The Poor Man Bulletin
Your Choice for Usable Information
In This Issue:
· Socialist Slave Number – Do’s & Don’t’s
· Militarizing our Police
· Usury Laws – Where Are They?
· America’s Financial Problems – how bad is it?
· Can You Afford to be Poor?
· Clean energy from firewood
A compromise is an agreement whereby both parties get what neither of them wanted. ~Author Unknown
Increase Seen in Anti-Government Actions
Recently, we learned about a man who crashed his airplane into an IRS building because he became frustrated over their actions. In Minneapolis, Federal agents raided a ‘suspected’ internet firm stating it was involved in a Ponzi scheme. Serving a warrant in Fresno, CA became deadly for three law enforcement officials. Seems there is a lot of anger from citizens over ‘law enforcement tactics.’
The average local law enforcement man or woman is honest and hard working. As one AZ sheriff told me, “It’s the feds that give all of us a bad name…they’re more interested in ‘protecting’ government turf than citizens rights.”
Remember, in the United States, the American people in business have no protection over the federal governments investigative branch. Without absolute facts American businesses are at the whim of federal agencies which can freeze bank accounts, take computers and close offices with nothing more than an allegation. In many cases, your business is guilty until proven innocent…that’s the way it works in our free country.
See our story below on how paramilitary police have trampled the rights of many citizens.
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“We’ve reached a point now where there’s an intimate link between our solvency and our national security. What’s so discouraging is that our domestic politics don’t seem to be up to the challenge.” · Richard Haass, president of the insiders’ ultimate power club, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
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Cleaner Energy from Firewood
From Mother Earth News, by Amanda Kimble-Evans
Wood, the oldest fuel source known to humans, may be about to experience a renaissance, thanks to rising oil and gas costs combined with shrinking bank accounts. Ultra-efficient, ultra-clean advanced wood combustion technology and fast-growing “perpetual” fuel woods can, on the micro level, bring increased home heating security for landowners and, on the macro level, create a regenerative fuel source for electricity generation.
How does fuel wood combat climate change? Wood is often considered “carbon neutral,” because growing it pulls as much carbon dioxide out of the air as is released into the atmosphere when it’s burned. So, unlike gas or oil, it releases no net carbon. It is a closed-loop energy source, simply recirculating the carbon dioxide already within the Earth’s carbon cycle.
An analysis led by Daniel D. Richter, professor of soils and forest ecology at Duke University, proposes we are missing a key strategy in our search for sustainable energy solutions. Richter says we need to consider advanced wood combustion, which he defines as “automated, high-efficiency wood-fired energy generation systems with strict air pollution control.”
The analysis was detailed by Richter and a multidisciplinary team of experts in the March 13, 2009 issue of Science magazine, and points out that creating thermal and electrical energy with advanced wood combustion has been growing quickly throughout Europe. “These facilities release remarkably low quantities of air pollutants and have system-wide thermal efficiencies approaching 90 percent,” Richter says. According to the article, the cost of wood fuel is several times cheaper than fossil fuel costs (per unit of energy produced).
The authors of the Science article say the United States is well-suited for sustaining a wood-energy economy. Yet currently, energy from wood provides only about 2 to 3 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. This is about half of the potential annual sustainable wood supply available to us for power generation.
The report also identifies “waste” wood as an untapped asset, estimating that 30 million tons of urban wood per year can be safely burned for energy. For example, the District Energy program in St. Paul, Minn., burns 250,000 tons of waste wood and other biomass per year to provide heating, cooling and other energy to part of the city.
Although wood supplies just a fraction of today’s national energy use, the sustainable wood supply of the United States could easily produce more than the 3 percent that is supplied by our current hydroelectric sources.
Perpetual Fuel Wood
Sustainable harvests from existing forests could be supplemented with “perpetual fuel wood” (fast-growing, hedge-like trees used in Europe).
“People are talking about biomass plantations, efficient burning and super insulation, but older, more accessible strategies not being talked about involve coppiced and pollarded fuel-wood hedges,” says Ben Falk, founder of Whole Systems Design (www.wholesystemsdesign.com), a Vermont-based sustainable land development company. Coppicing and pollarding are the practices of harvesting firewood from species that resprout from their base or part way up the trunk, capitalizing on the existing energy of the root structure.
