This article was written by Tom Chatham and originally published at his Project Chesapeake blog.
Editor’s Comment: No one is too happy about the trying times ahead, and collapse often appears imminent. That is why we prep, in order to make the most desperate stage of collapse more manageable, and to foster an environment where you can put your skills to use in rebuilding, bartering and returning to some kind of normal in the future ahead.
But if it happens, it is an opportunity to set things straight. In the best outcome, it could be a reset. In fact, the whole system could be reformed, honest economy policies put in place, and oppressive and tyrannical practices collapsing on their own weight.
But that is only one possible alternative, whereas the darker and opposite scenario of total clampdown is more in line with our current trajectory. However, the repudiation of the GOP in 2106 and the online excitement and focus of thought on alternative, self-sustaining lifestyles and forms of association are hopeful signs that people are hungry for something better. There is a lot of vibrant and dynamic human life out there, and it could work towards freedom… will we recover from complete societal collapse?
How Do You Recover From An Economic Collapse?
by Tom Chatham
The road to recovery from any type of societal collapse is largely dependent on the mechanism that caused the collapse. For this reason we need to determine what the likely cause of the collapse will be and have the appropriate equipment to fix the malfunction after it happens. This requires society to take a realistic look at the situation as it is and not how we want it to be.
Most people do not even realize that we are heading for an economic collapse of epic proportions so talking about recovery may seem like we are getting too far ahead of ourselves. What you need to understand is that what we do now, before the collapse will determine how well we are able to recover from it and how fast. When you leave on a trip you pack the appropriate clothing and make sure the car is running well and you have emergency equipment like a spare tire with you just in case. When the economy collapses if we do not have the proper emergency equipment on hand to fix the problems, we will find ourselves stranded and unable to move anywhere.
From a societal standpoint, being unable to move means we will not be able to resolve any of our problems quickly and will out of necessity begin to prey on one another to fulfill our needs. This is what will cause loss of life on a monumental scale as the crisis is drawn out over time. Having the proper emergency equipment and a plan to use it will greatly reduce the suffering that is endured by society. This does not mean there will be no pain, only that we can keep it manageable.
A nations wealth is derived from having a product to sell. A service economy is dependent on having a wealthy society that has sufficient disposable income to support service jobs that consumers pay for rather than doing the jobs themselves. A society cannot get wealthy by washing each others clothes. There must be some type of real production to generate true wealth.
For this reason, the type of collapse many western nations now face will require them to have the ability to actually produce real goods following any collapse to begin the generation of wealth that is required to lift society out of any depression. This means society will need those with insight to have the necessary emergency equipment standing by after the collapse to begin the production of real goods and provide people with real jobs. The lack of jobs and resources following any collapse will mean poverty and predatory actions by society when things finally bottom out.
Most of the manufacturing ability of America has been shipped overseas. This means when a collapse occurs here we will once again need the ability to produce those things we need because we will lack the ability to buy them from others. The lack of a functional manufacturing sector means we will suffer in the future if we do not set aside the necessary emergency equipment we will need in the future to restart our manufacturing ability. As with many things we will need equipment to produce other equipment to build up that ability. The lack of this basic equipment to rebuild that manufacturing ability will doom this nation to poverty and third world status for decades to come.
This does not necessarily mean we will need to build large factories with thousands of employees. We will likely need to focus on smaller mini manufacturing sites employing a few dozen people in each. This is a first step to building larger more productive factories in the future. .
China has embarked on a building spree over the past decade and the result is the existence of many ghost cities and new infrastructure all over China. They possess all of the manufacturing technology of the west and the factories to produce the goods. They have also sought to secure raw materials all over the world for future use. They have built up a huge stockpile of gold. All of this means that China has positioned itself to have the necessary infrastructure to recover from any collapse that the world may face in the future. They have the equipment to build their own wealthy middleclass to fuel their rise in the future. They will do what the U.S. did in the 20th century and build up a wealthy middleclass and become a world leader economically, militarily and politically.
Americans need to realize that China now owns vital ports and businesses in the U.S. Following an economic collapse China will be in the position to increase its manufacturing ability in the U.S. and smother any American attempt to rebuild its own manufacturing ability making it independent of foreign influence. This is the threat to America recovering any future collapse if we do not have a large number of independent operators that can rebuild manufacturing ability at the local level quickly following any serious event.
If America wishes to remain free, we need people with vision to prepare for this eventuality and be able to respond with a new program of production to counter the many dangers we will face in the future. There are two areas that should be concentrated on as far as production is concerned. The first is the extraction or harvesting of resources and raw materials. The second is the conversion of those raw materials into finished goods.
