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[#1]
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: My costs are a fraction of that. But, I don’t live in IL either. https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/true-cost-american-dream-every-state/ View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By R_S: I'd say that for the average person we are in Economic TSHTF: Can You Guess What It Costs To Live "The American Dream" After 3 Years Of Inflation Under Joe Biden? My costs are a fraction of that. But, I don’t live in IL either. https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/true-cost-american-dream-every-state/ I was thinking the same thing, Northern NY here. |
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Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!! |
[#2]
Now using your alls same very optimistic numbers found on the net in a left controlled media during an election year, compare that to the national medium family income, two people working, is $72K while the American dream is $140K.
BTW, You all getting Ribeye for under $7 lb, please let me know where. I'll order some. I was getting sides in 2020 for $5.99lb. |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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[#3]
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Don’t look for survivalists. Yes many are weird and anti social. Look for a rural place with farmers and country people. Many people in those areas will be closet survivalists. BUT….to integrate into an area like that you MUST assimilate. I’ve heard people say you will always be an outsider in a tight rural area. I don’t agree but you must adapt if you want to become an “insider”. Dont ever say “back in NOVA we did it this way”. Learn to be friendly. Your new neighbors will come and visit you. They will ask what you might consider to be very personal questions. They don’t mean anything bad….rural people are tight knit and you will be too….if you become like them. If you are standoffish (like you probably are where you are now) you will struggle to integrate. When your neighbors animals get out, you call them and then go help them put them back in. If they aren’t home, you put them in for them and the patch the fence for them. If a storm blows down tree limbs in the road, you don’t call 911….you grab your chainsaw and go clear the road. Rural areas have a HUGE social scene. But, its very different way of socializing than you are used to. A lot of social activities revolve around church. Local sporting events are a big thing and also a time to socialize. Breakfast at the local dinner is where you may sit with locals and chat about things. Stop in at the neighborhood hardware store or even Walmart and you might want to not be in a hurry as neighbors and friends will want to talk and visit when you see them. If you want to live that lifestyle, you have to adapt to that lifestyle. View Quote Absolutely true; I speak from experience. Moved to rural Vermont from suburban areas my whole life. All it takes is small things to figure out who is like-minded. I was a call firefighter and when we dealt with major power outages and trees down, conversation always turned to preps at home, navigation strategies, logistics among ourselves, etc. I was friendly with a gun shop owner who sold survival-oriented items to a small extent. He said he wanted to bring MREs into his shop and I brought a few cases to consign there. The conversations that opened up when people came to know me as “the guy who can get MREs” were priceless. Heck, all I had to do was walk in with another case and people would talk. |
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[Last Edit: ColtRifle]
[#4]
Originally Posted By TomJefferson: Now using your alls same very optimistic numbers found on the net in a left controlled media during an election year, compare that to the national medium family income, two people working, is $72K while the American dream is $140K. BTW, You all getting Ribeye for under $7 lb, please let me know where. I'll order some. I was getting sides in 2020 for $5.99lb. View Quote What are you trying say? Don't think I understand the point you are trying to make. Wife and I make a bit above the median family income but nowhere near $140k. We are living the American dream. Life is good…bills are paid…retirement is growing….house is nearly paid for….going on an week long awesome vacation out of the country later this year and a few shorter vacation trips before then all paid for in advance….. Not sure life can get much better….. Saw ribeyes at Sams a couple days ago for $11lb. Bought 1/4 cow 6 mo ago or so from a local farmer for around $5 per lb for all cuts of meat including ribeyes. They won’t ship though….. I don’t doubt the real inflation rate is higher than the reported numbers. I also don’t think it’s as bad as the doom and gloomers believe either. My wife and I are adapting to the new normal. In all my years reading accounts of real survival, the ones who usually survive the best are the ones who learn to adapt. Those who don’t adapt, often don’t make it. I don’t like where the US is headed but I’m also determined to adapt to the new normal even when I dislike it. |
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[#5]
Originally Posted By TomJefferson: Nice how the people responsible for inflation get to pick how inflation is measured. It's pissing down the peoples back and telling them it's raining. Here's a dose of reality. Based on TN numbers not evacuating north ghetto cities. Housing up 100% Home Insurance up 100% Property tax 100% Meat up 100% Gas up 30% My area it was $1.82 a gallon. Now $3.30. Mortgage rates 100% Automobiles 50% Travel 30% Other groceries 18% Gold 2020 was $1,770 oz and now it's $2,500 oz. I guess according to Bidenomics they got this wrong and must be price gouging. I don't know how much your budget is on those very little inflation products but to a kid just starting life, it's a show stopper. Tj View Quote That's just the last few years. When you look at the last 25 years, it's even more scary. When I first got into gold in 1999, it was $259/oz. I was making less than now yet could afford to buy several times more than today. Now gold went up almost 10 times. It is indicator of where we are. Today the CPI is a complete BS political figure with zero credibility. |
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[#6]
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Food overall is up but not horrible. We shop more sales and places like Aldi and Sam’s and Costco so not too much higher. I’d estimate we are paying 15% more than 2-3 years ago. View Quote Food costs have increased more than 15% over the last few years. Aldi's, Walmart, and Sam's club have all increased some of their canned and dry goods more than 15% in the last 12 months alone. They are competition to my personal business, and I track their pricing. The rate of increase has slowed, but I am not seeing many price reductions. A few, but those seem to be dependent on local production. For example, in my area fresh local strawberries are inexpensive this year compared to last year, but that is due to an exceptionally large, qood quality crop. Other items have fared far worse. Olive oil for example. October of last year I was selling 2 liter bottles of olive oil for $ 14.98. Today the same item costs me $21.78 if I buy it wholesale. Consumers can purchase less expensive vegetable oil instead, but that is not a true comparison to actual price increases since it is a different type of oil. |
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It's true no matter who you are, the worst thing you can do for someone is give them something for nothing. - 3rdpig
Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy. - Heinlein |
[#7]
As survivalists that have supposedly been preparing for this exact sort of thing, we shouldn't be surprised at any of these increases in prices.