Falk and his team have focused on the massive U.S. interstate highway system as a possible site for these hedges. “There are more than 46,000 miles of underutilized interstate corridor landscape,” he says. “Much of the median and surrounding acreage is mowed, which requires huge quantities of fossil fuel, time and labor, and doesn’t offer any actual yields.”
Falk also finds great promise in the ability of coppicing to sequester carbon dioxide. “Each time you cut back a tree, root dieback releases carbon into the soil. Coppiced systems act as large-scale, solar-powered carbon pumps transporting carbon from the atmosphere into the soil — where it belongs.”
Possibly the most attractive selling point of advanced wood combustion is that it’s more quickly and easily implemented than solar or wind energy systems. A number of U.S. cities and public institutions are already integrating advanced wood combustion into their green energy plans, including the Fuels for Schools program in Vermont and various district energy programs in Idaho, Ohio and South Carolina.
Wood Fuel for Your Home
The Science article didn’t broach the question of home-scale fuel wood for heat, but Falk is excited about the possibilities. “You can grow a lot of your own food calories almost anywhere in this country,” he says. “But your own heat? It’s difficult, but it can be done.”
The question is, how many acres would you need? According to John Gulland, a wood heat expert and MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributing editor, “In many regions, a healthy, well-managed woodlot can perpetually yield half a cord of wood per acre per year. An average home typically requires about 5 cords per winter, which can be sustainably harvested from about 10 acres. A well-insulated, modest-size home using a high-efficiency woodstove might need only 2 cords, cut from 4 acres, per season.”
Falk says the question is also about what type of renewable heating option folks can afford. “Most people can’t afford to retrofit their home for solar heating. Harvesting local firewood for a high-efficiency stove is a better option in many cases.”
The key to implementing these positive projections for fuel woods is a move toward a more localized energy framework. “Everyone says wood is ‘carbon neutral,’ but if you’re moving massive amounts of heavy material — chipping, cutting, logging, hauling — then it won’t be a carbon neutral process,” Falk says. Most of the European growth has been on the community scale.
The Science article analysis predicts that community-based models will recycle money back into the local economy with new jobs and new sources of income for local landowners.
Richter and his colleagues add that advanced wood combustion systems help communities transition to other renewable energies. And, according to Falk, “While we don’t yet have all the answers needed for large-scale transformation toward regenerative resource use, there are many transitional technologies accessible to us right now. By looking across cultures and regions, we can begin to adapt them to the challenges we face today.”
Excerpted from Mother Earth News, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from Mother Earth News, please visit www.MotherEarthNews.com or call 800-234-3368 to subscribe. Copyright 2010 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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When You Should, Shouldn’t Give Out Your Social Security Number
Some Legitimately Need It—to Others, Learn to Say ‘No’
Your Social Security number is one of the keys to your financial health. It’s a unique indentifier lenders use to assess your creditworthiness. It’s also exactly what a would-be thief needs to apply for a credit card, mortgage, car loan or job in your name.
If you’re like most Americans, it’s also something you give out all too frequently.
“As with so many procedures in the business world, your Social Security number is something that many companies ask for, so no one really questions it,” says James Van Dyke, president of Javelin Strategy & Research, a research firm that tracks financial services topics. “But giving out your Social Security number is definitely a practice consumers should think twice about.”
Case in point: A recent Javelin Strategy & Research report—the 2009 ID Fraud Survey—found that, among identity theft victims, 38 percent said the perpetrator had obtained their Social Security number and used it in the crime. “It’s certainly logical to say that you could eliminate 38 percent of your risk of identity theft by limiting access to your Social Security number,” says Van Dyke.
‘Your Socialist Slave Number, Please’
Still, saying it and doing it are two different things. Many of the forms you encounter during the day—at doctor’s offices, at the dentist, at your child’s school—ask for Social Security numbers. Retailers may ask for it, too, when accepting a check for payment or before issuing check cashing privileges. Potential employers also need it, and they may even want a copy of the actual card, says Linda Foley, founder of the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). You’ll also be asked for it at your local Department of Motor Vehicles, car dealerships, pawnshops, drugstores—even at the airport, should you lose your luggage, she says. In fact, you may be surprised at how far-reaching this practice is, says Foley.
