Most Americans are still operating under the delusion that this "recession" will end and that the "good times" will return soon, but a growing minority of Americans are starting to realize that things are fundamentally changing and that they better start preparing for what is ahead. These "preppers" come from all over the political spectrum and from every age group. More than at any other time in modern history, the American people lack faith in the U.S. economic system. In dozens of previous columns, I have detailed the horrific economic problems that we are now facing in excruciating detail. Many readers have started to complain that all I do is "scare" people and that I don't provide any practical solutions. Well, not everyone can move to Montana and start a llama farm, but hopefully this article will give people some practical steps that they can take to insulate themselves (at least to an extent) from the coming economic collapse.
But before I get into what people need to do, let's take a minute to understand just how bad things are getting out there. The economic numbers in the headlines go up and down and it can all be very confusing to most Americans.
However, there are two long-term trends that are very clear and that anyone can understand....
#1) The United States is getting poorer and is bleeding jobs every single month.
#2) The United States is getting into more debt every single month.
When you mention the trade deficit, most Americans roll their eyes and stop listening. But that is a huge mistake, because the trade deficit is absolutely central to our problems.
Every single month, Americans buy far, far more from the rest of the world than they buy from us. Every single month tens of billions of dollars more goes out of the country than comes into it.
That means that every single month the United States is getting poorer.
The excess goods and services that we buy from the rest of the world get "consumed" and the rest of the world ends up with more money than when they started.
Each year, hundreds of billions of dollars leave the United States and don't return. The transfer of wealth that this represents is astounding.
But not only are we bleeding wealth, we are also bleeding jobs every single month.
The millions of jobs that the U.S. economy is losing to China, India and dozens of third world nations are not going to come back. Middle class Americans have been placed in direct competition for jobs with workers on the other side of the world who are more than happy to work for little more than slave labor wages. Until this changes the U.S. economy is going to continue to hemorrhage jobs.
The U.S. government has helped to mask much of this economic bleeding by unprecedented amounts of government spending and debt, but now the U.S. national debt exceeds 13 trillion dollars and is getting worse every single month. Not only that, but state and local governments all over America are getting into ridiculous amounts of debt.
So, what we have got is a country that gets poorer every single month and loses jobs to other countries every single month and that has accumulated the biggest mountain of debt in the history of the world which also gets worse every single month.
Needless to say, this cannot last indefinitely. Eventually the whole thing is just going to collapse like a house of cards.
So what can we each individually do to somewhat insulate ourselves from the economic problems that are coming?....
1 - Get Out Of Debt: The old saying, "the borrower is the servant of the lender", is so incredibly true. The key to insulating yourself from an economic meltdown is to become as independent as possible, and as long as you are in debt, you simply are not independent. You don't want a horde of creditors chasing after you when things really start to get bad out there.
2 - Find New Sources Of Income: In 2010, there simply is not such a thing as job security. If you are dependent on a job ("just over broke") for 100% of your income, you are in a very bad position. There are thousands of different ways to make extra money. What you don't want to do is to have all of your eggs in one basket. One day when the economy melts down and you are out of a job are you going to be destitute or are you going to be okay?
3 - Reduce Your Expenses: Many Americans have left the rat race and have found ways to live on half or even on a quarter of what they were making previously. It is possible - if you are willing to reduce your expenses. In the future times are going to be tougher, so learn to start living with less today.
4 - Learn To Grow Your Own Food: Today the vast majority of Americans are completely dependent on being able to run down to the supermarket or to the local Wal-Mart to buy food. But what happens when the U.S. dollar declines dramatically in value and it costs ten bucks to buy a loaf of bread? If you learn to grow your own food (even if is just a small garden) you will be insulating yourself against rising food prices. Storing up freeze dried food can also be a great way to prepare for what is coming.
5 - Make Sure You Have A Reliable Water Supply: Water shortages are popping up all over the globe. Water is quickly becoming one of the "hottest" commodities out there. Even in the United States, water shortages have been making headline news recently. As we move into the future, it will be imperative for you and your family to have a reliable source of water. Some Americans have learned to collect rainwater and many others are using advanced technology such as atmospheric water generators to provide water for their families. But whatever you do, make sure that you are not caught without a decent source of water in the years ahead.
6 - Buy Land: This is a tough one, because prices are still quite high. However, as we have written previously, home prices are going to be declining over the coming months, and eventually there are going to be some really great deals out there. The truth is that you don't want to wait too long either, because once Helicopter Ben Bernanke's inflationary policies totally tank the value of the U.S. dollar, the price of everything (including land) is going to go sky high. If you are able to buy land when prices are low, that is going to insulate you a great deal from the rising housing costs that will occur when the U.S dollar does totally go into the tank.
