About 24 hours from now we will know for sure whether the “kraken” is coming – or never was. In the case of the latter, which seems likely, we had better get ready – intellectually and actually. “We” being anyone who is likely to become a target for Joe’s special attention – which means, in practical terms, anyone who isn’t a parasite, or who wants to be let alone when it comes to personal choices such as whether to join a government-mandated religious movement.
Parasitism relies on the parasite producing. Fleas can’t suck the blood of a dead cat. Put another way, they cannot take what you do not make.
So make less.
Own less.
Reduce what you earn to what you need and shrug the rest. Become po’ – by choice – which is preferable to being made po’ by the likes of Joe.
You’d be surprised how rich you can be.
A person can live quite comfortably on not much if they give up the American Life to which most of us aspire or have been taught to aspire to. This encompassing a “nice” house in the suburbs and new or at least late-model cars in the garage and the rest that goes with – and which usually requires becoming a kind of high-class serf working for a McCorporation.
It was increasingly untenable before hypochondria was weaponized – the average American being deeply in debt and preserving the illusion of middle class affluence only through the miracle of revolving credit. It is now a hopeless situation for millions.
The jobs aren’t coming back – but inflation and higher taxes are.
In a few months from now, we could find ourselves paying $10 for a pound of ground beef and $5 for a gallon of gas. Which you may only be allowed to buy if you have joined the state religion and can present a membership card in the form of a vaccine certificate and are wearing the required religious garb, the Holy Face Burqa.
But don’t worry; you’ll be earning $15 per hour, courtesy of Joe. Or paying that to the people you currently employ for $8 per hour. Whatever we earn per hour may be worth next to nothing, even before they take most of it.
There is increasingly less point in having employees or earning money because of how much of it they take. And how much they make you pay.
Or in owning things, because of what they force you to pay as the price for being allowed the fiction you own anything.
Owning and earning is also the mechanism by which they force admission to the new religion. If you own less and earn less, they have less hold over you. A man who lives in his modest but paid-for home only needs to make enough enough money for the necessaries and if he has a little land, he can provide a good portion of them himself, without having to transact business with anyone.
If you don’t have to go the store, they will have a much harder time forcing you to wear the Face Burqa – or receive the blessing of the Holy Needle.
If you can live outside their system, it is that much harder to for them to make you participate in it. Withdraw. Shrug. Stop feeding your worst enemy, who grows fat by sucking you dry.
This is Option 1.
Option 2 is we stop giving in. Stop letting them take and control – which has been the case thus far because on the whole it was worth it, for most of us. Until last year, they let us keep enough of our money to make the earning thereof worth the trouble. We could still get by with some to spare. We could afford to go out to eat every now and then, buy stuff for our hobbies, improve our homes via weekend projects and such.
It wasn’t ideal but it wasn’t impossible. It was worth getting out of bed and going to work. It increasingly isn’t.
We had enough freedom, a year ago – especially in terms of the everyday things – to make palatable the freedoms denied us. We could celebrate the Fourth of July without feeling ridiculous. It is now obscene.
We face the prospect of no freedom at all – beyond being free to do as we are told, including the honoring of the rituals of the New Religion, forever amen.
Many of us already have nothing left to lose – and many more will be joining the ranks, soon whether they want to or not.
Either way, we have choices to make – and soon.
. . . .
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Useful advice from Massad Ayoob:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyhsxdtnxDM
“A battle avoided is a battle won.”
– Sun Tzu
Massad Alley-oop is a pig(AGW)- in one of his vids on ‘how to interact with cops’ he advocates practically fellating/performing obeisance to the fuzz…….
I disagree with your assessment.
I believe he made some valid points.
But, you probably agree with Professor Duane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE
and his sidekick, Officer George Bruch (AGW)
who ably make the case for not incriminating yourself unintentionally, by keeping your mouth shut.
Turtle,
They do occasionally give some good advice….but remember WHO they are! They are NOT our friends.
Massad Ayoob When Stoped by the Police
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKRnV66b-g
No, they are our *employees*, and there is no use turning them into enemies unnecessarily.
In my life (and I am 71 years of age) I have interacted “involuntarily” (and semi-voluntarily) with cops who were good guys, and cops who were *real* *dickheads* without any apparent redeeming qualities.
To me, the important point to remember is that they get up in the morning and put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me. In my experience, if you treat them as fellow human beings who are just doing a job, they will be much more likely to reciprocate than if you regard them as an enemy. If you want confrontation, they will most likely be willing to oblige (and, admittedly, some will give you that, no matter what. I had one cop threaten to arrest me for putting out a small fire on my neighbor’s property. FD had no problem – in fact, they commended me for my prompt action, because they know, as do I, that seconds count when fighting fire. PD is not trained in this area, or confined space entry, etc.).
Professor Duane emphasizes that the 5th amendment is *not* “just for criminals,” but is important for the protection of innocent citizens from the possible depredations of “our” government. His point is very well taken. Capt. Ayoob makes the point in another video that large segments of the general public may still believe (because they have been “educated” by Hollywood movies) that only criminals “take the 5th.” This is wrong, but sometimes perception is most important. As Jackson Browne sang, decades ago, “it’s who you look like, not who you are.” Sad but true, in some cases. In these days, when everything is captured on video, you really are better off being *seen* as the “good guy” than not, and what better way to do that than to be recorded cooperating with law enforcement without spilling your guts in ways that *will* be used against you, in court and in the press.
Ever had your words twisted by the press? I have, and it is not a fun experience, for you really have no defense. Ever had the police attempt to pin a violent crime on you, when you did nothing wrong? I have, and it is a real tightrope, which you must walk. I survived, partly because I knew when to open my mouth and what to say, and when to keep my mouth shut. In my case, it involved the death of one of their own who offed himself on my front bumper whilst driving on the wrong side of the double yellow line. I was minding my own business at the time. You can bet there were elements of their agency who wanted to see me go down (though *not* his work partner, who did not fault me). As it happens, my then GF’s daughter was dating the son of the local SO’s chaplain, and I heard via that “grapevine” that I was being referred to around the SO (Sheriff’s Office) as “the guy who wiped out Deputy ____”
No, sorry, “the guy who wiped out Deputy ______” was Deputy _____, and the official traffic report, which ran to 49 pages and took a month to write, confirmed that. I didn’t know the guy. Sorry to be involved in his demise , but I was not the cause. *He* was the cause of his own demise, due to improper training.
CHP will tell you that
a) in any head-on collision, they expect at least one fatality
b) they put 5% of miles on motorcycles, but 95% of serious injuries
c) there are two types of bikers, those who have been down, and those who will go down. Get on the bike, assume the risk.
Taking a bike into opposing traffic is suicidal, but that is what this poor bastard did. Poor training or death wish, it comes to the same thing.
My takeaway? PTSD is very real, and a very lousy experience.
My GF at the time is a Vietnam vet, who had two helicopters shot out from under her in ‘Nam. After the accident, she said to me, “Well, you’re one of us now.” I had no idea what she was talking about at the time, but I found out. I hope you never do.
Its a great video turtle and a moving story. It all sounds just awful. I’m glad you survived out the other side. Yes never talk to the police.
fwiw Kyle Rittenhouse is being crucified in the press by letting his lawyers talk for him. Smart kid.
Here an upcoming event that is crucial for all freedom lovers to attend if possible.
https://vimeo.com/499871493
https://thegreaterreset.org/
Well, the Clown Act didn’t take long…apparently LIBERTARIANS are equated with so-called “domestic terrorists”.
https://www.newswars.com/even-libertarians-john-brennan-issues-list-of-ideologies-biden-intel-community-should-go-after/
Fuck them.
But they are ignoring this leftist violence.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9170237/Protesters-gather-damage-Democratic-headquarters-Oregon.html
“But they are ignoring this leftist violence.”
They still need them to get the ‘domestic terrorists’ of the Right to react. Then the MSM can tell the world that the nasty white supremacist, misogynist, gun owning nazis attacked a mostly-peaceful-and-law-abiding group of BLM/Antifa/other-dogshit, so we have to take their guns and send them all to reeducation camps.
Eric –
BTDT, BTTS.
Back in the early 1970s, my goal was to survive on as little as possible, in order to contribute the minimum amount of tax to the corrupt Nixon machine. Even my dad, a staunch Republican most of his life, made snarky and sarcastic comments about the Dick. Eventually Tricky Dick got his comeuppance, and we all moved on with our lives, except that, so long as you live in the U.S and pay U.S. taxes, you are contributing to the global war machine.
These days, at 71 and more or less retired, I do my best to not GAS about the world, but sometimes it is difficult to remain disengaged. Former GF used to make noise about moving to Costa Rica, and my sister and I joke about Patagonia (Bariloche looks nice) but, realistically, I know that is not going to happen.
So, I am hunkered down in Corona, Riverside County, CA for the duration. I live “in town,” a small city of ~165,000, AND KEEP A LOW PROFILE. My needs are few. Perimeter is secured, and I have no house payment nor car payment. I am quite content to drive my 1989 F150, which I bought for cash brand new in 1989. I do not care much for the new “pickups” which are more like SUVs, the which I do not need. So, as long as I can keep Old Blue running, that is what I will drive. Some parts are getting harder to find though.
As far as groceries are concerned, I nearly lost it a few weeks ago when a chickenshit store manager refused to sell me food because I refused to don a face condom. I really did come within an ace of decapitating the little bastard, in which case, had I done so, I would not be writing this. I am not exaggerating. It is only through the grace of three people, one of whom posts here, that did not “waste a martyrdom.” Hey, you only get one.
In order to maintain my sanity, I decided to try Instacart first week in January. It is not flawless. There are “gotchas,” but it keeps me from having to interact with quite so many idiots. Even if you do not use a delivery service, you can minimize your store visits by planning ahead. Keep more items on hand, and buy in larger quantities. This has the added benefits a) of disaster preparedness and b) lower fuel consumption. I anticipate one less tank of gas per month, which for me is abut $50. Only a few things really have to be gotten fresh, and for those I have mostly found hassle free alternatives, which include supporting local farmers.
Old sayings:
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Refuse a battle of wits with an unarmed (i.e. witless) person. You are only wasting your ammo.
Keep you chin up.
We will prevail in the long run (as well it may be) , because the truth cannot be hidden forever.
For liberty,
Amen, Turtle…
I also plan to do my best to evade and avoid – though my resentment over what is being done to sanity – let alone liberty – continues to fulminate. Maybe – as some have suggested – now that the Orange Man is gone, resistance will grow, We’ll soon know…
Grass roots resistance? No.
False flag resistance, by the ‘domestic terrorists’ we have recently been programmed to see everywhere? Yeah, probably.
A lot of good comments to think about. I know that I can no longer support the parasites who want to govern me without my consent with a clear conscience. This last comment I read by Thoughcriminal2084 “It’s always darkest before the mass grave. We will all understand so much as the first shovels of earth are thrown on our corpses – we had nothing to lose all along.” reflects the grim reality of those who believe compromised freedom is preferable to absolute despotism. I will choose not to become a murderer for the state, but I will not fear them when they come either.
I’ve been saying similar stuff for years on my old prepper site (no longer around), on my blog, and have been living this way since the 80s…too bad more didn’t listen in the late 90s when I recommended a rural remote bug-out place, learning old school skills like carpentry, plumbing, car repair, sewing, electric, gardening, hunting, fishing, and being frugal, only buying what you need. Thanks, Eric, for your good advice.
You bet, something –
And: I’ll keep the lights on here as long as I can. I’m still hoping the country doesn’t go full Soviet . . . but then, that it is probably like believing that the “kraken” was coming.
Sidney Powell was “gotten to”. Once the Jan 6th fiasco happened, there was no stopping the “Steal” no matter what Trump did. Period.
Life is about choices.
You keep parroting this, RG, to the point of making it a cliché. You seem to not realize that most of the “choices” we face or are allowed to make in this society that we are trapped in are FALSE choices. The system has been too thoroughly rigged to allow anyone the option of genuinely and completely freeing themselves from “The Matrix” or its inevitable consequences. Sure, you can make the illusion of a choice, a false one that “they” provide latitude for. But inevitably the consequences of “Choice 1a” lead to the exact consequences as those of “Choice 1b.” There is no “Choice 2.”
Example: You don’t want expensive insurance, but since you’re forced to buy it, you see that the Acme Insurance Company charges higher premiums than the Allied Insurance Company, so you take out a policy with Allied, rather than their “competition,” figuring that higher premiums means better coverage and service, even though you don’t want insurance at all.
So after a year you file a claim with Allied Insurance and discover, to your unpleasant surprise, that they refuse to cover your claim, even though it is a perfectly legitimate and justified one. You wind up waging a futile and protracted battle with them, realizing that you could have gotten the same shitty service and lack of resolution of your claim for significantly less money if you had just bought a policy from the (phony) “competition,” even though you never wanted insurance in the first place and would still not have gotten a resolution to your claim. In other words, the outcome would have been the same no matter what “choice” you originally made, because there was only “Choice 1a” or “”Choice 1b.” There was no “Choice 2,” which was not having insurance at all.
This example is a very minor one, but it’s representative of many, many situations we face every day. “Elections” are another obvious example. So before chiding people on the “choices” they’ve made that have led to “less than optimal” outcomes, just stop and reflect a moment on the fact that within the current “Matrix” that we live in, almost ALL choices we make will eventually lead to the same result. It’s only a matter of how circuitous the route from each choice is to the end result. Everyone arrives there, just some sooner (or later) than others.
I am sorry, but what is wrong with a cliche again? Should I be offended that you are offended by me insinuating that life does provide us choices?
You may continue to believe that you have no options in life. Okay. Now what?
I continue to believe I have choices. So I am a idiot because I believe life is what we make of it and I like to see good in people and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us? Fine, I am idiot. I chose my spouse, I chose where I wanted to live, I chose what occupation I wanted, I chose how many kids I wanted to have, I chose where I want to vacation, what I eat, and what I wear. I also chose whether I want insurance or not….I don’t have it, by the way, another choice that I am able to make.
I guess you made your point.
Good day.
“So I am a idiot because I believe life is what we make of it and I like to see good in people and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us?”
Looks again at liberranter post…… Nope, no “idiot”
This seems to be a recurring theme in your posts, to see a non existent personal insult and then have an indignant tantrum. Chill and don’t take everything so freaking personal.
“So I am a idiot”
Acceptance IS the first step to recovery. Just a question of how many more steps required now.
liberranter,
Bravo! Copied and saved.
I am not sure if anyone paid attention to this. It was suggested yesterday that the Orange Man didn’t pardon Julian Assange because of the threat that Republicans, at least some of them, would vote to impeach him (presumably McConnell included), if he proceeded. This was supposedly reported by TC at fox news.
Considering tyhe types of people he did pardon…I’d say he had zero interest in pardoning any decent people, and didn’t need any threats to make it so. Why would he pardon Assange, when he is the one who gave the go-ahead for his arrest? Trump was just another actor who did the bidding of the people who really run things- just like all the others. This whole left vs. right, R vs. D spectacle is nothing more than political theater to keep the gullible pacified.
oh trump is a complete piece of shit. Sure can pardon war criminasl though. He ushered in a communist takeover and didnt come close to acclompishing a goddamn thing. I hope the left goes after him with claws out.
Some are making the argument that imprisoning Trump could further energize the Dissident Right and remove him as the symbol of it.
I chose Rayo’s van vonu back in 1985, before I’d even read of it.
It is still working well and it’s prospects are better than the standard option #1 or #2.
I took Pete Townshend’s advice and have been Going Mobile.
“Watch the police and the taxman miss me!”
I recently read a Malcolm X quote that struck me in the heart. “Unless you are willing to die for it, remove freedom from your vocabulary.” A price he ended up paying.
If you understand that DEMOGRAPHY IS DESTINY, then you will understand this message:
Demography refers to the type of people who populate a country or society.
Type of People refers to their characteristics such as sex, race, education, religion, history and value.
Destiny refers to the outcomes, real or imaginary, the types of people construct.
The destiny of one group may not be the destiny of other groups, hence conflict or war. Destruction of prior demographic outcomes may ensue as demography changes. Beginning with Magna Carta, and later expressed as representative government in the U.S., “Consent of The Governed” was seen as a major guiding principle. This was the product of Western European XY people.
People of the XX combination seek different outcomes. Unable to implement their destiny at the national level, they plotted their ascension to the positions of power and influence: XX Über Alles.
Other groups drooled.
Time passed.
