How in the world does the average American family survive in this economy? The median household income is a little bit less than $50,000 a year right now. So let's call that about $4000 a month. But before any of that money gets spent, you have to take out at least $1000 in taxes. That leaves about $3000 a month to pay all the bills with. With that $3000 you have to pay the mortgage (or rent), make the car payments, make the student loan payments, pay for power and water, pay for health insurance, pay for home insurance, pay for car insurance, pay the phone bill, pay the Internet bill and pay the cable bill. On top of all that, every member of the family needs three meals a day and the cars need to be filled up with gasoline or they won't go anywhere. Of course I haven't even mentioned expenses that don't happen every month such as car repairs or new shoes. No wonder so many families are feeling so financially stressed!
The truth is that American families are getting squeezed harder than they have been in ages. The number of good jobs is declining, incomes are going down, and the cost of living just keeps going up.
The following are 17 facts that prove that the average American family is getting absolutely pulverized by this economy....
#1 The cost of a health insurance policy for the average American family rose by a whopping 9 percent last year. According to a report put out by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, the average family health insurance policy now costs over $15,000 a year.
How in the world can most families afford that? Yes, in many cases employers are paying for at least a portion of that, but still that seems absolutely outrageous.
#2 Due to rising costs, a lot of employers are completely getting rid of health plans for their employees. In fact, the percentage of Americans covered by employer-based health plans has fallen for 11 years in a row.
#3 The number of uninsured Americans continues to rise. Things have gotten so bad that an all-time record 49.9 million Americans do not have any health insurance at all.
#4 At this point, most American families are tapped out financially. According to the U.S. Labor Department, incomes and spending were both down for the second straight year in 2010.
#5 At the same time, the employment picture continues to look worse with each passing month. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of layoffs in the United States was up 14 percent in August.
#6 Even if you do have a job that doesn't mean that you are doing much more than surviving. According to Paul Osterman, a professor of economics at MIT, approximately 20 percent of all employed Americans are making $10.65 an hour or less.
#7 The amount of debt that the average American family has piled up is absolutely staggering. The median yearly wage in the United States is just $26,261, but the average American household is carrying $75,600 in debt.
#8 Consumer confidence is extremely low right now. If the U.S. economy was in good shape, the Consumer Confidence Index would be up around 90. Instead, it is sitting at 45.4.
#9 Nearly every recent survey shows that the American people are feeling really depressed about the economy right now. In fact, one poll found that 80 percent of them believe that we are actually in a recession right now.
#10 Many consumers are seriously starting to cut back on spending again, and that is not a good sign for the U.S. economy. According to one recent study, 40 percent of all Americans have cut back on their spending within the last 60 days.
#11 It certainly does not help that millions of good jobs have been shipped out of the country. Sadly, the trend of offshoring our jobs is going to continue to accelerate if something is not done. According to Professor Alan Blinder of Princeton University, 40 million more U.S. jobs could be sent offshore over the next two decades.
#12 There is a lot of fear in the workforce right now. According to Gallup, 30 percent of all employed Americans are worried that they will be laid off soon.
#13 Today, there are 5.9 million Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 that are living with their parents. That is putting an even greater strain on the budgets of many families.
#14 American families have gotten very accustomed to using plastic to pay for things. Today, the average U.S. household has 13 different credit cards.
#15 Many American families are not making it at all in this economy. Last year, 2.6 million more Americans dropped into poverty. That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.
#16 For many American families, living on food stamps has become a way of life. Today, there are more than 45 million Americans on food stamps and we keep setting a brand new record almost every single month.
#17 Things have gotten so bad that many American families are selling off whatever they can in order to survive. For example, down in Florida hundreds of people have been selling off their burial plots in an attempt to raise cash. The following is an excerpt from a local news report about this new trend....
Sellers are posting online, using burial plot brokers, and also funeral homes to market the real estate. Some of those advertisements show single plots starting at about $1,000, while family plots can go for up to $50,000.
Most American families are living in a state of almost constant financial stress. Way too many parents are spending way too many sleepless nights wondering how in the world they will be able to keep their heads above water for another month.
Very few families seem to have "extra money" for stuff these days. Yeah, there are the "privileged few", but most people are really struggling to get by.
In America today, if you are able to keep your home from being foreclosed and you are able to put food on the table and clothes on the backs of your family then you are doing pretty good.
Sadly, as our current economic crisis deepens, the average American family is going to have an even more difficult time trying to survive financially.
So do you have any tips to share for how the average American family can survive in this very tough economy? Please feel free to share your ideas and thoughts below....
Again the solution is to tax the rich and spread the wealth. If people had gotten their productivity increases instead of the rich stealing them the average wage would be $19 per hour,and people would have had a lot more money instead of a small number of rich people having everything.
Giving money to poor people makes them less poor—DUH
We need income equality much more like Sweden and not like our current mess.
I heard that even the right wing is predicting we will have single payer healthcare. We pay twice as much as other countries and the outcomes are worse.
Bottom line–here is why it is in the rich peoples interests to spread the wealth. Riots really suck and as El Pollo says its dangerous to live in societies where there are a tiny rich and everyone else poor, like here in the USA. Also people are seeing that capitalism is a failure for them and vote politicians in who will chip away at capitalism.
Wealth of those “rich” is only illusion.
Try to force some significant shares sales of banks or a facebook, just to force those “rich” to pay additional taxes and you will soon realize how much these are worth.
My hint: close to zero.
Our major problem is that most of perceived wealth is only illusion.
And if you want to drive healthcare cost down, you should simply *bar* insurance companies from it and replace them with nothing.
Means force peoples to pay from their own pocket or die.
You will soon find out that there is a ~90% reduction of cost and only moderate drop of standards.
You raise an excellent point, albeit one well beyond Gary2′s mental grasp.
How much are Facebook, Google, Apple and so many other companies based on “intellectual property” REALLY worth? If the S really hit the fan, I am thinking not much. There is not much nutritional value in a (Chinese-made) iPad. And the internet companies based on abstractions don’t even have that!
Gary, do you feel that somewhere along the way, you are somehow going to benefit from “taxing the rich?” You won’t and neither will anyone else. It will all go to enrich private bankers. Is that what you want to see happen?
The overall US standard of living will continue to decline to match the developing world competitors. We can tax “The Rich” at 100% and in the long run it would not offset the loss of US wealth creation through manufacturing.
Spreading the wealth will buffer the fall but we will fall none the less. I’m not against clipping “The rich” at the same percentage as the middle class. I also don’t buy into the notion that “The Rich” create jobs in the US when for the most part what is purchased is manufactured overseas. That concept had some validity a couple of decades ago but no more.
Gary – I always enjoy reading your posts. You seem to have a good grasp of the situation, and I agree with you most of the time. Keep up the fight for the poor and those who suffer, and you will always be on the correct side.
Actually, NO. The problem is most snubbed their noses to the voices of reason and then were swallowed by the sharks.
I would hazard to guess that somewhere along the line someone was trying to teach someone to live within your means.
Well, most looked to the brights lights and forgot that there is a little man behind the curtain pulling some levers. This has been for many years Goldman Sucks and J.P. Morgue. Others have done so throughout history.
Unfortunately the Kings and the Queens of the world have seen the experiment fail. The surfs have no self control. Temptation took over and we are now falling back into the ‘Serfdom’ system that most deserve.
Me thinks that a man once was asked a question, and the the reply went something like this: “If they can keep it”.
Well, y’all know your history, don’t ya’!
Peace.
“Again the solution is to tax the rich and spread the wealth.” Then why did the Soviet Union go broke? They should have all been millionaires by the time the 80s rolled around and contrary to your stupid assertion, the only thing spreading the wealth did for them was institutionalize corruption and make everyone EQUALLY poor.
“Giving money to poor people makes them less poor—DUH”
DUH – we’ve been “giving money to poor people” for decades and the poverty hasn’t been eliminated. DUH. Again, contrary to your stupid assertion, welfare has not made anyone ‘not poor’. What is has done is destroy families gripping them in a multi-generational wefare head lock and destroyed their dreams.
Progressivism destroys everything it touches. You need to check yourself into rehab and get off the progressive smack.
Right on.
Well said, bravo!
Sometimes I’m really astonished by the complete ignorance of history by most of the participating bloggers.
Gary2 is one of the most clever writer in here, I can’t understand why most people don’t understand him.
As a matter of fact, this refusal to understand how immoral and totally disengaged from reality the U.S.A. socio-economical system is will be its downfall.
Good luck my friends.
Spreading the “wealth” only makes sure that we have “equal misery”. Yes there is a huge gap between rich and poor, but even if it were morally or legally right to do so(and it ISN’T), taking the wealth of the rich would do very little. There are simply not not enough rich to make much of a difference.
Since the 1960′s we have had a “War on Poverty” and have spent trillions and trillions to lift the poor out of poverty and guess what Gary? As Michael points out, we now have even more poor.
If the poor want to stop being poor, they should stop depending on theft from the rich to make their lives better. There literally thousands of people in this country that started out “poor” and made something of themselves. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs for example, started with an idea in their garages and became Billionaires without a college degree or a handout from the government. It can be done….
