Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have courage to remake the world as it should be.
-Barack Obama
-January 8, 2008
He brought the promise of hope and the desire to fundamentally change America. One cannot argue that he didn’t deliver on the latter. America has certainly undergone an unprecedented change over the last three years, but the consequences of President Obama’s actions are that more Americans today are hopeless than every before.
A new survey by Yahoo! Finance shows Americans have a disturbing lack of hope and a frightening lack of retirement planning.
Among the highlights of the poll:
- 41% of Americans say the ‘American Dream’ has been lost.
- 37% of adults have NO retirement savings and 38% plan to live off Social Security.
- 63% of Americans believe the economy is getting worse, including 72% of those over the age of 55.
These findings are consistent with broader trends The Daily Ticker has reported on in the past year: Despite macro data showing the economy has technically recovered from the ‘Great Recession’, the majority of Americans just aren’t feeling it. Considering 49 million Americans are living in poverty, the “real” unemployment rate is 16% and millions of Americans are facing foreclosure, it’s no wonder many believe the recession never ended.
Source: Yahoo
Poll Info: A scientific poll of 1500 Americans between the ages of 18 and 64.
Americans may cite, as evidence of improving conditions for the average citizen, the rise in the stock market over the last couple years or President Obama’s insistence that we avoided a Great Depression, but this doesn’t change the facts.
While economists, analysts and institutional leaders will have us believe that growth is returning, albeit slowly, based on an increase in Gross Domestic Product and 100,000 jobs being created monthly, the macro data, like Mr. Obama’s hope utopia, are nothing but fabrications and half-truths. The GDP, for example, is reportedly showing positive growth, but when adjusted for distortions in government inflation usage and methodological changes that have resulted in a built-in upside bias to official statistics, there is no positive growth – we’re actually shrinking at a rate of 2% per year! The same distortions exist in the unemployment statistics, which are no longer calculated the way they were just thirty years ago. We may be adding 100,000 jobs each month, but the US economy requires 250,000 jobs be created every single month just to break even. In reality, the actual unemployment rate is much higher than the oft cited 16%, with Shadow Stats reporting in excess of 22% of Americans out of work.
Six out of ten Americans know that something is wrong and that it’s getting progressively worse. It’s hard to ignore the foreclosure signs in every American neighborhood, or the fact that friends and neighbors have been unemployed for extended periods, or the unrelenting price increases in essential goods, or the continued decimation of personal retirement accounts.
The policy decisions of government on all levels, spearheaded by President Obama and Congress have not made Americans more hopeful. They have not given Americans more confidence in their ability to succeed in an ever changing global marketplace. They have not made Americans more self sufficient and independent. They have not made Americans more equal under the law.
They have done exactly the opposite.
Isn’t it ironic that many of those who plan on living on social security solely still will have cable, internet even a cell phone with a monthly bill. Many of those who believe that the economy is getting worse treat preppers with scorn and disdain. Even with the evidence right in front of them, many refuse to take seriously the need to prepare for the unforeseen, with the economy being a major contender for one of the unforeseen. The new American flag might as well be a sheep crossing sign! Peace
Claymation, I found an interesting parallel in your comment that I don’t think is favored here. For example you are right in that people who plan on living off social security or some government benefit show disdain for those who spend resources on preparations like we do……but then so many who prepare and believe in doing so show disdain for our government and believe its efforts to prepare (FEMA camps for example) with the same discourse – no? Ironic I thought.
I know many have given up on government; its easy too. The Federal Govt I have little faith in and I worked for them many years, but I think my city has its act together. They spent some of their Home Land Security grants on silver and gold bullion to pay its people with if money becomes worthless, they bought volumes of seed for planting and have prepared faraday kits for critical generators and wells. For a city of 20k they got their act together which shows me not all govt. is a failure.
Hi Jim, Never really thought of it that way and the irony is not lost on me. Personally, I have not lost total faith in government, just those who govern.
I wished I lived in your burg my friend, The last town council meeting I went to in my area was a joke. The coffee maker that the board uses died after their last meeting. They actually argued over the exact brand of maker to buy, this went on for a half of an hour before the secretary who was running late got there and reminded them they actually contract out for their coffee machine and supplies, it would be fixed for free. These jokers would trip over a dollar to reach down and pick up a penny!
My bags are packed with my wife and kids in tow…now, just give me some directions and we’ll be there in the morning.
Local control. Long ago I read a bio by a common sailor who fought through WW2 in the British Navy. He pointed out that, despite the hardship and danger of working on the little corvettes that protected convoys in the North Atlantic, the ordinary seaman preferred that to duty on a battleship. Because why? Food corruption. On a battleship the people who managed the messes were remote from the sailors, and got away with murder. Sausages that were 50% sawdust, for example. On small ship, Jack knew the mess chiefs personally, and they got away with nothing.
Abdicate responsibility for your own welfare, and you deserve what you get.
I’ll be the skeptic–sounds great–did you see those seeds?? touch that gold and silver?? see those faraday kits??
Because if you didn’t, we here need to tell you about fraud?? It even happens in small cities.
… and TRUTH shall set you free …
Meh – screw that. I’m going to go make my own dream, instead of chasing some McMansion, a shiny new car, and toys.
And just like my actual dreams, I won’t know how it’ll all turn out until I get there.
OQ, I agree 110%. The American dream has not been lost, It hasn’t even really changed that much. The American dream was never meant to be a free hand out. It is the average American that has changed not the dream. Work hard, keep your eye on your goal, make a plan to meet that goal and then you have the chance, notice I said the chance not the right, to do well. +1 to you OQ
Agreed Clay. The American dream may take more work than it used to but it is still worth it to pursue.
The reset button has been pushed and the transfer of wealth has begun.
You got that right, Anonymous. It’s sad that 37% have no retirement savings; it’s sadder still that those who have saved will be wiped out when paper instruments go to zero. And in rebuttal to the illegal alien camped in the oval office: we have not avoided a great depression; we are there. Housing prices have already declined by 33% vs 30% in the 1930’s and the real shadow stats unemployment is 22%. And it will get worse.
Law and morality have broken down. I could cite a hundred examples. But here’s two. MF Global robbed money from its customer’s personal accounts; where’s the outrage? Not a word from Obama, Geithner, or Bernanke. The thief Corzine is their biggest fundraiser and will never wear an orange jump suit.
