Race And Business

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm not especially Politically Correct.  I calls 'em like I sees 'em.  What follows is partially based on my 30+ years of banking experience - specifically in my capacity ranging from being a loan underwriter up to being the Chief Credit Officer - in total, about 8 of those 30 years.  Does this make it Gospel?  No, but considering all of this experience occurred in the SF Bay Area - one of the most racially diverse areas of this country - it will give you a hell of an insight into race and business.

The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race.

--Booker T. Washington

When I was writing the post, The Alluring Call of Socialism, there was a big racial component to what's happening.  In my opinion, the socialist are using race as their tool to divide our country.  They have successfully convinced blacks and Hispanics that they are victims.  Vote for us, we'll give you stuff from the evil white overlords who robbed you of your chance for greatness.

Never mind that the nearly 50 year experiment with Affirmative Action has proven to be a colossal failure.  Blacks, in particular, have grown accustom to being given stuff - and the need to provide for ones self has evaporated.  The only requirement for continued payouts is loyalty at the ballot box.

Their community has been decimated.  Approximately 3/4 of their babies are born out of wedlock.  A disjointed home life - no sense of family - draws them towards gangs or "the hive" to fill that gap in their lives.

They make up approximately 13% of the population, yet are rapidly approaching 40% of welfare recipients.  The numbers are virtually identical for incarceration rates.

The great socialist experiment with blacks is a failure in its entirety.  Hispanics are trending in the same direction.  If their "leaders" continue to covet cultural victimhood as is so warmly embraced by the black community, they too can expect similar outcomes.
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A whining, crying race may be pitied but is seldom respected.
--Booker T. Washington

I was thinking about the racial profiles of the folks that own businesses in the center where we've got our precious metals store.  With only one exception, all of the business owners are either white or Asian.

If you look up the federal statistics [private study in PDF], 11% of white workers are business owners.  Only 5% of blacks own businesses.  Average white business have sales of over $400,000.  The average black business has sales of around $74,000.  Huge differences.

And then there are Asians.  One of the smallest ethnic groups in the nation (less than 5% of the US population) is also one of the most successful.  So successful, in fact, that the race-baiters have had to come up with a new social tag for blacks and Hispanics.  Instead of being called simple 'minorities', they're now called 'disadvantaged minorities'.

Disadvantaged!?  Are you serious?  Blacks are the most advantaged minority group in the history of the nation.  Never has so much been given to so few who personally endured no injustice.  But I digress.

Asians business statistics are on par or superior to white business statistics in virtually every category.  How could this teeny tiny minority group absolutely crush these larger minority groups?

It's as simple and as complicated as one single word:  Culture.  Their families, friends and community,  regardless of social strata, expect - no, demand - success.

Instead of a culture that celebrates, 'Keeping It Real', they embrace Tiger Moms.  Where Asians heap scorn on their youth for educational failure, blacks deride and ridicule their contemporaries for 'Acting White' when a black kid chooses the un-cool path of academics.

A concept drilled into the brains of successful groups is that of sacrifice.  If you want success, you're going to have to give up a lot of things.  Sacrifice now for something better in the future.

You can stay home and study for the algebra test, or you can go to a party.

You can spend every dime you own on boats, cars and clothing, or you can save it for investments or to start a business.

You can spend hours playing video games, or you can spend hours reading about business success stories.

Everyone in this country has the exact same number of hours available to them.  How you choose to use those hours is up to you.  You can choose to emulate the strategies and actions of successful people, or you can emulate the strategies and actions of The In Crowd.
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A bit of insight into my experience with the psyche of different Asian groups:  I've had the most experience with three groups - Indians, Chinese and Filipinos.

Indians were almost exclusively in the services field, primarily in lodging and food service.  I can't tell you how many Indians came to my banks for refinancing that started their businesses with credit cards.  They'll do cash advances on 10 credit cards, and buy a business.  I have seen dozens of dumpy motels bought with credit cards.

This is a low risk/high cost strategy.  If you default on making your credit card payments, nothing is taken from you, as credit cards are unsecured funds.  But they're very costly, so your income margins are very thin.

So, the entire family moves into the motel, thus eliminating their housing expense.  They then use sweat equity to clean up the motel and increase revenue.  Once it's "cash flowing", they'd come to us for refinancing.

They'd run it for a few more years, continually upgrading the facilities with one goal in mind:  To qualify to become a "flag ship" motel - becoming part of a national chain.  If they got the nod, we'd happily refinance them again for additional improvements.

Typically, they'd then sell the motel, and upgrade to a better flag ship company - i.e., going from Motel 6 to Holiday Inn Express.
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Chinese, well, they're just crazy!  They are fearless.  They will put everything they own on the line.  They're willing to make a big bet to get a big payout, even if that means crashing and burning and losing everything.

When they'd come to us for a loan, we'd see a number of business failures in their past.  As a result, many times, their credit scores were horrible.  When you crash and burn, everything tends to get trashed, including their personal credit scores.

