Your Own Personal "Shithole" Country Test

NEWS FLASH!!  HOT STOCK TIP!! Buy stock in Victoria's Secret, Fruit-Of-The-Loom and Jockey, because there are so many panties bunched up into wads, they're all going to need to be replaced.

The latest wadding occurred when President Trump ALLEGEDLY made comments about stopping the flow of dollars to, and people from "shithole" countries.

Although the source of these alleged comments was the lying piece of crap, Sen. Dick-head Durbin, let's assume every word The Dick Head says Trump uttered was correct.

What's the definition of a Shithole country?  I'm here to help, and it's really, really easy.  Here we go, kids:

Answer me this:  Would you and your spouse pay for a vacation to this country with your pre-teen boy and girl children or grandchildren,  where you would all freely visit 80% of the country (every country has shitholes in it) day or night?

If you answered yes, it's not a shithole.  If you answered no, it IS a shithole.

Easy, right?  Put your money where your mouth is, or STFU.

Of course, the Leftist Press flipped this into a racist comment.  Even from the most Trump-despising "reporting", I saw not a single mention of anyone's race or color.  Just that he said or implied that certain countries sucked ass.  Somehow, when talking about countries, the actual meaning is racism.  WTF?

Typical of them to infer what Trump actually meant without him even saying it.

The one that kills me is Haiti.  Clearly a shithole, has been for, well, forever.  But, on that same rock - Hispaniola - is the Dominican Republic.  The per capita GDP for Haiti is around $1,800.  For the Dominican Republic - remember, it's on the same rock - the per capita GDP is a bit over $17,000 - more than a 9-fold greater economic force.

Same damned rock, one country is a shithole, the other is not.  Trump must be employing reverse-racism with regards to the Dominican Republic.  HATER!!!

Even Haiti's also-mentioned shithole brother, El Salvador has a higher per capita GDP at $4,700.  It is THE BEST at something, though:  It has the highest murder rate in Central America at 108.69 per 100,000 citizens (the US is a laggard at 4.88 per 100K).  Wanna go to Central America?  Go to Panama, with a per capita GDP of $13,600 and the lowest murder rate in the region at 11.38/100K
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It's all about choices.  We owe these shithole countries nothing.  Not money, time, citizenship or anything.  Our own country has enough actual ills where that money - our money - would be better spent.

Xenophobic, racist, "small tent", hater, bigot - call me whatever you'd like.  I couldn't give a rabbit turd about what I'm called.  As much as the liberals would have you believe otherwise, we're not made of money.  Look to our deficit for proof.

These shithole countries - if they want to change their designation - need to look to their prosperous, self-sufficient neighbors, and follow their example.  Our charity leads to an unmotivated populous, which perpetuates their poverty.


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Copyright 2018 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 Scam of Licensing and Permits

I'm in the process of making a number of instructional videos with my new Nevada company.  I've been playing around with the video editing software, and decided it was time to come out.

From behind the keyboard, ya pervs!

On occasion, I will likely do a video entry here instead of typing it out.  Below is the first installment.

Gimme some feedback.  Ya like it?  Does it suck?  Should I hire a hot spokes-model to do the yapping?  (Say 'yes' to that, and I swear I'll flash my man-boobs at ya.  Neither of us wants to go there, trust me).

I'm going to work on the back drop a bit.  A sheet over my office windows doesn't exude a lot of confidence and professionalism, so there's that.....

I'll use some of the cooler technical stuff in later editions, but this is what you've got right out of the chute.

Have at it...




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Copyright 2017 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

Dried Teats and Side Hustles

I was in my store a couple of days ago, and this man and woman with British accents come in.  The guy's accent was so thick, the employee I was working with couldn't understand him!

So, he wants to know if we've got any foreign currency or foreign coins for sale.  Sure do.

I give him the box of currency, and as he's going through it, we start up a conversation.  It seems that this fellow - probably in his mid 60's - has an Australian eBay account.  He and his wife travel around the world, picking up things he can sell on his site.  On this trip, they're going to be in The States for 5 weeks.

And he writes his whole trip off as a business expense.

He's been doing this his entire adult life, ("I was never cut out for a proper job").  He cobbles together a project, makes some bucks, and does it again.  A little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

We talked about the importance of "buying right" - you make your money on the purchase of the goods, not when you sell them.

When we buy something we will be selling on eBay, for instance, we always buy them at at least 30% below the price we believe the item will sell.  That 30% covers our roughly 10% cost of sale between eBay fees and Paypal fees, and a 20% profit.

When we buy something to sell in the store, it will depend on how long we think it will take to sell.  Gold and silver bullion turn over quickly, so our margins are smaller.  Jewelry, graded coins or collectibles can take months to sell, so the margins are much higher.

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I'm getting on my high horse again to implore folks to work on establishing Multiple Streams Of Income.  I honestly can't put my finger on it, but it seems like there's a, "disturbance in the force" and things are going to slide sideways.

Maybe it's this "protesting" crap (rioting, actually).  Is it going to turn into some serious shit, or will it pass?  Maybe it's the tenor of the conversations I have with customers that come to the store.  The majority are Trump supporters, or at least not Trump haters, and their buying decisions are about how much precious metals to buy vs ammo.

Now, I don't want to hear any whining.   But, but, but, CHIEF, I just don't have the time/money/inclination to do this!!

Well then, I hope you like living off of the dwindling government teat.  Just remember, there are a whole lot of people in front of you - the professional "lifer" teat suckers - who know how to get their squirt of milk before you.

Think like a rich guy.  You don't have to make a zillion dollars, but the lessons of the rich are awesome studies for all of us.

A great quote from the article -

You can't create the future you deserve while obsessed with the past you resent. Super wealthy people don't waste time focused on the past; they invest time, energy and effort in producing products and services that people want and need. 

They don't contribute to the problems of society. They solve problems for society.

YOU are responsible for your lot in life.  No one else.  Tag, you're it.

See Rule #2 in particular.

So as not to leave you hanging for ideas, The Art of Manliness website had a great article titled, "Be Your Own Boss:  37 Side Hustle Ideas".  I guess, "Side Hustles" is what the cool kids call Multiple Streams of Income,

The article includes a link to a two-part guide on some of the ways for getting off of your ass and doing something about it.

I'll also recommend a documentary movie on Netflix titled, "Capital C" (YouTube trailer).  It's about crowdfunding - coming up with an idea or product, and getting people to pre-pay or fund your product or service.  What a great way to do real-life market research for a product (HINT HINT).  If you don't get funding, you're only out the time and money it took to set up the crowdfunding page and video.  You will know in a relatively short period of time if there's an actual market for your product.

Just do something.  How would you cope if your primary source of income - from a job, government pension, IRA or whatever - were to go away?  Cover your bases and keep a couple of lines in the water.  You never know what you might catch.


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Copyright 2017 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

Gold and Silver - Buy or Sell?

If you watch gold spot prices, for most of 2016 - February to October -  they were in a fairly tight band that ran between $1250 to $1350 per ounce.  Silver had a similar tight range as well.

Then in October, all hell broke loose.  Prices took a dump, then made a feeble comeback, and have now been all down.  This final quarter of the year has seen a drop in the neighborhood of $200 per ounce (it's sitting at $1151 as I push these keys).

For the year, things aren't too bad.  For other time frames, ouch!  As of today:

So, is it time to abandon gold, and jump into the hot stock market?  Maybe into some foreign exchange EFTs as there is a VERY realistic chance that interest rates are going to jump up.  Higher rates equals a stronger dollar.

