This article was originally published by Daisy Luther at The Organic Prepper
In this world, there are two kinds of people. You can be a consumer or you can be a producer.
Neither one is inherently good or bad – these are just descriptive terms. You can produce 100% of your own food and have a terrible heart, one that rejoices in the misfortune of others. You can never produce a single thing in your whole life and be kind and generous. This article isn’t meant to demonize consumers or set producers up on a pedestal.
Really, most of us are a combination of each type. But we should strive to tip the balance toward producing whenever possible because when bad things happen to an economy, when long-term disasters strike, and when everything changes, it is the producers who survive.
I talk about consumers and producers a lot, and recently a person in the comments asked me to clarify the concepts and share some ideas on how to become a producer.
So…here’s what it means to be a consumer or a producer.
The Consumer
Consumers are just what they sound like – people who consume. They purchase things they did not make, eat things they did not cook, and use up resources without replacement.
The terrifying thing is that we have become a nation of consumers who produce hardly anything.
Even our workforce these days rarely produces. The workforce cleans up after others, provides services, and spends their days in cubicles behind keyboards. Most of them do not go home after a long day at work having created something of value. They go home exhausted after a day of wrangling people or data, too tired to have a vegetable garden or perform productive tasks.
Many Americans have no productive skills because this is no longer a thing that is prized in our society. Jobs in the trades sit empty. Young people these days choose to go to college to learn about literature or social justice or the theories of business instead of becoming part of the skilled labor force. Unfortunately, jobs matching these educational paths can be hardwon and many people with graduate-level degrees serve fast food to people who don’t have the time or the inclination to cook. Forbes says that 44% of recent college graduates work in jobs that don’t require the degree they just got deeply in debt to obtain.
The Producer
Producers are also just what they sound like: people who produce things. A producer is a person who grows something, raises something, creates something, repairs something, builds something…you get the idea.
Producers may have jobs in the trades. They may work in factories and machine shops. They may work in agriculture. They may work in the medical field. And not all producers have jobs that are productive. But they’ll come home and produce something.
These are the people who have gardens, who homestead, who raise backyard chickens, who can knit a sweater, repair the plumbing, change their own oil, and cook from scratch. Contrary to popular belief, a producer doesn’t have to live rurally and raise every bite of food their family eats. It’s a mindset that no matter where they are, they can be self-reliant and independent people.
Being a producer is about having skills that can be applied to your daily life. It’s about not having to call someone to help every time something requires repair or mending. It’s about being able to solve problems creatively and independently. It’s about being able to meet needs without depending on others.
Unfortunately, we have become a nation of consumers.
It’s a very dangerous tipping point when you can look around and see that the majority of people around you are consumers who produce nothing. And it’s dangerous on a national level.
If most of our food comes from China (whether to be grown or processed), what will we do if that food is no longer available?
If most of our agricultural workers are here only seasonally, what happens if they can no longer come?
If most of the items we work all day long to be able to afford to consume are made someplace else, what are we going to do if we’re suddenly isolated from the rest of the world?
Imagine the difference it would be if the only things that could be purchased had to be made from start to finish right here by people with the skills to do so. And to narrow it even more, what if the items had to be produced locally, within 20 miles due to transport difficulties?
If we could only consume what we produce here in the United States, we’d suddenly be looking at a terrible imbalance. There would not be enough for everyone. Not enough food. Not enough fuel. Not enough heat. Not enough clothing. And all the electronics and gadgets and designer items and cheap sweatshop products people think they have to have would be no more – imagine the rude awakening.
And to put a finer point on it, a lot of people these days don’t even produce the money it takes to buy the things that others produce. Just imagine if the government shutdown lasts through February and the food stamp money runs out. 38 million people will suddenly be unable to afford food for their families. This is not me being critical of people on assistance – there are many reasons folks might need a hand up from time to time. This is a terrifying fact that we could witness firsthand in just over a month from now.
How can you become a producer in a nation of consumers?
Becoming a producer is easier than you might think. You don’t have to suddenly grow all your own vegetables and raise meat chickens on the patio of your townhouse to do it.
A lot of this is in your head.
Before you go to purchase something, think about it. Is it something you could make yourself? Is it something that will enhance your ability to produce? Or is it just a frivolous consumer item that will add no value to your life after the first couple of days? Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to buy frivolous things from time to time, but it shouldn’t be the majority of your purchases.
You must switch your mindset from buying to creating. From replacing to repairing. From shopping for entertainment to actually learning to enjoy life for entertainment. Unplug from your devices and get back out there in the real world and do the things that others have done for you in the past.
It will save you money, too.
Another thing about producing instead of consuming is that it’s going to save you a lot of money. For all things, you will spend either time or you will spend money.
Think about the dinner that you put on your table.
- Will you spend time or money to produce the ingredients?
- Will you spend time or money to prepare the ingredients and turn them into a meal?
- Will you spend time or money to serve the food and clean up afterward?
You see? You have three opportunities there for production. Maybe you can grow the greens for the salad if not all the ingredients for the meal. Maybe you can cook it from scratch instead of using things put together in a box. Maybe you can eat at home instead of going to a restaurant.
If you are spending your money to acquire something, you are paying for someone else’s time. There are no real shortcuts in this world. Someone, somewhere, spent the time to grow, assemble, and/or prepare that food you’re eating.
15 Ways to Produce the Things That Most People Consume
Below you’ll find a list of ways to produce. The list, of course, is not comprehensive. It’s merely a collection of ideas to get you started on your path to tipping the balance in your favor. And don’t think you have to do all these things at once. Each thing you accomplish from this list can help you to proclaim, “I am a producer!”