As a result, with these loans, we'd have to ensure we were FULLY secured, and we'd have loan covenants requiring regular monthly or quarterly financial statements and regular site visits to the business (this was obviously done for any borrower with similar business financials - Chinese just happened to be a large portion of this type).

Very often, they would sell these businesses as soon as they were gushing money to "cash out" and move on to something else.  I think they like the thrill of the hunt more than actually getting the brass ring in their grasp!
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Filipinos are the lowest risk-takers of the bunch.  They've mastered the concept of sweat equity.  They very rarely would go "all in" on a project - always keeping cash and assets in reserve.  But they will spend 20 hours a day, 7 days a week to build a business.  Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, kids, cousins, aunt, uncles - the ENTIRE extended family pitched in.

By having this large pool of mostly free labor to draw upon, most everyone could hold a "normal" job or two, and devoted their off-hours to the new business.  For instance, mom and cousin work the business during the day, and work swing shift hours at a salaried job.  Dad and uncle work regular day jobs, and prep/build/manufacture/maintain the business during the evening hours.  Grandma, grandpa were used as needed, and the kids were pressed into service whenever they weren't in school.
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All three Asian groups employ very different strategies, but all are successful.  The common thread is a culture that recognizes that sacrifice will lead to success.

Much (most?) of the black and a growing portion of white culture are unwilling to sacrifice.  Poor blacks largely because of the indoctrination of economic dependency, and upper-middle class whites largely because of Helicopter Mom-ism.  Both of these groups have grown used to being cared for, and are unfamiliar with the concept of sacrifice.

Hispanics used to be as business driven as whites and Asians.  Many still are, but sadly, as a group, they're rapidly drifting towards the much easier path of economic dependency.   I pray that Hispanic leaders will help to steer their followers away from the path chosen by black leaders such as Sharpton and Jackson.  There is still a chance to keep them from this disastrous path.

There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.
--Booker T. Washington

Accept The Challenge

So how do we preppers - regardless of our race or ethnicity - use this information to benefit our lives?

The quickest way to build wealth is to own your own business.  You may have current commitments that don't allow you to quit your job and go out on your own.  But, you CAN start the process part-time and eventually take it full-time.

Get educated and get the right mindset.  Start by reading, Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  The book is actually more about setting goals and teaching you how to reach them.  I can tell you from personal experience that it works.

If you know nothing about running a business, get thee to the Small Business Administration (SBA).  They have TONS of free resources to help you start and run a business.  If you're near a large city, they have offices with folks to help you.  Also look for SCORE centers.  These are staffed by retired businesspeople that can act as mentors for your business.

Two key areas where people fail are in marketing and accounting.  You may have the greatest product or service ever invented, but if you can't get people to buy it, you're sunk.  Know how to reach your target markets.

Similarly, once the money starts flowing, you must know how to account for it, which products are most profitable, and how to project for future growth needs.

Don't scrimp on your education on either of these points.

And of course, expect to make sacrifices.  Time, money, energy will all be sucked from you at an alarming rate.  But, with proper planning and knowledge, you can limit the impact and timeframe of these sacrifices.

Lastly, be prepared to be flexible.  As opportunities appear and disappear, you want your business to be nimble enough to move away from sink holes and steered towards profitable lines.

What's the saying?  Luck equals preparation plus opportunity.

Go get lucky!

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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

You're Just Kulak To Them

[Please, don't bust my chops over semantics in this post.  I use 'socialism', 'Marxism' and 'communism' interchangeably.  They all embrace the idea that the hive, village or group are more important than the individual, and we all have an obligation - always forced upon us - to maintain the hive.] 

Note:  I've been sitting on this post for 3 days.  I've read it and re-read it.  It sounds bat-dung crazy to suggest and plan for the US to head down this path.  But I can't see a way out.  How do you feed a nation that increasingly becomes dependent upon the State for its survival?

The goal of socialism is communism.
--Lenin

In the last post, I discussed the Alluring Call Of Socialism.  On paper, it sounds sweet to huge numbers of people.  In practice, not so much.

Socialism has always ended the same way.  With a totalitarian state.  Everything is eventually nationalized.  Land, business, all personal property.  It's all for the good of the state.

Preppers and independent people ultimately strive to have land and property to maintain our independence.  We buy land, equipment, seeds, animals, weapons, etc., to allow us to live that independent lifestyle.  In America, you're not guaranteed wealth and independence, you're guaranteed the opportunity for wealth and independence.  Many Americans are willing to work hard to meet those two goals.

It's the reason people come to America.  To build a life of freedom and prosperity.

But that doesn't mesh with the communist ideology.  In fact, it's in direct conflict with that ideology.  You work for the state, not for yourself.  The hive is more important than the bee.

In countries such as the US, or entire regions, such as the EU, the state starts the application of this ideology via taxation.  It starts slowly, and gradually grows.

