Posted on 02/21/2009 8:03:31 PM PST by Free America52
It seems more and more people are asking questions on what steps can be taken to prepare for what appears to be a looming crisis, maybe even a breakdown in civilization. This is not a fun subject to discuss, because for most people it represents something that we never thought we would see in the USA.
But the facts are all around us. There is a ever-growing number of people who see the worst of what might happen. And worse, there is an ever-growing list of possibilities that could take our economy to levels not ever seen before. Is it the financial / banking crisis? Is it the ominous threat of a terrorist attack? Or is it a civil war created by an out-of-control government who appears to be over-reaching into individual rights?
The reality is that it could be any of these, or possibly a combination of these and many other scenario's that could play out. Unfortunately, the end result could all be the same. And that is a total breakdown in civilization as we know it, leaving millions of people without access to food and basic care. Think the government will take care of us if that happens? They are actually the ones that have created the mess, so I'm not holding out much hope that they are going to be of any help.
(Excerpt) Read more at emergency-disaster-survival-supplies.blogspot.com ...
Also, I wanted to let you guys know that loose tobacco is CHEAP.
You can get packs of Bugler for $1 in some tobacco outlet stores and while cartons of cigs are expensive, in a bad situation, people will be glad to roll their own. Bugler comes with it’s own rolling papers.
In the same way you keep your dry goods dry, buy a few bags of Bugler or other loose tobacco and keep it in the new plastic coffee containers with the screw top lid. Then if times get tough, you will at least have bartering supplies and not have to give up precious food.
Vodka is cheap too and now sold in plastic bottles, no breakage and wieghs less. If you buy a fifth of the cheap stuff a week ($5 or less), that is also a good bartering supply.
Just a thought and if it is against your religion, I understand. But money might not be worth much if SHTF, raw, hard to get because of looters, valuable goods will be worth more.
The shelves are clearing as we speak... if you want loose rolling tobacco, best to get right on it...
House, not-quite-paid-for, but low mortgage, small town, between Toledo, Ohio & Detroit. We could get property in the country, same area, just have to pay the taxes on it; no trees, no building, wide-open spaces, no access from the road, no water yet.
I suggest you get it. Worse come to worse, you can tent there for a time. Better than urban warfare.
Thanks for that information. I will use up all my extra money this week for loose tobacco.
2000%, Dear God, that is outrageous.
Wouldn't the wide open spaces make us a target? (maybe not, who bothers a tent?)
If it gets as bad as some are predicting, no one will worry about laws. A crossbow is discreet, especially on your own land.
You said — “I see this time around as being a lot more violent. We have a lot people now that don’t mind stealing what they need (welfare didn’t exist back in the 20’s). And people were a lot more honest then.”
Well, as I said, the shift in government policies now, compared to them corresponds to that difference in mindset. Whereas before someone might farm for their own food, now we have food stamps. And whereas someone might go out and build a small shack or log cabin, now we’ve got small one-room efficiencies for housing for those who don’t have a place.
It’s a different time now, to be sure. But, the food stamps will offset the “farming” before and the public housing complexes will offset people building their own shacks and shanty-towns, before.
In addition to that, the Federal Government is going to build about six large camps for housing people who need shelter with all the facilities of a small town. These can serve as emergency locations in case of a terrorist attack, wiping out a city or two and/or in case of people who have no homes and food during a Great Depression, too.
plan
Yes, and building with lumber that hasn’t been graded and stamped and in some cases hanging clothes out to dry growing vegetables where lawn “should be”. I won’t even get into how many square feet of house per person.
You said — “So, you’re looking for Big Government solutions?”
I’m not “looking for them” — I’m simply stating what is done right now. Those are the programs in place and that is what will happen.
—
You said — “I think if the economy is in a shambles, the government will not be able to afford all the free handouts. It could be more like Argentina than our current - or your proposed expansion of the welfare state.”
It may very well be like Argentina, the way things are going... To observe that way things work and to say that we’re headed into the Great Depression, and to say that it will deepen throughout 2009 and maybe even 2010 — is not to say I want a Great Depression, I want it to deepen and I want everyone on welfare... LOL..
You mistake observations and predictions based on the reality of the situation and what is at hand — with “desire” for things to happen...
What I would desire, would be to have everyone employed, working at good jobs, buying their own homes, supporting their families, saving money for retirement, with our economy on the upswing and everyone being very prosperous. But, that’s not going to happen.
And that’s the way it is...
You said — “Yes, and building with lumber that hasn’t been graded and stamped and in some cases hanging clothes out to dry growing vegetables where lawn “should be”. I won’t even get into how many square feet of house per person.”
Yes, that’s the price for success, it seems. The more success one has, and for our whole population, then no clothes hanging out to dry (for sure... LOL..), no growing vegetables in the garden (but going to the store and shopping for them, or if you want, farmers’ markets, too), and lots of landscaping for good looks and design and also big square footage, with “fine construction” and good materials.
Of course, if one were to ask everyone if they would prefer to hang their clothes, live in shanty-towns, grow their own vegetables and so on..., I don’t think you would get a lot of takers... LOL...
People do these things *out of necessity* but never because they prefer to spend all their time surviving and “getting by”, and looking at it as a “fun thing to do”... :-)
*Furthermore* — if one were to “gauge” the success of the economy by GDP, you’re not going to increase GDP and the “success” of our country by hanging your own clothes, or growing your own vegetables, or using cheap materials or living in very minimal square footage limitations. *That* simply does not *grow* GDP, and it does *not* employ other people.
Cats ...
H’mm. We ate at a Chinese restaurant today. I wonder what the special *really* was!
Yikes! :-)
Indeed!
“Be prepared, not scared.” — Cody Lundin
Different topic. This thread is on...get this...personal survival.
Note: winning a revolutionary war is an entirely different topic. People *expect* to see deaths winning such things, in fact.
Very different topic of winning a war instead of surviving personally.
So different that I'm *amazed* that anyone would confuse the two.
Re: beprepared.com
Be very careful about doing business with any company based in UTAH! I have had nothing but trouble with them.
Having a cheap prepaid cell phone (PagePlus for example, which has minutes which don’t expire for four months, and a minimum card price is $10) or perhaps more than one — bought in cash, always, to avoid having it linked to one’s name etc — isn’t a bad idea. Thanks null and void.
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