- Make cleaning products. You don’t have to go buy outrageously expensive all-natural cleaning products when you can make your own out of simple, household basics. (Instructions here.)
- Grow food. It doesn’t have to be a huge garden. It can be tomatoes in the summer and microgreens or herbs in the windowsill in the winter. Here’s a huge self-reliance manifesto with links to more than 300 articles and books for doing just this.
- Sprout seeds. It’s a great way to add extra nutrients to your meals and so easy anyone can do it. (This website has everything you need to know about sprouting.)
- Unclog your sink. You don’t have to call a plumber for every little clog. Learn to unclog sinks with homemade drain cleaner and if that doesn’t work, try a plunger or a wire hanger snake. Last ditch, taking apart the pipe under your sink is far easier than you might expect.
- Learn some car maintenance. I’m not saying you have to be able to replace a cracked cylinder head, but you should at least be able to replace your spark plugs. It’s literally as easy as changing a light bulb, although today’s electronics on some newer cars can make things a bit more complicated.
- Use natural remedies. Now, I’m not one of those people who think you should never, ever go to the doctor or take medication – but there are many things you can treat at home with simple kitchen remedies. Illnesses like colds and cases of flu can be treated naturally, and so can ailments like vomiting and diarrhea. Here’s a must-have book loaded with remedies.
- Brew your own. You can get started brewing your own beer and wine at all sorts of facilities where they sell you the bottles and the ingredients. The staff will walk you through it and show you exactly what to do. After a few rounds of that, you may be ready for home brewing. Or skip all the instructions, grab a book, and DIY it from start to finish. Here are books on making beer, making wine, and making old-fashioned mead.
- Learn to mend. Some basic sewing skills are really useful, not so you can make all your own clothes Little House on the Prairie style, but so you can mend and rework items you already own. Learn how to patch a hole, mend a seam, and fix a hem. Once you’ve mastered these, you can move on to darning socks, fixing rips using basic stitches, and doing basic alterations on things that don’t fit.
- Cook from scratch. Just like in the example above, if you don’t spend your own time, you’re paying for someone else’s time. Learning to cook from scratch is really easy and you don’t have to create souffles and other fancy dishes. Start out simple with methods like roasting, sauteeing, and steaming then increase your skills from there. Here’s an article on The Lost Art of Scratch Cooking to get you started.
- Make your own bath products. From scrubs to moisturizing lotions right down to homemade soap, learning to create these at home gives you a lot of freedom. First of all, you know exactly what’s in them – no toxic ingredients allowed. You can adjust the fragrance to your liking with essential oils and you can learn skills that will be very valuable should we ever face a world where you can no longer buy soap at the store.
- Learn to preserve food. Break out the dehydrator and the canners and put back the foods you get on sale. Preserve the bounty in the summer and make delicious meals to last the whole year through. Here’s my own guide to canning and here’s one I recommend for dehydrating.
- Raise chickens. If your city allows it and if you have a backyard, you may be able to have a few chickens. Chickens are incredibly entertaining to watch and they can provide you with breakfast on a regular basis. They’re also a very efficient way to get rid of food that would normally be thrown away – all your fruit and vegetable scraps can go right to the girls. Here’s a primer on raising baby chicks and a guide to backyard chickens in the city.
- Hunt or forage. Any food that you can acquire can boost your productivity without spending a lot of money. Learning skills like hunting and foraging can be fun now and invaluable later. Recognizing things as edible that most folks would pass on by was literally the difference between life and death during Selco’s SHTF. Look for local books on foraging – the broader books are not as useful, as there will be vegetation that doesn’t grow where you live. To learn hunting skills, I find that the best way is to make friends with some people who already hunt and ask them to include you. Don’t try to pretend you know it all – use the opportunity to soak up their knowledge.
- Make things. Learning to craft things like furniture, needlework, garden structures, and other useful household items can really help you to become a producer. And the more you can upcycle from existing materials, the better off you’ll be.
- Repair things. We live in a world of planned obsolescence. So often, it is cheaper to replace things than to have them repaired…that is, unless you can repair it yourself. Stock up a library of DIY repair booksand the next time something breaks, give fixing it a shot. (Bonus points if you can repair something McGuyver-style by using the things you have on hand.)
Right now, producing things is optional. We are spoiled for choice when we walk into a store. But there could come a day when your ability to produce could save your life – or at the very least make it a lot more pleasant.
So what can you produce?
When you look at the list above, what kinds of things do you feel you could produce? You don’t need to jump in and learn every single thing at the same time – just pick one and make a promise to yourself that you will learn the necessary skills to produce instead of consume.
What are some things I missed in the list above? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Please feel free to share any information from this article in part or in full, giving credit to the author and including a link to The Organic Prepper and the following bio.
Daisy is a coffee-swigging, gun-toting, homeschooling blogger who writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, and the pursuit of liberty on her websites, The Organic Prepper and DaisyLuther.com She is the author of 4 books and the co-founder of Preppers University, where she teaches intensive preparedness courses in a live online classroom setting. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter,.
Go into hiding like Willie Wonka.
Why you should Stock up on Gold-Silver-Food-Water-Medical/Building Supplies-More Food for your family/friends/nieghbors
Check out this video.
go to YouTube:
Video: “How I Took The Red Pill And Realized Everything In Our Cult(ure) Is a Lie – Jeff Berwick @ Red Pill”
Why the above shtfplan article should be acted upon by You.
– Build Useful things
– Repair Useful things
– Grow some food.
– Build your skills. Get tools/materials.