Are ya in or out?  I can tell you, that business at our precious metals (PM) store has been brisk on the bullion side - both buying and selling!  Half think precious metals have peaked, and they want out.  The other half think we've hit bottom, and are squirreling away PMs like, well, squirrels.

JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR, I'M NOT AN INVESTMENT COUNSELOR.  WHAT FOLLOWS IS WHAT I'M DOING, AND WHY I'M DOING IT.  I MAY BE WRONG, I MAY BE RIGHT.  YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.

I don't buy PMs as an investment, per se.  I buy them as a hedge against a whole bunch of things - to maintain and protect my ability to purchase things - food, energy, shelter - in the future.

This is important to understand:  The price of gold and silver is basically irrelevant to me.  I understand that if gold and silver soar to new heights, my cost of living is likely doing the same - soaring!  The converse is true as well.

I believe that in the short-term future (next couple of years at least), the price of PMs is going to decline.  I believe that the Federal Reserve Bank will indeed raise interest rates multiple times next year, making the dollar stronger.

I believe that Trump will actually do SOME of what he promised during the campaign, and we'll get more jobs created, the economy will come out of its coma, and that too, will make the dollar stronger.

Despite the dollar (Federal Reserve Notes) being a flaming piece of crap (being able to buy 6 cents worth of what it could buy when it was introduced in 1913) , when compared to most other world currencies, it has big, brass balls.  It's absolutely crushing other currencies right now.

When the dollar gets stronger, PMs get weaker.
 
So, despite this belief that PM prices will be declining, every single month, I buy some gold and/or silver.  I only spend money that has no short- or medium-term obligations.  My bills are all paid, I have a nice emergency cushion, and my income earning investments are funded.

Here are 5 reasons I keep buying precious metals.

1.  Maintaining Purchasing Power

I use this example when explaining this concept to new customers to our store:

When I was a kid in 1964, for some reason, I have this memory of being at a Phillips 66 gas station buying gas with my mom, and gas being $0.26 per gallon.  Let's call it a quarter a gallon.

Back then, the quarters were made of 90% silver and 10% other metals.  One silver quarter has about 0.18 of a troy ounce of pure silver in it.

Doing the math, with spot silver today at roughly $16 per ounce:  $16 x 0.18 = $2.88, OR ABOUT THE COST OF A GALLON OF GAS TODAY!  The silver maintained its purchasing power.

So, a dollar in silver quarters would get you about 4 gallons of gas.  If you had kept a paper dollar bill from 1964, today you could get about 0.4 gallons of gas. The fiat paper currency dollar has lost its purchasing power.

Ya get it?  I didn't "make money" by holding the quarter, I simply maintained my purchasing power.  Precious metals are money.  Fiat currencies and bank accounts are representations of money that can be manipulated or confiscated by governments.


2.  Government Demonetization

You heard what India did at the beginning of November, right?  Their two largest bills were "demonetized" - made worthless - over night.  Bam!, the paper money wasn't worth squat.  You had to go into a bank and swap them out for the new and improved versions.

The problem - and the plan - was, they didn't have enough of the new bills available for the swap, so you had to put the money into an account, and get your cash at a later date.

The public reason for the demonetization was the usual bullshit:  terrorism and tax evasion.  Well, the soft-heads in the government didn't patch up all of the loopholes, and the effect on terrorism and tax evasion was precisely ZERO!  

People sold their bills at a discount to money changers.  The money changers shipped massive quantities of the bills to some remote tribes or to farmers - both of which are tax exempt - and the old bills were swapped without any consequence at all, other than screwing the guy on the street for the vig he had to pay to the money changers.  The people were willing to take a hit in the form of a discount to the money changers instead of paying tax to the government.  I love it!

This is a perfect example of why you shouldn't have "all of your eggs in one basket".  You never know what will have value in the future.  I keep "money" in gold and silver, cash, other hard assets, businesses and in trade/barter goods, as well as in retirement plans, savings plans and bank accounts.  If one or more are devalued or confiscated or made illegal, I'm not flat on my ass broke.  I may be hurting for a while until I figure things out, but I won't be broke.

Along the same lines, I've also got skills, and am continually learning more.  As an example, I can turn damned near any sugar source into an alcoholic beverage that you'd enjoy consuming. 

You may be saying, "BFD, Chief!  I can head to The Walmart and get all of the hooch I want!".  Yeah, you can do that now.  But if we were in a situation like they're going through in Venezuela - where the government is so broke it can't release foreign reserve currency so that the largest brewer in the country can make beer, and the brewery closes down!  No mas cerveza, amigo mio!  How valuable would beer, wine or hooch be in that circumstance?

I'm now in the process of learning how to grow food on a larger scale.  This coming season, I'll be starting with 3 raised beds, all 8x4 foot, expanding to 6 beds the following season if things go as planned.  I'll also be putting in a small orchard with fruit trees that thrive here in northern Nevada.

3.  Insolvent Retirement Accounts

This is a biggee.  My wife and I have Social Security accounts, private retirement accounts and 401(k) accounts.  Many of you have similar account, including public pensions for government workers.

Every (and I mean every) government-run retirement system in this country is underfunded.  Many (most?) are flat broke.  Social Security, military pensions, police and fire pension programs, federal, state and local government worker pensions systems simply do not have the cash or assets to pay their retirees what they were promised.

Some of the retirees see the writing on the wall, and are trying to cash out by taking a discounted lump sum payment, and they're being rejected.  Why?  The plans don't have the cash. 

I would GLADLY take a lump sum check from Uncle Sam for the amount of money that was forcibly taken from me for SSI - no interest, just the principle - and I would forgo any and all future payments.  I think many Americans would do the same, because I don't believe I'll ever get back what I put into it, let alone the lost interest I would have accrued on my own.

In fact, I believe in my lifetime, the Social Security Administration will institute some sort of "means testing" whereby they look at my assets and other retirement/savings plans, and determine how much is "fair" for me to live on.

So I make my pile of visible assets as small as possible.  PMs are one of many ways to do this.

4.  I Don't Trust Banks

Having been in the banking industry for 31 years - going from the lowest paid clerk to Executive Vice President - I know that banks have turned into de facto agents for the state and federal governments.  Banks are no longer there to protect your money and privacy.  They are there to do as the federal government tells them.

That is not hyperbole.  There is nothing you can do with your account that can't (or isn't) reported to a government agency.  The government granted itself these powers under the assumption that everyone is a criminal or terrorist.  If the banks disclose to you that they've disclosed your (formerly) private transactions to the government, they have broken federal law... and they're not going to break federal law for little ol' you.

This should make you sick to your stomach.  You are presumed guilty of .... whatever they wish, but you do nothing about it.  Their campaign of, "Only criminals and terrorists have anything to hide from the government," propaganda program has been a success.

As equally important, they are getting very lazy with the security of your accounts.  I don't know if they just don't care, or if they've got so many resources devoted to reporting you to the various agencies, they don't have money left for security.

The SWIFT system - think of it as wire transfers between banks in different countries - has been cracked open like a papier mache piggy bank on numerous occasions in recent months.   The hackers hack a small foreign bank, and use its credentials to get into SWIFT, where the real money lies.

They are successful stealing money 20% of the time!

A US bank getting hit wouldn't directly affect you, as your accounts are covered by the FDIC.  Oh wait... Unless..... the regulators forced a failed bank to pull the "bail in" trigger, and they consider you an unsecured creditor of your bank (which is what you really are), and instead of giving you your money back, they issue you stock in the failed bank.

Try buying bacon with that.


5.  An Economic Hit or Collapse Is Coming

I seriously have no idea when.  Next month, next year, next decade.  I don't know.  I just know that you can't build government programs on borrowings forever.  Eventually, the bills (as in Treasury Bills and notes) must be paid.