7 - Get Off The Grid: An increasing number of Americans are going "off the grid". Essentially what that means is that they are attempting to operate independently of the utility companies. In particular, going "off the grid" will enable you to insulate yourself from the rapidly rising energy prices that we are going to see in the future. If you are able to produce energy for your own home, you won't be freaking out like your neighbors are when electricity prices triple someday.
8 - Store Non-Perishable Supplies: Non-perishable supplies are one investment that is sure to go up in value. Not that you would resell them. You store up non-perishable supplies because you are going to need them someday. So why not stock up on the things that you are going to need now before they double or triple in price in the future? Your money is not ever going to stretch any farther than it does right now.
9 - Develop Stronger Relationships: Americans have become very insular creatures. We act like we don't need anyone or anything. But the truth is that as the economy melts down we are going to need each other. It is those that are developing strong relationships with family and friends right now that will be able to depend on them when times get hard.
10 - Get Educated And Stay Flexible: When times are stable, it is not that important to be informed because things pretty much stay the same. However, when things are rapidly changing it is imperative to get educated and to stay informed so that you will know what to do. The times ahead are going to require us all to be very flexible, and it is those who are willing to adapt that will do the best when things get tough.
Do you have any additional tips that you would like to share with us? If so, please feel free to share them in the comments below....
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@Rick: There’s nothing to fear if you’re prepared. But if you stick your head in the sand, prepare to get your ass handed to you.
@Worried: “I live in a small city in AZ… I don’t make that much money… So far, all I have is a bunch… and a few other small things… Buying food, a gun (I can afford a pistol .22 caliber), silver, and anything else I might need has been rough. Especially since EVERYTHING costs a lot of my money.”
Firstly, good start on the survival supplies. That’s pretty much last resort stuff — surviving like Les Stroud. But you do want to continue preparing so that you can live with a little more comfort and stability when the SHTF. Definitely having a food stockpile (and other necessities) as well as at least a .22 rifle (e.g. Marlin Papoose — for hunting small game and taking out enemies at longer distance) and pistol (e.g. Walther P22 — for self-defense) are great next steps. The .22 guns can share the same ammo and are cheap. I’d say avoid buying precious metals until you have a comfortable stockpile of necessities first.
It’s that first sentence which concerns me though. When the SHTF, consider it time traveling to the 1800s. A town in the desert is no place to survive. You need to get yourself and your family to a temperate climate with arable land and plentiful water. Here in PA, you can buy an semi-rural acre with a small house for under $100k. Sounds like a lot of dough if you don’t make any money, but despite #1 above, debt can be a great thing if it buys you a capital asset which produces. The payment on a $100,000 mortgage at 5%, including property tax and PMI, is under $700/mo, which is less than most people pay in rent. But it buys you self-sufficiency if it has its own well and room for a large garden.
You need to convince your family that it would be a good move. Start slow, using figures that are undeniable. Mention how there have been a lot of droughts and water restrictions lately. Point out the increasing unemployment rate. Talk about how food quality has gone down from factory farming (and food poisoning has gone up) and how nice it would be to have fresh garden food. Ask what they would do if the electric grid failed for an extended period of time, not only if there was hyperinflation, but just because it is old and falling apart. How about if oil prices spiked up (maybe because of inflation or because of a hurricane or maybe a war with Iran) and stores couldn’t afford to truck in food anymore? There are lots of cases for being more self-sufficient. Make all the cases, repeatedly. Then insist that if they’re not coming with you, you’re going anyway but you would prefer if they came too.
My wife and I decided to leave NJ about eight years ago for these reasons. We bought some land in rural PA near Amish farms and started building a passive solar, off-grid house. I didn’t find a job here for another year and a half, but eventually a job came up at a local university and we made the move. If I didn’t have a good paying job in NJ until then, I would have moved immediately. If nothing else, fast food restaurants are hiring. And living is pretty cheap. I sleep well knowing that I’m 1000% more prepared here than I ever could have been in the NJ suburbs.
BTW, minimum wage (I just saw a help wanted sign at Wendy’s) would get you around $1260/mo, more than enough for the mortgage quoted above, transportation, food, and extra dough for further preparations. If you have others living with you and also working, it’s that much better. You can also fill your non-employed hours working for yourself. I spent the last five years building my house on every weekend, holiday, and vacation day that I had. Saved me from paying someone else hundreds of thousands of dollars to do the work. And it was tax free.
