I was embarrassed to be an American after watching the coverage of "Black Friday". Rioting over a damn $2 waffle iron? Pepper spraying people so you can ensure you will get a TV? Walking over a man having a heart attack? Stampeding into stores at midnight to buy cheap, plastic shit? No dignity whatsoever. Me? I took my youngest to the gym, worked out and then had a pleasant swim. We pretty much had the pool to ourselves. Guess everyone was standing in line checking out with their 50 cent towels and $249 LCDs.
It's not just the US. The world has gone mad, which to me is basically the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. All in the news 24/7. Countries are drowning in debt. Governed by complete morons and/or dangerous psychopaths. Citizens sitting in the pot slowly boiling without a clue.
I wonder what life is like in countries that are not theocracies or war machines. What is life like on Belize where the only thing worth worrying about is the sand accumulating in your jock? What are the peaceful citizens of Uruguay thinking about today? Is life in Singapore as stressful as it is in the United States where we now deal with black clad Nazi-style military police across towns and cities large and small? Is it as intimidating and unpleasant to travel from Finland to Switzerland as it is from the United States to anywhere and back? Or even from Atlanta to Denver and back?
I continue to consider my options abroad. From residence, banking, investing, I no longer feel like my best option, my safest option, to be within the United States. If not for family, friends and church, I would immediately seek refuge elsewhere as far from the reach of the imperial federal government as possible. Regardless I find it imperative to make alternate plans to remove myself and family from this ever increasing police state and financial shit pile.
The U.S. is this weird fusion of crony capitalism, Socialism, police state and constitutional republic. Leaders love crony capitalism and hate the constitutional republic. Takers love Socialism. Big government loves to expand their presence into the States with DHS military partnerships. All the while a few citizens are doing everything they can to reign in control of the government.
The Tea Party tried and was seemingly neutered by the establishment Republicans. Occupiers had potential but was subverted by the unions. What was a movement is now your basic inner-city camp out. Of course, the Tea party wants government smaller and the Occupiers want the government more involved. But the useful idiots of OWS still didn't get that their message was really about crony capitalism. They were too stupid to take advantage of their moment.
Lost ball indeed. Irony that I feel more lost than ever due to the world wide collapse. Making money online is the least of my worries. My online activities from whence this blog was spawned continues unabated. Success is met with failure. I don't take it very serious. The activities that are required of a successful online business interests me little. Collection of email addresses, social interaction via Facebook, paid forums...all that shit, bores me. I continue to do the least amount possible while collecting a few coins in the process to make it worth the effort.
I think it is important to have multiple income streams. I am still employed but that could obviously change by the end of today. I can make the bills with income made from online activities. It's about survival. Doing what I have to, to survive whatever comes. I was a Boy Scout for many years. "Be Prepared".
Zero out your debt. Hoard food, water and bullets. Make sure you will always have warmth and light, even if the power goes out. Survive.
Things that I would have thought were for asshat conspiracy theorists and redneck preppers are now important to me. I sure hope I don't have to use any of the things I've accumulated or skills I've attained, or in the process of acquiring. I read books about things I would have laughed about 3 years ago. I hoard shit that I never would have given a second thought about last year. Seems silly but I no longer give a shit how it looks or sounds.
This blog has changed since I decided to find other things to write about. Some of you have stuck with this shit for far longer than is warranted and for that I appreciate it. I have to write more. The fewer posts I do the more cynical the content. The more I post the lighter it becomes.
I was reading this paranoid stuff thirty years ago. I've got my Harry Browne, Doug Casey, James Dale Davidson and John Pugsley books. I even got suckered into subscribing to one of those Agora Press investment letters. Old "cash in on the doom" investment books and letters are very educational. Keeps your perspective.