Now we see the replacement of the XY, and the dawn of the XX’s. This is an inversion of the natural hierarchy and our social destiny is bending. The alliance of other agenda is fueling a violent demand for a new world order, and politics is down stream from culture. Elected leaders, and their administrative camp followers are blindly pandering to the new reality as they seek self-indulgent power.
Never one to let ethics or the lack of moral courage stand in their way, today we see the coronation of a career politician and his courtiers. Not to be overlooked, he is accompanied by his janitorial staff.
This portends horrible outcomes that must not be seen as political in origin. They are the results of massive, planned social replacements, all preceded by giant shit tests, which XY failed.
My job is being retired, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. At $15 an hour, the government needs to pay me $131,400 a year. With a little bonus for leap years.
More seriously, I considered the option of moving out of the country a few years ago. Two things stopped me. The first was FATCA, the law that made foreign banks reluctant to open accounts for Americans. Without a local account, it isn’t easy to live in a foreign country.
The second consideration was the likelihood of capital controls: the US government stopping any outflows of cash to offshore locales. That hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still betting that it will. Even if it doesn’t, when the US dollar goes full Weimar, it will be impossible to live on income from the US.
Based on that analysis, my decision was easy: stay here and resist the bastards. That course requires will, which I have plenty of, and hope, which the incredible folks on this site keep on giving me. Thank you all.
Hi Mike,
Agreed, amen. Leaving doesn’t make much sense to me because I don’t know of any place one could realistically go to that’s appreciably better than it is here. I’m open to being convinced otherwise.
No doubt, the US Psychopaths In Charge have exported their insanity to practically every nation on the planet. I haven’t done any extensive research, because I see no point in it, but through casual observation the only nation that comes close to being an option is Russia. Which has an abundance of its own problems with allowing people to live, just different problems. In other words, not worth the trouble.
I haven’t done much research either, but what I’ve read about the leaders of Belarus and Poland is encouraging. Both are resisting the tyranny in different ways – Lukaschenko (Belarus) turned down the bribe from WHO (Gates) to lock down his country and require masks, etc. Poland’s President(?) is shutting down the vaccine. Encouraging! At least these leaders, who likely recognize tyranny from personal experience, are standing up to it.
Agreed. The best way to rate a country now, is by how they dealt with the plandemic and lock downs. Belarus and Sweden mostly ignored the lock downs, and did better than other countries due to that, so they get the highest 2 ratings. Conversely, most Latin American countries were at the other end of the ratings spectrum, with the harshest and strictest lock downs, so they get the lowest ratings. It looks like the US rates somewhere in between, and even different parts of the US rate differently.
Of course, there are other factors to consider too, such as climate, culture, cost of living, etc. Still the ‘freedom’ factor is the most important one now.
There are still lots of areas of mid to southern South America that are basically ungoverned compared to ‘the first world’. Fairly cheap average to good farmland with basic homes and comfortable temperatures that allow for year round crop production with basically zero hearing costs. Just don’t expect first world amenities unless you travel to the urban centers.
Most governments there tend to like immigration because it brings dollars into the country and so they make residency fairly easy. Many have 6 month visas that you can renew indefinitely by leaving the country for 24 hours and return and almost all allow property ownership.
You may have to grease a palm here and there but it is still far better and less than the grease that has to be applied to the bureaucratic monster that is North America/Europe.
The only issue now is that many are going ‘Rona bonkers or I would already be there. Getting there is now the issue. If sanity ever returns and travel without hypochondriac theater is possible again, I am going.
It sounds like you have had some foreign living experience too. My experience from living in Panama for over 8 years was the best temporary move I ever made, but it was not permanent for a variety of reasons. The fact that I moved back here after more than 8 years says a lot.
Even so, it was truly life changing, and I don’t regret it at all, and may go back one day. In fact, I met and married a Panamanian, who is the best woman I ever met, and we will be life partners forever. She travels back and forth from here to there, and I could get citizenship there by being married to her.
At first, the culture shock took some adaptation. Not to mention learning a new language and customs.
I found that most Latin American countries are Socialists to some extent. Some much more than others. Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and of course Venezuela are full blown Socialist. Mexico, Brazil, Chile, the Guays, Ecuador and Columbia, not so much, but still more Socialist than here. Although we are almost the same as them now.
Central America is a mixed bag, and not as nice as South America. Argentina and Brazil are first world. The rest are second or third world, and yes, there are second world countries somewhere between first and third. I could and should write a book about my experiences and observations there, so maybe that will be next…
Thanks. Socialism only really matters if there is enforcement. Actually all forms of government only matter if there is enforcement.
That is the good thing about most of southern South America, the governments are so screwed up that they can barely manage the cities, so the countryside folk are generally left unmolested. But there is still just enough functional society to keep gangs and warlords from troubling the rural people much.
The people of SA are not soft either. They have lived harder lives than the north and are much more self sufficient and resilient than the average NA blob. Unfortunately they are also wary of outsiders and it takes a long time to fit in if you ever can. It is a good thing though, as the type you want to avoid but can’t all over NA (loud douchebags) rapidly get the “your type is not welcome here treatment” from locals in rural SA. Not that many leave the urban tourist bars anyway. Much closer to 1950s America social values than 2020 America and whatever passes for ‘values’ in the vapid herd.
Advice to any who travel to rural SA, be polite, be humble, buy the tavern a round and though you will never be accepted as one of them, you will be almost certainly be treated well. If you get the feeling you are not welcome, you aren’t. Politely leave.
In case anyone is interested,
https://www.google.com/maps/@-40.7172076,-73.9894988,9z
Is my first choice of areas for relocating. Somewhere between Peurto Montt and Osorno.
Lots of farms in the area for not too much money. Climate is not fantastic as it is often overcast but good growing region, temperate climate, rarely below freezing. Fantastic fresh Pacific seafood from Peuto Montt.
Several other locations, some in Argentina look good too, but this area suits me, mainly because of the Pacific seafood.
Hungary, of all places, is actually prospering and has relatively low taxes and government regulation for a continental European nation. Hopefully that doesn’t piss off Macron over in “La Terre des Rainettes” (Frog Land), or Merkel in “Deustchland, Deustchland, Uber Allen!” (ref: Ramnsteim), and they send it “Les Chars” or “Der Panzers” like the Soviets did back in ’56 to put a STOP to honest-to-Gawd freedom.
Hi Eric, I’ve been a fan of yours for many years. I just wanted to let you know that my wife and I of 44 years left beautiful Southern California (at the beach on less) 5 years ago to live in a sleepy fishing/surfer village in Costa Rica. We consider ourselves “Permanent Tourist” here, and as of now, we both believe it was the best decision we ever made. Even though CR is a Socialist country, they are to poor to enforce their bullshit laws, especially out here in the boonies. We both collect SS and live a very free life, where if we still lived in California, we would both still have to work. If you have any questions, please feel free to inquire. All the best to you and your readers this new year and thanks for all you do. Greame
Hi Graeme,
Thank you for the kind words – and “skinny” on Costa Rica! If you’re willing, could you share with us – in general terms – what life is life down there for an expat Gringo and how one goes about making such a move? What is the cost of living like? Do you own a home or rent?
Hi Mike,
Yes, I would agree that your 2 concerns about moving to another country are good ones.
There are ways around them though, if you do the same things that the wealthy people do to move offshore.
The easiest way to get a bank account and residency in many countries is to create a corporation or a Trust in that country, which then makes opening bank accounts there easy. That also provides anonymity.
As for capital controls, whatever money you had offshore before any capital controls were activated, would just stay offshore, so plan that accordingly.
I lived in Panama for over 8 years, and had multiple corporations and bank accounts there, so I know from personal experience that approach works well.
This election had the clearest examples of cheating ever. I’m happy to have the perspectives of a libertarian just sad to see what little freedom we had be destroyed in 2020 and primed for complete tyranny for the next 4 years. Im moving out of minneapolis this spring and heading for a red state to at least delay the coming tyranny.
“Im moving out of minneapolis this spring and heading for a red state to at least delay the coming tyranny.”
Way cool.
…Perhaps, we’ll avoid, or Shove Off, the coming tyranny, somehow.
The kraken? Hahaha. You’d have better luck praying directly to Poseidon.
It has just been admitted that the Kraken never existed. There will be no court case.
I picked option #1 several years ago. The financial collapse of ’08 made it obvious, to me at least, that our house of cards was teetering precariously with a stiff wind coming that would finish the job.
At that point I put myself on an extreme austerity plan, and started leveraging my modest assets into a new life. I started paying off all my debt and worked as much overtime as I could. Next I located a piece of rural property as far from any metro area as I could reasonably get, bought it and worked my ass off to get it paid off. Once I had the land paid for I sold my house in the burbs, took my equity out of it and moved onto my land.
I was camping out in a tent at first then I made a little house out of a 40′ steel intermodal shipping container. I tried to get the local electric co-op to run electric power down to my house, but they were entirely unreasonable wanting $20,000 to run a wire 500 yards, so I went off grid. I’m still entirely off grid with the exception of internet satellite service. I heat my house with firewood I harvest from my own property. I use a composting toilet system. All my water comes from rain water I catch off of the roof of my barn. I spent $1,000 for 20 IBC totes that have a storage capacity of 5,500 gallons all together. I’ve yet to have more than 4 of the 20 empty at any given time, even through a hard summer drought.
I started gardening the first year with a couple raised beds, and I’ve been increasing the garden space adding raised beds and hugelkultur beds every year. I’m still a long way from where I want to be with the gardens, but I’m seeing progress. I planted a lot of fruit, nut and berry trees the first year and every year since, but it’s a battle with the deer and the rodents keeping them alive. I’ve been moderately successful hunting deer which has supplied the bulk of the meat I eat and I supplement that with some fishing. I’ve been able to manage that with 1.5 cu ft freezer that only gets electric power during daylight hours when there is sunshine. I smoke a lot of the meat and I can a lot also.
I started construction on a real house with a real basement three years ago and I’m still working on that. I hope to get moved into that before next winter. The county I moved to has no building codes, no zoning and very low property taxes. I also get my landowner deer and turkey hunting permits at no cost.
Aside from the building materials which are for the most part bought and stored in my barn waiting for me to get around to using them I have a very low budget. My monthly bills are $50 for flip-phone cell service and $60 for the satellite internet. I also have car insurance, property taxes and the costs associated with vehicle, equipment and building maintenance. I do buy some groceries, but the vast majority of the food I eat is what I can grow and hunt along with the wheat, rice and beans I stocked up on years ago. Most of what I buy is things like eggs, cheese and sugar and tea for making kombucha. I think my total budget last year was well under $5,000, and I’m planning to cut it to half of that this year.
I also have plans for chickens, rabbits and goats and hope to get started with at least one of those this year.
For someone just thinking about getting started on option #1, I guess it depends on what sort of assets you have to leverage, if you can still get it done before all hell breaks loose because time is really short now. I think if I was still in the city or the burbs I’d still want to figure a way out.
I have to say that doing what it took to get moved out here to the boonies was the best thing I’ve ever done. The past several years have been the most fun, enjoyable and rewarding years of my life. I haven’t held a “job” for nearly a decade, and can tell you that does wonders for your sanity. Neither have I seen a doctor in over 15 years. If I died tomorrow I’d die happy having these years I’ve enjoyed so much. The only regret I have is that I didn’t do it sooner. I live a bit of a rustic lifestyle, which I find thoroughly enjoyable, and I’ve had many people tell me that they could never live like I do, but I’ve positioned myself to be at the upper end of the third world spectrum, and the US is definitely rocketing toward third world status or worse. I think a lot of people who’ve told me that they couldn’t live like I do, without grid power, without running water and without a thermostat controlled climate system, will be changing their minds in the months to come.
I’ve been thinking about what I’ll do when the fedgoons come to steal my property, and collect me for their concentration camp. I won’t run away to a foreign country. I don’t want to be a stranger in a strange land learning a new language and a new culture. At least here in the US we have millions of gun owners who are still armed, which you won’t have in any of the other third world shitholes you run away to. I will never take another vaccine, and I can’t imagine complying with gun registration or confiscation. I practice bushcrafting a lot and I’m surrounded by vast areas of wilderness that I could disappear into if I had to. I suppose that the drones and satellites could hunt me down out there, but I think the fedgoons are going to have their hands quite full emulating Kim Jong Un and filling their mass burial sites to mess with a lone squatter out in the wilderness.
Bottom line is that I’ve long ago come to terms with my mortality and I accept it. I will try to face my death without fear however it may come to me and try to enjoy every precious day without fear until the time comes for me to meet my creator.
Hank,
You are a wise man and have done well. People would do themselves justice by following suit.
I’m a little behind you, perhaps, on some things, but I have bought and paid for my land in the country, and have an RV in which to live there, as well as modest solar power. I’ve experimented and was successful with rainwater collection there, though the wind has since destroyed my water collector.
I’m still residing in the city for the time being. I’m trying to fix up this house, save some money and buy a few things before I finally make the leap to completely off-grid living. But my girlfriend and I are definitely excited to get there. Just hoping I have a couple more years before the whole shit-house goes up in flames, as Jim Morrison once said.
Just having that land there, however, brings a wonderful peace of mind. It alleviates that constant fear that so many have at all times: that they will have nowhere to go should things go south or they lose their jobs. No more. And I’ll never let anyone take it from me. I’ll pay the tiny tax bill every year; that is no concern. Once there, the world would do themselves a favor by letting me be. I am a peaceful and reasonable man, and would like to remain just that way.
BaDnOn,
I used a tarp to collect rain water for over a year before I had the barn roof. I’d collect it in a 35 gallon wash tub and then dip it into 5 gallon pails to store it. That was mostly adequate for my drinking water, showering and doing laundry. I hauled water from the neighbors a few times, but not too often.
Hank Ford:
That sounds delightful!
Hank,
Thanks for sharing your story! As someone who has done similar in ’01- only with a $12K used mobile home, I know the joy and freedom such a life brings! This is living in the real world, and makes for a true life of independence, and insulates us from the artificial political-economic system, and truly brings contentment.
Congratulations on what you’ve accomplished! This is much more impressive than buying a big house and slaving to pay for it while others dictate what you can or can’t do on it’s little plot. This is the way MEN(and sensible women) live!
Fantastic encouragement you guys. Wow.
The best bit:
“I will try to face my death without fear however it may come to me and try to enjoy every precious day without fear until the time comes for me to meet my creator.”
Reminds me of a leftest film from the 1970’s with Robert Conrad, ‘Centennial”. His character would meet some fearsome wild Indians on their turf and say much the same, something like, “I come to you unafraid” – powerful stuff, I think. You guys seem to be like that. Heroic.
Thanks Nunz,
Homesteading is something I wanted to do since I was a kid. I think our grandparents and great-grandparents knew more about living a fulfilling and satisfying life. My mother drilled into me go to school get a good job, buy a nice house in a nice neighborhood, drive a nice car and save for retirement. Some of it made sense and I tried my best going that route. I loved school up until high school. I enrolled into tenth grade, but just couldn’t stand it. I made it through about three months and quit. I started working full time when I was fifteen and worked 37 years without a break until I quit to move out to my land. What a waste of a life!
All the money I pissed away, literally, drinking in the bar to numb myself. All the money I pissed away on toys and stupid crap I didn’t need. Always after that high you get when you buy something and then the remorse that comes with the lingering debt. It’s a trap. I remember a bumper sticker I saw a lot in the ’90s that said, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” What I’ve come to realize is that toys distract you from real life and keep you locked onto a most unpleasant treadmill.
Hank Ford, With a few exceptions, you just told my story. I’ve only got two IBC totes (I gave two away to a friend who needed them worse than I do). I collect rainwater as well, but I also have a well and a few generators which I can plug directly into my house to power it up when I need to. I’ve already got the chickens, and a spring fed pond behind my house has a few fish, and draws deer.
My garden strategy was to plant as many things as I could find on Florida’s invasive species list. So I have wild winged yams, Asian swamp cabbage, ivy gourd cucumbers, Everglades tomatoes, ketuk, (planted around the pond so I don’t have to water any of it). I have a few other tubers, and half a dozen varieties of spinach. I just picked up some nopal cactus which is also very filling. I have some blueberries, but the deer, birds, etc. get them. Everything thrives on neglect, but the big thing is to get stuff like tubers which fills you up quick, and can stay in the ground until you’re ready to eat it. I also have a lot of moringa which is great for supplementing whatever might be lacking as far as vitamins, amino acids, etc. It’s a super food that grows like a weed (20′ every year so you have to cut it back every year, but “chop and drop” is also the best way to put it all back into the soil).
