Americans Will Need “Black Markets” To Survive

by | Mar 2, 2012 | Headline News | 169 comments

Do you LOVE America?

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    As Americans, we live in two worlds; the world of mainstream fantasy, and the world of day-to-day reality right outside our front doors.  One disappears the moment we shut off our television.  The other, does not…

    When dealing with the economy, it is the foundation blocks that remain when the proverbial house of cards flutters away in the wind, and these basic roots are what we should be most concerned about.  While much of what we see in terms of economic news is awash in a sticky gray cloud of disinformation and uneducated opinion, there are still certain constants that we can always rely on to give us a sense of our general financial environment.  Two of these constants are supply and demand.  Central banks like the private Federal Reserve may have the ability to flood markets with fiat liquidity to skew indexes and stocks, and our government certainly has the ability to interpret employment numbers in such a way as to paint the rosiest picture possible, but ultimately, these entities cannot artificially manipulate the public into a state of demand when they are, for all intents and purposes, dead broke.

    In contrast, the establishment does have the ability to make specific demands or necessities illegal to possess, and can even attempt to restrict their supply.  Though, in most cases this leads not to the control they seek, but a sudden and sharp loss of regulation through the growth of covert trade.  The people need what the people need, and no government, no matter how titanic, can stop them from getting these commodities when demand is strong enough.

    This process of removing necessary or desirable items from a trade environment leads inevitably to counter-prohibition often in the form of strict cash transactions, barter markets, or “black markets” as they are normally derided by those in power.  The problem for economic totalitarians is that the harder they squeeze the masses, the more intricate the rebellion becomes, especially when all they want is to participate in free markets the way our forefathers intended.

    The so called “drug war” is proof positive of the impossibility of locking down a product, especially one that has no moral bearing on the people who are involved in its use.  Only when a considerable majority of a populace can be convinced of the inherent immoral nature of an illicit item can its trade finally be squelched.  During any attempt to outlaw a form of commerce, a steady stream of informants convinced of their service to the “greater good” is required for success.  Dishonorable governments, therefore, do not usually engage in direct confrontation with black markets.  Instead, they seek to encourage the public to view trade outside mainstream legal standards as “taboo”.  They must condition us to react with guilt or misplaced righteousness in the face of black market activity, and associate its conduct as dangerous and destructive to the community, turning citizens into an appendage of the bureaucratic eye.

    But, what happens when black markets, due to calamity, become a pillar of survival for a society?  What happens when the mainstream economy no longer meets the available demand?  What happens when this condition has been deliberately engineered by the power structure to hasten cultural desperation and dependence?

    In this event, black markets not only sustain a nation through times of weakness, but they also become a form of revolution; a method for fighting back against the centralization of oppressive oligarchies and diminishing their ability to bottleneck important resources.  Black markets are a means of fighting back, and are as important as any weapon in the battle for liberty.  Here are just a few reasons why such organizational actions may be required in the near future…

    The Mainstream Economy Is Slowly Killing Us

    There are, unfortunately, some Americans out there who have not caught on yet to the grave circumstances in which we live.  Obviously, the stock market seems to have nearly recovered from its epic collapse in 2008 and 2009, and employment, according to the Labor Department, is on the mend.  The numbers say it all, right?  Wrong!  The numbers say very little, especially when they are a product of “creative mathematics”.

    Despite the extreme spike in the Dow Jones since 2010, and all the talk of recovery, what the mainstream rarely mentions are the details surrounding this miraculous return from the dead for stocks.

    One of the most important factors to consider when gauging the health of the markets is “volume”; the amount of shares being traded and the amount of investors active on any given business day.  Since the very beginning of the Dow’s meteoric rise, the markets have been stricken with undeniably low volume interspersed with all too brief moments of activity.  In fact, this past January recorded the lowest NYSE volume since 1999:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/stock-trading-is-lowest-in-u-s-since-2008.html

    Market volume has tumbled over 20% since last year, and is down over 50% from 2008 when the debt implosion began:

    http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2012/02/24/trading-volume-anemic-this-year/

    So then, if trade is sinking, why has the Dow jumped to nearly 13,000?  Low volume is the key.  In a low volume market, less individual investors are present to counteract the buying and selling of larger players, like international banks.  When this happens, the big boys are able to trigger market spikes, or market drops, literally at will.  Add to this the high probability that much of the stimulus that the Federal Reserve has regurgitated into the ether probably ended up in the coffers of corporate banks which then used the funny money to snap up equities, and presto!  Instant market rally!  But, a rally that is illusory and unstable.

    Improving employment numbers are yet another financial hologram.  As most of us in the Liberty Movement are well aware, the Labor Department does not calculate true unemployment in the U.S.  Instead, it merely calculates those people who currently receive unemployment benefits.  Once a person hits the extension limit (99 weeks in many states) on his benefits, he is removed from the rolls, and is no longer counted in the “official” unemployment percentage.  While Barack Obama and MSM pundits are quick to point out the drop in jobless to 8.3%, what they conveniently fail to mention is that MILLIONS of Americans have been unemployed for so long that they have been removed from the statistics entirely, and this condition is what has caused the primary fall in jobless percentages, not burgeoning business growth.

    Roughly 11 million Americans who are jobless have nonetheless been excluded from the statistical government tally because of a loss of benefits:

    http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/17/white-house-economic-report-hides-sharp-drop-in-number-of-working-americans/

    According to the Congressional Budget Office, over 40% of the currently unemployed have been so for over 6 months.  It also points out that America is suffering the worst case of long term unemployment since the Great Depression:

    http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/02-16-Unemployment.pdf

    More than 10.5 million people in the U.S. also receive disability payments, which automatically removes them from the unemployment count, making it seem as though jobs are being created, rather than lost:

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/19/report-millions-jobless-file-for-disability-when-unemployment-benefits-run-out/

    Around 8.2 million Americans only work part time, meaning they work less hours than are generally considered to be necessary for self-support.  These people are still counted as “employed” even if they work a few hours a week.

    True unemployment, according to John Williams of Shadowstats, is hovering near 23%:

    http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts

    Combine these circumstances with the ever weakening dollar, price inflation in foods and other commodities, and rocketing energy costs, and you have an economy that is strangling the life out of the middle-class and the poor in this country.  It is only a matter of time before the populace begins searching for alternative means of subsistence, even if that entails “illegal” activities.

    Government Cracking Down On Freedom Of Trade

    I was recently walking through the parking lot of a grocery store and ran into a group of women huddled intently around the back of a mini-van.  One of the women was reaching into a cooler and handing out glass containers filled with milk.  I approached to ask if she was selling raw milk, and if so, how much was she charging.  Of course, they turned startled and wide eyed as if I had just stumbled upon their secret opium ring.  Somehow it had slipped my mind how ferocious the FDA has become when tracking down raw milk producers.  The fact that these women were absolutely terrified of being caught with something as innocuous as MILK was disturbing to me.  How could we as a society allow this insanity on the part of our government to continue?

    That moment reminded me of the utter irrelevance of petty law, as well as the determination of human beings to defy such law.