Then there’s the rape of little boys at Penn State and the student body riots in support of the aiders and abettors of pedophilia “We love Coach Paterno”. How touching.
Every day brings new outrages which show how far we’ve sunken into the moral cesspool. Don’t be surprised when the bill comes due and Babylon falls.
my personal speculation(based on nothing but the gov’ts past behavior) is that personal retirement accts will be drained under the guise of being borrowed, “legally”, and the former holder given a fiat piece of paper “insuring” it’s return when things get better… and we all know the real value of govt paper when it replaces hard currency…
A post from another thread, but just as appropriate:
This man cares nothing for the country. He cares nothing about the economy. He cares nothing about the loss of jobs. He cares nothing about anything except the implementation of his own rigid ideology and empty schoolastic brand of socialism.
He is the destroyer of nations, economies, jobs and lives.
Whatever he says, think the exact opposite and you’ll be close to understanding his real objective and purpose.
case in point: have friends who are 40 years of age. one works at walmart. one car. one kid, has assistance. no life savings, no ira, no silver, no gold. Asked the wife how they plan on living when they retire. Her answer: social security.
she has no clue it’s based on her husbands working history at walmart. and it will be far less then what she thinks. if she gets it at all.
she was from a well to do family. her folks passed away and she got 40 thousand plus insurance money. they blew that whole thing.
the home they live in was left to them by his late mother. so they have no mortgage. it only has 2 acers of land and it in a small town. way over assessed. she thinks she will sell it in 20 years and live off that and SS.
she keeps getting the cell phone turned off cause she can'[t make the full payment. have landline too. husband won’t let her have cable…or she would have that too.
Hey Rachel, Now The Social Security Admin is no longer sending out the yearly statement concerning the benefits one can expect at retirement, look for more deluded people just like your friend in the future. You and I both know that SS was never meant as the sole means of retirement, so stories like your friends are sad, so sad. Peace
Yes, I wondered why I didn’t get that in April.
Thanks.
I remember those. It’s a good thing I never really expected to see that money, because the amount shown fell somewhere in the area between “destitute” and “I’m f***ed.”
Social Security will be a nice boost (I likely won’t see it for 30 years in spite of being just over 40), but you have to have other means that will carry you through, even if it’s just a reverse mortgage on owned property.
Personally, I enjoy working in my particular career field, and would have no clue as to what to do with my time otherwise.
Rachel, they think the same rules apply to them that applied to their Boomer Generation parents. Yes, you can be 40 and be an X’er. In fact, I’m 49 and about the oldest you can be and be an X’er, but an X’er all the same. My oldest sibling, 5 years older, is Boomer all the way. The differences in life-outcomes have been like night and day for us. We’re talking elite private school vs. GED, connections for elite jobs vs. scrapin’ up dog poop at a kennel, etc. Night and day.
Anyway, X’ers and later are NOT going to be able to sit back and collect the moolah. We didn’t have Greatest Generation parents setting up the world for us. We had Boomer parents (Yep, Boomers were kids during WWII, they started then and got spoiled postwar on) who spent our future on EST classes and Ray-Bans. Read “Revenge Of The Latch-Key Kids” by Ted Rall for more on this, brilliant book.
Last time I heard from the SS admin., I worked as an employee in my lifetime just long enough to get the minimum amount. Which I think right now is about $700 a month. It’ll be inflation/deflation adjusted, of course. Your friend should not count on more than that.
A pay-as-you-go phone costs me $20 a month. It just barely justifies its existence. If I didn’t actually thank myself for getting it occasionally, I’d drop it like a hot potato. No cable, got radio though. My neighbors get TV on the “rabbit ears” and it’s amazing, they actually get the 3 major channels and PBS, what more do you need? Excellent picture too.
She needs to get her place re-assessed, and she may be smart to hang onto it, you can feed a few people on 2 acres.
No, “Boomers” by definition were born after the end of WW2. Birth rates dropped during the War, and rebounded after, as all those young men came home and set up families. Hence the so-called “baby boom”. By 1955 birth rates were normal again. You would thus have to be 56 today to be even marginally considered a Boomer.
Sorry to disagree with you, but Boomers ended in around 1962. Had more to do with the oldest of the WWII Generation turning 40 and the youngest of the Boomers starting families of thier own. I always try to disassociate myself with the Boomers but my wife always corrects me.
Cruachan!
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964.[1] The term “baby boomer” is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even within a given territory. Different groups, organizations, individuals, and scholars may have widely varying opinions on what constitutes a baby boomer, both technically and culturally. Ascribing universal attributes to a broad generation is difficult, and some observers believe that it is inherently impossible. Nonetheless, many people have attempted to determine the broad cultural similarities and historical impact of the generation, and thus the term has gained widespread popular usage
Actually when SS was first rolled out, people weren’t living that long for the most part. That was the rub – that most people would not live long enough to claim benefits.
They should have advanced the age to claim SS to age 70 years ago.
If you read the above article. It points out how the American people have lost hope.
We might be down right now, but I wouldn’t say that we are down and out.
A lot of us are getting back up on our feet. And when we look at our surroundings, we do not see the America of yesterday. That America that convinced its citizens that they could gorge themselves on the false profets we accumalated through large debts. And the most erronious falsehood that we accepted as truth was…….We, Americans, would not suffer for our stupidity.
Well, the time has come to pay the piper. From here on out…The “American Dream” will be the one that hard working Americans build for themselves off the works of their own laber, savings and intelligence.
I do not believe that the majority of Americans will see the possibilities of this new “American Dream”. Too many of them are still dependant on the gifts (Ha! Ha!) that the government hands out for their loyalties.
But for those who have the vision, the strength and the courage to go forth into Americas future and attain their “American Dream”, there are no bounderies to the possibilities that await us.
God bless and keep on prepping.
Mona, we are the new minority (no color) just being aware of the falacy of this gov’t. We prep, we warn others, we educate others and ourselves. We don’t need the new toys (ipads/ipods, video games, etc.) to be happy nor amused.
Those that won’t listen only see us as crying wolf. The gov’t/most elected officals hope most won’t listen to us.
I know how Noah must have felt.
Peace,joy and His grace be with you.
Noah, the original Prepper, I love it!
You are EXACTLY right Mona, this is a big financial crisis but every crisis carries with it the seeds of success for the brave, and the persistent.
