We Used to Build Stuff, Free $, New Scams

The No-Wing Maine Militia

Started in 1995, the Maine Militia isn’t right or left wing; it’s an “up and down” wing group. According to co-founder, Michael Chute, We’re trying to get the folks to see the problem ain’t left vs. right or to use an analogy, a Republican is a standard screw. A Democrat is a Phillips screw. So whichever way you vote, you get the screw.”

The diverse group all share a belief that our government has lost its moral authority and has degenerated into “whores for wealth and arbiters of empire.”

Their meetings focus on developing a sense of community, how to take care of the people, feed the people. Amen!


“Government is like fire. If it’s kept within bounds & under the
control of the people, it contributes to the welfare of all. But,
if it gets out of place, if it gets too big & out of control, it
destroys the happiness of the people & even the lives of people.”
--Harold Stassen

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Finding Unclaimed Money & Assets
You may have heard about how state governments take ownership of funds, jewelry, coins, stocks, refunds, etc. that owners never claim. Here’s a site you can use to investigate if any state owes you or a loved one assets or cash. Worth a look see & there is no cost.
http://www.unclaimed.org/


Find links to all 50-states to help you with obtaining state assistance programs
Navigating through the maze of public benefit programs can be difficult and confusing. Many people don’t know what assistance is available — or how to gain access to it. AARP offers online tools that take the guesswork out of the process for every state in the U.S. and the District of Columbia. It’s fast, private, and secure!
https://www.benefitscheckup.org/index.cfm?partner_id=22

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12 Most Frequent Scams During Christmas. Recognize them, avoid them.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/McAfee-Inc-Warns-Consumers-bw-33358632.html?x=0&.v=1

New book: Ed Begley Jr's Guide to Sustainable Living, devotes an entire section to making your home more energy efficient. I can't stress how important it is.
“My audit revealed a few key problem areas. First, in an area above my old office, where the original room addition had been done, I was missing some key spots of insulation that had created a virtual 'chimney' of air leaking from the house. Filling that spot in made a huge difference. Secondly, our home has a basement which was ventilated out the sides of the foundation. By sealing up the basement completely, more large scale energy savings were achieved. In order to do this, I had to put some new equipment in, including my AO Smith Vertex 100 water heater and the First Company AquaTherm water furnace. These devices, in conjunction with sealing the basement, have dropped my natural gas bill by 50%!” Find out more at (www.hotwater.com/edbegleyjr).
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Bartering & 2nd Hand Stores See Rise in Use
As higher taxes and more intrusive regulations take hold (while the dollar continues to sink), more and more Americans are turning to barter and other forms of private commerce between individuals. CraigsList, for example, is reporting an 80% jump in bartering activity by private citizens. And there has been a surge of interest in sites such as Barterquest.com as well.
Of course, the rise of the "black market" (i.e. the free market) is one consequence of political rules and mandates which are largely responsible for crippling our economy.
See our site for links to community currency how-to’s and bartering!

According to the Census…real median household incomes declined nationally and for the first time in a decade, foreign-born residents in the US did not grow. The share of people who have never married increased 4% since 2002. Cities which lost the largest percentages of population include Cleveland, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Participation in the census isn’t optional. Failure to fill out the form is punishable by a fine of up to $5000!

www.absurdlycool.com offers freebies you might need…shower cleanser, dog food and for stuff you didn’t know you needed such as caffeinated soap.

Get Free internet radio featuring 2.4 million songs at:
www.slacker.com


Consumer spending rose in October 1.7%…oh how the fed & Wall Street love that. Consumer Price Index, which is a statistical lie (it doesn’t include food or fuel), shows inflation is ‘under control,’ & wages rose 0.2% and unemployment claims were under 500,000 representing a slight dip. The Obama administration continues to focus on their nonsensical healthcare plans, while devoting little attention to the employment picture. Wag the dog politics as far as I’m concerned. Those bumblers in Washington don’t seem to have a clue about the real way to reform health care.
Make it simple…initiate tort reform, tie premiums into auto/home insurance to create a bigger national pool…or, just expand/revise the current Medicare program.

See my thoughts on China below to see how they focus on the real economy. Our one-time enemy now seems poised to beat us at our own game. Perhaps Washington is too busy watching Dancing With the Stars or some other lame program?
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Environmental Police – what’s next, bedroom police?
Looking at these police officers, you might think they’re from the Parks Department or some tiny town in Texas. Brooklyn business owners look at their olive green uniforms and Stetson hats and know immediately that they’re not city brass. But these aren’t visiting officers from another state – they’re an environmental police force whose job is find and prosecute environmental offenders, and they’re very serious about what they do.
As a member of a small force of police officers whose sole focus is enforcing environmental laws, Officer Stevens carries a gun and handcuffs and can haul a suspect off to jail. These environmental conservation officers number barely 20 in New York City, out of about 300 around the state, but issue about 2,000 summonses for violations and criminal charges annually.
http://earthfirst.com/eco-police-officers-bust-environmental-offenders/
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Google says PC will start in seven seconds or less
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) -
New Google Inc software will start up a computer as fast as a television can be turned on, the search company said on Thursday as it showed off its Chrome operating system designed for PCs that do their work on the Web
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20091120/tc_nm/us_google_chrome_5

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5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook
When the President of the United States warns schoolchildren to watch what they say and do on Facebook, you know that we've got a problem...and it's not one limited to the U.S.'s borders, either. People everywhere are mindlessly over-sharing on the world's largest social network, without a second thought as to who's reading their posts or what effect it could have on them further down the road. For example, did you know that 30% of today's employers are using Facebook to vet potential employees prior to hiring? In today's tough economy, the question of whether to post those embarrassing party pics could now cost you a paycheck in addition to a reputation. (Keep that in mind when tagging your friends' photos, too, won't you?)
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2009/09/16/16readwriteweb-5-easy-steps-to-stay-safe-and-private-on-fac-6393.html?em


We used to build stuff!

The middle class in America was built by the manufacturing or Blue Collar worker. Manufacturing has all but vanished in this country and that’s when our decline started.
Now, the Chinese have taken over that role and their economy is doing much better than ours.

President Obama’s recent visit to China should have opened his eyes as to the disparity between our two countries. Isn’t it amazing that a Communist country, once our enemy, is now surpassing us in terms of capitalism? While we are contaminated with bumbling bureaucrats, the Chinese, for instance, recently built a new six-lane highway in Shanghai which took only two years. In America, it would have taken two years just to do an environmental study!

The Chinese are constructing a national high speed rail system covering 10,000 miles, something I’ve been urging for this country to do for more than twenty years. The Chinese are moving forward while America is stuck in neutral. They’re pouring money into the real economy, while we’re busy bailing out the idiots who got us into our financial mess. They’re seeding green technology jobs and will eventually dominate the electric vehicle market. They’re busy ramping up technological and engineering education (free to qualified citizens) to its people while we raise tuition rates beyond the reach of average Americans.

Not everything is bleak here…Dow chemical company, for instance, recently developed a solar shingle for your roof; costing 10-15% less than traditional solar powered panels.

Goes back to what I always say…we don’t need another election, we need another revolution!

Yours for better living – Bruce “The PoorMan”
Please share this with others!
http://www.poormansuvival.com