    The Orwellian hammer has been thrust in the face of those who trade in raw milk, organic produce, and herbal supplements, while small businesses are annihilated by government dues and red tape.  In the meantime, law enforcement officials have been sent strapped to shut down children’s lemonade stands (no, seriously):

    http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500164_162-20079838.html

    Government legislation which would give the FDA jurisdiction over personal gardens has been fielded.  Retail gold and silver purchases of over $600 are now tracked and taxed.  The IRS even believes it has the right to tax barter exchanges, even though they do not explain how bartered goods could be legally qualified as “income”, or how they can conceive of ever being able to trace such private trade:

    http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205581,00.html

    Want to choose what kind of currency you would like to use to protect your buying power?  Not if  the Department Of Justice’s Anne Tompkins has anything to say about it. After the railroading of Liberty Dollar founder Bernard von NotHaus, she stated:

    “Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism…”

    “While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country,” she added. “We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.”

    http://www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/2011/defendant-convicted-of-minting-his-own-currency

    As our economic situation grows increasingly precarious in this country, more and more people will turn towards localized non-corporate, non-mainstream business methods and products.  And, the government will no doubt attempt to greatly restrict or tax these alternatives.  This mentality is driven in part by their insatiable appetite for money, but mostly, it’s about domination.  They do what they do because they fear decentralized markets, and the ability of the citizenry to conceive of choices outside the system.  Slaves are not supposed to choose the economy they will participate in…

    A “black market” is only a trade dynamic that the government disapproves of, and the government disapproves of most things these days.  Frankly, its time to stop worrying about what Washington D.C. consents to.  They have unfailingly demonstrated through rhetoric and action that they are not interested in the fiscal or social health of this nation, and so, we must take matters into our own hands.

    Black Market Advantages

    If the events in EU nations such as Greece, Spain, and Italy are any indication, the U.S., with its massive debt to GDP ratio (real debt includes entitlement programs), is looking at one of two possible scenarios:  default, austerity measures, and high taxes, or, hyperinflation, and then default, austerity measures, and high taxes.  In the past we have mentioned barter networking and alternative market programs springing up in countries like Greece and Spain allowing the people to cope with the faltering economy.  Much of this trade is done away from the watchful eyes of government, simply because they cannot afford the gnashing buffalo-sized bites that bureaucrats would take from their savings in the process.  When a government goes rogue, and causes the people harm, the people are in no way obligated to continue supporting that government.

    Black markets give the citizenry a means to protest the taxation of a government that no longer represents them.  In a country stricken with austerity, these networks allow the public to thrive without having to pay for the mistakes or misdeeds of political officials and corporate swindlers.  In a hyperinflationary environment, black markets (or barter markets that have been deemed unlawful), can be used to supplant the imploding fiat currency altogether, and energize community markets that would otherwise be unable to function.  Ultimately, black markets feed and clothe the grassroots movement towards economic responsibility, and every man and woman with any sense of independence should rally around this resource with the intention to fight should it ever be threatened.

    “Legality” is arbitrary in the face of inherent conscience, or what some call “natural law”.  Without arbitrary legality, and unjust and unwarranted regulation, many federal alphabet agencies would not exist, including the FDA, the IRS, the EPA, the BLM, etc.  These institutions do not matter.  What they say has no meaning.  What matters is what is honorable, what is factual, and what is right.  Our loyalty, as Americans, is to our principles and our heritage.  Beyond that, we don’t owe anyone anything.  A black market in one place and time is a legitimate market in another.  For now, private localized trade is able to flow with only minor interference, but there will come a day when even the most practical and harmless personal transactions will be visited with administrative reproach and vitriol.  Alternative market champions will be accused of “extremism”, and undermining the mainstream economy.  We will be vilified as separatists, isolationists, terrorists, and traitors.  I believe it will be far more surreal than what we can possibly imagine now.

    They are welcome to call us whatever they like.  Honestly……who cares?  Let the paper pushers do their angry little dance.  The goal is freedom; in life, in politics, and in trade.    If we do not change how this country does business ourselves, the results will be far more frightening than any government agent at our doorstep, and the costs will be absolute…

    You can contact Brandon Smith at:  [email protected]

    Alt-Market is an organization designed to help you find like-minded activists and preppers in your local area so that you can network and construct communities for mutual aid and defense.  Join Alt-Market.com today and learn what it means to step away from the system and build something better.

    To contribute to the growth of the Safe Haven Project, and to help us help others in relocating, or to support the creation of barter networks across the country, visit our donate page.

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      169 Comments

      1. Craigslist is our modern black market

        • You said it. And the scary thing is that Craigslist is just as dangerous. I’ve had friends had their homes cased when someone comes to look at an item (partly their fault for allowing them to meet at their home).

          It will certainly become commonplace when things get tough. Be sure to have items of value in your storage closet.

          • Survivor Mike, etc. If something is going to be traded or sold, best to keep it in the garage or take it outside. I wouldn’t let anyone I don’t know come in. Even people I know don’t know about my preps (in another room hidden)as people could get desperate and remember what you have. Someone wrote on another blog to not even let your kids know about your preps, as they tend to tell their friends. Others that are tuned in and prep are those you want as friends to barter.

            • Great point about the kids, Laura. Kids tell their friends everything (including if you have guns). Best to keep that stuff from them.

            • IMHO it depends on your kids. Our sons (11 & 13 y/o) are VERY involved in our prepping, but also honor our request to keep it a secret. My husband and I decide who knows and doesn’t know that we’re preppers. Our sons understand the critical nature of OPSEC!

            • that is a great and basic point. Great Point!!

            • Amen, Laura!!!!!!!Definitely keep information on what you’ve prepped “under wraps”, even from the kids. Those so called “friends” who haven’t prepped or feel any need to now are the ones that will be first to take what you have when things get bad or perceived so. Remember what someone said “when people have lost it all, they have nothing to lose.” A person should never forget that. I had an assignment working with refugees many years ago. Seeing is believing when you see what people how will riot when basic items are scarce. I have.

          • My NRA stickers and mean dog keep the scum away.
            I love an NRA sticker…it says…”I’m armed and would enjoy shooting your ass if you fuck with me.”

            • You have GOT to be kidding….

            • Are you serious? You understand how much leverage something as minor as that can give a lawyer, even in a case of justifiable homicide?

            • I would seriouly suggest you remove any pro-gun related stickers from any of your vehicles. Here in Texas a few years ago they busted a Mex cartel run stolen gun-trafficking ring that sometimes followed “NRA” stickered cars home…

              Apart from the legal aspects already mentioned, putting a pro-gun sticker also removes your advantage of surprise – the BGs may not have assumed you are armed, but an NRA sticker gives them a pretty good hint.

              \Brad3000

          • SM I always meet CL buyers a fair distance from home. I have to use a little gasoline or pedal the bike a bit, but the OPSEC is worth it.

        • craig’s list is helpful for right now, but will become useless in the future. so for that, craig’s list is crap for the future.

          i’ve lived most of my life in or near the black market.

          screw mainstream.

          • There’s a big black market around here and it’s mostly pills so the “system” for other items is already set up.

          • REP ++4

            RED

        • Black Markets for weapons have been alive and well in CA since 2000.

          • In a govt controlled environment, the govt knows about the black markets (the where and whom). Good black markets will be constantly on the movie (a place and time announcements). Be careful in your dealings with BM during the shtf because of sting operations.
            Now about the stock market. The market is (has been) controlled by the govt and the receivers of the bail-out funds. All that is happening (figures don’t lie) is the ptb are trying to build confidence in people concerning the economic recovery. Why? One fact most don’t realize or consider is that the govt knows how much money is in the banks(deposits). Especially in the credit unions. Knowing (the fed) that most accounts aren’t receiving much in a return (intrest) they are trying to entice people (greed) to gamble that they can get in and possibly out in a short period of time to get a higher return.
            Will there be some that will make gains? Yes, just like Vegas; the gains favor the house. The market is trying to flush out the trillions that are in the credit unions.
            If any of you do any investing, first invest in your needs for the future and stock pile items for bartering or even the black market.

      2. first

        • Not! Get outa your mom’s basement and get a job.

      3. First! For the first time

        • there will be a huge black market , if hillary gets her wish of a gun ban . can you imagine what a semi auto and a high cap magazine will cost ?
          support the ngar and nra , the last thing we need are guns being traded on a black market. let alone anything else,this is still america people and we should be able to buy and sell anything we choose without fear of .go intervention in our private transactions.

          • You selling me a rifle is deemed a “black market” sale. The goobermint is pissed that they cannot track the gun and get no sales tax. Ohio state tax forms question whether you have bought anything on the internet and demand that taxes be paid on the purchase.. Wonder how many “yes” answers they get.