Bill Gates started out poor?? Ha Ha Ha
Gary 2,
What form of Government has been a success? You say Capitalism is a failure, just what does work for you? Sounds like you just want to be on the Government dole. Don’t you get it? Capitalism does work when it is true Capitalism. We have not been a capitalist society for a long time. Progressives want to still call us capitalist so they can continue to point out that it doesn’t work like you have done. So you say the USA is a capitalist nation! I say you don’t know what you’re talking about!
Capitalism means the complete separation of economy and state, and the American economy is far from being separate from the American state. Minimum wage laws, all public “services,” and regulatory agencies (such as the FDA and the EPA) are all anti-capitalistic because they represent the government interfering into the economy, infringing upon the voluntary association of individuals, and thereby violating their rights (which are the foundations of capitalism).
America can properly be referred to as a “mixed economy,” which is a mixture of freedom and controls, or free market and socialist policies. In its founding principles the United States of America is a capitalist nation, but one need only to look at history to see how the founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were violated from the outset (and especially since the “New Deal”) through an ever expanding government encroaching on people’s political and economic freedoms.
It cannot be stressed enough that it was capitalism that led a small group of colonies to become the most powerful and productive nation on earth in less than one hundred and fifty years. It was capitalism that unleashed the productive forces necessary to raise the standard of living in America to levels undreamed of in earlier times. It was capitalism that led people to come from all over the world to start new lives and take advantage of new found opportunities. It was capitalism that was America’s glory. Yet the philosophical and economic foundations of the United States have been under heavy attack since the turn of the century, and nothing but misery has been the result.
Capitalism is on the verge of collapse. Just face the truth in front of you. It would never have got to this point (the point that you such emphatize) if Nixon – back in the early 70′s – hadn’t stepped out the dollar from the Breston Woods agreements.
What you call “american capitalism” is just “fiat money ponzi scheme”.
How can you all be so blind in front of such truth. Americans financial elite have changed the rules during the game just to back their military apparatus.
Gary2: please wake these bloggers up!
Good luck my friends.
Gary2,
I disagree. Taxing the rich is a useless proposition because what it does is it forces the rich to lobby government for more and more tax breaks and subsidies. There are far too many loopholes in the system that special interests would fight to the death to maintain. Alas, a circular pattern here with the proverbial dog chasing its tail syndrome. Bring back middle class paying jobs to the asylum turning it back into a nation of decent wage earners would be your best option.
I agree that the best from of welfare is a good paying job. In the mean time taxing the rich and spreading the wealth is more immediate and will be a big morale booster to everyone (which is to say most people) who know the rich do not pay their fair share.
No, the solution is for that cartel of privately owned international banking interests aka the Federal Reserve to stop stuffing countless billions into the pockets of the richest members of our society.
Those who are connected to the gravy train of money printing are making out like bandits. The Federal Reserve has set up all out welfare, a major transfer payment scheme for the banks whereby they grab as much printed up cash as they can at almost zero percent interest, then turn back and lend the people’s money BACK TO THE PEOPLE via treasuries and pocket the interest spread!
It is the Federal Reserve, it is a tax structure that creates huge incentive for shipping jobs offshore, it is these structural policies that have been chopping up the USA and selling it off piece by piece for 40 years that is creating the huge income gaps – decimating the working poor while stuffing bundles of cash into the pockets of the rich.
The “Democrat vs. Republican” arguments of tax increases is a low-level analysis, eating the scraps of red meat that MSNBC tosses out daily. It doesn’t understand the greater policies that both parties engage in that are systemically destroying the poor an puffing up the rich.
Taxing the rich on the back end will never do the job. It’s the globalist institutions of the elite – the Federal Reserve, IRS, IMF, and resulting policies allowing these institutions to run amok that is structurally creating a system whereby the rich get richer and poor poorer.
But the Obama mantra spouted by Gary2 is low level analysis intended to devour red meat, while not truly upsetting the apple cart of the rich masters who control the globalist institutions causing the impoverishment.
Gary – who is weathly? Everyone making more than average wages? More than $50G? Maybe the wealthy should include everyone who has a job or owns property. According to global standards, that’s wealthy. I’m not opposed to raising taxes. I’m not opposed to asking more from those who make more. However, before our government should get a dime more, they should show that they are responsible with money, which they haven’t. What we should do is get rid of income and employement taxes and go to a consumtion tax. The more you buy, the more your taxed. That way, if you are buying yachts and luxury condos and $100K suits, you are paying more taxes than if you buy a suit once every five years at JC Pennys. We should also institute a tariff so all good brought into the US are taxed 5% more than the consumtion tax. Why tax our citizens (even the rich).. we should tax the Chinese and South Americans first…
If you’ve got 400 hedge fund managers earning as much as 150 million Americans, I bet you us 150 million poor folks pay a hell of a lot more in property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes, then those 400 thieves (who also have lots of high-priced tax lawyers to help them avoid those taxes).
Gary2,
After you’ve taxed the rich and given that money to the poor, what new source of wealth can you tap into? It’s a one-time solution. Why would anyone want to be “rich” if they’re money will be taken from them and given to someone else? When and how do the poor learn to take care of themselves? They need jobs. If they don’t want to work then they shouldn’t eat. Taking care of the less fortunate is fine, but only free-market capitalism can offer them the opportunity to take care of themselves. Capitalism is not government. Capitalism is the free exchange of one’s labor and/or property for self sufficiency. Government puts shackles on capitalism. Government is essentially the negation of freedom – Mises. Think!!!
Rocky-Warren Buffet said he has never seen anyone EVER turn down a investment due to taxes. As for the regulations-look at what deregulation has done-BP oil spill/Wall street/dead miners etc etc. There were still plenty of rich when the tax rate was 70-91%
1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
10 You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
Abe L.
Funny how the tax the rich crowd can not face the truth that many, not all, people are poor because of their own poor decisions, habits and work ethic. You can give money all day to many poor people and they will burn through it and be broke the next day. Why don’t they at least make such charity dependant on these people making better decisions and change their lives. Oh, I know, they cant buy votes if they demand this.
Giving money by itself does little to change poverty as has been proven by the crappy results of our war on poverty.
Even JESUS says to tax the rich—(this is for all the supposed Christians who think it is OK to not tax the rich I am meeting you where you are using the bible to justify my position. Logic seems to not work)
The God of the Bible has a special concern for the poor and is openly suspicious of the rich. And if that is not clear in the Bible, nothing is.
You might say when it comes to economics; God has a bias toward the poor. God’s prophets say that nations will be judged by how they treat the poor and vulnerable — not by how much they lower tax rates for the wealthy. Listen to what the prophets Amos, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah say about the rich and the poor, about fairness and justice, about inequality and equity. Is there any doubt that if the biblical prophets were saying such things in the House of Representatives or on Fox News today that they, too, would all be accused of class warfare?
What about Jesus? Mary, the mother of Jesus, spoke clearly about his coming and his meaning in history when she prophesied about his mission in her famous prayer/song known as the Magnificent. She predicts how the child in her womb will reverse the status quo, saying, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” These are not the words of a humble and charitable service provider, but the language of a social revolutionary who would certainly be charged with class warfare today on conservative talk radio.
Jesus fulfilled his mother’s prophesy in his own Nazareth Manifesto — his first words, in Luke 4 — by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” He clearly should have been more sensitive to the rich who, after all, are job creators, right? How did all the prophets and Jesus miss that essential economic point?
Well, let’s be clear: There really is a class war going on, and the upper class is winning. The only people doing well in this economy are the people at the very top, some of whose selfish behavior caused this recession in the first place. Only they have “recovered” from the crisis they helped create. The rest of us are still trying to recover. That’s a war being waged by Wall Street against Main Street. And Wall Street is winning that war.
Well said Gary. Though i am sure you will have many negative remarks from self centered capitalist thugs, but you are spot on.
If peole believe in the teachings of Christ then they would see that we are being put to the test right now. We are doing everything in our power to make excuses for the rich getting richer, while the poor continue to be stepped on. We are denying even the most basic rights of healthcare to the poor, and then we log onto sites like this and whimper and cry that the economy is falling apart. The lord is taking away our blessings one by one, because we emulate the wealthy and materialistic, while denying the poor.
We will be judged as a nation for the crimes of the past several decades and it has only just begun.
Treat the poor well and look out for your brothers and sisters, and the blessings will return. Until that day, the rich will hoard their treasures here on earth, and then face the ultimate judgement by the wrath of God.
Plain and simple.
I Agree.
https://libertyrevival.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/ending-poverty-and-political-turmoil/
Gary, Jesus made reference to how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kindgom of heaven, and He made references for helping the poor, but He never said anything about how government should intervene to “tax the rich.” I challenge you to show me book, chapter and verse where Jesus said to tax the rich.