Once you lose the ability to work and earn a living you become a government serf that is forced to bend to their will as you ask for handouts to survive. In an economic collapse the medium of exchange is destroyed along with the savings of the masses. When this happens people can no longer buy the goods they need to survive. Two of the things that survive collapse are individual labor and raw materials. When you can combine these with a third item, production equipment, you have the means to provide the basics of survival for the people and a means to produce their way through the difficulties they are facing. Absent a medium of exchange people will still be able to work for the things they need. This is the key to overcoming a serious crisis that can fracture the population and destroy societies.
Small localized production can make all of the difference when goods are needed to sustain families at the most basic level. The basis of any society is the ability to produce agricultural products. Food is a basic necessity and is the basis of any prosperous society. It is the first level in any production scheme to provide basic goods. Food provides the means to support industrial production. Industrial workers earn pay so they can buy food for their families. Food becomes the primary trade item to support other types of production that eventually provides a higher standard of living for society.
In a collapse, a food producer with a small industrial facility can trade food for the labor to produce factory goods that provide value added goods for society he can trade for other items. With this type of production, a community can overcome economic obstacles even in the absence of a medium of exchange. The industrial equipment could be as simple as a portable saw mill, a grain mill, fiber processing machines such as a spinning wheel and floor loom or a shop filled with wood working or metal working machines. The size and scope of production will be dependent on the abilities of these forward looking individuals to procure these machines prior to any crisis.
This may seem like pie in the sky dreaming to some but the fact remains. The future will only be as difficult as we make it. If we fail to prepare then we are preparing to fail and that will cause suffering on an unimaginable scale yet to be seen. Even a small amount of preparing can yield huge dividends when the time comes so anything you can do to prepare for the changes to come will be worthwhile. I am a big believer in infrastructure and the benefits it brings with it. A farm with specialized equipment can produce more products and create more wealth than one with typical farm equipment. Someone raising livestock that sets up their own small processing facility can process their meat for increased worth and has the means to hire persons to do the work for payment in food products. A dairy that has the ability to produce cheese can increase their product line and produce a product that will keep longer.
When crisis strikes in the future the amount of infrastructure available at the local level will determine what hardships we will face. The production of real goods is the only way we will get through a future crisis and keep society in tact for the duration. The wealth of local communities will depend on what products they have to offer in the future. A lack of local production will end with poverty and societal breakdown that may not be recoverable for many years to come.
This article was written by Tom Chatham and originally published at his Project Chesapeake blog.
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Common sense stuff, like what we talk about here….
Be well all…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP0wuwJBdMI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANA8SI_KvqI
Check these out.
Just like everything else in modern society, music and art have become mass produced, pabulic shit.
The Old Masters had skill. The blues and jazz musicians had talent and could play their instruments.
You existence is monotonous. I crave adventure. I crave traditional femininity. I want a woman who stands out in some way. I crave decent music and art.
I’m listening to Van Morrison’s “Domino” as I write this.
Mind if I reply on your thread??
My dad, t-bone player, toured with Benny Goodman in the 50s.
check out my dad & his best student http://www.rogerbissell.com/id22a.html
My grandfather played the ocarina, among other reed instruments.
He was considered the greatest player of all time.
check him out http://www.karlking.us/kkband_a5ce.htm
You are correct! The old masters did have skill. Enjoy them.
This Author is naïve at best; idealistically Delusional at worst. Taking this Country down as a Society and Nation HAS been the eventual goal of the Globalists for over the past 75 years. WHY do you think they off shored our manufacturing base in the first place?
Ahhh… the Author missed the most important ingredient in manufacturing and that is ENERGY, Electricity and Fuel to run the machines. I run all my power tools off my Green Renewable Solar Power as well as my power for my fridge and lights for my BOL Cottage. Besides extra gasoline stored for my riding mower, chain saws and vehicles. I have 4 extra oil filters for my vehicle and extra oil to change it. Extra windshield wipers, Serpentine belt, tire plugs, extra new tires, car fuses and extra tail lights. Change the spark plugs every 100K miles. Better have extra brakes and the tools and access to fix this yourself, or have a good trusty knowledgeable mechanic handy.
I’m very lucky to have a great master mechanic in my neighborhood who has a lift at his house and a garage full of tools. This guys makes $2000 to $4000 a week easily fixing cars in the entire area, and can change 2 engines in a day. Seen him do it, and he is now a good trusted friend. Build these relationships early and often. He also does metal fabrication and welding. I’ve seen people barter and bring him food in exchange for car repairs. He is positioned and sitting pretty, as a “do it all” auto mechanic from his house. We talk often about SHTF and collapse coming, and I told him to stock up on frequently used car parts for 3 years of work. Just in case of a collapse. He is kinda stuck on the mantra of “just in time parts” theory from the parts store. And I told him that he could be shut down in a day, if trucks are not supplying the auto parts stores. Identify the weak points in all your operations, and get a few years supply of parts, fuel and anything else you think you will need for a few years at today’s prices while you can. Imagine what the cost of a fuel pump would be for your truck in a post collapse? It make take a full size cow, in trade for that pump. Read the poem “For The Want of a Nail.” Just the lack of one small little item, can shut down your entire operation and productivity. Know your weaknesses in all your systems, that generate you making a living and thriving post SHTF. Got to think way ahead in this upcoming collapse…. What if..