            • NC has the same thing, but they have a loophole, at least as of last year. The instructions say that if you don’t tell what you actually paid and calculate it using their method and don’t like the answer, you can change it. My income situation usually comes to zero tax, but the calculated internet sales tax would come to $1. I decided last year that I don’t like that answer, so I put zero. Ha.

          • Anyone who has legally acquired guns where a background check was run can probably expect a knock/pounding on the door followed by said guns being confiscated at gun point. You don’t really believe that they are going to allow people to be armed do you? Better get good with a bow and arrow or sling shot.

        • VISUALIZE HILLARY IN A BURKA! HA

          • …or, perhaps a Tyburn Collar

      4. If I ever have my own “business” in such a scenario, I shall be sure to accept rounds as legal tender.

        (at slow velocities, of course)

        • I traded some zogbucks and a box of ammo for some decent steeltoes. They took a while to break in, then were OK then failed spectacularly, shoe and boot making will be a prime occupation in the future.

      5. Ive bneen using the black market for years.

        Its called the qweed

      6. LOL the so-called “black market” is already in operation in many locales in quiet, low-key ways… i think it would be better termed the “free market” due to the fact that the individuals involved in any given transaction set the values for what’s bought/sold/traded and/or bartered for and no level of buracracy has any claim to financial gain for a transaction in which it has no investment… in other words, if you have no skin in the game, you have no stake to claim… and beyond this……..

        “Wall Street” and stock markets should be dismantled as it is organizations like that who contribute to the ruination this country financially in concert with the corrupt politicians who participate in and grant them immunity for their crimes against the working man… i’m for a flat tax rate across the entire board – including on all monthly check recipients all the way up to and including multi-billionaires; a dissolution of the FRS and a return to the gold/silver monetary system; complete, total and unequivicol withdrawl from and defunding of the UN along with it’s eviction from the U.S.; cessation of every single foreign aid dollar and/or product that is sent to fund/feed our enemies(which are now legion) – those who honestly need a monthly check could use a raise; closing and defending our borders by all means necessary coupled with the deportation of(forceful when necessary) all illegals and their spawn – Americans should have the opportunity for the jobs/education and benefits of both the illegals are stealing; voter ID requirements in every state at every level of public government; and finally, prosecute every instance of sharia law and those who support it – including the judges – and stamp it out of this country – we have a Constitution and the rule of law to be judged by.

        Let true FREEDOM ring

        • I have written about bartering for a couple of years now. Bartering just screws a government up, they can’t figure out how to get a tax in on it. Just like a cash transaction, they can’t tax it. There’s no paper trail, no receipt nothing just the goods. Retail commerce is a boon for tax revenue and they just love it on all levels of governance. The very word barter makes politicians quiver, but they “DO” keep that a deep secret. Political leaders have worked long and hard to keep their tax reuse going and they will puppy–up quickly if they even get the hint of a barter society in their midst.

        • Agreed Pastor.

          The black market includes fresh, raw milk. My son’s allergic to that but the fresh wholesome eggs I buy from the parents in law? (Barter normally for my preserves).

          The ptb have already forced many into a black market situation for food stuffs and many ordinary Mums are guilty already of breaking the law just for trying to feed their kids right.

          There’s a “moral” black market, where a traveller brings back banned vitamin supplements from overseas for a sick friend, or a Mum gives her kids fresh food, and a really ugly “dirty” black market for the meth heads. Knowing the difference could save your life as essentials become more and more interchangeable between the two, (guns, rice etc).

          Know exactly who you are dealing with (including who is behind the scenes of any transaction), don’t flash what you have, as one man’s rubbish is a treasure so valuable for someone else it could get you killed. Use the smallest denominations you can – a couple of silver coins rather than asking for change from a gold bar. Be fair and honest in your own dealing so that your reputation is sound.

      7. Great point and I can see this as a new way to do business in this nation. But what should we start getting to sell on the black market besides the obvious, cigs, alcohol, guns and ammo. Any ideas what to start obtaining to barter that will be below the goverment radar. Barter will be our new exchange system, we will have no other options with so much goverment regulation.

        • GGNS, Add Soap, TP, Toothpaste to the list and of course storable food items. Kerosene lamps and Kerosene, candles, Matches allt the things people can’t live without when the grid goes down.

        • Read “patriots” by James W. Rawles and it will give you a great idea of what to put back. On top of alcohol and cigs think about salt, sugar, chapstick, mouse traps, fish hooks, the list is long.

          • Rawles is a freakin IDIOT in it for the money.

          • I picture the scene from Jericho where they go to the nearby fairgrounds that has turned into a Trading Post/Black Market/ Information Center.

            IMO ~ #1 barter item will be ANTIBIOTICS!

        • Hygenic items such as soap, razors, tampons, chapstick, toothbrushes,etc will be great barter items. Lighters, batteries, & scissors will be other nice barter items. Think medicine & first aid! Once the dust settles a bit books & manuals will be highly sought after items. Good luck nervous girl!

        • Heirloom seeds could become more valuable than gold or silver.

          • Oh I want to give +10,000 to all of you!

        • Stock 500 pill bottles of Tylenol, Asprin, Ibuprofin, and most importantly Antibiotics. To a man with a really bad toothache, 30 antibiotic pills would be worth a gold coin when nobody else has them.

          Things such as symptom stoppers like cold medicine are not necessary, IMO. The body will cure that on it’s own, like most other things.

          Without the ability to prescribe pain medication and antibiotics, doctors are all but worthless in the absence of trauma.

        • Pretty much anything useful.. Oil lamps, shoes, solar panels, etc. USA will become more like the rest of the world where a large portion of the economy is transacted “under the table”. Most countries seem to have largely given up trying to police it, as it quickly becomes a huge drain on resources. As the below-board economy widens, goobermint resources shrink. It’s a vicious cycle. As more attempts are made at stamping out the “black market”, more commerce is transacted there.

      8. There are so many things going on that very few peoples do not see it by now. Eventually in 3 to 4 years from now, everyone will see it.
        Now, just try to imagine what those in power are doing knowing this!
        They will make sure that we are powerless by the time everyone is aware.
        Self sufficiency is the obvious answer for those who see it on time.

      9. Practice bartering now with stuff you don’t need to get the things you do need for preps.
        If or when the SHTF, I will be laying low for awhile till the dust clears, then the bartering will begin again.
        And nope, not first and don’t give a sh… either!

      10. I do not believe in hyperinflation.
        This will be a long and slow deflation. The only exception will be the price of food, UP!
        They will keep us hoping for the next 20+ years and then the system will collapse by itself.
        Yes, they can extend this agony for a long period of time. Much longer than anyone can imagine.

        • I just saw a graph of the price of gasoline in gold.

          Yupper! There’s definitely deflation goin’ on, just masked by the fiat money manipulation.

          • OC (and I remember your articles in The American Rifleman) I just bought a car, will still ride my bicycle for any task it can do. Bicycle riding is good for health, plus there’s so much snoopin’ around a person can do. Put a big basket on the front and you can carry a fair bit.

        • I knew a guy who did not believe in electricity until it shocked the hell out of me. Maybe you were trying to say that you do no believe it will happen here. That would mean instead of printing money to meet obligations, our government will default on those obligations which if I were a politician trying to get re-elected would be the last thing I would do.

          I do not believe my house will burn down. Statistically, there is only a 0.8% chance this will happen, yet I buy insurance nevertheless.

          • Most people are forced to buy insurance from their Morgage company. It used to only be fire insurance. Now it is much more. It is interesting how fire insurance which only covers fires is 1/4 the price of either flood or earthquake insurance. Yet the chance of loosing your home by fire is much greater than the other 2.

        • Yeah…..food…..and fuel….and anything made of metal….and about anything ELSE you really need to live.