These are those who take the initiative and seize the opportunity that always presents itself to those who look for a way to succeed rather than an excuse to fail.
Read the story the other day of a guy whose UI ran out in Ohio. He packed his bags, emptied his bank account of the last $300 and used it for gas to get to California.
He took a job with a temp firm and started a custom soap company on-line using skills he had learned in college chemistry. He is now doing very well.
Google him. Read his story people. The Lord helps those who help themselves. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Go within. Find it.
I like your positive attitude, but I do not share it. It presumes that Americans are free. I see encroaching fascism; a police state; confiscation of assets; taxes and licenses required to set up so much as a lemonade stand. And don’t even think about selling raw milk or sharing home-grown food/meat with friends without expecting a visit from Homeland Security. I don’t think that the “American Dream” will be the one, as you suggest, that “hard working Americans build for themselves off the works of their own labor”. I think the only way for the American Dream to ever recover is through a very messy revolution. These people in power now do not want us to succeed. They want to crush us. And they have the world’s most powerful military on their side.
I agree. My husband and I never did believe Boomers would actually collect Social Security, so we lived far below our means and saved and saved. What we didn’t anticipate was the theft of our savings through almost zero interest rates plus the printing of money which devalues our dollars. We have children and are very worried for them. I have no financial training, but try to read about current world finances, and it doesn’t look at all good. Best of wishes for the U.S. middle class…
Interesting article.. but I wonder how many of those polled in the 18-64 range were closer to the 18 or closer to the 64.
Heck, when I was 18, I didn’t have any saving for retirement either.. matter of fact.. I don’t even recall having a bank account.. or having enough money to need one.. 😉
I had a bank account at 18, but it usually emptied out as fast as I got anything into it. Given the crappy pay of a USAF E-2 at the time? The car, beer and chicks were *expensive* If it weren’t for the chow hall, I swear that I think I would have starved to death…
That’s why they HAD a chow hall! You and me both, buddy. If we’d only known, as E-2’s we could have been putting $200-$300 or more a month away, even in the early 80s an E-2 got like $500 a month. I live on now, in absolute dollars, less than I made as an E-2.
Hell, it would have been possible to live, as an E-2, on $100 a month and just sock away the rest. Food, clothes, medical, everything, all taken care of.
In fact a smart E-2 could have done something like making stuff out of paracord or something, some little side-job to make that $100 a month for incidentals and saved ALL of their military pay. I bet a few did it, a very few.
I bet my pal Francisco saved 2/3 of his pay. He was squared away.
If we’d only known…..
How did you not know? Saving for a rainy day is a new concept? Invented since the 2007 collapse?
You’re not older and wiser now, you’re the same dumb fuck you were at 18. That’s why you’re poor now, and that’s why you were poor back then. The fact that you still don’t recognize this shows me just how stupid you really are.
Don’t blame your parents. Don’t blame the schools. Blame your inferior intellect and lack of critical thinking skills.
I won’t share any personal anecdotes for opsec reasons, but suffice it to say that I’ve lived a similar life to yours except I wasn’t a stupid fuck and thus did all the things you wish you’d have done ($100 a month? Yea, you could do it in 2003 too, hair cuts and uniform expenses only). I won’t be begging for government hand outs when I’m your age. Retards like you should have stayed in for 30 to get the full pension. The fact that you got out and are now making a pittance is no shock to anyone.
Saving for a rainy day as “lol” has posted, is fine. But life doesn’t always work out how you expect. I served for a time in the Military. I didn’t save much, but had a good time, traveled the world and had plenty of life experience. I got out early to learn a trade rather than be a 30 year lifer with no skills. I’ve experienced a couple set backs along the way, worn disappointment from time to time, I’ve been ripped off by those who I entrusted with my money and paid bills till it hurt to save a loved one. That’s life!!! Good or bad.
I have no idea what the future holds for me, or for anyone else for that matter. I’m still afloat, my heads above water, I have food on the table and I’m still smiling.
I knew a guy in the Military who is quite well off now. He saved EVERYTHING. He never brought a beer, but was always drunk. He ate every meal in the mess hall. He never brought cigarettes but always smoked. And stuff like soap and shampoo he would get by ‘borrowing” he was forever asking for rides into town to see his girl but never offered gas money.
Id rather be poor and struggling than be known as “the Leech” for the rest of my life!!! it’s probably “Lol’s” brother!!
@lol:
There are damned few 18 year old kids out there who not only know the concept of saving for a rainy day, but actually put it to use.
Personally, I got lucky in spite of my (back then) spend-it-all ways, and should have been economical. OTOH, my point was that in spite of “should have”, most kids that age simply don’t.
…Hell, most adults my age still don’t.
seperate rats and a btz win to e-3 really helped the party;also had a part time job at the nco club the last six months. still miss the midnight chow hall run.354th keeper of the hogs!
Er, idiots like “lol” are idiots.
I don’t blame my parents, they had no idea Great Depression II was coming. And I know I should have been saving money as an E-2, that’s what the whole post was about. The difference between myself and “lol” is, I won’t be standing in line for the No. of the beast to get my gov’t handouts, I don’t take them now and I don’t plan to take them in the future. I lived for a while in a “red” state, everyone but everyone is on Welfare, Food Stamps, and every other gov’t handout they can get. Free Shit Army indeed. The FSA is why I have plenty ammo stockpiled, when the free shit and gov’t handouts run out, they’re gonna riot for more like a ghetto momma callin’ 911 ‘cos the Big Macs ran out, and sensible ruralites like me will have to put ’em down like the rabit pest-animals they are.
Stay within reach of a 7-11, “lol”!
Whats happening now just feels different…..If we had a recovery I guess I missed it…..I try and tell my friends and family whats happening, and they think I am nuts…..I just keep prepping silently……God help us all. Thanks for the info Mac.
I try to talk about this with my friends and family also, to the extent that I think they can tolerate it… They just don’t want to deal with it, so they think I’m over the top… Very best case scenario, we are totally wrong! If so, what harm have we done? And if we buy a little extra food, we can always EAT it! (And most likely save some money, since in my lifetime, prices never go DOWN!)
Let’s see: Don’t count on social security to be there at all. Don’t count on your pension being there at all. Don’t count on your 401K staying afloat for any time at all. Don’t count on keeping your job as things get worse.
What exactly is the “retirement” plan in an economy like this one? I am really wondering.