Move yourself and your money out of the country? Please don’t. Stay where you are and fix things there (f you can). The rest of the world has enough of its own problems (that relate back to US imperialism) without an outflux of American refugees.
I don’t even think about going elsewhere – for God’s sake where would I go?!
My main contention is with #1. Eliminating debt is not necessarily a good idea. If you can comfortably live debt free, it’s not a bad thing. But if you agree that hyperinflation is coming, nothing could be more advantageous to you than borrowing as much as you can afford to make payments on at a fixed 4-5% interest rate and using the money to buy capital assets and investments that will do well in an inflationary panic. The debt will get wiped out while your capital assets and investments will produce wildly for you.
The main thing is to steer clear of bad debt, which is borrowing for consumption and at high and variable rates of interest. Good debt is a tool. And if it’s backed up by assets, you know that you’ll always be able to pay it off.
How about preparing by canceling current and eliminating future H1 Visas? I think we are the only country in the world that lets people LEGALLY come from other countries and take our jobs. Just try getting a job or work visa in India, Pakistan or China. About 6 yrs back I asked a guy who still worked at IBM “How do I go about getting a position at IBM?”. He said, “Where you born in India?” and when I said “No.” he said, “Then you can’t work at IBM.”. Thank you Bill Clinton. Same story from a former co-worker at the Office of the Courts for the State of NJ. The Pakistanis undercut my rate by 75% back in 2000. Now they are making more than I was when I lost my job and they STILL CAN’T SPEAK English. My friend gives instructions to one who translates to the others. A guy from Holland basically stole my mother’s software company in 2005 – promise of payments for 5 yrs that stopped after 2 yrs (incorporated in The Netherlands and no recourse without tons of cash for an attorney, if then). Me out of work again. Today I joined the ranks of the unemployed – AGAIN. This time I was working as a consultant for a FEDERAL AGENCY. At staff meetings 50% (OR MORE) of the consultants and FEDERAL EMPLOYEES are FOREIGNERS!!! One each from England, China (barely speaks English) and Russia. The rest came from – you guessed it – INDIA. The ones who became citizens are FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. The ones who didn’t are consultants. Following the gov principle of Last In, First Out, I’m out and THEY STILL HAVE JOBS. Sometimes they stand around discussing project related issues in some Indian dialect. I couldn’t believe that I was standing in a government building!!
Check out Wikipedia’s write-ups on foreclosures and short sales BEFORE you go down that road. You might end up being held financially responsible for the difference AND lose the house. Follow some of the links. Lots of good info. Also READ your mortgage agreement. Some mortgages are written in a way that allows the lender to TAKE ALL. It is sometimes possible for a lender to seize the property, sell it or not sell it at all and NOT have to give the borrower ANYTHING. (Can be especially true with “Special Owner Financing” arrangements.) On some mortgages, you could have paid back say 80% of the principal and they can sell it and NOT give you back your 80%. Sometimes they can charge YOU their legal fees, and short sales and foreclosures cost them a fortune, and any and all other related fines, taxes, whatever. You could end up owing them MORE than you initially borrowed – and lose the house.
worried —
You sound almost exactly like my situation. I am 24, and a recent college grad/ under employed professional. Resources are VERY tight. Likewise, I live in semi-rural suburban southern california. Water is “precious” here too.
Firstly, everyone’s plans are going to be different. Your limited supplies give you an idea on what you can do. Your preparations should be exactly like mine have. Unable to make solid investments in previous metals, or high end assets, we find ourselves having to equip like rural/ urban survivalists instead.
Here’s what you need to add to your equipment. A map/compass. A .22 rifle for game, defense. A fishing pole and bait/ tackle. 3 Days of food, 3 gallons of water.
Your plan is to WALK under cover to a fresh water lake and pitch camp under darkness, under cover upon arrival. Plan for no more than 100 miles of walking. If you are further away than 100 miles, you may consider getting yourself out of that situation. You are too far from fresh water.
Please maintain good physical fitness. Be light on your feet. Good eating, and no smoking/little drinking. It is easy for us in our generation to self medicate to get away from the realities, but we cannot afford to do so if we want to survive.
Please maintain an awareness of the big picture around you at all times. Identify what would be “triggering events” for you to bug out. For me, it is food panics/rioting, bank closures and super hyperinflation. If water stays off to the point where we are down to our last 5 gallons I’m bugging out. If cities like LA or SD start rioting I am bugging out. Starting to make a little more sense?