I’m also working on a plan “B” which is to build a pontoon boat from 55 gallon poly barrels, and then simply bring the chickens, IBC totes, and tubers, spinach etc. and plant in some isolated location, the possibilities are endless around here. It also offers me the option to drift over to the Bahamas, down to the Caribbean, etc.
Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) just lowered their requirements for economic citizenship. They used to require an investment of $200k, but it’s down to $100k now. Still a bit stiff, but when you factor in that it can be in the form of real estate you can live on complete with a well established orchard, and a passport, it’s a pretty good deal, and pretty much everyone speaks English. The foreign passport allows you to leave the US after they lock the place down permanently. The only major drawback is that they get a hurricane every once in a while. So picking a protected location on the island is critical. They get plenty of rain each year, and the soil doesn’t need any amendments. It’s probably the most fertile soil in the world. It’s an island paradise with no property taxes. You own your land as soon as you buy it.
As far as getting your money into a foreign bank, just form an LLC, and wrap it into an international trust. It sounds complicated, but it isn’t that big of a deal. Everyone is doing it now, and once your money is in the trust, even if you have to be vaccinated to engage in local commerce, you can just hire someone to do your shopping for you. I think the currency is pegged with the dollar, but I also think that it will be easier to get back to normal on such a small island after hyperinflation gets out of control. Just my two cents.
Hey Shnarkle,
My gardening trajectory has been trying a variety of things and abandoning those crops which are difficult or fail. Jerusalem artichokes aren’t my favorite food, but they grow without any effort or input on my part. I get a good crop every year and never have to water them even in the driest years. I’ve found that fermenting them into pickles takes the gaseousness out of them and they’re delicious that way.
I’ve also had good success with butternut squash which I generally use as a substitute for potatoes. I get a ton of them from not much space. I do have to make war on squash bugs to get them though. I have also had good luck with tomatoes here in the Ozarks and I usually can at least 60 quarts every year on top of all the fresh tomatoes I hog down on. I have to be vigilant hunting the hornworms and this past year had a huge problem with leaf footed bugs in the tomatoes. Onions, garlic, beans, jalapenos and corn also do well here.
I’ve found amaranth to be very easy to grow, which provides excellent greens on par with spinach and the prolific amount of seeds make a good grain supplement to the wheat flour. I suspect that the seeds would be good chicken feed also. I get huge daikons which ferment pickle well. You can cook those greens and eat them, but I prefer to make kimchi with them. I’m going to try sorghum this coming year with the idea of making sugar from it. I think it would also make good animal feed.
Most all of the trees I’ve planted are native species from the state nursery which they sell for virtually nothing. I’ve put in lots of hazelnuts and mulberries with the idea that eventually I’ll make mulberry wine. I’ve also planted pecans, persimmons, serviceberries, pawpaws, apples and black chokeberries.
I have wild blackberries here and the harvest is only limited by how many I can pick in the week or two that they are in season. I’ve made wine out of them and the best jam and syrup I’ve ever eaten. I have a Victorio food mill which makes it a piece of cake to separate the seeds out, and is also awesome for processing tomatoes for canning.
I always thought that if I ever wanted to get money out of the country I’d put it into bitcoin.
Hey Hank, I tried all sorts of things only to discover that the only reason they were failing to grow was because I was letting my chickens run wild over them before they had a chance to mature. I’ve heard that amaranth is a good option for grains, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere. Do you buy all your plants, seeds, etc. locally, or did you find any good deals online?
My advice would be…BE QUIET. Too many busybodies will get completely hysterical that de facto, you’ve declared a semblance of “independence” from them and their socialist bullshit. Especially as you get older, you’d be subject to “welfare checks” and other forms of harassment, and don’t be surprised, if, miffed that you rebuff any attempts by these petty tyrants to pester you, that one day, the sheriff, or your state’s police, or even the FBI/ATFE, fed FALSE information that you’re some sort of “domestic terrorist”, conjuring up nefarious plans at your “compound”, come gunning for you. Just ask Randy Weaver, and his first wife…oh, you can’t ask HER anything, because an FBI assassin shot her while she holding their infant daughter at the doorway to their home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weaver
Something that gives me hope is that one of the reasons that things can get this far is that the people are weak and feeble minded, giving me the sense that the system will collapse once the establishment can’t kick the can down the road anymore once the debt/inflation rate finally catches up with them.
Just as we need to play “Atlas Shrugged” at home, I think foreign countries will soon play “Atlas Shrugged” themselves and dissociate themselves from the magic beans that are U.S dollars.
That being said, chaos is in itself bad, and we’re in for a whole lot of it. One step towards the Hobbesian state of man: “war of every man against every man”, in any sense that we’re not in it already.
The problem is no one dare name (((THEM))) and by them I mean (((THOSE YOU CANNOT NAME))).
Obviously ((((YOU)))) are too much of a coward to name your imagined enemy or even bother to make up a screen name so people here can identify even just on this forum who they are talking to. Pathetic, but typical of your kind.
Hi Jason,
Don’t engage him. It isn’t worth your time. Anyone who doesn’t have enough balls to actually pick a screen name so you can converse with them isn’t worth a response, especially while their only goal is to get a reaction and cause a ruckus and not actually have a debate.
I know, but I just love giving those kind of poltroons a richly deserved good swift kick in the ass. Also as I’ve said before I wouldn’t want people who stumble on this site, curious about libertarianism, to think despicable people like that have anything to do with it. I’ll keep it to a minimum though. (After all it could just be some dumbass 14-year-old kicking up a ruckus for shits and giggles.)
I agree with you, it is likely some 14 year old who has completed his school work for the day, mom made him a PB&J, and he has sometime to kill before his friends log in for a four hour session of Call of Duty.
RG, you are a brainwashed idiot. Mocking us won’t work. We’re far wiser than you’ll ever be.
The first thing you’ll need to learn is who your enemy is….unless you happen to be one of (((them))).
Bobster,
Have you met liberranter and Anon, oh, and whomever the Clover that showed up this morning calling me a dummy? They are all in agreement with you!
Eric, just out of curiosity, is there some type of award or special privilege that I get for being able to alienate so many different people on one thread?
If so, I deserve it. 🎉🎊🥂
If I have to make a choice over brainwashed idiot vs bigot, I will take choose brainwashed idiot……see liberranter I just made another decision! 😜
Oh my.
You should probably take a break from the interwebz. Really. Maybe take a walk or read a book, drink some wine.
BTW, different Anon. Not the same Anon you and Jason seem angry with here. There are several Anons here. Of course, we all are really.
More likely a troll who’s on the CIA payroll. He’s just doing his job.
Wouldn’t surprise me. “Divide and conquer” has long been one of the elites’ favorite tactics and malicious bigots fall right into the trap.
(((You people))) are famous for your divide and conquer tactics, like weaponizing the blacks against us.
Well, the Orange Buffoon just gave his Farewell Address . . .
Is he pardoning Snowden?
I dear hear he would have a “pardoning spree”, RG. I’m going to guess that Eddie the Snowman, Assange, Manning, and Ross Ulbricht can expect to remain in their current states, however.
Mostly black and joo criminals. Thanks, (((Jared)))!
Is Snowden a scummy crook? No? Then I don’t think he’ll be being pardoned….. Should’ve stolen $1.3Billion and given some to Kushner…then he’d be pardoned.
Paging Eric….we have a clover.
I guess since Trump has left town people will get tired of the constant oohing and aahing over Biden and will feel the need to disturb the rest of us with their generic rants and pathetic one liners. 😒
Or it could be school is out for today and eleven years everywhere have nothing to do.
Roger that, RG!
I already “hit the button.” Not so much because JW is a Clover but because he had nothing to say other than “loser” and so on. This isn’t the short bus; that ride’s over there…. 🙂
So much for the delusions some had about the “kraken”.
Good point about Snowden, RG. If Orange Man pardons him and Assange on the way out that at least is deserving of some respect.
he is not. and he didnt mention the fake election either.
Peters, You have no grace and no loyalty. The one man since Reagan who bucked the corrupt system and made your life, many lives, measurably better deserves more respect than your petulant quivering snark displays. At least you have what you deserve now. People like you deserve the short end of the deal because you have no loyalty. You have zero- absolute ZERO loyalty to anything but your miserable, small, visionless self. You are your own god and you serve a puny flaccid god. You are part of the problem. A willing participant in the problem laying down and pissing yourself out of spite like a small dog all the while crowing your silly ideology that has NOTHING constructive to show for itself. You are a small man Eric Peters- with a small vision, a small resume, and a small net worth. You are so small you aren’t big enough to be the mayor of smallville. Stay broke and teach brokeness. That’ll show those commie bastards all right. Small males unite! Break the system with brokeness! You are a disgrace. A pied piper for looserism. You should move to India. Become an old white Gandhi. Enjoy your flies and teeth falling out. At least you will be sticking it to the man with your poverty. He will feel it too. It will reallllyy hurt him I’ll tell ya. He will feel so bad.
You are like the fool who drinks poison hoping your enemy will die.
Ouch. I bet Eric is stung horribly. Mortally even.
Feel better?
BTW, message was shit but I like the writing style. Really captured “rant”.
Hi Anon,
I’m more like depressed. It just halts me that some people practically fellate the Orange Fail in spite of the brutal fact that he . . . failed. All the excuses in the world do not alter the fact. He lost. He failed. He is to become the pinata of the left and the bete noire of every person who esteems liberty, now to be framed as “Trumpism” – to be framed as “white supremacy” and “insurrectionism.”
Were the enemies arrayed against him mighty? Certainly. He lost. I am sick of losers. So goddamned tired of “conservatives” who fight with one arm tied behind their back, who do not understand the enemy or who are unwilling to do what must be done to defeat the enemy. And then expect support for their failures, because they meant well- because they tried.
No more excuses. Results.
I never particularly liked OM to begin with. He has always seemed an unduly smug clown, boastful and ignorantly arrogant. But I did hope he would upset the apple cart and clean out some of the scum. He didn’t in any significant way.
I don’t like or dislike him anymore than 4 years ago. But I agree, he failed to deliver. There seems no reason to expect any better next election, even if he survives the next four years and if there are elections and not a repeat of the fraud.
Hindsight is 20/20. As I see now, OM did not fail. He did his job and is going to do it again shortly. He served the swamp he swore to drain perfectly. He played the villain and underdog hero at the same time.
He’s a Pied Piper.
First, the scamdemic could NOT have happened without Trump. Do you think churches would have shut down on Hilldog’s orders?
Second, by championing affordable and proven treatments, he effectively shut down use of those treatments and ensured that the holy jab would occur.
Third, never do I remember if he called into question the numbers of infected or the co-morbidites. Nor did he fire Fauci.
I think this stinks because I made sure to go vote for OM because the other option was so much worse, or so it seemed. This is the second time I have broke from voting for the Libertarian candidate and voted Republican. I’m really feeling like “shame on me” for the second time not learning my lesson.
Shortly, OM will have a new platform in which Pipe his song and lead the well meaning astray again.
I’m a Georgian and watching what happened here with the Governor, Secretary of State, and the two GA R Senators… It really proves to me that Trump was on their side all along.
Not to dig too deep into GA politics, but when Gov Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler to replace the retiring senator instead of the rock solid sure choice Doug Collins, I knew he was corrupt. Trump flew around many times with Loeffler to show his support for the 2×4 with long blonde hear. Her job in the “billionaire club” was to lose. And she did so with a smile on her face. Kemp knew what he was doing. If he had put Doug Collins in, we’d have not lost that seat to a Dem. Instead, he forced both senate seats into contention at the same time.
Trump is no longer to be followed. If he could not release the kraken when he had the power, he certainly will not be doing so in the near future.
Totally agreed that Georgia politics are corrupted, and all else you said.
But here is why it is not the real problem.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939438039
The Trump election in 2016 was also planned, for various reasons. There are no elections, only selections. This interesting too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061147893
Some good music for this time.
Zero 7, When It Falls.
J and Justin,
WOW!That is exactly what I have been thinking the last two weeks! If 2020 was a “stolen” election, then what was 2016?
The PTB “selected” Trump in 2016 to rile up the “deplorables”, to make it appear that conservatives are “domestic terrorists”.
I didn’t watch the inauguration, but read some leftie blurbs throughout the day and noticed some things. Some copy and pasted crap.
“Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden will address the nation and call for unity, an adviser said, but he will be standing in front of the U.S. Capitol, a building that was sacked by a mob just two weeks prior. That building now represents, in part, the depths of division and sickness that haunt America. The images of the Jan. 6 insurrection stain our memories, and further troubles likely lie around the corner”.
“We have taken that peaceful transfer of power for granted for much of our 244 years as a nation. Now it needs to be enforced with barbed wire, layer upon layer of security perimeters, and investigations into whether some of the soldiers and police charged with keeping the peace could actually be sympathetic to those who would commit terrorist violence against the new Biden administration”.
“that Jan. 6 was “the beginning of an ongoing, armed insurgency”.
“And so America now uneasily turns to the task of trying to move forward. Do we heal? How? How does the nation try to reincorporate millions of citizens back into civic life if they have decided they do not believe anything relayed to them by professional journalists? The promotion of conspiracies and lies by fortune-seeking grifters in conservative media and by demagogic politicians will not cease”.
“Healing the deeper political rifts in the nation is a staggering challenge. Millions of Americans are disconnected from objective reality after the Trump era and dismiss anything in mainstream media as fake. The political system itself is terribly disfigured and in need of reform. The incentives for politicians are mostly bad”.
“In his speech, Biden singled out “the rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat.”
Does anyone else see what’s happening here? Just imagine the legislation that’s just around the bend.
Hi William. Your post is too “narrow” on the screen to have a reply button, so this is on the post you replied to.
Your analysis very closely follows my own. My greatest fear at present, based on how the left operates, is that they will assassinate Clueless Joe and claim that “right-wing extremist Trump supporters” did it. That will give them all the cover they need to end all civil liberties in America once and for all.
Correct the situation in the next election cycle? Hahahahaha. “We don’t need no stinking elections”.
Too true Eric,
I had hoped he would pardon Assange, Snowden, and Manning not just because it is the right thing to do but also because it would be one last middle finger to the Establishment. Guess they couldn’t round up enough cash to buy a pardon. Sad.
Hi Air,
Really? Everything the Orange Man achieved and did is going to be reversed and flushed – twice – so what was the point, exactly? The Orange Man gave this country – gave us – to the Biden Crew. That is a hard fact to swallow but a fact nonetheless. You will say the Biden Crew “stole” the election. True enough, but who let them get away with stealing it? Who made it possible for them to steal it by agreeing with every nostrum about “the virus”? Who stood there like a wooden indian for months while Pope Fauci XVII terrorized the nation with weaponized hypochondria? Who didn’t do anything before the fact to prevent the “steal” by assuring the mail-in ballots would be carefully vetted before they were counted?
Who didn’t go after Hillary? Who didn’t appoint an AG who would pursue the criminals associated with the Clintons? Who behaved exactly like the bullying oaf the Left portrays him to be during the first presidential debate? Yes, he did some good and tried to do more but he also did some catastrophically bad things that have made whatever good he did irrelevant – and worse. Because the worst possible people will now control all three branches of the federal monstrosity – because he failed.
I backed the OM every time he deserved it. But apparently we are expected to worship him even when he doesn’t deserve it.
Years ago, I caught flack from “conservatives” for critiquing The Chimp. I pointed out – tried to – that the monkey-faced SOB made Obama possible; made Obama inevitable. And now OM has made the Biden Crew inevitable.
The bottom line is he failed. He lost. He was beaten like a rented mule by the Left. And you attack me for having the gall to point it out.
For daring to be upset with failure.
Eric,
Exactly! Who did nothing to: turn back the tide on the unconstitutional war on drugs, war on poverty, war on terror? Trump.
Obama. Bush. Clinton. Reagan.
Who did nothing to free us from the illegal private bank cartel that runs the economy? Trump.
Obama. Bush. Clinton. Reagan.
And who voted them all into office?
The one and only thing Trump accomplished was done and over with the instant after he won the 2016 POTUS election. He provided an alternative to the Swamp. He provided a means to express our rage against the machine, by being on the ballot. His election told the machine that we don’t approve of them in any way. Which so infuriated the machine that they used every means possible, legal and illegal, to dispose of him and make our objections disappear. Any suggestion that he actually did anything constructive in opposing the machine is delusional, and and in fact, lends support to the machine. Since he in fact was and is a part of the machine, just not an “approved” political part. He talked the talk, but didn’t walk the walk.
Barring natural causes you may live to see the day your slanderous diatribe and name-calling actually bears the fruit of your loyalty to the proponents of socialism (communism). The only fool, Yoda, is you. Not Eric nor most of his followers I dare say.