“It is absurd to say that our country can issue $30,000,000 in bonds and not $30,000,000 in currency. Both are promises to pay; but one promise fattens the usurer, and the other helps the people. If the currency issued by the Government were no good, then the bonds issued would be no good either. It is a terrible situation when the Government, to increase the national wealth, must go into debt and submit to ruinous interest charges at the hands of men who control the fictitious values of gold.” — Thomas Edison
“Men did not make the earth… It is the value of the improvement only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property… Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds.” — Thomas Paine
“In my opinion, the least bad tax is the property tax on the unimproved value of land, the Henry George argument…” — Milton Friedman
“Thou shalt not lend upon usury (interest) to thy brother, interest on the money, or on anything that is lent with interest.” — Deuteronomy 23.19
“Moreover the profit of the Earth is for all….” — Ecclesiastes 5:9
It says give unto Cesar and Cesar needs more tax revenue from the rich. If Cesar (the government) decided to tax the rich then is seems to me to be sanctioned by God. Also I would direct you to the fourth commandment where God is commanding people to obey authority unless they are directing you to sin.
I have been reading the Bible as of late partly due to so many folks on this site keeping quoting it so much. It seems that a lot of people everywhere mis-quote the bible and I figure I need to go to the source. Quite interesting.
Gary2 it is great that you are now reading the Bible. If you are not yet a Christian I bet you will become one.
Please read this:
The Bible doesn’t overlook the subject of taxes because it implies the search of a better coexistence that conveys more life all around. When honest, transparent people, who serve their people are in charge of managing taxes, then they are a blessing for the people; Samuel proves as much. But they can also be a curse when they fall in the hands of ambitious people or groups, who use the welfare of the people and abuse them for their own benefit.
Taxes are a good measure in discerning between Good and Bad Government: they are either at the service of their people, shown through a respectful and fair re-distribution, or they use the people, living at their expense,cheating and threatening like the thornbush in Jotham’s fable.
I am afraid our government has become a curse that has fallen into the hands of ambitious people or groups, who use the welfare of the people and abuse them for their own benefit.
If our government and its tax collectors would do like the following story then it would be different.
Zaccheus appears (Lk 19,1-10); he was a tax collector who had become wealthy through the goods’ circulation tax-collecting system. He collaborated with the Roman’s economic system and was therefore excluded from Jewish society. Nevertheless, Jesus goes to his house and eats with him. This welcome converts Zaccheus: “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (v.8). He turns from collector to solidary, a fundamental position to return to the People of God. Zaccheus, by returning what had been robbed from the people, breaks the chain of exploitation of the imperialist system and starts to serve his people.
If our Government would do the same then taxing everyone would be ok. A flat percentage tax on everyone would be fair.
Gary2:
beware, you should only read The Bible in its original latin translations as the later english translations are complete “free interpretations”.
Unfortunately, most people don’t understand latin and will never even imagine this.
I have compared original versions written in latin and english (and other languages) translations, sometimes I wonder if all these “Bible readers” know what they are talking about.
Good luck my friends.
My son knows Latin and you are correct about things lost in translation.
Read it in hebrew and greek. not latin. lost in translation? nothing lost in hebrew or greek.
Gary2 this is also found in the Bible.
Should We Work for Wealth? Is it Okay to Make Millions of Dollars?
The bible also gives a story of the “Master & his talents.” A “talent” is a measure of money (today we would call it a dollar or something else). The parable Jesus gives is about a man giving his servants “talents” (money). It was their duty to be a good steward of this money. Let’s see how this story plays out in Matthew.
The first servant was given 5 talents, and he made with that 5 talents more (for a total of 10 talents). This pleased the master, and he gave him even more responsibilities (a raise).
The second servant was given 2 talents, and made 2 talents more (for a total of 4 talents). This also pleased the master, and he too was given more responsibilities.
The third servant, however, was given one talent, and instead of increasing the wealth, he hid the talent and did nothing. So he was given 1 talent, and only had that same talent to give back to him master. His master was furious! He called him a slothful (Lazy) Servant! He dismissed him, and gave his responsibilities to the other servants.
This story shows us something interesting. We are to work hard for money, manage our money wisely, grow our money, and then give it back to our master (God).
There is absolutely nothing wrong with making millions, billions, or even trillions! It isn’t easy, and obviously everyone can’t do it. In fact, making the money is the hard part, giving it is the easy part! But there is not 1 thing wrong with it! However, if you are greedy with the money, there is something wrong with that!
The problem we have today is having so many people that fall into the 1 talent catagory.
They are lazy and want welfare handouts.
A parable was also told of the rich man and a poor guy named Lazerous. Did not end up too well for the rich man. And yet another I came across of a rich man who wanted to build many barns to store all his wealth and an angle appeared and said something like your are going to die tonight and you can not take it with you.
And yet again some guy asked Jesus what he needed to do to be saved and he said give everything to the poor and follow me.
What about the story I came across about the man hiring help throughout the day and paying them the same regardless if they worked all day or only one hour?
“Even JESUS says to tax the rich” Can you site me that verse little boy? Nope, it dont exist however, here’s a lil somethin’ to help you. I presume you’re a little bit literate since you can type so go read it and then perform a footectomy.
If you dont know what a footectomy is, google it. The first return was from democratic underground and I know you speak that commy language.
Please re-read my original post.
Especially: Listen to what the prophets Amos, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah say about the rich and the poor, about fairness and justice, about inequality and equity.
Gary, Christ did care for the poor, you’re right. However, that charity was to be a matter of personal volition, not force.
Do you really think Christ would have supported courts, judges, and prisons for those who didn’t tithe?
You can’t force a society to be moral, and to try by force is immoral.
Gary where does Jesus argue for taxing the rich to pay for the poor? It is not there.
Jesus talks of charity and voluntary giving, not theft. He says that those that have money should give, not that they have to give. When one is forced to surrender money at gun point or a demand from an IRS agent it is still robbery and Jesus never advocated that Gary…
Gary2,
Address the jobs issue first and then the tax code should be reformed and simplified.
Jesus never said to tax the rich. Moreover, nowhere in the bible does it ever propose or recommend that government take money from it’s citizens and give it to the poor. Charity is consistency explained in the bible as a personal responsibility. It can not and should not be delegated to the government. My guess, Jesus knew governments are often corrupt and would steal most of it before giving it to the poor. Or worse, giving the money to the poor in a way that enslaved them into a life of permanent poverty.
Our government just does it to buy votes very cheaply and cling to power.
Please see my give unto Cesar reply above.
Gary2,
The Bible also say – let him who does not work eat. I’m all for taking care of the needy, but the current system wants us ALL to be needy. Socialism makes us ALL poor and dependent on the government. Capitalism allows the ambitious to prosper. Your problem is with government – not the free exchange of labor and goods. Government makes us poor. Government takes away our rights. Government picks winners and losers. Government devalues the very currency we use to feed and clothe ourselves. Corporations do not equal capitalism. The corporate/goernment marriage we now live under is fascism, not capitalism.
I am thankful I have my family, we have our health, my debts were paid off a couple of years ago, and we have food on the table. I’ve got it good and I won’t take it for granted. thank God.
What has religion got to do with anything – fairy tales and fables.
I totally hear you, silver. My debts are paid off completely, and I can eat pretty good. We are indeed blessed.
Is there a contradiction here? In the opening statement it says the median household income is just below $50,000, in #7 it mentions the median yearly wage is $26,261.
A household can have two or more earners.
A wage is only earned by one person.
No contradiction.
Michael
Yes, it’s pretty bad… The best thing people can do is eliminate as many of the expenses you mentioned as possible, if they haven’t already. Cancel the cable TV, the high-speed Internet, the satellite radio, the storage locker – you won’t miss them as much as you think. There are plenty of things to do without 24-hour instant entertainment. If possible, get rid of the car and its payments, insurance, repairs, taxes, maintenance, fuel, and so on. Break free from as many chains and burdensome “assets” as you can!
*…So do you have any tips to share for how the average American family can survive in this very tough economy? Please feel free to share your ideas and thoughts below….” …Ya…I get ready to move to safer ground. Organize a group of “Like Minded” people and once the shtf, band together for security. Purchase lots of Heirloom seeds and get ready to grown your own food and live in small communties. More than likely living in tents until other, more suitable accomodations can be found. Make friends with the Amish & other farmers. Get your communications gear together. Know how to use it and store away in Faraday Boxes, just in case. Being a little Paranoid in these uncertain times may seems a little, well.. Paranoid, but it won’t seem that way once the inevitable knocks on the door. (Economic Collapse or The Crunch) … Gather all you can that will be needed first and at the same time, disappear First off the store shelves. Food, Water purification gear, clothing, medical supplies and a means to keep it all secure. You don’t have to mash the gas and head to the mountains. Just find a safe place off the beaten path (out of the way, that has nothing anyone else would want as far as what’s seen on the map) and hunker down and stay there. Monitor your radios, as many bands as you can for signs of life or calls for help. But don’t go charging in to help the little kid on the radio asking for help because 99% of the time it’s a trap. Duh! Don’t relax your guard for a minute even 10 years afterwards. We may have more technology today, but people are still crazy when times get the same way. A tight knit community of like minded people you’d trust with your last can of beans and your wife & kids, will be all we have left when those with colorful helmets come a calling who want to make us their slaves. Trust no one who doesn’t earn it. And distrust a politician even more. If you hear, “We’re with the government. We’re here to help” – Run like hell. D.L.W.