~WWTI…
Dave, it is much more than off shoring!
Most people still do not grasp the level of the Immigrant problem in the U.S.:
http://cis.org/61-Million-Immigrants-and-Their-Young-Children-Now-Live-in-the-United-States
One person in Five in the U.S. is a foreigner that both parties put here and are feeding and using for cheap labor. People are getting more and more pissed about the level of Immigrants in their community. If we have an economic collapse that is a lot of hungry people roaming the streets looking for MY food and water and ammo. So security is the top issue for me.
This won’t be one big event that happens all at once.
It will be the last minute decision that will really set you up as far as what you buy depending on situation right now we all just blanket prepare for multiple senerios for survival but as far as being on top post incident that depends on what it is white house on lock down
Try punctuation next time. PLEASE!
Ya ya ya wtfever dont you have any thing better to do or contribute other than your spell check crap and scratchin your small ball sack you should throw your self in to the shredder for that dumb shit your not gonna last long worrying about dumb shit like that
But thanks for saying please
I agree why worry about punctuation or even about spaces betweenwordsjust to make it easierforpeople to readalloverrated juststopworryingaboutthatstuff ifallelsefailsthrow outafewinsultsthat will showthemandputthem inthereplacebyGodthstforsureyoubetcha
I arege. Why veen selpl creorlcty.
It is a little hard to read with no punctuation, but i don’t care how others write. I just figure they got bad marks in writing skills in school. For me i got D’s in math, but A’s in Writing/English so when i write i always try to do it properly. I can’t make mistakes unless i miss something. I have a bk i’ve written that has 58,000 words. The writing is the easy part – the putting it on the computer and figuring out the technology to do it is the hard part. That’s why i stopped even tho i have a teeny bit more to do. Figure I’ll use Creatspace and Amazon. I type very fast and so i don’t capitolize the i’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srGlyFyghRk
Judge Jeanine Rips Mitt Romney a New A-Hole.
Excellent Video – Share it.
~WWTI…
I’ll second the need for punctuation. Your post is almost unreadable without it, and not worth my time.
Don’t care if you read it or not it’s not a vote here so second the motion for you to piss off damn trolls get back in the flower bed
The only period here is the one your on you little bitch
Hmmmm, words from God lol.
From your mouth to God’s ear, or holy one…..
Only says dont use his name in vein other than that its all good and all have a meaning just l8ke the taboo word fuck it stands for fornication under consent of king back when ruling was done by kings who owned all land and the peasants had to have permission to have a child but only royalty could be married here are the punctuations insert how you want …?? !!!
Silent eyes,
This guy doesn’t have many cards in the deck to deal out to begin with, much less communicate in any way with normal IQ people. If this is what God has hired out as a ” soldier”, he’s gonna lose the battle big time.
Bob, I know. I was being facetious. He is a snake handling asshat. Been skimming his bubbling for some time. Methinks he’s a little too high on jeebus, if you get my drift…..
I’z got autocorrect on mi computer, an it vexes all tings thwart be rongly dung.
I used to be very difficult to be understood, but now I is an a word winnin ritter.
Ms clorophorm who taunt me inglish wood be so prodded. GOD bless comphuters nit spells check and Arturo corrector undo.
Ain’t treknology the cats moo.
NOW WHY DO I WRITE ABOUT RACIAL ISSUES? IM SUCH A RAYCISS. ITS NOT REAL OF COURSE. RACE RELATIONS ARE GREAT. IT’S ALL IN YOUR MIND. PAINT JOB THEORY. THEYRE JUST LIKE US EXCEPT SKIN COLOR. NOT.
MULTIRACIALISM HAS NEVER FUCKING WORKED ANYWHERE, EVER
JUST FUCKING GIVE UP AND ADMIT TO IT
http://www.cleveland.com/rnc-2016/index.ssf/2016/03/cleveland_seeking_to_buy_riot.html
CLEVELAND WORRIED ABOUT RACE RIOTS AHEAD OF RNC CONVENTION
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/650246/Germany-bans-pork-cafes-schools-offending-Muslim-migrants
DEUTSCHLAND BANS THE BRATWURST FOR FEAR OF OFFENDING MUSLIMS. JUST WAIT FOR THE PUSH TO BAN BEER.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3480676/Father-hospitalised-Sharia-patrol-Austria-told-stop-threatening-wife-daughter-not-properly-dressed-fears-rise-no-areas-Vienna.html
AUSTRIAN FATHER HOSPITALIZED AFTER DEFENDING WIFE AND DAUGHTER FROM HARASSMENT BY MUSLIMS
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-07/americans-really-don-t-like-immigration-new-survey-finds
STUDY SEZ 61% OF ‘MURICANS DONT WANT ANY IMMIGRATION
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/report-record-61-million-immigrants-in-u.s.-15.7-million-illegally/article/2585110
