decent agency; I also perused the DR Expat forum for a lot of great info.
That all said, one could feasibly make their way to a gulf state, charter a private sailboat for transport to one of the larger gulf islands, with all their dabloooons, and be off into the sunset should things go south in the US. If one was inclined to do so of course. Uncle Sugar wouldn't need to be involved.
I'll stick it out here though, someone has to.
any ideas on how to get all this metal out of the country?
Just leave it. I'll keep an eye on it for you.
Just charter a ship.
Canoe
If you've got the dough, you can hire an agency to transfer it for you but you'd be better off selling it and rebuying it at your new location.
If you don't have the dough, Charter/arrange/crew a private sailboat out of a coastal city to a large Caribbean island to fly out with. You could try to fly out of the USA but I see that fraught with problems as Uncle Sugar is getting testy about his property (you and your PM's) leaving without significant fee's, taxes and forfeitures.
http://www.google.com/search?q=sailing+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.m...
http://sailnet.com has a lot of opportunities which one could hook up with for the low price of crewing the boat.
Just fill out the form with US Customs that you are taking more than $10,000 out of the country. I took some gold out last year. Just make sure you have a place to put it when you get there. Don't assume you can open a bank account and get a safe deposit box anywhere you want.
I wish I could have the 2 hours back that I spent reading this ... I'm not a slow reader, I'm just really wasted
doesnt casey have his refuge in argentina..you know, the country that is nationalizing foreign assets?...
That looks to be more of a land swindle than a refuge. I think he's one of the principals.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303505504577403970826823032.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
HILSENRATH SPEAKTH
Interestingly this is exactly what I wrote last year http://inkom.com.au/How_to_Invest_and_Succeed_in_a_Bad_Economy
One would think that ZeroHedge readers would be some of the more intelligent Americans with experience both living and traveling in other parts of the world. Sad to say, the opinions expressed are those of the "white trash" variety consisting of shouting "USA #1" repeatedly when anyone calls into question that belief. For you white trash idiots, here is the deal - almost every country is improving its situation with the exception of the US. The US is becoming a Third World hell hole with fewer civil liberties and declining economic freedom. Now I know all you trailer park meth addicts love it and hope to continue living on food stamps but the rest of us want more. Which is why anyone with any brains at all is leaving the world's first idiotcracy.
I'm not quite sure I understand. Can you rephrase that in Greek, Gaelic, or Portugese?
Nice. A more sohisticated way of chanting "USA #1". Get off the couch, put the meth pipe down, and do some traveling in Asia and South America. You'll be surprised to see what a shit hole the US is.
No not really, as I'm not starting from the delusion you assume.
The bottom line reason why the USA is #1 for most Americans is because ALL the people they know and trust are here, and more than anything that is what will be needed for survival in the days to come.
We'll see how well you do in a country where you know few people and haven't known long the ones you do. I'll stick where I know I have people who will watch my six when TSHTF.
Have you ever left the home soil for more than a "Europe in 5 days" trip?
Yep, more than a few times too. And been all around the USA as well.
So... please go fuck yourself with your loaded and incorrect assumptions. Make sure you get all holes.
And you found nobody outside the US you would be able to trust too, after getting to know them?
How pathetic.
Clearly you are a pathetically sad individual who thinks that short-term friendships and relationships are a substitute for lifelong ones. When TSHTF you will find that you know absolutely no one who cares for you farther than what they can take from you. Maybe they'll torture you for kicks, since you're obviously such a glutton for abuse.
What a pitiful display of hubris
"The US is becoming a Third World hell hole"
Yet...
"almost every country is improving its situation"
Please do elaborate on who is "improving" and who is still a "Third World hell hole" which America is becoming.
I don't love America nor do I hate America. However, I am White Trash (and proud of it). America is what it is. The best of a bad situation called humanity on Earth.
Pretty soon, most of the US population will be from third world countries.
If you compare Detroit, Newark, etc to even Athen's they look pretty bad.
If you look at the trains, airports,etc compared to most other developed countries, they don't look very good.
Even the water and power systems are becoming less reliable.
I read China is planning to build the world's tallest building in 9 months. Haven't done it yet but still we been working on WTC replacement for what 10 years?
China built national high speed railroad in less time than my state spent redoing a 5 mile stretch of road.
Recent college graduate unemployment/part time minimum wage about 50%.
Corrupt ruling class of incredible wealth with little regard for the average citizen - we got that.
You say every country is improving except the USA. My friend you are a fool, Europe is going down the tubes, go to china plenty of jobs there at 40.00 per week. Central America is run by dictators. You might like Russia. I can't believe people here.
There is a lot to reccomend in this post, but the following is, I believe, errant.
"But at some point quite soon, dollars won't be readily accepted, and smart foreigners will start dumping their dollars, passing the Old Maid card. Ultimately, most of the dollars will come back to the US, to be traded for the title to land and businesses."
No, Doug, those dollars, which have, for generations, as per the dollar's exhorbitant priviledge, been mopped up, will no longer be mopped up. Nor will they will be repatriated. They will remain outside the origin of their issue and, instead, compete with dollars inside the U.S. It will be the market that this nation has embarked on the road to hyper-inflation, which is not, my fellow readers, in case any one is confused, inflation on sterioids.
That presumes the US doesn't pick up on what's going on and sticks it to the foreigners - whether by civilians or military.
There was a typo in the last post. Please substitute marker for market as in,
"It will be the marker that..."
One more thing:
http://images.wikia.com/lotr/images/9/90/Sauron-2.jpg
Don't worry too much.
Ehm.. ok.
http://thepopportunity.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/gollum.jpg
Gold does seem like a nice play for a the longer-term horizon given all the uncertainty in the world today. Also it seems that more money printing will continue to be the solution to all the sovereign debt issues around the world. We believe Gold will eventually make a breakout to much higher levels, but not after several more weeks of choppy price action. For Elliott Wave analsyis of forex, futures, and commodities visit www.marketoverflow.com
Stay put, use your wits ["Obstacles Make You Clever"-Ho Chi Minh], be resolute; who knows, you may weather the storm...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb2TyPfxaQU
Doug sounds like Simon in this article.