All I come up with is: pay off all debt including your mortgage and set aside as many goods as you can. That is not what I think of when someone says “retirement”.
When I was a kid, there was an old lady who lived across the street. She relied mostly on her garden and handicrafts to make do, as the SS check really didn’t go that far.
c, that’s pretty much my plan. Hoping that I can get completely out of debt, build up my 5 acres to be more self-sustaining, stock up on stuff now while it is cheaper and I have income, learn some skills that I can more easily barter than my current profession, and learn to live a more simple/frugal existence. Hopefully it will be enough, I have a feeling it will have to be.
They call it a dream cause you have to be a sleep to believe it!
Bloodyfellow,
This was one of the best you posted. 🙂
Be safe, and strong.
Hey, man hope you and your family are doing well. I see tuffer times a head of us. It’s good to hear from you again.
Have to close your eyes to see it.
Right!
Hope never worked well for me. Hope is an abstract term for something that is largely, un-obtainable.
No…I believe in a plan or plans that will work!
I see no guidance from this administration, only lies.
What dream? It’s a nightmare. But then again, the Dream was just an illusion, anyway, created by someone’s opinion of what others should try to attain.
In reality, the dream most definitely came true, Americans are the most addicted culture on the face of the planet. Addicted to the illusion of an artificial reality that some pill, some toy, some food is going to bring eternal happiness, some semblance of inner peace, inner joy.
It’s got to come from “Inside” for it to work; for the truly satisfying “dream” to become established in the waking state.
The number I find interesting is that ONLY 41% GET IT. Other commentors that “defend” the “dream” with “you just need to work hard, be honest, and keep-on-believing” must live on an uncharted island somewhere.
The fact that the “dream” is still apparent in your life today has nothing to do with tomorrow. The dollar is going to DIE. Not only will it no longer be the “reserve currency of the world”, it will take a pickup truck load to buy a weeks worth of food.
How do you come to a “site” dedicated to preparing for this fact and then support the idea that YOU and the rest of us are basically “prepping” for nothing? Just work a little harder, everything will be A-OK.
That near 50 million on foodstamps are just a bunch of lazy leeches. The unemployment figure that is in reality nearing 20% is another sign of the lazy nature of Americans in general. There are plenty of minimum wage jobs out there that could never pay the bills in this approaching hyperinflation.
When your 401k, ira, pensions, etc. become worth the less than the paper they are printed on, will your Optimistic Joy-Joy outlook still be intact?
And that doesn’t even take into account the coming global situation. This time it will “come to America”. WE won’t be “idiot box observers”. You will be able to look out your window and SEE the news.
@yental thats because the other 59% are living large , work for the feds, imf nwo controlled pentagon war machine or industrial war complex! your suffering gaurantee’s / pays them a paycheck!
My retirement plan is simple…..quit working for someone else….& just work for myself. If everything collapses I have many skills that should be useful. I can fix / rebuild just about any type of auto/truck.
Have worked ground up construction , can frame , wire, plumb, drywall, roof , & do concrete work. Have Ham radio & license, so can do communications. Food farming, raising chickens, horses, livestock. Working on getting my reloading gear set up…..so bring me your shells & I will reload for a fee…. and so on. The whole matrix may change…..& we will have to find a way to earn our way going forward. Yea,….I get those yearly Social Security statements that say that if I work to be 150…..I’m going to get $2,000. a month. That does not sound to bad…..until you figure out that the way Ben is printing money….that $2,000. will buy me a Happy Meal at MickySDee’s unless Moochell has them banned by then ! Don’t be discouraged. You have another day that the SHTF has not happened….so get after doing what needs done to complete your plan !
Montgomery County Texas
You sound so much like me, I wonder if I posted that under another personality. You weren’t born in San angelo were you? This personality doesn’t do drywall, though. I could make some money around here if I could. Also, I don’t fix autos very well, but my wifes very good with them. I’ve also been looking into developing different types of power generators. Neighbors would probably feed me for life if I could generate power for their homes. I have a tractor for gardening which runs on diesel (and biodiesel). And several acres of land. My other preps could be better, but I do what I can. As I’ve stated before on this forum, most of my preps come in the form of learning new things I can use no matter whether I have physical preps or not. I’d feel better about having enough food stored up to feed my family for a couple of years, but I simply don’t have that kind of money. So, I make arrangements to take care of my family in other ways.
@ C_S Yes….I believe that there are a lot of us old school folks out here…that are good at working with our hands & figuring out how to make do with what we have. I like you ….am on here to learn & get new ideas from other folks that have expertise in areas I do not.
Most of us don’t have unlimited funds to just “ante up” & buy 5 years of food, ammo, fuel, & other preps. We do what we can & try to cover our bases the best we can.
If this train wreck does take another 5 years to complete, that means that we all have more time to get our duckies lined up. The biggest thing that most of us have going is that at least we are aware….we can see the writing on the wall. I would also like to work on alternative power generation methods. I have two generators…but they require fuel. In a true SHTF situation….I believe that fuel will become very scarce very fast. Just keep the faith & work every week to get a little better prepared !
Montgomery County Texas
Random T,
Yes, buddy, I agree with you. I do not plan on anyone helping me out. I plan on getting out of the business, consulting engineering, as soon as my side business picks up enough. I’ll retire to working for myself and helping the prep community with needed items not easily found. I’m building multi-purpose distillers and other things in my spare time. 100% copper and TIG welding them. I’ll also help anyone who cannot afford to buy a unit and give them a design they can assemble with easily found items, as long as the have a heat source and water source, does not have to be pressurised. I can also share woodcraft capability as I’ve been a trapper and a hunter for most of my life.
We grow food, we can, we make jerky, sausage…you name it. we preserve it, my daughter has 9 chickens in our suburban back yard and is getting 7-8 eggs every day. My wife picles at least a quat and a half every weekend sometimes more and I have two eggs every morning. We put up dry goods, we have a small place in the country where we evac to when a hurricane comes to the Texas Gulf Coast.
I think a heck of a Storm is coming.
That’s beside the point, I do not plan on SS, I do not plan on any retirement as I plan on working, hunting, trapping, gardening, helping peeps….untill the day I die. Which that day I hope I’m an old man in a rocking chair with my favorite rifle propped up beside me. A canine snoozing at my feet. Heck I can dream can’t I?
