The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire

Wow..more doom and gloom...os what does a guy like me do? we are growing our own veggies, we have some stored food ,we need water ,medical supplies i am currently getting my gun license , i mean where do i put my money? i have actual silver ..should i pull my cash out of my bank and stick it in my matress?

or do i take it and buy gold ?

I am very hapy that people take the time to tell us here on sda what is wrong but i wish someone would have ..an average joe way of protecting our well being .

I have been looking at prepper networks and stuff but all of this cost's money bug out bags , food storage ,water, ammunition,guns,security, medical supplies...at best we could stay in our home probly a week or two at the most!! if this is true how much time do we have to prepare?

just a couple down to earth real questions thant's all.

They can't balance the budget so they will devalue the $ dollar, which will drive the export market. Moreover, they haven't passed a budget in 3 years so why would they start now?

They won't cut spending as that would guarantee a recesssion/depression and give rise to more radical political figures cf 1920-1930s...as if they don't have one now.

Hence you will get a combination of inflation and growth, thus selected dividend paying stocks, precious metal miners, and gold will be your friend.

The alternative is social strife and soup kitchens...and politicians being what they are can't get elected on austerity and soup kitchens.

Seen this movie before..."My Big Fat Greek Tradgedy".

Cheers

Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”

His mistake is in assuming that those "mandatory" expenditures are in fact mandatory. They are not. They were enacted by past governments, and they can be repealed by any government with the guts to do it.

Riots? Shoot the rioters en mass. Every dead rioter improves the maker to taker ratio.

But it needn't be done that way. Cut all entitlements by 10% per year, every year, until they have dwindled away to near nothing. This could be done by cutting all entitlement cheques 10% across the board, or by selectively pruning the least needy 10% from each program.

Get the Federal government back to its Constitutionally required duties, and no more.

Vote for Ron Paul - the only Presidential candidate who talks about the debt and offers solutions! Dr. Paul has been talking about the debt problem for decades. Preston Manning talked about Canada's problem decades ago and it finally sunk in - Paul martin was forced to address the debt. Canada is not doing too bad but if USA goes down we will too.

Paul in Calgary >

Well your off to a good start and have the 99%’s beat already. Mental preparation is step one, and it looks like you’re already there, the rest comes with time, research, thinking it through, and spending the extra money you do have sensibly, without wearing a tinfoil hat and blowing it foolishly, either on silly over the top preps, or materialistic junk you don’t need.

Financially, if you’re currently strapped for money, don’t waste your time with gold & silver. It’s more important to get out of debt and have real tangible items to help you get through a minimum of 3 months survival. I believe the Canadian government lists 3 weeks on their own website and has some good disaster survival tips. Regardless take care of food, shelter, clothing and protection first and then work out from there.

Getting a firearms licence is a good thing, I’m surprised you don’t have one already. It should be every mentally and physically able Canadians duty to own a firearm, if you don’t your part of the problem. Anyway get one and practice, practice, practice, if you own one and can’t use it properly, you’re a big part of the problem.

Canadian dollar becomes the world's reserve currency...

All kidding aside the US is headed into unprecedented financial jeopardy at their present fiscal course. They don't have a baby boom of the 80s to work, spend and yes, inflate the nation out of debt. Remember how painful that was; try buying a house today with an 18% mortgage.

They, like us, have in fact the opposite - baby boomers withdrawing their productivity and drawing down their savings. This is precisely the wrong time to increase debt.

I predict the US will lead the upcoming depression or severe recession all the world will experience within the next 10 years or so.

We are fortunate in this country to have the leadership to keep us further from danger, as the US and UK had in Reagan and Thatcher.

I like this guy. No frothing at the mouth, no hystrionics, just plain spoken truth. He doesn't blame the Republicans or Democrats. He doesn't blame the 1% or the 99%. He doesn't blame the military, or the Department of Education, or the EPA. He just says:

We're f***ed. These are the numbers that prove we're f***ed. The ostrich (not passing a budget, raising the debt ceiling) approach does not work. Our only hope is to confront the problem, openly and honestly, and realize that drastic measures are needed, or we will go the way of Greece and others. . Now, that's a message I can get behind!

In and of itself, having a debt larger than GDP is not a recipe for disaster. How many people here lived for years with a mortgage that was 3 or 4 (or more) times their annual income? The problem comes when you're consuming so much that you're not paying down your debt each year, but adding to it.

As our friend pointed out, in the US, consumption figures are going up so much, that the debt is being added to, no matter how frugal the US keeps the rest of its house (even to the point of zero). It's not enough to keep paying the interest on the debt if you keep adding to it.

The only solution that will work is one that our parents or grandparents who lived through the Depression know: "Belts will be worn tighter this year". But that's hardly likely.

If I were able to post photos here, I'd search the net for pictures from the Depression, just so you could see the faces. Because, young or old, tall or short, black or white, they all had one thing in common - they were thin. Actually, 'gaunt' would be a better word.