61 MILLION FUCKING IMMIGRANTS, AT LEAST 16 MILLION CLAIMED ILLEGAL MEXICANS. PROBABLY MUCH MORE EXIST.
IT TAKES A MINIMUM AVERAGE IQ OF 90 IN THE POPULATION TO MAINTAIN A FIRST WORLD COUNTRY. THAT MEANS THAT 90% OF THE POPULATION NEEDS TO BE WHITE, ASIAN, OR ASHKENAZI JOOS. THATS JUST FUCKING REALITY FOLKS. 50% OF MUSLIMS ARE INBRED FROM FIRST COUSIN MARRIAGES. THE AVERAGE IQ OF BLACKS AND BROWNS IS 80.
“NOTHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN RACES EXCEPT SKIN COLOR”. RIGHT. IS THAT WHAT YOU FUCKING SEE? DO YOU BOOMER FREAKS EVER LOOK OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW?
HOW CAN YOU HAVE A COUNTRY THAT IS BASED ON MULTICULTURALISM? GROW UP, YOU DIMWITTED BOOMERS.
You are right acid.
You are correct on this point acid.
long time lurker rarely rarely post , but you are right acid . My posts are moderated to hell and back ,
whatever lol
Until the Western world returns to proper philosophy, economic or societal rejuvenation will never come about. My new article:
AA
http://antoniusaquinas.com/2016/03/07/st-thomas-aquinas-a-commemoration/
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3039353/it-careers/sen-durbin-calls-abbott-labs-it-layoffs-harsh-and-insensitive.html
BIRDBRAIN FUCKING DUMBASS PIECE OF SHIT SENATOR FROM SHITCAGO VOTED FOR FREE TRADE CONSISTENTLY, IS OUTRAGED THAT INSURANCE COMPANY IS LAYING OFF WORKERS, WANTS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE.
THESE ARE THE KIND OF FUCKING MORONS THAT RUN THE COUNTRY.
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/03/ohio_lost_112500_jobs_due_to_t.html
HERE’S AN INFOGRAPHIC OF ALL THE JOBS WE ARE LOSING TO FREE TRADE
TRUMP AND CRUZ CONTINUE TO FLIP FLOP ON FREE TRADE.
WHICH BASICALLY MEANS THEY WANT TO FUCK AMERICA IF THEY THINK NOBODY IS WATCHING THEM.
PLAYING VIDEO GAMES AND MASTERBATING IS A BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME THAN VOTING.
If you didn’t have money saved in an account; what would you have instead? Land, shelter, food, drink, livestock (cows, bees, chickens, goats), fuel, guns/ammo, tools (woodworking, welding, electrical), guitar – some of the most financially depraved people have most of these things in rural areas – and are happy and strong. Its manageable.
This is why I have a complete woodworking shop with power tools and hand tools of all types. I also have other tools, such as tap and die set, plumbing tools, electrical and electronic tools, etc. I have a lot of hardware, parts, and other supplies stored. If I have enough electricity, I can use my Shopsmith Mark V and other power tools to mass produce wood items.
I also have a library of books, magazines, and information downloaded from the internet. I have every subject covered from basics to advanced.
We have small machine shops, mechanics, electronics manufacturing, and woodworkers in my area. So I think with some leadership, my area might recover. Most of the land is agricultural, so we won’t have to worry about food after a reset. If we aren’t able to use the large equipment on the farms, the “gimmedats” will have to work for their supper or starve.
Perhaps we could emulate Galt’s Gulch in “Atlas Shrugged.”
I have been working on the side and making money since about age 12. Mowing grass, digging foundations, house sitting, genealogy, computer repairs, software training, writing, and many other things. All of these are in addition to skills I learned on regular jobs, such as retail sales, carpentry, fiberglass work (on yachts), painting, etc.
Everyone needs to have tools, skills, and knowledge. Otherwise, you’re useless.
If there is any kind of economy in the future, I will have the skills and means to survive.
Archivist: I agree. Most people can’t keep that many tools and stuff on hand. But I do think that people will be willing to work for food, or perform other labor, as long as you treat them well and they feel safe.
Creating Galt’s Gulch is an excellent idea!
I am like you as I have worn many hats and done lots of different work. I have a degree in Philosophy but I also have one in carpentry and worked on remodels and learned how to hand-sharpen tools (my AA degree was acquired by going to the local community college which had acquired an old Union trade school that taught carpentry, cabinet making, boat building, and fine furniture making). Worked with a needle and thread from a very young age. Grew up shooting and reloading and a wood stove kept us from freezing in the winter. My stepfather was a dumbass for having the reloader set up 15 feet from a blazing woodstove but that is another story. Camping, hiking, the military working with livestock, training horses, working on an organic farm, building a straw bale post-and-beam house on Orcas Island.