Now if we were just playing internet "prepper" and making "lists" and "lists of lists" of things we were never going to do or buy, and just reading crap online, well then yeah we may be surprised at all this. A bit thing regarding preparing is actually thinking through the scenario(s) wherein we are preparing for. Greatly increased prices on everyday items (and overall items in general) go hand in hand with planning for economic hard times. This is the time you dip into your food storage and add some more into rotation, thereby saving some $$ from the food budget every week. This is the time you value your garden, fruit trees and animal husbandry projects as they end up saving $$ in the food budget also. But if it's all been academic, (doing "research" for years) then it's a different story. Can't rotate your "lists" and I hear they don't taste too good.... |
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[#8]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: That's just the last few years. When you look at the last 25 years, it's even more scary. When I first got into gold in 1999, it was $259/oz. I was making less than now yet could afford to buy several times more than today. Now gold went up almost 10 times. It is indicator of where we are. Today the CPI is a complete BS political figure with zero credibility. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: That's just the last few years. When you look at the last 25 years, it's even more scary. When I first got into gold in 1999, it was $259/oz. I was making less than now yet could afford to buy several times more than today. Now gold went up almost 10 times. It is indicator of where we are. Today the CPI is a complete BS political figure with zero credibility. A great website to look at for inflation numbers is Shadowstats, the guy calculates inflation based on 1980s methodology, before politicians watered down the numbers. According to his calculations, we've bounced around 10% inflation since 2008, in 2023, we hit 17%. Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: You are right. I think the shipping container youtube people were just stunts, something different and curious, kind of a click-bait, but maybe not practical for everyone. I don't know what to do. I gravitate between customizing a shuttle bus, or a cabin, or something. It is clear that owning some viable land where things can grow, with water is the very minimum. There is a paradigm shift coming. Andrew Camarata, on youtube, is one of the few youtubers who I think actually live in their shipping container house. But he did a great job designing his, he made a castle w/ a workshop on the ground floor. It's pretty austere living though. |
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[#9]
I make a pretty good income, single, east coast. And I track and budget my expenses very closely. For the last several years, I've budgeted $130 every two weeks for groceries and $140 for gas. After paying all bills and setting aside savings, the rest is spending money.
Here's what I've noticed: - my grocery haul usually came in $10-20 under my budget and I would stock up on other items or can goods for preps with the leftover - Now I always come in slightly over budget by about $10-25 - My gas expenses were always about $10-15 under budget (and until last year my commute was 60-90 minutes each way, 5 days a week) - Now I come in almost exactly at budget or slightly over (and my commute is now 30 minutes each way) - I usually had between $50-100 left from my spending money (dinners out, few beers at the bar, extra groceries, miscellaneous expenses, dry cleaning) - Now I spend just about my entire budget every two weeks and sometimes go over |
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[#10]
I've lived in a rural area on and off for 30 years in Georgia - I can't image networking well without being a member of a local church. There are people you work with and then there are those who you do life with. A lot of people outside church tend to be socially isolated with just exposure to immediate family. This can apply to the more urban and suburban places I've lived. I've been on both situations and simply getting to know more people in a the church setting (by being active) changed my view of my community. Not growing up somewhere has a lot less to do with things and more about how well you are integrated socially.
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[#11]
I came to realize that the whole lifestyle of building a 'bunker' full of supplies (metaphorically or not) somewhere is an utter-dead end in every way. Survivalism as a lifestyle is a dead-end. It's not going to address any problems in the world at all.
Not that there is anything new in that lifestyle. But we are where we are because of lifestyles like these, apocalypsis-based, in whatever permutation. What I have seen over the decades is that "survivalists" tend to be isolated even in the community. They don't form any cohesive community in any sense. Even barter is not encouraged. There is usually distrust and disconnectedness. It's like very bunker is on isolated island with no meaningful links to the outside. Storing dozens of firearms and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo and MREs for a decade, etc. is a bit strange even in red states from the perspective of normies, so that they tend to be secretive, do not advertise their bunkers or their lifestyle or their beliefs, understandisbly so (and neither do I). But it is a dead-end, kind of an escapist fantasy. They prefer fantasy over reality. Waiting for the TSHTF, or getting ready for it. I submit that TS already HTF. It's already right here, and right now. And we are not ready in any sense. The main generator of the TSHTF is the unaccountable central bank with its endless paper emissions. it's the only agency responsible for the national debt and the interest on it. When the currency devalues and it will - it has - doesn't matter if inflation is an instant 1000% over a few months or a slow 5% which still more than halves the value of the currency over several decades, the effect is the same. They have chosen the later thus far but the former insta-devaluation is not an impossibility. There is no way to co-exist peacefully with an agency which has basically declared war upon the world. It is impossible to ignore it and hide out in some "bunker" with 1000 and 1 various supplies, it is a dead-end paradigm and in fact escapism and not dealing with the problem is why we are where we are. I remain convinced that a society cannot function without a well-defined unit of account. Today's greenback is very far away from the monetary paradigm created by the founding fathers, who considered the dollar to be a unit of weight, not worth and certainly not an undefined abstration like today. Our enitre monetary system is nonsense. Vieira said it best: The Federal Reserve System: A Fatal Parasite On The American Body Politic |
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[#12]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: I came to realize that the whole lifestyle of building a 'bunker' full of supplies (metaphorically or not) somewhere is an utter-dead end in every way. Survivalism as a lifestyle is a dead-end. It's not going to address any problems in the world at all. Not that there is anything new in that lifestyle. But we are where we are because of lifestyles like these, apocalypsis-based, in whatever permutation. What I have seen over the decades is that "survivalists" tend to be isolated even in the community. They don't form any cohesive community in any sense. Even barter is not encouraged. There is usually distrust and disconnectedness. It's like very bunker is on isolated island with no meaningful links to the outside. Storing dozens of firearms and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo and MREs for a decade, etc. is a bit strange even in red states from the perspective of normies, so that they tend to be secretive, do not advertise their bunkers or their lifestyle or their beliefs, understandisbly so (and neither do I). But it is a dead-end, kind of an escapist fantasy. They prefer fantasy over reality. Waiting for the TSHTF, or getting ready for it. I submit that TS already HTF. It's already right here, and right now. And we are not ready in any sense. The main generator of the TSHTF is the unaccountable central bank with its endless paper emissions. it's the only agency responsible for the national debt and the interest on it. When