          Deflation will be in big screen TVs, computers, maybe cars, etc.

          There is no way you can have deflation when every govt in the world is in a race to see who can out print who. That’s WHY gold is 1700/oz rather than 20…..and why it’s going to 3000, and 5000, and then a “new and improved paper” will come out, and the game will begin anew.

          • The “NEW” paper will be called the Gold backed Chinese Yuan.

            • Hammerun: have you heard that Stansberry interview talking about china basically buying enough gold to have a true gold back reserve currency? Not sure if it will happen but he has some good arguments indicating that is what they are attempting.

            • @Mike
              I have been a Stansberry subscriber for about 2 years now, I read his Emails everyday.

          • your synthesis is faulty. see discussion of irving fisher’s debt deflation cycle and mike “mish” shedlock has blogged extensively on the subject.

            there’s far more to hyperinflation than just money supply. when the level of debt decreases as is happenign now in households, liquidity decreases, which causes reduction in demand for debt products, which reduces productive need. it’s a deflationary cycle that cannot be solved by greater printing of money, but only by the expansion of credit.

            also, increases in pricing in some sectors (energy, food, etc.) causes deflation by reducing productivity and efficiency.

            • The Federal Reserve can’t create trillions of dollars in bogus dollars without serious consequences down the road. Hyperinflation is now a 100% certainty. America has been living beyond its means for a long time. Mainly because the dollar is the world’s reserve currency. But that won’t last forever. When the world dumps the dollar the US will become a third world country virtually over night.

            • i get it that it’s accepted as orthodoxy, but that doesn’t make it true. if anything, we’re in a deflationary liquidity trap now, not on the cusp of hyperinflation.

              just because it’s easier to see the trillion dollar zimbabwe note, or other currency of similar quality, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen now.

              it’s nowhere near a foregone conclusion.

        • There is such an economic animal as deflationary-hyperinflation. Where to worth of hard assets decline and the currency inflates to a point where a loaf of bread costs $14 but your house is worth less and less. You can have both deflationary pressures and hyperinflation of commodities, we are in the beginning stages of that type of cycle.

        • Best pick up on some long term food storage items. We buy a lot of freeze dried foods with a shelf life of 25 years at http://www.shelfreliancesanantonio.com. Ordered several six packs of their special last week. Freeze dried ground beef and chicken six pack of #10 cans for $144. THAT is a great deal. The ground beef is very, very good! I think the sale is still on. Better get some for your family.

      11. The PTB have effectively pigeonholed every single activity that freedom loving Americans attempt..as ‘a threat to the security of the United States”

        and..

        have enacted and passed every viable law imagined to restrict,arrest and prosecute us..period.

        Unless you submit to all the multinational corporate products.media,foods,medicines, etc. and systems of finance..you are out of the loop and now a ‘enemy of the state”.

        Orwell, Stalin,Lenin,Pol Pot and Mao would be envious of the United States Government..

        all done without a shot fired and all “legal”..

        possee

        • Stalin and hitler did it the legal way too. The people voted for their own slavery.
          Just like here.

        • Envious? Hitler was openly envious of America’s (formerly) strict immigration standards. The treaty of Versailles had turned Germany into a dumping ground for refugees after WWI. The immigration reform act of 1965 turned America into a dumping ground for refugees and undesirables, and it was brought about by liberbal hogwash, not by defeat on the battlefield.

      12. Hard to beleive America has come to this.

      13. Its the TV. If you get away from that. Then you begin to see. At least you will be able to think for yourself. TV hypnotizes you, reprograms your thoughts. Its sad to see how peoples opinions and ideas are based around what the television is telling them. I sure more than half of the BS we consider Must Have commodities, would simply dissolve into the fabrications they are. Look at how many TVs there are and how everyone has one, with cable.
        I like the way the old ones implode when you shoot them with a 357.
        Thank you.
        Thank you very much

      14. Everyones situation will vary due to location and items available. All must prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Seems quite a few are preparing with excess on certian items and that will allow for certian trade value. Unless everyone is prepared to go back in time to the latter 1800’s, no one will survive. Example, no fuel, how will you travel to barter/trade. Do you have Horses, cattle wagons etc? This is just an example that when researched going back to the Great Depression, trading was done via the old western methods, Just food for thought.

      15. civil war broke out cause the indians had nothing left to steal-slavery was abolished to centralise the rich ..and the mob has been vaccumed to the top of the pyramid. apparently no one sees these wars are scavenger hunt for something . after syria is delivered a search warrant North korea is next. As for here… with obama scaring people to fly .. thousands of voters and throat slicers are being flown in every day for the next slaughter of the buffalo.

      16. One catastrophic event could send the world into an economic and financial whirlwind or possibly a tailspin. What if the New Madrid fault were to explode up thru the Mississippi River bed into Lake Michigan, unleashing the great Lakes into the mid-west and the Gulf of Mexico. What happens to the bread basket of the nation. What happens if the Yellowstone Event were to unleash enough sulpheric ash to blanket the midwest. Grain crops destroyed. Besides the reported fact that our Commander-n-Thief has signed away the majority of our wheat harvest for the next three years to China in return for them not calling in on the debt they hold of ours. I can see several scenarios where hyperinflation happens without any Government involvement or control thereof. Will it happen? Only God knows. I wouldn’t want to be caught playing ostrich, just in case it does. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

        • Thats pretty funny if you think about it. “The USSA is batering with China”. The black market is ok for them though. Sucks for us! I was just pondering about some items I might barter was food, and my concern was knowing how much with out affecting my survival. Then I found out that my Govenment is already bartering “our” food. I hope they do not “barter” too much away. Thanks for the info there don’t-tread!

      17. Black Market: $38,500 plate dinner to hear Bo talk.

        Common Sense: priceless

        • Talk about inflation!! $38.5K to watch an ass speak? Use to be you could see one for free on any street corner. Somebodies getting hosed.

      18. I’m waiting for Manos to weigh in on this and report his first hand experiences with bartering, and the Black Market. Where did that term come from, “Black” Market?

        • Il mano negro! The black hand. Guess you gotta be a gangsta to understand these things. Me, I’m the gangsta of bad luck!

        • The term Black Market was designed to make people think it was bad. In reality it is a free market.

          Just like you hear the MSM talking about how bad deflation is. It IS bad, but only for the banks.

          Turn off the TV and start learning to barter now while a bad deal will not kill you.

          • GC, priceless! The time to practice for the coming system is best done before it is the only choice. Kind of like “range time”. The more you spend now, the higher the return down the “coming” road.

      19. There are several references to statistics and how the Federal government is distorting them, or misreporting them. It reminds me of a college course I took in statistics. The take away message: Liars figure and figures lie.

        The federal government was interviewing students at a college campus for economist positions. The final question that each applicant was asked was, “What is two plus two?” Time after time the applicants answered, “Four”. Nobody was being hired. Finally an applicant was asked this question and he answered, “I can make it any number you want.” He was hired on the spot.

      20. Regarding the “Retail gold and silver purchases of over $600 are now tracked and taxed.” I believe that regulation has been overturned. However, for years the buying and selling of collectible art, jewelery, coins has been reportable and taxed on the capital gains.

        Regarding the statement, “The IRS even believes it has the right to tax barter exchanges, even though they do not explain how bartered goods could be legally qualified as “income”, or how they can conceive of ever being able to trace such private trade.” Taxation of bartered goods has been in the IRS regulations for years and if you go back and look at the 1040 instructions for prioe years you can find information that bartered good trade is taxable. Nothing new here.

        The one that drives me crazy,the satement by Anne Tompkins, “We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.” Note to Anne, the United States of America is not a democracy. It is a representative republic.

      21. “Peace is that brief, glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading”.

        Thomas Jefferson

        • Although not perfect, Thomas Jefferson was by far the Socrates of his time.