Either you don’t know history, economics or your played the banjo in ‘Deliverance’.
THIS COMMENT WAS MEANT FOR ‘AIRTRAFFICDIA’.
I’m so sorry it wound up posted here but I am trying to deal with the constant updates from windows. The more Microsoft updates the worse even the simplest executions work. My sincere apologies to you!
Linux, fellow Windows hater, Linux.
I highly recommend Mint for the novice user. Very easy to install and EXTREMELY user friendly.
Beat me to it, Liberranter!
Having Microshit (or [cr]Apple] on one’s ‘puter is like having a government agent living with you while trying to write a letter with a rusty fountain pen filled with invisible ink……
And Linux is FREEeeeeee… (Free as in free speech, and free as in free beer)
I see our kike disinformation specialist is back. Too bad we’re all wise to you. Go peddle your zionist crap elsewhere,
The thing about gas prices that they are going to go up due to the courtesy of joe saying that he is going to cancel the keystone pipeline DAY ONE of his presidency. This sucks for me because I just bought an old 1978 k1500 as a daily driver. I have a honda Silverwing gl650 motorcycle that gets amazing gas mileage but since I live in South Dakota, I can only use it for 5 of the 12 months of the year.
Hi Kyle,
Yup. The days of $2.20 unleaded regular are likely history. And not just because of Keystone. The Biden regime is hostile to fossil fuels as such and will likely do everything it can get away with to make them cost more so as to make “green” energy seem “affordable.”
The thing is that I feel bad for future generations that won’t get to experience what it feels like to drive a good old gas-powered v8. The other thing is that gas was 1.99 here a month ago. Plus I really hate electrical vehicles for the only reason is that I can’t work on them like my k1500
He can be “against” it all he wants. Where do people think their cruelty-free vegan leather substitute comes from? Yeesh.
I’ve been seeing gas prices climbing steadily over the last few months. Not just that, however. Food and especially lumber, as well. I think we may just be seeing good ol’ fashioned inflation.
Prices In my area have stayed pretty steady during 2020 the gas had been 1.99 or under for over 1 and a half years and I work as an assistant manager for a retail food store and I’ve not been seeing much increase in food within that time period
Kyle, the prices of the food might not appear to rise…but the quantity you get, and the quality of what you get declines. Same with many other things…the terlit paper rolls keep getting narrower and the paper gets thinner- it’s just a way to hide the inflation.
I guess ur right i didn’t study economics well enough in high school
I spent the morning taping and caulking some shoes because, as Tony Montana describes his Soviet made shoes in one of the opening scenes in Scarface, “my feets was coming through.” Hoping to get another couple thousand miles. Thing is, these aren’t “hard times” but a coordinated attack from the hyper capitalism for them and the communism for you crowd. As I’ve said before, unpredictable is my word for 2021.
At this point, there is really only one option, and its not in the article… Few will choose it and the republic is toast.
thoughtcriminal2084 gets it tho methinks. Decide now how you want to be eliminated – on your knees, through starvation or standing and fighting. At least theres a chance with one…
II Chronicles 7:14 is still true. As is the example of Gideon…
II Chronicles 7:14 is still true. As is the example of Gideon…
Indeed. However, if we assume that we are entering the End Times, we can rest assured, according to New Testament prophecy, that not only will this nation NOT humble itself and pray, but will double down in the opposite direction that it’s been going in for decades.
Me thinks ‘muricans are getting a raw deal, no ifs ands or buts, been blindsided, but good.
You’re not paranoid, they are out to get you. Stop up your ears. You’ll be mandated to wear a blindfold any day now. Time to wear your mask for 100 days!
You’ve been tricked by treacherous fools who don’t have the brains to be honest.
What the US Congress has done to Donald Trump is a crime against humanity, a crime against one human being. Trump’s faults are many, add them up, it’s a book full of them, time to redeem the book of faults and hang Trump out to dry.
They, and they know who they are, should be ashamed of themselves for such despicable, disgusting behavior.
How stupid are they? Rid the world of Trump at all costs, the no good filthy swine, the swinehund.
Have another impeachment today, why not?
A pox on both their houses, you reap what you sow.
Sow the wind, reap a whirlwind.
A fenced-in razor-wired locked down Washington DC is what you reap. You clueless fools, there is no chance of escape, talk about a trap. Good luck with that.
Enough to make a grown man cry, the insane corruption gone wild. You’d think there is some kind of conspiracy going on. Something is going on.
Enjoy your shitshow, you no good miserable good for nothing corrupted politicians.
What more can you ask for? Their souls on a hellbound train?
They’re on one right now.
They don’t know what they have done, the farqing iceholes.
What goes around comes around, they should know that by now.
We are totally screwed.
screwed and jewed with no lube. Now go take a seat back your cages goyim. We will let you know when it is safe to come out (((insert collective laughs from the central banks, temples and ivy towers)))
Insert collective laughs from those of us in the peanut gallery laughing at your stupidity and cowardice.
“If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders – What would you tell him?”
I…don’t know. What…could he do? What would you tell him?”
To shrug.”
Shrug baby shrug! John Galt in the house!
If you haven’t read Atlas Shrugged yet, DO IT. It’ll give you the spiritual and moral armament to know that what you are doing is RIGHT, and what they are doing is WRONG. Plus it’s uncanny how the villains in the story, written in 1957, mouth the same shit that the villains of today do.
I may be one of the few long-time libertarians who haven’t read Atlas Shrugged, though I’ve heard of it for years. It’s on the list!
Now, not to be overly fastidious, but Atlas held up the SKY on his shoulders, not the Earth. Also, he was a Titan, not merely a giant… 😉
It’s very lengthy, in fact I don’t think I ever got all the way through John Galt’s speech. The book is eerily prescient in terms of what’s happening today and well worth reading.
Atlas Shrugged was made into a movie trilogy 2011-2014 but unfortunately the results were not very good, to be kind. This was an independent production with a very limited budget that became smaller for each succeeding film. It also didn’t help that each film also had a different cast playing the same characters. Nice that someone made the effort but this is a book that would be difficult to do justice to even under the best circumstances.
Atlas Shrugged reads more like a prohecy than a novel. I read it 20 years ago- and I swear, from then on, everything you hear in current events sounds like it was taken directly from the book! And why shouldn’t it? Ayn Rand grew up in Russia just after the Bolsheviks took over, so the book is essentially a real-life retelling of the communist playbook…and now it’s happening here, right before our eyes. It was an amazingly enjoyable read, even though Rand is not the best writer, literarily speaking (And I almost never read fiction!).
I prefer Atlas, and also Ira Levin’s This Perfect Day to 1984, as they are much more relatable and realistic, IMO.
Go watch yuri bezemenov (spelling?).
On YouTube. Much quicker and more enlightening than (((Ayn Rand))) and Atlas Shrugged, at least for what attacks the US is undergoing right now. Maybe Flinders can learn something.
Hi Saxons,
Yuri lays out the process succinctly, all right. I’ve recommended his video to many people.
I read Atlas at 16,,,had a typical teenage response to an exciting romantic novel. Read it again at 30 and found it to be interesting, especially Galt’s speech. Read it again at 62 and I wept for it’s power, beauty, and profound insights that I missed each of the first two times.
It is part contemporary commentary and part prophecy. It’s amazing how clearly she saw the future when all she knew was certain things that were and always will be true.
Me too, and my alias on many sites is John Galt. Some of those diatribes are mine, since there are many John Galts out there.
Glad to meet you here!
‘I Sing the Body Electric’ by Walt Whitman blew me away at age 65, since I could not understand it at at 16 or 26.
Even then, I knew it was saying something important, but it took me many years to understand what that was.
I think this was Eric’s point. Stop making money. Stop supporting the parasitical class which includes all government and most of the public sector now considering their embrace of something for nothing for half a century. the tax donkeys that have been supporting these parasites are the Atlas(es). I turned 70 recently and what I have observed since at least my mid-thirties has been government, politicians and the career welfare crowd within the public domain being funneled most of the money printed. F.A Hayeck(sp?) pointed this out a long time ago in one of his books, that aside from the obvious theft at the top, playing poverty was also the other big money making swindle against the producers. It’s funny how so many will get on board the ‘end poverty’ bandwagon of politicians and socialists and never seem able to grasp that concept fully in an economic sense nor an historical sense. Having tried to talk to many throughout the years, IMHO most of them don’t care as long as they get theirs. You are not just disposable to the government you are also disposable to a large majority of the public ow. The former understand this. The latter are just to stupid to care. Their greed exceeds their ignorance though in both cases. SOCIALISM KILLS.
Thank you reading and I agree that Atlas Shrugged was an inspiring book but I parted with Ayn Rand years ago because she believed an honest government was actually possible. I no longer do.
Exactly right. All governments are just parasites feeding off of everyone else.
Do not be their host, and live freely on your own in any and every way that you can.
We live on what I call the planet of 4 Ps.
Pests, Parasites, Predators, and Psychopaths.
It is astounding that we survived those 4 Ps until now.
We all hit some sort of cosmic lottery just by being here and now, but even that luck runs out eventually, and will be recycled…
Seems people think they will be allowed to keep what they have. You will, if you can afford the yearly tax, which you won’t.
“You will own nothing and be happy”……..The implicit message, “If you own ANYTHING you will be UNhappy”.
Everything not rented will be taxed a similar amount to make it “fair” to those with nothing. Count on it.
We are living the last of freedom. It has been eroding for years but now it is soon to be removed entirely. You will live a cookie cutter life or be ‘corrected’ until you conform. TPTB have been advertising what is happening now was coming for decades. I have been trying to get people to understand what was coming for at least a decade and act to prevent it, but they were too busy being ‘free’ to care about freedom.
The end of freedom started with, “Yeah, you are probably right, and I will do something about it………. tomorrow”.
A,
The message of “owning nothing and being happy” is all part of the social conditioning experiment. If they repeat it enough it must be true. It is no different than the diapering lingo that they use “I wear a mask to protect you, you wear a mask to protect me” garbage. Say it 100x and people will be believe it is fact.
What is happening to the high taxed states right now? People are migrating out of them to lesser taxed states. There will come a day where CA and NY will not be able to raise taxes anymore, because the only people left will be those on the government teat.
No dictatorship lasts forever. Mass migration allows people to move where they feel there is opportunity for them and their loved ones. If people feel that are being taking advantaged of or no longer have the freedoms or fortuity that they originally had they will leave. We see this all over the world on a daily basis. I expect many Americans aren’t too far behind with making a similar decision.
“What is happening to the high taxed states right now? People are migrating out of them to lesser taxed states. There will come a day where CA and NY will not be able to raise taxes anymore, because the only people left will be those on the government teat.”
NY and CA will simply get the “too big to fail” stamp and the money will taken (or withheld) from the productive states to give more to the leeches.
“No dictatorship lasts forever.”
But for practical purposes, the end of your life before the end of dictatorship amounts to the same.
“Mass migration allows people to move where they feel there is opportunity for them and their loved ones. If people feel that are being taking advantaged of or no longer have the freedoms or fortuity that they originally had they will leave.”
Assuming they can. Do you have a ‘Rona passport? They are locking all the doors already.
Communists have a tendency to build Berlin walls to keep the slaves from leaving. At some point, it’s likely Americans will no longer have the option of running away from tyranny within states or cities.
Boats are always an option. Twelve miles out and you are in international waters. 🙂 The US has to much water access, as well as, access to other countries (Canada and Mexico). Pay the right amount to a Mexican border agent and you can make your way to Honduras.
In all seriousness, the US territory is so spread out, especially if one lives in a rural area. We don’t have enough border agents and Coast Guard to patrol it all. If somebody wants to leave I would head South and exchange information with one of the migrant caravans coming in.
Some good ideas, thanks RG.
“Twelve miles out and you are in international waters.”
Not really.
https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/data/us-maritime-limits-and-boundaries.html#general-information
Inside of 200nm you are in US controlled zone.
And you still have to be allowed to enter the destination country. Got your State and Rona passports? A visa?
You are pretty bored, aren’t you? I admire your dedication to detail.
Fortunately, you won’t have to go with me, so you are safe and can stay here.
Bored? No.
I just took the 10 seconds to check what appeared wrong from memory, so I corrected you.
How many other “facts” did you proclaim today without knowing if they actually were?
Actually every fact I put out there is completely incorrect. I do it because I realize the trolls are hungry with obviously nothing better to do.
All countries (with a shoreline) have an offshore baseline of 12 nautical miles. Feel free to email Wikipedia if you feel the need to dispute my information.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters#:~:text=Territorial%20sea,%20as%20defined%20by%20the%201982%20United,the%20mean%20low-water%20mark)%20of%20a%20coastal%20state.
Thanks for reminding me why I don’t respond to Anoymous’s.
Oh. A wiki comeback. Good one.
Did you even read the NOAA link? In context of you preceding post?
Did I hurt your feelings? By correcting you? Did I not genuflect before you just so or something?
“Thanks for reminding me why I don’t respond to Anoymous’s.”
But you keep doing it. LOL.
“Raider Girl” being your birth name I suppose? SMH.
**”NY and CA will simply get the “too big to fail” stamp and the money will taken (or withheld) from the productive states to give more to the leeches.”**
Yep. The deal must’ve been made already, ’cause I was reading yesternight that comrade Cuomo from his ruin of a bankrupt state, is now proclaiming $15 BILLION in “public works-infrastructure” projects to commence shortly, now that “that ebil Trump is no longer around to withhold ‘funds’ ” from those who have squandered the riches they have extorted from some of the most productive people in the world who made the mistake of taking up residence and being productive in the domains of these communist bastards. Funny how they just had $15B worth of plans laying around before the new president-select has even entered the WH! Gee…it’s like they knew how it’d turn out. Now all the plebes will have something to read about as they stay home and quarantine!
Raider, while I agree with what you’re saying, and even did exactly that ten years ago, this is all planned. The powers that be get people to leave on purpose so they can then buy up everything at fire sale prices. Someone noticed that all of those “peaceful protests” we saw during the summer were within just a few blocks of Fed buildings in “opportunity zoned” Coincidence? Nope. People like Bezos and Gates will swoop in and pick up those places for a song.
Hi Shnarkle,
It may have well been planned, but why shouldn’t we go into these cities and purchase these properties? If we as citizens see what is taking place and what the final outcome will be why would we sit on our hands and do nothing? The American public doing nothing is what got us into this mess. If the point is to have city RE drop and buy it on the cheap and then push people back into the cities it sounds like a win win for those that are able to make that type of investment now.
“There was twenty (square) meters of living space in that room.” I still remember that line from the 1965 film “Dr. Zhivago”, where the protagonist (Omar Sharif) and his wife, young son, and father-in-law try to get by in their Moscow home, although the good doctor has to scrounge for firewood, risking being shot as a looter. The family home is invaded and confiscated by a local Soviet, who, occupying the lower floor of the house with a throng of people, act as if they’re doing the Zhivagos a FAVOR by “allowing” them use of their entire master suite. Later on, the family is kicked out of even that, and Zhivago, fearing retaliation by the same Soviet, gets travel papers to go to a country estate in the Urals that his wife’s family had, though it turns out to be abandoned, the main mansion in particularly bad repair. The Zhivagos made a go of it in the nearby servants’ cabin, and his wife tends to a garden to feed the family as she bears yet another child. Zhivago himself is captured by Communist guerilla forces and forced to work as a medic, and his wife, father-in-law, along with their two children, have to flee the estate and go back to Moscow, where they soon are deported to France. I’m sure most folks know of the rest of the long-winded story. The point is, when things get desperate, as one can reasonably anticipate this latest group of criminals and clowns in DC will cause, the rule of law and private property, along with the legal ability to defend oneself, are the first things to go. The rural location may be the best idea, if only that as things deteriorate in the cities, the factions will turn to fighting among themselves, but that’s not to say that isolated farms and homestead won’t be targeted for looting and mayhem by renegades…some in UNIFORM.
Hi Douglas,
I saw Dr. Zhivago back in the 60’s and that is the one scene I remember to this day. We have a fairly large house for two people now that the kids are gone; I occasionally envision some petty bureaucratic commissar showing up demanding we share our “excess space” with some freeloaders. That will be a true “over my dead body” moment.
Hi Mike,
Amen – I would sooner burn my place to the ground, the TA included, and salt the earth before I allow the government to turn it into “public accommodations.”
If I was in your location I would be looking to move, soon.
You are almost certainly a ‘domestic terrorist’ according to the new Patriot Act 2. Dissent = Terrorism, or at least is Aiding the Enemy. Your words are often calling for others to question their masters. GUILTY!