During the debates about whether the sixteenth amendment should be ratified (allowing for income tax), the proponents stated that the tax rate would never exceed 2%, I believe.  Now, in addition to the constitutionally allowed excise taxes, we have more taxes and fees than you can follow.  Gas tax, sales tax, a zillion telecommunications taxes, building permits, sewer fees, real estate taxes, business asset taxes, business license fees - it never ends.

In our precious metals business, I have sales tax, business license tax, special business district taxes, second-hand dealer tax, alarm tax, fire service tax, payroll tax, state income tax, federal income tax, all the telecommunications taxes, all of the gas and electric taxes, non-salable asset taxes, certified scale taxes, weighmaster taxes, and indirectly, the property tax paid by the landlord, via our lease payments.  These are just the taxes that come immediately to mind.

The socialist government wonks use propaganda to brainwash us into believing that the hive is more important than the bee.  We saw this when Barry Obama made the comment about how successful businesses didn't get there by themselves, but through the generosity and guidance of the state.

Jake Tapper of ABC news perhaps presented the view of the state most accurately -

The president’s argument, which is similar to one made by Massachusetts Senate candidate (now senator-elect  .ed) Elizabeth Warren, revolves around the idea that business people need the infrastructure provided by the government in order to succeed. [emphasis added]

To anyone with more than two gray cells to rub together, this is a laughable statement.  The government doesn't provide anything.  They don't earn money to build roads, they take it.  Your money.  My money.  Our money.  The roads weren't provided by some altruistic donation from a private charity that is owed thanks.  The government simply did their job!

But the hive needs more honey, and you've gotta give it up.

Soon enough, the cashflow starts to dry up, and the wonks need to get creative.  A great example is what they're now kicking around with regards to the gas tax.  Since cars now get better gas mileage  people don't need as much of the stuff.  That cuts into tax revenues.

Now, they're talking about changing the tax to a "miles driven" model.  Expect some sort of government controlled odometer to be installed on all cars sometime in the near future.

Perhaps the greatest "creative response" to the need for more taxes is to promote and successfully enact a tax on air.  The socialists call it, Cap and Trade.

The public sales-job started with the idea that carbon dioxide is causing the planet to heat up.  Despite being roundly disproven and exposed as a fraud of the first order, the wonks convinced enough soft-headed citizens and politicians to pass Cap and Trade laws.  All under the guise that they were saving the planet.

You don't even need to scratch under the surface to obliterate this scam.  They fairly admit it's nothing more than a dollar grab.

All of these programs work like this:  Some government agency sets a number for the tonnage of CO2 that a company can release into the air.  Like the fraud recently conducted first auction here in California (thanks Arnold), your business is given a certain credit by the taxing authority.  If you release in excess of the allotment, you can get back into the good graces of the wonks in one of two ways.

First you can buy credits from another company that doesn't need all of their allotment.  You'll do this via exchanges that will facilitate these swaps.  For a fee.  This is the business Al "Mr. Hockey Stick" Gore started.  What a great stroke of luck that was, huh?  Stir this shit up, and make a profit from it!  Genius.

The other way is to buy more credits from the government entity charged with setting the CO2 levels.  Yes, you can buy your way out of it directly with the government.

If the government was so concerned with global warming, beach front property in the Rockies and the impending end of the planet, why in God's name would they allow these horrible, polluting companies to toss the wonks a few pieces of silver?

Because it's not about the environment, it's about tax revenues.  Period, end of story.  California tax receipts, for instance, will net a cool billion dollars a year for the criminals in Sacramento.
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Here's where it starts to get scary.  This is where the self-reliant homesteaders and preppers start really feeling the bite of the wonks.  It's also where people on both sides of the equation start dying, and not from old age.

Eventually, the tax dollars stop increasing despite the wonks dogged efforts to keep 'em flowing.  The State keeps increasing its need for funding, but the well is getting dry.  There's just nothing left to tax.

So, like every socialist regime before it, the new one starts nationalizing.  Businesses first, then private property.

This isn't scare tactics.  This isn't boogie-man stuff.  It's a logical progression, and it's in your history books.


Marx, Engels et al, understood the need for productive farmland.  Your title deed is hereby invalidated and your land liberated for the people!

The Russians called it 'kulak'.  You have more than someone else, so you're portrayed as greedy - tight fisted, to be literal.  For the good of the hive, your property is liberated.

Both peasants and Soviet officials were often uncertain as to what constituted a kulak. They often used the term to label anyone who had more property than was considered "normal," according to subjective criteria, and personal rivalries played a part in the classification of enemies.

Hmm, I'd guess that anything is considered more than 'normal' by the folks who have nothing other than the Government Teat in their mouth.

Or perhaps they'll just follow the lead of Future Chairman Mao in China.  In part -

Land reform in a new Liberated Area should be divided into two stages. In the first stage strike blows at the landlords and neutralize the rich peasants. This stage is to be sub-divided into several steps; strike blows at the big landlords first, and then at the other landlords. Treatment must be different for those who are local tyrants and those who are not, and different also for big, middle and small landlords. The second stage is the equal distribution of land, including the land rented out by the rich peasants and their surplus land.

