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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Shedding The 47 Percenter Web

This post is targeted at whatever portion of that 47% of non-income tax payers that is dependent upon the government for their day-to-day living.

You're being lied to.  The government touts the "safety net" as a way to get back on your feet.  To the contrary - it's more like a spider's web.

You're stuck - you can't advance.  As you're ensnared by more and more web, you're less inclined to struggle to free yourself.  You accept your fate - "Whatever that spider wants to do with me, I've got to accept it."

You're his bitch.

This spider, though, is a bit different.  While the web still keeps you immobile, the spider doesn't finish you off.  Right now, he's a collector of sorts.  He gives you just enough to live - food, housing, clothing - but he keeps you wrapped up and dependent on him for those things.  He saps your will to advance by keeping you comfortable.

Here's the rub:  He soon discovers that he can't keep supporting his "catch" - the web strains under the weight of his dependents.  The web will either break, or he'll have to start cutting off those whom he has supported the longest - the ones with the least amount of drive and ambition left in them.
 ---

47%ers, you're living on the backs of others.  Others who have the fruits of their labors stolen from them, and redistributed to you.  They don't get to choose to give you the money, it's simply taken.  No matter how "deserving" or how compelling your story, when you cut through all of the crap, you're living off of the labor of someone else.

I keep reading story after story in the Compliant Mainstream Media about how this or that government program turned everything around.  Without these programs, we'd be hip deep in dead unwed mothers and their babies.

And there's never a good time to turn off the spigot.  "We're close to having this problem whipped, but we're not quite there.  Just a little bit longer.  Ehem, social justice, economic justice, racists, racist, racist.  Vote for me come November," yelps the politician.

This can't last.  This won't last.  The web will break or be trimmed.  Know it in your heart of hearts.  Obamabucks or Romneybucks will eventually run out.

What then?
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Any work is better than no work.  Work builds pride and independence and purpose.  Handouts make you weak and lethargic and dependent.

Work also gives you the drive to advance.

[Queue angelic harp music]  I remember my first job while I was in high school.  I was hired as a dishwasher at a local restaurant/bar/motel.  I then advanced to pot washer.  We were the bottom of the barrel.  Always the last ones to leave, because after all of the dishes and pots were washed, we had to clean the entire kitchen.  Wipe down the oil and muck from the day, sweep and mop the floors.  Wash down the bathrooms.  All for $1.25 an hour (this was 1975).  Oh, and a free meal and all the soda from the bar that I wanted.

After a couple of months, I became a cook.  I sure as hell knew I didn't want to be a dishwasher, and probably not a professional cook.  We had a number of grown men who I'd guess were making $5 an hour that were working side by side with me on the line.

Nope... If I was going to work that hard, you'd have to pay me some real money.  A few months later, just after starting college, I got my first banking job.  I worked my ass off, but most importantly, I observed.

What made the bosses the bosses?  What traits did they have that I liked, and which ones would I never use?  What skills were paid the most money, and what would it take to obtain those skills?

Long story short, I spent 31 years in banking, leaving as an Executive Vice President.  And I never did get the college degree, either.  No silver spoon.  No scholarships.  No loans.  Worked my way while in college. No contacts with "higher ups" to get me a sweet gig.

My point?  If I didn't work, I'd have never known what I didn't want to do!  It sounds a bit odd, but it's a fact.  I had self-worth, even back then.  I had no problem working hard, but I'd be damned if it would be for free.
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To you Hispanic 47%ers:  Seriously, help me understand why you - as a group - favor open borders with Mexico.  Anyone with two gray cells to rub together knows that the more people that are available for any given job, the lower the wage will be.  The employer is in the power seat.  If you don't want to accept minimum wage for a job, he's got dozens and dozens of folks willing to jump at the chance.  Don't you understand that by flooding the market with cheap labor, you, as an individual, are harmed?

You are in the truest sense of the word, a "slave".
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Stay on the public teat, and when you die, no one will care.  You won't have made a mark on the lives of those around you.  "Yeah, old Bob was a heck of a redistribution recipient.  Damn!  He could always figure out a way to extend his payments from one public program, and have the next one lined up before the previous one ran out.

"I wonder if his public housing spot will be available..."

Accept The Challenge

Whether you're a 47%er - by choice or not - or someone looking to gain some financial freedom, you need to get to work right damned now.  I don't care if it's a job where you ask, "Would you like fries with that?" even after you've been a big wig.

Government handouts rot your soul.  They take away your ambition, your drive, your self-worth.

While you're flipping those burgers, reassess your skills and your local economy.  Maybe they don't need people with your skillset anymore.  So change your skillset.