It would look crazy if I put all that stuff on a resume! It looks completely useless and I don’t have all the dates and times and exact places memorized. I never could stand having a boss. I always like learning and I don’t mind hard work but I wanted to profit from my labor.
Then again all of my bills are paid and I always save and stash my cash in different places.
I am the same way, I plan on being a survivor and there is no way in hell I am ever going to give up my guns or my freedom for a bowl of gruel handed out at the local Red Cross feeding station. No way in fricken hell. I would rather shoot myself in the head rather than become a slave.
Mamma Grizzly,
You might actually be in that 1% of women that aren’t useless.
Gimmie kiss?
Get a room, but don’t forget the anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti puss oozing syphlitic, AIDS infected preventing condoms.
Ok I just puked in my mouth a little.
Yup. I have tools and knowledge, and that is how I plan to survive as it is how I have always lived. I never had the luxury of being able to by a new consumer good when I needed it and had to learn to fix things by myself. My next frontier is repairing electronics since broken devices are near free sometimes and the parts are quite inexpensive. I also plan to learn how to make my own solar panels so that I can further limit my need for the grid should things get really bad. I don’t see a return to the bronze age, but do see the possibility of a time where we live a more primitive life but with at least some modern technology as part of it.
WS: new is overrated. I buy new socks and new underwear. Everything else is good enough used. Let someone else pay to take the new off of something and then get it for the best price.
People take a lot for granted. I am fine with an outhouse. I do like a gas stove and some type of heater you can plug in or use to take off the morning chill by pushing a button. Not efficient to use as a main heat source but great to take the chill off while sipping on that first cuppa coffee.
The things I would miss the most are refrigeration / freezer and a washing machine. Those inventions totally rock and make my life a lot easier.
Go buy a brand new clean toilet/sink plunger. Keep it in your closet for when the shit hits. Then throw some clothes in the tub and use the plunger to wash. Works great. Or go outside throw some clothes in a big bucket and use the plunger. I once washed ten big bags of clothing outside in the summer with cold water and a plunger. Then hung em all on the fence to dry.
Time to hit the Home Depot, Lowe’s and maybe some metal fabrication shops for metal stock.
The only production for some time will be the things you make or produce for your own survival. I will not be making anything till most of the dumbasses are dead or they kill me.
You can bet just as things start going real south that many will be out, garbage picking for bed rails and other free flat and angle iron stock.
One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. Especially when things start getting scarce.
More like time to hit up the free section of Craigslist and to drive around in your truck on garbage day to see what’s available for repurposing. Retail metal shops are very expensive, but bed frames are free. You could also save yourself a bit of trouble and stop a local scrapper that’s making his rounds to see what he has to offer in the back of his old truck. I have a good relationship with mine as I give them stuff from time to time when I have it.
I’d also look for worn down real leather couches to strip the leather from. It’s a great material to make a lot of things from as it is very durable, even when ugly (just avoid bonded leather as it is not durable and just an expensive form of vinyl.)
Winston Smith
Leather is not cheap. Thanks for the tip.
This author and many others, I believe are making the mistake so many military’s make. They prepare logistics, and weapons based on the last war they fought, not on what they face in the future. One famous example is the Maginot line, In our case the expenditure in a lot of aircraft carriers now under threat from relatively inexpensive missiles.
Technology has changed the world and unless we go through a “Canticle for Leibowitz” event, Our technology is still with us, here and now, regardless of the economy.
Short term, yes we need to prep to survive. But if you toss out the Liberal BS we have saddled ourselves with( EPA, IRS, DOI, BLM, Unions, & Crony Capitalism), we have the ability to pull it all together, quickly. Robot Machines should be growing, harvesting, processing and delivering our food. Robots can mine materials, make metals, and build things. Robots may not be the way to go, but it is a possible future. Going back to sweat shops with thousands of mindless workers slaving away( like the Chinese), or farmers plowing fields with animals isn’t likely to happen.
Yes America is weaker than it has been in the past, but that is a political decision, not because of some “Black swan” event. Once the economic SHTF and those most responsible for this political decision(eg.Democrats, Socialists, and crony Capitalists) are either dead or reformed, We who survive will be free to excel and go forward, because all the weight dragging us down will be gone.
Keep on prepping!
The only real issue with robots is that some people are not really capable of doing anything but low skilled labor. Take that away and you have a permanent unproductive class that will need to be supported with social programs lest they become violent. They will be easy to sway and use to the advantage of those who would use any means to rise to power because their low level of intelligence makes them more susceptible to emotional arguments. You would also need to do something with them to keep them occupied because idle hands do the devil’s work and these now meaningless lives living off the dole would have plenty of time to get into mischief.