– Physical conditioning is a Must.
– Get right with the Lord God of Jesus Christ. Otherwise you will be decieved by signs and wonders in the sky. And false info.
House of cards. Dominos, about to oops. All fall down.
Then there is control grid being put in place, AI, Robots,5G surviellance/kill weapon.
Wake up.
Maximal fat burn is a pound per week. Any more than that and you are losing muscle, which is pointless as the more muscle mass you have the faster fat burns. Morning exercise doesn’t burn any more than evening exercise. Cardio is worthless. Lift heavy weights you pussies.
You’re not kidding producing-labor isn’t prized! I was a metal worker for years making $40hr ABSOLUTE ZERO RESPECT. Then the occasional layoff, and total screwing 2009 gave us….I don’t blame kids one bit for not wanting a damn thing to do with it. And, sadly, neither do I. I produce plenty for myself but you can go straight to hell if you think I’m going to do it for you and get ZERO thanks because instead of sitting at a desk plowing away on a keyboard with limp wrists and 14″ biceps I actually got grease and dirt on my hands. Screw this society.
I just produced a couple large turds from eating too much. They made me think of pelosi and schumer as they swirled down the pipe.
the quality of visitors to this site has gone down.
IQ: 40.. maybe?
Maturity level: that of a 9 year old grade schooler
Info conveyed by comments: very little useful, actionable, or informative info.
It is almost like being in a room full of politicians.
Or waking up to find out if ww3 has been started over a 3 am Twitter Tweet that makes little sense.
——————————————————
Info: ht tps://www.alloutdoor.com/2017/10/20/non-military-government-agencies-stockpiling-guns-ammo/
Non-Military Government Agencies Stockpiling Guns and Ammo
“Why did non-military agencies spend $158 million on guns and ammo?
Posted October 20, 2017”
The Feds are planning to murder Americans?
Or is this the Leftist Armory to be used on Patriots for deep state takeover attempt. An attempt which will meet maximum resistance. They will fail.
Obama was almost flushed till they saw he had eyes. I drop his kids off at the pool twice a day lol.
In a nation of consumers?
Menz you hit the nail on the head so to say cus if your able to dig and line and build a decent out house your services will have great demand and value. Every body gotta shit and everybody gotta have somewhere to do it. Yes you can survive off shit lol
I own two cesspools. You pay someone else to dig them.
Im gonna hide my willi wonka
Interesting post.
Like most people on this site I’m a producer, when I choose to be.
Few exceptions:
I buy beer, because I can’t make it as fast as I drink it.
if SHTF, I’ll just stop drinking beer.
My very good neighbor makes soap, so I don’t bother.
The author is kind of a city oriented sort,
but one of the themes I’ve noted on this site
is everyone is going to “bug out”, so what do you do
when you need to process
cattle, game, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits
fish et al? I know how to hunt and fish,
but processing and preserving is my weak point.
I am going to build a smoker and a drying rack
per UN instructions for Africa. It never gets below
50 degrees here.
I’m getting ready to make a few pounds of black powder from scratch. I didn’t see that on her list.
There are a few others, but I need to go and fix a shifter
on the wife’s VW.
Happy New year Rellik
Homesteading, its a lifestyle
Be careful with that powder, friend of mine almost burned his whole house down making a batch
Nail,
Happy new year to you too!
I plan to do the powder out in an open area
well away from enclosed structures.
Nothing to burn except some corrugated metal
roofing and posts. I have a 20,000 gallon per day
AG water source to put out any grass fire.
Might upset my chickens, as I plan to use their
free range area but they can get
away pretty quick.
relik, are you using a tumbler and pyro safe balls to powder it? I have a kit to make it and you run the ingedients in a rock tumler with balls for a few hours. I add dextrose as a binding agent. When it’s done being powdered I add a little boiling water to mix it then screen it and dry it in my solar dehydrator. Then screen it to different sizes. I end up with a lot of fine powder at the end (which you can make fireworks or rockets with) or I just put it in with the next batch and add a lil more dextrose. I don’t know where you get your materials but check out skylighter dot com they have everything.
Gen,
I will be using a Harbor freight rock tumbler, with lead balls.
I will be feeding .54 Hawkins up to a 3″ parrot rifle replicas so my powder will be coarse, FFG and FFFg.
The hard part is Potassium Nitrate. Nobody will ship it here
(including skylighter) so I’ll have to use stump remover, make it from freezer packs, or make it from chicken shit or urine( real prepper style).
You must have a lot of fun on the forth of July!
The title of this article is wrong! EVERYONE IS A CONSUMER! Producers consume as much as (consumers) because they too are consumers. CONSUME AS MUCH SHIT AS POSSIBLE! Now producers vs. parasites is more like it. Although humans are all parasites of the earth. Maybe more like producers vs. moochers?
Producers are beneficial useful consumers as it balances the equation out. That equation needs to be restored. A massive population reduction earth wide that purges useless consumers is necessary, solely on a resources expenditure level and logical thinking. A terrible truth, man has become an overpopulated virus with the majority of it useless waste. Leave out religion morality and feelings… They are irrelevant. Cold logic and facts… The Georgia guidestones are right but do not clarify at all that the remaining population MUST BE USEFUL PRODUCERS. 99 percent of the population is just flat out excess locusts that would not be missed if trimmed.
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January 1, 2019 at 4:21 am
Producers are beneficial useful consumers as it balances the equation out. That equation needs to be restored. A massive population reduction earth wide that purges useless consumers is necessary, solely on a resources expenditure level and logical thinking. A terrible truth, man has become an overpopulated virus with the majority of it useless waste. Leave out religion morality and feelings… They are irrelevant. Cold logic and facts… The Georgia guidestones are right but do not clarify at all that the remaining population MUST BE USEFUL PRODUCERS. 99 percent of the population is just flat out excess locusts that would not be missed if trimmed.