Oh and by the way; There’s no saving this garbage we call The Economy. It’s more of a Con Game than an Economy. The government can’t create jobs, only Private Sectors can. Government Created Jobs are just more Government Jobs Created. Yes, our economy, just like the economies of the entire world are circling the drain. We put our faith in paper money and it’s all manipulated by the big banks we’ve been bailing out. They caused it and now we’re paying for it. If it doesn’t seem Right or Fair then you’re starting to get “It”. We are but pawns on this Grand Chessboard of life. It’s a Big Club and We Ain’t In It! So stop wasting our energy trying to bail out the Titanic. The ship’s going down. But like Obama says in so many words in his bullSh*t speaches; “But doesn’t the band sound great?” Moron! We’ve put our trust & faith in a man who can’t pour piss from a boot without the teleprompter on the heel. This economy isn’t going to last until the next election. And if by some miracle it does, who will have the gas to drive to the election polls?
Please keep you arms and legs inside the car at all times… injoy the ride… (thussss)…. clack,clack,clack,clack… clack…
@ Gary2 ….Communists not allowed to comment here.
Hey Gary, did you hear that people on welfare can get free cell phones and airtime now? Tax the greedy to help the needy get a cellphone!! El Pollo is a very wise person. Ive always enjoyed his two-cents worth. The other day when we went to the Albertson’s I noticed some older folks looking like they were about to cry when we were at the meat counter. I felt horrible for them. Its not just the young that have that look of despair in their eyes anymore Michael. A bubble not of the finacial kind is begginng to form. It is the bubble of civil unrest that is about to be unleashed upon our world. I always said when millions of people are freezing and starving to death the revolution will begin. I see it, hear it and feel it. Do you feel it rich people? Your yime is coming to an end. Today and yesterday the Dow is up. Yay!! whoopee!! Next week it will be down again. Then up. Then down. Its behaving like a heroin addict in withdrawl. I dont know what to say to families struggling. Pool your resources. Turn off lights that dont need to be on. Read books instead watching TV. Lower your standard of living. Thats what the elite wealthy want you to do. Get on food stamps and heating assistance. Take advantage of what govt. programs are available while they are there. I already accepted the fact that we can never pay off this nation’s debt so the hell with it. Spend it all govt. I know my generation and the one below it wont pay it off. We dont care. I would tell people to raise their own cows and chickens to take care of their protein needs, but who is going to qualifiy for a loan to buy a place out in the sticks? No Im sorry city dwellers you are screwed. Your little supplies of food are only going to last so long. And we wont accept gold as payment for livestock. Diesel fuel most likely. As for running for the hills when this all comes down, winter in the mountains is not for the faint of heart. You will most likely die. But hey its better than being rounded up on a railroad car and sent to a FEMA camp right? Peace and Love Trust Jesus!
Excellent post!!!! I agree……
Don’t have any really big tips on surviving other than the obvious, but maybe these few little tips can add up (if anyone is not interested, just skip the rest):
1. Cut your dryer sheets in half…they work just as well and the box will last twice as long.
2. Buy cloth napkins for meals and dishcloths for cleaning up spills — cuts out paper towels/paper products that cost tons of money. The cloth ones don’t take up much laundry space either, so it won’t impact your clothes washing costs.
3. Turn off everything you can at night, including your modem, to save on electricity.
4. If you are on a low budget, don’t eat out – ever – unless you are traveling and starvation is your only other option.
We always add up our home-cooked meal prices to compare with restaurant food. It’s amazing to see the difference between what we pay for home-cooked food and restaurant-cooked food — not to mention the quality.
Today, breakfast at home for me and the hubby. As a side note, the serving amounts may seem large, but, by choice, we only eat two meals a day, so the food below could easily feed an extra person such as a child – and the quality of the food is amazing:
5 Amish eggs = $1.25, PLUS 6 servings of hash browns (Hungry Jack) = $1.54, PLUS 6 slices of toast with butter = $1.10, PLUS water to drink (well water) = 0, PLUS 6 sausage patties (local butcher) = $2.49. Total for breakfast for 2 = $6.38 (no tax here on food).
What restaurant could you have bought this meal for two for $6.38? Not to mention no tip. If I can cook things that are basically of this caliber and in this range for 7 days, I am only going to spend $44.66 for the week for breakfast for two people, and sometimes less than that. You can easily blow $45.00 on one or two restaurant meals.
Finally, don’t buy fast food!!! I know that McDonald’s is now most people’s only possible/probable employer option, but, brother, buying one of their meals is like being at a regular restaurant and the quality is just not worth it, so save your money.
Hope these help.
P.S. Michael: Does the $75,600 figure in your #7 include owning a house/mortgage?
I believe that it does. I would have to go back and check to be 100% sure though.
Michael
If you have DSL do not turn off your modem, it will impact performance if you do and you will only save pennies a month.
Agree with the eating out advice. Fast food is just overpriced slow acting poison.
We were asked to post any thoughts as to how the average American family can survive these times.
Today, while reading our local Houston Chronicle online (free), I saw the first of what will be many articles pushing the selling of Chinese crap in the name of Christmas. Of course, it wasn’t framed like that. In this article, it was a GIVEN that the reader will of course go out and spend, spend, spend. The implication was that if you do not do this, there is something quite wrong with you. The Christmas retailers are very good at the guilt-trip game.
There is always tremendous pressure (on parents, especially) to have a “Happy Christmas” – which in the USA seems to be equated with spending money on gifts. Our society has used the best propaganda methods available in an attempt to separate you from your money, and they pull out all the stops during the holiday season. Be very aware of this. You can help by informing your friends – and especially relatives – that you intend to spend very little this Christmas. Do not put your relatives in the position of having to spend their money to get you something. Tell them that you’d be most happy if they save their money; if they insist, suggest a nice Christmas card.
Make a holiday budget and stick with it. Budget for ALL bills FIRST before making out this budget. Whatever you do, DO NOT go into debt for any reason due to holiday gift giving. Save your money – things are not going to be getting better for some time. It will be much better to be able to afford a coat for your child than to purchase some overpriced Chinese-made junk that will last a few days (and be forgotten even sooner).
@ Gary2….Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance & the gospel of envy ,its inherant virtue is the equal sharing of misery………..Winston Churchill.
and capitalism is proving to be a huge success? Not.
Cant we evolve into a new ‘ism’?
#16, food stamps. I think that the food stamps is the modern version of the “food lines” in the Great Depression of the 30´s
I ask myself what´s going to happen when the powers that be stop printing fiat money and food stamps stop. Pandemonium of poverty, hunger and desperation, I guess.
They will take it from them a little at a time and hope they don’t complain. Inflation is already doing a good job of that.
They print fiat money to steal the real wealth and enslave the people. Food stamps are to keep the slaves from rioting.
How American family can survive…
It is easy to submit plenty of armchair advises like “pay off your debt, blah, blah, blah” etc or alternatively give some ideas about how *you* are surviving, particularly if you already have beaten the system in the past or ridden it to your advantage and now you are reaping the fruit.
Not so easy… We are talking about existing average American family after all…
I would suggest following:
1. Get rid of all non-critical expenditure coming in form of monthly bills, health insurance included, and concentrate these additional money on bringing your health to the standard. It is not that difficult if you are still in working order.
Remaining money so saved you may spend on some little pleasures like outdoor activities or on repaying your debt, if such a task is achievable at all.
2. Don’t be a fool by taking a part in college/university education scams.
Those are most unlikely to make you rich these days and getting a law degree to serve burgers in Mc Donald is a pretty daft move.
You don’t want to become a slave for the rest of your life after all.
3. Withheld your money from various pension scams (401k included) if only possible, use these to pay off existing debts and do something useful with whatever is left.
These money will soon cease to exist defrauded by banksters and/or by government but now you can still use them.
So hurry!!!
4. If in hopeless debt situation, get bankrupt now, while you still can.
Laws may change while economy is crumbling and getting bankrupt in the future may not be so nicey nicey like now.
5. If you are professional whose job was outsourced to Thailand, China or Vietnam, just consider moving there, particularly if your degrees would secure considerably better pay than locals there can get.
World doesn’t end in United States, you know.
6. In general, learn to enjoy *less* than you have now.
Thrift can be a real fun.
Michael, you asked for suggestions so here they are.
I would suggest that everyone take a good hard look in the mirror and ask: “What is the worse case scenario?”
For myself, the worse case scenario is that my family becomes homeless and I must survive with only what I can carry on my person. That was the starting point.
With that in mind, we outfitted ourselves with bicycles and good camping gear. There are homeless all over the place and I actually take the time to talk to them so as to find out how they survive. It isn’t easy but they do it and I’ve known some now for several years.