Get short-term education - 3 months to 2 years.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!  Don't go get a certificate in Buggy Whip Design and Fabrication.  Learn or improve a skill in something with some legs - something that will last.

Look at starting your own business.  Maybe even just part time, but you'll more likely achieve financial freedom working for yourself than working for someone else.  Whatever you do, make it consumable or something that needs replacing.  Have a product or service that, by design, requires them to come back to you.  If you've treated them fairly and honestly, they'll keep coming back to you for more.

Find a niche in your market.  That can be something you do locally, or something that you can sell regionally or nationally.  Give your chosen market "a better mouse trap".

Some ideas -

1.  Vice.  Hey, it sells.  Alcohol, porn, etc.  You need to check your moral compass when going down this road.  It's lucrative, but can be disgusting.  Most aspects are highly regulated, but not all.  Hustler Magazine and porn movies are watched by the authorities for crossing the line, but Fifty Shades Of Gray soft "mommy porn" is widely accepted as "cool".

2.  Money.  Payday loans, PM stores, title loans, pawn shops, consignment stores.  Just be warned that much of this sector is heavily regulated.  You need to determine for yourself if it's worth the grief to enter this line of work.  And you need a pile of cash to get started.

3.  Aging America.  Huge, HUGE market is opening up, with tremendous opportunities.  Collectibles, rock and roll, health care, travel/adventure - the possibilities are endless.  In the health care space, it goes from starting a pick-up-and-drop off service for doctor visits, to in-home dialysis services, to physical therapy, to elder care.  This, I believe, will have the highest amount of opportunity.  But pick your niche.  LOTS of people are going down this road.

4.  Safety.  Me thinks the government(s) will continue their Fear Campaign - there are bad guys behind every corner - to help justify continued spending on police and DHS programs.  This feeds a need of some citizens to get training on everything from non-lethal stun guns and pepper spray to handgun safety, to advanced weapons training.  This will continue to boost the sales of the businesses that supply the products people need to protect themselves - handguns, rifles, ammo, alarm systems, pepper spray/stun guns, etc.  As of right now, training is a lightly regulated industry, whereas the tools - handguns in particular, and ammo in socialist states such as California - are heavily regulated.

5.  Government vendor. At least for the near-term, supplying the government with goods and services is a HUGE growth industry.  Everything needed in private industry and private life, is needed by the government, and they pay a premium.  If you're a woman, black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American, you have a leg up on all other competition.  For this group, government schools - colleges in particular - have developed Departments of Diversity or similarly titled entities whose sole purpose is to ensure you move to the front of the line when it comes to dealing with the schools.

 6.  Information.  Write a Kindle book, and sell it on Amazon.com.  Be sure you're not one of the million folks writing a book on how to reduce clutter in your house if you expect to make any money.  Do your research first to make sure you're not in a saturated market.  One good strategy seems to be writing a series of small books.  For instance, there's a guy who writes books on deer hunting.  Stalking, field dressing, knowing the wind, etc.  Each book sells for $0.99, and he has 52 of them.  He periodically gives one away for free as an incentive to buy the others.  52 might be a bit much, but 4 to 10 might work.  Make it a topic or skill that offers a fresh perspective and unique insights.

7.  Hispanic-targeted products and services.  There's a reason that it seems like half of the cable channels are Spanish speaking.  Hispanics are the most rapidly growing ethnic group in our country.  State and federal governments are doing nothing serious to protect our southern border, so like it or not, this trend will continue. Muéstrame el dinero!

Others?

Stay away from:

1.   Automobiles and related industries.  As our society ages and seniors become a much larger percentage of the population, the number of cars needed is going to drop appreciably.  Automobile companies are projecting flat sales for as far as the eye can see, while the overall population continues to grow.

2.  Computer repair.  A dime a dozen.  Yep, some folks are screamin' professionals, but there is a TON of competition.

3.  Website designer.  See above.

Others?

Lastly, as I've noted before, don't put all of your eggs in one basket.  Work HARD to have multiple streams of income.  This is so important.  If the largest breadwinner in your household lost their job, what would you do?  How would you pay your bills and feed yourself?

Plan now, and keep yourself out of the web...

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Thursday, September 13, 2012

More Dis and Dat

Obscenely busy.  Sorry for the dearth of posts.  Here's some stuff coursing through my warped mind:

Can you say, Barack Hussein Carter?  I have not witnessed a similar level of spinelessness since Jimmeh was the POTUS.  Did you see the press release the State Department issued after our Egyptian embassy was breached?
The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others. 
WTF?  Hey you stupid shits!  Our embassy was overrun.  Those sons of bitches that did the overrunning got exactly what they expected.  A GD apology FROM US!