DNJ, It’s good to see someone with critical thinking skills and can do 5th grade math! You are a rare breed. And yes the guidestones would be great if they did specify who was to be allowed to breed and if it wasn’t ruled by tyranny.
Producers vs. parasites is right but preppers are NEVER parasites. Sheeple are definitely parsites, moochers, whatever name you want to use. BTW, Happy New Year, Genius.
Preppers are producers, because they invest work time and intelligence into actual tangible production of resources and or repairs and or creating expedient resources as needed. Its why most preppers are so independently minded, and self reliant. Consumers…what do they do? Swipe a credit card or open a wallet and BUY all their comforts and resources. Look in most consumers homes and offices and what do you see a LACK of? Their OWN handiwork, their own creations, their own labor and vision. They BUY everything from people that actually DO the work, have the skills have the tools have the vision and work ethic to create SOMETHING.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26
The Hebrew word for “man” is ha adam and it literally means a creature from the earth or soil. One aspect of being in the image of YAHWEH means you exist (I AM WHO I AM) and love (1John 4:16) as those are attributes of YAHWEH. But YAHWEH also is a creator and so the ha adam can create things. You can cultivate, produce tools, write a sonnet, devise a tale, make a song, raise animals, build a house, etc. Practically all ancestral skills fall into this category.
The Hebrew word specifically in the passage is ELOHIM and is plural which was a great mystery until Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit were revealed.
One might even suppose that men lead lives of quiet desperation (Henry David Thoreau) because they stopped creating things and lived unconstructively and without purpose and divorced from a spirtual life in connection to the ELOHIM : the THREE-IN-ONE Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Here is where it gets mystical and amazing.
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:20
Before in Genesis 1, the ELOHIM make us male and female. In this verse, the ha adam (man of earth) and his helpmate Eve (Haava or Chavvah meaning Life) is the mother of all living.
So the Elohim gave us the actual ability to create and spawn humankind. The scientific evidence points to one ancestor from whom all mitochondrial DNA arose and this is passed in mothers. A book was written about this called The Seven Daughters of Eve.
Our being and love as husband and wife give rise to the creation of children.
Till it reaches the tipping point and becomes the destruction of the earth. Go forth and multiply till you kill everything on the planet? I don’t think that was a good plan man…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am0cX9jPdfg
There isn’t any such thing as the Balance of Nature or a Tipping Point. The hard fact is everything in on or about the Planet is a Natural Thing. The earth eventually Recycles everything. Man cannot make something into nothing and cant make something from nothing. So man isn’t creating any new thing. It is already and always Present some place, some how & in some manner. In the end its a Wash (Even Steven) Man made &man mitigated climate change is a Scam Religion bullshit theory.
Ya maybe in 2 million years when the radioactivity dies down and humans are extinct. How long does it take for the oceans to repopulate after being destroyed? How long till the aquifers rebound from the massive contamination? How long for the soil to be fertile again after soaking up all the shit and chemical spraying etc.? Ya climate change is bullshit but human raping and killing of the planet is a FACT.
That definition “ creature from the earth” Adam was taken from Strong’s Hebrew concordance #120 which is from Adawm meaning of ruddy complexion, to blush, turn rosy, to show blood under the skin. So it’s in reference to a certain “ man” or creation. This coincides with the Greek word xanthros which was always used to describe ruddy people.
ht tps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamah
I think you are mixing the “red” meaning which scholars say is associated with red clay. See the lengthy discussion on adamah in the link.
The holy spirits: Beer, Whiskey, Wine. There I fixed it for ya 🙂
Well written Daisy.. and much needed today. I learned a great deal from my parents and grandparents ( I even knew one set of great grandparents well ). One thing I noted is that people who grew up in or were born soon after the “great” depression were, by necessity, producers. But they also were smart consumers. Unless a product that was purchased had several uses, they simply didn’t buy it unless there was no other option. If it could not be used and recycled into something else usable they would purchase something else that could if another choice was available. This specially included the packaging. Products that came in glass containers that could be repurposed as juice glasses or canning vessels were hot sellers. Things that came in “tins” with snug lids were prized as well. If something did break beyond repair, it would be “scavenged” for reusable parts… screws, nuts, bolts, wires, metal brackets, etc.. all could be used to possibly repair something else OR to produce something.
Lol, sounds like me.
Producing pina colodas right now.
We all appreciate paint thinner(and those who produce it) and it’s myriad of uses,just not drinking it!
Necessity is the mother of all inventions
ht tps://youtu.be/mwIuMywfdww
Hesitation is the mother of all fuck ups.
Happy New Years, Daisy,looking forward to a lot more of your posts
The single most sobering part of this article and thing that people should be thinking about in our country right now is the definition of consumer and the definition of producer and to recognize that frightful disparity between those two classes of people and abilities and know that the majority of the zombies that occupy our country are just that non-producing consumers and these are the freaking people that are destroying our God given rights. If nothing else, the first half of the article TELLS YOU EVERYTHING IMPORTANT. NOW TELL ME WHY THE NEED FOR A GLOBAL POPULATION REDUCTION IS NEEDED. THE SOLE REAOSON THAT TPTB THE GLOBALISTS RULE IS BECAUSE OF THE EXCESS USELESS CONSUMER POPULATION THAT DOES NOTHING TO BENEFIT HUMANITY BECAUSE IT IS ALL THAT THEY DO…… CONSUME… WASTE AND PRODUCE NOTHING USEFUL.