The federal government will continue to pay SSI, and pensions, and welfare and all of the other bullshit by either borrowing more money or printing more of it up for as long as it can.  Eventually, they won't be able to borrow any longer, or the hyper-creation of dollars will make them worthless.

I believe that paper currency will go away, maybe within the next 5 to 10 years.  To me, THAT will be the sign that the serious shit is about to hit the fan.  Requiring every single transaction to be recorded electronically (debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Paypal, etc.) will give government the ability to manage every aspect of your life.

Every deposit into your account will have a known source.  If it's not an approved source, they'll just take it until you can prove you paid the taxes before you received it.  You know, like asset forfeiture works right now, only without the happy face.

Every use will be monitored.  "Mr. Chief Instructor, your expenditures on food are significantly below those of your peer group in your region.  Why is that?  You're not growing your own food without reporting it, are you?  An audit will be conducted and until these allegations have been disproved, there will be a reduction in your monthly food stipend from Socialist Security.  We'll be in touch.  Have a collectivist day!"

In these cases - where the PMs would be illegal - they would be kept buried for my kids or grandkids in the future - like what happened after the 1933 gold grab.  Eventually, sanity would return, the socialist/collectivist machine dismantled, and life might return to normal.

Or they could be used as fishing weights.  Ya never know.....



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Share this post! Click the Twitter, Facebook or Google+ icon below, and let your friends know!
Copyright 2016 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

Historic Day and More On Multiple Income Streams

First a little note:  This was originally intended on being published on April 19th.  Well, life interceded in my plans, and it's getting posted today.  Still, I want to publish the "preamble" of sorts.

In my opinion, today is the single most important day in American history.  On this day in 1775, "The shot heard 'round the world" was fired in Lexington, Massachusetts, and the American Revolution was on!   They made it official in July of the following year.

Tyrants should take note that the line in the sand that was crossed was over gun control.  The British were on their way to abscond with the the patriot's weapons in Concord.  The line was drawn in the first place over taxes, thievery, brutish behavior, and the destruction of the inalienable rights of the citizens. 

I'm just sayin'....

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In the last post, I talked a bit about using ebay as an additional income stream.  Follow some rules, and you can have a nice chunk o' cashflow each year.

Today, I want to address royalties.  What exactly am I talking about?

Well, royalties are payments for something that you do once, and get paid when other people use or gain benefit from whatever it is that you produced.

A common item is royalties for actors and musicians.  Act in a movie or TV show, or write or record a song, and you get paid a little bit of money any time your work is seen or heard.

You've also got things like inventions.  Patent a better mousetrap, license the rights to your design, and you get paid for every mousetrap that is produced.

An insurance salesman gets a royalty commission each year when you re-up your policy.

Work once, get paid for a lifetime.

I recently read an article where they discussed how Don McLean gets paid over $300,000 a year for writing and recording "American Pie" in 1971!

So, you may be thinking, "Chief, holy crap!  I'm no song writer or inventor.  You're barking up the wrong tree on this one".

Maybe.  Maybe not.  If that's your attitude, go change the oil in the french fry cooker.

You've just got to come up with a better - or more efficient - mousetrap.

Technology today allows anyone with a laptop, some inexpensive software, a camera and a website to become a "media mogul".  If you can teach someone how to do something better, faster and cheaper, you might have a winner.

Lots of people have Youtube channels on a million different topics.  You can actually make some pretty scary money with a hot Youtube channel,   You can make upwards of $100,000 per year, but you need to put out 20 videos a week!

That sounds too much like work to me!

In that model, you're giving away your content, and getting paid by advertisers.  Think "broadcast TV".  You need constant fresh content to keep the viewers coming back for more.

What I'm talking about is spending some quality time developing quality content that people are willing to pay for once.  More along the lines of producing a great movie or printing a book, as opposed to a weekly sitcom.

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So you've got to have a niche - your special skill or knowledge that can be taught to others - for a price.

You can get paid in two ways.  First, if you've got a site set up that includes a merchant processing account for payments (stupid easy these days), since you are the writer (who usually only gets the royalties from sales) AND the publisher, you get paid for both jobs.  But, as the publisher, you're also responsible for all advertising and operating expenses.

The second way is you can subscribe to services like Clickbank where other websites advertise your product, and they get a large chunk of the sales proceeds.  Since they're paying for the advertising and use of their site (and traffic count) they will many times be paid up to 75% of the sale, and you get the 25% royalty.  Not a bad gig - the folks that sign up to sell your stuff can reach millions of potential customers.

I'll be doing both on my next project.  I've been on the "get paid for having their product on your site" side of the equation, and it works very well.

OK, your product has got to fill one or more of these human needs and desires (obviously more is better):

1. Save me time or effort (efficiency)
2. Make or save me money (monetary gain)
3. Make me safe and secure (safety)
4. Make me cool or more desirable to others (vanity)
5. Teach me a skill or craft (how-to)
6. Explain something to me in detail (educate)
7. Titillate me (vice)

Before you get started with your epic training or how-to video series or book, check out the marketplace.  Here's what you want to find:

1.  Is there competition?  I hope so - this is a good thing.  It is very rare that you're going to be the sole subject master on a product or idea that also has a market you can make a buck on.  For instance, you may want to teach people how to make beer.  There are lots of sites and experts on this topic - which indicates a healthy potential market.  The question is, what do you bring to the table that makes your technique different enough for people to pay for it?

2.  Is it legal?  While this type of subject usually has a disclaimer on the materials stating, "for educational purposes only", you may be leaving yourself open for some scratchin' and sniffin' by the authorities.  If you've got a way to save people taxes that is a wee bit iffy, you might be OK.  Teach them how to make an explosive device from household goods, and there WILL be a knock on your door!

3.  Is it ethical?  Obviously, that's a personal call.  I've stated before that products and services about safety, money and vice will always find a market.  Do you want to sell porn?  It makes tons of money, but I'd never even consider it.  Teach someone how to grow better marijuana?  Oh hell yes!  I don't smoke weed (I've tried it AND inhaled, and it absolutely sucks!) but I believe that morally, you have the right to put whatever you want in your own body.  I own me!  Others disagree.  Check your own moral compass.

4.  Along the lines of the competition question, is anyone else making money doing something similar to what you want to do?  Using our beer making example, if I do an online search for, "beer making videos", I get a butt-load of free info, and a smattering of paid sites.  I clicked a couple of them and I can see what they're selling and how they're pricing their items.  Are any of these sites doing exactly what you're doing?  Do you have a way to spin (market) YOUR offering to get people to buy YOUR product?

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Finally, you must make your product difficult to copy - as in "burning another copy" and giving it to your friends.  While it is impossible to stop all copying, you can make it much more difficult.

With printed material, you have two options:

Hardcover book
Kindle e-book

If you expect to make any kind of money, you can't do it with a PDF formatted book.  Yes, it's the easiest to make, and also the easiest to copy.  I can buy one copy, and send an email to a thousand of my closest friends with it as an attachment.

Hardcover books make producing copies much more difficult and expensive.  Kindle and similar readers have copy protect safeguards that I've yet to find a way around (and I've tried!).

Publishing books on Amazon is very easy, you just have to work to make sure the formatting is done well.  There are tons of helpful sites that can walk you through how to do this.

With video material, you also have two options:

DVD
Subscription Online videos

With DVDs, you must ensure the Copy Protection has been added to the disc to thwart copying.  Obviously, it can still be copied - by shooting a video from the video showing on the TV set - but the quality is crappy, and it's a pain in the butt.