Yeah.  The 'rich peasants' and their surplus land.

Accept The Challenge

Whoa.  What now?  All of those self-sufficient fantasies evaporating right in front of our eyes.

So how does this proceed?  If the nightmare scenario of nationalizing all private assets is the ultimate goal, the PTB will want to lay the ground work to make resistance less difficult.  Gun control is the first and most obvious avenue.  Make it more difficult for individuals to possess guns and ammo.

Logic and empirical data tell us that an armed society is a much safer society.  Every state that enacted 'Shall Issue' CCW laws saw drops in crime, and particularly in violent crime.  The data is irrefutable.

And irrelevant.

The Diane Feinstein's of the world will go to the grave working to paint guns as bad, and using the MSM propaganda machine to sell their vision.  Families that lost family members to gun violence (ala Brady Bunch) will be trotted out in public to sell their snake oil.

And the majority of the public will buy it.  "Who needs a weapon of war, like an AK47 or AR15?  Their only purpose is to kill people!"

So, tighter gun control (and ammo control) - even more than now - will be one of the signals.

Tied to that is a beefing up of domestic police forces.  Why in Gods Name does every Mayberry RFD need a tactical armored personnel carrier?  And a SWAT team?  And a sniper squad?  And riot gear for every officer?

They don't, unless it's in anticipation for some out-of-the-norm civil unrest.  The Talking Points are that the gear and squads are for terrorism.  Well, when much of your citizenry is considered to be a possible terrorist, I guess the term kind of loses its common meaning.  If you own guns, have food and equipment storage, and are vociferous about your disgust with our government, you and everyone like you are all considered potential terrorists.

This is already happening all over our country.  This tipping point has already tipped.  The facade of safety against terrorism is being chugged by the masses like a drunk with his Ripple.  This was easy to accomplish, as it didn't directly affect any citizen.  Genius.  Stock up the local police all you want, and until the hammer is used against the masses, no one cares.  Hey, no harm, no foul, right?

They've now strengthened their offensive capabilities, and weakened your defensive capabilities.  Time to start grabbing assets in earnest.

The business nationalization will be the first indication. It will be big stuff. Oil, coal, transportation, telecommunications, banking. Infrastructure stuff.  Washington DC knows how to better run these industries, and the proceeds will now go to all of the peeps, not just to the greedy businessmen that started the companies.

When they're done with the businesses, they'll start going after the real property of individuals. They'll come for our private farms, homesteads and the like.  Anything that might be able to be farmed, as per items 1, 4, 7 and 9 of the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto.

This is the one that we preppers will need to worry about.  The indicator will be when they start taxing you for items you produce for your own consumption. The vegetables you raise, the eggs you gather, the steer you slaughter. The thinking is, just like going to a regular job, your efforts produced something, and you were paid for your efforts. In this case via turnips and hamburger. That's income, and it needs to be taxed.

Oh, and you clearly don't need all of that food you're producing, so we'll just liberate the excess. Have a nice day, comrade.  The only legal foundation they need to take your property is the desire to take it.

I see two possible outs for us.

First, buy land that is only marginally arable or productive (i.e., for cattle).  Make it remote and acidic or alkaline  land where with a good bit of effort via composting, and creative use of water and greenhouses can be productive on a small scale.  Think the Northern Nevada, Eastern Washington State, Eastern Oregon, Southern Idaho and Northern Utah desert areas (most of Survivalblog's 'American Redoubt').  Sorry, I don't include Texas, New Mexico, California or Arizona deserts, because I think they're going to be overrun by what we currently call Illegal Aliens, and which will then be called "Dream Act" Reconquistadors.

Make the land only produce enough for your immediate family.  No more.  Make it land - like the Gaza strip - where the Israeli government gave the Palestinians the land, but since they had no idea how to keep it productive, it crapped out.  Make the land unattractive to the socialists and their need to fill the bellies of many people.  Make the cost/benefit calculation tip to the negative.

The other option is much more risky.  Much more.  And it requires accumulating a LOT of like-minded individuals being in one region.  More than I think is possible, really.

You would need an area filled with individuals - and state and local governments - that would be willing to fight for their land together.  It could include all of the aforementioned land and perhaps include the Dakota's, Montana and Wyoming.  I hesitate with these last 4 states, as the wheat growing and pasture lands might be valuable enough for the socialists to fight for in earnest.  Also, with the Bakken Formation (oil and gas) in Montana and North Dakota, the PTB won't give them up so easily.

So, we're talking secession of a huge chunk of America, and I just don't know how realistic that would be.  I think it would only have a chance if, unlike the Civil War, it was fought like the mujaheddin against the USSR and the US in Afghanistan.  Asymmetrical warfare.

You punch them in the gonads, then melt into the woodwork.  You poke them in the eye, then vaporize.   

Bleed them to death.  Death by a thousand cuts.  Death by public political pressure -  It just ain't worth the effort.

