Arraya,Thanks for your answers I believe you. My oxygen mask is already on, figuratively speaking of course. Trust me I have just as many selfish impulses borne of fear of financial insecurity as anyone does. I posted what I did as much to challenge myself as anyone else.
Nost, I fear people and situations like you describe too. You would help them in a sensible way but they don’t want that, they want it all for nothing and don’t mind jacking people for it.
Partypup, Your last post actually describes my last several years experience with regards to this topic almost exactly. I got out of LA a lot earlier though.I knew four years ago that we would have the biggest recession of my lifetime. I am 47. I don’t think there is any reason to count or insist that anything worse than that is certain. Of course sporadically bad thngs will happen, they always do.
I have given a lot of the kinds or advice you have given.Of course most other people’s money behaviors are none of my business. Most of my friends are doing fine ,less so my family. Besides that I am not exactly rich so who am I to say. I am just a bit like the pig of the three pigs who built the brick house.
I have told people, because I don’t know rich people, not to buy houses since spring of 2003 and I have a sales license. I am currently representing my first buyer since then at almost 50% off from last sale,This is someone I convinced to sell at the peak and rent. I told a lot of people to stay out of the market who I will never see again.Oh well. I am considering getting business cards because I think there are good odds that the purchases will work out better as time goes on. I am not promising anyone anything though.
O.K the important part…
Now, let me ask you: how do YOU propose to be “useful” when TSHTF? 😉
I already have almost everything mentioned on this thread as would be useful in many bad scenarios. I have the land, water and sewer accomodations, productive beasts of burden, farm equipment, fuel, a generator, tons of equipment and the skills to make it all work. I wasn’t even in panic mode when I got it but I realized immediately how advantageous it could be to help people if this worst recession becomes a terrible depression or if there was a catastrophe in town how we could support strangers up here too. You know “head for the hills”.
On the other hand I am aware that if people get too rowdy it isn’t easy to get here and I think I could bother myself to cooperate with my neighbors to establish a ” peace keeping checkpoint”
If something happens in town and I can be of help, I’ll go down and do that. Respecting self preservation to some degree of course.
All that said. I don’t agree with the authority with which you speak regarding apparently relatively near term very broad “chaos” affecting Americans. Obviously I have questioned the value system that would lead you to classify most of the things as “chaos” that you have so far. Even if you are using them to demonstrate the shit is being piled up and the fan is being plugged in, I don’t agree that the result will be a meeting or the two resulting in extreme Chaos. If war between relative equals breaks out, I will change that tune a second.
On the other hand many people in the world are already living the worst case scenario we could imagine. It is frustrating to to me,seems undisciplined, to wallow in anticipation of possible loss of luxury.This always becomes a demand on our politicians to look around for solutions. Yes, you could challenge as to what I am doing with regard to that. So far not much. I speak out against our unjust contributions and I would gladly accept poverty to reduce them if it would help.I will not support Obama or Mccain. One dissapointment coming from this blog is that many people seem ready to classify the Iraq war as a success or failure based on how it affects our standard or living. I am pretty much against bailing ourselves out with other people’s blood.
What is your take on this last paragraph. I already know you don’t like Obama or McCain.