the currency devalues and it will - it has - doesn't matter if inflation is an instant 1000% over a few months or a slow 5% which still more than halves the value of the currency over several decades, the effect is the same. They have chosen the later thus far but the former insta-devaluation is not an impossibility. There is no way to co-exist peacefully with an agency which has basically declared war upon the world. It is impossible to ignore it and hide out in some "bunker" with 1000 and 1 various supplies, it is a dead-end paradigm and in fact escapism and not dealing with the problem is why we are where we are. I remain convinced that a society cannot function without a well-defined unit of account. Today's greenback is very far away from the monetary paradigm created by the founding fathers, who considered the dollar to be a unit of weight, not worth and certainly not an undefined abstration like today. Our enitre monetary system is nonsense. Vieira said it best: The Federal Reserve System: A Fatal Parasite On The American Body Politic View Quote We are dealt the hand we play, not the hand we want to play. We live in the world we live in, not the world we want to live in. Your post seems very depressing with no hope. Personally, I don’t agree. As long as I’m alive, I have hope. But, hope is not a course of action so I don’t base my plans on hopes and dreams. I base my plans on the world we live in, not the world I want to live in. There is a lot to monetary policy. I will say, since I stopped listening to doom and gloom monetary nonsense, my net worth has grown much faster. You will financially benefit greatly from learning how our system actually works and then using our system, flaws and all, to your benefit. Personally, life is great. We live in a good place, in a nice though simple house, we have money to do most of what we want (we do plan our purchases carefully to be responsible with the money we have been given), and we are enjoying life. While I plan and save for the future, I’m also enjoying the present. Stop listening to all the doom and gloom. |
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[#13]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: I came to realize that the whole lifestyle of building a 'bunker' full of supplies (metaphorically or not) somewhere is an utter-dead end in every way. Survivalism as a lifestyle is a dead-end. It's not going to address any problems in the world at all. Not that there is anything new in that lifestyle. But we are where we are because of lifestyles like these, apocalypsis-based, in whatever permutation. What I have seen over the decades is that "survivalists" tend to be isolated even in the community. They don't form any cohesive community in any sense. Even barter is not encouraged. There is usually distrust and disconnectedness. It's like very bunker is on isolated island with no meaningful links to the outside. Storing dozens of firearms and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo and MREs for a decade, etc. is a bit strange even in red states from the perspective of normies, so that they tend to be secretive, do not advertise their bunkers or their lifestyle or their beliefs, understandisbly so (and neither do I). But it is a dead-end, kind of an escapist fantasy. They prefer fantasy over reality. Waiting for the TSHTF, or getting ready for it. I submit that TS already HTF. It's already right here, and right now. And we are not ready in any sense. The main generator of the TSHTF is the unaccountable central bank with its endless paper emissions. it's the only agency responsible for the national debt and the interest on it. When the currency devalues and it will - it has - doesn't matter if inflation is an instant 1000% over a few months or a slow 5% which still more than halves the value of the currency over several decades, the effect is the same. They have chosen the later thus far but the former insta-devaluation is not an impossibility. There is no way to co-exist peacefully with an agency which has basically declared war upon the world. It is impossible to ignore it and hide out in some "bunker" with 1000 and 1 various supplies, it is a dead-end paradigm and in fact escapism and not dealing with the problem is why we are where we are. I remain convinced that a society cannot function without a well-defined unit of account. Today's greenback is very far away from the monetary paradigm created by the founding fathers, who considered the dollar to be a unit of weight, not worth and certainly not an undefined abstration like today. Our enitre monetary system is nonsense. Vieira said it best: The Federal Reserve System: A Fatal Parasite On The American Body Politic View Quote You get it. We don't have to look far to what's happening. We're in for an Argentina type event and default. That means one of three things, an instant up to 100% devaluation or hyper inflation or both. China is already pulling out of our bond market. Our debt to GNP hasn't been this high since the height of WWII. I saw a press conference with Putin. When asked about peace in Ukraine, he said he's holding out for the wests economies to crash then went on to explain why our monetary policies are insane. Tj |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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[#14]
I've spent the last several years preparing for the SHTF that is happening all around us every day. My interpretation of what is slowly happening is completely different than most preppers.
As our dollar descends into madness, machinery parts will get harder to find and more expensive. I have positioned my hobby shop to take advantage of this. It's not a crazy idea, considering we saw just parts become scares due to the man made covid disaster. I'm not saying everyone needs a machine shop. I'm saying everyone should prepare to be able to market their skills directly to the public. Be prepared to have solutions to the problems that result. |
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Where the sheepdog is banned the wolves feast.
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[Last Edit: ColtRifle]
[#15]
Originally Posted By batmanacw: I've spent the last several years preparing for the SHTF that is happening all around us every day. My interpretation of what is slowly happening is completely different than most preppers. As our dollar descends into madness, machinery parts will get harder to find and more expensive. I have positioned my hobby shop to take advantage of this. It's not a crazy idea, considering we saw just parts become scares due to the man made covid disaster. I'm not saying everyone needs a machine shop. I'm saying everyone should prepare to be able to market their skills directly to the public. Be prepared to have solutions to the problems that result. View Quote So you’re saying you are trying to position yourself to best take advantage of the current environment, not wishing upon a star for perfect conditions?? OP….note this post. No you don’t need to do exactly what he is doing but, you can find your niche in an ever changing world and take advantage of the situation. Or, you can moan and groan about present events and still do nothing to change your position in life. Doom and gloomers love the doom and gloom. They aren’t interested in seeing things get better. They want to moan and groan about the present. Instead, look at the world from a logical perspective and then plan for the world you are currently in. No it’s not perfect. Yes there are lots of problems. But, all these things are also new opportunities. I’ve read doom and gloom literature from the early 1970s to the present. It was garbage then, and it’s garbage now. This poster has a plan. If things get bad, he’s in a position to benefit. If things get better, well he still has an in demand skill and can benefit. Either way, he benefits. Smart. |
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[#16]