Now, look at the "poor" in Canada and the US today. Count their chins, or how much their bellies spill over their belts, or how many acres of polyester it takes to contain their bulk. To these people, "sacrifice" is having to choose between the Cool Ranch and Spicy Nacho Doritos, instead of having both.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for lunch. Two cheeseburgers and chocolate cake.. oh, and a salad. Gotta eat healthy.

Shamrock >

Canada is financially well placed under Harpers leadership, but that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods with a US financial collapse. Obviously there are the economic trade issues, but I don’t think people fully appreciate the potential for cross border economic refugees from the US.

It all depends on the severity of the situation in the US, but you may very well wake up one morning to a tidal wave of “American’s” seeking jobs, welfare, and refuge in Canada with our wide open borders.

Who do we think these refugees’s will be? Certainly not mom & pop hardworking Americans with the grit to work it out at home, that’s for certain.

Think what became of Houston after Katrina cleared out New Orleans, 25% overnight jump in violent crime, in an already crime infested city.

Who would have guessed (thirty years ago) that Canada would become the model of fiscal restraint and responsibility! If only the USA would wake up!

Who would have guessed (thirty years ago) that Canada would become the model of fiscal restraint and responsibility! If only the USA would wake up!

The gullible left buys into the fantasy of climate change hysterics, hook, line, and sinker, and wails that the only solution is to throw more billions of dollars at it in different forms of carbon taxes, and carbon offsets.

But they refuse to even consider that what was just shown in the video could possibly be true, and just want to continue the massive spending that will drive the USA bankrupt.

@ KevinB:

There is that word "sacrifice"; without which nothing much really worth doing happens.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-03/ecb-suspends-collateral-rules-regarding-greek-bonds-until-further-notice-.html

ECB Scraps Greek Debt Collateral Rules Indefinitely

"The European Central Bank joined the international rescue of Greece, saying it would indefinitely accept the country’s debt as collateral regardless of its country’s credit rating, underpinning gains in the bond market.

The decision came less than a day after Greece agreed to a 110 billion-euro ($145 billion) package of emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund and its euro-region allies. Under the plan backed by the ECB, Greece pledged 30 billion euros in budget cuts to bring a deficit of 13.6 percent of gross domestic product within the EU limit of 3 percent in 2014."

And this is how they kick the can down the road once again...

Cheers

Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”

http://blog.american.com/2012/05/when-the-u-s-really-did-try-austerity-it-worked/ When the USA tried austerity...it worked! Maybe it is time to try it again!

And the only cure is Proportional Representation (stay with me here..)

Suck oxygen = one vote
Suck oxygen and pay income tax = two votes
Suck oxygen, pay income AND property tax = three votes

Proportional to skin in the game if you will.

Problem solved.

And I know it is not totally original. Plus I would be in favour of adding one vote to each veteran of actual combat who has been under enemy fire.

1. Dump BamBam
2. Drill baby, drill

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/05/11/gao-recoverable-oil-in-colorado-utah-wyoming-about-equal-to-entire-worlds-proven-oil-reserves-combined/

If we ever get to the point where there is only one flavour of Doritos, I'm pulling the plug. At some point life isn't worth living any more.

paul in calgary -

ditto on get out of debt( if you have any ); interest is a luxury only the rich can afford.

And to ensure your children's wellbeing, insist they get straight A's; if they have crap teachers or crap texts, you must take the initiative to get the teacher changed, or buy texts that will teach your kids ( might start with homeschooling websites. )

I wonder if it was intended that the revenues from "fighting AGW" would cover the deficit?
Those would be (will be) very large; no doubt cap and trade money would only be allowed to be expatriated for a little time.

When American liberals talk about the US Constitution being outdated, I wonder if they mean that it inhibits them
from confiscatory levels of taxation. There is so much money ust being p***ed away!

It is certain that our betters, both in the US and in Canada, wish us to be very much poorer; it is, they see, a simple matter of devising clever devices to extract it from us.

Knight99 - notice I said Mr Harper's leadership keeps us "further" from danger, not immune to it - no, not at all.

We will be hurt in the coming downturn, but not crushed like Europe and Democrat/Obama led USA. Mr Harper is already preparing us to diversify our trade - if envirofascists in the US want to deny their people our oil, China will be only too glad to buy it from us, and our PM has been clear on that issue already.

One of the things that accelerated and exacerbated the Great Depression was protectionism. It remains a problem today, especially with statist goverments beholden to nationalist and trade union agendas.

Just think, however, the damage to our economy and prosperity if we had Grits or, gasp, NDP running government now and into the future.

Shamrock >

Agree 100%.

minuteman:

Just to be clear - I'm not against anyone enjoying any or all of the 15 flavours of Doritos (especially if they're sharing!). I just want them to buy the chips with their dime, not mine.

@kevin b and Small c conservative

Thank you .