The problem with this is that the US has a worldwide military presence. Any nation that you try to go to will end up being somewhere that the US picks you up in, while dispensing with any personal security you may have had. While it may be bad for you, it can also be bad for bankers that find an uncooperative US government.
This is another reason someone that is concerned about his family should have another place to go (in the southern hemisphere). Maybe this is a reason Paraguay seems so popular with the neoconmen.
http://foodfreedomgroup.com/2012/05/28/urgent-warning-fukushima-estimate...
I have a friend who was born a dual national and we conversed about his
status quite recently. He suggested to me that his UK/US nationality was a huge asset, he is under the impression that his immigration status is of huge value to some lady in the USA, a trust fund baby or genius investor girl,
He insists that 300K would make most of his problems go away and that the UK is perhaps one of the best bets in the obviously coming storm for a person wishing to survive, wealth intact.
in all truth I can find no fault in his argument. I will have to watch and see.
"in all truth I can find no fault in his argument"
You might want to search a bit more vigorously...
Ignores TWO BIG THINGS:
1. MASSIVE CORPROATE WELFARE - 98% of Federal Welfare
2. Massive Overcharging Corporate Fraud - 1,OOO% to 177,525% (like B0ElNG) - Up to 3O,OOO% Overcharging in Health Care!
I'll file this one under bullsh_t/ Graham Summers. Try opening an account in Canada as an American. Doug Casey is trying to sell some nationalized housing in Argentina.
It has been said multiple times by other writers on ZH, that there are only few places left where a US citizen can open a bank account without problems.
Dead give away the author is retarded! Why the fuck would I have metal any where that I could not shoot a gun to protect it? Lead and gold baby!
Now that's what I am talking about! We need to get together.
I get so tired of these "take your money and run" articles.
If you property is going to be snathced it is going to be snatched no mater where you are.
Why don't we stay here and fix this country, it is not hard to do.
I've thought about it too, and what you say is true. But capital flight has always historically been part of the solution. It's the money that is preserved and comes back to rebuild when the conditions permit. It's a hedge.
We can, and will, rebuild the country(s) but things look like they will have to crash before they can be reset. Many funny things can happen before the government and bankers capitulate to reality.
Make no mistake about it sheople, if I had the wherewithal to escape this Gulag I would be gone in an instant. Costa Rica, Chile, Philippines, Argentina, especially Switzerland.
What idiot would stay here if he could get out? (I mean if you are making tons of money yeah I would stay too, I also wouldn't have time to post on zh)
This article and the ideas in it are pretty much.......crap.
Acting like you can escape the coming deluge of economic melt down is a.......pipe dream. Where are you going to go hide your little stash of money and get away from big brother? Wake up people! First of all the US is the only country where you have ANY rights to personal property. Around the world, they will take your shit and tell you to go take a flying leap. When there is no US to enforce international laws and rights, you can bet it will be an entire world of wild west adventure. The absurdity of the idea that you can leave civilization to escape chaos and crime in a third world country run by a mafia that thrives on chaos and crime is so stupid it is laughable.
When you get there with your little pile of money, what the hell are you going to do with it? When you show up and can all of a sudden afford things that the locals cannot, you don't think they'll come take it like the welfare crowd in this country is going to do once the welfare stops? The jackasses running things have finally got us "all-in-this-together" situation and there will be no hiding. THE HELL WITH HIDING! That is the chickenshit attitude that got us in this mess. Good thing George Washington and the boys didn't go hide in a hole (bunker) somewhere with there beans and gold. I've got both, and if you want it, come and get it. I was born free and gonna die that way. Most of you need to wake up and realize you can't live forever. Got nothing against the Jews but that is the big mistake they made with Hitler. Thought they would rat hole their wealth and ride out the storm when they should have bought some guns and made a plan to die standing with their boots on instead of naked and screaming in a gas chamber.
Its time for a reset alright. One where your mind is reset and you realize people and life is more precious than you little pile of money and "things". I damn sure ain't going to run out on my country! Plenty died so I could have the freedom and things I have. At some point, I'll probably have to return the favor. Sure would be nice to have some good men to help and die beside but it looks like all we have anymore are a bunch of money grubbing, chicken asses who care only about themselves. In the end, you'll get yours.
Last of all, the idea that one day you can come back and everything will be like it was is so PATHETIC an idea that it reveals the stupidity of this writer and any that agree with him. In the entire history of mankind, the US is the ONLY country of its kind with the freedoms and rights and laws we have. Never again will you see one like it. Never again will it come back once it is gone. It is a blip on the screen of history. It is an idea worth fighting for. It is an idea worth dying for. Problem is most of you have never held that idea. You're a bunch of serf/commie wannabes. You want all the cream but you don't want to milk the cow. You want all the freedoms and rights but you want someone else to fight and die for them. WE have become fat, lazy, worthless punks in this country who are more concerned about a stupid golf match or a basketball game. Time to stand up. Time to draw the lines. Time to tell them to come and get some. Time to show them there are still some Americans left in this country, we are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it anymore. We are going to start giving it.
This post is so full of crap I don't even know where to begin without stepping in it.
Freedom and the idea of it will always be "crap" to socialist/commie pukes that are afraid of freedom because they have never had it and are too chicken shit to pay the price to keep it. Go suck on your euro.
Well you let us know when you standup, draw the line, tell them to come and get some, and start giving it. This airchair commando bravado has been chasing its tail for decades.
Where were the "patriots" when Obamacare passed?
Where were the "patriots" when the Patriot Act passed?
Where were the "patriots" when NDAA passed?
Where were the "patriots" when American citizens were burned alive at Waco?
Where were the "patriots" when the banks were bailed out?
Where were the "patriots" when drones started flying over American soil?
The list goes on and on. All of these mythical "patriots" have some sort of mythical "line in the sand" which always seems to be convienently located behind them and therefore is never crossed.