More at:
http://customsites.yahoo.com/financiallyfit/finance/article-108911-4270-3-when-you-should-and-shouldnt-give-out-your-social-security-number?ywaad=ad0035
NOTE: As an alternative, use a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) available from the IRS for use in opening bank accounts and the like.
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What did you do today to spread liberty? Use this checklist!
http://fee.org/articles/daily-liberty-checklist/
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Who is the Middle Class?
Have you been wondering about the lack of serious coverage by the media of the financial crisis facing the middle class? As David Sirota shows us, the media doesn’t seem to understand who the middle class are:
Last year, the New York Times told us it’s difficult for people to make ends meet on $500,000 a year, and the Washington Post insisted that it’s hard to “squeak by” on $300,000 a year. Now the Denver Post insists that if you make $250,000 a year, you may only be “middle class”
Where does utter disconnect with reality come from? And why does it exist?
Media voices perpetuate these myths of the impoverished wealthy, in part, because many media voices are themselves wealthy — and there’s no more powerful class solidarity than that which exists among the rich.
Indeed, the wealthy don’t just convince themselves they aren’t wealthy, they try to create the perception among themselves, politicians and the public at large that they are “middle class” and thus persecuted by taxes. Put another way, the real danger of the New York Times, Washington Post and Denver Post article floating the idea of the wealthy as not wealthy is in skewing our political debate over economics. If someone making $500,000 is just “getting by,” and someone making $300,000 is barely “squeaking by” and someone making $250,000 is in the persecuted “middle class,” then having any fact-based discussion about tax inequities becomes that much harder.
http://www.workingamerica.org/blog/2010/02/25/who-is-the-middle-class/
The income gap in the US has been increasing since the 1970’s when wages began to stagnate.
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Watch out for falling home prices
Despite signs that the real estate market might be lurching forward, prices are expected to fall further this year and next.
The average home price in the United States will fall by about 6% by September 2011, according to a joint report between Fiserv and Moody’s Economy.com. And that’s after plunging more than 27% in the past three years.
Most of the projected home price decline will occur during the usually slow summer months of 2010. After that, prices should begin to stabilize, according to Fiserv, and stay almost flat through fall of 2011.
The main reason for continued decline, according to Mark Zandi, economist and co-founder of Economy.com, is foreclosures—the same thing that’s plagued markets for the past three years.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Duck-Watch-out-for-falling-cnnm-2203896884.html?x=0
Learn more about the $8000 Home Tax Credit Before it Expires
http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/
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I usually lump organized religion, organized labor, and organized crime together. The Mafia gets points for having the best restaurants. ~Dave Beard
America’s Financial Crisis- how bad is it?
General Motors, once the strongest and largest corporation in America, went bankrupt because Management didn’t see the mistakes they made until it was too late.
Now the same thing is happening to the U.S. Government.
Even Ben Bernacke is touting the need for fiscal restraint in Washington.
“There is a real chance America could go bankrupt”. Bill O’Reilly, Talking Points 2/12/10
“U. S. credit rating at risk- Moody’s”. Daily Telegraph
The AAA bond rating on U.S. bonds is threatened as Moody’s says U.S. finances are already extended and could be overstretched.
Other News items:
-National Debt at 12.4 Trillion Dollars and growing. (See www.usdebtclock.org)
• Warren Buffet says the economy is in shambles but thinks it will improve in 4 years. When asked why he thinks it will improve he said, “Because it always has”.
• The United Nations and China have both proposed replacing the U.S. dollar as the defacto world currency because of our weakened economy.
• The U.S. government is spending beyond its budget; it is only able to operate because of foreign loans.
• Manufacturing in the U.S. is at its lowest in 26 years.
• The wealth of America is being sapped dry as each year we send:
$265 billion to OPEC and other oil producing countries
$296 billion to China for items we import
• According to the non partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), by 2019 a whopping 82% of our Gross Domestic Product will go to pay down our national debt. This means in future years the U.S. government could owe its creditors more than the entire economy can produce!
To sign the ‘mother of all petitions’ to stop our reckless federal spending, go to:
http://www.amac.us/petition/
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BREAKING NEWS
A recent Toyota internal memo was "leaked" to the Drudge Report. Among the memo's conclusions is that the Obama Administration and its "activist" Congressional crusaders are "not industry friendly." And while Toyota's executives on the Hill are remaining calm in the face of withering Congressional temper-tantrums (two hearings by two committees), the fact that company operatives leaked the memo is a clear message to Congress: Be careful how far you take this.