I have hard assets, but more important I’m in shape and have a strong work ethic and have survived multiple environments during my life. I have lived in many wild areas for extended periods. I’ll continue to do so even though I’m “retired”, when it is possible.
Take care my brother, God Bless you and keep you.
Terry
LNL PROTEKT LLC
The American dream is not lost.
It is stolen.
Who’s to blame? I pressume we all know.
No, not stolen. We gave it away by electing crooks, liars and demagogues to be our governors. We should have known better. True conservatives from WW2 onward warned us, but we as a population were blinded by empty promises and our own greed. Many individuals weren’t, but the masses were, and now even the most virtuous of us will suffer. Because the greedy simpletons still outnumber us, and they continue to elect crook, liars, and demagogues.
I think we are learning that we really have no choice in who is put up for election. The power brokers do the deciding for us. We are given a “choice” between crook A or crook B. Anyone who votes for either party is falling for the ruse. Voting is a con game.
yes manos… zionists, luciferians, illuminati, politicians, masons, roylaty, feminazis….. they have stolen it.
@manos, apparently it takes “someone” from the “cradle of civilization” to point out what is happening for “the infants of civilization”. Hope you can update us all on the “inside story” in your part of the world. As YOU go, WE GO.
I’m still hoping on winning the lotto again. Won $3 the other day! Haven’t cashed it in yet. Wondering if I have to pay taxes.
Start keeping a notebook of every penny in, every penny out. You might be surprised what you’re spending on things that are, frankly, dumb and then running short at the end of the month/pay period.
alc…i did this and kept the journal for a year. at years end it got totaled up……things have greatly improved after i let my hubby know that he was spending over $2000.00 a year just on pizza…and more than that on his diet pepsi. this all took place about ten yrs ago when living from paycheck to paycheck was becoming harder to do..we are almost outta debt now and well prepared for when tshtf.
Bingo! You end up knowing what went for what.
It makes you conscious of your spending. It’s probably the most effective thing you can do. I was taught it by a great-aunt who’d lived through the Great Depression, had college paid for, didn’t go hungry but she saw it happening all around her.
Today’s “soda generation” have NO freakin’ idea. Likewise all the RINOs i’ve seen in “red” states who are latched onto the gov’t teat but TIGHT.
What is called “the american dream” was cooked up in think tanks like the Ford Foundation and organizations like OSI, and later the CIA.
This was and is the program that turned americans into and now describes us as CONSUMERS. What most people THINK, at least until the advent of the internet, our virtual Liberty Tree, including which professors get tenure, that is, go with the program, has been contrived. I strongly recommend that you read “The CIA: And the world of arts and letters” – do not be misled by the disinfo review on the CIA’s own website, find this book. It will blow your mind.
There was a division of the Ford Foundation that dealt with psychopolitical manipulations.. the directors had to be rotated because the materials being researched tended to drive people quite mad.
It really all is a grand charade, from little house built of ticky-tacky all the same…to shopping malls controlled by the same few corporate megaliths..we were, as Americans, essentially, programmed and brainwashed.
In 1955 Dr Robert Oppenheimer, (of the Manhattan project, the first atomic bomb) after his fall from grace, which I believe was because he saw what was going on… tried to warn us, in a speech to the American Psychological Association, he warned that the threat posed to society by the advances in psychology for controlling what people think and believe to be true made the threat of the atomic bomb seem “trivial” < He used the word trivial. Google The Journal of the Atomic Scientists, 1955, Dr Robert Oppenheimer.
Quote: "In the last ten years physicists have been extraordinarily noisy about the immense powers, largely through their efforts, but through other efforts as well have come into the possession of man, powers notably and strikingly for very large scale and dreadful destruction. We have spoken of our responsibilities and our obligations to society in terms that sound very provincial, because the psychologist can hardly do anything without realizing that for him the acquisition of knowledge opens up the most terrifying prospects of controlling what people do and how they feel. This is true for all of you who are engaged in practice, and as the corpus of psychology gains in certitude and subtlety and skill. I can see that the physicists pleas that what he discovers be used with humanity and be used wisely will seem trivial compared to those pleas which you will have to make and for which you will be responsible."
WHHAAATTTT!!!! No American dream! That is what OWS would like you to belive ! I have a dream, not there yet, but crying an bitching is’nt going to make it happen. How about some hard work and old fashion thinking!
Good for you Geo!! Be careful though the word hard work seems to be a dirty word these day!
“Hard work” isn’t a dirty word, but it has become a meaningless concept. When the Crimegress can indulge in insider trading with impunity, and the banksters get trillions in “bail-outs” for squandering my money, and a “tax cheat” heads the Treasury/IRSS………Exactly why am I “working hard”?
The “American dream” has maggots eating it from the inside out and top to bottom. When “reality” finally knocks on YOUR door, perhaps that will be the “wake-up” call you have yet to receive.
By the way, I still bust my ass everyday. But continuing to “pay taxes” as a blind, “patriotic” American in this sewer of corruption is about to be past-history. I have drawn my personal line!
What is called “the american dream” was cooked up in think tanks like the Ford Foundation and organizations like OSI, and later the CIA.
This was and is the program that turned americans into and now describes us as CONSUMERS. What most people THINK, at least until the advent of the internet, our virtual Liberty Tree, including which professors get tenure, that is, go with the program, has been contrived. I strongly recommend that you read “The CIA: And the world of arts and letters” – do not be misled by the disinfo review on the CIA’s own website, find this book. It will blow your mind.
There was a division of the Ford Foundation that dealt with psychopolitical manipulations.. the directors had to be rotated because the materials being researched tended to drive people quite mad.
It really all is a grand charade, from little houses all built of ticky-tacky, all the same…to shopping malls controlled by the same few corporate megaliths..we were, as Americans, essentially, programmed and brainwashed.
In 1955 Dr Robert Oppenheimer, (of the Manhattan project, the first atomic bomb) after his fall from grace, which I believe was because he saw what was going on… tried to warn us, in a speech to the American Psychological Association, he warned that the threat posed to society by the advances in psychology for controlling what people think and believe to be true made the threat of the atomic bomb seem “trivial” < He used the word trivial!! Google The Journal of the Atomic Scientists, 1955, Dr Robert Oppenheimer.