With the online videos, you set up a password protected site, and disable the "copy" function.  Again, people can get around that by sharing passwords, or doing copies of the screen like with DVDs,  All you can do is to make it more difficult for them.

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My final thoughts on this subject will be on marketing.  Through a lot of trial, error and mis-spent money, I've got somewhat of a clue as to what works and what doesn't.  I'll share those thoughts in the next post.

Now go on!  Get crankin' on that next idea that will slay the world!

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Copyright 2016 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

Multiple Streams Of Income

Been hip deep in a mess o' mess, but it's done.  I'll write an article sometime in the future about the pluses and minuses of business partners.  I had two of them.  Thank God I had a good one I love working with, and we're going to move our precious metals business forward.  Again.

Speaking of money, I've written often about the concept of multiple streams of income.  You must always assume one or more of your income streams will go dry (like getting fired or laid off from your job).  The monthly bills don't give a damn about that.  They still want to get paid.

My household currently has 4 income streams.  One of them could independently pay for all of our monthly bills.  The second one would come close by itself.  It would be tight, but we'd make it.  The other two are in their infancy, but each has the ability in the future to cover our bills.

And that's the idea:  Every income stream pays ALL of your bills.  The beauty of this is, if some of them are churning money that you don't need to spend, you roll it back into other investments to provide yet another stream of income.

A couple of ideas for ya....

Ebay.  People bitch and moan about the fees between them and Paypal, but if you look closely, where else could you get a national audience to sell your stuff for such a low cost?

Here's a tip:  To save yourself some tax dollars, DO NOT set up your site as a business site.  If you do, you WILL get lower seller fees (usually) but you'll also get an IRS 1099 form at the end of the year.  Pay up, bitches!

If you set it up as a personal site, AND you don't sell more than 200 items totaling $20,000 a year (verify this for yourself first on the ebay and Paypal sites), you don't get the 1099 (for now).

Tax free cashflow, boys and girls.

Ebay/Paypal will nick you for about 13% of your sales in their various fees, and obviously, since you're not a business, you can't have any business expenses, including the Cost of Goods sold.  You're selling your personal stuff.  So, you need to make sure you're selling items with sufficient profit margin to make the math work for you.

Lastly, with regards to the 1099 rules, the $20,000 is a hard and fast number.  Cross over it, and you're 1099'd.  You have a bit more flexibility on the item count.  The 200 is for the number of sales/auctions that are completed.

For instance, if you're selling knives, sell them in a bundle of 6 knives (1 sale), not one at a time (6 sales).  You'll also save a butt-load on shipping as well by bundling your sale items.

If you're new to selling on ebay, start slowly.  The payments from your first few sales are held in a "pending" status for a couple of weeks while ebay monitors your performance.

And make sure there is a market for what you're thinking of selling!  Again, let's say you want to sell hunting knives.  Enter "hunting knives" into the search box at the top of the page.  You'll get a listing of everything on ebay that meets that criteria.  Don't get happy just yet on the riches you'll be making.

Click the "Advanced" link at the top of the page.  You'll be taken to a page with a bunch of check boxes.  Check the one that says, "Sold Listings" and hit the search button.

You'll now get a listing of hunting knives that actually sold, and what they sold for.  That's all that matters.  People can ask a million dollars for a knife, but if buyers will only pay 10 bucks, that's your market price.  Check out the ones that are similar to the style you're going to sell.  If the math works, get at it.

Do the successful sellers charge for shipping or not?  What are the key words and page styles used by the sellers with lots of positive feedback scores?  Copy the successful stores - businesses and private alike.  Don't reinvent the wheel.

If the math doesn't work, find something else to sell.

One last thing about ebay:  If a dispute occurs over an item, their default position is to side with the buyer.  As a seller, you need to make sure your description and pictures accurately depict the items being sold.  If not, the buyer can weasel out of the deal, and in certain circumstances, you can be forced to refund their cost to ship it back to you!

Seriously, don't sugar coat the condition of the items you're selling.  It'll bite you in the butt.

Tomorrow, I've got a post lined up on a new income stream I'm working on:  Royalties.  Yeah, they're not just for movie and TV stars any more!



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Copyright 2016 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

Gimme A Cup Of Coco

A friend of mine and one of my brothers recently separately gave me a ration of shit for the light posting of articles and opinion on this-here site.  Yeah, guilty.

Well, I've been busy, and to be honest, wholly unmotivated.  Not that I don't think the shit is getting very close to the fan, but because I just don't think anyone that hasn't already started with personal preparations really cares.

In short, I'm tired of singing to the choir.  I have no time for the people suddenly coming to the realization that they just might be getting lied to by most of the media and every flavor of government.

Quite honestly, if it took you this long to realize you were drinking the kool-aid being provided by the powers that be, you're too stupid to be in my life.  I've got a nice network of friends that share information and opinion between ourselves, and we discuss trends and outcomes.  I don't have time to wet nurse the late-comers.

You poor bastards have a lot of catching-up to do.  Maybe you'll make it, maybe you won't.  Not my problem.

Just a couple of examples of what I'm talking about:
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I just got this email from Casey Research:  This is the only way to buy gold without the government tracking you.

Wow, who'd a-thunk it?  Just some cranky old bastard who has the gall to charge a whole $1.99 to tell you how to do it.

Or you can click the Emergency Preps - Financial link and you'll find almost 200 articles, many of which tell you how to do just that, you'll just have to put a bit of effort into it.

Oh, they go back to 2010.  What have you been waiting for?  Obama's "Hope and Change" unicorn to start shitting gold coins?

And you'll find a shitload of articles on the "suddenly" hot topic of a cashless society - also going back to 2010 - with that same link.  Cashless?  Taxes?  Control of resources?  Self-determination?

Huh?  I don't get it?  You'll get it soon enough, cupcake.  Soon enough.

I know that sucks - you having to actually exert some effort.  Just go to your "safe space", put on your Doctor Dentons jumper with the slipper feet and maybe mom will make you a nice cup of coco.
---

OK, one piece of news.... that's not news at all:  We're broke!  The reported magnitude is incomprehensible.  The real numbers, well...

As the article notes, in a private company, people would be in prison.  In government, they get life-long retirement plans that are funded from a different pool of money than you and me get to draw on.

You can get back to your coco now.
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I've also written extensively on this whole race-baiting, I'm-a-victim, gimme money, bullshit.  Pay attention to this, newbies.  This is gonna blow up, and blow up big.

Take a look at this latest video by one of the top race baiters in this country, Louis Farrakhan.

Somehow, in this bastard's twisted mind, the professional sports drafts are somehow analogous to buying slaves.  When I first heard this, I thought this was a parody from "The Onion".

Let's walk thru this:

1. You have a God-given talent at some sport.
2. You have a dream of excellence, and you WORK YOUR ASS OFF as a kid and get picked up by a major college.
3. You work even harder at your craft, and get drafted by a professional team.
4. You make millions of dollars.

Now what part of any of that is either involuntary, prejudicial, uncompensated or threatening?  You know, the main components of slavery?

Obviously, nothing.  It is the exact opposite of those things.  It is an individual aspiring and attaining the pinnacle of his or her profession through hard work, perseverance and focus.

Isn't that what Farrakhan wants for "his people"?  Oh hell no!  If they're not victims, he's out of business.  Just like the rest of the race hustlers.

We're seeing it now with the Black Lives Matters idiots.  If you DARE to say, "ALL Lives Matter", you're cast as a bigot, racist, privileged piece of crap.  And WAY too many people willingly take that insult.

Then ass hats like this make the national news:



I do want to thank this little racist "victim", for messing with The Hilla-beast.  Watching her twist in the wind being blown by one of her own creations brings joy to my heart.