If you can’t or won’t get out of the US, head for a Red state that looks like it will stay red for awhile, at least it might buy you some time before the ‘reparations and redistribution’ start. I mean, at some point the land your house is on was almost certainly owned by a white slave keeper. GUILTY!
Before you burn and salt, consider liquidating and escaping. Staying and fighting when you know that the people you need for any chance of success don’t care and won’t help is pointless. If you only have say 20-30 years left, and they are going to be hard regardless, why not restart somewhere else? (assuming there is the possibility of getting there)
There will be no “make America great again” or “build back better”, there will only be accelerating decline. Societies cannot survive total cloverization, but strong and dedicated remnants can sew seeds for renewal. There is a third option, withdraw economic and moral support from the insanity, separate, organize, be prepared to fight and step into the vacuum when the clover’s utopia collapses.
EXACTLY. The United States of America is finished. That’s not a bad thing. Anty attempts to save it are akin to trying desperately to reanimate a cancer patient in a terminal coma. It’s futile, pointless, and cruel, as it only makes the patient suffer needless agony.
What people who love and cherish freedom need to do is help euthanize the patient and work to construct something viable in its place.
I dare say that we will witness what is left of this republic crumble into dust. The Joe & Ho show are bringing in the most radical kooks and communists to command the executive departments. We will see the beginnings of Venezuelan type of inflation, the borders thrown wide open allowing millions of 3rd worlders to flood the country, nationalization of medical facilities and care, private insurance disappearing, confiscatory taxes, private property rights endangered, 401k’s and IRA’s nationalized, electricity, oil becoming scarce and expensive. Not to mention the ways that they will legally tax and regulate you out of your internal combustion powered auto in favor of junk battery cars of no transportation at all. We will see the beginning of pain and sorrow with this bunch. But not to worry, the slobbering media will tell you happy times are here despite what you see and have to live with. Jimmy Carter and the the years of malaise are looking better and better compared to what’s coming.
‘The Joe & Ho show are bringing in the most radical kooks and communists to command the executive departments.’ — Allen
As we speak, five Deep State thugs are up for their Senate confirmation hearings: Lloyd Austin (Defense); Alejandro Mayorkas (Homeland Security); Antony Blinken (State), Avril Haines (Director National Intelligence); Janet Yellen (Treasury).
Not that it should matter, but Austin is African-American, giving him a spurious Obama-like halo of diversity goodness. The other four are Jewish.
Just wrote to my ‘senators’ slagging yes-man Austin, whose service on Raytheon’s board typifies the revolving-door stench of the Military Industry Complex. DUMP HIS SORRY ASS, I urged the ‘senators.’
None of these five time-serving corruptocrats is qualified to manage a freaking coin laundry, much less a bloody country.
Bash the living sh*t out of them, all day, every day.
In case you are wondering why I NEVER participated in 401K or IRA, at leased since 1984. Jesse Jackson ran for POTUS that year, and one of his proposals for financing his favorite socialist plans was “permanently borrowing” from retirement plans. Including those two, along with all the retirement plans of public employees. Which enlightened me to how vulnerable to confiscation they were. The same goes for your bank account. Which is why I only keep enough in the bank to pay my bills, and make an occasional purchase. If I need to make a major expenditure, like protection racket property taxes, I deposit enough cash to cover it. The system is corrupt, top to bottom, so stay out of it.
I cashed out my 401K a few years back in order to resolve a series of externally-caused financial crises. Sure, I paid some stiff penalties, but so what? Does anyone seriously believe that saving cash, especially via a Wall Street/Deep State scam like the 401K or IRA, is a viable strategy? Does anybody SERIOUSLY believe that their 401K will be worth the paper its balance statement is printed on once hyperinflation and confiscation kick in? If you do, I have beachfront property in Phoenix you’ll be interested in.
I’ve seen some of the Detroit iron that rolled out during the “malaise” era. Some was actually fairly imaginative, considering the constraints that the then-Big Four operated under. Most were, well…LAMENTABLE. In particular, I’m a fan of the Mopar “R-body” cars, the last stand for big Detroit “iron”, which made a credible attempt to give big-car feel to a chassis that was dimensionally the same as their prior “intermediate” vehicles, all done on the shoestring budget that Chrysler had to get by on, due to industry and “Gubmint” short-sightedness and their own self-inflicted wounds, particularly since their quality control went to hell in a hand basket. Part of the reason there’s any of these 40 y.o. heaps around is that most of their business was in FLEET sales, i.e., Police, Fire, and Taxi vehicles. Mopar made the mistake of not putting out a Plymouth-badged version of these revamped dinosaurs in ’79, that was rectified with the Plymouth Gran Fury in ’80, of which 97% of sales were fleet. As further evidence of the “malaise”, Mopar dropped the torquey but thirsty “B” engines, so the powerful 400 and 440 were gone, the biggest plant being a 360 LA engine. But shit, in the once-Golden State, you couldn’t even get THAT, as CARB refused to grant a waiver to that engine for police pursuit vehicles, in spite of the then CHP commissioner begging then Governor “Moonbeam” Jerry Brown to override his persnickety agency and rule in favor of the vehicle and plant that the CHP wanted. The 318s they COULD get were, well, UNSPECTACULAR, even with a 4 bbl and dual cats. It’s a pity, in a way, because these cars, given the resources that Chrysler had, were actually a noble effort, but admittedly, they were the last gasp of a bygone era. Once Lee Iacocca was at the helm and went, hat in hand, to get a loan guarantee from the Carter administration, Mopar dropped all the vintage”iron”, and even the M-body vehicles, which were based off the original F-body COMPACT line (Dodge Aspen, Plymouth Volare) that in turn had replaced the Dodge Darts/Plymouth Valiants, were mostly fleet sales. As the “K” cars, and the vehicles derived from same, especially the iconic original “minivans” (back when they truly were “small”) that came out in ’84, proved to be the company’s salvation at the time (before they got bought out by Daimler and later Fiat), the venerable line of RWD cars soldiered on, with byt little cosmetic trim changes, and by ’89, their last year, were horrifically outdated in appearance and technology.
Chrysler has basically been in austerity mode for the last 40 years….but just keep maqnaging to squeak by.
There is no “kraken” and there never was. (Trump is accustomed to dealing with business opponents. I doubt that he really understands what he’s dealing with here.) Although there is no kraken there may well be a Reichstag fire type event orchestrated so the incoming regime can immediately cement its power. We’ll know soon enough.
The measures listed in the first option are old hat to those of us that got involved in the 1970s-1980s “tax rebellion”. Basically it’s judgement-proofing. Own nothing substantial in your own name. Work in the underground economy for cash. Stay out of the banks if you can, if you have to have a bank account for check cashing keep as little as possible there. Drive an old beater car worth nothing to anyone but yourself. Don’t pay for cable TV or streaming services. Aside from some of the good old shows from the 1950s and early 1960s it’s all propagandizing effluent, and being made to pay through the nose for it adds insult to injury. (If you must watch the evening Pravda at least use an antenna and get it for free – and watch on a small, cheap TV.) Keep government out of your life to the extent possible and give them as little to latch onto as you can.
For those in a position to do so the best thing would be to get out of Dodge while you can. There are no libertarian utopias of course, but there are places that do not have the resources to hound you to death as is routinely done here in the “land of the free and the home of the brave”.
Amen, Jason! Those of us who have positioned ourselves and opted-out long ago, have been able to enjoy about as much freedom as one can maintain in recent years- but it’s like we’re the last men standing, and now they’re going to be setting their sights on us because we’re the last of the non-conforming non-complying subjects- and they will not tolerate any rebellion in the slave colony. It is well past time to leave. Like you said, there may be no libertarian paradises, but there are plenty of places where we can have at least what we used to have here, and some where we can have more freedom than most of us have known in our lifetimes, if we do not insist upon staying tethered to the technologicval infrastructure, which ultimately is the primary tool of our oppressors.
No matter how one lives, things are NOT going to go well here. It’s not just the pols- it’s just as much all of the brainwashed masses around us; It’s not just the leftists…it’s just as much the rightists, who while they may agree with us on a few small things, are still ultimately tyrants, and will lynch us if we do not support them. We are the men without a country; the smallest minority, who have no allies or supporters. We can be easily disposed of. We are not even the German Jews…we are the JWs or the Gypsies, who barely even get a mention when the Holocaust is mentioned.
one of the best comments I have read on the interwebz today was,
“Americans, your options; you can pick the reasonably stable third world country you want to live in, or you can (maybe) live through yours transitioning into one”
It was dated 2018.
Agreed, Jason. The options are a false choice. There are no more choices. Elections are all totally rigged, money is rigged, all major societal institutions are completely subverted, and the rule of law has been supplanted by ideology. This is post fact America, post law America, post morality America. Did the Maoists leave anyone alone, did the Khmer Rouge, or the Soviet Communists, or the Cuban communists? No.
The book Nine-teen Eighty-four is their handbook. All that matters now is who has the power and who gets to wield it. Unplug all you want from “the system”, go Galt or whatever you want to call it, it only matters to your self-esteem. The tentacles of technology are embedded into the fabric of existence, there is no place to hide.
The only hope now is that the collapse into total devastation is rapid, intense, and short lived. If the collapse is rapid, then the collective memory will be able to compare and contrast. If the total collapse continues down an incremental trajectory, as it has for the past century, then it will drag on for generations.
Option 1: keep your head down and pray you dont get hammered.
Option 2: compete and utter submission to the new order.
Option 3: draw your personal line in the sand and suffer the consequences, but maintain your self-respect
Option 4: leave the U.S.A., for ever. A tough process, but many hundreds of thousands have done it.
You think they will respect your ownership of a house, land, vehicle, business, et cetera if they decide you fall on the wrong side of the ideological divide? Of course not. The time for reading, debating, and effecting change was decades ago, was years ago, was months ago. The bad guys won. Our only defense is to hope they destroy themselves quickly, and in as gruesome a manner as possible. This process is inevitable, unstoppable, and has happened thousands of times throughout history. Politics is poison. It is the dark heart of humanity. Liberty is the anomaly, not the norm.
“Get ready for hell”- J. Palance, Young Guns
It’s true, Andy. I had a customer back in the 90’s, and his words have stuck with me ever since hearing them. He was telling me of how when he was a kid, his fambly had to run from their small 25 acre farm in the middle of the night, from the communists. Their ‘crime’? Owning a small 25 acre farm- which of course the commies had to ‘liberate’ “for the people” (What were my customer’s family, aardvarks?). You can do nothing or do everything…but they’ll come…….
To which the best expression is, Jason…”Oy!”
Seriously, for the time being, one has to have the assets that aren’t easy to confiscate or desirable to do so. Which is problematic if (1) you have a substantial defined-benefit pension and/or (2) you have a tax-favored retirement account (401(k), 403(b), TSP, and so on…). One can only speculate as to the numerous ways that greedy politicos can justify what’s tantamount to confiscation; likely, given the cast of idiots that just took over in the District of Criminals yesterday, some manner of “reparation”.
Real estate, being inherently not fungible, is a tad harder, but still not impossible. Persons targeted as “domestic terrorists” for the “crime” of having merely voted for or publicly supported OM, or simply calling out the BS of either or both political factions could see their properties either seized or levied against. Alluding to my prior citation of the “Dr. Zhivago” movie, the good doctor and his family lost their home b/c the movie got it right; i.e., with the collapse of the Kerensky government (the “Mensheviks”, who actually overthrew the Czar and made a then-futile attempt at a representative government, the Duma, but Kerensky also terribly misjudged the willingness of the Russian peoples to continue the War, even though the Russian Army was actually making a comeback in mid-1917, particularly against the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, which was its own “clusterfuck”, but that’s for another rant), the Bolsheviks seized a golden opportunity in both Petrograd and Moscow, and, most critically, gained control of the food supplies. Hence why Russian folks flocked to these cities, they were STARVING.
I can only speculate, how, about a century later, this is going to play out in what was once the “United” States, knowing that we sure as hell ain’t “united” anymore. Methinks that the whole “COVID” narrative has become its own monster, b/c they used the “Trumping” up of it to get rid of, successfully, (at least for the time being), the “hated” Orange Man. Now these spin doctors have the entire US population completely pussy-whipped, a gaggle of germaphobes, afraid of their own fucking shadows. No one has the balls to just say what NEEDS to be said:, i.e., let’s just get BACK to our “normal” lives (and NOT this “new normal” horseshit), and let folks assess their own vulnerability to the dreaded “Rona” and take action accordingly. The reason that’s NOT going to happen, until we just about literally SHOOT our way out of this medically-justified tyranny, is that many folks whose livelihoods have been ruined will see, if they haven’t already, that they’ve been fucking HAD, by those intent on seizing both power and what they HAVE. But when that happens…gonna be a LOT of “unhappy campers”!
Asset protection works for everyone, rich or poor, and it really is not expensive.
Find yourself a reputable attorney who specializes in such matters. Ask around, and deal only with a specialist in asset protection, not a “jack of all trades” who “just might” be able to do that.
IANAL, and am not shilling for one, but, as a first step, you should at least consider an inter vivos trust (living trust) to protect your real property from probate. Such a trust also protects the assets it owns from a lawsuit directed at you personally, while you are alive. It may be all you need, and attorneys who do this exclusively tend to charge a fixed, and advertised, fee.
The trust owns the assets, and you are the trustee, not the owner, of the assets. Tip: do not use your family name for any part of the name of the trust. I picked an obscure word out of the dictionary, but you could make it up completely, similar to the names of modern corporations. Use you imagination.
There are also LLCs. In particular, LLCs registered in the State of New Mexico are very anonymous. I strongly suggest you consult a good asset protection attorney in your area, who can recommend the best course of action for your particular situation. As far as I understand the matter, the goals are 1) divest your assets from you personally into legal entities which you control as fiduciary, not as owner, and 2) Obscure the identity of the fiduciary, namely you. Inter vivos trusts are private, not public, documents.
As I said, IANAL. I suggest you find one in your area who specializes in assert protection, in order to make yourself judgment proof without compromising your lifestyle. I expect you will find it affordable. You really cannot afford *not* to, considering what is at stake.
Start a small business. Incorporate it. All revenues that aren’t cash go there. Pay as many personal expenses as you can justify from it. You will be amazed at the amount of money you can earn tax free. Replace your W2 income with self employment income if you can. If not use the LLC or S corp as a tax loss tool. It’s possible to have the Beneficial interest of a six figure income without a dime of federal tax. Ask a business CPA how if you don’t understand this. The US Tax Code is very generous for the people who know how to use it.
Amen, Auric.
I understand the point that everyone is trying to make by staying “off the scene”, but the only choice is not “own nothing and be poor.” The point should be to own everything and have no debt. A big house and a nice car is fine as long as it is paid off. Owning real estate and investment properties are great, as long as there is no mortgage. You becoming poor only helps the oligarchy to become rich. Somebody is going to buy these assets, it might as well be us.
We are about to enter a time where if you have some cash saved up there will be terrific investment opportunities. People have left the cities, they are moving out to suburbia and rural areas. City lofts, studios, apartments, and homes are going to tank. I wouldn’t buy now, but a couple more months into a Biden Administration and there will be some pretty good deals to be had. I also would begin looking at rural areas for fixer upper homes and good land locations. Right now most of the RE in this country is in a huge bubble, give it about 6-12 months and it should decrease a good 18-22%.
Why do we want to promote being poor? What does that solve? I agree with Auric (and not just because it is my industry, but because it is good planning) have a business. Set up an LLC for each investment property. Rent them out. Take the deductions. Give Uncle Sam very little and still live a pretty good lifestyle off of passive income.
It doesn’t make sense to turn down $100K a year, because you have to pay $25K in federal and state taxes. The theory then is I choose not to have the additional $75K, because my taxes may go up? Not a problem, some wealthy hedge fund manager or RE investor will take that $75K off your hands while you choose to live in squalor. We should not be throwing out the baby with the bath water. We should be discussing the omittance of debt and financing, not tossing away perfectly good and appreciable assets.
RG, all of those things -R.E., nice vehicles, bidnesses, etc.- even if purchased outright, STILL indebt one to heavy taxes, insurance co.s, registrations, licenses, …which all equate to their ability to control you more, and to take more of your money- and to hold you hostage by way of “comply or lose your stuff”.
Other than the piece of land I live on, and the 20 year-old trucks I drive, I don’t want to own anything that connects me to the system (And my taxes for all of the above-mentioned items amount to less than $500/yr.).