        • Bill,
          Just found my new favorite quote!
          Thanks.
          🙂

          • It’s funny to think of old Tom saying this so many years ago and it’s still true today. Not much changes does it?

            Price of gas in northern Michigan just hit 4 bucks. Here we go……

        • I never heard that quote before. My new favorite as well.

      22. The Amerikan regime hates you and wants you to suffer. What’s theirs is theirs and what’s yours is theirs. Deprivation and shortage are reliable, time-tested methods for a hostile elite to control a multitude.

        Those who accumulate basic necessities through careful planning and or bartering will be treated as “Kulaks.” Read here what you can expect, because it has been done before:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulak

        • “We are fond of describing any peasant who has enough to eat as a ‘kulak’.”

      23. O/T heads up..device to curtail freedom of speach? japan has already built and are testing this

        Silence Gun: Strange weapon of the future immediately quiets you, whether you like it or not

        Ever since humans first invented guns, they’ve been inventing new uses for them. Some shoot bullets; others shoot lasers. But a strange and unsettling new gun being developed by Japanese researchers shoots sound waves in an effort to disrupt and silence anyone who dares speak out of turn.

        The gun operates based on the concept of delayed auditory feedback. An attached microphone picks up the sound being made by the target and plays it back 0.2 seconds later. The effect is incredibly confusing to the human brain, making it all but impossible to talk or hold a conversation. The device doesn’t cause the person it’s being used on any physical harm — it simply messes with their head.

        When the human brain hears its own speech perfectly in sync during normal speech, it easily processes the input and allows you to largely ignore the sound of your own voice. However, by offsetting the response just a bit, the brain hears your mouth speaking as well as the strange echo effect produced by the gun. This unusual combination is confusing enough to effectively shut down the part of your brain responsible for managing speech, and you fall immediately silent.

        The first versions of the weapon — if we can even call it that — were dependent on a separate PC to process the input and relay it back to the speaker. However, the second prototype (pictured above) does away with the need for additional hardware and includes all the necessary processing bits within its casing, making it easily portable.

        The developers say the gun could be used for seemingly innocuous purposes, such as enforcing rules requiring library patrons to keep quiet. It could also see action during large meetings when it is important that onlookers not disrupt the speaker; anyone who fancies a noisy outburst would immediatley be silenced by the high-tech handheld.

        The free speech implications of the speech jammer are somewhat disconcerting: A protestor or speaker at a political rally could be easily silenced just for having unpopular views. Political rallies and other protest gatherings could easily be quieted by the strange gun, should law enforcement or other agencies decide to equip themselves with the technology

        • Very ineresting post! I listen to a radio show in the morning where often times people will call in whilst not turning their own radio down. They get three to five words of the first sentence out and thats it! The time delay of their own voice on the radio just shuts them up! Interesting!

        • I need one of these before my mother in law comes for a visit. That’ll test it.

        • Be interesting to see how it works on those who do not process language in the normal way. e.g I have a friend who could not hear until he was 9 years old when he had an operation. To this day he is a perfect lip reader.

          My son has an auditory processing disorder, he learnt fluent sign language in 4 months. His expressive speech was learned in a different manner to his peers, though he talked sooner. All this weapon would do for my son is equalise the communication playing field. He’d come out on top!

          Weapons like this will empower certain individuals in any crowd. My lad’s great grandma ran a small holding even though she was totally blind. For her that was normal, you or I would fail within days without her sight.

          I have a feeling this could backfire on the ptb. Those with “invisible disablities” tend to have more determined, freedom loving personalities than the usual sheeple as life has taught them to be that way.

      24. Last evening, watching “Law and Order, Criminal Intent”,
        Gorn was questioning a guy about stuff in his trunk. The
        guy said he was selling stuff out of his trunk using
        Craigslist. Gorn says, “Do you have a peddler’s license?”

        The gov’t MUST control all aspects of your life.

      25. Re Hemp and Poppies,

        Who has the authority to make one of God’s creations illegal to own, grow or consume?

        • “Who has the authority…”

          Well, no one, of course…..but lack of authority hasn’t slowed them up one lick since the ink dried on the Constitution.

        • At least around me here on the west coast there is a thriving alternative currency already. It’s high value homegrown “produce” and it can be bartered for just about anything you need. A person could for example, buy a nice truck, get their house roofed, cars repaired, etc., without having to lay out any cash.

          Obviously it’s already done “under the radar” even at this time but it’s building a good network of barter for the future.

      26. There’s a “black” market operating all over the US right now….except they call them “Flea” markets. You can buy, sell and trade for almost anything at them.

        The other “black” market that has operated for years and years is the underground economy….the one that deals strictly in cash and no taxes are paid on the exchange. I used to think they would eventually eliminate cash to eliminate this economy, but my thinking changed on this…..I now this this part of the economy is so large, they simply CAN’T shut it down without severe damage to the “above ground” economy….the one where all the govt weenies live and thrive as a result of the taxes paid on the ripple effect of that cash as it moves into the secondary level.

        As folks in the underground spend that cash SOME place, many of those are above ground, and pay a LOT of taxes ( sales, property, income, etc ), and if the govt were to kill the underground, a lot of that would dry up as well.

        • Shhhh. Don’t give them anymore ideas about places to go after. There are so few left.

        • As long as I have skills and tools, I will work.

      27. System D baby!!!!!!!!

      28. Black markets exist where taxes or regulations are so onerous as to make people willing to take a risk. Because black markets need an anonymous unit of exchange, (which is what cash is), governments and other rent-seekers like banks want it eliminated. The coming of the computer age, with credit cards, and Electronic Funds Transfer technology, has finally given them a tool to actually do this. Expect cash to be gone within 20 years. R.I.P. Liberty. Person-to-person barter will continue, so then they’ll start chipping everything in sight, right down to your garden vegetables. You already have chips in clothes, chips in books and magazines…. I’m looking out my window at my neighbour’s cows – yup, they’re chipped at birth.

      29. I have been studying barter facilitation through currency alternatives that cannot be inflated by the federal reserve. Imagine a flea market where cash is not necessary, but good and services are traded using a standardized medium of exchange. This has worked very well in Argentina and greatly improved the lives of those participating.

        Instead of trading a haircut for a woven basket I cannot use, for example, one would pay in the currency alternative and the receiver could spend it at any booth in the market on what they actually want.

        If this caught on, the county or state would probably start demanding sales tax and ruin the whole thing.

        • Actually, if you dig a little more you’ll find the barter shops in Argentina didn’t do so well. Lots of problems from the scripts they used.

      30. The police state we live in has infiltrated city, county, state and federal governments. It is happening EVERYWHERE.

        Politicians, bureaucrats, teachers, police departments….every single govt department is involved in this. Unions and special interest groups are aiding this with their money, lobbying, demands for political correctness and mobster tactics.

        Now they have the power over us. They are power, money and blood thirsty. This is going to get worse, not better. Just wait until the drones are flying over your retreat property or your back yard to check you out.

        To end this we’d have to have a total changing of the guards from top to bottom in all levels of govt. And how to you vote someone out of office who just works for the govt but is still part of the problem? How do you remove a union leader or special interest leader from power? How to you change the minds of the 50% of Americans who pay no taxes and have no skin in the game? How do you wake up the 90% who are busy buying new cars and charging up their credit cards for more bling and stuff they don’t need & can’t afford? How do you repair a society that has morphed into the govt being “Baby Daddy” and caring for everyone – whether they want it or not? How do you wake up a sleeping population who really just doesn’t give a dam* anymore?

        The only way to stop this is a total societal collapse and I think that would make it worse. Much, much worse.

        What should we do about this? How can one individual change this? It’s a 330 million person problem.