These two talking heads in the video admit she's talking about Crips and Bloods and other gangbangers - ya know, criminals of the worst sort - but they still are "offended" by what she said.

Seriously?  You get offended when criminals are described as "super predators" just because they happen to be black?

They're "misunderstood youth", right?

"We're still waiting for an apology.  We're still waiting for an apology for what she said 20 years ago."

Fuck you.

And who is the "we" you're supposedly representing?

Fuck them, too.

Newbies, keep your head on a swivel, regardless of your race or gender.  This kind of shit is gonna take off like wildfire, and then every government teat suckler - white, black, hispanic, asian - who suddenly finds out their college loans, social services and other government hand outs have run dry, are going to come after your stuff.  Your race, gender or protected status won't mean a damned thing.

See the financial articles above for clarification.  They think they deserve what you've earned.

It ALWAYS comes down to money and resources.  Never forget that.

You had better be prepared to, "Go Korean" on them as Korean business owners did protecting their property in 1992 during the LA riots.

Or would you rather have mom refill your coco cup?  Maybe some mini marshmallows on top?

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Copyright 2016 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

Innovation Is A Bitch

I was working in my store late last night, listening to the Republican debates with one ear.  Somewhere in the chatter, I heard a moderator make mention of the protesters that were outside the hall that was holding the debates.  Something about the $15 per hour minimum wage.

Coincidentally, a good friend had sent me this link earlier in the day - just to piss me off, I'm sure ;-)

The article discusses how this insistence on getting paid for more than you're worth results in you being replaced.  By a machine.

It is a concept that is lost on these, "I DESERVE more money!" soft-heads - the concept that virtually any job can be replaced by a less expensive alternative when push comes to shove.

And this is a big, aggressive shove.

Innovation rears its ugly head whenever government, "good intentions" force businesses to adopt practices the Nanny State feels are worthy.

First, a very simplified explanation on how a business works.  While every business and industry are a bit different, the following concepts apply:

Cost of Goods Sold:  The cost of the raw materials needed for whatever you sell.  For instance, for a burger joint, that might be beef, tomatoes, buns, lettuce, mayo, pickles, potatoes, cheese, onions, etc.  Let's say for this industry, this runs 30% of total income.

Operating Expenses:  This is the cost to keep the joint running.  In our example above, it would include rent, utilities, grills, fryers, maintenance expense, insurance expense, legal expense, advertising, taxes, fees, permits, inspections, etc.  Let's say this also runs 30% of total income.

Employee Expenses:  The cost of your employees to work for you.  It includes wages/salaries, benefits, paid vacation, family leave, state, local and federal employment taxes, payroll expense, etc.  Again, let's put this at 30% of income.

Profit:  This is what the owner gets to keep.  If it's a publicly traded company, any dividends paid come out of this pile (dividends are not allowed to be deducted as an expense of the company).  Let's put this at 10% of total income.

Profit, on average, is actually lower than that.  It averages 7.5%.  Now, think about this:  For every $100 in sales, the company keeps $7.50.  Here in California, on average, the local and state sales tax authorities would get paid $9.00.  This is on top of the fees, permits, licenses, et al, that are included in Operating Expenses.  Any wonder business are fleeing California?

Source:  American Enterprise Institute

It's a delicate balance for a business owner.  If expenses in one category goes up, that money has to be made up somewhere.  The owner can either raise prices to cover the new expense, make less profit, or cut other expenses.

Raising prices is very risky, especially in a competitive industry, or in a crappy economy such as we're in.  If your competitors don't also raise prices, you go out of business because you can't pay your bills.

Making less profit is the vehicle of choice for most non-business owners.  Unlikely to happen.  We invested our hard-earned money, and we expect a decent return on that investment.  Seven and a half percent doesn't seem out of line to me.  If you are willing to take the risk by investing your own money, and taking a lower profit, go right ahead and start your own business.  Also, if it's a publicly traded company that pays dividends, that means a drop in those dividends that are paid into your 401(k) or other retirement accounts.  Ouch... feel the burn?

That leaves us with cutting other expenses.  Believe it or not, most business owners cut their employee salary/wage costs as a very last resort.  We'll try and source lower costing raw materials.  Maybe cut out some training or educational budgets.  Perhaps a cut in the advertising account.

These are usually short-term fixes.  Eventually, you've cut to the bone, and the hard choice of reducing employee expense gets made.

The consequences of requiring a burger joint to pay $15 an hour to an employee with $6.50 an hour skills comes home to roost.

So they innovate.  In this case, as was noted in the linked article above, it means buying a machine that can make a perfect, and perfectly consistent burger at the rate of 360 burgers an hour.

No bitching.
No moaning.
No salary.
No employment taxes.
No payroll service.
No sick pay.
No vacation.
No disability insurance.
No HR department.
No nothing, other than the depreciation expense of a fixed asset that simply needs raw materials dumped into a hopper.  They'll pay that one hopper-filler guy his $15 per hour.

I'll give you a real example from my business.  The minimum wage in California is $9 an hour.  We had an opening for a sign waver (you know, someone who stands on the corner waving a sign to attract business).  For us to get a decent person, we had to pay a 22% premium over minimum wage ($11 an hour) to the high school student who got the job.

The amount of new business he brings in by waving that sign justifies the premium we paid.

I guarantee you, if California makes me pay this kid $15 an hour, he will be replaced by a machine.

So, for a one-time cost of $840 - about what this kid makes in one month as a part time employee - he is out of work.

My employee loses the experience that comes with going to a job every day, even when you don't feel like it.  He never gets to learn the work ethic.  And if he's like me, my first job taught me that I did not want to be stuck in a dead-end job working for minimum wage (like many of my older co-workers were stuck).  It helped incentivize me to go to college so I could earn more money.

The state and city both lose, in at least two ways.  First, no employee taxes are collected.  Secondly, this kid is now more likely to join the growing line of recipients for government welfare programs.

Great plan, you idiots.

Throw Obamacare at us, and we reduce hiring levels or working hours.  Make us pay for more than the value of our employee's skills, we replace them with machines.  Pile on taxes and fees to pay for your socialist Nirvana, and we shut our doors and open them in another state - or another country - that understands and appreciates businesses.

Call it greed, selfishness or gluttony.  Oh stop, I'm getting all teary-eyed.  I call it survival.  I will risk my time, experience and capital to make my life better.  Will you do the same?  Or do you just want to force me into paying for your desired lifestyle?

Get in my way, and I'll innovate around your blood-sucking, self-entitled, me-me-me ass.  Now step aside.... I've got work to do.

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Copyright 2015 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

Your Last Warning

Ahh, there's panic in the air....

The frequency with which various US and foreign officials are discussing - and enacting - "anti-cash" legislation is increasing.

I've discussed before the techniques that will be employed to restrict the use of, then eventually outlaw cash.  Some updates by governments instituting capital controls on its citizens:

Greece:  The headline says it all - Greek Cash Ban Escalates: 'Permanent' Stricter "Capital Controls" On 3 Million Pensioners, Civil Servants Imposed - Instead of the "Soup Nazi", they've got the "Cash Nazi"  -  "No Cash For You!"

If you work for the government or you're getting a pension in Greece, you are now limited in how much cash you can withdraw each month -

A shock-measure: civil servants and pensioners will be subject to stricter capital controls than the rest of the Greeks. They will be able to withdraw only €150 per week – with the cash withdrawal cap being €420 per week – that is a total of €600 per month. The rest of their wage or pension they will have to spend by using debit or credit card.

Why?  Tax collection, of course.  Or lack thereof.