If we are lucky enough that we do not need to flee our home in the middle of the night then we really are in luck as I live on a sailboat and I can always make my way up to Canada or down South if I need to. Having a vehicle that can double as a home to include an RV or a van should be something to think about. There is no shame in living in an RV.
Oh yeah, start downsizing NOW. You do not need a TV in every room and I bet your family doesn’t really need all those cars. Take that money and use it put away a little bit of food and water and maybe a generator as it couldn’t hurt.
The time to make plans is before disaster strikes. If you have family pets then now is the time to make arrangements should things get bad. The same may be true for small children. It is hard for family to turn away children.
Finally, talk to your family and friends about this. It isn’t a laughing matter as the majority of us now live paycheck to paycheck. It can happen to anyone so bring it out into the open and start talking about it.
If you believe bad things are headed our way then you are obligated to act as if it is a 100% certainty. If not, then you will have no one to blame, not even the bankers, if you find yourself out in the cold.
The economy will eventually fail and soon. And there’s nothing the morons in D.C. can do about it. Everything they do makes matters worse. Do we really have to Wonder what they plans for us are? Hardly.
You have to realize that the folks in DC truly do not care about the rest of the country. I live right outside DC , it is a highly corrupt city to say the least. Public servants live like aristocrats off of our tax dollars eating out at expensive restaurants are bars seven days a week, driving brand new luxury cars and enjoying the highest standard of living in the free world living in some of the richest counties in America outside of DC. Six of the top ten richest counties in America are located outside of DC and all have large federal worker populations. DC is about money, status and power and those who do not have these things. People who work for the government are the modern day tax collector of class of Western antiquity who lived lavishly at the expense of an enormous permanently lower class of over taxed peons. As regular working and unemployed folks outside of the beltway, we are NOTHING to these people. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and nowhere in America is this more evident than the District of Columbia.
“…Public servants live like aristocrats off of our tax dollars eating out at expensive restaurants are bars seven days a week, driving brand new luxury cars and enjoying the highest standard of living in the free world….”
NOBODY I know in the Federal government lives that kind of lifestyle, so quit lying
Gold and Silver The Great Equalizer
Gold and silver are the great equalizers. Many minorities all over the world own gold and silver as a hedge against inflation and economic collapse. They may be slow but they are not stupid. They know how the establishment had kept them poor for years giving them worthless pieces of paper. Now they are “stacking” gold and silver. In the near future there will be a great redistribution of wealth. Only those who know the truth will come out on top while those who believed the lies on TV will be left with nothing.
For some of you gold and silver are still a mystery especially with the media, TV and films promoting the myth that paper notes are money. Paper is not money and can never be money. Plastic is not money either. Here is a little video on my blog that explains what paper currency is and why you may think cash is king when in actuality it is only a receipt for debt.
But in truth only about 1 in 10,000 Americans really understands that gold and silver are actual money and paper is a scam. The Chinese government actually recommends that its people put a percentage of their wealth in gold as a hedge. The Swiss government is considering going to a gold backed currency rather than pure paper. If you are serious about preparing for the coming collapse then I advise you to get out of paper and into gold and silver. We have designed a program that will allow middle class people to begin saving gold at a reasonable price. Go here to learn more: http://www.affordablegold.mysalessystem.com or goldenladyfun.blogspot.com . We will even give you a job as a distributor so you can help others and earn a commission.
Many of you have asked me how do you pay for a loaf of bread with gold? With the small denominations of gold that we sell you can easily exchange it for goods and services. We sell 1 gram bars of gold instead of the larger denominated ounces or coins. Plus our bars come with a certificate of authentication in case there is any doubt of its quality, amount or origins.
Some ask me if gold and silver are a bubble? Our view of gold has been very much controlled by the media who are owned by the “bankers”. Gold and silver have no actual value. They are only lumps of metal. But they are extremely rare and impossible to make unlike paper notes or currency. The value of gold and silver is inverse to the value of paper currency. In other words as the currency loses value gold and silver gain value. The issuers of currency can lie as much as they like. But the value sooner or later must be reconciled with gold and silver.
Since we went off the gold standard in the ’70s that reconciliation has become more and more past due. Now we have this huge adjustment to face. The estimated amount that would reconcile gold to currency is about $15,000 to $20,000 per ounce. This does not consider speculation and the growing number of informed persons worldwide who want to hold gold. Plus, many countries would rather not go through the pain of being bankrupt due to inflation. That is why gold is being acquired by most countries such as Russia, China, Japan, Venezuela, etc.
Today’s price of gold is at about $1650 per ounce. Do you see the opportunity?
Yeah! But how do you put food on the table let alone buy gold? Good question. First you have to understand what your priorities are. My family has switched to a vegetarian diet. That is much cheaper, healthier and easier to manage. Stay away from fruits, juices, potatoes, pastas, rice, cereals, breads and other high calorie, carbohydrate rich, glycogenic foods that contain sugars. Never eat anything that is manufactured and comes in a box or can. Do not drink pop or diet pop. Do not eat aspartame or any artificial sweetener. You also have to supplement your diet with whey protein, vitamins and minerals such as D, E, A, K, C, magnesium, zinc, potassium, essential fatty acids, probiotics, spirulina and stay away from table salt. I give no medical advice so please don’t ask me.
With the money you save you can buy a little gold and silver each month. Today we are selling a 1 gram bar of gold for 57.30 Euros per gram. When you buy gold or silver you feel great. Now you know you are beating those greedy buggers at their own game. If you still can’t make ends meet, we will give you a job as a gold distributor. The first step is to sign up: http://www.affordablegold.mysalessystem.com .
Don’t wait. Gold and silver are expected to go through the roof in price and then you really will not be able to afford it. Already gold and silver dealers are out of inventory and having trouble filling orders. There are rumors that the powers that be will outlaw private ownership of gold and silver in America as they have done before in an attempt to force you to use their paper. Imagine what that will do to the price if that happens. (If that happens you are welcome to store your gold in our vault in Switzerland for free). I don’t think the corporate bankers, of which I am one, will give up their ability to print script and charge you interest on it without a fight.
Wise up. Start your gold savings plan today.
Good luck and God Bless. http://www.affordablegold.mysalessystem.com or goldenladyfun.blogspot.com
I was raised in the Soviet Union. I am shocked by the words and attitudes of some people regarding the solution to the economic collapse to tax the rich. I speak from actual personal experience. We in the Soviet Union tried to do that very thing, tax or confiscate from the rich and redistribute the wealth to the poor. It did not work. The total economy collapsed because there was no incentive for anyone to produce for neither the rich nor the poor. In the end no one had any money, millions died or were killed and we were forced to accept communism as our only way of life. I think you should familiarize yourself with collectivism which can be found amongst the writings of the Russian history of the 1920s and 1930s. That sort of thinking destroyed my country and will destroy your country.
Oh I see you finally got around to posting that interview I gave you about my family.. JK!
It sounds like my family, but we have no health insurance, lost our home already, lost our jobs.. and now my son needs new shoes!
We have our health.. and our family and the good news this month is: the Air conditioning bill should be less than $400! God Bless!
Wow, I’d turn up the thermostat.
The collapse of the middle class is made worse by inflation. The BLS underreports the inflation rate as measured by the CPI badly. Today, we are told the annual inflation rate is about 3.8%. The true rate, as measured by the methodology used in 1990, is between 11 and 12 percent. The inflation rate is lowballed to reduce outlays for things affected by the CPI, not the least of which is Social Security COLA. Also, the CPI affects GDP. Today, if the true inflation rate was used in the calculation of GDP, GDP would be NEGATIVE!
Agree with you. The price pull back is the result of some hedge funds having to pay for their stock losses, margin increases on gold, and day traders. This is just a great time to buy gold. They are trying to shake the small investors from owning it. When it goes back up they will only want the big boys and central banks to own it.
Don’t let the volatility get you down. Gold is up 15% this year and is up 300% in the last ten years. Your dollar is down 10 to 15% against other currencies per year. Inflation in the United States has taken another 8 to 9% a year from you. The governments around the world have no answer to the economic problems except to print money. More printed money will always ultimately result in higher gold prices. I believe it will be worth well over $2,000 an ounce by year end.
Buy these big price dips if you can.
Michael, thanks for all your work. I’d even say God’s work, but that term has been preempted by GoldmanSucks.
The only way to make it better is for it to first get worse, a lot worse. I am convinced, after watching the oligarchy loot taxpayer money to bail out their friends on both the left and the right, that the only answer is to collapse the system and start over. People should read “Atlas Shrugged” for the game plan.
Go Galt. Until the looters are ejected from positions of power, and people take back control of their own lives instead of relying on others to control their lives for them, we will continue to drift lower and more will suffer. Instead, make the looters and moochers suffer.
Stand up, people, get a backbone ! Starve the beast, stop doing business with the looters and moochers, buy local or do without !
If your mortgage is underwater, stop paying. Let the bank foreclose, and go rent. Stop paying credit card interest rates that keep looters like JPM in business; either pay it off completely or default. Cancel your cable subscription, stop drowning your sorrows in mindless TV and pro sports. Go learn a new skill, start a garden and grow your own food.