Quote: "In the last ten years physicists have been extraordinarily noisy about the immense powers, largely through their efforts, but through other efforts as well have come into the possession of man, powers notably and strikingly for very large scale and dreadful destruction. We have spoken of our responsibilities and our obligations to society in terms that sound very provincial, because the psychologist can hardly do anything without realizing that for him the acquisition of knowledge opens up the most terrifying prospects of controlling what people do and how they feel. This is true for all of you who are engaged in practice, and as the corpus of psychology gains in certitude and subtlety and skill. I can see that the physicists pleas that what he discovers be used with humanity and be used wisely will seem trivial compared to those pleas which you will have to make and for which you will be responsible."
I think Spock was right….My dream now is “Live Long & Prosper! ” There is no use in crying over spilt milk.
We just need to remember the best cut on on the “Who’s”
album “Who’s Next” …was Won’t get fooled again !
Montgomery County Texas
Hey everyone I need some quick advice.
I am a freshman in college and I just got a scholarship check for $5,000. I have $4,500 in loans. Obviously, it would be nice to pay my loans off but the more I watch world events, the more I think it would be better to put that 5k into silver coins and pay off my loans with my silver when the currency dumps. What do you all think?
Thanks
Join the Coast Guard and pay off your loan now.
the 5k scholarship check is from the army, im doing rotc.
Now is not the time to join the military.
THERE IS NEVER A TIME TO JOIN THE MILITARY, NO ONE HAS ATTACKED US EVER, MAYBE OUR OWN GOVT HAS, YES, IF YOU WANT TO DIE OR COME HOME WITH NO LEGS AND ARMS FOR CORPORATIONS TO GET RICH THEN JOIN, OTHERWISE, WISE UP AND GET A REAL JOB WHERE YOU ARE NOT KILING FOR CORPORATIONS GREEED
You know the loan will compound interest, right? Do yourself a favor, pay off that loan and eat ramen.
Thumbs up!
Exactly!!! Pay the loan, child. And never own a credit card–if you can’t pay cash, you don’t need it.
Other than a home.
Pay off the debt!
Pay your loans down some a least, who wants to be indebted to the Govt any more then they have to be. I hope you are in a program that will be needed after you graduate. Study hard, graduate, get a job and go to work and make something of yourself. Decide what your American Dream is and go get it. (It is what I would tell my own kids)
While I don’t want to provide investment advice because I am not aware of your personal situation or future goals (i.e. how much more debt do you plan on adding before you get out of school, and what’s your interest rate), I think it is a great idea that you are exploring other options.
Here’s an excellent viewpoint from Eric Sprott on where silver is headed this decade – and I tend to agree with his assessments and forecasts.
https://www.shtfplan.com/precious-metals/sprott-this-decade-will-be-the-decade-of-silver_11152011
Silver is going higher — but are you willing to bet it all on a forecast (even if it is from a brilliant mind like Sprott or Marc Faber)? It’s hard to predict all of the variables involved. anything can happen.
My view is, if you really want to buy silver (and have no silver assets at this point) it couldn’t hurt to take a PORTION of that $5000 and acquire some. At the same time, this means you are going to be carrying a loan balance (which is why i mentioned future borrowing plans and interest rate)… You do not want to be saddled with a bunch of debt that you can’t pay off if your silver investments don’t go the right way.
What I and many others have learned the hard way is that NO DEBT is the only good debt. At the very least I would suggest paying off half your loan right here and now (perhaps even more depending on your specific situation).
Investing is essentially gambling, but at the same time, it is becoming quite clear that the global economy is in shambles and, as a result, silver and gold will likely rise over coming years. Thus, having some in your possession is not such a bad idea — and if precious metals do rise, they will likely rise faster than the interest rate on your loan. Before I would buy PM’s though, I would set aside at least enough food and supplies to get you through a 90 – 180 crisis.
If the price of silver goes to $100 or $200 or $500 as has been forecast, then you can just about guarantee that the system has come unhinged, the dollar is crashing and just-in-time grocery and retail supply systems have fallen apart. At that point, during the “crunch”, not many people are going to be willing to trade food for silver. So consider the reasons for why silver may go as high as you think it may, and what would drive it to those levels.
Bottom line: Are you willing to take the risk? It all comes down to this.
I guess here’s what I would do (and again, this is coming from my mindset, i have a different set of goals and concerns):
-Pay off at least half the loan, perhaps more.
-Take $500 and stock up on dry goods like rice, beans, sugar, salt, etc. (that’s a lot of food and it can store well.. here is a food calculator as a reference: http://readynutrition.com/resources/category/preparedness/calculators/)
-Take $500 and buy other supplies. (perhaps a rifle, ammo, water filter, etc.)
-Take $750 – $1000 and buy silver (preferably junk pre-1965 US coinage if this is your first silver investment, that way you have small denominations that are recognizable).
-Whatever is left over put into the student loan or other preparation items.
-Get a job, even if part time making just $100 – $200 a week and start paying down the rest of the loan ASAP and acquire an ounce or two of silver every week (it’ll add up quick).
Best wishes. hope that helps.
Very wise advice!
Thaks for the advice Mac, I like what our saying about putting $500 into food. My dad showed me this site about two years ago and since then I have aquired roughly 70 oz of silver by working a lot in high school and hitting up the coin shop. Ad to everyone else, in a hyper-inflationary period (one that will surely come), wouldn’t it be smarter to take out loans and pump that money into silver/gold? Who cares if you owe $20,000 to the goverment in student loans when a loaf of bread is $50? One’s pm assets will surely be sky high right?
I definitely understand your line of thinking and a similar strategy has been discussed here before… Essentially, why not take out as much credit as you possibly can, and then when hyperinflation hits you pay it off in fiat dollars which should by then be available by the wheelbarrow?
In a perfect world, where we can predict exactly how and when it all goes down that would be the strategy take. But there are variables… Lots of variables that we can’t predict. Former Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld referred to these types of variables as “known unknowns” or “unknown unknowns.”
Keep that in mind.
First, we won’t know what tools the Fed and other organizations in positions of power have at their disposal. Is it possible, that they could completely flip the strategy and somehow change the trend from hyperinflationary to hyperdeflationary? Unlikely, yes. Impossible? no. The people running the games behind the scenes are very intelligent and have multi-pronged, multi-decade strategies in play. We really don’t know what the response will be and how quickly it will be enacted if the US dollar collapses…. RFID government assistance cards (or implants!) could be deployed very quickly in the event of a dollar collapse and completely replace the currency, in one form or another, in a matter of days or weeks.