USA:  Here in 'Merica, the Money Chiefs are now openly discussing Negative Interest Rates - and more.  What are negative interest rates?  Well, you give the bank $100 and must pay for the privilege of them holding your money.  Such a deal, right?

“Some of the experiences [in Europe] suggest maybe can we use negative interest rates and the costs aren’t as great as you anticipate,” said William Dudley, the president of the New York Fed, in an interview on CNBC on Friday[10/09/15].
... 

In fact, Narayana Kocherlakota, the dovish president of the Minneapolis Fed, projected negative rates in his latest forecast of the path of interest rates released last month.

Well isn't that special?  Two of the Federal Reserve presidents think negative rates are a good thing.

 ..."the costs aren't as great as you anticipate," - well thanks, sport, for letting me know that the money being taken from me isn't costing me very much.

But wait, there's more!  These wasculy wabbits know that everyone would just pull their bucks from the banks - causing bank runs - and that's just not a very good thing.  You must be punished for getting cash.  From the same article -

But to get a big impact of negative rates, a country would have to cut rates on paper currency, he pointed out, and this would take some getting used to. 

For instance, $100 in the bank would be worth only $98 after a certain period.

There has been talk of adding "timer chips" to new currency so that you can tell how long it's been since a customer took it out of a bank.

I think that's too clumsy.  I believe what they'll do is to charge a surcharge - like an ATM fee - whenever you ask for cash from a bank - even for over-the-counter transactions.  It's much cleaner getting their cut up front!

And if you're not aware, many banks currently charge businesses for cash deposits.  With my one of business banks, any cash deposits we make in excess of $5000 per month incur a 3% fee!  Another of my business banks (actually a credit union) doesn't do this.... yet.

And it's all for the same reason:  Tax collection.  Make it painful to use anything other than (traceable) plastic to make purchases.

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I've been talking about this, literally for years.  Dig through the archives to see this progression.  When the Fed and the Propaganda Media start talking about what a great idea this is, it's time to start doing something about it.

Although negative rates have a “Dr. Strangelove” feel, pushing rates into negative territory works in many ways just like a regular decline in interest rates that we’re all used to, said Miles Kimball, an economics professor at the University of Michigan and an advocate of negative rates.

[In a calm, soothing, trustworthy, albeit snooty "Frasier Crane" voice] Nothing to see here.  Come on, sheeple, this is for your own good.  It's for the greater good!

Y'all know I'm an advocate for precious metals.  This kind of activity only strengthens my position.

I want to give a couple of updated warnings, though.

First off, when I wrote, "The Beginner's Guide To Precious Metals", I discussed buying collectible (numismatic) coins.  It is actually the very first topic!

Because of this increased market value, counterfeits are becoming more and more common. Not only are fake coins being produced, some are being placed in fake PCGS or NGC slabs!
...

The downside to numismatics keeps me away from personally buying them. For the coin to have numismatic value, someone else must share your opinion of value. I fear that if we head where I think we're headed - to an Argentina-like economic crash - the numismatic market will be seriously hurt. There will be fewer people available to spend their money on "frivolous" purchases such as rare coins. If they buy coins, it will be because of the market value of the base metal.

God Bless collectors buying high-priced coins from my store, but they're not for preparedness-minded folks.

We recently came across an excellent forgery.  It was not detectable until the protective "slab" was cracked open and the coin was removed.

This little trick only works with coins that have the date on one side of the coin, and the mint mark on the other side.

In this case, it is a 1901 Morgan Silver dollar, minted from the Philadelphia mint.  In this grade (mint state 62) it is worth in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $12,000.

1901 Philadelphia Mint - Obverse

1901 Philadelphia Mint - Reverse

Oooops........

1901 Philadelphia Mint - Not so much!

What the counterfeiters did was, they married the obverse of a 1901 Morgan that was very inexpensive - likely the 1901 from the New Orleans mint (worth around $50) - with the reverse side of a Morgan from the Philly mint (these do not have a mint mark) that was also inexpensive.

Slice them down the middle, add some super glue, then put them into one of the big-name coin grader "slabs", and bang-zoom! you've got an expensive coin.

The key is the slab.  The older versions masked the edge of the coin.  The buyer did not have the ability to see the edge - thus they couldn't see the slice!  Genius!

Here's the kicker:  It was a real slab from this grading company.  Apparently, they had had a number of these older-style slabs stolen.

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The second warning has to do with the sudden marketing push for "Gold IRAs".  My personal opinion is that I don't like them at all.

First off, one of the beauties of owning physical gold and silver, is that if you pay cash for it (as you should be doing), you have effectively masked a source of wealth for governments to grab.  They can't take it if they don't know you have it!

With a Gold IRA, you do have the ability to buy your physical coins with pre-tax dollars (if you're eligible for a self-directed IRA).  But, now your gold is being reported to all flavors of government every single year.

While these self-directed IRAs are perhaps better than traditional IRAs - in that you have physical control of the assets - you've given up a huge benefit:  anonymity.

YMMV - just know what you're doing, and consider the consequences down the road.  Ask questions, be sure you understand the answers, and get them in writing.  You've become the custodian for the IRA, and aren't being compensated for the risk of not following the letter of the (ever-changing) law.



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Copyright 2015 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

Evil Capitalists Saving Lives

Money is incentive.  Greed is good.

You may have heard about the hedge fund manager who spent $55 million to buy the rights to some drug that helps people with messed up immune systems.  Things like HIV, malaria, and others.

The cost of one dose went from $13.50 to $750.

All of the socialists, and many conservatives are screaming that this sucks the big one, and something needs to be done.

Lives are at risk!  Babies will die!  Capitalism is evil!

True enough, some lives may be at risk, and some babies might die.  But capitalism is not evil.  In fact, it's what produces all of the "wonder drugs" we have access to today.

Without capitalism - without greed - there are very few people with enough private money that are willing to forego a profit to do the research, testing, approval regime, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of so much as a baby aspirin.

The greedy drug companies must be forced to provide these life-saving drugs for the greater good!

I can just about guarantee you, that is exactly what is going to happen in this case.  Some self-important congressman or senator is going to flap his gums and thump his chest on all of the cable news channels, and get some law passed.

They're gonna bitch-slap this evil capitalist.

Now, some of you so-called conservatives will agree with this confiscation of property.  You're going to justify this by saying that this drug has been around for over 60 years, and he has no right to jack up the price just because he wants to get rich.

How do you think this is going to play in the board rooms of the drug companies and medical equipment innovators that are in the middle of inventing the next miracle drug or device?  Do you think that they're going to invest the billions of dollars it takes to develop their product, THEN to get through all of the bullshit regulations?

Why the hell would they risk their capital if someone - who HASN'T invested billions of dollars - can set the "fair market" price of their product?

They're not going to do it.  And we're all going to suffer for it.

To put a finer point on this, in 1950 (just before this drug was invented) the average US life expectancy was 68.2 years.  In 2010, it was 78.7 years.  Ten and a half more years of life, and a major portion of that can be attributed to the drugs and equipment that are now available to cure everything from AIDS to high cholesterol.

You disagree that their greed has extended your life?  Then throw out every damned drug in your household.  Not just some, but every damned one, to show how principled an individual you really are.

And while you're at it, the next time you're seriously ill, be sure to refuse treatment from the MRI's and CT scans, the heart stents, the dialysis machines, et al.  Someone built those to make a dirty, disgusting profit, and you don't want to be a hypocrite, right?

Capitalism and Freedom spawn innovation and advancement.  Socialism and Statism destroy them.

The "Greater Good" benefits from individual greed.