Every day I wake up here in NZ after leaving the US and I am not under the thumb of such things as I just listed. Who is really the free man here? It is pretty easy to look my family in the face and know we did the right thing as we actually have a future now, where I could not say the same thing while living in the US. Stockpiling guns and ammo is not the logical answer to ensure the safety of your family, getting them out of the area of danger is and that is exactly what I have done with no guilt or second thought. I owe them more than any "patriot" who has already proven that when push comes to shove they will simply do nothing productive in response to obvious and blatent tyranny. I am not going to bet my family's future on the dim prospect of "patiots" finally one day putting their money where their mouth is when they have already proven countless times they are unwilling to do so when presented with more than enough reason and circumstance.
Those things you listed are not my responsibility. What IS my responsibility is my personal property and my family. When those things come to my door, I will deal with them. When they come to my friend's doors I will STAND with them. You are one of those idiots who thinks that just because he wears his seat belt (like he was told to) that he will never die in a car accident. You probably think that if you never smoke you will never get lung cancer. If you exercise and eat right you will probably live forever......NOT.
Just because you are a duck and run, chicken ass, don't run down the rest of us because we want to stand and fight and yes even die for what we believe in. I would rather die standing up than in a bed with a bunch of tubes and blood sucking doctors sucking the life and money out of my one hour at a time. You are holding on WAY too tight. You don't belong on this board and need to read the motto very slowly 3 times and try to comprehend what it says. History is written about those who would stand against the wrong, against long odds, and risk life and liberty to fight for what is right. The reason we have the statement, "Evil abounds when good men do nothing" is because of people like you. You have no clue what I have done, am doing, or are willing to do. Those things would be foreign to a coward like you. Hide behind the safety of your family because you are to scared to put anything on the line.
There is no NEUTRAL ground. You are on a side whether you like it or not. I will not be cowed down or forced to leave what I know and love. Your attitude has destroyed this once great nation.
At least my boys will know what it is to stand for the right and important and not run because they think they can't win. EVERYTHING you say is totally against EVERYTHING upon which this county was founded. What will yours stand for? Just like you they will probably run.
I stopped reading after "Those things you listed are not my responsibility." Thanks for proving my point of why there is no hope for America.
What would you have me do? Run like you? Is that your only answer. I agree, there is no hope for America. I stand for Freedom, on a personal level and then a collective one. But if we don't have those who stand for personal freedom, we will never see a collective freedom.
You want me to shoot down a drone? Why? What will that do? When I find a snake I don't chop off his tale and tell everyone I killed a snake. You want me to personally change the country? Because I make a personal stand, I am now responsible for the rest of the country or I have "done nothing"?
I have been hard on you and the guys taking your side and a lot of my anger and frustration being bottled up right now spills out at inconvenient times. The one who leaves the "conflict" is in no position to turn and tell the ones that stay that they are losers or are not doing enough. I vote (what a joke). I speak my opinion. I protest. Right now that is all that is warranted. I think we are getting close to some lines being crossed. Most of it is on paper. When the action follows then we will see.
Enjoy NZ. Not sure WHY you are here on this board if things are so great there and you have given up on US? Seems you would want to block it all out.
What you mean to say, is that you stand for individual freedom up until the point another person takes actions which will benefit them rather than you and the collective you belong to.
No one is leaving a conflict. There is no conflict. All there is, is a bunch of people complaining, whining, making bold statements, and waiting for that mythical "line in the sand" to one day be crossed. It never will be crossed. All you are going to have is the continued slow, sad, decline you see all around you in America. Sorry, but I am not staking my families future on such hopes when so many lines before have already been crossed with nothing even remotely productive done in response. Hope ain't a strategy.
There are no patriots left USKiwi, the patriots all blasted off to Kiwiland long ago, long ago... Only thing left here now are the tax slave sheople, and the nomenklatura overlords.
If I had the dough and/or the brains I would be in Kiwiland myself. As is, I'm just here in Gulag USA with a boot in my face every day.
Anyone with a considered opinion belongs on this board. It's called 'freedom of speech', and 'debate'. Anyway, who voted you Board Monitor?
You piss on the graves of the Founding Fathers -- who fled the tyranny of the Kings, Catholic Church and mercantilists (sound familiar?) of 6 different countries in order to fight another day -- eventually saving Protestantism from annihilation by the Papists, saving the ideals of the Magna Carta from annihilation by the King, and breaking the back of the East India Company.
Sun Tsu, Macchiavelli, Wellington and Patton will all tell you that a strategic retreat is far more effective than "over the trenches and into the machine guns, boys! ... I'll be right behind you [about 20 miles back]"!
Having said that, both of you have merits in your arguments. I will be staying and fighting because my family is no longer depending on me for protection, whereas the USKiwi is doing exactly the right thing by his younger family.
Your pig-headed, bullying, name-calling prose is what doesn't belong here.
The fact that you put that idiot Sun Tsu and Patton in the same sentence shows you are clueless. You can say the founding fathers avoided the conflict until the last possible moment, but there are no new fronties to "escape" to in this world. Running time is over. You are right about the "opinion" thing but it is infuriating to think we live in a day when the citizens of the greatest country ever are talking about running out. Freedom has been lost because people chose their wallet over what was right. Compromise with evil and evil will always want more. Be strategic "here" where you can be a help and not somewhere else. I am an individualist but if we do not come together on some common ground, then we will never be able to stand.
Its well past the "talking about running out" phase. There are all sorts of American's popping up down here at an ever increasing pace. I have met a number of former American farmers, business owners, etc who cashed out of their enterprises in the US, brought their capital and talents here, and re-established. I am far from the only one that has already acted.
If running time is over, what exactly are you doing that is in any way more productive than paying your taxes?
For an "individualist", you sure do expect a lot of people to sacrifice for the collective after you have already stated none of America's problems are of your concern until they show up at your doorstep. Somewhat ironic.
You're pathetic. An armchair patriot and internet tough guy (girl?). But don't worry, New Zealand is like moving to Canada, you're still trapped in the Anglosphere. He didn't run far enough from the brutal fascist Anglo-Zionist empire. They've still got him right where they want him.