Then, emboldened since they didn't even get a threat - which they knew we wouldn't follow through on anyways - their bastard brothers in Libya killed 4 Americans in cold blood.

I haven't had the stomach to look for the apology for forcing the poor Muslim boys to kill our ambassador.
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Uh, since when do we have an ambassador in Libya?  Since Qaddafi turned into worm food, or before that?

Tell ya what - get out of that 13th century cesspool.  Time to cut our losses.  Make the site of the embassy a smoking hole and if the area a couple of blocks around the embassy get smoked too, well, thems the breaks.
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About 9/11.  When are we going to stop this pity-fest?  Seriously.  Why do we want to remember a day when we got our ass kicked?

How about we roll the burning of the White House during the War of 1812, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 into one big Ass Wupped holiday?

I can understand - maybe - the families going to a memorial and laying down flowers.   But from where I sit, it is nothing more than a way for various government agencies to keep us in a perpetual state of, "remember, there's a boogie man out there" so they have reason to keep our rights infringed.

Yeah, I'm THAT jaded.  And I don't think I'm too far off the mark.
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What's the deal with "Gluten Free"?  Do we suddenly have an outbreak of people with celiac disease?

Good Lord, gluten gives my bread its chew and spring.

I can see Mayor Bloomberg getting this scourge on America banned right after the soda ban kicks in.  We're saved!

Tell ya what - I want Double Gluten bread.  Maybe triple.  I want all that gluten that's been cast off, and shipped to my house.  I'm gonna sell the hell out of it.  Sour dough bread that eats like Double Bubble.

I'll be rich.  Keep your eyes peeled for my ads...
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Have ya watched the price of gold and silver lately?  Unreal.  Bernanke belches and PM's go through the roof.

Not that I'm complaining.  When prices quickly move up or down, we get swamped in our store.  People don't want to miss out.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet we're just starting to see the run-up in PMs.  I'm telling you this because I personally won't profit one thin (silver) dime if you buy PMs.

If you can afford one ounce of silver a week, or 500 a month, do it.  More is better - once you've made sure your living expenses are covered.

And don't blink after you buy.  Prices WILL fluctuate.  If they start coming down, don't freak out and sell.  PMs are a medium-term investment.  Three to five years, minimum.  If you're going to need the money before that, don't buy.

The only time I'd sell earlier than 3-5 years is if the government came out and said they aren't going to run deficits any longer, thus there would no longer be a need to devalue the dollar by printing up new ones.

Yeah.  Like that's gonna happen inside of 3 years.
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Hey Hillary - take a shower, and maybe ask Barry if you can borrow one of Michelle's hair dressers.  You're representing our country to the world.  The Haggard Worn Out look ain't cuttin' it.

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Practice Makes Proficient

We all remember when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger belly-landed his Airbus A320 in the Hudson River.  He was directly responsible for saving the lives of 155 passengers and crew.

He was hailed a hero and miracle worker.  He said he was just doing his job.  A lifetime of preparation led to a "miracle".
Well, I think, like many people who have found themselves in such an extraordinary circumstance, they really do feel like their entire lives has been a preparation for that moment.
Amen to that, brother.
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In the comments of my post The Fear Factor, a commentor had made note of the fact that the NYC shooting outside of the Empire State Building resulted in 9 innocent bystanders being hit by police fire.

I made this comment -
[Painting with a VERY broad brush here] My experience has been that cops fall into two broad categories: Good, decent people who truly want to do good for the community. The other are power freaks. The, "I've got a gun and a badge, and you'll do as I say. Or else."

This latter group doesn't seem to feel the need to practice their craft. They've got their POST certificate and the aforementioned gun and badge. That's all they need.

The "good guys" work at their craft. Virtually every time I teach my advanced Practical Defensive Pistol class, there are LEOs on that range practicing their holster/draw/shoot skills.

It's almost always the same guys.

Commenter Adam (a LEO, and I get the impression from his past comments that he's one of the "good guys") made a comment about the adrenalin rush of the situation being one of the reasons for the unintended victims.  I basically said, IMO, that's not an acceptable excuse.

Cops need to train.  Hard.  And they need to expose themselves to stressful training situations to try and approximate real-life shooting situations.  I had suggested that all LEOs be required to maintain certification with a shooting sport, such as IDPA, in the same way that a CPA must keep their license current through continuing education.  Annual "qualification" on the firing range is insufficient.