AND THAT IS THEIR ARMY WHO DESTROY YOUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS.
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Deplorable Neal Jensen says:
Comment ID: 3932771
January 1, 2019 at 4:15 am
The single most sobering part of this article and thing that people should be thinking about in our country right now is the definition of consumer and the definition of producer and to recognize that frightful disparity between those two classes of people and abilities and know that the majority of the zombies that occupy our country are just that non-producing consumers and these are the freaking people that are destroying our God given rights. If nothing else, the first half of the article TELLS YOU EVERYTHING IMPORTANT. NOW TELL ME WHY THE NEED FOR A GLOBAL POPULATION REDUCTION IS NEEDED. THE SOLE REAOSON THAT TPTB THE GLOBALISTS RULE IS BECAUSE OF THE EXCESS USELESS CONSUMER POPULATION THAT DOES NOTHING TO BENEFIT HUMANITY BECAUSE IT IS ALL THAT THEY DO…… CONSUME… WASTE AND PRODUCE NOTHING USEFUL.
AND THAT IS THEIR ARMY WHO DESTROY YOUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS.
Right on DNJ!
Just a few thoughts.. Producing is hard! Consuming is easy :-).
Just recently I (almost finished) a 450 sq ft greenhouse built out of re-purposed window sashes. It’s taken over a year to build in my “spare time” and I still am adding electricity, and water, as well as grow lights. Neither was it cheap, the 100 or so used windows cost around $500. plus there was the cost of concrete, framing materials and hardware, plywood, sealant, aluminum trim and doors etc.
My point is that most people would rather “pay someone else to do it.” The problem is that even if we have the resources to do that… nothing is learned, little is recycled, and much is wasted when paying others to do it.
These old habits of consuming entertainment are especially hard for me. Back in the day (I’m 65) when I made 100K+ per year it was easier to justify watching others (on TV) do the stuff. Now I’m trying to live a more producer/preparedness oriented lifestyle and it’s hard to change my habits.
So young person here are my suggestions. Make these changes now, it’s not to late and doing it now is going to be much easier. 1) minimize the time spent on useless entertainment ie. TV, video games, smoking and drinking. 2) use that time to take up some useful hobbies/skills that produce necessary things ie. repairing/restoring cars, gardening, building, sewing, cooking. 3) improve your physical and mental health, (step 2 will help those) 4) make a list of possibilities and get started!, you will be glad you did.
Patriarch
To be productive means to be self reliant, whether at a personal level, or community or state level. The fed. gov’t does not really want a nation filled with producers. In fact, the words “citizen” and “consumer” have basically become synonymous. Gov’t at all levels has been reinvented and organized to treat us as such.
US citizens are seen as nothing more than disposable managed resources. But now, the middle class is shrinking dramatically and becoming tapped out. The gov’t weapons of choice of higher taxes, inflation, regulations, propaganda, and lousy public education are designed to inhibit personal empowerment. Wealth on a personal level is power, it’s a power that can limit gov’t in one’s life. So with declining living standards and quality of life citizens must depend more on gov’t.
Of course, the cost of gov’t has now far surpassed unsustainable, look at the deficits at local, state, and federal levels. But for gov’t it has never really been about public treasuries, costs, budgets, fiscal management, etc. it was never really about money. Else, the US would not be drowning in public debt. Rather, it is about one thing only – POWER. The US has become financially insolvent, yet at the same time wealth is more concentrated than at any time in Amer. history. Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and other programs are in reality insolvent, wages are stagnant, and most new jobs pay sub middle class wages. Vast numbers of people cannot pay their college loans, or make their car payment or house payment; yet there are billionaires possessing the wealth of nations, and with it massive personal power.
When the fiscal situation becomes altogether unmanageable, step two will be implemented; which is the limitation of our civil rights. Already, the new Congress is proposing massive new gun-control laws (even contemplating how to carry out gun confiscation on a national scale), they want to criminalize non PC speech, control public speech by creating free speech zones (actually, the Constitution says the entire US is a free speech zone), and allowing even more power for the state to spy on citizens. Official propaganda mechanisms are ramping up more and saying those who promote Constitutional rights and freedoms are anti-social, or mentally ill, and even being equated to terrorists.
The people need to peacefully secede, mass noncompliance. To maintain power, gov’t must use deceit and lying in everything they say or do. But they also need three main things; obedience from its citizens, confiscation of resources for its own purposes, and a veneer of legitimacy. Deprive them as much as possible, make their costs of maintaining power unsustainable. Reduce gov’t and officialdom to insignificance. Render officialdom and gov’t to no effect.
I used to be a large producer of vegetables,
Now i produce for nobody other than myself and family,
I will not feed the beast
Who is John Galt!
Nail,would say producing for friends/neighbors/barter not a bad thing,choosing not to feed say the cities is your right and also keeps the swat raids on farm down.I always when I was a tomato nut was handing em out to friends/family/sometimes left extras on table at end of drive with a free sign.I got back on table names unknown once a big ass jar of honey and in mailbox late spring someone dropped off a jar of maple syrup,no notes ect. but assume folks who liked me tomatoes and just wanted to say thanks.