        • Sadly, this is the problem we face. Our forefathers realized that the people needed to be aware of what their govt was doing. They stipulated that with free speech and freedom of the press. Unfortunately, there is no longer any journalistic integrity in the MSM. They do not challenge govt policies or do any real in depth investigation. What can we do about it? Who knows…..maybe rubber stamp (as some here have suggested)the FRNs you use with your favorite alt web site to get the word out.

        • There is an old proverb that says “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down” and while they have the technology to fly over every property, they do not have the manpower to act on all of it. History shows they will highly publicize the few successes they have to scare the majority of the population into submission – and it will work to some extent.

          This same technology is in use today, yet they cannot find my neighbors marijuana field or add my retreat to the property tax roles. I do not believe the efficiency of boots on the ground will improve as some jurisdictions are laying off enforcement personnel. Recently they had to call a deputy in my hometown and get him out of bed to respond to a shooting because there was no one on duty.

          The majority will not wake up until it’s too late. That is something we have to accept. There are enough people on entitlements and close to retirement to elect those who will promise them continued prosperity at government expense. I am currently reading about the collapse of the Roman Empire and was surprised to find entitlements went up despite right before the end despite revenues being down.

          Just as there is a point at which a structure fire is a total loss despite the standing framework, we have to accept the eventuality and plan according for our own flexibility.

        • I have be struggling with the same questions you ask. The only answer is, that you have to know who you are dealing with. I’m older (Geezer) and I do not think I will put up with the utter stupidity of today. Even worse is the, “I know what’s best for you crowd”. I would venture to say that the POWERZ believe we do not have the resolve to challenge the authority if many laws are enacted against us. That is far from the truth.
          What we have here is a young punk who verbalises in an altercation. “What are you going to do, Old Man?” What the punk doesn’t know is that even as the old man can’t run, he better not let the old man get his hands on him.
          That is where I think we are today.

          • slingshot said:
            “What are you going to do, Old Man?” What the punk doesn’t know is that even as the old man can’t run, he better not let the old man get his hands on him.

            lol.
            love it.

      31. Wow – awesome and well-written article. Will be passing this around to all my friends. thanks

      32. I got a Paslode.
        150 bucks.
        Old dude bought it to build his fence. He used it on the 1 job and doesn’t need it anymore.
        Nice.

        I think my wife can quit her job now.

        • Hopefully you’re not in cold weather. Now you better stock up on the gas canisters that make those things work. Sorry, but it’s not worth $150.00. Not to any good carpenter. Great idea but junk. IMHO that is….

          • Depends on what price you put on your time. It will pay for itself in a few short hours.

      33. A Black Market is any market the corp can not regulate.

        It is also called a Free Market, and it is the only market we need. The number of participants will grow until there are more in the unregulated market than in the corp system.

        At that point, freedom and change is possible.

      34. I’m NOT First!ABFAB!
        Argentina(and Greece to a lesser extent)looks like the what might happen here.The folks in S.A. were ahead of the U.S. when the Great Depression started in 1929.I expect that gas WILL hit $10 per gal. in the near future.When doesn’t matter.The results will.”Flea markets” will blossom everywhere.Paper money will slowly lose value.PM’s and other forms of exchange will gain as paper declines.TPTB will go Ape-S***,as folks learn to work around them.Think Homeland security thugs in every city that can be compelled to participate(lack of fund might make this a joke,but they WILL try.And by the way,the Chinese living here who buy homes already by-pass the taxes due by bringing suitcases full of cash and getting their lawyers to make paperwork “misstating” the actual price of the home for tax purposes when they buy from each other.When the cost of being honest reaches the right level then EVERYTHING will be declared illegal unless “marked” by the “Feds”.
        Shades of the Book of Revelation come to pass.Not long after,THE CHANGE will happen,on time and on target.
        Best to All
        (not first but hopefully worth reading!)
        GFG

      35. What most important three or four items should a person consider obtaining now to be used as barter material in the future?

        • Skills, Skills and more skills.

        • i’m stocking fish antibiotics, .22lr, seeds, and lots of wheat.

          • Go on a around the world vacation heck why not go a couple times. Let your doctor know and get all the antibiotics that you would need for the dangers ahead eg.. A couple z-paks,amoxicillin,penicillin,etc…cation there’s a class of antibiotics that can harm you when it gets old. Sorry can’t remember the name.

        • I think any medication or medical supply would be high value.
          Booze of whatever variety -especially 100proof grain alcohol as it has a host of uses.
          Precious metals in small amounts like those the size of dime or nickel. Jewelery may work as well an even jewels long term.
          And the most important one -a skill that many others do not possess. Knowing how to tan a hide without chemicals, fixing weapons, deliver a baby, make antibiotics or other medications, knowledge of herbs and their many uses, etc. I think being able to barter your knowledge for a needed thing will certainly help you in a survival situation!

      36. when the obama care ID implants are in we will have to trade in goods and services, there is no choice here. you will have to have the implant to get paid and to buy anything. you will have to have an implant to get any health care. so you will have to have one. we will need the black market just to survive. the only way to get ammunition will be through the black market.its a sad state of affairs when gay people can get married with no problem but you have to sneak and buy bullets. i dont have a problem with the gay issue theres just a point you have to make. the same can be said for pot and cigerettes, why is the one thats an addictive killer legal and the other one which brings peace and harmony illegal.they should make pot legal and cigerettes hard to get.im just saying

      37. This is ridiculous. The government isn’t cracking down on trade. You can’t buy raw milk because it’s dangerous. People who feed it to their kids should be charged with child endangerment. Cities cracking down on permanent lemonade stands isn’t the federal government cracking down on trade. The IRS has always considered barter transactions to be taxable. The federal government monitoring cash transactions isn’t cracking down on trade. Seriously, this article is the worst one I’ve ever seen here.

        • Barn Cat, the reason you didn’t like this article is because you’re a big government loving Clover.

          “You can’t buy raw milk because it’s dangerous.”?

          You don’t read much, do you.

          Also, you don’t suppose all the Federal Dollars going to the cities is what enables the cities to crack down on things such as lemonade stands? Ever heard of the phrase, Federalization of law enforcement?

          I’m thinking you would have enjoyed living in East Germany before The Wall fell.

        • As someone who grew up drinking and is still drinking raw milk, AND has been letting children drink it, I’d like to disagree that drinking raw milk is dangerous. Child abuse? Seriously? I’m one healthy S.O.B. inside and out and so are the rest of my family who drink raw milk.
          I could discuss the bacteria and other crap that can be found in nasty raw milk and agree it does exist. But really, do your homework -much of the “nasty” milk goes into commericial milk as well. All of the milk picked up from the dairy farms goes into one great big tank to be heated slightly and have a bunch of the cream taken out. Look up what is actually in the “safe” milk you can purchase at the store before you claim all raw milk drinking is dangerous.

          If hand milked, organic raw milk is the best by far since there isn’t any blood or other “fun” stuff in the milk. No one in my house is getting sick from drinkin raw milk, and never has.

          To address your other comments I think you have missed the point of the article. The government is too invasive, has its tentacles into every aspect of any transaction that may take place. “Black Markets” are where people go when they don’t agree with or want the government sticking their tentacles into a wo/man’s private affairs or where government regualtions go too far. It is also a shelter when the SHTF as given in the examples of Greece and Argentina.

        • Barn cat, I’m afraid you don’t stand a chance! You’re so lost in cognitive dissonance. Why in the world would you believe that milk is dangerous when eaten raw, while even a slight glance at history will show people consuming RAW milk for eons.
          By your logic, if I can figure out a way to make human sh#t safe to eat, I should be able to sell it. So how about a nice turd sandwich?
          You are right, the IRS has always tried to tax barter, etc. That doesn’t make it right! The IRS is a totally unconstitutional dept. of the FED, that was only allowed because of the judiciary’s failure to serve their purpose as the Constitution prescribes.

