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January 1, 2012 - I am not going to paint you a rosie picture, instead I am going to tell you the truth as I see it. I have been around here for over 50 years, I am 73 and have seen much more than most of you. My friends, we are out for a big awakening! Unemployment is way too high, the US owes over 15 trillion dollars, home prices are still going down, all State and Local governments are broke. and the money coming in is not enough to even pay the interest on the debt.
It does not take a rocket scientist to know what the next step is, however, most of us are DENYING the fact that we are in a heap of trouble.
Yes, most of us still have the head stuck in the sand and we are ignoring the sad future that awaits us.
There is no way we are going to get out of this one, there is no magic wand to shake, and if the US plays the cards right, we will start getting out of the mess we are in in about 25 years, no sooner. Why are we denying it? Because it is human nature to first deny it, then when it gets a little worse we will get angry... there are other steps but the last one will be accepting the truth. By then it will be too late to prepare at all and then many of us will be sorry we did nothing about it when we could.
Something is going to happen soon there are many factors that may trigger it, and get the meltdown started. Factors could include Europe's misbehaving countries, Stock market, Bernache, Dollar, Euro, etc, but If nothing else happens, the world countries will eventually change the World Currency from the US Dollar to some other currency like the Franc.
When that change takes place, the Dollar which has been the world currency since 1944 will no longer be, and the US will not be allowed to print any more money. Right now any and all transactions between countries, for example buying and selling oil, are made in US Dollars. Once that is changed, nobody will care about the dollar and also nobody will lend any more money to the US. What happens then? First change we will see is that The US has to buy it's oil using a different currency which they have to buy. That is when we start paying through the nose. The dollar will start dropping in value, the loaf of bread which was $2.50 will soon be $10 and so will be everything else.
What else will happen? We can say that all hell will break loose. Unemployment will be much higher, governments, state and local will not be able to pay workers (they are broke anyway) , therefore there will be less police, firefighters, trash removal, ambulances, hospitals, goods, stores will close because they will not be able to pay workers, banks will close (get your money out before they close) and eventually we will be on our own.... What does that mean? We will have no support at all. No Social Security Checks, No pension checks, No electricity or very sporadic, no water, food will be scarce, get the picture? This is not IF it happens, it is When it happens.
By this time is when we will have to go "back to Basics"
That means, start talking to your neighbors again, find out what they need, how you can help, how they can help you, start bartering, since the dollar is not going to be worth much, you can give them a few tomatoes in exchange for a roll of toilet paper as an example. Accepting dollars in time of hyperinflation would be stupid knowing that the dollar will be worth much less within 24 hours. It is time to switch to STUFF. You don't deal with paper money any more, you exchange "stuff" with "stuff" and the person with the most "stuff' will be a rich person. So what do you do with your dollars? Some will save them to be exchanged for a new currency some years later at a loss of course, some will exchange for precious metals, gold, silver, etc. If you have a lot, you could come out a winner in the long run.
NOW is time to prepare as much as you can to try and minimize the impact on you and your family in years to come. What will you eat next year? Start planning a garden, a large one and get seeds now while they are very cheap and available. Have ground? Use as much of it for the garden, having crops will give you bartering power.
I have a friend who started this "going to basics" project a few years back and by now he is very much self-sufficient. He has an acre of land, and grows stuff in about half of that acre. He has also some solar panels that he made, has chickens, rabbits, bees, makes his own pellets for his wood burning stove, and I envy him. He has all the bartering power you could think of and he and his family will never go hungry.
Water
You may have one of those reverse osmosis filters or one of the more sophisticated filters made today that remove just about everything from the water, whatever kind of filter you have, eventually you will not be able to use it any longer and it will have to be discarded.
We are so used to just turn the faucet and get plenty of water. What happens when you turn it and nothing happens? How will we get potable water? .
Simple. This technique is being used all over the world today and we may have to use it also. You take a clear bottle of soda, remove all stickers, fill it with water (any water) seal it, and leave it outside under the full sun for 6 hours the ultraviolet rays of the sun will have purified the water. For more information go to the Internet and search for SODIS.CH What do you need to start making your own purification plant? just a few plastic containers. You will also need water that does not have to be purified, for the toilets. By installing a couple of 55 gallon plastic barrels by the downspouts in your house, you can keep the barrels filled all the time with water "on demand".
Food.
Plant, plant, plant, harvest, can, store, freeze.
If you are going to freeze, keep in mind that your freezer is very good as long as you have the means to keep it running. If the electricity goes off for a few hours you may lose all the meats and dairy products. Any longer and you will lose the rest, so freezing is not too reliable for long term storing for that reason.
If you have canned before, this should be no new stuff for you, just do it in large scale, remember, food will not be easy to find, and we have to do like the ants and the squirrels, store for a rainy day...
This summer I had a chance to learn a lot about canning dry staples. Yes, peas, beans, spaghetty, rice, grains, flours, etc. I went thru many web sites and finally figured out how to simplify the entire system, It has definitely a lot of unneeded mystery in it. Since I spent so much time researching this, I figured I could charge for the information so, If you want to know how to can dry goods, I figure I have food there for about 6 months. I also have a few gallons of filtered water in case of a quick emergency.
Yes, this blog is not complete, I will add to it as I get more information.
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