Originally Posted By ColtRifle: We are dealt the hand we play, not the hand we want to play. We live in the world we live in, not the world we want to live in. WE, THE PEOPLE are responsible for this world. We are the problem, and we are the solution. Your post seems very depressing with no hope. . View Quote Maybe you are right. But I will give you some hope. I think the most likely doomday mechanism is economic in nature. Societies collapse because of deep fundamental economic disintegration. Be it ancient Rome or whatever. Moral disintegration seems to correlate with economic disintegration. I do not know if it's a causation or merely correlation. Anyway. I think the next few years are going to be very turbulent. As the currency either collapse and/or mutates into some kind of purely digital format. We shall have a golden opportunity to rebuild the proper, solvent and stable monetary system. US will probably disintegrate into various districts/regions/states/conferecies. Imagine this scenario, the funny money people (including gov/mil) are getting paid with are worth almost nothing so the machine grinds to a halt. Take Texas, the state will say, we have no more incentive to stay in the Union whatsoever, the alliance is a liability. So they declare independence. Since the fedgov does nothing for us, has not just zero funds but a huge (-). I predict the central gov will lose the ability to hold things together in another decade, maybe much sooner. It will just run out of funds and with the hyperinflated 'dollar' won't be able to generate any more funds out of thin air like it does now. So once TX, etc. declare independence, more or less out of necessity, concerned citizens should approach the state legislature and suggest a completely different monetary system, based on precious metals, a la 1792 coinage act but improved, with automatically calculated ratios, electronic banking, so you can withdraw 0.001 of a gold ounce/gram. And not have to carry gold bullion with you, or silver, or even copper. Every banknote will have QRcode on it to authenticate via an app to make sure it's not fake. We can't use this stuff from the 19th century with almost no security features. Civil WAr seems very doubtful, because the tyrants in the central gov will not have funds to pay their jackboots to enforce anything. Without payment, jackboots will go home and find another line of work. I think it really is that simple. My view is actually pretty optimistic, a lot more so than what I read on GD. I think my biggest disappointment will be if the new, post-collapse regime will be a replica of the old regime. The same fiat paper money, just different design and paper color, but same in substance. But going off the grid somewhere, the apocalypitic bunker lifestyle does nothing, it will ensure life will happen to us, instead of WE, the people running things. |
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[#17]
Originally Posted By batmanacw: I've spent the last several years preparing for the SHTF that is happening all around us every day. My interpretation of what is slowly happening is completely different than most preppers. As our dollar descends into madness, machinery parts will get harder to find and more expensive. I have positioned my hobby shop to take advantage of this. It's not a crazy idea, considering we saw just parts become scares due to the man made covid disaster. I'm not saying everyone needs a machine shop. I'm saying everyone should prepare to be able to market their skills directly to the public. Be prepared to have solutions to the problems that result. View Quote I think many current processes which support us now will stop working, completely. Whole functions will shut down. As in "going to work" and "getting a paycheck". We *need* a fundamentally new money system. Think of 1790's coinage act (created mostly by Hamilton) you know the one which defined the dollar as 371-1/4 grains of silver and so on. Combined with high-tech. So you can do all transactions electronically, but the money supply remains fixed. Adding zeroes on a piece of paper does not make one wealthy. Increasing purchasing power makes one wealthy. It doesn't matter how much you make. You could make $5/year in gold coin. But if a house costs $10 and a car costs $3. Lots of zeroes on a bankote is a sign of trouble and financial instability. Ask yourself this question, why doesn't the FedReserveSystem make a $1,000 or $5,000 or even $10,000 Note? Because they want to make it most difficult to transport notes, it's all about control. They want to abolish even the largest denominations we now have. Like in Turkey, where the largest banknote is about $7 . |
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[#18]
My plan is to work on the details of a viable monetary system and then present it to the new power structures, which will emerge out of the ashes of this mess. Power is not going anywhere, it will merely shift.
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[Last Edit: ColtRifle]
[#19]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: Maybe you are right. But I will give you some hope. I think the most likely doomday mechanism is economic in nature. Societies collapse because of deep fundamental economic disintegration. Be it ancient Rome or whatever. Moral disintegration seems to correlate with economic disintegration. I do not know if it's a causation or merely correlation. Anyway. I think the next few years are going to be very turbulent. As the currency either collapse and/or mutates into some kind of purely digital format. We shall have a golden opportunity to rebuild the proper, solvent and stable monetary system. US will probably disintegrate into various districts/regions/states/conferecies. Imagine this scenario, the funny money people (including gov/mil) are getting paid with are worth almost nothing so the machine grinds to a halt. Take Texas, the state will say, we have no more incentive to stay in the Union whatsoever, the alliance is a liability. So they declare independence. Since the fedgov does nothing for us, has not just zero funds but a huge (-). I predict the central gov will lose the ability to hold things together in another decade, maybe much sooner. It will just run out of funds and with the hyperinflated 'dollar' won't be able to generate any more funds out of thin air like it does now. So once TX, etc. declare independence, more or less out of necessity, concerned citizens should approach the state legislature and suggest a completely different monetary system, based on precious metals, a la 1792 coinage act but improved, with automatically calculated ratios, electronic banking, so you can withdraw 0.001 of a gold ounce/gram. And not have to carry gold bullion with you, or silver, or even copper. Every banknote will have QRcode on it to authenticate via an app to make sure it's not fake. We can't use this stuff from the 19th century with almost no security features. Civil WAr seems very doubtful, because the tyrants in the central gov will not have funds to pay their jackboots to enforce anything. Without payment, jackboots will go home and find another line of work. I think it really is that simple. My view is actually pretty optimistic, a lot more so than what I read on GD. I think my biggest disappointment will be if the new, post-collapse regime will be a replica of the old regime. The same fiat paper money, just different design and paper color, but same in substance. But going off the grid somewhere, the apocalypitic bunker lifestyle does nothing, it will ensure life will happen to us, instead of WE, the people running things. View Quote I don't agree but that's just my opinion. So, what do you think (assuming your opinions turn out to be correct and mine turn out to be incorrect) the average person should be doing to prepare themselves for what you believe is coming? |
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[Last Edit: lumper]
[#20]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: Civil WAr seems very doubtful, because the tyrants in the central gov will not have funds to pay their jackboots to enforce anything. Without payment, jackboots will go home and find another line of work. I think it really is that simple. View Quote While armies of the past were paid, often more wealth followed them home from campaigns than what they actually earned for their service. I fail to see why this would change, and would certainly motivate a portion of the "jackboots" to continue their work. Particularly so if there were few jobs or opportunities at home. |
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It's true no matter who you are, the worst thing you can do for someone is give them something for nothing. - 3rdpig
Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy. - Heinlein |
[#21]
Username checks out
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[#22]
Don’t know how many people in the survival/prepper community have caught on yet, but our long awaited SHTF event took the form of Inflation. There’s no reason to think it won’t continue this way in the long term.