This is my personal plan.  Tucked away in some corner of Idaho with the hopes that if this nightmare comes to fruition, there will be enough like-minded folks in the area willing to make life difficult for the PTB.
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I know many of you that already have productive farms and homesteads are saying that you'll draw a line in the sand, and fight to the death.  That will be fine by the PTB.  They'll expend very little effort, you'll be dead, and they'll have your land.

And that accomplished, what?  A 'moral victory'?

A toe-to-toe conflict ends up with you dead.  Quickly.  But a generation-long blood-letting has a chance.  And maybe your kids and grandkids will have something left to re-claim after the communist system collapses.

And they always collapse.
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The zillion dollar question is, "When is this going to happen?"  I think it will be some time after the dollar collapses, which I thought would have happened by now.  Uncle Ben Bernanke and Company have been fortunate that Europe is in such a mess, as it's helped prop up the buck.

But the fundamentals of the dollar are doomed, and our country has an insurmountable amount of debt.  When you work in the hundreds of trillions in unfunded liabilities with Social Security and Medicare, our way of economic life is toast.  You can't tax enough to ever meet these obligations.  It's impossible.

So there will be defaults in public debt and promises, and the government will be forced to take what it needs.

My crystal ball simply isn't strong enough to call when that happens - just that it will happen.
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You see, it always comes down to money.  They want what you've earned.  Your job is to keep it yourself.

Reduce the amount of taxes you pay.  Legally or illegally - your choice.  Positives and negatives with either option, but we must have the goal of Starving The Beast.

Hide or disguise your accumulated wealth.  Have it in a bank, and it's as good as gone.  You've willingly provided an accounting of how much is available for the taking.  If you have a big pile of cash that suddenly disappears, they'll come looking for you.  Bet on it.

Start NOW with ways to keep your money under wraps.  Precious metals are your best bet here.  Valuable and portable.

Establishing those Multiple Streams of Income will help you to thrive.  Seriously, get on this now.

And "lose" some guns and ammo.  You'll need to find them again in the future.

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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

The Alluring Call Of Socialism

When a business looks to sell its product, it does something called, 'target marketing'.  You identify your potential buyers, determine what they care about, and you tell them that your product meets their needs.

A car manufacturer may have an SUV they're looking to sell.  To men, they may tout how this big vehicle handles like a sports car, yet can pull a big ol' boat.  Show footage of the SUV flying up a windy country road towing a fishing boat.

To women, you might focus on the exemplary safety record, the big comfortable seats, and the integrated DVD player for the kids in the back.  Add footage of the plush interior of the vehicle with the perfectly behaved kiddies, all in their car seats, being anesthetized by the DVD player.

Sale!

The Democrats understand this concept.  Carve off a group, build a sales pitch, and sell it.  Here is the key to it all:  With each of their target markets, they identify the one or two key points that the group cares about, and they hammer it home.

You never, ever come off message.

They started with ethnicities.

Blacks.  Marketing Pitch:  You've been abused and discriminated against forever.  Vote for us, and we'll fix the wrongs brought upon you and your ancestors.

Hispanics.  Marketing Pitch:  Love of family - even the extended Hispanic family.  Repubs want to keep you out.  When you're in, we give you Sanctuary Cities, we write laws prohibiting our police departments from turning you in to the federal authorities.  We'll protect su familia.

Then, you hit the Cross-over groups - 

Women.  Marketing Pitch:  You are the equal or better of any man in the workplace.  Your body is your own - no man can tell you what you can do with it.

Youth.  Marketing Pitch:  We're the cool, loving and inclusive group.  We want to invest in your future, so we'll give you easy access to grants and loans.

Private union members.  Marketing Pitch:  We will protect your right to organize so you can get your fair share - a living wage - from the evil, rich business owners.

Public union members.  Marketing Pitch:  Vote for us, and keep your job, get regular raises, a killer retirement plan and we'll make it virtually impossible for you to be fired.  Guaranteed, lucrative income for life.

LGBT.  Marketing Pitch:  You should be able to marry anyone you wish.

Anti-war.  Marketing pitch:  The only reason Republicans want to send you/your children to war is to pay off their evil, rich corporate handlers.

The only group not specifically targeted are independent, successful white males.  They don't need anything from government.  So they're demonized.  They're the evil rich with all of the money needed to pay the bills.  The Dems just need the political power to take it from them so you can have more stuff given to you.
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No matter what your competitor throws at you, you counter with some variant of your target message.  For instance, in the recent election, the Republicans main selling point was, "The economy is in the crapper, Obama has done nothing but make it worse, and Mitt can fix it."

The Democrats countered that Mitt would take welfare from poor blacks, take freedom from poor Hispanics just trying to feed their families, take loans and grants from students, take abortions from women, etcetera, etcetera.

Mitt will take from you, Obama will give to you.

What the Dems have done is to successfully sell the idea that The State is the parent, the family, the provider, in the minds of all of these groups.  As a child, if you've had a Helicopter Mom for your entire life - covering your every need and ensuring you never have a negative outcome -  do you think your instinct will be to break away from this warm, comfortable place?  Of course not.
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Bill O'Reilly made a comment about what happened to the Republicans that I think is nothing more than wishfull thinking -

The good news for the Republicans is that the pressure is now on President Obama and the Democrats. If the economy doesn't improve dramatically over the next four years, the Democratic Party will evaporate -- as simple as that.