I don’t remember the name of the book.
but the story line is;
In the future the few intelligent people spend all their time and efforts trying to keep the stupid masses happy. They build them cars that only go 35 mph( because they can’t react quickly) but sound like they are going 120, eg. fabricate fantasy’s, anything to keep them from rioting.
(can you spell Mazada Mita?) These future smart people had forgotten how to kill. They come across a 20th century guy who was frozen, resurrected him, and learned our 20th century morals from him. He was a scumbag that suggested sending all the idiots to a supposed Venus paradise “vacation” and fabricate vacation post cards to send back to the “Folks” on earth. The rockets to Venus were designed to accelerate so fast they killed everyone on launch, and never were seen again, but the “Folks”
back home were fooled”, by the fake cards and lined up to visit the Venus paradise. Population control at its finest.
I did not make up this story, but it seems like a possible future.
Works for me.
Ha ha ha, thats a good one! But I think camp fema will take care of them without all the expense of rockets. The knuckle draggers will be lined up around the block!
Hunger is a strong motivator. The low-skilled people can be put to stoop labor in the fields with the admonition that “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” I envision the FEMA
camps becoming collective farms.
But even worse is they will rat you out in a heartbeat for some food or whatever. Did I ever tell you how much I HATE RATS?
While we may not all be equally intelligent, we are all equally human and that means we all have value. I do not wish to do anything to eliminate these newly unproductive people and the thought of doing so horrifies me. For once we start deciding as a society which people are unfit to live, all of our lives lose value. The real problem as I see it is that we are going headlong down a technological path because we can and not asking if we should.
Winston
I worked in intellectual property law as a paralegal at the beginning and through the rise of robotics and computers. It is all interesting but adds little to humanity, to basic enjoyment of good food, good company, and good labor. If the new life leaves 99 percent of humanity behind, or gets them exterminated, it is the wrong path.
Ted Cruz’s latest desperate BIG Lie for Votes, Claims he is going to abolish the IRS. They all say that Crap, till they get their hands on the big budget and expanded it their own way for personal costly adventures and to load up their contributors pockets with fat Gubberment contracts.
-WWTI…
We are at where we are today as a country, with the loss of manufacturing, that is mostly due to Wall Street Greed and the next Quarters profits, rather than long term stability and years of continued growth. People like Chainsaw AL & Mitt Romney’s Greed, as corporate raiders to buy manufacturing companies, then break them up and sell off the parts like cannibals for a tidy profit for a few, while laying off thousands of workers who have no place to turn. Romney Greed as being sell-outs of our people, is what’s killed America. Trump sees this and is trying to reverse course ASAP. And why we need to give him a chance to make America Great Again.
~WWTI…
R: thanks for the reminder about “Canticle for Leibowitz” I am not sure why I didn’t read that book but have added it to my list. I am embarrassed to admit that I never read that dystopic tome! How did I miss it? It was written before I was born so that may be a clue. Anyhow, thank you for the gentle reminder. I love dystopic ficiton because it is a way for people to speak the truth if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Right now the USSA is stirring the pot and has angered North Korea. What will the little dictator do? What can he do? A few nukes loaded onto junk cargo ships could destroy the electrical grid in NYC and DC.
We take so much for granted in this country. Most people are clueless and will just wake up one day and go “what happened?” I plan on being one of the people that wakes up says “I knew this would happen one day and I am ready. What took so long?”
I wonder how this site would stack up if Mac would not let posters over 55 years of age comment.
Wrinkled Old Bastards. Hahaha!
Hey! I happen to like my wrinkles. I gives me a place to store my Herr’s Pretzel nuggets for snacking.
It gives me….Sorry I happened to be checking my pretzel count.
without any old folks who will tell the youngins what to do
How are going to tell your girlfriend/wife some old codger kicked your ass?
This site is dominated by the 50 – 75 year olds.
Lots of wisdom with age.
Respect your elders.
Keep preppin!
TCM: that is how I was raised. Doesn’t seem to have been passed on to many younglings. Sad to say.
Respect the people who destroyed my country?
Eat shit, old lady.
@ acid reflex….That statement coming from the generation that hasn’t done shit to fix the system and has voted for Obambie, and socialist Sanders. You fuckin moron, there is plenty of blame to go around. Also dipshit, go to the range and you rarely see anyone in your diaper age group improving and honing skills that may become necessary. You young fags will be worthless if the SHTF.
Gen X here. We’re probably the most cynical generation to have come along in the 20th century, while the millenials are one of the easiest to control. Give them a good propaganda tale and they will usually buy it like the useful little idiots they are. However, this does not bode well for the future as the understanding of what made this nation great has been bred out of them by a school system and popular culture hell bent on left wing social engineering.