Not sure if hyper-inflation is the right word, but it sure feels like it; having watched the Land, House and Stock prices double. Basically, the Doomers and the Stock Market Cheerleaders are Both correct, but the Doomers lost money, while the Cheerleaders treaded water. |
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GD- "It's kind of like wading through through slimy lake bed with your feet to find clams below the surface".
- gtfoxy |
[#23]
Annoying as it is, it’s not anywhere close to hyper inflation. Even if ithe inflation rate went up an order of magnitude it still wouldn’t be hyper.
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[#24]
Originally Posted By Tipsovr: Do they really still all have those things? I'm privy to a number of applicants for the company I now work for. A higher number than you would ever guess are telling us that they don't have cell service (when asked for a number to be able to contact them) because it has gotten too expensive. They rely on wi-fi hot spots and or buy minutes as they can. Fast food will now set you back $40+ for a family of four. There are a lot of people really being bitten hard by that insane inflation the media doesn't want to tell you about.... View Quote The no cell service thing - I find this really hard to believe, but what sort of jobs are you talking about? Are these minimum wage jobs? I can tell you that the fast food drive thrus are pretty empty. I pass a lot of fast food locations (mainly McD) on my daily commute and they are empty, both before and after work. Saturday morning I stopped by a McD for coffee (99 cents with the app) and the parking lot was full - I could see the restaurant was full of seniors. There was one other car at the drive thru. Chick-Fil-A used to have long lines at lunch and after work up until maybe six months ago. No more. |
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"They know what shipwrecks are, for out of sight of land, however inland, they have drowned full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew." - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851, on the Great Lakes
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[#25]
I think gun sales are a pretty good indicator.
I worked a pretty large gunshow this weekend (I get paid hourly for what I do and it's all OT). Probably the deadest I've ever seen it. Many of the dealers left upset with their sales numbers. One vendor stated he bought as many guns as he sold one day. He said guys just kept offering him guns at rock bottom prices. $200 for a Glock 23, $1200 for THREE Winchester '94's, and many more. All I can conclude is people are hurting. Now it's time to sell off that gun you bought during the Covid boom and never shot, or grandpas old rifles collecting dust. If I hadn't just bought a house I would have cleaned out one table, 2 Glock 34's for $300 a piece, a 20 gauge double barrel for $200, and a S&W .38 for $300. I probably would have walked away with all of them 😞. |
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[Last Edit: ColtRifle]
[#26]
There is opportunity in almost anything. Remember COVID times? People were buying toys left and right. I had an ATV I purchased in 2017 for $2100. I sold it in 2021 for $2900...and it had over 1000 more miles than when I bought it. Sold in a couple days on craigslist and the guy who bought it drove 3 hrs to get it. Side by sides, boats, campers, guns, toys of all kinds......all were selling as fast as they could be made. Well, many of those people bought on credit. Those toys still need to be paid for. If you are loaded with debt and the economy takes a dip, you can't pay your bills and you have to sell off those toys you overpaid for and purchased on credit. Lots of people were living high for awhile during COVID (and government stimulus checks encouraged it). The problem is, instead of purchasing with cash, they bought with debt. The cash was used for down payments. With prices and expenses rising, people are having to sell those toys. I've got cash set aside for a couple toy purchases once I find someone desperate enough to sell low.
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[#27]
Originally Posted By Pav56C: I think gun sales are a pretty good indicator. I worked a pretty large gunshow this weekend (I get paid hourly for what I do and it's all OT). Probably the deadest I've ever seen it. Many of the dealers left upset with their sales numbers. One vendor stated he bought as many guns as he sold one day. He said guys just kept offering him guns at rock bottom prices. $200 for a Glock 23, $1200 for THREE Winchester '94's, and many more. All I can conclude is people are hurting. Now it's time to sell off that gun you bought during the Covid boom and never shot, or grandpas old rifles collecting dust. If I hadn't just bought a house I would have cleaned out one table, 2 Glock 34's for $300 a piece, a 20 gauge double barrel for $200, and a S&W .38 for $300. I probably would have walked away with all of them 😞. View Quote I’ve been seeing a lot of newer travel trailers and such on Marketplace for the past year maybe. Weren’t used much, per ads. |
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"They know what shipwrecks are, for out of sight of land, however inland, they have drowned full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew." - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851, on the Great Lakes
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[#28]
Originally Posted By lumper: Food costs have increased more than 15% over the last few years. Aldi's, Walmart, and Sam's club have all increased some of their canned and dry goods more than 15% in the last 12 months alone. They are competition to my personal business, and I track their pricing. The rate of increase has slowed, but I am not seeing many price reductions. A few, but those seem to be dependent on local production. For example, in my area fresh local strawberries are inexpensive this year compared to last year, but that is due to an exceptionally large, qood quality crop. Other items have fared far worse. Olive oil for example. October of last year I was selling 2 liter bottles of olive oil for $ 14.98. Today the same item costs me $21.78 if I buy it wholesale. Consumers can purchase less expensive vegetable oil instead, but that is not a true comparison to actual price increases since it is a different type of oil. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By lumper: Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Food overall is up but not horrible. We shop more sales and places like Aldi and Sam's and Costco so not too much higher. I'd estimate we are paying 15% more than 2-3 years ago. Food costs have increased more than 15% over the last few years. Aldi's, Walmart, and Sam's club have all increased some of their canned and dry goods more than 15% in the last 12 months alone. They are competition to my personal business, and I track their pricing. The rate of increase has slowed, but I am not seeing many price reductions. A few, but those seem to be dependent on local production. For example, in my area fresh local strawberries are inexpensive this year compared to last year, but that is due to an exceptionally large, qood quality crop. Other items have fared far worse. Olive oil for example. October of last year I was selling 2 liter bottles of olive oil for $ 14.98. Today the same item costs me $21.78 if I buy it wholesale. Consumers can purchase less expensive vegetable oil instead, but that is not a true comparison to actual price increases since it is a different type of oil. |
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I've seen better riots at Walmart on a black Friday - SrBenelli
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[#29]