Not all of us can afford an off the grid home. I WOULD LOVE IT, trust me, but unfortunately we have to make do with less and focus on bodily survival. Survive within the system as long as possible until forced to walk out. I too regret that I haven’t had time to prepare. Should have spent the money we spent on my college on gold/ solar panels/ food/ and ammo. But hindsight is 20/20 isn’t it?
Good luck my friend.
For those that say it is too late to get started, I hope that is not the case. There are probably many like me that are just catching on to this phenomenon. What does the paycheck to paycheck guy do? How many out there have family members that are not on board with this idea? I am guessing that a little prepared is better than nothing.
To worried: Get a job. that should be your priority. Hopefully your degree/collge work was in a field that has a future. Get two jobs if you can. If you have to move to take a job do it. With work and more money anything is possible.
To seemorerocks: What American imperialism? Did you fail history?
I always knew this time would come. By the mid 1960′s I was prepared. Forty some years of living in a cave and eating wheat berries and bugs while the world laughed at me. I was beginning to believe I would die of old age before the inevitable collapse. Praise the Lord! PS If you think things are going to get that bad, stockpile cigarettes. The millions of tobacco fiends out there will gladly trade anything and everything for a smoke.
Peak Growth Peak Oil & Other peaks. Governments are worried enough to huddle behind closed doors, away from the press. But not worried enough to tell the people the truth… not just yet Nor worried enough to formulate plans to control price volatilit or worried enough to agitate for more transparent data nor even wo…rried enough to begin planning for a future of relentlessly declining energy.It seems it is up to us View transitiontowns.org.
Karen w poore…. you can walk away very easily. I Did, only thing you have to do is check your state law concerning the reprercussions. in AZ where I used to live the law says that the lender cannot come after me as i was on less than 2.5 acres and it was my primary residence. As with anything please don’t take my word for it and verify with a bankruptcy attorney.
My husband and I started 1 year ago. Making the Best of Basics by James Stevens is excellant and will help you start thinking differantly. Learn how to make a solar oven, solar lamps, learn what foods have the highest protine and are not meat, black beans, brown rice, spelt grain. Learn what bulgar is and start using it. Learn how to sprout food ( high nutrition) make flat breads or sourdough, How to use dry milk for other foods, learn to can and secure equipment.Learn how to dehydrate food. Buy honey, it does not spoil. Have adequate off the shelf first aid supplies.Purchase some cast iron pots with at least one lid that can be used over open fire or in fire place, secure down blanket or sleeping bag. Put in a fireplace, upgrade insulation, get rain barrels learn water purification. Move to a more rural area or partner with someone who already lives rural and send them money or supplies to get prepared so you will have a place to go to when the time comes, maybe it will be back home with parents. This will not be a time to be a loner. And don’t leave God out of your plans.
It makes sense to look at all scenarios, but not to buy any one of them. The “Great News! scenario” is that the Chinese allow their currency to float a bit, to stave off hyper-inflation and a future shock there, and their economy levels off softly and other Western economies see a rise in exports and job creation. Perhaps this will be supplemented by innovation that creates wealth and jobs — perhaps a clean energy breakthrough that makes solar cell electricity competitive with hydrocarbon resources — oil, gas and coal. This would transform everything overnight.
But one has to assume that such a breakthrough is still decades away. Instead the world’s dependence on oil will give away the non-OPEC world’s hard-earned wealth to troglodyte cavemen in robes who seek to destroy the rest of the world all while profiting from its dependence on black gold. And, not only will the clash of civilizations heat up, but so will the West’s “Baby Crash” — no babies = no future — as it runs up against the Muslim world’s population explosion … a dynamic where hoards of brainwashed young, impoverished religious radicals will seek their “destiny” by trying to make their system of inequality become the dominant political and religious philosophy around.
But more than that long-term trend, the trend toward deleveraging and retirement preparation is running right into a potential wealth buzz saw: Housing prices remain unsustainable in economic terms — few have the ability to pay 100% cash for homes, and few can pass the rigors of new lending standards. Even with low interest rates, many people face employment uncertainty and that puts a drag on their willingness to make large debt commitments. This collides with the fact that a lot of homes in the West (the US especially) are underwater, and middle class household balance sheets are a disaster all around the world.
Worst case: We get a period of deflation that pushes a large chunk of the world’s Middle Class into bankruptcy, and that is then followed by a period of hyper-inflation. This one-two combo would really knock out the heart of Middle Class. And if that happens, what would be left?