I have recently gotten myself into some debt but it is managable (35k) and by managable we are paying it down about a grand or so a month ....so once we get rid of that ?......my wife will quit her job once we concieve or have ababy or four ..lol. so she is all for home schooling ....we will have our mortgage ..hopefullly paid of by the time i am forty in about seven years (we are doing the smith manouver) if it all tanks folks don't forget ...if it really get's bad dont worry about your mortgage payment ..as the govornemnt will have much much bigger problems to deal with ..so think of it as a payment holiday. so that is why i have chosen to do the smith manouver ..if the markets get that bad ..not only will i be F#2ked ..everyone else and there dog who is a middle class income earner wil be as well and we will see the rise of some serious militias!!

Any other advise will be greatly appreaciated!!

Thank you!!

Paul:

The only other advice I might have is this - at the precious metals firm I worked with briefly last year, the most popular product was bags of pre-1964 US silver coins. You could get mixed bags of dimes, quarters, or half-dollars, or bags of each, sorted. The idea was it would be a lot easier to get people to accept a silver coin than a silver bar plus the smaller value of the coins makes them more useful for day to day trade. As Ron Paul pointed out, a silver dime from '64 is worth about as much as a gallon of gasoline today.

So it really depends on what you're defending against. If you foresee a long predictable decline in fiat currencies against precious metals but a still functioning society, buy silver or gold bars. If you're protecting yourself against a "SHTF" scenario, the small coins would be your best bet, IMHO.

Paul >

My advice is that you can't eat gold but you can get allot of whatever you want with good bullets.

At the end of the day, if it really gets THAT BAD, only those that can take it, or protect it will have it.

Bullets are a wise commodity if SHTF.

paul in Calgary >

“....if it really get's bad dont worry about your mortgage payment.”

All sillyness aside, people need to stop thinking that “Doomsday” means some sort of apocalyptic road warrior scenario. I did mean it full well that id SHTF that bullets are your best commodity, and they are. But lets be somewhat realistic about whats happening here with the current financial crisis. We are talking about a financial collapse, but much like Argentina in the 1990’s.

What that means is that you will still need to honor your debts or you’e going to have an armed SWAT team at your house arresting you for delinquency, You NEED to pay your debits off, and you need to prep yourself in a sensible way with that sort of scenario in mind. Don’t think for a moment that you can icure debt and get away with not paying it because gas & food prices go through the roof and your off the hook.

If that were the case all that you need is a .50cal BMG a few friends and some guts. Welcome to the club, you’re not in it.

I do not for one minute believe this is not fixable.
March Harry Reid off to jail for blocking votes on the budget.
And anyone else in the senate who refused to vote on any one of the 19 budgets passed and sent from the House.
The left have been conducting a criminal enterprise systematically stripping taxpayers of their dollars, their ability to earn those dollars and criminializing anyone who got in their way.
Time the criminals got a dose of their own medicine.
If anybody had the guts to do what was right for the country and the constitution the ship of state could be set on course in no time.
Dept. of Education: Gone. Dept of Energy: Gone.
EPA: GONE. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.: GONE ObamaCare: Repealed.
Cut government workers by two thirds.
Fire Obama and his criminal administration.
Pass a flat tax. Get regulations out of the way.

The country, within a year and a half of all these measures being undertaken would be wild with prosperity.
In the meantime, stop the war on Coal. Approve Keystone XL Pipeline. Turn the tap back on for the farmers in Southern California. Get Nuclear energy going again.

And as soon as possible get rid of Nancy Pelosi. Barbara Boxer. Harry Reid
Now, if anybody in the current Congress had the guts to do all of that, or if Romney is elected and actually has the guts to do it, North American economy and Western Culture might actually have a chance at an economic recovery and Europe and their corrupt banking failures and whining could go straight to He** with no detours along with Wall St. and the US Banking system that refuses to revamp and go along: END the FED.
Dittos the UN ( Kick them out of the US. Defund and dismantle.)
Anyone with the nerve to do that would set us on a course of prosperity the likes of which we can only dream about now.
They might even erect a little plaque of Rick Santelli in Chicago to mark the day it all got started. And how his speech on the floor of the Chicago Exchange fired up a whole host of ordinary Americans now called the T.E.A. Party.
And how the T.E.A. Party changed everything.

@ paul in calgary at May 12, 2012 10:04 PM
We have given you advise before on this subject , much of it mirrored in what people are telling you again today. I suggest you print it out and make your own little survival book. One thing worth repeating is you will have a time window of about a year from the time the USA crashes until it severely affects us in Canada. When you start to get riots at government offices, thats the time to get the hell out of the city. I would also invest in a cheap property out in the country so you have somewhere to go unless you already have friends/relatives that live there. Rural folk are self sufficient. Buy lots of vegetable seeds , ammo and some survival gear. With any luck you will never need it but consider all the above advice a insurance policy.

@ snowbunnie
I like it, but that would take a dictator to implement and I don't think will work until everything crashes and the dust has settled.