So far as respect for my elders, I actually have quite a lot of respect for some of the things past generations went through and struggled for. I really look up to the WWII generation for the lessons they learned in the Great Depression. When it comes to the Baby Boomers, I look up to them for finally bringing equal voting rights to all Americans and striving to bring the possibility of fighting for the American dream to historically disenfranchised minorities. If it had stopped there I would have been happy, but sadly we all know of the social engineering excesses that followed. I personally think that LBJ’s Great Society is one of the worst things ever to happen to African Americans as all it did was to ensure that they would stay on the Democratic Party’s plantation of dependency.
The thing that frightens me is that I can see the future and it looks bleak. The promise of liberty is dying due to a generational shift. I fear that unless the mindset of younger people changes, the American experiment will ultimately die not with a fight, but with a whimper.
SS: I am over 50 but not yet 55. Give me a couple years!
My parents were married, I have a copy of their marriage license. Wrinkles, yes, but I have many, many, more scars, on hands, arms, legs, and emotions.
I think of myself as an old fart thank you. One or two on this site, I wonder about, but all are very enlightening, young and old.
We have a good mix of politics, philosophy, and good prep information.
R: yep.
Rellik, got a scar from my solar plexis down to crotch. Got no tats, no peircings.
I thought to get a loop at the top, and hook a gold YKK zipper on it…
But I know a jerk would yank it off…
But it would mess with people on the beach…
Eppe was that a sly reference to one of my favorite dystopic novels (and movie, too) “On the Beach?”
Chin up! Another day above room temperature and above dirt is a good day 🙂
I even thought of getting a small 3D tatoo there instead and place ‘eppe’ there instead of YKK.
At least no one could get it off me…
Anyday above the green is a good day…
Eppe: yeppers! I don’t have any tattoos either. Same reason. Real scars. Didn’t see the point in paying for fake ones.
Those of us that have been around the block a few times have a different view in life.
We have accomplished many things.
An education
Own a home
Own a major toy or Toys.
Married
Children
Have grand Children
Have a job or retired.
Traveled outside the USA.
Encountered many cultures.
Have been injured.
Have been very sick.
Almost been Killed. (A couple times for me)
Met very interesting people who have had an impact in our life.
Even More.
When we used certain words, phases or songs . Many have no idea what we mean.
Of course we would not know many of the New bands, phrases or words the younger people use.
Is AE Right?
How does experience hold up to New Opportunities we never had.
Sling, same here except grandkids.
In 56.5 years been thru alot.
My teen daughters trip out on the stuff I listen to, like Marilyn Manson, but I try to be hip…
Shootapaloosa went off without a hitch, no one got shot, a real plus…
Youngest one got best eyes award at the teen state pagent, will try again next year.
Acid would freak to meet me, I act like I am
21, but my body says “NOOOO”.
It is not the age, but mileage and terrain…
eppe, I agree its the terrain and experiences and skool of hard knocks. I know a lot of older people that are as stupid as it gets and some younger people that are pretty smart and inventive. Usually the stupid ones are the ones that just buy into college then work at some mundane job their whole life and don’t go outside the box and watch tv news and are just sheep types.
SS.
You describe my first 60 years very well.
Now on to my next 60. Only the good die young.
Hey Sling, don’t put so much ditch in your whiskey an’ you’ll be alright!
And about A Canticle for Liebowitz— I read that one twice through years ago. Thanks for reminding me to pick it up again. It’s an oldie but goodie just like the posters on Mac’s site!
Beg pardon, but I am not a W. O. B. My parents were married 11 months before I was born, and I don’t have wrinkles so there. Lol
As SHTF Plan Says. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Are we warning ourselves over and over and over.
Does the Like, Share, Tweet, Facebook stuff do any good.
I don’t see it. Forty comments for almost 2600 visits. Not a good ratio.
Something is wrong.
Is there a disaster in the future? Then there should be more than 3% prepping.
There has been many gun and ammo sales but that is only part of preps.
Been on this train for a long time. Lots of hype, advertisements, predictions and money to be made.
Should we step back. Take a pause. Then evaluate where we are exactly.
Sling, I try to get people prepping by turning them onto this site.
Most say too much bickering, hateful posts, profanity, CAPS, punctulation, and in general bad english turns them off.
And I admit I do all the above.
I also use metaphors like ‘sandbox’ to relate to life, if you sling sand, expect it back.
Later…
eppe, But usually people that are offended by these things are not the prepper type anyway (thin skinned). Tell them to wear a helmet or man up lol. If they can’t handle this site then how in the hell will they handle a real disaster ha ha ha.
Agreed G. I also turn them onto other sites also.
Just relating to what I have been told.
I know, dreaming again…
Your a good man for trying eppe. I have given up trying because it is like talking to my hand lol. If asked I provide info or add bits and pieces to conversations. Other than that the sheep are my enemy because they will turn to me after it is too late and I aint takin care of them. Im sure you have watched the vid I posted by DJ Hives about sheep, it is the sad truth….