Lot's more people arrested every day in the US compared to almost everywhere else. Pretty much the only place they get resistance is in ghettos where the inhabitants attack everyone - police or not - that comes within reach. The most frequent arrest is still pot - not even a crime in large parts of the world. How many times have you read about the police destroying the wrong house in search of a drug dealer? No resistance even though many people in the neighborhood have guns. Realistically, how can a community organize to protect themselves against this? You would have to organize a group to patrol the area at all times with the capability to summon armed reinforcement rapidly - effectively another police.
Agreed. But you still refuse to acknowledge that NZ is a part of the Anglo-Zionist empire as much as the U.S. or U.K. The police state may not have come to NZ yet, but believe me, it is coming. Where the Anglosphere goes, all of its territories shall follow. Militarily, and foreign policy/intelligence wise, all Anglo nations act as one.
NZ is the bug out location for the Anglo elites (especially the royal family) should the Northern Hemisphere become unlivable due to nuclear war. That's the real reason they are "anti-nuclear power" and such. Of course the civilian population thinks they came up with these ideas on their own. But it's just psyop campaigns to control the population, same as it is anywhere else in the Anglosphere.
Overall NZ is easily a top 5 choice for the prudent and liberty minded native English speaker trying to survive this time of crisis. However, don't be surprised if the police state present in the rest of the Anglosphere shows up at your door step.
this is great advice (for millionaires)!
Sort of hard to pack up a family and go to South America or BFE or where ever... and do you trust the foreign banks not to "disappear" your accounts? If the Gov gets much worse, we will have massive "occupy" movements all around, but these will be with heavily armed citizens... stock up, fellas.
Not only am I staying put but I /really/ question this mantra about going to another country.
Spain. Yeah...as an expat I want to buy land in Spain. And then watch as Spain 'reclaims it's own' and takes away all the land owned by damn foreigners.
Or like what happened in Mexico where retires bought their houses (or land upon which they built) only to have the government there take it away about five years later as the original sale was 'illegal'.
As bad as it gets here...it will probably get a lot worse elsewhere.
Do keep in mind that what really made the U.S.A. great was it's natural resources.
A great deal of which we still have.
And we can still grow a butt load worth of food.
Robber with a gun to Jack Benny, "Your money or your life!"
Jack Benny, silent.
Robber, "Well, so what's it going to be buddy??"
Jack Benny, "I'm thinking about it..."
"Take my wife....Please!"
No one I know is moving oversees. The ones that wanted to already have. The richest people already have their isolated land, guns, gold, gates and fences, and are scared but prepared. The poorest have their shitty neighborhoods, guns, foodstamp cards, gold chains, and guns, and are not scared of anything. The people in the middle have run out of money, live in foreclosed homes or with relatives, have no jobs or hopes of ever finding one, have guns, and are scared shitless and more than a little hopeless. I won't even discuss the yutes because I and they have no clue what they're going to do. All of this mixed together makes for a long hot summer of fun!
A better article would be on how we get the illegal immigrants to go back to where they came from. That would be a start, at least for us Californios. How do you think the Peruvians or Argentinians or Filipinos or Belizians are going to feel when the world economy finishes imploding and stuff gets super expensive and the only people doing ok are the norte americanos up in the hills?
I have two passports. I have also had two unfortunate canoe accidents in both those locations.
That aside if it ain't in your greedy little fucking hands it ain't yours.
Juan Valdez will ariba with your gold pesadas faster that shit through a goose as soon as he blows the lock off the ''vault'" your shit is stored in.
IMO keeping your cash or PM's with someone else (unless you can afford to lose it all) is fucking stupid.
Shirley, I'm with you,your rant is bringing up belushi's call to action at the end of animal house so much that you can have my BMW and spray paint eat me on the side if you want.
I just gave U a greenie. Big Ching doesn't do that often.
You can't save your life.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
A bunch of you need to get a grip on the fact that you might have to give up your way of life and your little Cinderella ideas about what you think life should be. When are you going to realize:
FREEDOM COMES AT A PRICE!
Take a look at history and that price has ALWAYS been blood. Ask Thomas Jefferson. If you are going to shut up, hide, and run away, you might as well let them lock you up because you are already a slave with no freedom.
You can't run from evil or bad guys. They just keep coming. You have to meet them head on. You have to bloody the bully's nose if you want him to leave you alone. The guy that wrote this article should turn in his US citizenship because he damn sure doesn't deserve to live in our freedom when he isn't willing to pay for it. Question is..........ARE YOU WILLING?
Somebody needs to go remember the Spartans.
My kind of man.
You remind me of chumba. He hasn't been around lately, prolly too busy shoving banksters against the wall these days.
Nice thing about the US is some of its citizens still have some spine. Real shortage of that in a lot of other countries.
What are you waiting for then?
Timing is everything jagoff. At least he didn't lift his skirt and high tail it out of the country when he thought things might get a little rough.
Thanks, Totin. We need some leadership. Until it comes I will mind my own business and deal with what comes to my door. Have some buddies who will stand too.
If you are in a prison, the only sane and brave thing to do is escape, the rest is taunting from the prison guards, which they do for fun in between shooting inmates.
Kiwi Dude I send you much respect, and please help be get a VISA or any way, help me escape from this fvcking prison!!!
As Alex Jones says, we have to recognize first that the USA has been conquered by foreign bankers.
You first fatty. I don't see anyone shooting TSA agents. I don't see anyone shooting down drones. I don't see anyone doing ANYTHING to resist the fascist American police state.
Go vote for Romney and then chug down a giant size milk shake and quadruple cheeseburger you fat pathetic armchair patriot.
I'm sick of reading this stupid bull shit these past several years. You're not going to do anything. Ever. A fat creepy old pedo can be fingering your 6 year old daughter at the bus station and you'll just stand there in silence like an obedient little sheep because he's got a fucking TSA uniform on and you worship authority.
Its real easy, jackass, I don't fly and neither do my children. A hallmark of all great warriors is patience and temperance. The day will come. At this point, I live perfectly free. My biggest problem is the compulsive contribution to things I disagree with but for the most part I do whatever I want. I raise my kids the way I want (home school), I own any firearm I desire, I work at a personal business, I own my property, I worship the way I want, I eat what I want, etc. So what would you have me do, chickenshit?