I wouldn’t consume anything left anomosly. It might be poison? I simply DTA. Don’t Trust Anyone. I will not eat at restaurants or fast food joints. Im not gonna eat food that someone has spit on. One time I was bulldozing for a guy who worked for Antheizer Busch in St Louis. And he was drinking Miller beer I asked him why he wasn’t drinking Budweiser? He replied I will not drink beer that the employees piss in the vats. I stated that the miller probably has piss In it too. He replied yes But I know for certain that the Budweiser vats are pissed in because im the one doing it. One other thing you might not think about. If you give stuff away. Chances are you are disrupting the Revenue stream & lively hood of some producer who makes their living by growing and selling that item.This year I could have sold my hay or rented my excess land for grazing & hunting. But I didn’t I simply mowed the weeds & grass and let it rot andadd to the humis in the soil. I have plenty of deer & squirrel and can kill and eat them without having to hunt very hard.
Old Guy, you have good policy.
Our company had meetings weekly. Company Provided breakfast food.
Retired military Lifer grunt was not eating the breakfast. I asked him why?
He asked me, “if i knew that the company had life insurance policy out on all of us hardhats, company listed as beneficiary? A policy without anyones consent.”
My reply, “No, I did not know.”
He asked, “if i trusted a penny pinching, money grubbing, company, that put our lives at risk daily by poor decisions, broken equipment, unrealistic time alotted for jobs, work in extreme foul weather, and no concern for worker safety. He asked, “Why would i trust their food offering?”
He was old, smart, tough, professional, had been through every war since korea. Survived, Retired military. Was working construction to “keep active.” I did trust his judgment.
I HAVE NEVER EATEN AT ANY COMPANY FUNCTION OR GOVERNMENT SPONSORED MEAL, since that conversation. I never will.
Note worthy seperate incidents with take away food:
Local burger joint put soap cleanser in food of Cop and Fire Marshall having lunch. Employee was arrested.
Neighbor lady was hospitalised nearly died from bad chicken shack food. The Shack still in business. nothing done.
Waffle house employee put pube hairs on my bosses hash browns. He was very pissed. Threw a big fit.
Local college girl contracted herpes after cooks did unspeakable to her eat in food. There was investigation. no charges filed, even with witness testimony.
I had steak spit on by black waitress. Guess she was mad because I asked for drink refill and steak sauce? I was hungry, she looked healthy, so ate around her drible. I usually tip more than required, But no tip for her. I Didn’t say a word, but I’ve never returned. (Too bad. I thought she was cute, might have went out with her? But a pissed off vindictive woman is poor/dangerous company.)
Any way, your policy makes sense old guy. You are wise. That is how old guys become old guys. As a young man I learn from older and wiser.
After all incidents i listed.
I now eat at home. I don’t trust that under paid minimum wage, ilegal immigrant employee cooks care about food safety/sanitation? They seem to hate gringos?
Go to youtube and watch documentary videos done about golden arches clown burgers. why would golden arches put chicken feathers in fried apple pies? people feed thier children from there? why?
Lesson i learned, Don’t eat out. If you do, don’t ask for steak sauce or drink refill. Waitress gets pissed if required to waitress, even if you ask nice.
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But i do give away anything i can, food, clothes, tools. gave away a car to out of work neighbor. i do free work for neighbors, snow shovel, mow, if they are old or hospitalised.
Someone put a new mower on my front porch. Mine was real beat up. So what goes out does come back. for good or bad.
If shtf, then i’ll probably just feed everyone as much as i can. no i wouldn’t shoot a hungry neighbor. some of you guys are seeming wanting to shoot somebody? what is that about?
Im the same way I try not to grow a great excess. Before I would sell it or give it away I put it in the compost pile.
how large is your farm? what kind of vegetables did you produce? when did you go “galt”? did you just idle the whole operation to become john galt?
We own places in 4 counties. have quite a lot of acreage. We quit raising beef cattle and now only have two milk cows. some chickens , sheep and rabbits. Raise a few pot belly pigs to eat. I quit when I turned 62. Started drawing a Social Security Ponzi Scheme Check. That makes me part of the Parasite group. LOL. We have always produced the lions share of out own food. I simply will not sell or give away any extra because I do not want to become a enabler. If someone gets in the habit of receiving from you them when that is no longer available due to some sort of SHTF. They will come demanding you give then what you cannot spare. Better if they don’t know anything about you other than you are a asshole who don’t like anyone.
The happy people are those who are producing something; the bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing. William R. Inge
Ive harped on the subject of too many Taking Parasites and To Few Making Producers for a long time. Some one stated that the very worst thing that can happen to a society is for the majority of the folks believe that they do not need to produce. They wrongly think that someone else will produce for them. My definition of a Taking Parasite is If whatever you do for a living does not use the natural Resources of the planet to make ,build or Grow some product that adds to the GNP. Then you are a taking Parasite. Government elected officials and employees are the worst Taking Parasites. The farther you are from being a direct vital link in the actuall chain of production the bigger parasite burden you are on the shrinking making producers. I would prefer a hard hearted mean asshole Producer over a Mamby Pamby touchy feely easily Butt Hurt so Called Good Hearted parasite any day. The Producer isn’t making his living by Robbery. Taxing the Producer is Robbery. Funding the government by Debt to enable the Parasites is Robbery of the Futures Productive. I believe that Simply Put Producers are Good and parasites are Bad. A great culling of Taking Parasite usless eaters is needed no matter how good their hearts are. We need a great increase in Making Producers no matter how bad their hearts are.
It would seem people all over the globe are waking to a lot of the facts you mentioned.
I’d add producing your own electricity, and schooling for your children.
Mac, your moderation message is a provable lie. I posted about it numerous times and you have my posting history and STILL YOUR CENSORS shadow ban and moderate my posts for DAYS before releasing them. That is telling truth about how handpicked and discriminatory censorship is on your site. Fucking rediculous.. Some people are “more equal” than others apparently. But hey, control your chosen narrative, dont change on my account….. Sheesh.