Originally Posted By ad_nauseam: You are right. I think the shipping container youtube people were just stunts, something different and curious, kind of a click-bait, but maybe not practical for everyone. I don't know what to do. I gravitate between customizing a shuttle bus, or a cabin, or something. It is clear that owning some viable land where things can grow, with water is the very minimum. There is a paradigm shift coming. View Quote https://lancasterlogcabins.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI542wlvfUhgMVdDbUAR0IfwQFEAAYASAAEgKPQ_D_BwE I just looked into these. Since the cabin is a trailer it doesnt get taxed as house. |
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The mountains are calling, and I must go. -John Muir
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[#30]
The point is that these breakdowns in financial structures happen slowly, and then all at once. Much like the build up of an avalanche. For those that know history the signs are easy to see. For those that don’t, they’ll assume that all is well even when the house is burning down around them. Another factor that makes people oblivious to the danger is the moving of goalposts; they get used to poor economic conditions and the decline is entrenched as the “new normal.” For example, in 2015 the average house rental was $1100. Less than ten years later the average cost is $2150; that’s double the financial burden. But today this price is considered par for the course. Nothing gets better, the situation only ever gets worse, but since it happens over a period of many years (the process of collapse) the public largely accepts it and will even accuse those of us sounding the alarm of “doom mongering.” As with any collapse there eventually comes a point of popular intolerance – That moment where people finally realize that the “doom mongers” were right all along and that the weight of the implosion is too much to refute. I believe we’re approaching that moment very quickly. In the meantime. Here are the five stages of denial that people go through before they admit that a fiscal calamity is upon them… Stage 1: “I Don’t Know What The Conspiracy Theorists Are Talking About – I’m Doing Fine” There’s an old saying from the Great Depression that goes something like this: “It’s only a depression for the people without jobs.” View Quote Actually an OK article- 5 stages of denial economic collapse |
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www.jrhenterprises.com
Over 30 Years in business- Thank you for your business! Quickest ways to contact us- 912.375.1480 [email protected] |
[#31]
https://www.history.com/news/great-depression-people-who-made-money
From the article: Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty abided by a simple business formula: “Buy when everyone else is selling, and hold on until everyone else is buying.” This site is selling a product so up to you if you choose to consider the advice or not: https://www.cashflowmojosoftware.com/how-depression-era-millionaires-were-made/ From the article: The key takeaway from that era, which is just as relevant now, is the power of liquidity. The Depression taught us that having immediately accessible cash reserves is the ultimate financial safety net. This is the golden nugget of wisdom: in times of economic crisis, liquidity is king. The strategy is simple and straightforward yet profoundly powerful: conserve cash. This doesn’t mean hoarding every penny out of fear, but rather maintaining a balance that allows for strategic investments while safeguarding financial stability. |
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"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt |
[#32]
As survivalists who are (or should be) prepared for an economic collapse, it makes sense to take risks during market turn downs.
"The time to buy is when there is blood in the streets"- holds true if you want to get stocks/mutual funds at good prices. It's not easy to do, and yeah there is a lot of "fear" in doing that. But consider that you need to be prepared for if TS doesn't HTF also. Buying a stock/mutual fund at a 20% "discount" due to the market being done makes sense. The Arfcom millionaires have beotched about "market timing" and I was told it wasn't worthwhile cause you quote "couldn't do it every day" unquote ![]() Now if you get a fund/stock that pays a good dividend at a deep discount cause you nutted up took that deep breathe and bought in when it looked like the market was crashing, then you also got something that produces income (dividends/distributions). Have a few bad examples also but a good example would be Sunoco. A few years back when that oil "crash" happened a lot of oil stocks and MLPs were down deeply. I had SUN (Sunoco) in my phone for a long while watching the lows and highs and waiting for a major market dip ("blood in the streets"). I picked some shares up at around $12.00 per share. The dividend is $.52 a quarter IIRC. Stock went back up to around $30. within a year of the big "crash" and is more now. My only regret wasn't going deeper. If you are truly preparing, have your bases really covered- then buying at times like that helps with your long term if TS does NOT HTF plans. |
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www.jrhenterprises.com
Over 30 Years in business- Thank you for your business! Quickest ways to contact us- 912.375.1480 [email protected] |
[Last Edit: SharkStomper]
[#33]
Originally Posted By Lowdown3: As survivalists who are (or should be) prepared for an economic collapse, it makes sense to take risks during market turn downs. "The time to buy is when there is blood in the streets"- holds true if you want to get stocks/mutual funds at good prices. It's not easy to do, and yeah there is a lot of "fear" in doing that. But consider that you need to be prepared for if TS doesn't HTF also. Buying a stock/mutual fund at a 20% "discount" due to the market being done makes sense. The Arfcom millionaires have beotched about "market timing" and I was told it wasn't worthwhile cause you quote "couldn't do it every day" unquote ![]() Now if you get a fund/stock that pays a good dividend at a deep discount cause you nutted up took that deep breathe and bought in when it looked like the market was crashing, then you also got something that produces income (dividends/distributions). Have a few bad examples also but a good example would be Sunoco. A few years back when that oil "crash" happened a lot of oil stocks and MLPs were down deeply. I had SUN (Sunoco) in my phone for a long while watching the lows and highs and waiting for a major market dip ("blood in the streets"). I picked some shares up at around $12.00 per share. The dividend is $.52 a quarter IIRC. Stock went back up to around $30. within a year of the big "crash" and is more now. My only regret wasn't going deeper. If you are truly preparing, have your bases really covered- then buying at times like that helps with your long term if TS does NOT HTF plans. View Quote I did the same with Exxon Mobil and bought in around $44. It's a nice stable *qualified* dividend payer that has done very well since the crash. |
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[#34]
Originally Posted By SharkStomper: I did the same with Exxon Mobil and bought in around $44. It's a nice stable *qualified* dividend payer that has done very well since the crash. View Quote Nice! There are deals to be had, seems like about once every year or so there will be a big enough drop in the market to justify snapping up some things. |
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www.jrhenterprises.com
Over 30 Years in business- Thank you for your business! Quickest ways to contact us- 912.375.1480 [email protected] |
[#35]