Consider this video of a private security guard (h/t SHTFPlan.com). This is at an Internet cafe in Melbourne, Florida.  (Note:  Why the hell do bad guys keep hitting Internet cafes?  This is the second such robbery I've heard about in the past few weeks.  Do they keep enough cash on hand to warrant having an armed guard?  Apparently so...). 

This old guy was Johnny On The Spot.  Quick draw, movement, didn't stop shooting until the threat had passed.

I'd bet a million bucks he's put thousands and thousands of rounds down range, AND has - at the very minimum - run through this scenario in his head dozens of times.

[Start dreamy harp music]  "Multiple bad guys charge my post.  Identify they have weapons.  Draw weapon, put shots on closest target first, then next closest.  Repeat shots until threat has stopped.  Move to ensure I become a difficult target to hit and to ensure they can't rush me past one side of my post to surround me."




What a stud.  Great technique and tactics, and not a bit of hesitation.

At least in his head, he's been there before.  And like Sully's water landing, he likely saved his life and possibly the lives of others because of his preparation.

Accept The Challenge

If it comes to preps, as the saying goes, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right.

Making fire.  Practice.
Making water.  Practice.
Making shelter.  Practice.
Gathering wild edibles.  Practice.
Using deadly force.  Practice.  A lot.

Most things for which you're practicing involve you alone.  If you can't make fire and you get stuck on a mountain, you'll likely die.  No one else is affected. 

If you have a gun and you're not proficient in how to use it - including WHEN to use it - others may die or be injured.

If you carry concealed, practice.  For instance, every day I'm in our precious metals store, when I get to work, I go into the back and do 5 to 10 practice draws.  It's more to ensure my IWB holster is properly positioned, but it makes the rake clothing-grip-clear-rotate-center-push process more fluid.  I want it to be smooth as butter so that I can keep my attention on the bad guys.  I have myself timed on occasion to practice having the muzzle pointed at the bad guy from a concealed holster in 2 seconds.

When I teach my Practical Defensive Pistol class, I get there early do practice beforehand.  Multiple targets.  Fighting tunnel vision by visually sweeping the area after shooting.  Really concentrating on stance and presentation and trigger squeeze.  I want this to all be second nature if I'm ever forced to do it for real.

Regarding the adrenalin dump:  It's a hell of a point.  I've never had a gun pointed at me.  I've never had to point one at a human being, much less one that's looking to rob or harm me.  Possibly in a store full of customers.  I may crap myself, for all I know.

But I do IDPA and self-stress shooting practice (timing and accuracy drills) to attempt to approximate the various situations I may encounter.  About the most stressful practice I've done is with paintballs.  One of my son's and I used to go up into the hills to a site that was force-on-force in a natural setting (not the typical paintball "courts").  When the horn would blow, the paint starts flying - and your heart starts pumping!  On more than one occasion, teams of Sheriff department SWAT members would be up there "playing" with us.

I go through scenarios in my head regarding a robbery at the PM store.  One guy.  Five guys.  Hostages.  Bull-rush the store.  Catch us by surprise.  Store full of customers.  No other customers.  See a gun.  See pepper spray.  See Taser.  See hammer.  See pipe.

Come up with a plan for each.

Obviously, no real-life incident will play out exactly as you practice, but by thinking about and practicing multiple scenarios, parts of each have a great chance of being included come "game time".

As all of my coaches in high school and college used to say, "You play like you practice."

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Monday, September 3, 2012

See? I Told You So!

Gawd, it becomes tiring - almost - being right all of the time.  Such a burden would crush a lesser man.  It is only because of my modest and humble demeanor that I am able to walk among "common folk" and carry on my life's work....

Well, and predicting this stuff is about as difficult as getting a welfare recipient to accept more money.

About a week ago, I uttered these immortal words ("Social Impotence") -
Where am I going with this?  I've once again realized that resistance IS futile.  The borg is here to stay.

Don't take that as a defeatist attitude.  It's not.  It's pragmatic.  The inertia of our growing government - federal, state and local - cannot be stopped.  Too many special interests, including the government itself, rely on the existence of big government.  Those of us who cherish personal liberty have become socially impotent.  There is nothing we can do to change our nation's course.
I went on to say that I've pissed away enough time ranting and raving about government - all for naught - and my subsequent posts would focus on practical solutions to minimize the impact of Big Bro.

True dat.  Still I must admit that I just can't keep my piehole shut about government abuse and expansion.  It's my meth, so to speak, and I gotsta have it.  So, I'll work the ranting into the prepping.

Oh look!  Here's an example all ready.  And one that fits the quotation above.  Ain't that convenient?

I happened to plop my butt down in my chair while the Republican Coronation was on the tube.  The Talking Head on Fox had wet himself over the fact that Romney was getting close to the number of delegates he needed to wrap up the ticket.  I decided to watch until the toe-curling climax.