Take back your country.
“The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots.” Thomas Jefferson
Cut off the cell phone and cable, buy bulk non processed and less prepackaged foods as much as possible, tithe your monies to God and don’t expect life to be easy. I have a disability and I go to work every day on crutches or with a leg brace. Don’t tell me it can’t be done! America is far from perfect, but she still rewards hard work.
The point is that “taxing the rich” has NEVER worked. Go tour Europe and see how the rich have lived throughout the centuries and how the blood, sweat, and tears of the middle/lower classes has financed the elites in building their castles and palaces. It’s no different today except the taxation & bondage are done by someone far away from you, not your feudal lord at the manor down the street. Freedom from taxation for EVERYONE is the only solution. No more big government ANYTHING. Governments only exist to steal the wealth & productivity of the majority for transfer to the “elite” minority.
TIPS? SIMPLE:
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17
AND
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Malachi 3:10
We give tithes and offerings, and we give to the poor. God not only takes care of us, but we have abundance!
My husband works hard and supports his family: a wife and 13 children. We are grateful, content, and happy. Yes, it can be done— even in this economy. God’s ways are best.
$3000, net, per month is a lot of money, the average person in Germany or UK can only dream about.
Rent: £400, electricity £20, gas £20, water £10, TV £10, mobile phone £10; per month;
groceries £10 per day per person.
From the £1000 left you can buy a used but fully fuelled car each month and drive it until the tank is empty and then buy another fueled car next month.
REALLY, guys! Pulverized is different. Pulverized is like Philippines where the monthly food allowance for a student is about £12, and people can’t afford £200 for 1 semester university.
I pay zero interest for my credit cards. That saves a lot of money.
There are only 3 ways to produce real wealth. Mining, farming and manufacturing. Sadly, we are dismantling our manufacturing base.
Gary2, you are a thief my friend…
“We have become a nation of thieves who use the govt to take other people’s property”
– Walter Williams
“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
– Margaret Thatcher
I wonder if the esteemed Walter Williams considers the theft of other peoples PRODUCTION,by far less than a nation,with equal abhorrence?
That little voice inside my head tells me..NO!
Walter Williams would simply parrot his pal Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that the wages of American’s are not,and have not been STAGNANT for decades. (Although I haven’t heard Limbaugh beat that drum for sometime..Hmmm?)
I’m sure when you factor in the wealth and income of the globalists(the 1-3%),who just so happen to be American citizens,over the past 40 or so years,then it would appear as if the wages of Americans have indeed not stagnated.
Quoting Walter Williams on these matters is akin to the quoting of the character George Banks(Mary Poppins)before his miraculous awakening.
Just don’t do it.
Walter Williams is right up there with Rush as far as having any creditability.
Hopefully some helpful tips
1)Become neighborly -talk to those around you, you may need them sooner than you think and in the last twenty years, the American neighborhood has damn near become extinct. I am fortunate to live in one still and many people have helped others get jobs- There is 5 people who grew up within three blocks that worked at UPS (3 still do)- It’s who you know- not what you know.
2)Grow your own food-there are community gardens and probably some space in your back yard- ask neighbors to help- donate your yard if your older or just lack the means to use your yard. Again why don’t more people share their backyards- nobody’s neighborly. that’s why
Garden & Canning- Better for you any way you toss it.
3)Start a food pantry in your basement- what are you waiting for? If your reading these articles like myself then you know what’s coming. Seriously -have a years worth of food unless you wanna fight Bubba, Kile, Jerome and Tanisha for the last box of rice crispies at Wal-Mart if SHTF.
4)Security and self awarness- Become active-work out get in shape and if possible- take up a course on self defense or some martial art. This will help you become fit and more confident and therefor landing a job if need be. This is very important for physical and mental well being too. If your like myself or 33% of US adults, then your obese or fat and people descriminate. Learn how to shoot a gun- trust me on that one – bubba already knows and he only has a box of Rice Crispies.
5)Develope a new skill- gardening, sewing, painting (not pictures either), carpeting, construction. mechanic. your smart enough to adapt right?
6)Don’t give up or stop. If you have a so so job – be happy but keep looking and don’t ever give up if you can’t find one. Volunteer. But don’t stop or give up- your better than that.
For those who are learning their lessons the hard way – I am truly sorry for you.
While Gov’t & Wall Street are crooks, it is still up to the individual to educate themselves and make good decisions, which is hard when corporations have abdicated their fiduciary responsibilty to their clients and only serve their own interests.
My only advice is to adhere to a basic biblical principle – “Neither a Debtor or a Creditor be” – that said – recognize (and accept) your individual situation. Educate yourself on your options / Simplify /Streamline
For those who are learning their lessons the hard way – I am truly sorry for you.
While Gov’t & Wall Street are crooks, it is still up to the individual to educate themselves and make good decisions, which is hard when corporations have abdicated their fiduciary responsibilty to their clients and only serve their own interests.
My only advice is to adhere to a basic biblical principle – “Neither a Debtor or a Creditor be” – that said – recognize (and accept) your individual situation. Educate yourself on your options / Simplify /Streamline your finances and your life/ be ready to adapt to what ever comes next – Life is Attitude / Family / Friends – not things and possessions!
“…how the average American family can survive…”
The average American family is not going to survive. The average American family doesn’t even know there is a problem. The average American family lives in the moment and doesn’t even think about the future…unless it is a vacation. The average American family is lucky to have a working flashlight in the house. The average American family is not prepared for what is about to become their reality.
Break out your survival manuals, because you are going to need them. If you think the government is going to save you, you’re wrong. If you are relying on anybody else’s charity, it better be prearranged. Life as it was “in the good ole days” is over. Life as we know it now (relatively peaceful) will not last much longer.
As the “trader” in this video states, Goldman Sachs runs the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aC19fEqR5bA
Goldman Sachs (and their minions) has one goal in mind…control…of you and everyone like you. The economy will continue to worsen, because it has been designed to collapse. There isn’t going to be any “fixing” of the economy. Only surviving it.
We need to eliminate regulations and mandates that kill competition from startup companies, and allow a free market of supply and demand to bring price and wage reform. We need sound money to do this. Look at wealth concentration over the last 40 years. Fiat currency helps the rich and the government, at the expense of the middle class and the poor. We need sound money. We need to allow competitive currencies so that people can protect themselves, and start to build a framework of alternative currency for when other nations say they will no longer use the dollar as reserve currency. If we don’t get that framework in place now, the fallout will be much worse.
Sold my house this year and used the money to pay off home equity loan and credit cards. Cut up the cards, and I don’t miss them one bit. One thing folks can do to lower household costs is to shop at 99cent stores. This works for those living in a metro area. In more rural areas gardening and making your own household supplies can help. But the most important thing is to live BELOW your means!
Gary2, you are misreading much of what you are reading in the Bible. God is not interested in money – He is interested in US. As for redistribution of money (i.e. theft from those that have to be given to those who have not), that is explicitly written against. “Thou shalt not steal.” Not even when you hire thugs by voting for them to do the dirty deeds for you. The writings you are talking about relate to how human beings treat each other on a PERSONAL LEVEL.
In other words, we are to have personal relationships with one another and Christians particularly are supposed to VOLUNTARILY give alms (i.e. monetary gifts out of their plenty or even out of their necessities if others are worse off) to help others who are worse off.
We, having representative government, are held to a higher standard – the same standard that a king is held at in responsibility over his nation. This means we have 330 million chances to get it wrong versus one at any given time. Not to say that I prefer a kingdom on earth with an earthly king – I don’t.
God also tells us that envy is poisonous all the way down to bone level. Or don’t you pay attention to all of the Bible?
Gary:
Jesus believed in individuals being charitable to the poor, not governments taking money from one group and giving to another. He also said the poor will always be with us. Charity is freely given and private charities always do a better job than a buracratic govenment. People will be individually held responsible for their decisions. Jesus does love the poor but he wants you and I do decide to help them. Big governments are inherently evil and corrupt. They use income redistribution to buy votes and insure their own power. Since Johnson’s great society and all the trillions spent on social welfare poverty has only increased. The problems with progressivea and socialists is you never acknowlege that your programs don’t work. Good intentions aren’t enough. For many govenment is an idol and it’s a poor substitute.
The average American pays more than 40% of their income to taxes, and 30% of their income to debts and interest.
This doesn’t leave much to live on, and with rising food prices, it keeps shrinking.
Here’s a page that can show you how to reduce taxes, increase income and reduce expenses… to increase your cashflow.
http://moneycrisisgameplan.com/increase-cashflow/
From this list it seems pretty obvious that the problem is cost health care. Why do we have such a terrible view against the Canadian free health care system? Its better than no health care or getting denied coverage after paying the insurance for years. I personally ask every Canadian I run into how they feel about there health care and they all prefer it over our American system and frankly so would I. you might wait a while for unimportant health related issues but any emergency you are seen write away.