I am not a wacked out idiot just because I want to be free and unlike you chicken ass will fight for it. It will come and when it does I will be ready. Are you? Yeah, ready to run. I don't live in a fascist part of the country. I am good friends with the police and sherrif's dept. here because they are guys just like me. I guess when its night time, you assume the sun isn't shinning. Or maybe when its raining where you are, you think it is raining all over the world. A true patriot doesn't look for trouble but avoids it at all cost because WHEN he acts all will be placed on the line. I once again refer you to our (my) founding fathers who "remonstrated" themselves over and over again before they acted. They tried so hard to work things out. They lived in a true policed state. They WANTED so badly to avoid the comflict, but when it came, they were ready.
All you are ready for, in the fight for freedom, is an extended vacation. BTW come over some time with that smartass mouth of yours and we will see who will do what.
R u at Thermopylae. Who are the Persians these days? threatened at home by those NZ bulls. If only you played rugby I would understand. But you don't, you play helmetted roller ball!
The average American can name more American Idol winners than Founding Fathers and this type of ignoramus far outnumbers those that have a clue about what is going on and actually care. 95% of those that think they have a clue and think they care are usually just pre-programmed, neo-con, Fox News recordings simply reciting what the talking heads told them while waving their American flags.
Until the society and culture in the US goes through a radical and dramatic change, there will be no revival through voting, revolution, or whatever initiated or supported by the legitimate patriotic-minded segment of the population. Those that think there is going to be some sort of revolution or great American revival are deluding themselves.
People want a country that is returned to the principles and ideals upon which America was founded. Unfortunately, there is no longer a society and culture in American capable of supporting this scenario. That is the root problem - not the Republicans, not the Democrats, not Obama, none of those things. These are only symptoms of the greater disease, and just like a disease, you can't just treat the symptoms and expect to be cured. There is no point in talking about revolution or revival through voting or any other means until the society and culture is ready for it. Right now, it is not even close to ready and sadly American society is heading not in the right direction, but in the wrong direction at full speed ahead.
We saw no future for America when we started our journey to leave, and everything that has happened in the US since that time has only reaffirmed our decision 100%.
We left the US about 3 years ago to NZ. Best decision we ever made. Moving to another country is far easier than anyone probably realises. We are nothing more than average middle class folks and we made the move here as permanent residents with no issues. The process was easy and not complicated. It took about 6 months, $2k in fees, and was completed before even arriving in NZ.
Of course NZ has its issues and no place in the developed world is going to be completely uneffected by the coming economic storms, but there are places that will ride out the storm a lot better than the US which is circling the toilet bowl at an ever increasing pace.
Zero interest in moving to another country. I love the USA with all of it's warts. Things look bad here no doubt but if the US goes down everyone goes with her (including NZ). New Zealand isn't in a unique position to remain isolated from the troubles of Europe, USA, and Japan.
Good ridance. Now go to a NZ board and stay the hell out of our business. You made your choice so why don't you blather your bs over there.
NZ is heaven on earth, right? They took their guns long ago. You are naked and out in the open. They will take whatever else they want when they want. Of course you will probably glaly give it and then some because there won't be any other place to run and hide. Those who can't run usually start licking boots.
Who do you speak for? Who are you to disdain those prisoners who have escaped to freedom? I am an American by birth unfortunately, and I wish to hear everything USKiwi has to say, any input or gem of information he may share here might possibly help me on my quest to escape this Gulag to freedom.
USKiwi INVU bro!
An "NZ board?" You think Zero Hedge is an American site? Well, maybe its founders hold U.S. citizenships - maybe.
But it's hosted in Switzerland. Why? Because the fascist American police state has been asserting its violence more and more into cyberspace, seizing domains, and shutting down sites they find objectionable. The ZH crew is very intelligent, and they have taken steps to mitigate the risks of being shut down by the fascist Ameican police state.
Go back to your survivalist boads and talk about "tactics" or storing 50 gallon drums full of beans, or burying nickels under the crawl space of your trailer, or whatever it is you people do.
And finally, New Zealand is as much a part of the Anglo-zionist military empire as the U.S. or U.K. or any of the U.K.'s territories that we like to pretend are independent nations (CA, NZ, AU).
You are naked and out in the open....
Freudian slip. Feel like grabbing a piece of NZ beef, Shirley?
Shirley come early catches the worm. Hope he doesn't pack a monty python.
I was in New Zealand 1 year ago. Lovely people, but very socialized country and very expensive. Its also a place where the government is totally in charge.
I am wondering how you are defining "socialized".
Of course there is the common misconception that we must be taxed into the ground here. Well not really:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/3688049/Kiwis-tax-burden-among-OEC...
http://www.oecd.org/document/2/0,2340,en_2649_201185_36371174_1_1_1_1,00...
Well what about welfare. Everyone thinks that NZ is some sort of welfare paradise. Well not really. About 12% of the population are currently receiving some sort of welfare benefit:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Fall-in-number-of-beneficiaries/tabid/423/article...
How does that compare to the US? Well if you look at just food stamp use in the US (not including any other sort of welfare) it already tops over 15% - just for food stamps:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/record-number-us-households-foodstamps
Almost 50% of of people in the US live in a household which receives a government benefit of some kind:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/united-welfare-states-america-2011-nearly-...
Over 17% of American's personal income is a government benefit given to them:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/02/12/us/entitlement-map.html?sr...
So, who is really living in the socialist, welfare-state paradise now???
OK I am not saying you are wrong Harley, but anwer me this:
How many 13 year old boys did the Kiwi police state murder? How many mothers holding their infant child in their arms did Kiwi snipers murder from long range? (of their own citizens?) How many Kiwi coeds do the Kiwi police pepper spray in the face every year? How many SWAT raids do KIWI police conduct on small farmers every year for the crime of "growing and selling food and or cows milk"??
Oh and how many disturbed (psycho whatever, harmless) individuals did the KIWI police beat to death in the last few months.