View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Lowdown3: The point is that these breakdowns in financial structures happen slowly, and then all at once. Much like the build up of an avalanche. For those that know history the signs are easy to see. For those that don’t, they’ll assume that all is well even when the house is burning down around them. Another factor that makes people oblivious to the danger is the moving of goalposts; they get used to poor economic conditions and the decline is entrenched as the “new normal.” For example, in 2015 the average house rental was $1100. Less than ten years later the average cost is $2150; that’s double the financial burden. But today this price is considered par for the course. Nothing gets better, the situation only ever gets worse, but since it happens over a period of many years (the process of collapse) the public largely accepts it and will even accuse those of us sounding the alarm of “doom mongering.” As with any collapse there eventually comes a point of popular intolerance – That moment where people finally realize that the “doom mongers” were right all along and that the weight of the implosion is too much to refute. I believe we’re approaching that moment very quickly. In the meantime. Here are the five stages of denial that people go through before they admit that a fiscal calamity is upon them… Stage 1: “I Don’t Know What The Conspiracy Theorists Are Talking About – I’m Doing Fine” There’s an old saying from the Great Depression that goes something like this: “It’s only a depression for the people without jobs.” Actually an OK article- 5 stages of denial economic collapse Oh yeah, I wasn't a kid living at mom and dads during the 70's. I remember Jimmy Carter days quite well and here to tell you all what's happening now is heading down a much worse path. The Dems are insane spending trillions on shit nobody wants or needs, will have zero impact on global warming, the Republicans are feckless cowards, and they're all getting rich off our tax dollars. When the government mandated small cars, it bankrupted 2 out of 3 Big Three. Does anyone believe this EV mandate is going to do better? That's just one of many examples. The American Dream costs is not based on us Old Farts that's sitting at home going "I got mine" but of young people just starting life. Heck I'm doing pretty damn well myself, but I'm not oblivious of kids starting life or the fact boomers are quickly becoming the largest segment of homeless in the US. The only do the minimum to get by are having a hell of a time. I often wonder we're not experiencing an "Art of War" thing where an evil man will burn so he can rule the ashes. This is neither optimism or pessimism, it's just reality. You can't run a government on credit anymore than you can a household on a credit card. It's going to bite us and we don't have to look any farther than Venezuela or Argentina on what's going to happen. |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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[#36]
Originally Posted By TomJefferson: Oh yeah, I wasn't a kid living at mom and dads during the 70's. I remember Jimmy Carter days quite well and here to tell you all what's happening now is heading down a much worse path. The Dems are insane spending trillions on shit nobody wants or needs, will have zero impact on global warming, the Republicans are feckless cowards, and they're all getting rich off our tax dollars. When the government mandated small cars, it bankrupted 2 out of 3 Big Three. Does anyone believe this EV mandate is going to do better? That's just one of many examples. The American Dream costs is not based on us Old Farts that's sitting at home going "I got mine" but of young people just starting life. Heck I'm doing pretty damn well myself, but I'm not oblivious of kids starting life or the fact boomers are quickly becoming the largest segment of homeless in the US. The only do the minimum to get by are having a hell of a time. I often wonder we're not experiencing an "Art of War" thing where an evil man will burn so he can rule the ashes. This is neither optimism or pessimism, it's just reality. You can't run a government on credit anymore than you can a household on a credit card. It's going to bite us and we don't have to look any farther than Venezuela or Argentina on what's going to happen. View Quote +1 Well said. I'm too young to truly remember Carter days outside of a few memories. I do remember us being poor AF! LOL One of my most vivid memories from around that time period was a family I was friends with down the block. They were hardcore dems, union types, "true believers".. I remember their daughter who wasn't but a few years older than me, maybe 12 or so at the time scaring the living $hit out of me. She knew my family voted republican. She went off on this story about how Reagan was going to get us into WWIII and he was "so old" that he wouldn't know how to act if we (America) got into some war but was so senile he might just "push the button" himself. Too old to be President, too out of it. When you think of that in relation to this year's election, the Irony there is hysterical. And stupid liberal Beth is probably a major biden supporter. |
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www.jrhenterprises.com
Over 30 Years in business- Thank you for your business! Quickest ways to contact us- 912.375.1480 [email protected] |
[#37]
Why are we voting on who the next geriatric president will be? There is too much money to be made in politics. Because they are in control of the levers of power, they will not allow any of us to change the system.
The NRA leaders, perhaps, got lessons from the political system on how to insulate themselves from their constituents and retain control of the system they were in charge of. Only a higher power brought them into check and is slowly unwinding the corruption. There is no higher power to unwind the corruption of the federal government. The court system takes too long and can be gamed by the players. Too many constituents receive payment from the system and will not vote to change it. What can we do, but wait for it all to collapse? If we prepare for the long haul, will we be in any position to influence the new system? The elites have gathered the power and wealth to wait for that time. They sit above the fray watching us destroy ourselves fighting against the "opposition". The left vs the right, conservative vs liberal, democrat vs republican, IOW the dichotomy. They will continue to rule over us, however subtly, while we war over opinions. Unless we can remove the dichotomy, we are doomed to continue as we are. |
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I've seen better riots at Walmart on a black Friday - SrBenelli
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[#38]
Originally Posted By Lowdown3: +1 Well said. I'm too young to truly remember Carter days outside of a few memories. I do remember us being poor AF! LOL One of my most vivid memories from around that time period was a family I was friends with down the block. They were hardcore dems, union types, "true believers".. I remember their daughter who wasn't but a few years older than me, maybe 12 or so at the time scaring the living $hit out of me. She knew my family voted republican. She went off on this story about how Reagan was going to get us into WWIII and he was "so old" that he wouldn't know how to act if we (America) got into some war but was so senile he might just "push the button" himself. Too old to be President, too out of it. When you think of that in relation to this year's election, the Irony there is hysterical. And stupid liberal Beth is probably a major biden supporter. View Quote It is isn't it? The irony hasn't been lost on me either. What we heard from the right back then was Reagan's last year in office his cabinet ran things. Hell Biden's has his entire presidency. |
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"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
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[#39]
21 Facts that suggest we are in an economic SHTF