I am a vet and I was use to free health care now that I am out on my own I have to dump 150 a month on health care for terrible coverage. If I were to break my leg the bills that would come from that would still make me loose my house. With that in mind, Explain to me how we have the best healthcare system in the world.
The economy is going to
get worse.
All economies go through
7 stages.
Greed and ego always play
a part also.
Here are the 7 stages:
1. Good Money -
every major empire starts out
with good money, either gold
or backed by gold.
2. Social Programs – as a country
develops economicall/socially,
takes on more public works,
adding layer upon layer
3. Military Spending – as a
nation’s affluence grows, so
does it’s political influence
and spends massively on the military
4. War – nation puts military to
use and expenditures explode and
nations go to war
5. Fiat Currency – to fund the war, the
costliest endeavors, nations starts
to steal wealth of its citizens by
replacing their money with fiat currency
(value decreed by gov’t and not
backed by nothing).
This occurs either at the outbreak
of war, or previous ravages of war.
6. Inflation – wealth transfer is
experienced as hyperinflation.
Results in riots eg. Egypt.
Price of all commodities and
goods go through the roof.
7. Wealth Transfer-
final stage, in mass movement,
nation moves out of the currency
and into the precious metals and
other tangible assets. The currency
collapses. This results in massive
wealth transfer to those who had the
foresight to position themselves in
the right asset class in advance.
We’re are between stage 6 and 7.
This transition is just beginning.
This move represents the largest
transfer of wealth in the history of
mankind. People will either end in
poverty, or wealth, depending on
whether we prepare NOW.
This cycle is predictable as for eg. Roman Empire.
for a free video on how to
prepare yourself and how
the economy is going to
continue to go down
see the video on
how to profit like the ultra rich
in times of economic crisis:
http://theelevationgroup.net/presentation/register.php?a_aid=160667&a_bid=290b868b&chan=y
As bad as it is now for many Americans, it’s going to get a whole lot worse for the middle class in the next few years.
As the economy collapses from the weight of our debt, people’s paper assets (cash, bonds, stocks, IRA’s, 401k’s) will all become worthless.
You can protect your money and potentially build wealth during the collapse, by moving to gold and silver.
Watch this video from Mike Maloney of GoldSilver, to see why you need to buy silver now http://whybuysilvernow.com/learn-about-gold-silver-investing
The middle class is getting hammered at the expense of the rich AND the poor. “The poor” we have today cannot really be compared the the poor of Jesus’ time. I have great compassion for the truly down trodden… but many of “the poor” today simply game the system. Almost all people in the US have indoor plumbing, an abundance of food and many have cars, TV’s, etc, etc. We live like KINGS today compared to how people have lived throughout the ages. And yet, we are UNGRATEFUL for what we DO HAVE – so shame on us. On the other hand, the BANKSTERS have really raped and pillaged the middle class with ALL SORTS of fraud. The Fed and Wall Street rule the world, and they do it to enrich themselves with their boots on our neck. The Fed should be abolished, and Congress should issue debt free money.
Yeah, I am kinda used to the running water thing. I also like to eat and live in doors. It is estimated that fraud or gaming the system accounts for between 2-5% of the cost.
We need to do everything to stop the fraud but it is not correct to think that most of the people using these programs are gaming the system.
Now if you really want to see gaming the system look no further than wall street. They created a whole lot more damage than someone stealing food stamps. With limited resources I would rather see wall street regulated more than food stamps although they both are important.
People are struggling because they are trying to hang on to all the perks.
When I married in 1965, we had no tv, no phone, no internet. We used the free library for books, magazines and newspapers. We rented an old apt. with utilities paid and spent 15$ a week on groceries. We cooked every night and took leftovers and a thermos of coffee to work.
I had staples in the cupboard to cook with and never went hungry or had to go to a food bank.
Oh, and we had no car, took the bus. We didn’t eat out at fast food rests. and made our own ice cream cones.
Played backgammon and scrabble and pinochle for recreation and went fishing in local lakes and steams. Had no health ins. or renters ins. or any ins. including life. We knew how to be poor.
this is something all of you are going to have to learn unfortunatly.
People are being pulverized because they are paying the price for the neglect of their financial education and plan.
Cashing out their home equity by refinancing, spending more than they make, buying stuff they don’t really need, paying the highest tax rates as employees, investing in the rigged stock market, etc.
Ignorance is not bliss… it’s financial destruction in this economy.
You can still protect your money and create wealth during the economic collapse, if you will get relevant financial education.
Learn how at The Elevation Group
http://elevationgroupvideo.com/about-the-elevation-group/
Many I talked to are only buying what’s either on sale or necessary; no casual shopping; applies to me too, as retirees really don’t need more stuff. Only one credit card and a debit at the credit union. Banks are ripping off the public starting Oct. first by tacking on a debit use fee $4 a mo. Nothing on credit unions so far. I’ll write checks or use other debit card. Banks are crooked (derivaties, etc)trying to get all they can. People are tapped out as insurance rates (auto/home) keep going up. Don’t buy G.E. crap; they are moving to China. Young folks: there is no future in raising a family; it costs a small fortune w/zero guarantee and a zero future under a fascist gov.
With people paying so much money to taxes, debts, interest, food, gas, etc… budgets have tightened up.
So instead of focusing on how to cut back even more, focus on how you can increase your cashflow.
A home business can increase your income. Home business tax deductions can save you thousands every year.
Affiliate marketing and network marketing both offer you opportunity to work from home, instead of commuting to a second job.
Get home business training from master trainer Mike Dillard. http://mikedillardproductreviews.com
Eat less food or more affordable foods like brown rice; host fix-it-up or cleaning parties where a group of friends get together to retile somebody’s bathroom or clean out the linen closets and then you move on to another house next time; window shop with a budget of $10 if you must shop – be creative and find something amazing for that price instead of open-ended spending; cleaning my own home has become a new activity for me and I’m doing a better job than the maids ever did, it is satisfying to make a room look better; go to church for friendship; go to the library for books and DVDs; take a walk in a park, make ice pops out of fruit instead of expensive ice cream treats; I color my own hair now with good quality products I researched and purchase online, mixing my own color and developer just like the pros and it looks amazing people tell me check out killerstrands for more info; have fun, be creative, be happy with less, grow sprouts for your salads.
Well were nearly done! Building a adobe house in the wilderness.
It’s time to finish up soon.
http://www.placeofrefuge2012.com
Wait until it gets cold and you see more than 25 million americans struggle to heat their homes. The stories we hear everyday are amazing!
Make sure you have Gold And Silver saved!
Google: Scientists Warn Tidal Wave Could Soon Destroy the Coasts of Florida and Brazil
I’ve got a friend who for years has been a very successful commission only salesperson. Now that times are bad for him he has:
Cancelled his cable TV. (Gets local news and programs with rabbit ears)
Cancelled his Internet (Gets it free using his laptop at McDonalds)
Cancelled his garbage service (brings his trash to “work” with him and throws it in their dumpster)
Cancelled paying his mortgage (he’s underwater and there’s no way he could pay it anyway)
And the kicker is, after 2 decades in his industry and a long track record of financial success: HE’S STILL NOT ABLE TO KEEP HIS FAMILY FED AND CAN’T FIND ANY OTHER WORK!!
Want to fix it? Sell US cities to China! It will be booming metropolises in 2 years! This is just to make a point how bad the problem is with the US!!!
That’s actually not a bad idea, except that I have a hard time believing that the Chinese would be able to make a positive ROI on the purchase of ANY major U.S. city today. Most of them are in such bad shape as to be unsalvageable.
Really? Look at Shangai today? The point is that other so called 3rd world countries are growing and the rich US (I dont’t know why we still called rich country) is falling apart! As long we spend money in wars and give everything for free from housing, medical and foof for people that don’t want work!
I dropped by Greece last month to visit an old friend before heading to Germany for a vacation. We discussed things:
Old Man: Well, how do you see things proceeding?
Greek friend: We will all go bankrupt but we get the pleasure to blame the Germans.
Old Man: Oh, why pleasure?
Greek friend: Because they are the one who loan us $50 billion and try to profit from that.
Old Man: Isn’t that capitalism? Banks loan money to everybody and profit from it?
Greek friend: Yes for them it’s capitalism, but for us it’s imperialism. The German banks collude with its government to conquer small states like us.
Old Man: So why do you borrow from imperialist?
Greek friend: Because that’s the only way to destroy imperialism. First you profit from their money, then you default them so that they lose their capital, and finally you destroy yourself.
Old Man: I understand. This line of thinking appears so similar to the middle class in America.
Greek friend: Ah but here in Greece we know what we are doing. We riot in the streets to scare the Germans so that they will give us even more money. The German imperialists are the fools. In America it is the imperialist banks who riot for more money after they profit from the fools. And the fools still think they have a capitalist economy.
Old Man: I guess 2000 years of history can teach you a few things about fools.
Greek friend: Oh yes. Capitalism cannot work without an ample supply of fools. We knew that a century ago.
I think that point number six is likely much higher percentage wise. I’ve worked with various charities and the food banks are seeing more and more people who have jobs but need that extra help of food because the incomes are just providing for roof and transportation.