Friend/client of mine, who still owns three properties in NJ plus his modest home in FL is paying $30K in property taxes. He has to earn $30K every year and give it to the tyrants, just to keep what he “owns”. That is not wealth- evern though he owns it all outright; that is debt.
This is the only practical difference between the Nazis and the communists. The Nazis said “Let the people own whatever they want, just as lomg as we can control it”.
Nunz,
How much in profit is your NJ friend making to counter for the $30K in taxes? $300K? 150K? $80K? My guess is with three investment properties he is coming out ahead, even donating what he has to NJ for RE taxes. If the properties are rental properties he is able to offset these same taxes against his rental income, as well as, the landscaping, supplies, insurance, cleaning/maintenance, HOA fees, auto mileage, utilities, etc.
I hate taxes as much as the next person (I am all for them being cheaper or even non existent), but I am not going to not own appreciable assets, because I have to pay taxes on them.
This is where the wealthy kick the poor’s ass. The wealthy understand that money makes money if invested wisely. A brand new boat or a brand new car is not an appreciable asset (unless you happen to be the seller of the 1965 Shelby 427 Cobra that sold a few days ago), but stocks, land, and commodities are. You are suggesting it is better to have $0 then to pay taxes on anything, even if that anything results in a very good return. What you are suggesting is penny wise and pound foolish.
Actually, RG, my friend/client is making NOTHING from his properties. One is his home; one is a home he inherited (in poor condition) which he lets some poor soul of a lady live in for next to nothing, just to keep it from being abandoned, and one is an old commercial property he bought many years ago for investment, which has been sitting empty for decades, because of NJ environmental laws, which make it too unattractive for anyone to buy and actually use- he has been trying to sell it forever, and will likely just abandon it.
Even if he were making a profit (a very hard thing to do these days, and more so in the bluest of states) how does that justify organized criminals requiring “protection” money just to let a piece of land exist while one’s name is on a deed?
But the point was about not being indebted to or controlled by government- and this is a prime example of why “owning” anything over which the state can control and tax is a bad idea for those concerned with liberty. (My friend/client is not in that camp though, and is getting some of that government which he continues to advocate for……the same one which has already greatly reduced his wealth, and forced him to move from NY to FL before every bit of it is consumed- the more so now that he is retired). This is a guy who has worked exceedingly hard all of his life, into his 70’s, doing hard physical work, but is watching what he has managed to amass be siphoned away into nothingness- even what he thought would be investments for his retirement.
I am sorry to hear about your friend, but there is a risk in everything that we do. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. If the places are sitting empty for years I would have underloaded them long ago even if I took a loss. Holding on to a bad investment is putting good money in front of bad. Even if he donated them to a church he would have been out from under them and would have saved in real estates taxes.
NJ, CA, and NY have unsurreal RE taxes. I have a few clients out of NJ and NY and I gasp at what they pay each year. It doesn’t make sense for some of us, but each state is different and move and stay there for a reason.
Nunzio,
The problem becomes at some point they will come for you too. That piece of property you own and only pay $500 a year, well that isn’t “fair” and that 20 yr old truck, how dare you harm mother gaia by owning such a polluting vehicle.
So daddy government needs to intervene and make it more fair. That may come in the form of punitive taxes on you for daring to own a piece of land and drive a gas opperated vehicle. You will not be allowed such blasphemy as stayi g out of the way and being self sufficient. Not when the masses need “stuff” It could also come in the form of outright confiscation of your property. After all it isn’t fair you own and others don’t.
Exactly, Antilles. This is why I have long been a staunch advocate of getting out of here wehile we still can. I’d be long gone if it weren’t that my 96 year-old mother depends on me, and although thankfully is in good health for her age, is not up for trekking to some foregotten wilderness halfway around the world. I just hope I can maintain things here as long as need be, before the commies are at the door. We’re getting to the point where it’s no longer some distant future thing.
I’ve always said “One day we’ll wake up, and suddenly everything will be different”. The first stage of that happened with 9/11; now the second with the COVID BS…. We’re just about at the end of the rope 🙁
I boughjt myself some time; a few decades of still being able to live a mostly free and enjoyable life, when I relocated from NY to the sticks….but it looks like we’re reaching the inevitable end- the whole country is becoming NY. -and comrades Cuomo and DeBlasio are now everywhere via proxy.
RG,
I don’t know about getting any rental properties now nor in the future. If your tenants don’t want to pay their monthly rent, they don’t have to thanks to COVID and Big Brother. Its too risky. I had tenants for 3 years in a 1000 sqft house I snapped up in 2010 after the first RE bubble burst for $56K cash. I fixed it up, and rented it out for $1200 a month. I got a lot of my money back. Now, I am living in it myself for the second time after I swore I would NEVER live in it since it was too small for me. Now, I don’t care how small it is. Its paid for, and has a huge backyard I can use to grow lots of food if need be, and I believe there will be a need to grow our own food in a year or two. Yes, its in the city, but, at least it is not in a rich neighborhood. I’m betting the rich neighborhoods will be targeted first by the looters when the SHTF. I did screw up though when I moved to Europe in 2016 for 2 years. I lost my property tax portability as the state of Florida calls it. My property tax went from $450 a year to $1300 a year. Its disgusting having to pay the state $1300 a year for a house I own outright, but believe me, $1300 tax in Florida is very reasonable.
I drive 2005 Escape and a 2008 Ranger. I could easily afford a new car, but for what? To virtue signal? I’m not trying to impress anyone, and could care less what other people think of my shack or my vehicles. I save a huge portion of my pay every month, but I realize the nice paychecks might be coming to an end soon since I work for a private company on a US government contract, and get an Air Force pension for my 24 years serving in the USAF. I don’t think government pensions nor well paying contracts are long for this world. You might still earn a lot of money, but your money is not going to buy what it once did.
Hi Rush,
There is a risk and reward in everything. I like land. I like precious metals. I am not a big fan of the Stock Market, because it is intangible. I like seeing what I own. I love real estate.
You made a very good calculation and took a pretty big risk in 2010 for a rental property. It paid off for you. I believe everyone should be able to make that same choice. My disagreement with Nunz is avoiding a very good ROI, because taxes may be a result of it. At the end of the day even if I am allowed only to retain 75% of my money I take that money and put it into a new investment. My money continues to make money even if I have to pay gains on that return.
I don’t care what people drive. I don’t consider cars (unless they are older and in demand) a good investment, but I also am not going to poo poo anyone who works hard and wants a new one. If one can afford it, go for it. Our lives are short and if we are lucky we may have 80 years on Earth. I want to see people (good people) succeed. If people wish to remain under the radar that is fine, but it isn’t for everyone. Telling everyone to live like a pauper, because the government is going to come after us and take everything we own just puts undue stress and fear onto society.
Money has always been inflationary. More so in the last 50 years than ever before. Just because the dollar doesn’t buy me what it once did does not mean I stop living or allow my money to stop working for me.
Even before COVID, you couldn’t pay me to be a landlord! ‘specially in many states like NY and FL where it can take 6 months- a year or more to get non-payers out…or even squatters. Steal your applainces and trash the house? “Did you physically see them do it? No? Sorry…can’t help you- but thanks for the taxes that pay my salary, citizen!”.
My friend/client picked up 5 houses in FL really cheap after the ’08 bust- one was practically new and he got it for a song. After a few years of doing the landlord thing, and perpetually hemorrhaging money, he took my advice and sold most of ’em while the market was still up, before COVID hit..and now is VERY glad he did. The only money he made was due to getting the houses for a fraction of their value, and selling at the top of the next market. He would have been better off the let them sit empty than to rent them…well…he did that with one…and got squatters- to whom he even offered a sweet deal of cheap rent if they’d do some work, to which they said “No thanks, we’ll just move on to the next one” (After it took him 6 months to get them out)-Why work or pay anything, when you can do no work and pay no rent…and there are absolutely no consequences?
Being a professional leech is quick becoming the only profitable business in the USSA. You earn a legitimate dime, and you are “the ebil rich man” and they’ll take every last thing you have.
Amazing how renters are allowed in the era of the plandemic to not pay rent, even if they have never missed a paycheck. Yet the landlord is still required to pay all the property taxes and mortgage on the same property. Had a rental property for a few years. Had a few good tenants followed by some awful tenants. Once i had a couple of the awful kind it was time to cut my losses and dump the property.
And the irony is, Antilles, that the bluest states, like NY which have decreed that tenants can skip the rent, have the highest property taxes, which as you say, the landlords must still pay! Imagine payuing $12K a year in taxes on a house that rents for $3K a month…and getting no rent?! Or an apartment building, where the property taxes can be tens or hundreds of thousands per year?! This is exactly why assets that can be controlled and taxed are a trap these days. Imagine a mortgage AND taxes, with no rent?! (And I don’t think there’s any forbearance on commercial mortgages…and even if there is..it has to be paid back at some point, and that payback will likely eat up any profit…which will never likely even materialize, as RE values are plummeting in those liberal shit-holes). Everything on which there is debt or high taxes is going to end up being owned by the state and or banks.
Hiya Nunz!
When my sister and b.i.l. moved to a bigger house in their town in Florida they kept their old house as a rental. Worked ok for a few years but then they got a pair of lowlifes that basically trashed the place. Took them months to get them evicted and when they finally left they stole all the appliances- washer, dryer, fridge – on the way out. My sister went to court to try and collect damages and the judge told her “you’re lucky that’s all they did”. So much for “equal justice under the law” 😆😆.
I would never own rental property, landlords have zero rights compared to tenants; I recommend watching the movie “Pacific Heights” for a tutorial.
Hi Ya Mike!
Ah, a very common scenario. My uncle in NYC has a summer house on Long Island that he rents out to SUNY teachers and such. Couple’a years ago, his tenants did $30K worth of damage. He never got a cent.
A long time family friend used to be the RE manager for a huge apartment building in Queens. She was the one who did the evictions and went to court and all. Pretty much, the activist-judges would let anyone stay 6 months without paying a dime in rent; if they had a kid or two, they were good for a year.
Just another step in the abolishing of private property.
Re: Pacific Heights- I can’t endure modern movies (1990 is modern to me!)…but I did buy Dr. Zhivago for my Mom a while back (She just watched it for the umpteenth time again the other day), and I’ve been intending to borrow it…so we’ll see how that goes- I just find it so hard to just sit passively in front of a TV- so many old shows I have on DVD that I’d like to re-watch…but never do. Sheesh, I haven’t even been watching my beloved All In The Family! 😮
RG “We are about to enter a time where if you have some cash saved up there will be terrific investment opportunities.”
I don’t have a crystal ball but ‘printer go BRRRRRR!’ to the tune of Trillions of dollars tells me that the purchasing power of that (US)cash will decline rapidly, possibly before the deals occur, if they do.
A,
Yes, the printer presses are hard at work, but land is still land and last time I checked it takes about a million years for new areas to pop up (the lava has to cool).
Do we stop buying? Do we stop investing? Not every decision in life can be a “What if?” Sometimes you just have to swing and hope you hit the ball. It could be another 10 months, 10 years, or 100 years before the US economy collapses. I have no desire to see the richer get richer, especially if I can be a nuisance in their side.
No argument on land. Just a question of timing vs. inflation.
Most of my (almost) tax free money and probably half my total wealth has come from profit from selling my homes.
The rest seemed unrelated to my comment.
According to the quantity theory of money yes, inflation should be an issue in times such as these. This country has had record low interest rates for well over a decade and very little inflation shows that the CPI is a crock.
Taking a look at our country’s healthcare costs, our food costs, and currently, even at the gas pump, shows inflation is nowhere near the 2021 average rate of 1.36%.
The government will hold down interest rates and adjust the CPI to whatever number they need it to read to keep the game going (which is why I am not worried about inflationary spending, especially over the next few years).
Unfortunately, we have a few more years until they are no longer able to hide and the house of cards fall. A country is not survivable with a debt to GDP ratio of 130%, but then I look at Japan with a debt ratio of 237% or Greece at 180%. How are these countries even able to function?
Greece has already had some pretty severe problems. At some point the other shoe is bound to drop as there isn’t enough wealth in the entire world to pay off the debt, and that isn’t even counting the derivatives time bomb that is bound to explode at some point.
It’s kind of surprising that it’s stayed afloat this long. Back in the 1980s many of us who were looking at this stuff believed a collapse was just around the corner.
I just stay out of debt personally. Whether it is good, bad, or indifferent economically there is peace of mind in getting up each morning knowing that I don’t owe anyone a dime on any kind of loan.
Jason, that is the best way to be. I am a big proponent of being debt free, just not asset free. 😉
RG, I agree with most of the stuff you wrote in this thread except for this post. If you know what you’re doing, debt is really cheap compared to real inflation. If you look at the Chapwood index or ShadowStats, real inflation is around 10% per annum. Long term debt is 1% per annum. The larger the debt you hold (and the longer you hold it) the more inflation works in your favor (eats away at debt). That’s how I make money of my real estate and land holdings. Long term cheap debt. And if you’re smart and lucky enough to select reliable renters, they’ll pay for your mortgage and some. Moral of the story is DEBT is GOOD if you know how to use it to your advantage. My 2 cents.
Hi Debt is good,
Thanks for your feedback. Your inflation numbers are right on. I held LT debt for the rental properties that I owned when I began buying residential real estate in 2005. I was lucky enough to have good renters and their rents helped my family get through the years of the Great Recession.
I am a bit risk adverse when it comes to debt, especially LT debt. The Great Recession made me that way. If I did not have good tenants I would have been up the creek.
It scared me. Since then I have made it a point to pay down and own as much as I could. I sleep better. 🙂
The one benefit that I was able to come across, at least in current economic conditions, are individuals and businesses that are happy to lend on the secondary market. I no longer deal with banks.
Since these secondary lenders are being paid next to nothing on their savings, bonds, treasuries, CDs, and money markets, they are willing to accept a risk with a decent return of 3, 4, 5% a year. Yes, it is a bit more than going through the banking institutions, but I also don’t have to jump through a thousand hoops with business information, tax returns, etc.
When I jump back into the rental market in the next year (if I come across anything worth buying) I will probably look at such options again, but I still make it a point to payoff any debt as quickly as I can.
I do agree that the LT debt rate is minuscule and for those with an appetite for risk (like you) it is the advantageous way to hold real estate investments.
EXACTLY.
C’mon now, folks, you regulars here know better than to believe that the U.S. dollar has any future. Unless you’re talking gold or silver coinage, forget about “cash.” The Federal Reserve U .S. dollar is on the way to becoming “Weimar toilet paper.”
RG – this thing about having no debt, I think in more sane times it makes sense. And so far ive always done that. But in the crazy world we live in, wherein the money printers gone crazy and inflation is hidden everywhere (except in that 1% or something calculated by the government) Im really starting to think that getting debt to buy assets may be the way to go…. I mean given what will happen with the money printers now that we have a new set of Dear Leaders, who think MMT is a brilliant idea, am really starting to think its time to borrow and buy whatever one can. Having a look at the past decade, the ones who made the most in front of me have done exactly that… And personally, I dont think it will change at least for some years yet as long as the rest of the world has the illusion that the west is some sort of brilliant ideal place where ones dreams come true (and therefore they keep buying USD/GBP/EUR….
Hi Nasir,
Did you see the article from the IMF how they are encouraging governments to spend more money and then please spend even more?
https://news.bitcoin.com/imf-tells-governments-spend-as-much-as-you-can-and-then-spend-more/
I always do the opposite of what the government tells me. It makes we weary when the new slogan toward economic growth is “Please go into debt.” The little people are the ones always left holding the bag. The rich get bailed out, the citizens get the bill.
One can make the argument that this is to push the Great Reset through – flood the system with debt, devalue the currency that its value is near zero, and institute a new digital currency.
My question is: Who gets screwed? Because someone is and my guess it is the citizens, small and medium businesses, and small countries that were willing to play and got burned.
Adding liability to a balance sheet does not make a person or a business more profitable, it makes them easier to control. That is what I fear coming along the horizon.
The Great Recession is still very memorable to me. They told American homeowners “buy whatever you want, you will be fine.” American citizens bought houses they couldn’t afford, banks approved them, and then 2008 hit. The market was slammed with foreclosures and short sales. The banks were bailed out but, the homeowners lost their houses, their jobs, and their credit. Banks stopped the lines of credit, cash out refinances, shutoff the credit cards, and businesses let their employees go. Houses dropped 50% in a matter of months. The home was underwater and the homeowner couldn’t afford the principal payment that kicked in. I watched it time and time again. We are facing very similar circumstances now and the damage may be even greater because the economy is being tied together by lies. The stock market is a bubble, the home prices have accelerated to an unobtainable cost, fuel with likely double in the next year, and food has jumped 33% in under six months.