Zero to two hours moderation… Bullshit, and for posts from known catalogued IP addresses with Disqus….
I have already explained how the moderation system works. We have to MANUALLY approve at least 100 messages per DAY. We don’t have someone on staff to do that 24/7.
After better than two years when will i get recognized then as NOT needing moderation for my fucking emaill address as your message states, for every single fucking post or comment? I get it, its about making me quit posting because of the inconvenience and censorship…. And who wins when you stifle comments? Your mods cant verify my email…. Really? So what is it the eplanation going to be this time? Thought shtfplan was above shadow banning and SJW nonsense, guess i was wrong…
I already explained it is Disqus that sorts comments. We can’t do that part. Disqus sorts into approved, pending, and spam. We have to manually approve all of the comments that are sent to “pending.” Obviously we don’t shadowban or censor, because your comments ARE being approved.
Same email, Mac. Same email i have always used…. So my email is apparently labeled always PENDING then… Why is that? I cant do anything with disqus to change it. Its your website, apparently you have some control over who gets permabanned, so why is it i must apparently have to beg to get my email accepted to end this moderation nonsense? I know, tough rhetorical question…so ban me outright or get my email released from the stupid pending file… Just make a choice. Too simple. Its not like i have not directly confronted the problem with you.
It is always the other guys fault.
“Disqus.” Right?
No. Disqus use technology to filter, ban, delay, comments. Someone at THIS web site has made a decision to use “Disqus”. There is no legal requirement that I am aware of that require use of this “Disqus” product.
The SHTF website was informative in the early days.
SHTF website used to have hundreds of comments and over ten thousand visitors for many articles. My garage is filled with items suggested by site and info from visitors comments.
People are voting with their keyboards and are now going elsewhere. The internet is a big place.
I intentionally made a sizeable metals purchase from vendors NOT on this website because of censorship here.
I have served this nation to the best of my ability.
So have my family, friends, employees, co workers, and more than a few neighbors fly their respective service flags. Many of them have their own flagpoles. We love America. We will defend American ideas of Free speech and open discussion.
Point is we ALL have metals as part of our portfolio. We all speak OFF LINE. In the real world. Our stories mesh. Censorship. Shadow banning. No real time conversation on your site as well as others.
Someone is censoring.
Not a problem. We will simply go away. We are a community and a viewpoiunt that REFUSE to be bullied, shut up, shut down, our our voices silenced by technology bullies and censors. We will be fine without internet or censored web sites. Our livelyhood does not depend on patronage.
Ban us. Shut us down. We will start our own web presence.
InfoWars banned by YouTube. YouTube banning firearms videos and demonitising to injure patriots.
Search results scewered by Google. Manipulated.
FaceBook banning people for thought crimes.
Southern Poverty ruining peoples lives for thought crimes.
Mike Savage radio talk show host being threatened.
New leftist congress people being sworn into office on a Kuran instead of KJV bible. Leftist threats to impeach a elected president.
Comedian Kevin Hart not allowed to MC because of something said many many years ago. I like Kevin Hart. He is funny and entertaining. I would have watched him as a host. He was banned. So I will NEVER watch that awards program. To hell with censors.
NFL took a knee. So have I. I stand for national anthem. And now I turn off any and all NFL games. I took knee and no purchase of NFL swag for gifts, 2 years now.
Starbucks wanted illegal muslims and bums in their coffee house. No problem. No more patronage from my family.
These acts of censorship will not stand. Not here. Not at other sites. We the people vote at the ballot box. We vote with our keyboards. We vote with our wallets.
Net is waste of time anyway. Gardening and reloading ammo are better activites. Thank you for censorship net bullies. I will have more healthy garden food, ammo, and better coffee.
God Bless America, God Bless and help the elected President. God bless Freedom Liberty Justice Free Speech.
NWO one worlder communism and censorship, will FAIL. Because freedom loving Americans will STAND. Stand for America. Stand for our Nations anthem. Stand for the elected President.
For the millionth time, no one is censoring. If we wanted to censor, we would just ban you.
Dep N J and other sports fans,
they don’t want people having “real time” conversations.
they don’t want “controversy.”
you will think, speak, act, Believe, as the power stucture and tech mafia wishes.
if not. you will be shadow banned. or banned outright.
* * * ALL TECH is your enemy.
this web site and net is a honey pot for gathering intel by the “authorities”.
then you are Listed by law enforcement. they then geo fence you and follow your movements, interests, and associations.
remember when this site had hundreds of comments?
remember the thousands of visitors?
look at numbers now.
same all over net.
the tech mafia wants self regulation-monitoring and fear.
some of visitors here know all this and don’t care.
people here are armed 24-7-365
some people here are really nuts, they want trouble to come knocking or door kicking in. they want gun confiscation. so they can return lead one round at a time. you know who you are.
but thing is, most of those types have never seen combat.
if they did. they would want Peace.
My neighbor has everything I need and I hate him problem solved.
A Christian is commanded by Christ, who is his Lord and Savior, to help the suffering. Otherwise they are goats with eternal consequences.
Matthew 25 :31–46
So you at least are supposed to off to pass along ancestral skills so the Millennials learn them…whether they deserve your help or not.
It costs you to be a Christian. In a sense you are commanded to be productive.
Im not a gullible brain washed Christian. I never asked anyone to die on a cross for my so called sins. Nope I want full credit for all of my deeds both good and bad. Me I would be satisfied with Just Desserts. If everyone got what they deserve and deserve what they get its fine with me. If a SHIF WROL happens only the Self Reliant who have Know How &are physically and mentally fit and have a bit of luck will survive. Culls even Benevolent ones will perish.