ReplyDeleteIf we are going to have serious inflation, paying down debt is the wrong strategy. It is a good strategy if we have deflation. Given how much the Fed has been printing, I lean towards inflation. But I won't claim to know how much. Some of those terabuck purchases by the Fed were of decent portfolios temporarily depressed because of the panic and mark to market accounting. The Fed was acting like a speculator in those cases, and may even make a profit. When the Fed buys crap loans or Treasury Notes, however, the effect is the same as printing money.
I have every intention of cashing in on the doom. There will be opportunities as the systems collapse like there has been every other time in history. Inflation doesn't worry me right now. Deflation is the problem and as the central banks continue to print the shit out of fiat I plan to continue to buy gold and silver and store them overseas. When inflation does happen in a few years maybe I can cash them in. Hopefully a few coins/bars in exchange for a house, a farm, a warehouse, a business. That is my plan for the fan shitter scenarios. Much like all the other conspiracy minded gold and silver bugs. If it doesn't happen then great. 20-30-40% of portfolio in metal used as decorative doorstops.
ReplyDeleteI have little interest in paper investments right now. Regardless if gold and silver declines 20-30% over the next year or two I prefer it over any other store of value. I mean what else is there? Play in the corrupt HFT stock markets? Buy real estate declining in value? Hold worthless USD? I think not.
I don't want debt right now. No way I would run out and borrow money whether inflation is a distant problem or not.
It seems plausible to me that we could undergo some sort of serious societal/governmental upheaval in the near future. There are definitely some cracks in the foundation that appear to be widening as the years pass.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a "sky-is-falling" sort, but over the past couple years I've definitely started thinking about this more and more. I recently sold my house and downsized easily 90% of my possessions -- partly because I was sick of having so much shit to worry about, and partly just in case... The freedom I have now is invigorating.
I'll keep reading as long as you keep writing. You make me think. Thanks for that.
I call it living life upside down... what was once right, is now wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhere our current administration wants to give war criminals rights and try them in US federal courts and want to take away the rights of US citizens and hold them in jail indefinitely without under the guise of domestic terrorism. "GTS" S. 1867 National Defense Authorization Act (btw... GTS = Google That Shit)
Splork is right... "Hoard food, water and bullets".
@Brian - Your downsizing is admirable. I would like to do that as well but with a family it is just not feasible. It's far better to live with my misery than 3 females, if you know what I mean. One day when the litter is grown and living elsewhere we will downsize and probably get the fuck out of dodge. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDelete@Mark - I know. It was the first thing that i actually agreed with the ACLU on in years. I went to their website and filled out the info to send to my senators. The asshats voted for it and apparently didn't care for the amendments. Fuck 'em. This country is going to erupt in a fucking hail of gun fire one day.
ReplyDeleteSome remarks about moving abroad: I live in Europe and know a lot of American expats here, some adjust well to the different culture, some don't. Main points are language, bureaucrazy and learning to know what 'different cultural habits' means not better or worse ways to behave, it just means - different behaviour. The last point is what I see expats struggling most, many still compare 'how it is done at home' to 'how it is done here' and most find the way things are done at home better when living abroad, just food for thought ;-) SY
ReplyDeleteI've learned a lot of things about IM and other topics from reading your blog. I've also gotten a lot of laughs. On many occasions, your blog has helped me de-stress and kept the IM side of my brain from calcifying. You're a damn good writer so keep it up.
ReplyDelete@Brad - Thanks for reading.
ReplyDelete@Hospitalera - Yea we hear the stories of the "ugly Americans" and those that can't adjust to a new culture. It has to be tough. You either go with a good attitude about change or stick with it here at home.
ReplyDeleteI'd probably walk around and punch peoples mustaches off and spit in their coffee. Maybe rub out their cigarettes in their toupee. It's how we do.
"I’d probably walk around and punch peoples mustaches off and spit in their coffee. Maybe rub out their cigarettes in their toupee. It’s how we do." Lol, if you do that here in Prague you will get some really puzzled looks, people here tend to be reserved and polite, rofl. SY
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