Some lady up on stage would mention the state, and the number of votes they had.  A representative from the state would give a Chamber Of Commerce blurb about their great state and say how their votes were cast.  Another lady up on stage would then repeat the number of votes cast.  BUT only those cast for Romney.

I'm like, "WTF?  Why are they only mentioning The Mittster?"

So I decided to pay a little closer attention.  For instance, when they got to Maine, the first lady on the podium noted that they had something like 23 votes.  The person from the state then yammered on, and proudly announced that, "Two votes go to the next president of the United States, Mitt Romney!"  The other lady on stage said (very Stepford Wife-ish, btw), "Romney:  Two votes".

I'm thinking, "Uhm, what about the other 90% of the votes cast by their state?  Who got those?"

During the Coronation, per party rules, a group of five states submitted the paperwork necessary for Ron Paul to be included in the vote.  The old-school Repubs didn't like that, so they shut it down.  They changed the rules - in mid-stream - so that 8 states had to submit the paperwork -
According to the chairman of the Nevada delegation, Wayne Terhune, his state, along with at least four others, submitted nomination papers for Paul on Tuesday afternoon. He said current party rules require that five states submit nominating papers in order for a candidate's name to be placed in nomination.
Think about what happened here.  We're not talking about Democrats trying to change the Republican party, we're talking about insiders getting the shaft.  The folks chosen to select their candidate for their friggin' party to go up against Barry!

Whether you love him or hate him, Ron Paul is all about small government and fiscal responsibility.  Romney toes the party line.

And we've seen what the party line has gotten us.

Accept The Challenge

Plain and simple:  If you want to change the national politics in America you must vote for a third party.  Until the Dems and Repubs feel the fear of losing control, they have no incentive to change.  Quite the opposite.

"But Chief, it will just give the election to Barry by drawing votes away from Romney."  Eh.  Maybe, BUT SO WHAT?  Like having The Mittster in charge will make any difference.

"But, but, the Supreme Court.  Yeah, the Supreme Court.  Those appointments are forever.  We'll be doomed if the liberals take a majority."

Uh, perhaps you haven't been paying attention.  Dubya's boy, Chief Justice John Roberts - conservative constitutionalist extraordinaire - just saddled us with the "It's A Tax - No It's Not - Yes It Is" Obamacare.

Or maybe you were referring to the conservative justice appointed by Dubya's daddy - David Souter.  As wikipedia notes -
Souter sat on both the Rehnquist and Roberts courts, and came to vote reliably with the court's liberal members.
You remember Dave, right?  He voted "aye" on the Kelo v. New London case which said that taking your privately owned property and giving it to another private party was consistent with the original intent of the eminent domain provision of the fifth amendment.

Or perhaps you're confusing him with Justice Anthony Kennedy - a rah rah Reagan appointee - who ALSO voted for Kelo.  In fact, he was the swing vote that gave the win to the land-grabbers.

If the government wants your shit, they'll just take it.  And Republican appointees won't get in the way.  They know who butters their bread.

It seems as though if a case has to do with taking your wealth - via taxes forcing you to buy health insurance, or via the outright theft of your real property so your local public officials can earn more money - those Republican, "small government" types fall right in line with the Libs.

You can close your eyes, and wish really, really hard that the Republicans will change.  This time will be different.  But they won't change.  You can click your heels together, chanting, "I want to go home.  I want to go home."  But when you sneak a peek, you'll still be in Oz.

We need to change the political environment, and voting for "the lesser of two evils" is insane.  They're the "equal of two evils".  The Dems will bleed us financially, and the Repubs will bleed our liberty.  Same destination, different paths.

One last thing to think about:  Look how a local issue - a city using eminent domain on a piece of local property - opened the door for more Marxist "ALL the land belongs to The People" legalities across the nation.  As I noted in my Social Impotent piece, vote and act locally.  Don't let the Marxist bastards get a toehold in your community.

One more one last thing:  If you're a Dem/socialist/Marxist who likes the whole idea of giving away land and cash, why don't you start at home?  Literally put your money where your mouth is.  Write a damned check to Uncle Sam.  If you think a 75% tax rate is a great thing, DO IT!

And sending money to a private charity doesn't count.  If you're more than just a mouth-breathing, platitude-spewing piece of crap, you'll send a check to the federal government for everything in excess of 25% of your income.

Then give your home and land to the federal government with the stipulation that you get to live there, just like the welfare rats get to stay in the public housing we're all paying for.

I'm not holding my breath, mouth breather...

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com