IMHO, current probability of the great scenario? Less than 4% Probability of the worst cast? More than 4% Maybe as high as 16%?
For Worried & others in similar situations, don’t despair! Remember that the most important survival “tool” you have is your mind.
Educate yourself, go to the library and get books on different things that you can teach yourself, starting with wilderness survival and wild edible foods.
Get other people to show you how to do things, teach you stuff that is useful,from gardening to food preserving to bike repair to using a boat to emergency first aid to speaking another language. Keep your mind wide open and keep learning.
Use the Internet to educate youself as well, learn as much as you can about everything that you can imagine will be of use during or after things fall apart.
There are a lot of free or almost free websites that can teach you a lot. There are also a lot of local courses offered for free or almost free (and often you can talk the teacher into letting you take it for free) by various groups or agencies–learn First Aid from the Red Cross, also check out their Disaster Services department. In other words, make your SELF valuable!!
I lost my fear of death, I have no fear of starvation or homelessness,
What should I do?
Thanks JD.
I am afraid we do not qualify for bankruptcy and we are pretty well stuck in this house and Austin!
I guess we are part of the honest,hard working lower middle class who are paying for other’s greed and mistakes!
Karen
There is quite a difference between being prepared and being scared.
Principles go unchanged regardless of the situation. So know this:
Knowledge is your greatest tool;
Fear is your greatest weakness.
Build from there.
@Karen:
I did this recently and have no regrets:
1. I started a Nevada-based LLC (taxed as a C-Corp) because they offer privacy (no public record has my name on it, and asset protection (i.e. I “control” any assets in the company’s name, but I do not “own” them, hence they cannot be collected).
2. My credit was excellent (well over 800). I paid down debt and then rented a nice house for $1500 less per month in cost than my mortaged home. That money is now being saved under my LLC’s name so it cannot be touched, along with retirement funds that are also protected from creditors.
3. I just moved out and stopped paying my mortgage.
4. I setup a UPS Store mailbox and have all my mail forwarded there. I have not yet changed my driver’s license to reflect my new address.
I did this a few months ago and have ZERO regrets. My credit score is still around 650, even with a foreclosure! I also have over $10k in cash savings that would have been sent off to the bank.
Since the back gets refunded most of the shortfall after the property is sold on the auction block via AIG (OUR taxpayer money), and after finding out that businesses can default on mortgages without any stigma / penalties…I decided to take care of myself and my family first.
So…plan it, execute it, and don’t respond to them. Change your phone number, address and just disappear. If they did decide to come after you (very unlikely given the number of foreclosures), an asset search would reveal little for them to sieze. Garnishing wages is a long, drawn-out process, that is rarely done now.
So far…I’ve heard nothing and can now build a nest egg to make sure *I’m* ok instead of a big mega bank.
Great information. I would like to add #11. Get the stomach to act as the founding fathers did. For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security. Thomas Jefferson Start making a list of leaders in your area to visit when the lights go out.
SODIS method for water – you just need clear plastic bottles.
I personally have a van with which to put my supplie sin and i head for the hills to a safe location and setup camp. From there i secure the area and find somewhere solid to stashmy stuff.
Trust me, think about it, water is the key to all of it. Humanbeings cannot do anything without steady drinking water. Mad max never thought about making sure he knew about solar disinfection as he had a film crew behind him. As long as you have water, you are able to function, and you are able to survive pretty much anything.
All hail the plastic bottle!!
If history is any indicator, large productive tracts of land will be siezed by the government (think Weimar Republic, Argentina, Zimbabwe)
Form a coallition with friends and neighbors – stock up on items that can be used for barter
I guess another very very important ingredient to keep in mind – health, just stay healthy. Troubles in this area simply multiply.
This is my experience in India where I stay and practice all of the above to keep going. Life for jobless is very tough here.
Folks,
What has happened to us? How did we decline from what was once the strongest nation in the world, to a bunch of whiny, sniveling, snobs and crybabies.
Want to fix the country? Simple 7 step plan to do so.
1. Get off your a$$ and stop waiting for someone else to fix your problem. Need money, get a job. Need more money, get a second job.
2. Tired of giving the government money for nothing? Un-elect the trash, and try and get someone new in there. No one good is running, Run yourself.
3. Disconnect Cable, internet, Sat Radio, or any other means of getting distractions or news that is disheartening. The gloom and doom news is a self fulfilling prophecy. You keep thinking and acting like the world is turning to crap, and it will do that.