Sorry.  Not gonna happen.  On the national stage, the game is over.  The Republicans just don't get it.  They don't have an answer to the Democrat sales pitch of, "Vote for us and we'll give you things."  Libertarian-leaning people like me are considered freaks who just don't get it.  Personal freedoms AND responsibility?  Naw, too much work.

The majority of people have shown they have no need or desire to have to struggle to pay their bills, struggle to become rich, struggle to pay for college, struggle to be independent.  Why struggle and have the risk of failure and pain, when you can get by - comfortably enough - by voting Democrat?

For now, the Republican message works in much of "fly-over country" but there aren't enough electoral college votes in those states to turn the tide.   The big cities in these state still vote comfortably Democrat.

Seriously, on a national level, it's over.
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You all need to watch California for what will eventually happen to our nation. 

On election day, in addition to voting to increase our taxes once again via the our Proposition process, my fellow citizens did something much more frightening.  Our state Assembly and state Senate has long been dominated by Democrats.  They've run the joint into the ground, taking us from being one of the crown jewels of this nation in terms of the economy, education and insight, into the bottom of the barrel.  So, despite a decimated state economy, obscene taxes at every level, government intrusiveness in every aspect of our lives, my fellow citizens rewarded the Democrats by giving them a Super Majority in both state legislative houses.

For decades, we've had laws that required a 2/3 vote by both houses before they could raise taxes.  This has held them at bay, until now.  With the new Super Majority, this is no longer an issue.  They can do as they wish.

They have wrecked the state, but were rewarded with more power.  They just had to promise more stuff to the peeps.
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"But Chief, it will all collapse.  Every socialist/communist economy ever constructed has collapsed under its own weight.  The same will happen here.  That's when the people will See The Light and we'll turn things around."

Perhaps.  But no one reading this today will likely see that day.

My next post will lay out my vision for what's going to happen to our country over the next few decades.  It's not rocket science, and it's not pretty.  And I'm afraid it's unstoppable.

I have a request, though.  Prove me wrong.  Point me in another direction.  Show me a scenario where this socialist slide is stopped.  Tell me how a society where the majority believes themselves to be a victim due recompense, is convinced to give up their "claim".

Logic is not a viable alternative.  If logic prevailed, California would be a solidly red state after the decades of decline we've endured at the hands of the Democrats.  If logic prevailed, America would have thrown the Charlatan In Chief out on his ear.

The "masses" are hearing the call of the socialist.  Everyone gets equal outcomes.  Everyone is cared for.  Everyone is protected.  It's an alluring call for many.  Apparently, for most.

They just don't immediately recognize the cost that will be due in the future.  Someone's got to pay for all the goodies they're getting.

And one way or another, it will be them.

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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

Ramblin's

I don't know if I'm just a heartless ass (I can live with that), but when I see these people in NY, NJ, CT bitching and moaning and whining that the government isn't moving quickly enough to restore their Dependent Class lives, I feel nothing but anger and contempt.

Not pity.  Not compassion.  But contempt.

You incompetent, soft, lazy, Me Generation, IDIOTIC Sons of Bitches knew this mega-storm was coming.  The entire nation knew it was coming 10 days in advance.  Four days in advance, we all knew it was going to be an ass-kicker.

Like a normal, rational, thinking human being, did you decide to get as far away from danger as possible?  No, you decided to stick around.  I now see your whiny mug on TV crying about your lack of utilities, food and water.  Boo-hoo-hoo!   YOU put yourself into this situation, YOU get yourself out. 

And shut the hell up about it.
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Since I'm in a puppy kicking and insect-wing pulling mood, I'm really getting sick of everyone and everything being a 'hero' or 'heroic'.

In my mind, a hero is someone who - in an extraordinary, selfless act - puts their life at risk for the life of another.  So, contrary to what we heard during October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, just because you got and beat cancer doesn't make you a hero.

You're tough, resilient, determined, and brave for facing an event that could easily take your life.  But you're not a hero.  Just because you're a cop, or fire fighter or in the military, does not make you a hero.

A hero is a citizen who enters his neighbor's burning home and pulls everyone out.  A hero is a cop who dives into freezing water to pull a child from the water.  A hero is a soldier dives on a grenade or charges a hill by himself so his fellow soldiers may live.

We lessen the concept and importance of heroism when we attach it to any difficult task.
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Speaking of words, I HATE the word, 'empower'.  "She attended the class and now feels empowered to lose 50 pounds".  Or start a business.  Or change her hair color.  Or date a new guy.

It seems to mostly be used by women.  When I glance at anything Oprah says, writes or does, it seems like "empowered" is at the heart of it.