What would the world be like if everyone had your philosophy? It would be a totally immoral and unjustice world. Selfishness would abound. What if your teachers and mentors and ancestors had that philosophy?
I think it would be great. If everyone got what they deserved. And deserve what they get. How could could anything be more fair than that. If I take care of me and mine and others that care of them & theirs there wouldn’t be any problems.
Well…that’s a world without virtue and actually the very definition of a Luciferian paradigm. In such a world, the powerful take from the weak without any semblance of justice. Ultimately the strongest enslaves the weak. This is why the globalists are minions of Lucifer?
No if everyone got what they deserved and deserved what they get. Even the powerful couldn’t get more that the fruits of their labor. You are the type who would try and legislate moral Behavior. When in fact KARMA doesexactly as I state. eventually everyone gets just Desserts. If not in this life them in the next. Stop being so Pig Headed and be more open minded about other religions.
Haha like Islam? Like Satanism? There are more persecuted Christians than ever before in modern history!
Oh brother.
I’m as fundamentalist a Christian as you will ever find, but remarkably tolerant. Don’t make assumptions.
Galatians 3 discusses the two options each person has.
You can live according to the Law and then be condemned by the Law. No one can earn salvation as everyone breaks the Law.
Or you can accept Grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Now personally, that is easier, and leads to eternal life.
If atheists are right, then it doesn’t matter what you believe because everyone dies.
If Christians are right, then everything matters especially grace because of eternal life.
Logically something cannot spontaneously turn into something, so atheism is magical thinking as it philosophically fails infinite regression.
Whereas as time goes on, Christianity is both logical and new evidence supports it. It’s also moral.
All the infinite mass of 100 billion galaxies in the universe cannot come from nothing. That’s just silly.
Mathematically there has been insufficient time on Earth for even amino acids to randomly spontaneously form. The more we look at viruses and single cell organisms, they are marvelous biological machines which implies a Creator. DNA is a programmed language which implies a Programmer.
The more you examine atheism, the more it’s a silly religion based on dogmatic illogical trust in science. That is as silly as believing that all matter is made of four elements.
Just because someone doesn’t believe in the holy trinity . and rejects christianity That doesn’t make them a atheists or make them a evil person. Your two brainwashed and dogmatic to even debate with. Think and do whatever you wish and want you are the one who has to live with your thoughts & actions.
^^^^^ He’s right you know!
I get a kick out of how the Author tried to put positive spin on some of the Parasites by alluding to them as Good Hearted? Like its Ok to be a parasite Taker if you have good intentions? and to discredit many of the Produuctive because they are what she judges as mean spirited. I guarantee you those who fought in the revolution and did things like dump the tea and tar and feather the Tax man and kill every red coat they could where not pleasant nice folks. The Backwoods Rabble who turned the tide and actually made a great step towards victory. At the Battle of Kings Mountian where all producers who took a hard line and didn’t take orders or any crap from anyone.
You could even make a case that it’s a play on words as the Hebrew word “dam” means blood as well as adama meaning earth/clay/soil. Thus life from earth/clay as blood is synonymous with life in the Bible. And why there are rules in the Law about blood.
And in Genesis 4…
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Cain strikes down Abel and spills his blood, thus Yahweh’s punisment is the earth will not yield its strength to Cain ie no life will come directly from the soil because of his evil deed.
Same email, Mac. Same email i have always used…. So my email is apparently labeled always PENDING then… Why is that? I cant do anything with disqus to change it. Its your website, apparently you have some control over who gets permabanned, so why is it i must apparently have to beg to get my email accepted to end this moderation nonsense? I know, tough rhetorical question…so ban me outright or get my email released from the stupid pending file… Just make a choice. Too simple. Its not like i have not directly confronted the problem with you.
I’m happy to debate anyone as long as they are willing to discuss their beliefs. If you think your belief system is superior, you have a philosophical duty to defend it. So far, you are failing to provide the burden of proof. Meanwhile, I have provided logical proof over and over.
I don’t care what you think or do. Its not necessary for my peace of mind that everyone else must have the same religious superstition as I do. The last thing I want to do is change anyones religious views. If others keep their religious opinions to themselves I will keep my religious bullshit superstition to myself.
So you just like to criticize Christianity pointlessly, yet you have spiritual beliefs you cannot defend! How amusing.
How spiritual coud you be if you’d let food rot in a compost pile rather than give it to some deserving retiree who doesn’t have enough to eat? What kind of spirituality is that? Frankly the only spirituality like that is Satanism.
I’m genuinely curious how you define “evil” because your spiritual ideas cannot be described as “good”!
Thats like saying if you had extra cash and decided to blow it on beer your an asshole for not giving it to some poor person. That belief is like stupidism and communism.
Nope. Where did I say that? There is nothing in the Bible saying that whatsoever.
All the gardeners around eat or can or freeze their produce but when it all comes in and is overwhelming, lots of it gets given away. It also is an opportunity to talk about the receiver starting their own garden too. It’s a teachable moment.
16- Shine a Flashlight! There’s too much damn darkness in the world!
And you do the SAME thing when you speak, live, and witness to TRUTH!
– the Lone Ranger
Its all a very nice dream, and it will remain like that until you get the position or situation to be able to do it. Believe me, I have wanted to be a producer for some years now, but I have learnt that your reach can exceed your grasp. To be able to do it, you have to be able to do it!! As the oracle says in the matrix you have to know from bones to balls…