Risk begets reward.  Mess with that equation, and you're literally messing with your life.

***

Let me nip this in the bud right now:  OK, Chief, you'd be singing a different tune if you or your family had to pay these exorbitant prices!

Actually, no I wouldn't.  I would find a way to pay for it.  You see, I have not allowed myself to become dependent on The State for my well-being.  I assume that some shit like this WILL happen to me, and I've planned for that.

Would I be pissed off?  Oh, hell yes!  But I sure as hell wouldn't sit wallowing in my tears waiting for The State to fix my problem.  I'd find a solution.

I hope I'd remember an incident that I just witness with my own eyes:  A friend and partner recently died.

And he was brought back from the dead.  His heart had to be restarted 3 times.  For 20 minutes, they poked, shocked and provided air to his unresponsive body as it lay on his bedroom floor.  In the hospital, after viewing an MRI of his heart, they found his main cardiac artery was 100% clogged.  They inserted a stent in his heart, and restored blood flow.

Due to the combination of technology, drugs and medical expertise, he was home 6 days after this heart attack - a heart attack from which he would not have survived only 10 years ago.  He was back at work 14 days after he had died.

I'm pretty sure he's OK with the capitalist system that invented the drugs and equipment that restored his life.  You should be, too.



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Copyright 2015 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

I'll Put My Money On History

Ahhh, the pause that refreshes.

While on my break, I had some time to think.  Here are some semi-random thoughts:

1.  Diversity - We all know that this is a code word for affirmative action.  There aren't enough women or minorities in various businesses or industries, and it MUST be changed.

Why?

In essence, it's saying that regardless of skills, effort, ambition or qualifications, you must have a minimum number of blacks/Hispanics/Asians/women in your company.  The Party Line is that it will bring a new persepective to the company, and things will be all rainbows and unicorns.

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Hey, if it's such a great idea, why don't you start your own company with under/non-skilled employees and see how that works for you?  [queue chirping crickets]

Don't you idiots think that if skin color or personal plumbing were more important than skills for a successful business, it would have already been done?  

Diversity in the workplace is more important than skills in the workplace.

Read that out loud so you can hear how stupid it sounds.


And that's one of the big problems with our country right now.  The socialists - with their diversity and inclusiveness programs - never put their own money where their mouth is.  They take OUR money instead.  They are unwilling to risk their own capital on their Great Experiment, but they're damned quick to risk yours.

There are LOTS of rich socialists - Soros and the majority of rich Hollywood actors leap to mind.  Pony up a pile of your own money, and then walk away.  And when that money is gone, pony up another pile.  And another, and another.

They're "entitled" to it, aren't they?

As a side note, it's also a slap in the face of the minorities/women that are in these programs.  It is acknowledgement that you, as an individual, can't make it on your own.

Wipe your own ass, get some education, and grow a pair.  You're not a victim, you're just not willing to take the time to develop the skills needed to succeed.

2.  Going Cashless - It's raising its ugly head again.  I wrote about this last May (Buh-Bye Cash) - it is in all government's best interest to outlaw cash transactions.  Why?  Control and taxes.

France has now, once again, lowered the bar for cash transactions.  It's gone from 3000 euros to 1000 euros.  Soon enough, it will be zero.

They always justify it with the "common good" explanations - druggies and terrorists with their money laundering schemes. 

That's unadulterated crap.

If a transaction happens in cash, it can't be taxed, because it isn't in a database somewhere and The State doesn't know it happened.  Also, the various world entities such as our Federal Reserve Bank can't discourage savings (and encourage spending) by placing negative interest rates on deposit accounts.

Right now, if you're getting charged by the bank to hold your money (negative rates), you take it out in cash and hide it under the mattress.  If everything is electronic-only, you've got to spend the money or see it "die a death of a thousand cuts" - slowly frittering away to nothing as it sits in an account.

See, The State knows better than you on how you should manage your money.  Spend it, and sales happen.  When sales happen, they get their taxes.  All good!

What rational people do is to buy durable, trade-able goods.   Toilet paper, tools, guns, ammo, soap, dried foods, etc. 

And precious metals.  It's all about preservation of assets. 

Look to Venezuela, Greece and Argentina right now.  When you impose either capital controls (such as described above) or have hyper-inflation, tangible assets are your only safe haven.

Serious as a heart attack, get thee some precious metals, and practice, practice, practice your negotiating skills.  Go to garage sales, buy and sell on Craigslist, go to a farmer's market and haggle.  Get over your reluctance to negotiate.

Your future well being will depend upon it.


3.  Police murders - This recent spate of out-and-out executions of police officers is, I fear, just the start.  Years ago, when the obscene abuses perpetrated by some police officers - which were then swept under the rug - started coming to light, I noted that people were eventually going to push back, and it would be done violently.

I'm talking about things like brutal beatings for standing up for your rights, no-knock warrants, shootings, asset forfeitures, killing of yard dogs, arrests on trumped up charges, etc.  Now, with the widespread use of smartphone cameras, the formerly unquestioned word of the Boys In Blue that were abusing the citizens can be shown to be lies.

The abuse of Color of Authority was more widespread than we had thought.

Let's be clear:  I am in no way condoning or approving of these murders, I'm just saying that I saw this result coming from a mile away.

I've stated that the only way to head this off was for police chiefs and Sheriffs to quickly and very publicly discipline/fire/prosecute offending officers, instead of the usual "reassignment" or other non-punishment that was typically meted out.

I'm pleased to see that this punishment is happening with greater frequency, but I think it's too little, too late.

We've now got this bullshit, "Black Lives Matter" circle jerk, and it's stirring things up.  Not the non-PC "All Lives Matter," only black lives. 

I was listening to the radio this past week, and the host noted that in the US each year, about 100 blacks are killed by white police officers each year.  That includes everything - justifiable and non-justifiable.  Also each year, 5600 blacks kill other blacks.  A 56-to-1 ratio.  I'm going out on a limb here and guessing an incredibly low percentage of those were justifiable.

So I guess their slogan should be changed to, "Black Lives Matter Unless You're Also Black."

To emphasize the insanity of this movement, a black guy who calls himself, "King Nobel, Black Supremacy", posted this (watch the whole 3 minute video) [link] -

"It's open season on killing whites and police... and they better make some serious, serious changes... social changes... at this point, 'cuz it ain't lookin' good." 

As the Israelis do with the Muslims, I believe him.  When some group says they want to slaughter a group to which I'm a member - I take that seriously.

Their approach is taking our collective eye off the ball:  We've got a handful of bad cops that need to be dealt with quickly and publicly.

This psycho thinks that by making it "open season" on anyone or any group, the problem will go away.  Instead of going after the specific offenders - legally - I believe this "wipe 'em all out" approach will result in a similarly aggressive and violent response.

Got range time?  Got SecondCall Defense?

3B.  Social Justice - Is this the kind of social justice you're looking for, King Nobel?

Dr. Anderson’s instinct, he said, is that of a “social justice thinker” who is “evening the scales a little bit.” He said that the children he sees with academic problems are essentially “mismatched with their environment” — square pegs chafing the round holes of public education. Because their families can rarely afford behavior-based therapies like tutoring and family counseling, he said, medication becomes the most reliable and pragmatic way to redirect the student toward success.

“People who are getting A’s and B’s, I won’t give it to them,” he said. For some parents the pills provide great relief. Jacqueline Williams said she can’t thank Dr. Anderson enough for diagnosing A.D.H.D. in her children — Eric, 15; Chekiara, 14; and Shamya, 11 — and prescribing Concerta, a long-acting stimulant, for them all. She said each was having trouble listening to instructions and concentrating on schoolwork.