Second, looking back at just one example in history, governments can do whatever they want. There was a similar debt collapse in Rome around the time of Julius Caesar. People took on loans to buy properties, and renters refused to pay their rent because the economy was in dire straits. The landlords then couldn’t pay their loans… Same story as now, just 2000 years ago and without the packaging of debt into digital securities. If I understand it correctly, Caesar dealt with the crisis by decreeing that landlords had to reduce the debts – 25% or so, I think – and all renters then had to make good on their contracts at the reduced rate. Essentially, he forced everyone to write down the debt, and then made those who owe money start paying it back (sounds like the recent Greek bond write-down strategy, actually).. I’m sure it was much more complicated then my simple explanation here, but that was more or less the gist of it.
My point is this: While you may take out a loan for $25,000 now and expect to pay it off quickly and easily during a hyperinflationary collapse, there is the real possibility that government will decree that outstanding loans to credit card companies, mortgage companies, etc. will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index or some other Inflation measure, thereby eliminating your ability to enact the hyperinflation pay-down strategy, as your debt will adjust upwards as the dollar depreciates. They can and will do whatever they want, especially in a situation where the whole damn world is seemingly out of control. (this includes currency controls and trade controls, so even if you hold gold and silver there is a possibility that you won’t be able to legally use it to pay debts private and public).
Incidentally, as a side note, I found it interesting that my teachers never discussed the possible conspiracy theories behind Caesar’s death at the hands of his “good friend” Marcus Brutus. Apparently, Brutus was a big playa’ in Rome and was making tons of money as somewhat of a financier (I am not sure exactly what it is he did). When Caesar passed his decrees Brutus and his cohorts were threatened 1) because they were going to lose some serious cash by having to write down debts and 2) they thought Caesar was going full dictator on them. so, they stabbed him to death, romantically of course, to preserve Roman democracy… An interesting story, indeed.
Disclaimer: all of this is hypothetical and most of it is just the ramblings of a random guy on the internet, so please consider your options and give whatever strategy you go with some serious thought.
Student
You’re a mole. I’ve seen this post, posted, before.
Pay off your loans. You borrowed them from somebody. What’s wrong with you?
YOU, and your kind are reflective of a generation gone awol. Put the earplugs back in and stay oblivious to what’s real, and, stay out of the way.
Well said E A..
“Pay off your loans. You borrowed them from somebody. What’s wrong with you? ”
P E R F E C T
Pay off the loan. The grant was intended to help with your education costs. Use it for that.
This is your father talking… 😉
quit college and join the military kiddo…earn and learn at the same time you are growing up.
“War is our business and business is good.”
No, business is booming!
JOIN THE MILITARY AND DIE FOR A LIE, ALSO DIE FOR CORPORATIONS THAT MAKE BILLIONS OFF OF BLOODY SOLDIER DUPES
stfu @ carynverell … the military is a death wish, a lifetime of physical and psych problems… not worth it! kid pay off the loan with the money… period… Debt is like a “tick” always sucking you dry and then get a part time job to slowly acquire your gear guns ammo bandaids… pm’s are last on the list! the very last!
do not join the military… go into the dental, agricultural, veterinarian, medical, industrial chemistry, pharmacutical or engineering fields. these all are big money careers and future growth.
Buy gold. Pay the loan off in 5 years in inflated dollars when gold is worth $3500 an oz and the value of the dollar is $.50.
I think that you should ask Judge Judy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTPQd8x_uh4
As Frederic Bastiat said over a century ago about Obama’s hellish, socialist dystopia:
“Socialism is the great fiction, whereby everybody endeavours to live off of everyone else.”
Anyone for a quick round of chanting “Yes we can” or “Yes we have no bananas?” (Same diff)
How is the American Dream defined? I really think we should start with a definition that can be agreed upon by everyone before anyone forms the conclusion that it is “lost”.
Definitions of the American Dream could be…
To be a stay at home wife/mother who cooks and cleans and cares for her family.
To own a home free of a mortgage.
To have a small business in a small town that is able to provide for the owner and the owner’s family while contributing to the local economy.
To go to college and learn how to practice medicine.
Given there are so many ways to define what each person sees as the the american dream (obviously there are many more than I have listed) I can only form one conclusion:
The American Dream is alive and well.
Actually, if you look up the “five freedoms” I’m pretty sure that’s the American Dream.
There’s nothing necessarily in there about doing better than your parents although that’s become sort of understood. But it’s no guarantee. Perhaps the *opportunity* to do better than your parents, if you work hard/smart, is the “sixth freedom”.
Somehow people got the idea that the American Dream might involve pushing buttons instead of wielding a hoe.
Its not just the polls here in U.S. its in europe, and asia that have the same overall negativity…..from consumer confidence ….to the misery index.
Of course people are going to respond negatively to a poll like that right now.
WE are in the Great Recession, in a financial time not seen in 60 years, for a generation of kids that have been pampered most of their lives.
The American Dream is still available to anyone who is determined, smart, and willing to persevere.
couldnt agree more DK
The arrival of the Russian freighter to the ISS was a sucess Mac. We have 2.5 tons of supplies.
Send dictionery and multi-talented woman next time.
The American Dream is Liberty and Peace.
People are getting strange, an its because humans probably are not hard wired to be a full time consumer! How about love and some family life!
To keep the american dream alive you just need yo stay asleep.But people are waking up and see all the mess around them.Gues the blanket got to short and the feet got cold.Good luck wading trough the mess surrounding us.
The other night I worked overtime and headed home at 2:30 am. I pulled over to help an old lady (she looked about 65) who had a very, very bad flat tire – her tire was completely shredded. She looked frail and weak. What was an old lady doing at 2:30 in the morning? Answer – DELIVERING NEWSPAPERS. She expressed concern to me that she might not make it to her OTHER JOB at 10:00 in the morning. She said she worked for a security company (maybe she was a secretary?).
I went home and later that morning I thought “Wow, 2 jobs just to make ends meet. What a awful way to live your golden years.”
Yeah, the American Dream is lost for many people. Maybe retirement will be a nightmare for millions living like this old lady.
Should I take the $5000 and buy silver?
Let’s see: Spot price, today, $34.57 at the close. So,
$5000 divided by $34.57 = 144.63, or about 144 ounces.