4. Get rid of the PlayStation, game boy, smart phone, and disconnect from the electronic world. I bet if you do, you have more time for number 1 above. And I bet you lose some of that stress
5. Do not buy another product made in any other country other than US, Canada, or Mexico. Why in the crap are you folks buying the crap from countries who hope you FAIL? Buy American!
6. Quit expecting a 10% or better raise every year of your life. Honestly, you don’t deserve it. Ever notice how the cost of things seem to match the average income? You make cars, you get a raise, the price of the car goes up to absorb your raise. Does this seem insane to anyone to think that the raise meant anything?
7. Shut up. Stop whining. This ain’t Burger King. You don’t always get it your way. You get it Life’s way or you don’t get crap. Quit acting like the kids and act like the people that Americans once were and can be again.
That’s my opinion. It ought to be yours.
CKD
have a way to protect what you have!!!!!!
I think that everyone needs a plan. I would hit Home Depot or Lowe’s and buy some fruit trees to provide food for your family in the future. Blueberry bushes are a good choice. Raspberries and Blackberries are also good choices for planting. Cherry and Apple trees.
If this crash lasts a long time, you will benefit from these plants on your land. They will also give you something to barter with or bless others that have nothing.
Americans want low wages, no future retirment, no health insurance. How I can say this is due to most just buy from anywhere and not care as long as it is not their job on the line and very cheap. Like the very high paid union road construction workers here in NJ, that end of day job into a non union and sometimes non american made car. But let a non union guy go on “their” job. So just
Getting the big picture? NOW? The very rich “Elites” are controlling our US Government, Media, and they are the ones making money with their Global Corporatism. Sorry American citizens, you no longer matter. All the US Gov leaders Congressmen have been bought out. Can not blame on Dems or Repubs, all the same. So Globalization will crush the Middle Class and make America a 3rd world nation…………….eventually. Our infrastructure will slowly crumble because of the jobs here that supported the tax base and society will erode. Us the very poor, jobless masses with no privacy, very controlled and few rights. The few very powerful Global “Elites” will have all the power. A new world order. Obama is just a puppet… as all the ones that come after him.
To Karen W Poore:
So you owe more on the house than it’s worth? As others mentioned, talk to an attorney about whether they can come after you if you walk. Also, get out your mortgage papers and read them if you have a copy. If after all that it appears they can’t come after your paycheck I’d walk. F— the banks and mortgage companines – THEY are a significant part of why we are in this mess due to lending to people who they KNEW could not pay back the loans.
Consider this: if they can come after your paycheck, find out what price you could realistically expect to get for your home. If the remainder that you owe isn’t too large, maybe you could make the payments on that amount, and work out a payment plan with the bank. Just a thought.
I would think bankruptcy would get rid of the house debt. I don’t know how it all works – hope I don’t have to find out, but these are scary times.
Here are some suggestions to help prepare:
http://www.lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator/htm.
http://www.lds.org/family/preparedness
http://www.backwoodshome.com
http://www.beprepared.com
Hope this helps.
I am amazed that so few of these comments mention the Creator of the universe. With God, all things are possible. Preparations for any sort of disaster should begin with prayers asking the Great Spirit for individual guidance, as everyone’s situation is different and requires a different solution. Faith in God is the greatest survival tool of all.
The wealthy global elite has been propagan-dizing Americans in ever loudening volume about how Americnas will have to make do with less. Main took: Disaster-mongering –chicken-littling. It started in the 70′s but did not get serious until the late 90′s. One predicted doomsday crisis & disaster after another. Planet Green & most of the science channels are today’s biggest offenders. All designed to convince you you need less and they need more. All designed to get you to fail to notice our Government has been highjacked by the Central bank and by Global money interests who will create a world of wealthy and poor — like the world just a few hundred years ago. Running for the hills won’t help. Fact of the matter is if things become as dire as predicted, World War is going to determine the winners and losers. Best thing you can do now, besides trim your debt, is take back the American government from the worldwide criminal gangsters.
Rick are you just plain financially ignorant? The rich are the ones who can afford to invest to provide jobs. I would love to have you tell em something that either business or God did not provide for you. You prattle on with a computer that was built by a business with power that was furnished by corporation with a belly full of food that was produced by a farmer. All of these producers are business and that have a great deal of capitalization behind them. Capital only comes from people with wealth. How many jobs have you created? The government produces nothing but friction and dead weight to business. Keep government small and you will see prosperity bloom. If you tax the people who produce enough then they will no make all the things that you seem to be using. And then YOU will have nothing as you are one of the non producers.