“My kids don’t want to take it, but I told them, ‘These are your grades when you’re taking it, this is when you don’t,’ and they understood,” Ms. Williams said, noting that Medicaid covers almost every penny of her doctor and prescription costs.

Holy shit.  Drug 'em up and get 'em in line.  Hey, and it's free, too.  Well, it's free to those getting the blow dart in the neck.  It's not free to the dwindling ranks of tax payers. 

I'll bet this works out as well as welfare and affirmative action have worked out.

New motto for Medicaid:  Building victims and dependents, one dose at a time...

***

So, what do all of these things have in common?  They are all about your personal freedom.  More precisely, they are rooted in some form of government using its power to restrict your freedoms.

No freedom to choose with whom you work or hire, no freedom to terminate bad government or private employees, no freedom to educate your children as you see fit, no freedom to spend your earned money as you see fit, and no freedom to keep the money you've earned.

It takes work, effort and planning, but if your assets are "above board" - in bank accounts, savings accounts, retirement accounts, trading accounts - they are all subject to seizure or control by a State entity.

As noted earlier, the Black Lives Matter bullshit is, well, bullshit.  But, it is but a symptom of a greater, socialist/control cancer that's in our country - and it's spreading quite rapidly.

It's ALWAYS about the money.

Once The State's, "Wizard Of Oz: lever-pulling eventually fails to keep the markets and financial systems in line, what do you think will be the result?

Once again, I direct you to Venezuela, Greece and Argentina for a preview of things to come.  State control of markets and financial systems has NEVER worked in the history of the world.  Every time it's been tried, it has failed.  Without exception.

Capital controls result in shortages of goods because The State won't allow money to flow out so goods can be purchased.  The shortages result in civil unrest, and the collapse of public safety. 

In short:  Those that have become dependent upon The State with their worthless Barry Bucks still want to eat.  Empty shelves and a full EBT card are not a good combination for people with no skills.  And then the shit hits the fan.

I could be wrong, but if I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on history...


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Copyright 2015 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

Get Off My Ass

Seriously, I've just got to shake my head in disbelief.  I see shit that our government does - local, state and federal - and I'm left numb.  Simply numb.

Here's an example:

These workers and unions just don't get it.

If the expenses of the business go up, the profit of the owner goes down.  You remember the owner - that's the man or woman who put their own personal money on the line to start the business.  If it goes tits-up, he or she will lose the time and money they invested in the company.

It's a risk they're willing to take.

They, and only they, should have the right to determine what they charge for their goods or services, and how much or how little they pay their employees.  If their employees don't think they're being paid enough, they are free to go find a job elsewhere.

Or start their own business with their own money.

But that's not how it works here in Marxist America.  After getting the permission of the government to open their business (via fees, licenses, permits, etc.), they are told what they can and cannot sell, and how much they must pay their employees via the minimum wage.

If the minimum wage isn't enough for the worker to have a "living wage", the government simply passes a law that says they must pay them more.

There is never any discussion that the employee doesn't have the skills commensurate with a $15 per hour salary.  No discussion that the burger-flippers chose to piss away their high school education.  No discussion that they couldn't resist getting pregnant.  No discussion that being educated and skilled ain't cool.

So it gets piled on the business owner.  Well, I'll tell you what, cupcake, this ain't gonna end well.

You see, that business owner went into business to make money, not support your poor decisions in life.  And he or she is going to either make that money, or close the business.

Either way, you're toast.  Higher costs spawn innovation. 

Around the developing world, they dig up potatoes by hand.  Here in the US, that's too expensive, so now machines do it.

By NOT hiring employees, you get the added benefits of not having to deal with so many HR problems.  A very good friend of mine has a successful business.  She has enough customers to hire more employees, but the laws are so damned twisted that she's "done the math" and sees it's not worth the grief.  You do one thing that's not 100% by the books, and you're open to lawsuits.

I'm not talking about unsafe work environments, or things like that.  I'm talking about the employee asking the employer to do a certain job, or to do it in a certain fashion, and it breaking some asinine worker law.

Down the road, the employee becomes disgruntled, and sues.  And wins most of the time, because the law was broken, after all - regardless of how stupid it may be.

So, you remove the employee from the picture, and the problem is solved.

We business owners then innovate.  We'll have our potatoes dug up by machines.  We'll have our burgers flipped by machines.  We'll have our cash dispensed by machines.  We'll have our gas pumps take the buyer's money, and let the buyer pump his own gas.  We'll have our phones answered by a "calling tree". 

We'll have our cars more and more made by machines.  We'll have our homes pre-fabbed in automated factories.  We'll have our packages delivered to our homes by flying drones. 

So instead of the government helping us to employ more people, they've created an environment that makes it too expensive for us to do so.

***

I pay THOUSANDS of dollars each year, and get nothing in return.  Why is the government involved in any way, shape or form when I want to open a business?  If I and the owner of the property come to terms about the store I want to open, why must I pay a licensing fee to the city and the state?

I get nothing for that money, and neither does the public.  If I do something wrong or harm someone with my product, does the public have the right to sue the city because they're the ones that "blessed" the opening of my store?

Of course not.

What the public gets is higher prices, to pay for those licensing fees from which neither of us benefit.

And that goes for any kind of business, even the food service business.  A restaurant must submit to various food and cleanliness inspections.  Yet somehow, every single year, we read of stories of bad food being ingested by people that bought from previously inspected processing plants, stores and restaurants!

Who gets sued?  The business that was certified as A-OK by the government.  So what good is the certification to anyone?

If I were King, I'd have one business law:  If you make or sell something, and it doesn't do or act as you've advertised, you can be held liable for damages.  If the business is sued, and the business wins, the accuser is liable for all costs for the business to defend itself.  Have a nice day!

The marketplace will be "The Decider" of what constitutes a "worthy" business, not some government bureaucrat.  These supposed, "consumer and employee protection laws" have gone too far.

The marketplace will be "The Decider" as to what is a fair wage, fair benefits and fair working conditions.

Here in California, starting July 1, the State has decided that I must now give my employees 1 hour of free time off for every 30 hours they work.  In essence, I'm being forced to give them a 3.33% raise.

Does the State consider the benefits my employees currently get?  A relaxed work environment, wholesale prices on precious metals, bonuses, flexible scheduling, food and refreshments?

Of course not.  Instead of a company offering time off as a benefit, it's now mandated.  So the business who used to offer it has now lost one of its enticements to work in their business.

"Hold on there Chief!  Don't you remember the horrible working conditions that existed at the turn of the previous century?  Unions, regulations and safety laws made America great!"

Bullshit.  Innovation, education and personal drive is what made America great.  The people that were having limbs chopped off in meat packing companies were largely uneducated immigrants.  Those business absolutely, positively were evil and took advantage of those people because they had no other choices.

But now, every person - legal or not - gets a free education.  If they choose to piss on that gift, I'm not going to shed a lot of tears over their lot in life.  And they don't need any personal drive, 'cause everything they need to live is provided for them.  That may sound harsh, but I don't care.  I will not be held responsible for their bad decisions.

Since the various layers of government disagree with my perspective, I've been left with only one choice:  I simply won't hire them.  Ever.

I know this story doesn't end well for anyone.  If more businesses act as my friend and I do, eventually there won't be anyone left that can afford to buy what I sell.

I'm good with that, as I'll shortly be picking up my marbles and taking them elsewhere.  Somewhere where the state and local governments aren't up my ass every two seconds, looking for ways to extort more money from my efforts.

Not surprisingly, my friend is doing the same.  Shocking, huh?

Coming along???

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Copyright 2015 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