Now, I believe silver is going to appreciate. I don’t
know how fast, or how much, but, let’s make some
assumptions: Let’s say it goes to $100, by Jan 2014.
So, in two years or so, your $5000 investment would be
worth $14,400. THAT would be worth doing. I would
invest $5000 today for $14,400 by Jan, 2014. BUT: will
silver go to $100? I think so, but, I don’t think it
will hit that until, say, 2018-2020. Your investment
decision will have to take into account some unknown
variables. Personally, I don’t think you can get
enough ‘bang for your buck’ (leverage) on only 144 ozs.
SO: bottom line, wait ’til silver drops (I think it’s
going to low $20’s), so you can buy MORE ounces. My
personal belief is that we are going to experience the
mother of all stock market crashes in the not-too-
distant future, and silver WILL go down…probable the
LAST chance to buy it cheap. Wait for the crash, then
buy. Can you afford to wait? Will you put the $5000
in the bank, make the payments and not spend the money,
and wait for a better “buy-in”? Probably not. DO NOT
BUY THE SILVER. I would send the check back to the
issuer. Stay out of debt, 1st objective. Live to play
another day.
ah… another one of those”low 20’s” guys from kitco huh?
Remeber…you can wish in one hand and crap in the other….
let me know which hand gets filled first.
Kid……. pay the debt off.
The 41% who have lost the hope of an american dream, are less than half of the people who still have the american dream. The scary part is that most of the other half, have the same dream as the supreme leader, Mr. Pres., the share the wealth socialist. His dream and the progressive machine behind him, is to make us all live under one rule, same housing, same income, same religion, same clothes, but different numbers.
Throw this phsyco, ego maniac, little hitler, bum out. I’d rather live in a hole and eat dirt then be under his rule.
Some background on me: I work in the yachting industry as a crewmember on large yachts. I work directly for the elite (at least they like to think they are). My last employer was an ex-banker (sold for a huge profit) and past chairman of Mastercard Global. He told me one day in the summer of 2010 “I’m afraid that we will have to go thru some more pain for some time before thngs get better again.” That should tell anyone here that we are in for a helluva depression. If I or any of my friends in my industry see the wealthy freaking out or are told to stock up the boat for an extended period offshore,we’ll know it’s SHTF time. Time to fly home and get to the BOL.
Hey Mate, where yea presently anchored, rough whereabouts, that be. South Pacific? Caribbean? Or the Mediterranean?
I’d better start being nicer to my kids or else they won’t help out with my retirement plan of them supporting me in my old age. 😆
probably too late..its not like they will be able to find jobs here anyways, and they will probably be moving back in with you sooner then you think
I’ve always have lived the American Dream and always will till my eyes finally close for the last time. No one will ever take that from me, especially by a mixed mutt whelp from a she-bitch-cur POTUS.
Give shit to anyone driving a foreign car. Give shit to anyone shopping at walmart.
Cancel all credit cards
Better save your funds.
My plan…
Buy land in the country…a small tractor….self farming. Build a small cabin.
Live until God takes me.
Anyone driving a foreign car? Really? My “foreign” brand car was made in Indiana. Should I buy an “American-made” car from a company owned by the non-corrupt U.S. government instead?
Second that. My foreign car was made in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Some money may be going overseas but at least people are getting jobs HERE to produce the autos.
BTW, many “American” cars are now being manufactured in Mexico.
The American dream is never lost.It stay’s in the heart’s of the people willing enough to keep it alive.I read the passion here and know it is alive and well.
Yes, the “American Dream” is just that — a dream! Time to wake up and smell the reality! Historically, for the White American USans at least, the American dream can be defined as the giving up of all historical, cultural and ethnic attachments and affinities in return for increasingly scanty material gain within the social model of a mongrel, “universal nation.” That’s why most White USans (especaily the patriotards and hicks of the heartland) absolutely HATE Europe, the land of their ancestors. You are traitors on a cellular level and you’re proud of it. The “American Dream” — What a despicable and debased “ideal.”
The dollar could collapse tomorrow and our houses drop another 30%, the American Dream will still be the same : a home of your own on a piece of land and food on the table, and a just and ordered peaceful society. We don’t need big bank accounts for that, and we sure don’t need a bunch of crying, finger-pointing whiners, either.
Until the government comes and tells you that you cannot grow your own crops for one reason or another. Or they set up regulations that require you to irradiate or conduct tests or submit your food items to costly government inspections, fees, taxes, etc. I firmly believe that they want control of the food supply – for reasons Kissinger stated so many years ago.
welcome one and all to the UNITED FASCIST PRISON STATES of AMERIKA! canada, america, mexico and then south america!
you all hopefully realize the way this will all end is badly… America is no more, now it will be NAFTA , the AMERO and eventually we will go to war in south america to make north and south one! that is their 50 year plan!
There are 400,000 job losses every week. The mainstream media says the economy needs 250,000 new jobs every month. If you have 1,600,000 job losses each month how could 250,000 new jobs be enough? That doesn’t make any sense. What it needs are 2,000,000 new jobs every month just to make some headway in the huge number of chronically unemployed people. Not only is the American Dream over but the economy is in a death spiral. There’s nothing to indicate that the job losses are leveling off or new jobs will start increasing. In fact, just the opposite. As more people lose their jobs and more people run out of unemployment there’s less money in the economy. I have an internet business. This is normally my busy time of year. Sales are 20% of what they usually are. If I had employees I’d be laying them off. Not hiring them.
Farm Cat…the idiots of this nation have not a clue–I just read the statistics on the black Friday sale site—more sales last year than year 2009, and more sales this year than last year.
I’ve been prepping for 3 years..
These idiots buying crap are the ones I will not open my door to.
I stopped warning of the coming food shortages, I mean serious food shortages, a few months ago.
I don’t know what your line is, but I hope you are storing not only food and water, but supplies.
Peace, Farm Cat, Peace.
LOL what American dream you Americans are dumb as the Palestinian dirt I stand on, LOL btw have hugged a stinking Jew today?
All of this is much to the delight of the global elites…
“Too many fake conservatives”
It’s funny, but I agree with you.
Conservative shills operate the same way as the main stream media.
LIE, LIE, LIE
HALF TRUTHS.
POINTING THEIR FINGERS AT SOMEONE ELSE.