Please answer me all those questions then I will decide about which country is free and which is .gov controlled.
It's hard to imagine a country where the government is more "totally in charge" than the U.S.
the issue NOW isn't the level of government control, its more whose purpose it serves. In the old USSR it was 100% state despotism. In China its elitist shared despotism with market entrepreneurs. In France, its elitist trickle down despotism. In the USA/UK its pure Oligarchy despotisim. In all these countries the politicians gets elected/coopted to serve the power elites either by becoming Oligarchs themselves (China) or by being their front men (USA/UK/Germany). France is in-between.
We are in central controlled socio-economies more and more where individual liberties disappear in the real world but are born on the Internet. Lets hope the Internet stays a growing source of individual liberties world wide.
I will die where I have lived all my life. As far as our flag, my colors don't run. Invest in lead and muster when necessary. Our struggle has just begun. No force on this Earth will run me off of the land where I was fortunate enough to have been born. They may bury me here, but they're not going to run me off.
dual US/Canadian citizen by birth but keeping pms in hand and staying in my hometown. Rather batten down the hatches here than risk it out there
http://www.prepperyogini.com/
delete double post
Ooooooh yes....one other thought.
As was frequently stated "when goods stop crossing borders, armies start"
I'd even be concerned about Austrailia being 'liberated' by China from us imperialistic dogs of the U.S.
What other countries that are 'move to' locations would make good targets for military 'liberation'?
But for those that do move, be gentle about their choice. It's how this country was populated (and became the power that it has become).
I'm not originally from these here parts. I speak Chinese and Indian beside this smattering of English. I'd make better headway than any of you gringos in a world where the I understand a majority of the population...My two bits? Don't even think about it. First of all you're going to stick out like a sore thumb, you don't understand the system, and if they rip you off, you will notice how quickly everyone arounds you looks really opaque and dumb. No one is going to help you, you won't know anybody, you will be alone. You think you're tough, maybe, but you're not as hungry as they are. Those guys in 2nd and 3rd world countries are sharks...all they have to do is smell the money and the weakness. The other guys on par or above the US? They are in as deep a shit hole as we are. No, deeper. They can't print.
You'd do better in the wilds of Montana or Arkansas or any other wide open piece of our country. Find a distinctive tree or unique rock formation and bury your jar of goodies. Isn't that the plan the people followed for ages? Hang tough, buy what you need for protection. Hell, go to Canada for a spell, but that's as far as I would go paleface. I wouldn't even do that. The fight is right here. We've been talking tough here for years, now act like it.
Thumbs up from this paleface gringo :)
i concur, read my post above, or below.
To summarize most of the comments here:
I assume the Jews who in 1933 decided to stay in Germany also thought like that.
Run away little girl - they are waiting for you in Vaginaistan
Now please tell me how strong and fearless (and brainless) you are!
The Jewish peope in Germany had no way to defend themselves even if/when they did understand what was happening.
So you're saying if those Jews had owned guns at the time, they would've been fine?
Yea, a few semi-automatic rifles are clearly all it takes to stop a massive high tech war machine. The patriot armies will easily shoot down those bomber s at 30,000 feet and their .223 rounds will rip through the M1 Abram's battle tanks like paper.
These people are delusional.
Psyman - pay attention. UV hand held laser $250 - aim at IR/Night vision devices to disable. When they pop their heads out - repeat application. They are now blind. Shoot at will. One flare gun, one foot of 3 inch black pipe, one small IED. Total cost $300. Jump on tank (risky part), fire flare into turret inside pipe, wait for penetration, deposit IED. Tactic from Russians in WWII. Still works.
Well, the US government isn't publicly stating that they plan to exterminate most of us yet. Just a few here and there in wars and police actions.
Most of the posts here are about running, hidding, abondoning. WTF, have you no balls, character or guts, Go please and don't let the door hit you in the ass.
Thank you. As I posted earlier, my colors don't run.
Rockfish - see my posting below - TacticalZen
Stay put. Know how to turn your (house), (block), (neighborhood), (city), (state) into a killing zone against any enemy. Nobody throws their life away. If things go to hell be ready to help "reset". Bullets, beans and band-aids anyone?
Rockfish - see my posting below - TacticalZen
Stay put. Know how to turn your (house), (block), (neighborhood), (city), (state) into a killing zone against any enemy. Nobody throws their life away. If things go to hell be ready to help "reset". Bullets, beans and band-aids anyone?
Where does a 75 YO gain anything following this prescription. I've been all over the world and everywhere I've been is worse off than the USA. I can also speak the language. I would recomment gold, cash, a small farm in a rural area, and a few good guns.
My Italian grandparents got through the Great Depression in PA because they knew how to farm and had land that free and clear of a mortgage. My parents have the same in a more rural part of PA near good water sources with plenty of lakes and woods near by. If necessary I know enough about farming, canning, and curing/smoking meat to make it through the next Great Depression if it literally comes down to that.
It won't be tasty necessarily in the winter but a small greenhouse with potatoes, cabbage, and carrots along with canned fresh fruit & dried meat will be enough to get me and my family through. Can supplement with ice fishing and hunting if necessary with bow or gun. Not a big deer organ guy myself but venison sausage that you dry cure is just fine. Plenty of dried peppers and garlic too with plenty of onions. If I didn't want to earn a big paycheck, I would give it up and work on the garden all week. Grandfather did that by hand with a pitchfork and it kept him in good health until his late 80s.
To hell with dehydraters too. Not a big fan at all except on some food. Even then it is generally tasteless. If you want to perserve food, I would much rather just make a jam, skin & can it, or pickle it.