Really?  It strikes me as having gotten permission, or something along those lines.  Why can't you just say, "She felt fat and out of shape, so she decided to drop some pounds."?  Nope.  Unless you've been empowered by some mystical class or chant or role model, you're doomed to failure.

Please.
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After Barry wins (Electoral College for sure, popular vote maybe), is anything going to change in your immediate future?  I'm hoping to buy at least one gun tomorrow - two if possible (a long gun and a handgun), and I'll squirrel away a bit more ammo, but other than that, it's going to be Prepping As Usual.

I think Barry may move to restrict access to guns, so I don't want to get caught without the last couple of purchases on my To Do list.  Other than that, I think the economy is screwed beyond repair, and there is nothing Mitt could do that would stop it.  He might have been able to slow the bleeding a bit, but not stop it.  So whether Barry or Mitt wins, my life will be about the same.  Economy, USA PATRIOT Act, NDAA, QEIII - both Mitt and Barry read from the same script.

Don't fool yourself into thinking Mitt would be your savior.
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Most of you probably don't pay much attention to detailed California politics, but we've got a couple of competing "tax enhancement" propositions on the ballot.  According to the pollsters, it looks like one or both may pass.

Gawd, I'm surrounded by mouth-breathing inbreds.  Apparently, the "school children will be kicked to the curb if we don't vote this in," advertisements have worked as hoped.  The Government schools won't see one more dime than they're now getting.  While the legislation "strongly suggests" that the extra money go to schools, it doesn't require it.

Picture the crew from Animal House suddenly coming across a semi-trailer full of Jack Daniels, and you'll be able to visualize what Sacramento is going to look like in 2013.
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There's a saying, "As California goes, so goes the country."  I think it's happening already.

Look at the national Republican party and compare it to the one in California.  With the disaster heaped upon us by Barry, how could the Repubs NOT win this election?  Every Obama promise made, broken.  Every goal set, missed.  This should have been an ass-whooping of epic proportions.

Instead, he's gonna win re-election.

The same thing happens here in California.  Our state has steadily dropped from the tops of achievement lists, to the bottom of the barrel.  Our state economy is in a shambles.  The only answer Sacramento has to filling the budget gap is to raise taxes.  The Dems have "owned" this state for decades.  Yet they are overwhelmingly re-elected each and every cycle.

As in California, the federal government has established a permanent, dependent class.  It is a huge mass of people who all know (literally) where their bread is buttered.  Republicans then come in and say they're going to stop or slow the gravy train, and get their ass handed to them.

Over 100 million Americans on some sort of government payment or "entitlement" system.  Nearly half of working Americans don't pay income tax.  Entire generations being taught and encouraged to get in line and outstretch their palms.

And the way to win back the 'hearts and minds' of this crowd is by telling them they are going to get less if they elect you?  Yeah, right.  Good plan.

I'm not sure the Repubs have much of a chance of regaining national power in the future.  Unless they get more into the "vote for us and we'll give you shit" game.  They're OK at it with big businesses, let's see if they can extend the skill to buying votes of the little guy as well.

No one leads any more.  They just pander.
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Please, oh please, let me be wrong!  While a Romney win would likely give us rioting right after the election, for the medium-term, it would give us more time to prep.  More time is more good!


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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

Government Has Metastasized

[I wish I was clever enough to have come up with the title phrase.  I heard it on the radio, and had to steal it.]

Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures which had something to do with the production of pig-iron. The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable. The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely.
--George Orwell, 1984

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Reasonable people can disagree about the drug laws.  I don't think anyone likes drug abuse.  Libertarians and Liberals believe it is one of the ugly consequences of a free society.  Conservatives, in general, believe it's OK to bend the Constitution to take away our privacy rights we have via the fourth amendment.  Hey, if we need to bend the rules to catch drug dealers or terrorists, it's OK to give up some rights to stay safe.

Just like Liberals believe it's OK to bend the Constitution with regards to gun ownership and possession.  Bend the second amendment to make it difficult to obtain a gun and carry it to defend yourself, 'cause it's OK to give up some rights to stay safe.  Libertarians and Conservatives tend to think the only permit you should need to carry a gun is the aforementioned second amendment.

There's a problem with bending the rules.  Given a bit of time, government always seems to find a way to apply these newly acquired powers against regular folks.

One of these "bent laws" are our RICO laws.  They were enacted to catch organized crime figures, and they worked quite well.  Snatch up the bad guys, seize their illegal assets, and put them out of business.  The problem is, when the big mafia bosses were largely rounded up, the government was left holding this big ol' hammer with nothing to do.  They started looking for something else to nail down.

One of the benefits of these asset forfeiture laws was that the local, state and federal police agencies all got to split up the booty they grabbed.  They now had a financial interest - and the law on their side - in painting more and more individuals as RICO candidates.

Apparently, anyone who carries large amounts of cash, gold, gems, etc., is now a part of organized crime.  Your personal property - cash, jewelry, real property, cars - are all seized and are not available to you to pay for a defense.  Anything you own is presumed to have been "ill-gotten gains".  What a luscious, perfectly constructed Totalitarian Catch 22:  Since you are presumed guilty because you've been charged under the RICO statutes, you are unable to pay for a defense to prove your innocence.

