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Chris, if I couldn't hear music, I'd rather be dead. I can barely play the piano so that would be a sad substitute. (I'm classically ballet trained, expertise is middle-eastern dance. - performed most of my life) I love music more than anything except my dogs
Why prepare?
The short answer: because not everyone is stupid.
The long answer:
After 3 generations of penalizing producers and subsidizing consumers, the nation's capacity for producing its necessities is pretty poor. More people seek to "get rich" and "make money" than actually produce goods and services. We're hostage to foreign producers for practically everything.
High Frequency Traders are using computer algorithms that buy and sell stocks and commodities in microseconds, causing speculative rises in the cost for just about everything - and we're stuck paying for it all. This cyber trading caused a massive drop on May 6, 2010 called the Flash Crash. No one knows who caused it.
The national debt, in excess of 15 trillion dollars, cannot be paid off with dollar bills (notes are debt). And pursuant to law, that debt computes to over 750 billion ounces of gold, stamped into coin. Problem #1, Fort Knox only has 147.4 million ounces. Problem #2, world wide supply (2007 est) is only 5.3 billion ounces. Congress borrows more than it pays in interest on the debt - which is what Bernie Madoff was sent to prison for doing in the private sector. Illegal aliens / invaders have infiltrated most major cities, and have no respect for our laws, nor our culture or language, and have no allegiance to America - and government won't protect us from them - but encourages them to invade. Within this community hides even more dangerous predators who deal drugs, and engage in crime with impunity.
The public servants are more interested in union organizing, boosting their salaries and benefits, and fighting any restraint upon them, than serving the people.
Recent legislation will push taxes even higher, in 2013, 2014, 2015, and beyond.
No matter who you vote for, the government gets elected, and campaign promises are mere wisps of hot air.
If you think that is a prelude to happy times and prosperity, then you should NOT bother preparing.
Human beings have been preparing for the end of the world since they first viewed a solar eclipse. There was a core group of end of timers 10,000 years ago and they'll be one 10,000 years from now.
You see, "Doomsday" doesn't have to be a fiery hand from the sky smashing the earth to bits. It can be the day you lost your job. Or the day an earthquake hit your neck of the woods and the Doritos aisle at the supermarket became bare. Or the day you got an ingrown toenail, developed gangrene, and couldn't work for six months. It sure as hell is "doomsday" if you haven't bothered preparing for any of it.
All live under the same roof, yet that is four, count them, four separate households. That is not my opinion, that is fact as reported by the US Census Bureau.
It is totally within the realm of possibility that Grandma and Adult Daughter's Pathetic Free-Loading Live-in Boyfriend both receive Food Stamps, while Mother and Adult Daughter do not.
It is also within the realm of possibility that Grandma and Adult Daughter both receive Food Stamps but Mother and Adult Daughter's Pathetic Free-Loading Live-in Boyfriend do not.
Then again, it may be possible that all four households receive Food Stamps.
There are now some 47+ Million households receiving Food Stamps.
There are 308 Million people in the US. If the average size household is
308,000,000 people / 110,000,000 households = 2.8 people/household.
Since 47 Million households receive Food Stamps, then on average about
47,000,000 households * 2.8 people per household = 131,600,000 people benefit from Food Stamps.
Since there are 308 Million people in the US, then logically:
131,600,000 / 308,000,000 = 42.7% of Americans are benefiting from Food Stamps.
Thus the best approximation is 42.7% of Americans are benefiting from Food Stamps*, not 46% and not 15%.
If 47 Million households are receiving Food Stamps, and there are 110 Million households then:
47,000,000 / 110,000,000 = 42.7% of households are receiving Food Stamps.
Either way, it is 42.7%.
* The correct and proper statement or phrasing.
Amazed at the ignorance....
Mircea
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC
I don't call preparation (for a drastic change of whatever sort) fear mongering.
There is a clear distinction between Emergency Preparedness and Survival.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC
You see, "Doomsday" doesn't have to be a fiery hand from the sky smashing the earth to bits. It can be the day you lost your job.
Wow, how American to cheapen and destroy the meaning of a word for co-optive purposes.
When Doomsday happens, people will die.
You can have an earthquake, tornado or hurricane where no one dies, although a few might be injuries Not exactly Doomsday.
Anyway, to answer the question, the reason Americans are "prepping" is the same reason Americans do anything at all, and that is because it is chic and fashionable and the current fad, and Americans love being on the band-wagon.
It won't be too long before preppers are selling their MREs and other nonsense for pennies on the dollar on E-Bay to pay for their cell-phone or cable.
We all know that we should be prepared for severe storms but this kind of preparedness goes well beyond storm safety. People are just afraid of losing everything.....including their lives!
Note: If you don't like this blog then fine. At least be kind enough not to be a rude by disrespecting the topic. Some folks just might learn something from this blog.