Gary2 just plant a garden you’ll eat better than most rich people.That will really piss everyone off both poor and rich.
Might work if you don’t live in Texas.
Just have to be willing to plant and eat drought tolerant foods. Malabar spinach loves TX heat and is drought tolerant as are most peppers. Don’t know what we’d do without our garden but we do have to water weekly in this extreme drought. Still better than paying the inflated grocery store prices and chancing listeria.
“Don’t push me ‘cause I’m close to the edge
I’m trying not to lose my head
It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes we wonder
How I keep from going under”–Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
“I went looking for a job every day last week
But it turned into a crazy game of hide and seek
Because every place I seemed to look, the job wasn’t there
I might as well apply for food stamps or welfare.”–Grandmaster Melle Mel and Duke Bootee “The Message II: Survival” (1982)
“It’s all about money
Ain’t a damn thing funny
You got to have a con in this land of milk and honey.”–Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
“The war is underway. It’s class warfare. It’s Off With Their Heads 2.0. It’s going to be a battle between the haves and the have-nots. Only a very few have everything, and way too many have much too little.”—Gerald Celente (2011)
“Free-market capitalism, in the blink of an eye, was gutted and replaced by an oligopoly.” —Gerald Celente (2011)
“When people get hungry and desperate, things get ugly. And I’ll tell you where it’s really going to get ugly: crime is going to go to levels we’ve never seen before.” —Gerald Celente (2011)
“It’s going to be very violent in America.”—Gerald Celente
Liberty Revival’
Rejecting Marx, Keynes, AND Mises; Restoring Classical Liberalism, Biblical Economics, and Georgism; Untaxing Labor and Capital; Fighting Usury; Reclaiming the Profit of God’s Earth for All
https://libertyrevival.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/ending-poverty-and-political-turmoil/
Yea, the average person is getting destroyed. However, we have to keep our heads. Look for opportunities.
I have a likely imminent economic prediction for what it is worth.
Something has to give and quickly to stop the dollar index rising. It is killing the stock market, commodities and threatens a recession. People are terrified and are pouring their savings into dollars and treasuries. This is true even as inflation makes these investments negative net returns. If this continues it will destroy any chance of Obama being reelected.
Obama is likely to be pressuringthe FED to do another round of money printing. It doesn’t take much pressure to get Bernanke to print money. Therefore expect a massive new round of money printing in the next few weeks. Also, this is the only answer for Europe. Print the money and give it to the debt ridden governments.
The political will is just not there in an election year to face the real problem. Moreover, it is highly doubtful Obama and Bernanke will stand idly by as the stock market crashes again. Therefore, the QE3 move is all the government has and it will happen very soon. I know Bernanke is talking like he will not do it. However, he reverses himself all the time.
Prediction: QE3 within 3 weeks and a European QE3 by year end. Gold at $2,000 by year end.
I live outside the DC area and my husband commutes to work with people who work at the National Printing Office. The presses run 24/7 with massive amounts of overtime being paid to workers to work those extra shifts. The presses cannot put out any more money than they are doing now. They turn off the presses for maintainance and then right back on.
At this point we are past the point of no return. A global reset is coming. It must. There is simply too much interconnected government, corporate, and personal debt to be serviced. I don’t have a solution for how this can be ‘unwound’ but have a few for after the reset…
1. Democracy is broken. All political contributions should go into a big bucket and be spread evenly across all candidates. Plug all the loopholes related to this. Do not allow the ‘media’ to run political debates. Instead, have university professors create and ask questions and moderate these debates.
2. Rather than invading countries with little importance to the American people, invade and occupy tax havens. Bring transparency (and taxation) to this aspect of finance.
3. Close tax loopholes for multi-nationals. In the same way that American’s must pay taxes on all of their worldly income, force multi-nationals to do the same with credit given for taxes paid in other countries.
4. Introduce and gradually increase tariffs on all goods entering the country and services performed outside the country. An immediate and large tariff will wreak havoc on the world’s economies. So this must be implemented gradually.
5. Incentivize higher education in areas that will positively impact our economy, i.e. applied sciences and technical trades, by reducing tuition. Deincentivize lower value higher education that does not provide our young people with the ability to create new goods and services.
6. Eliminate the various control mechanisms that keep costs high such as the College of Medicine and the National Association of Realtors. There is no reason why a house transaction should cost so much. There is no reason why doctors are paid so much more than other professions.
7. Eliminate patent loopholes that allow drug companies to extend the life of drug patents by decades. This keeps the cost of drugs artificially high.
8. Mandate balanced budgets at all levels of government and require a public vote to spend more than is brought in by government (i.e. in times of emergency).
9. Legalize marijuana. Grow it in the US and Tax the sale of it. Treat it like alcohol. Free all criminals incarcerated for Marijuana related charges. Downsize police forces in proportion to the incarceration rate for marijuana-related crimes.
10. Make unions illegal for public workers including police, fire, teachers, transit, sanitation, etc. but provide a bonus structure for worker that meet or exceed expectations.
1. Fail. No one is going to contribute voluntarily to a “big bucket”. Instead, how about banning anyone but INDIVIDUALS in the respective districts from contributing to a campaign? Representatives are supposed to represent individuals in their districts, not corporations, organizations and especially not FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS and especially especially not GEORGE SOROS!
2. This is too insane to even warrant a comment.
3&4 have some merit so as to reduce the out of control trade deficit. But government will never do these things effectively or rationally.
5. We need govt OUT of education NOT MORE INVOLVED! Why do you think it is so expensive and yet declining in quality?
6. ABSOLUTELY! Although it’s not high paid physicians I have the issue with; however, dentists’ incomes are absurd!
7,8,9 and 10. Yes, Yes, Yes and Hell Yes!
There is so much wrong with this I don’t know where to start.
1. University professors running the debate? Have you been in a university lately? They are radically left. The answer to a “broken” capitalism is to FORCE communism on anyone running for office?
2. So, don’t defend your nation when attacked? Then change the tax code against those that have a “haven”, the number 1 tax haven is the home mortgage.
3. Tax multinational corps as if they made the profit here. Great, so you want to chase MORE companies overseas? Better to not tax that money at all(the US is the only country that taxes money made overseas), and let those companies bring the money back and put it to use creating jobs here in the US.
4. If a high tariff will cause these problems right away, then how will delaying the “size” of the tariff change the end result? Study history, anytime tariffs have been used the world has suffered. The Great Depression had the Harley-Smoot Tariff as its “answer”, yea, that didn’t work now did it.
5. There is already an incentive for those type of educations. It is called a JOB with GOOD pay. If people are dumb enough to choose an education without any job at the end of it, then it is only that person that is to blame.
6. The reason doctors are paid so much more than others is easy. They need more than TWICE the amount of years in education, so they come out owing more than three times the normal student. Also, there are fewer doctors now than there used to be, and have you even bothered to look at the cost of their insurance against lawsuits? In many states, there are almost ZERO Ob/Gyn doctors. Why not go after the universities? Their rates go up by more than medical insurance does EVERY YEAR.
7. Right, lets keep those horrible drug companies from making back the money spent for years developing a new drug. For each drug that works there are many that do not, that they have to take a loss on. If there is no way for the drug company to make back a return on investment, they won’t just drop the price and “take it”, they will either close or LEAVE the US.
8. Great idea. Almost all states have this already. The Federal Government does not.
9. So long as you are willing to let those people suffer without giving them government handouts, other than helping them detoxify, then I am with you.
10. Good idea, this is what many states are doing.
If it’s feasible for you, get the hell out of the US. Not only for your financial future but to escape the growing American police state.
And go where?
Better to be in your “home” country when things go bad, than to be in a foreign country, where you will be seen as the “evil immigrant”.
Which police state do you recommend going to??
I am going to say this, in the hopes that maybe
it will be read by just one person and change
their life:
As I was living my life, as you live yours, you
struggle with bills, jobs, relationships. You
develop an ‘attitude’, if you will. You get a
feel for who you think you are, and what the
world is all about.
But, the truth be told, most all of us delude
ourselves. We think we’re better than that
old person, or better looking than that person,
etc.
What I’m trying to say is, you meet people
all the time. SOME of the people you meet
will have a lot of money, own a successful
business, or otherwise be in a position to
help you out, and may WANT to…..but, YOU
have an attitude, you ignore that person and
everyone else, for that matter.
YOU blow off opportunities to meet someone
who may be wealthy, smart, a good match for
you, whatever….because of what’s going on
inside your head. I know I did, without even
knowing it, in every case.
The world isn’t necessarily full of bad people
who are out to screw you over, take what you
have or use you and lose you. Learn to keep
your eyes open for opportunities: these come
from people…they aren’t laying on the
street corner for you to find them. Change\
your attitude, change your life.
That reminds me of the time I was introduced to very wealthy building contractor.I met him at his million$ plus house and he told me he had a great opportunity for me.He wanted me to do painting and drywall work on a new Planned Parenthood building.I shook his hand and left. I never contacted him again.I guess I blew it!!!