Tips on Tuh-backy and Other Observations

Couple o' things -

Apparently, we whacko preppers aren't the only ones that think having gold and silver is a good idea.  Twenty-five percent of our states seem to think it's a decent idea as well [link] -

A growing number of states are seeking shiny new currencies made of silver and gold.

Worried that the Federal Reserve and the U.S. dollar are on the brink of collapse, lawmakers from 13 states, including Minnesota, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia, are seeking approval from their state governments to either issue their own alternative currency or explore it as an option. Just three years ago, only three states had similar proposals in place.
...

Unlike individual communities, which are allowed to create their own currency -- as long as it is easily distinguishable from U.S. dollars -- the Constitution bans states from printing their own paper money or issuing their own currency. But it allows the states to make "gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts."

Who'd a-thunk it?  A belief that the Federal Reserve and the fractional banking system might fall down and go boom?

Those crazy, whacko, states!  Come 'ere and let me give you a noogie!
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I wasn't really paying close attention 4 years ago (!), but didn't Obama run on a platform of inclusiveness, and solidarity, and equality and color-blindness?

I seem to remember - vaguely - hearing something along those lines.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw his re-election website is set up like a, "How To Balkanize America" instructional manual.  It seems like EVERYBODY has got a special page or two as to why their race or "condition" got some sort of political kick-back since he was elected.  They even include downloadable PDF files.

We've got links for -

Latinos for Obama.
African Americans for Obama.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Obama. 
Jewish Americans for Obama. 
Obama Pride (for the LGBT crowd).
People of Faith for Obama.
Veterans and Military Families for Obama.
Women for Obama.
Young Americans for Obama.

It seems like one, very large demographic has been excluded from the list of groups having their collective ass kissed by Barry.  For the life of me, I can't seem to remember what that group might be.

I'm sure it will come to me by election time...
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Tip from a tobacco shop owner:  If you buy a bag of cigarette tobacco to add to your stores - either for personal use or for barter - and it gets dry, he had a very easy way to re-hydrate it.  Toss a lettuce leaf or orange rind into the bag and let it sit a while.  The tobacco will absorb the moisture from the lettuce/orange peel and be good to go.

I've got one bag of tobacco that's well over a year old.  My guess is it's pretty crunchy by now.  I'll dig it out, and if it's all dried out, I'll give the lettuce idea a try.

Personally, it seems like with the orange peel, you'd get orange flavored smokes.  I've got to figure that if orange smokes was a popular flavor, Phillip Morris would have produced them long ago...
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I caught the first two episodes of Doomsday Preppers via On Demand today.  Not too bad.  It only had a little feel of the "crazies" to it.  Maybe prepping is moving main stream.  OK, maybe that's a bit too much to ask for!

The most commonly cited reason for prepping was economic.  They felt that hyper-inflation or some other economic event was going to bring everything down.  I'd say the next highest reason had to do with some sort of natural event/disaster kickin' our teeth in.

This one lady that they called, "The Debbie Reynolds of Disaster" (or something like that) had a number of good ideas, but was horrifyingly naive in her belief she could, "tame the savage beast" if TSHTF.

Her plan was basically to sit down and chat with the starving, roving hoards, offer them a bit of food and they'd happily move along on their way.  She ripped, "right wingers" for relying on stockpiled guns and ammo to keep the peace.  She'd just chat them up, have a big ol' group hug, and things would be fine.

At least one of her followers thought that just MAYBE, things wouldn't work out as planned, and said that if things got out of hand, he'd slit their throats or poison them.

Here's a heads-up, sparky:  To slit their throats or to poison them means that they're already inside of your perimeter. They're in your space.

If they're already there, you're not gonna get a chance to slit their throats.  Chance are, you and your buddies are being passed around as party favors.  Then they'll kill you.

I'd tweak that plan if I were you.  Just a thought...
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Not a good sign:  I'm seeing more and more folks coming into our PM shop to sell their stuff, "ala Argentina" - parts at a time.

When Argentina when teats up in 2001, people would go into shops such as ours and only sell enough of their precious metals to get a specific amount of money.  For instance, if groceries today cost $100, they'd sell just enough gold to get $100.  Many times, that meant if you had a heavy chain worth $200, you'd cut it in half and only sold what you needed.

In Argentina, the reason was hyper-inflation.  If groceries were $100 this week, they'd be $125 next week.  If you sold the whole necklace, you lost purchasing power.  If you held on to the gold, the next week the other half of the necklace was now worth $125 and you could get the same amount of groceries as the week before.

THAT'S not what's happening (hyper-inflation).  It's long-term joblessness.  People are "parting out" their holdings - only selling what they need to pay bills for this month.

I had a guy yesterday that sold me one, 1oz Canadian Maple Leaf and two, 1/10 oz Maple Leafs.  He said he's been out of work for over a year, no prospects yet.  It's killing him, but he had bills to pay so he had to sell some of the coins he had purchased to give to his grandkids some day.

The depressing part was, he said he'd see me next month.  He has no expectation or hope for a job by then.

I told him I was a half-step behind him a year ago - before the firearms training and the PM store had built up adequate capital to start taking draws.  I was trying to give him some hope, but I don't know if I did.

Folks, PLEASE work to get multiple streams of income.  Seriously.  Nowadays, you must assume your primary source will go away for one of a million reasons.

Everyone has something they can do better, cheaper, smarter than all of the other folks out there.  Figure out what that is, and start testing the waters while you've still got that primary income source.

One caveat:  Start out, uhm, clandestinely.  In most (if not all) states, if you lose your regular job but also own a business, you don't get unemployment insurance payments.  It would suck to lose your primary income source and then come to find out you were ineligible for UI payments.

Be smart and aggressive.  As the saying at the top of the page says, "AUDENTES FORTUNA JUVAT" - Fortune Favors The Bold.

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