I'm going to read that blog later but I think culturally Americans are more inclined to do this for a variety of reasons, more than Europeans for example.
For one it's in our cultural blood -- those stories of Pilgrims not doing too well that one winter and the Indians brought them food - apparently the Indians knew enough to save up and plan for tough times.
The whole rugged individualism that has Americans never wanting to be helpless and at the mercy of others plays into it, and the Great Depression which we may not have lived through ourselves but we heard the stories from our parents, or grandparents. Or at least we saw the pictures and read about it in history books, the soup lines, the stories of dust bowls.
Our rural areas too where we see how people have firewood stacked and big gardens -- and always have because some self-sufficiency is just how they like doing things.
Anyway, to answer the question, the reason Americans are "prepping" is the same reason Americans do anything at all, and that is because it is chic and fashionable and the current fad, and Americans love being on the band-wagon.
It won't be too long before preppers are selling their MREs and other nonsense for pennies on the dollar on E-Bay to pay for their cell-phone or cable.
Fashionably...
Mircea
Ummm, if you haven't noticed, preparing for anything in this country is about as far out of "fashion" as it can get, besides perhaps buying an extra bag of chips and six pack of beer for the big game on the weekend. It's generally balked at--you can be exhibit number 1 in your chicness.
Sufficiency and preparation was a way of life before our push-button, know-it-all-society became so very wise and smart. My great grandmother was "prepping" when I was barely old enough to put two words together. And she was like 85 at the time. I assure you she didn't give a **** about being chic or in fashion. She did it because she wanted to eat. If you've ever put up even a few bushels of various fruits and vegetables, you know its hard work and about as fashionable as working in steel mill. One man's/woman's "other nonsense" is another man's/woman's way of life.
The only thing that is chic and in fashion in this country right now is dependence, tyranny, and addiction to gadgetry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some wheat to grind (by hand, not with a plug-in gadget). And I'll bet my dowdy bread tastes better than your voguish bread. So there...
I had a dream lastnight that I was taking a ride with my g/f around nyc and something bad happend to the economy. I immediately started driving away from the city but something happend to our car and we were on foot. We stole another car and parked at a clinic and went inside. We were laying down and pretending to sleep as foreigners were walking by cursing, when we left we found our stolen car being stolen by someone else. I fought them away and we drove onto the turnpike south a few miles before having to abandon the car again. We were walking in a deep ditch off the side of the highway where noone can see us. Instead of regular cars and trucks, the highway was filled with flatbed trucks driving north which was very strange. We got caught walking in the ditch and was told to go into this good community but I didn't like the leader tellin us what to do. Next to this supposably good camp, there were prisoners with handcuffs on and I was finally able to convince my g/f that this place was a trap. We escaped but the surrounded woods belonged to them as well and I was surrounded. I managed to get out but my g/f got lost. I came home to my father and told him that on Monday the market is going to collapse and something very wrong is going on. We drove off in his car, but I told him to let me out when I found out we were driving north to get my stepmom. I got into my own car and went to rescue my g/f.
A previous day I was at an airport IAD and saw a plane of Chinese business men walking through the terminal which gave me bad feelings seeing how cold and reptilish they seem. Now I'm in UK for the first time and see how domesticated the people are here and how they think their country is great when its not. Maybe that's what made me dream this.
To reply to the OP, people are preparing because they see their freedoms being thrown away. In UK not even police have firearms and people are just fine with it. In US not everyone thinks like this but its a big divide. There are enough dependent ignorant people to slowly vote away the constitution. Some Americans love it, but some are just fine doing for themselves and want to stay that way. America is still the best country by a mile in my eyes just because no other country shares my values as much and people won't be controlled without a fight. I rather live in a rural poor town and have freedom to curse, afford a property, grow trees, be independent without question and jealous eyes than a trendy system with all the whistles but where I'm forced to participate to survive.
Ummm, if you haven't noticed, preparing for anything in this country is about as far out of "fashion" as it can get, besides perhaps buying an extra bag of chips and six pack of beer for the big game on the weekend. It's generally balked at--you can be exhibit number 1 in your chicness.
Sufficiency and preparation was a way of life before our push-button, know-it-all-society became so very wise and smart. My great grandmother was "prepping" when I was barely old enough to put two words together. And she was like 85 at the time. I assure you she didn't give a **** about being chic or in fashion. She did it because she wanted to eat. If you've ever put up even a few bushels of various fruits and vegetables, you know its hard work and about as fashionable as working in steel mill. One man's/woman's "other nonsense" is another man's/woman's way of life.
The only thing that is chic and in fashion in this country right now is dependence, tyranny, and addiction to gadgetry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some wheat to grind (by hand, not with a plug-in gadget). And I'll bet my dowdy bread tastes better than your voguish bread. So there...
Au courant...
Chris
Yes, I think the self-sufficient types are the least concerned with what's "chic".
It's pretty much the exactly opposite.
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