Almost all forfeiture cases practiced today are civil. In civil forfeiture cases, the US Government sues the item of property, not the person; the owner is effectively a third party claimant. Once the government establishes probable cause that the property is subject to forfeiture, the owner must prove on a "preponderance of the evidence" that it is not. The owner need not be judged guilty of any crime [emphasis mine].

The government sues a piece of property!  Holy crap.  Who could have ever dreamed that up - suing an inanimate object - and what suck ass court said it's legal?  How is a car, or diamond necklace, or stack of cash supposed to mount a defense?

My wife and I have been married for 26 years, and have been a couple for 31 years.  I have bought her LOTS of jewelry over those years.  It represents a considerable sum of money.  The police could enter my home, seize all of this jewelry, sue it, and I would have to prove I bought it legally?  Are you kidding me?

I don't have a single receipt for any piece I've bought her.  Actually, that probably wouldn't matter, because they could just say that the money used to buy the jewelry was earned via illegal means, and I'm screwed.  They don't have to prove I earned the money illegally, I have to prove I didn't earn it that way.  How do you prove you've never earned an illegal dollar?  How do you do that?  How do you prove a negative?  How do I prove that the stack of bills in that envelope are a result of hard, above-the-board work, and not some evil criminal underworld business?

I can't.  No one can.  And it's all a result of usurping the rights of legitimately bad guys, and those usurpation's now being visited upon society as a whole.
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Buckle up, kiddies.  Here's comes the next usurpation.

A federal judge has ruled that agents of the state may enter your fenced and posted rural property, and install video surveillance devices.  All without having to bother with those nasty requirements contained in the fourth amendment.

Police are allowed in some circumstances to install hidden surveillance cameras on private property without obtaining a search warrant, a federal judge said yesterday.

CNET has learned that U.S. District Judge William Griesbach ruled that it was reasonable for Drug Enforcement Administration agents to enter rural property without permission -- and without a warrant -- to install multiple "covert digital surveillance cameras" in hopes of uncovering evidence that 30 to 40 marijuana plants were being grown.

This will be upheld if it ever makes it to the SCOTUS because we need to be kept safe from drug dealing, fourth amendment be damned.  And as surely as the sun will set tonight, this WILL be applied to anyone and everyone the government feels is breaking the law and needs to be spied upon.

"No, no, Chief.  It only applies to large, rural properties.  The feds can't violate the "curtilage" boundary." Tell that to the thousands of citizens who have had their property stolen by the state via the RICO laws that would only be used for mafia kingpins.

Seriously, does anyone think that it won't be applied soon enough to suburban, then urban properties and homes?  The government's track record on this is perfect:  We are all presumed to be breaking the law, and the Constitution can be warped to help the government prove it.  Or to at least get paid handsomely for the effort.

In general you could not assume that you were much safer in the country than in London. There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized; besides, it was not easy to make a journey by yourself without attracting attention.

--George Orwell, 1984 

I can hear it now:  "Your Honor, our drone just happened to fly over the subject's house while we were looking for another bad guy.  Luckily, our thermal imaging camera was on, and Officer Fife observed what appeared to be an illegal, gangland wrestling match, surely supplying the mob with illegal gambling proceeds.  The subject's assets were seized and divied up.  It was later learned that the subject was just having sex with his wife.  No harm, no foul, right, Your Honor?  Do you like our new gear?  Can I get my warrant now?"

He took his scribbling pad on his knee and pushed back his chair so as to get as far away from the telescreen as possible. To keep your face expressionless was not difficult, and even your breathing could be controlled, with an effort: but you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up.
--George Orwell, 1984

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Accept The Challenge

I was talking with a friend of mine a few days ago about government.  This friend has made getting around government intrusion in your life, into an art form.  This person won't likely be around much longer, and I'm trying to get a Masters Course in a very short period of time.

The rules are pretty simple:  Keep off the radar.  Don't make a stink.  Don't rock the boat.

If they don't know you have assets, they can't take them.  If they don't think you might be breaking the law, they'll not peek into your life.

The whole idea of government metastasizing is so accurate and horrifying and disgusting.  It's a slow cancer - difficult to notice and not entirely painful.  People that are 50 years and older, see the change to our freedoms, but most are more focused on lining up their ducks for retirement - or are already retired.  Very little boat rocking here.

Younger folks have never know anything different.  Government schools teach them that government is good and right and just.  Follow the rules.  Most of them, too, don't want to rock the boat.

Continue with the Bread and Circuses, and we just don't care.  Fat and happy.  Gettin' by - not thriving but not hurting, either.  Give us the Kardashians or Octomom, and a couple of beers or a strong shot of Jack Daniels, and all is good.

Choices, choices, choices.  How to live our lives?  Real freedom is all but lost.  Subservience is expected.  Gotta ask permission before acting.  Has the flag gone up?  Time to punch out?

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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