1. It takes the typical U.S. household $1,069 more a month just to purchase the same goods and services that it did three years ago. 2. Two-thirds of the respondents to one recent survey indicated that they had to take action to deal with rising financial stress within the past year. Those actions included “cutting back on spending, skipping monthly bills, or taking an additional job”. 3. Home insurance rates have risen by 38 percent since 2019. 4. Home rental prices are up 30 percent since Joe Biden entered the White House. 5. A whopping 61 percent of U.S. renters cannot afford the rent on a median-priced apartment in the United States right now. 6. Gasoline prices are up 46 percent since Joe Biden entered the White House. 7. The average rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage is up 148 percent since Joe Biden entered the White House. 8. According to Zillow, the monthly mortgage payment on a typical home in this country has almost doubled during the past four years. 9. One recent poll discovered that 44 percent of retired Americans are considering going back to work because the cost of living has become so oppressive. 10. New home sales fell 11.3 percent last month. 11. Pending home sales are dropping at the fastest rate ever recorded. 12. According to the House Budget Committee, there have been more than 8 million migrant encounters nationwide while Joe Biden has been in the White House. We truly are in the midst of an immigration crisis that is far greater than anything that we have ever witnessed before. 13. Thanks to our unprecedented immigration crisis, the homeless population in the city of Chicago actually tripled in just one year. 14. Murder rates are up by double digit percentages in many major U.S. cities this year. 15. Continuing jobless claims just shot up to the highest level in almost three years. 16. The number of job openings in the United States has dropped to the lowest level in more than 3 years. 17. Rite Aid just announced that it will be closing 27 more stores. That is on top of more than 500 stores that it has already decided to shut down. 18. Walgreens plans to close approximately one-fourth of its 8,600 U.S. stores. If the economy really was “booming”, why would they be doing this? 19. Today, 20 percent of the entire population of the state of California is living in poverty. 20. According to one recent survey, 46 percent of Americans don’t even have 500 dollars saved up. 21. So far, the U.S. has spent a total of approximately 175 billion dollars on the war in Ukraine, and the Russians are still winning. View Quote I am in a rapidly growing city and its amazing to see how many businesses are shutting down all around me. |
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per aspera ad astra
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[#40]
Originally Posted By R_S: 21 Facts that suggest we are in an economic SHTF I am in a rapidly growing city and its amazing to see how many businesses are shutting down all around me. View Quote Had to go to Florida yesterday, driving down I noticed several businesses that have "been around" a long while now shut down. It's just like the 2008-2011 economic mess- at the time there was the same BS articles like "we MAY be heading towards a reccesion". Then a few years later it was acknowledged oh yeah we were deep in a recession then. Today it's worse and they are circumventing the dreaded "D" word by changing stats, definitions and straight up lying about stuff. Will it be 1930's style? Probably not, thanks to Uncle Sugah giving out so many checks and stuff to the FSA now a days. |
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www.jrhenterprises.com
Over 30 Years in business- Thank you for your business! Quickest ways to contact us- 912.375.1480 [email protected] |
[#41]
There was a report here locally that 50% of drivers in the Corpus Christi area don't have car insurance. I got rear-ended last week up in the DFW area and the driver didn't have insurance (they'd let it lapse because they "couldn't afford it" any more). Wife came up with an idea - for those who don't have insurance and clobber somebody, they have to pay the cost of the repair at minimum wage working community service (so it couldn't be called indentured servitude). Me personally, I'd just as soon see them thrown in prison and their car sent to the crusher and sold for scrap (or parts) to pay the cost of repair. Or maybe their car should be confiscated and given to the repairing insurance company so they can supply their repair shops with parts.
If the lack of insurance rate continues to climb, that becomes somewhat of a death spiral of sorts. The people who have assets to protect from lawsuits will have insurance and deadbeats won't. Fewer paying into the system makes rates go up for the remainder. Wash, rinse, repeat. |
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[#42]
Living in a fairly modest city, some observations...
-In the last 5yrs, the homeless begging on the sides of roads around here went from non-existant to virtually everywhere there is a stop light. Many show signs of severe (boarderline dangerous) mental instability. -A lot of shops have closed down and done one of two things. 1. Stayed empty. 2. Turned into a pot shop/payday loan/pawn shop/etc -There are no longer any 24hr stores in the area. If you are working odd hours, you better plan ahead. -The number of cars w/o plates (no dealer tags, nothing) has gone up greatly within the last 5yrs. -The quality of peoples driving seems to have taken a nose dive since the COVID lockdowns and stayed in the dumpster. -Customer service has gone from 'meh' to terrible. -Petty crime in broad daylight has gone up. Many aren't even trying to hide their activity anymore, they are doing it brazenly. |
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[#43]
Originally Posted By darkpaladin1: Living in a fairly modest city, some observations... -In the last 5yrs, the homeless begging on the sides of roads around here went from non-existant to virtually everywhere there is a stop light. Many show signs of severe (boarderline dangerous) mental instability. -A lot of shops have closed down and done one of two things. 1. Stayed empty. 2. Turned into a pot shop/payday loan/pawn shop/etc -There are no longer any 24hr stores in the area. If you are working odd hours, you better plan ahead. -The number of cars w/o plates (no dealer tags, nothing) has gone up greatly within the last 5yrs. -The quality of peoples driving seems to have taken a nose dive since the COVID lockdowns and stayed in the dumpster. -Customer service has gone from 'meh' to terrible. -Petty crime in broad daylight has gone up. Many aren't even trying to hide their activity anymore, they are doing it brazenly. View Quote Sounds like the ghetto is spreading into the area. |
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Heller II - Challenging DC's bans on semi-automatic rifles, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, and its onerous and expensive handgun registration process. http://www.HellerFoundation.org/
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[#44]
Originally Posted By Bubbles: Sounds like the ghetto is spreading into the area. View Quote I would agree with you, but that is absolutely everywhere. I'd be willing to bet many of my observations are shared by many others in various different cities. The ghetto isn't spredding so much as the citiestook a sharp decline (beyond normal) in the last 5years in most areas. Another observation i've made lately is that many of the hotels (fairly nice ones) in the US I used to go to when traveling for work have also become crappier while also becoming more expensive. |
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[#45]
Yeah, just got my E'mail from Bud's Gun Shop. I don't remember seeing all this "get this GUN for 80 dollars a month".
I guess everyone is trying to get by, but if I don't have cash, I don't buy it. Can't imagine all the stuff folks put on credit now days. However, that chicken is coming home to roost!! Doc |
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[#46]
Get out of NoVa, within 3 hours of NoVa, county real estate taxes are 1/2 or less of Fairfax. Land off the water is very cheap. Yep the signs, like people selling extra toys, eating out is fading, restaurants cannot hire anyone because of lack of work ethic or welfare pays more, etc.
Record setting stock market, wait until there is a 20% market correction, all hell will break loose. |
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