Having read Doug Casey over the years, I think most commenters here have misread him significantly.
a) I don't think he is recommending flight, surrender or cowardice - as I recall, he is a thrill-seeker who has broken most of his bones in stunts at one time or another, been involved in numerous dicey situations like crossing contested borders while teenagers with AK-47s and twitchy fingers are standing guard, etc. He's not saying his choices are for you, either - just suggesting what someone MIGHT do, if they thought it advisable.
b) Doug is apparently independently rich as a result of his investments, starting with gold coins bought with paper route wages as a young man. He's also made money in Canadian junior gold miners, rare art and collectables, and investing in various businesses around the world. Not exactly a born-rich caviar & truffles kind of guy.
c) That place in Argentina is an investment too, but he hopes it won't be nationalized - apparently one of the Argentine elite is a co-developer, so maybe that will help keep Kirschner from stealing it. Not a guarantee, but then he's earned fortunes, so maybe he can afford to lose even that, if it happens.
d) I would guess that not one in a dozen of these comments recognizes a basic truth - if you DIVERSIFY your investments, losing one doesn't wipe you out (like if the USD collapses due to overprinting, every USD investment you have may be lost). YES, the more the merrier - and I would bet Doug Casey has money in Singapore, Argentina, the US (a little, for convenience), Chile, Colombia, and a dozen more places. He also is likely to own real estate in several places, for the same reason - don't put all your eggs in the same investment, currency or time zone. SOMEWHERE is likely to escape the effects of the Crunch - and if you have some money around the world, you're more likely to have SOMETHING to start over with.
e) From his writings, Doug isn't a guy to sit in a room counting his Eagles - he likes wine, food and good companionship of LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE as well (like that word COMMUNITY some of you toss around here). His venture in Argentina seems to be an attempt to build his own Galt's Gulch, in an out-of-the-way place, to be populated with people who see things his way. I expect him to try and make a profit while he's at it; do you expect him to give it away?
Doug Casey needs no defense from me, and this isn't intended to be one - just a try to explain why he says what he says, does what he does, and writes accordingly. I hear all you who are going to hunker down, fight the Feds if they come, and live off the land in the backwoods when the Crunch comes. Good luck, I hope you are successful. I doubt that when the Crunch comes, the Feds will be your biggest problem - they'll be too busy trying to figure out what happened when all their plans, think tanks, political connections and public offices turn out to be so much B.S. Your real enemies will probably be all those idiots who BELIEVED the Feds when they said they had it all under control, nothing to worry about here, we'll take care of you - and then the SS and SSDI checks quit coming (or simply bounce), there's two days worth of food in the house (and then none) and their children who can't spell start crying from hunger. THEN you'll find out how many stupid, desperate people live near you - and whether or not you can stand with your friends to protect what's yours and remain standing longer than they can outnumber you.
Don't be too hard on Doug - he may get really lonely when the Crunch comes. And don't be too hard on the people who run, whether to NZ or elsewhere - if the real job of parenting is to make sure your children SURVIVE, then everyone who dies defending their children uselessly (because the crowd steals their food after they are dead, and their children starve ANYWAY) can't really be considered successful, can they?
Maybe the path is to get your family out of harm's way so you can return and fight; maybe the path is to wear out the power-drunk control freaks one smoking ruin at a time. I can't make choices for others, only myself; but Doug is far richer than I am, so I'll at least listen. Maybe having money overseas in ONE country is pointless; but that one deposit overseas is doubling my chances that I'll have SOMETHING to start over with once Obama steals everything "for the children" in this country.
Yeah, bury some in the back yard; bury some overseas, if you can. Do what makes sense to you; and when the Crunch comes and goes and becomes history, we can all get back together here on ZH and compare notes on what worked THAT time. Best of luck to all!
Just buy silver religious medallions, 'cause the .gov CAN'T sieze them! They ain't secular.
Hottest religious medallions today?
Miraculous Medal - Medjugorje Medallions
globalsilverinvestors.com
mej.com
Over 2.5 million exchanged since 2010.
south america is about the worst place a whitey can go. history of mass murder, regime changes, communism, death squads, inflation, shitty governments nationalizing everything. All these chuckleheads are going on how wonderful it is in chile - no one ever mentioning that they can not detain you without charges.
Agreed. They just like South America because they can live like a billionaire oligarch even though they are merely millionaires.
The author suggests flexibility and redundancy - but assumes that other countries will be relatively free from the chaos that is coming. I agree in concept but differ in method. If I may suggest:
Be flexible here at home and prepare. Learn stuff. How to grow a garden, weld a pipe or wire a circuit. Keep some cash and PM's. Store food and medical supplies. Become and remain proficient with weapons. Learn hand to hand fighting skills. Learn another language. For everything that is truly critical, have back ups with back ups. Understand and implement "gray man". Learn what is monitored (like the internet) and what isn't. That OnStar in your car can be used against you. Likewise these smart phones with GPS.
Learn the rules, and then how to break them. Be an expert in something that, collectively, can combine and make a fighting force that is incredibly resilient. Understand asymetric fighting concepts and how to implement them domestically. Locate others of like mind and communicate regularly - through non-electronic means.
I wish I could discuss this more openly, but they're listening, and not I'm not paranoid, just paying attention.
Remember - 5,000 free French Patriots utterly tied up 1 million German troops in WWII in France by blowing up every damn thing. The Germans had to post two man guards for the railroads every 400 meters. Asymetry is a real bitch - worse if the warriors are smart, skilled, capable, and focused. Now that kind of redundancy is a form of hedging I can support.
PS - Tyler - congrats on your "#2" worst dudes listing. Your're #1 in our book.
I very much agree with article.
But my observation is that too little people get this simple truth. Even reasonably smart and educated people choose to ignore it and live like nothing has happened (just look at average number of "reads" of articles here..). Question I don't get answer to (even reading this blog) :
If enough people support (even unintentionally, like Greek voters who want to stay in EZ) this situation and why should it end this or next year? Why arbitrary number of debt 100 or 200% of GTP is so scary, why it couldn't go to 600% or 1200%? Why it could not continue for another say 15 years?
Maybe the new unit of money is already "Percent of GDP" - POG.
A : "How much does this TV cost?"
B : "5 US POG cents!"
It's easy to sit on your fat ass and complain. It's much harder to face the harsh truth that the best and most logical course of action is to liquidate everything and flee the fascist American police state while you still can.
I will have no sympathy for those that willfully chose to ignore all the evidence and warning signs and stay on this sinking ship.