I can buy a plot of land or a fixer upper house and sit on it. I expect the market to crash, but I don’t care because I am not trying to come up with a mortgage payment. I also don’t have to worry about a lender coming back to me and go “Oh, we shut your credit line down, you need to find a new way to complete the home renovation.” I don’t have to worry about the credit card companies dropping my $50K line to $20K, because I will have the credit card paid off. I can sit back and wait for the chickens to come home to roost.
I think one is taking a huge gamble by increasing their debt load when the dynamics are what they are.
RG – I do tend to agree with you and if times were sane you are 100% right. But since the great recession those who have made out best are the ones who took the most debt and well bought anything really for a couple years. Ofcourse ideally through limited liability companies, especially for real estate. Then you charge as many expenses as possible, stuff like the lease payments on the new Range Rover. If it works it works. If the shit comes down when you happen to be holding the bag – your liability is limited to whatever is in the company…. If you look at say the hedge fund model thats basically what it is, though on a much larger scale. And though we cant go to that level, there are prob aspects we can adopt. The other real fear I have is if there is ever any real equity one builds in land/real estate/ real assts, in the west that too will eventually be taxed away. I mean income has been totally decimated via taxes – the only wealth left in the west is real estate equity – Already (especially in the UK) you hear about how unfair it is on the younger ones (ie new voters) who cant afford houses because those older (ie those more sensible with their finances) got such a good deal and greedily bought too much…. where do you see this debate going? And online other assets – real estate just sits there – cant hide it, cant move it. … Personally, if I buy any more real estate in the west it will be on as much debt as possible. just keep real assets / equity out of the system as much as possible…
Hi Nasir,
I have to disagree that those who succeeded are those that took out piles of debt. Most of my clients are pretty well off and the ones with little to no debt are the people who are still very wealthy. ST debt is fine. I don’t believe all debt is bad, and it can be beneficial when needing to purchase capital, expanding the business, or improving the business.
Now, if you are buying RE through partnership LLCs then you have the benefit of the business which makes the debt more solvent/manageable, because the expenses are deductible. On the other hand, you can buy the Range Rover and write it off through the business, but after 2008, good luck trying to find a bank or a lender that doesn’t require a personal guarantor for that SUV or for the property even if it is under the business’s name.
Yes, home prices are high right now and it is very hard for a younger person just getting started in their career to purchase a house, but it is not impossible. When my husband and I bought our house at 22 we were priced out in certain districts. The DC area was out. The commute was longer for us, but he were able to afford a pretty decent house 50 miles outside of the city before the market took off. We did a fixed rate 30 year loan and each time interest rates decreased we also dropped the years on the loan, which reduced the overall interest that we paid and allowed us to payoff the house 10 years sooner. There are also many programs out today that will allow an individual to purchase a home with as little as 3 or 5% down. Also, younger generations may have to buy something that may not be everything that they want. They may have to live in it a few years and then upgrade to something that meets their needs.
Buying a house is like getting credit for the first time – you start off with a $500 Discover card, not an unlimited Amex Platinum. You have to work your way up and not everybody gets what they want the first go around. The point is to get in, pay your bills on time, and wait for the house to appreciate, which increases one’s overall wealth.
I don’t think income is decimated through taxes. In the US you can purchase a primary residence and make up to $250K of profit and not be taxed on any gains ($500K if you are married). You can do this every two years, if you want. That is a pretty good return. Of course, the downside is how much did you pay in interest.
Yes, RE does sit there and there is a certain amount of risk to that. The location may decrease in value, it could be destroyed by a natural disaster, etc., but people need places to live. They need roofs over their head and many people don’t want to own. They don’t want to deal with the upkeep of a home, pay RE taxes, take out a mortgage, etc. Then there are those of us that are happy to deal with those things especially as we get older and several rental homes can be the difference on just eeking by on Social Security or living a very comfortable life off of passive income.
RG – Hmmm seems the tax environment is quite different for you in the US compared to us in the UK. For example its difficult to write off a range rover against a business expense unless you normally have a company. And even then you get hit by the VAT (sales tax of 20%). We certainly dont get a 250k tax free allowance. We get zero tax free allowance any income above 40K is taxed above 42%, and any income above 150K is taxed at 47%. Thats including your actual salary income. There used to be some capital gains allowances but thats all gone. Believe it or not they are even taking away the mortgage interest deductions on second homes (unless you’re a company).
Now though land / RE seems to hold value quite well in the UK, and theres always rental demand there is a huge drive to tax second homes. And the property purchase taxes have gone crazy. I just purchased a place last year and because apparently im one of those evil rich people who already owned property I got stung with an 8% transfer tax (was getting a good deal on a repossessed property). And this is only going to get worse because as I said in the UK income is already taxed as much as they can. VAT is already 20% on almost everything. Hell they even tax mandatory things like energy and car insurance (well things they make mandatory). Fuel taxes are amongst the highest in the world.
The only place is property, particularly those who have multiple places, and those from the boomer generation (probably a bit older than me) who have serious equity in properties which have done very will in the UK for the past 30 years. Im not there but as an example when I put my first apartment on rent like a decade ago when it was empty I didnt have to pay the council tax (the amount the local gangsters steal for our own good, kinda like your property tax). Now I have to pay a full council tax. Infact from what I understand if its empty for too long I need to pay some sort of surcharge !!!
Now yes I do make a couple easy quid on the side due to my rental income now, though I do have mortgages – but the way I see it it will slowly be swiped away by the tax man. And eventually not be much left there… and because RE assets (and the equity therein) is basically a sitting duck when it comes to taxes, especially in the west. I guess in the US you’re not quite there yet – but where do you see it going over the next 10-20 years. How do you think they will get to the state where we all “own nothing and be happy” as the bald asshole from the WEF says we should all be…
Hi Nasir,
Honestly, I don’t see us getting to the state “that we will own nothing and be happy about it” at least here in the US. That saying is nothing more than psychological. It is social conditioning at its finest. Do I believe many Americans will end up renting (homes, cars, subscriptions)? Yes, but it will by choice. There will always be an industry for purchasing.
When it comes to taxes I do see them increasing here. That is pretty much a given. I expect Biden to eliminate the Trump tax cuts and return to Obama tax levels. A C corporation is probably not going to be a favored business structure for most clients. I expect capital gain rates to stay unchanged though. Too much of Wall Street contributed to the Biden campaign to increase those rates. Passive income will be the work around to allow the wealthy to become wealthier. Those with W2 income and very little deductions will pay the highest in taxes.
The US tax system rewards risk. It is favorable to business and investments, not salaried income. That will never change so needs to plan accordingly.
The one benefit that I see in the US compared to Europe is the states. I think the 50 states saves this country from implementing VAT taxes and keeping national taxes pretty low compared to the rest of the world. Each state is in competition with another state for trade and the lowest taxed states usually succeed in siphoning business from the higher taxed less business friendly states. That is what we are currently seeing, places such as NY, CA, IL are losing businesses and people by the thousands while or there states such as TN, TX, and FL are seeing that income being transferred to them.
Morning, RG –
I do see it. Because I have come to the realization – long ago – that all of what is congealing has never been about economics but rather has everything to do with recreating feudalism. We are to be enserfed – and once you understand that, everything makes sense.
Hi Eric,
My view is not as pessimistic. Life is about choices. As of today, I still have a choice: do I stay, do I go, do I open a business, do I go to work, do I stay home and watch TV, etc. I am not going to pretend to know what is around the bend or when it will happen in the future. I can prepare, I can plan, but my preparation and planning may be naught.
All I can do is go out into the world and do what I need to do to get by to support myself and my family.
I am not happy with the incoming Administration, but I am not going to hermit myself for the next four years either. Life is short and I am going to enjoy it. Happiness is a mindset, like all emotions. I refuse to be dejected and I refuse to be depressed. I can still find beauty on this planet and I intend to do so.
RG – agree the 50 states are quite brilliant in that respect – but how long will that last? all this “unfairness” discussion about online retailers not having to pay sales tax or whatever. It will definitely lead to some form of federal sales tax eventually (there are forums where I read how crazy it is that theres not already a federal income tax in the US whereas its the case all over Europe). And when they come for a wealth tax – how long do you think it will take them to hit property (as most other wealth can be hidden).
And you’re probably right that there will always be a market for buying things – but the level at which you can access that market will get higher and higher, as will be the case for say non-electric cars. Its obvious again in the European tax models – where if you’re a normal family saving to buy a second property for rental income you’re taxed to death. But at the same time if you’re a corporate or some sort of a real estate fund none of those taxes apply (or can be gotten around easily). Now the problem I see is most mom and pop investors dont have the capital or expertise to go the corporate route.. And once they do build the equity its not possible to switch to the corporate route (at least here its not because you get shafted with huge taxes at that point) And thats what they rely on, that people get tied into the system. Once there they milk you..
And what im afraid is thats the plan for people like us – get us to tie ourselves in, and then when we come to retire in the next 20 or whatever years, the landscape changes drastically….
Personally for me the next step is to diversify out of the UK, and west in general. Perhaps try to buy assets in places like Pakistan if I can (not be an option for everyone, but as I do have links there its more manageable for me). I suggest everyone tries something like that. And dont let too much of your asset based wealth accumulate in the west…. because the writing is on the wall….
Hi Nasir,
I don’t see a national sales tax taking effect. The states are not going to allow the fed to step in and take one of their biggest revenue makers.
More and more states will begin establishing taxes on online trade, but they are not going to allow the government to instill such a system.
I am all about diversifying. If someone can find investment opportunities aboard, snap them up. Europe and the US are not the only places opened for investing.
None of us know what the landscape will be in five years, much less when we retire. It is a risk and we may lose. I prefer taking the chance rather than sitting idly by and letting someone else cash in on a potential good investment, but that is just me.
All these strategies are fine…as long as the rule of law is actually observed, and PRIVATE property respected. Take a look at political trends, and especially the gaggle of morons that have taken over the “District of Criminals”. Assets are EXACTLY what they’ll go after. Mostly to finance their schemes to buy further political power at YOUR expense. Short of each of us becoming latter-day “Robin Hoods”, and being willing to risk our freedoms and our very lives by gunning down these greedy, thieving motherfuckers, or at least their willing dupes, I don’t see that we’ve got a means to “peacefully” and certainly not lawfully resist the acts of theft by a Government in its death throes. Indeed, in that respect, it’s “over” anyway if things get that awful, as money as we understand it will revert to paper, not even fit to wipe one’s arse with, or a meaningless collection of trivial data. The REAL “assets” will be LAND, FOOD, FUEL, and the means to produce sufficient quantities of same to sustain life, and ARMS, the means to DEFEND it! I can foresee that either extended families or religious groups will band together in rural or semi-rural enclaves, with de facto militias and fortifications to guard their homes/farms. Meanwhile, in the cities, the great DIE-OFF, mostly from disease and/or VIOLENCE, as the hordes of peoples without the skills and/or the will to leave and sustain themselves off the land, and be able to barter practical skills, turn on each other. In those hellish places, the “law of the jungle” will be openly manifest, with various “turfs” ruled by crime lords, whatever nominal leftist government officials that THINK they’re in charge declare. What may come to our salvation? Ironically, since America will be weakened and vulnerable, a FOREIGN invasion, not so much to subjugate, but to save what assets, productive American citizens included, can be SALVAGED from the mess. We’ll see…
I’m going to disagree that earning less starves the Federal government. We’re in MMT land now. Whatever one doesn’t “contribute” in taxes will simply be printed. I will say, however, that I agree with the concept of starving the other beasts that are out there. Don’t shop at stores that require masks. Don’t buy the products or subscribe to the services offered by megacorps that actively fight against liberty. Don’t use state or local “services” if you can find a private sector alternative (states can’t print money, so they’re in a different boat).
There will be no resistance by the general population. How many people do you know that claim they hate the mask but put it on anyway? If they’re unwilling to ignore a sign (a lot of places don’t even have a person demanding masks), does anyone think they will “step up” when things get worse? Ha!
Going Galt is the only real option. Until there’s geopolitical separation, the individual needs to separate himself from the actors of oppression as much as possible.
‘We face the prospect of no freedom at all – beyond being free to do as we are told, including the honoring of the rituals of the New Religion, forever amen.’ — EP
Liberal presstitute Eric Halper of the LaLaLand Times rubs our noses in a steaming pile of fresh excrement with an article triumphantly exploring the theme ‘Make America California Again.’ Some lowlights:
‘California is emerging as the de facto policy think tank of the Biden-Harris administration and of a Congress soon to be under Democratic control.
‘On the new White House agenda will be a revival of a “Cash for Clunkers” program aimed at providing incentives to get polluting cars off the road — a signature California policy.
‘California’s plan to remove carbon-emitting power sources from its electricity grid entirely by 2045 inspired Biden to promote an even more aggressive timeline, looking to move the grid to zero emissions nationwide by 2035.’
https://news.yahoo.com/america-california-again-thats-bidens-110050453.html
Californians smile beatifically as they smite you — because they know it’s for your own good.
What better way to euthanize the working class than to drive the prices of used cars even higher by taking IC-engined vehicles off the road, and then to mercilessly ratchet up the price of AC power?
I hope to live to see the Option 2 counter reaction. To paraphrase Orwell — if you want a picture of a brighter future, imagine a whip flaying Kamala’s blubber butt forever.
Except the “California Model” has just one “wee” flaw…the productive, mostly WHITE residents, are getting the FUCK out.
The desperation of the past few years by the Loony Left is driven by more than ideological differences, as if that wouldn’t suffice. The reality is that these leftist enclaves of “New Yawk”, “Joisy”, “Philly”, “Bawh-Stun”, “Dee-Troit”, “Shit-Cago”, as well as the three states of the “Left Coast” (CA, OR, WA) are going….BROKE. They’ve been overrun by free-for-all immigration from the “Turd World”, and the ratio of tax consumers versus tax producers has gone beyond the tipping point. What’s masked a lot of this economic rot had been the “Big Tech” growth, especially in Northern California, but as Big Tech has overplayed its hand, it’s driving away a huge market and seeming to not care. OM laid bare this problem when, in his first two years, he got the “SALT” (State And Local Taxes) limits put through as part of his tax plan, and liberals everyone were fit to be tied. Trump was right, though, that the irresponsible state and local spending in these leftist havens has been subsidized by the rest of the country, and it was high time to put a stop to it. All the trillions of printed money, ostensibly to “help” folks hurt by the dreaded “Rona”, have been in reality a boondoggle to bail out these failed states, as well as a corporate feeding frenzy. That’s the big reason for the “Steal”, the corrupt politicians that facilitated this greatest of scams knew that if they didn’t get rid of OM, the jig was “up”, though he hadn’t exactly been a model of fiscal probity himself! Only the specter of runaway inflation will curb the appetites of these greedy bastards now, but they know a “solution”…at YOUR expense!
**”Except the “California Model” has just one “wee” flaw…the productive, mostly WHITE residents, are getting the FUCK out. “**
Ah, no problemo, dude- Uncle Joe will just take those white people’s money, wherever they go, and send it back to North Mexico.
The CA legislature is already passing a new tax law that taxes all former CA residents for 10 years, even after they leave. Sounds a bit like Hotel California?
Where you can never really leave? Or at least not for 10 years.
That is sure to make even more leave, and more not move there!
It is hard to believe how stupid they are.
Congress long ago passed a law subjecting American citizens to federal income tax regardless of where it is earned.
Then they passed a law making it expensive to relinquish one’s citizenship to avoid income taxation.
Death is the only out, now.
Or go Grey and Underground.
If I were an American, I would consider selling everything and buying gold, bitcoin (or such), anything that can be kept out of the mans reach. Then burn all ID and move to Commiefornia. Become and illegal immigrant. Feign mental handicap to avoid answering any detailed questions. Get on the government tit and use your stashed, off books wealth to finance an escape plan secretly.
It looks like a better deal than being a legal citizen.
Hi Justin,
They tried that once before and it was struck down by the Supreme Court; hopefully that precedent is still valid, especially since my son lives in the San Francisco area and is looking to bail out.
The problem with Option #1 — to live simpler and cheaper — is that as “they” continue to flood us with Third World immigrants in order to create an unbeatable voting bloc and a permanent one-party state, it is becoming harder to do.