        • Barn Cat: I agree with you 100%. Anything that you and I don’t agree with should be banned and people should be charged with criminal acts. We should invent this special enforcement division of the gov’t just to go around and tell people what we have deemed safe and sanitary. We may have to skew some tests but once we publish them and have fox and cnn report them people will accept them as fact.

        • Barn Cat: I agree that raw milk is dangerous, but I believe that people have a right to put themselves in danger if they so choose.

          Another good article by Smith but the Drug War is not a good example of a barter society because the drug trade is managed and facilitated by the Mossad and the CIA; otherwise it could have been shut down decades ago.

        • Thats retarded Barn Cat people have been drinking raw milk for hundreds of years!! The real gross milk is the blood, pus, and feces that is in pasterized milk!!! Drink that disgusting shit with a grin pal!!!

        • Your statement is entirely unsupportable…Ive been involved in this issue for years…there are no facts to support your assertions only croney govt/corp studies that totally misconstrue the facts and skewer the truth…too many people who should know better refuse to aknowledge the cronyism that is behind this whole real milk vs cooked milk debate…its not about safety…its about control,and money!
          The very name “RAW” somehow is used to impune the wholesomeness of milk as if milk ever came out of a cow hot and ready,like a biscuit from the oven…the reality is that this govt believes anything lacking its consent to be illigit…theres been far more illness and death caused directly by foods/anything deemed safe by this govicorp than by anything sold fresh from the farm and that includes milk…REAL milk!
          They have convinced a bunch of cowards that they can make life safe with no risks and the lemmings have rushed over the abyss in “kissing their backside” adoration for their holy mission to save us all…I have and always will call…BS!!

      38. In my assessment, there is a very healthy free market, black market, alternative market, barter market, (whatever you want to describe it as) alive and well today. I barter with my neighbors for things. I have bartered with “strangers” at flea markets and no one is reporting it on their taxes. I had a private transaction between two friends exchanging “precious valuables”. Lots of business type folks are rolling joints or stuffing a pipe after a long hard day or snorting a few lines with their glass of Absinthe. Right now in every state of the union, someone is paying someone else for sex. Some people who have been denied the purchase of weapons because of prior bullshit domestic disorderly conduct charges have purchased firearms from another citizen because they want to be able to protect their families and themselves.

        According to the government, all of the activities I described are illegal in one way or another and some are considered worse than others. I’m calling BULLSHIT.

        Big-brother doesn’t get to determine what my fellow man and I agree is a fair exchange and has no stake in the exchange.
        I refuse to let anyone else choose what I or anyone else wants to put in or do with their body, especially the government.
        If owning weapon because of one incident in the past means no weapons for a lowly peasant, or becoming a criminal for possesing one then I know a lot of criminals. (Using this same line of thinking, anyone who gets a speeding ticket or driving while intoxicated ticket should be suspended from driving for life!)

        The “free markets” have been alive and well for a very long time and they aren’t going anywhere no matter how hard the gov. corp. tries.

        • Fantastic description of some Opting Out, Fed Up.

      39. If you ever had your lawn mower stolen, you can rest assured that it was bartered for 2 rocks of crack. That is the going price. Drug dealers will sell or trade your stuff to a fence. Barter systems are in full swing in illegal alien communities. I watched an illegal, in broad daylight, pull the wires out of a street light pole, on a major street. Idiots are breaking into homes and stealing small amounts of copper from refrigerators and leaving more valuable stuff alone!

        • Huh, I wonder how you knew you were a watching an illegal alien criminal vs. just a criminal? Seems kinda fuzzy.

          • It’s because he was committing the crimes that American’s just won’t do.

            • Excellent observation Beefcake!!!

          • Verified after his arrest. Prior to that it was a good educated guess.

        • I got ripped off! I paid three rocks of crack for my lawn mower.

          • Man, you got screwed….. Maybe three with a full tank and new blade. Maybe!

          • A crackhead stole my lawnmower, he lived in the community and a neighbor identified him to the cops. They didn’t do anything. Not long after, his house blew up, I wonder what happened?

      40. Will there come a point when the government runs out of funds to pay people to watch people? All of this stuff must be extremely expensive.

        • Hey all you Ron Paul fans, did you read this article?

          Either Kick Butt or Be a Loser
          (With Gratitude to Frank Luntz)

          by Allan Stevo

          http://lewrockwell.com/stevo/stevo11.1.html

          Not that I agree with everything in it, but you might?

          • Oops, that link wasn’t meant as a reply to Kevin2. It was just a general shout to everyone.

        • They will just keep printing money and adding zeros at the end of the already too long number for national debt. Kind of like what the Weimar Republic did, only our nation will bluff better <—-J/K about the bluff better.

      41. O/T

        No more comments on Yahoo news

        freedom of speach and freedom to voice an opinion other than what yahoo news wants to be known, ..

      42. The instinct to survive will always trump the rule of law.

      43. Sold a 30.06 a few months ago here California. The buyer offered me $25 extra not to go through the gun shop and do all the legalize just due to the time savings – plus the $35 the state makes buyers (or sellers) pay for a “legal” transfer and 10 day wait. I could see where the guy was coming from but I also know if you break a “gun law” here you can’t own one – and the idea of him being an “agent” to set me up definitely crossed my mine – I didn’t know him at all. When I said no he backed out of the deal and left. I figured he was a cop of some kind but he called me two days later and met me at the gun shop. I’m sure a lot of guys/sellers would have taken the extra $25 and let him walk out.

      44. I would be open to barter beef or lamb for toilet paper, toothpaste, tobacco, razor blades, soap, ect, ect. In a endtimes situation the little things that remind us of the world before it moved on will be a helluva morale booster. Im not sure on gold though. Theres not much I could do with it. I would definetly trade for ammo, gas, diesel fuel for the tractor and maybe female companionship lol!!! I imagine alot of people will have to do things they never thought they would do just to survive!! Theres a part in the extended version of Stephen King’s The Stand where they have to rescue women kidnapped by some road warriors in an RV. That might not be out of the realm of possibliity in a post collapse future!!! Im going to be looking out for my girl during that time I would hate to see something like that happen, kidnapped and used as a sex slave!!! Thinking about this end of the world shit can blow your mind!!! LOL

        • I know what your saying but you best be looking out for her now too….too many bass-turds running around loose in the here and now…. 🙁

      45. Government is messing it up for us all. They are a real problem. We should all fire their ‘positions’ then they would be out of a job.
        Good luck to that eh?

      46. Such end of the world drama. We’ve already done the 1906 earthquake, 2 major wars, and the first stock market crash in 1929.Some people died, some people lived. That is what will happen now.

        There will always be alternative markets. There will always be trading and bartering no matter what the IRS whines about. Alternative markets aren’t bad they just fill supply and demand needs.

        None of this would keep happening if people would just unite and dismantle the current government(by this years elections would be nice).

        Just vote them all out and start over. This time people should pay attention to this issues that trouble us all rather than salivating over the fact that some people think that they are going to be the brave religious stars of a disaster/war movie.

      47. what if i sold a dozen eggs for 10c, a silver dime, the US currency value is stamped dime, but i will get a few dollars in silver for my eggs. they can tax the dime but not at the going rate of silver? is this true? it might need to be a dime and a half need to do the math for 3.00 in eggs

        • I have a buddy who does maple sugaring…he sells it for silver only…just a small canfull(silver coins) by seasons end but what a canfull!

        • Goober last year I sold eggs, this year I’m keeping ’em and pickling ’em for the times my chickiebirds are having their moult. But, it was pretty much $2 per dozen since that’s what wal-mart charges and who can afford to shop at wally’s these days?

      48. I just want to thank Mac (allowing it to happen), Montana Mike, DPS, Beefcake, Jim (another Jim) and Walt Kowalski for their fun sheep run yesterday between 5:07 PM and 8:05PM good laugh guys thanks. Did y’all notice how many thumbs down y’all got? See, Dems. don’t like you talkin’ about their sheep – From Feb. 29th article
        About the trolls – I think Mac has or will have a solution.