Hello, all!
My first post here . . . just wondering what the general opinion here is regarding the purchase of a first home at this point in time. Buy concrete real estate at low interest while I'm "battening down the hatches," OR wait 'til it all hits the fan, and hope for lower purchase price, while holding my savings in PM? Leaving the country is not an option right now.
Appreciate the input.
Real Estate used to be valued relatively easily. It was a stable if illiquid asset. It is why local governments were funded by property taxes - because of year to year and decade to decade stability. But in the last 5 years we've seen a retrenchment in some markets of up to 80% of market valuation - during and after the bubble. This is more volatile than at any time since the civil war. This record low interest rate has done nothing to stimulate demand.
Keep your money. Buy precious metals. Rent until things go down the tubes, or there are clear signs that banks are working again (i.e. an M1 money multipliler of at least 1.8), QE has stopped, hyperinflation isn't at our door, real inflation adjusted incomes are increasing, and U6 unemployment is below 10%. My personal odds are 10 to 1 against all of these things happening in the next 5 years. But if you buy PM's and the trend continues, you'll still be better off than before. Gold prices have increased approx. 400% in the last 10 years because of a fiat money system and money printing by the Fed. Most house prices are flat, some up a bit, and many are down substantially. Easy decision.
PS - low interest doesn't mean anything if you don't have an income. And you can't afford it if you can't pay cash.
Thank you for the advice. That's very similar to what I've been trying to tell my wife for the last two years, but she's wearing me down! I've been reading ZH long enough to know that I trust many of you folks more than any media outlet.
Cheers
that's like hip, hip, hip...hooray!
So the power of truth allows the World bank to assert that its executives during their lives can conquer the world!
Very astute!
Thank you for the advice. That's very similar to what I've been trying to tell my wife for the last two years, but she's wearing me down! I've been reading ZH long enough to know that I trust many of you folks more than any media outlet.
Cheers
Thank you for the advice. That's very similar to what I've been trying to tell my wife for the last two years, but she's wearing me down! I've been reading ZH long enough to know that I trust many of you folks more than any media outlet.
Cheers
If you live in Florida, Nevada or other places where I read you can buy a place for $40K, might be worthwhile with a fixed rate mortgage. McMansion's, big city condo's, probably a bad idea.
For what its worth.
This bullshit posted here forgets one important thing, none of us are to blame for whats going on in the financial world. Your average joe, and I'm in England BTW, caused none of this bollocks, last week gideon osbourne announced another 140 billion pounds for the fucking theives but did he ask my opinion??
No he fucking didnt did he? When this shit finally kicks off it will be left to us the PEOPLE of our countries to put things right, and believe me, when we hit critical mass, when enough people are awake and understand, and it is happening here mind, the fuckers that caused this will pay a heavy burden for fucking the rest of us over.
So mr casey, fuck off you two bit coward, and the horse you rode in on. The rest of you fuckers, good luck because we are ALL gonna need it.
I see many of you sheeple claiming that the U.S. is the "safest" place to keep your assets. You're going to "bug in", and anyone leaving is a "coward."
Fact 1: The U.S. imprisons more of its citizens than any other country on Earth.
Fact 2: The brutal American police state murders more of its citizens than any other country in the world except maybe China, Iran, and a few other outliers.
Fact 3: The brutal American police state's thuggish enforcers are better armed than almost every military on Earth. They have UAV's, they have automatic weapons. They have armored cars and they have military tactics.
Good luck with your "stay and fight" mentality. You won't last a week.
Just how "safe" are you? The drones are already taking to the skies. And the Ameican police state is calcifying around you in too many ways to rehash here. If you aren't scared by now, you aren't paying attention.
You don't need to be "rich" or in the 1% to diversify internationally. Obviously the guy making $28K a year isn't stashing 300 ounces of gold in a Singapore vault any time soon. But anyone with even 6 figures of investible capital should be looking to protect that capital from the murderous fascist American police state. But you can stash 32 ounces of gold in one location and 2000 onces of silver in another. And the main thing you should be trying to protect is your life. See those "3 facts" above and think about just what position you are in. And if you are planning to stay I suggest you stop visiting radical political sites like Zero Hedge so your name moves down the threat list so you aren't caught up in the first round of purges.
Sell your guns. Sell your ammo. Sell your food. Be a good sheeple. Work, breed, consume, die. These actions will also help your name move down the priority lists.
Things are going to get worse before they get better.
recipe for the OLigarchs; just look back in history. Once an Oligarch loses his home base, he ends up like a russian exile on the Riviera, a decadent piece of flesh who leaves nothing to posterity. Not a solution for the masses, they get crushed in the jaws of economic attrition. By separating capital accumulation/technology in a region/country from the political process imbedded in that region/country, you create imbalance between collective values of society and individual values of the elite. Loss of focus and the capital goes to feed the short term needs of the Oligarchs, like precious water down the drain, instead of being spread around that social/political structure like manure to fertilise the next local crop. Our political men work for them, the out of focus elite, not for us.
We are there today.
First of all, I'm going to stay here. So the passport is not needed.
Second of all "offshore gold" means paper gold - potentially worthless. No thanks.
I concur. Being in a non-native land when the shtf means you are food for the indigent masses. And when the s does htf, if you can't PERSONALLY guard your assets, than they won't be your assets for long. Even safe deposit boxes are worthless when the bank is burning.
where's jon corzine?? any U toughs taken even one NWO elite bankster or pol out yet? no I thought not.
go back to playing video games and being the hero there.
And exactly what heroic deeds have YOU accomplished limp weiner boy? Or are you just another big talking do nothing loser?
My money is on the latter.
If only I wasn't drunk, I would love to make some posts.
nobody else lets that stop them
Guns sales are at historic highs. I personally know persons who in the past were against owning a gun, but now own more than one and have trained for defense. As it says in the Declaration of Independence, the people reserve the right to form a better government. Hitler could take all the guns in Germany because Socialism actually started there in the mid to late 1800's. No way to disarm America's homes and hearth. Three cheers to the rebirth of America!!!