It is not so easy any more to get “a bit of land.” I was born into a country of less than 200 million people which had kept immigration to near zero for the previous forty years. Now it has 330 million. I read somewhere recently that we have allowed more immigrants into this country in the last forty years than we did in the previous three hundred. Unrelenting demand for real estate and ever-rising real estate prices are a serious problem for those of us who want to live cheaply and keep to ourselves. Immigration is also causing higher demand for used goods. That beat-up old pick-up truck with 250,000 miles on it you were calling about? Just sold it, pal. A bunch of Mexicans who can’t afford $60k for a new one beat ya to it. And immigration is causing increased competition for jobs and downward pressure on wages. Living cheaper still requires income. If a machine does not eliminate your job outright, a foreigner will do it for a half to a third of what you will.
There are no good options any more. We no longer live in a free country, we no longer have any rights, our imperial rulers are grifters and criminals. We will have to figure out ways to get by but there will be no avenue available that is not more difficult and much worse then what we remembered from the country of our youth.
X
Once “president select” gets into office tomorrow 2 things will happen. 1. he will throw open the floodgates and allow anyone and everyone to slip into the country with not even an attempt to slow it down or vet these people. 2. he will decree that all businesses regardless of size or means must pay their workers $15 per hour. Cheared on by those oppressed minimum wage earners and big evil corporations that the left hate like walmart of course. This will force many small businesses into a few choices. Close up shop (reminde me again what does $15×0 equal), reduce staff and hours, or a likely scenario noone is taking about yet, but with the surge of all these illegals a small business owner could higher a bunch of illegals, pay them under the table wages far below the benevolent $15 per hour dictate by the clueless wonder in office and dump much of their minmum wage staff that happen to be citizens.
Personally i don’t think option 1 is going to be feasible for very long. I think at some point the govt will come for people who attempt to live a simple cheaper life. If we have learned anything from history its that totalitarian governments don’t like people who refuse to submit to their will, even if those people are trying to keep to themselves.
It will be an example of life “imitating” art…all these government drones will need are the “Borg” implants, and to be taught the chant, “Ree-siss-tance is…Few-Tile!”.
“We could celebrate the Fourth of July without feeling ridiculous. It is now obscene.” So true, but so sad. The best “celebration” I can think of is to grab a soap box and publicly read the Declaration of Independence:
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government. . .”
On a slightly separate note – read that Pamela Anderson is trying to get the Orange one to pardon Assange…. what has the world become when Pamela Anderson is the one saying something sensible…..
You think P.A. being sensible is strange?
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-picks-transgender-who-encouraged-covid-safe-orgies-assistant-health-secretary
I seriously believe that TPTB are trying to out do each other in a game of “let’s see just how much the slaves will accept before they snap”.
Mel Cooley in drag…we are soooo screwed…
Actually, I believe this is the only way that white guys can get jobs anymore. Put on some lipstick, high heels, and a skirt and the field of opportunity is yours. 😉
No doubt if ol’ Oscar Wilde were still around, he’d write a tranny novel titled The Picture of Doreen Gray, a/k/a Princess Charming.
After his reassignment surgery, the once-handsome young protagonist’s portrait would morph into the hideous visage of our new assistant secretary of health Rachel Levine.
I’d stab that frightening picture too, by Dog.
I know this is horribly mean, but if one should be an assistant secretary of health shouldn’t that person be healthy? Honestly, how much does this person really know about the industry that they represent if they themselves cannot practice what they preach.
I find it hard to believe that I’ve lived long ENOUGH (will be 62 in a few months) to recall a time when there’d have been NO WAY that freak would have been so much as a dogcatcher, let alone hold high positions of responsibility in ANY level of Government, let alone have a license to practice medicine.
“That which we refuse to denounce, we tolerate, then embrace…”
RG, as to the jobs comment. I figure (white male, early 50’s) a 40% chance my job will be gone in 12 months. Hope I am wrong. Unfortunately, the private owners of my company, a billion dollar privately held corporation, very publicly supported the Republican candidates in the Georgia Senate election. And they are active in politics. I only hope they also contributed to the other side, like so many companies do.
hi, l´ve lived in Spain since 1996. how much will the proles take before they snap? asked myself the same question in 2002 after TPTB pushed and pushed ad pushed. the answer here; if today they are told to jump from a 10 story building to be safe from the coronasscam, there will be long lines at the elevators and fighting in the stairwells. amazing.
Hi Frank,
I agree. For every person with some backbone there are 99 others who just don’t want any trouble – like Ned Beatty’s character in Deliverance. As a result, we ain’t never gonna get down to Aintree.
indeed.
The clueless optimists will bleat; “just go along”, “not make waves”, “we will get through this”, “it will get better”, “that could never…”.
There is a vast majority of incredibly self blinkered out there. Sure that “it won’t happen” despite decades of evidence that shows, yes, it can and will and has throughout history”.
Almost nothing that happens in herd management and oppression is new. Technologically boosted, but not new. Anyone who claims otherwise has obviously never studied any socio/political history beyond what they were forced to consume in the government indoctrination center.
I’d rather just hide, like the late Burt Reynold’s character, Lewis, and watch Bobby (Ned Beatty) “squeal like a pig…C’MON, piggy, squeal!” and WAIT for the opportune moment to STRIKE. And if “Bobby” is messed up for being raped, well, tough shit, he was too stupid and/or weak that he got jumped by these degenerates…sucks to be him.
tucker carlson as well. he puts it great at the end of this segment https://youtu.be/Avnb0LPQSEw
On of the last paragraphs of Solzhenitsyn’s the Gulag Archipelago was this:
“All you freedom-loving “left-wing” thinkers in the West! You left laborites! You progressive American, German, and French students! As far as you are concerned, none of this (The Gulag Archipelago) amounts to much. As far as you are concerned, this whole book of mine is a waste of effort. You may suddenly understand it all someday-but only when yourselves hear “hands behind your backs there!” and step ashore on our Archipelago.”
And the lame stream media is complicit.
Example?
You won’t see this discussed on CNN, MSNBC, etc.
https://ussanews.com/News1/2021/01/19/leaked-letter-written-by-donald-trump-firing-james-comey-made-public/
Let me first comment on the “kraken” and other such assorted bullshit. Ever since I started hearing about it (Lin Wood, Sidney Powell, the supposed retired generals, etc.), I had serious doubts that any of it either was true or was going to transpire. And the more the courts refused to listen to the evidence of election stealing, the more I realized that it just wasn’t going to happen. Right now I’m really of the opinion that the whole “Q” phenomenon was nothing more than a psyop by the deep state to pacify and distract patriots. There will be no last-second Hail Mary TD pass. It’s over, been over. Let’s just hope Mr. Trump does the right thing and pardon Julian Assange, et al.
Now for the options. I’m not one to work on option 2, at least not without some allies on my side. Unlike you, I’m not 6 foot something and built like a brick shithouse. I was blessed with only average genes, so I won’t be fighting anybody. I would be glad to team up with others to do so, however.
That leaves option 1, which, coincidentally, is the option Captain Capitalism promotes in his book Enjoy The Decline, which he wrote about 8 or 9 years ago. And I’ve already been doing just that, Going Galt. The last two years, I made a low enough income, despite a potential to make a lot more, that I qualified for the Earned Income Credit on my taxes. That makes me a net tax receiver. And it’s quite possible I may do the same this year. And do I feel guilty about leeching off the public coffers? Not in the least. I used to make a lot of money, never six figures, but upper five figures. And I’ve paid in a heck of a lot in taxes over the decades. It’s time to take some of it back, since our benevolent (/sarc) government has been such a poor steward of all that I and others like me have given them. So this Atlas has already shrugged, and I invite others to do the same. The system is going to collapse anyway, might as well get while the getting’s good.
Amen, Jim!
One of the perks of not earning much is you exempt yourself from Obamacare. Too po’ to pay for “coverage” – and not punished for failing to do so.
Hi Eric,
There hasn’t been a penalty for not having health insurance for two years now. It may come back, but as for now, there is no fine.
Hi RG,
I’m not sure about that; I think the penalty is only enforced (i.e., the money you “owe” withheld) if you are due a refund on your taxes.
Actually, it’s not. I haven’t had “health insurance” (not really insurance, hence the scare quotes) in a couple of years. Always got my full refund. That was the only thing I really wanted when Trump took office, and for that I’m grateful to him. Of course, now that’s going to go away, but que sera sera. It’s not like we have any say over it.
I do know that. 😉
The penalty was abolished in 2019, so your 2019 and 2020 taxes there is no fine for not having health insurance or inadequate coverage. If you paid a fine in 2019 you deserve that money back. Prior to 2019, there was a $695 per person fine ($347.50 per child) or 1%-2% (dependent upon the year of the tax filing) of your AGI if that equated to more than the penalty.
The IRS cannot lien your home for healthcare fines, but they can withhold your tax refund if the fine was issued in a previous year (before 2019) and remains unpaid. So for an example if you were fined in 2018 for no insurance ($695) and you had a balance that year, but chose not to pay and in 2019 you filed and you had a refund of $1200. The IRS can take $695 out of that $1200 to pay back the previous year’s tax. Note: I am not saying this is right, just how the law reads.
Roger that, RG – thanks for the info!
**”Right now I’m really of the opinion that the whole “Q” phenomenon was nothing more than a psyop by the deep state to pacify and distract patriots”**
Precisely, Jim- It’s a play straight out of the Bolshevik handbook:
““Operation Trust” was a Bolshevik counterintelligence operation run from 1921 to 1926 aimed at neutralizing opposition by creating the false impression that a powerful group of military leaders had organized to stop the communists’ takeover. “.
“Kraken”, “3-D chess”, it’s all the same fantasy BS- and the fact that such comes not only from the Q[ooks] camp, but from Trump’s own team, means that either Trump is complicit in the deception, or that he is so clueless as to have surrounded himself with a bunch enemies who are in-fact working for the other side. [Though he’s no genius, he’s not that stupid either- so I conclude that the former is more likely than the latter- especially seeing that there is no REAL difference between the two parties, other than the part they play in the political theater, to give the masses the illusion that they actually have a say in how things are run- but in the end- from administration to administration, the same overall agendas continue unabated).
Hi Nunz,
I will hold my final opinion of Trump until tomorrow at noon. He is supposed to have 50-100 pardons/commutations. Let’s see who he pardons. If it is his buddies (which it is looking likely) then we have our answer that Trump was never in it to save America. If he hands a pardon to Assange, Snowden, and a few others, then the guy will end up a little higher on my list. Unfortunately, I am anticipating disappointment, but in doing so, maybe we dodged a bullet. We now know the people in office are not our friends and it makes it much easier to guard our backs and not be swayed by pretty talk and unkept promises.
Hi RG,
Ummm…based on past performance…I wouldn’t hold my breath. We’ve seen who and what Trump has been pardoning- and they have been nothing but crooks and scumbags.
I had no illusions about the people in office being my friends….. I must admit, I had a little glimmer of hope for Trump early on- just because he wasn’t a complete insider, and because he did say some good things. I didn’t know if he was serious about the things he said, or if he was merely playing a part to court the disenfranchised voters.
It became clear as soon as he picked Pense for VP….. And of course, as soon as he ascended the throne, the promises of repealing Obozocare; looking into what really happened on 9/11; working with RFK jr. to expose the vaccine fraud [Instead, Trump now promotes a vaccine…)….etc. etc. all down the memory hole, never to be mentioned again- as he allowed a flu psy-op to destroy what remained of our liberties and economy and country.
I really would not be much encouraged even if “Kraken” occurred- not that we have to worry about that being the case.
I expect to disappointed, but I am willing to give it until noon to make my final verdict.
I do agree with you he has offered pardons to crooks and scumbags and that does not play well, which should tell us something about the lesser evil that we chose as President of our country. The good news is there was never a President Hillary Clinton. 🙂
Hi RG,
Some people are still smoking the Hopium… Biden will be arrested! The “kraken” is in progress…
Yeah, I don’t see any kraken coming. I have accepted that Biden will be in the White House tomorrow night (don’t like it, but I have come to terms). I am not watching the jerk’s inauguration and refuse to oblige by his stupid ass federal mask mandate or any other mandate he feels the need to enact. I ignored Bush and Obama for 16 years….what is another 4 for Joe and Kammie?
Yup, if nothing else, we aren’t facing the second term of Hillary (not that Kammie is going to be any better). We had a brief pause, (which a lot of us needed badly) which I was hoping would be eight years rather than the four. Deep down I knew that the forces against Trump made a second term a very long shot, in some ways even more so than the first (since he basically got in because they didn’t take him seriously then). They won’t make that mistake again.
Hi rich,
We only have to put up with Kammie for the remainder of Joe’s term. She won’t win the election and it will be too hard to try to come up with enough fake votes to try to make up the difference. 🙂
“what is another 4”?
Optimist.
More like 4ever.
Call me an eternal optimist. 🙂
I believe it will be four years of hell and then the country will make a sharp right.
Old Joe and many members of Congress likely will not be alive in the next few years.
I don’t see Kammie winning her own term. She is not personable and people do not flock to her, which is why she did so bad in the Democratic primaries.
Don’t rule out Kristi Noem just yet.
RG, it’s been nearly 100 years and we still haven’t recovered from the effects of FDR- but much of his nonsense is still with us. These bastards now taking the throne make FDR look like a Girl Scout…… We will not even survive 4 years of them. Our country is almost unrecognizable already……
Amen, RG –
I’ve decided that, worst case, I will simply stay home and avoid these Freaks. If they seek me out at my place, then I will do what I must todefend myself. Hoping it will never get that far.
Hi Eric,
I don’t think it will. I think avoidance is probably the best tactic. No one is going to come looking for us. The only people that they will go after are those that try to alter the course they want to take. We are small potatoes. Plus, let’s be honest, we hold these people up as some type of masterminds. They aren’t that smart. The problem was Trump wasn’t either.
I am more worried about Gates or Bezos than I am anyone from the Biden Administration or the US Congress. The creme de la creme do not run for office.
Hehe, Eric, the hopers will still be optimistically waiting a year from now, I’m willing to bet!
**”The good news is there was never a President Hillary Clinton. :)”**
On THAT we can certainly agree, RG! One can only imagine the evil that would have been enshrined if that had happened! (Well…we’ll basically see that evil, starting tomorrow…)
Raider Girl,
Apparently Trump has been told by mitch that if he pardons Assange the senate will convict him. If i were Trump my last FU to mitch would be an 11:50AM pardon.
Hi Antilles,
If it’s true that the Orange Man listens to the Turtle then he is even more of a pathetic fool – and poltroon – than I now believe him to be.
You are right, Eric. There will be no cavalry coming over the hill to save the day. We will be facing the Harris/Biden gang within 36 hours. His executive orders will be gleefully carried out by some of the most despicable Marxists since Joe Stalin. And, as with the Soviet Union, the United States will implode under the weight of its own contradictions. The big difference between the two collapses is the fact that the citizens in the Soviet Union knew their government was morally and financially bankrupt. Americans still labor under the illusion of this being “The Greatest Nation EVER!”. I’ve hoped for years that our inevitable collapse would be as peaceful as the Soviets. I don’t think that will happen.
Luckily our family meets many of your criteria regarding lack of debt and “ownership” of a little land. We’ve been growing and canning for over 25 years. And that from a small plot with several acres fallow. One other thing, if you have a well, get a hand pump. Good ones are not cheap but, the way things are looking, access to water might become more valuable than gold.
For years friends and co-workers have chided me about living at “The Bunker” while they sought Uptown Condos with parking for their leased luxury cars. Those who are stuck in urban enclaves are the ones who will suffer the most under Harris/Biden and ironically they are the ones that put him in power.
“Fleas can’t suck the blood of a dead cat.” should become our mantra.
We are living at the onset of the American Holodomor. As so few Displaced Americans ever learned about the first Holodomor, so many are in for a big surprise over coming weeks.
America Kulaks have already been displaced and are all on the American Bolshevik Party hit list.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn should have been required reading for every high school student, instead we were forced to read Harry and Hortense at Hormone High and The Pigman. A people so disarmed of the tools of historical understanding is no match for the powers of the state to inflict outrage and genocide. The life of a dispatched martyr is far preferable to a day in the gulag. We simply didn’t know to love freedom enough. Had we only read Solzhenitsyn, had we only learned Soviet history. Had we only learned of Moorish Spain – if only we collectively had a historical understanding of our fragile place in the world.
The Eastern European memory is incredibly long – my own Hungarian ancestors never abandoned their collective identity despite living in a Slovakian exile for centuries, they were always Hungarian. Western Europeans and Americans have been ingrained with the historical recall of an ant – so that we may be crushed as easily as an ant.
It’s always darkest before the mass grave. We will all understand so much as the first shovels of earth are thrown on our corpses – we had nothing to lose all along.