        Barn Cat: Please print the troll list below and take it out to the Barn. Please circle all that apply. If you prefer, you can pick your favorite troll reason from the “TOP 12″. Then please let us know. If none apply – LOL and you got an education!

        12. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t.

        11. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

        10. I voted Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

        9. I voted Democrat because I’m way too irresponsible to own a gun and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

        8. I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.

        7. I voted Democrat because I’m not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

        6. I voted Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits and we should take away the Social Security from those who paid into it.

        5. I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the Democrats see fit.

        4. I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

        3. I voted Democrat because I think that it’s better to pay billions to people who hate us for their oil, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle, gopher or fish.

        2. I voted Democrat because while we live in the greatest, most wonderful country in the world, I want to HOPE it will CHANGE.

        And, finally, the No. 1 reason trolls voted Democrat:

        1. I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever have another point of view.

        Y’all Beware! Y’all know I said that!

        • 13. I voted DemoCRAP because I think the wolves are misunderstood gentle creatures that need to destroy rancher’s livelihoods and hunter’s food sources because the west needs to be unpopulated and the buffalo can run free again!!! LOL thats a dig at IGIT. Hey guys sheep are for eating not for fucking!!!

          • They are beautiful creatures just look a little nicer lying dead with one well placed shot. The wolves I mean not the tree huging PETA freaks!

        • That is amazing! May I borrow this?

        • Dear Y’all Beware!
          I didn’t vote for the RED TIE PARTY because they’re in the pockets of the multi-national bankers and Corporations.

          I didn’t vote for the RED TIE PARTY because they gutted the regulations that could have PREVENTED the “derivatives” meltdown that “forced” George W. to give them TRILLIONS directly and indirectly thru Q.E. 1,2,etc…

          I didn’t vote for the RED TIE PARTY because THEY were the ones who came up with “FREE TRADE ACT” which caused the ongoing loss of jobs overseas.

          I didn’t vote for the RED TIE PARTY because they LIED about the reasons to invade IRAQ and Afghanistan(esp. IRAQ) and caused 8000+ American Servicemen to die needlessly,and TENS of thousands to get maimed,crippled and scarred emotionally.

          A CONSERVATIVE(in the real sense of the word)CONSERVES things of value(such as public lands,surpluses and regulations which keep bankers from playing truth or dare games with other peoples money!)

          A TRUE Conservative cares about the health of ALL the people of his country,not just the profits of “health corporations” gouging their customers with impunity.

          A TRUE CONSERVATIVE doesn’t gut the regulations prevention the likes of BP from destroying part of what was a beautiful Gulf Coastline from Texas to Florida and letting them pay a paltry sum(when you consider the ACTUAL cost to people,jobs and health it’s in the TRILLIONS! Not Billions)

          A True CONSERVATIVE doesn’t decrease the tariffs on imported good to a point FAR below our competitors(try 4% vs 20+ for India and 40% for China).Is there any wonder the trade deficit is so HUGE)

          There are many other things(like letting Monsanto plant/create/sell TOXIC wheat,corn and other food-grains)it would take several pages to finish.

          As for the “BLUE SIDE”,they’re only slightly “better”.More inept to be sure.But Both make our government into a REPOCRATE whore house that’s disgusting to God-Fearing CONSERVATIVES.

          Now,on a lighter note,God is watching the whole show,nothing hidden from his sight.And he hears their “evil whispers in dark corners” as well.God created this beautiful planet,and we’re only “renters”.And he has a plan His plan.We’ll will call it THE CHANGE.It will be both wonderful and terrifying to see and experience when it arrives,on time and ON TARGET!

          Best to All
          Hope you have enough food for this day and shelter for you and your loved ones
          LTR,
          GFG

      49. Damn right there is black market in this country. Ive had a couple shitty years ’09, ’10, ’11 all the Barry years, anyway I worked under the table doing whatever work I could find. Roofing, flooring, mowing lawns, shoveling sidewalks, all cash money tax free!! I love the black market. I had mixed feelings when I got my legit job cause I knew I had to pay taxes again to support all the Rich and poor govt. dependents!! But hey somebody’s gotta be in the 53%! And there’s nothing wrong with raw milk! I drink it all the time. If you have clean hands, use clean water to wash the cows udder, have clean buckets to collect the milk its fine!! In fact its fucking delicious!!! I hate store milk now. But not everybody has a milk cow like we do. But everybody should be able to buy raw milk and share in on what we enjoy!!

        • Recycling
          Casual labor
          Reselling “vintage” items acquired at garage sales
          Reselling gold/silver acquired at garage sales
          Reselling hi-tech items, “you gotta have an engineering degree” stuff
          Not going into “town” unless I had a damned good reason to, since it meant spending

          Thus was my most successful year in 5 years.

          The new normal.

      50. That’s right, TimezUp! How long will we continue to let cows feed unpasturized milk to their calves? Think of the potential loss of Big Macs not being produced because these inbovine beasts insist on nuturing their young on this unsafe nutritional solution! TimezUp! This procedure MUST be stopped.

        On a serious note: If Israel attacks Iran the game changes for the entire world. JMHO.

      51. Cinderella,

        I do understand. Thanks

        Y’all Beware!

      52. Keith,

        Help yourself.

        Y’all Beware!

      53. These same dimlibs that want “free” contraceptives will line up to sue the government if it doesn’t work or causes medical problems on down the road to slavery while looking at the ceiling of life or while their head is in the pillow. Met a man today that’s not sure how many trophies he has. Said he has at least 16 and he’s in his late 50’s!

      54. I know fifty way’s to use nail’s trade me some bean’s and I’ll show you one more.Ha Ha Ha ha. Had too just had too. Now I feel better.

        • yeah you use a nail to prick each bean to let the gas out.

      55. Learn as much as you can about everything that you can and do what you have to to to survive and prosper…based on your conscience and your love of your fellow men and women and common decentcy/sense…not on anything this(any) govt or its corporate sponsors deem to be fit or proper as that is likely as not to be an evil proposition!
        You have to have a backbone if youre going to make it through life independently and standing upright,rather than serving in dependency on the undependable and in a kneeling position…be your own man or woman,its not selfish its what God intended you to be…either we live free or we live as serfs….theres no middle ground and no opt out…either we are our own masters or we serve the tyrants will…choose life friends…choose liberty!
        ********************************************************

        Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
        Thomas Jefferson

      56. girl getting nervous says:
        March 2, 2012 at 6:54 am

        Great point and I can see this as a new way to do business in this nation. But what should we start getting to sell on the black market besides the obvious, cigs, alcohol, guns and ammo. Any ideas what to start obtaining to barter that will be below the goverment radar. Barter will be our new exchange system, we will have no other options with so much goverment regulation.

        I think you and others are leaving out “labor” It grows faster than any plant and is built without any materials.

        I pray for all of you and mine.

      57. OK let me skip ahead here and say, the guy on the right has apparently just bought a Muscovy duck, the guy on the left has what appear to be green tobacco leaves.

        Muscovy ducks are mean but meaty bastards, hope Guy On The Right and family had a a good dinner. Guy on the left, well, I can only charitably hope he has sheep that need worming, because tobacco’s not an economical hobby to take up.

        • pends on where you are one wood guess.

      58. Love this post, love this site

      59. In more than one cases, the ‘black market’ will be owned by the govt minions themselves, to keep the sheeple in line.

      60. Globally this one song sums up the mood of the youth

        “Because we’ve got the rage, one that will make your norms tremble”

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8txhtB2e5M&feature=fvst

        My son and his friends know this song off by heart, even though French is NOT their first language. The teenagers taught them. In our area lots of kids have family where shtf already. Their parents/grandparents were the ones who survived.

        The human condition is ultimately to survive. If the laws of the land make no sense then the populace ignore them.

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