Over the years, I mention the insurance side of prepping initally.
You know, car, health, home…
Then I start in food, water, security, gets one thinking.
Bet I have made a few think about it at least.
What they do is up to them…
Eppe- I expect that if my preps are used, even then- there will still be some level of denial in the folks I have prepped for. Normalcy bias is high. But I have always been tasked with the planning of the details of life in general. Been thanked occasionally. But, when its all said and done, no matter what happens- I will know that I acted responsibly in trying to protect the lives of my family and friends.
Putting up more food this week. A storm is coming.
SS;
Lots of people don’t comment, because they can’t or won’t say Hillary and her ilk would look good with their brains spread all over the street.
Most commenter’s here have accepted that sort of end, most are not going to go willingly to go quietly into the night.
I really won’t care if all Democrats end up being fertilizer.
I really don’t care if the world loses 1.8 billion Moslems.
I really don’t care if every government union employee starves in their old age.
Call me cruel, but I have a spiritual wealth I did not steal from anyone.
I earned it. Democrats, try to take it from me at your risk, and the risk of anyone related to you.
to quote
” With my last breath, I spit at thee; For hate’s sake, I stab at thee!..”
Gotta’ call bullshit on this part of the article .
“Americans need to realize that China now owns vital ports and businesses in the U.S. Following an economic collapse China will be in the position to increase its manufacturing ability in the U.S. and smother any American attempt to rebuild its own manufacturing ability making it independent of foreign influence”.
Unless China has invaded the USA this will never happen . Any Chink who thinks he can run American company is dead wrong . Hell I’ve worked for German,English and Brazilian company’s in the best of times . I can’t image them trying to Lord over a company here in America even after a collapse .They’ll get their asses kicked .
I believe we must make an alternative economy excluding the global megacorporations. Think small but get it done. I am working mostly on food production and other skills. First kill expenses, second create income on your own. Many people are doing this already.
I would miss hot water at a touch, and dairy (Milk, cheese, yoghurt, sour cream, butter), most of all. Everyone has room for a hoe and a box of seeds no matter how small your apartment is, slide them under the bed. During the Great Depression men went door to door offering to work for food and many of them had good skills, but back then aberrant behavior was held in check by social mores and homogenous white society, nowadays anyone going door to do is more likely a kill or be killed scenario.
If you live in an urban area, getting yourself a posse of hookers would do you more good. Work those babies and they will produce more fruit than a garden ever would. Focus on the high-end of the market (businessmen, government officials, rich tourists). Create fantasy narratives that appeal to them and then dress the hookers up in this. Hire a writer or creative type to ‘vision’ the whole thing from the perspective of the customer. When shtf happens and the dollar tanks, peddling America’s multi-ethnic p#ssy will have strong marketing appeal to rich Asians. Work that angle and get rich.
Frank,
Yeah, right. When shtf happens everybody will just line up to pay you for hookers instead of just shooting you and taking them for themselves. Jesus, what color is the sky in your world?
Bob
Lots of these guys are salivating for all the starving women they can abuse when things get bad. Fantasy Island.
Frank
nothing keeping you from doing that today if it floats your boat. It is the oldest profession after all.
Frank, funny you should concentrate on hookers. Your post apocalyptic world view reflects your current position? Can you only get sex from hookers? As if life isn’t gonna be hard enough for a lot of women post shtf…….smh
Get a vehicle that can get you around stalled traffic. Small suv or motorcycle with saddle bags. Smaller bikes are better. Can you get over a raised 7 inch concrete median? Over a curb? Can you drive thru the ditch and cut thru the roadside fence? Think about it. You don’t want to have to abandon you car unless you have to.
I have a bicycle and two Morgan horses and will make good use of all three.
Got 2 motorcycles, both with 250 cc engines that get between 65-85 miles to the gallon each. Got farm full of horses. Got bicycles and patch kits and tire pumps. Got 1955 cj5 and a Ben hurt military trailer for it. Good to go!
I have been to China for business since the mid-1990s. And I hate to say it, but they have EVERYTHING. High-speed, futuristic trains, future cities sitting empty waiting for the next phase, science parks and tech parks everywhere, hot, hyper-educated Chinese ladies in skinny minis, new airports, super-fast internet, the latest technology, and an over-arching, super-tech police state to watch all over it (micro-wave energy weapon vans are used by the police in Beijing).
It is a bit like what people would have seen in Germany after the modernization drive by Hitler just before WWII.
Compared to what America is today – world-leading places such as Silicon Valley sprinkled about just still – but, mostly just sprawl of shitdom, bankrupt retail outlets and strip malls, n#gger-filled ghettos, dead cities (Detroit etc.), crumbling infrastructure, Hispanic drug gangs, brain-dead crackers constantly threatening civil war and ‘revolution 1776!!!’, and the worst indicators for health, education, teen pregnancies etc. America is going to hurt, bad…