I do not think the political class are listening to the warning Toyota's upper management have subtly telegraphed to Congress.
Meanwhile, here's the real story you won't generally see reported:
· Toyota is being singled out by the congressional majority because its employees have rejected unionization. Ford Motor Company recalled some 4 million cars last year alone (Toyota's recall has so far been limited to 650,000 cars).
· The defective gas pedals and floor mats Congress is squawking about are actually entirely American-made! In part to appease the politicians over the years, Toyota subcontracted their construction to U.S.-based companies.
· To do business in the United States, Toyota has paid significant tribute to the political left which is now thanklessly savaging them. For example, Investor's Business Daily notes Toyota has played ball and knuckled under to Jesse Jackson's race-baiting corporate shakedowns, giving him and other left-wing extortionists the lion's share of $7.8 billion for handouts to his favorite liberal groups.
· Because Toyota has based its operations in states with lower tax rates and Right to Work laws disallowing forced unionism, the powers-that-be in Washington are out to get them. Obama's Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, has actually advised Americans not to drive Toyotas.
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Demilitarizing local police…many 3rd World Dictators Envious
By Richard Diamond
Just over four years ago, Salvatore J. Culosi was gunned down by a Fairfax County, Va., SWAT team member who suspected the 37-year-old optometrist of wagering on football games. County officials insist that it was an accident when Officer Devall Bullock squeezed the trigger of his .45-caliber pistol, sending a bullet into the chest of the unarmed man. In 2007, the Culosi family sued Mr. Bullock and the county for financial and punitive damages related to the incident.
Then-Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr. refused to file involuntary-manslaughter charges. The punishment Mr. Bullock suffered for killing a non-threatening man with no criminal record was a three-week suspension without pay.
As former Cato Institute policy analyst Radley Balko meticulously documented in a 2006 paper, “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America,” law enforcement agencies around the country have increased their use of military-style tactics to deal with low-risk situations. Mr. Balko mapped 43 specific examples in which use of the SWAT team led to the death of an innocent and 173 cases in which military-style tactics were used against people who, apparently unlike Dr. Culosi, had not broken any laws.
One of the highest-profile examples of this type of mistake was the 2008 raid on the home of Berwyn Heights, Md., Mayor Cheye Calvo. SWAT team officers gunned down Mr. Calvo’s dogs, which were attempting to flee out of fear while Mr. Calvo and his family were held at gunpoint - even though they and the friendly black Labrador retrievers had done nothing wrong. The Prince George’s County sheriff’s department cleared itself, declaring the operation a success.
NOTE: Now, you might see how valuable our free FREEDOM report might be!
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6476
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/26/demilitarizing-local-police/
Get the full PDF file of Overkill here:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/balko_whitepaper_2006.pdf
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Can You Afford to be Poor in the US?
Writing in the Harvard Law & Policy Review, Matt Fellowes examines the higher prices lower-income workers pay for basic necessities—home loans, groceries, and financial services—and outlines a combination of initiatives that can bring down business costs, curb unscrupulous behavior, and boost consumer knowledge to reduce these prices, creating up to thousands of dollars in extra family spending power.
The working poor (a growing percentage of US citizens) pay more for just about everything from autos and insurance to mortgages, medical care and food…what boils to in essence, a ghetto tax. A single person in this country needs to earn $16.40 hourly wage to afford the average 2-bedroom apartment.
NOTES: Doesn’t it make you wonder…the middle class, what’s left of it, is getting poorer. I pity most of today’s college grads who finish school thousands of dollars in debt and with few solid job prospects (I guess they can always become a greeter at Wal Mart). A BA today is worth about as much as my honorary doctorate. One of our readers sent me an email about a CBS report that military families at the Miramax Air Base in California are getting food supplies from an area food bank and that military recruiters now include applications for food stamps in their orientation packets.
With Wal Mart wages now the norm, I wonder which is worth more…the US dollar or the Peso? It’s obvious they cannot support the economy and it goes back to what I’ve been saying the 1980s – “Burger flippers can’t afford $40K cars!” A wonderful case of Disaster Capitalism and a shell game thanks to government policy and Wall Street greed!
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2007/0723childrenfamilies_fellowes.aspx
http://hellowallet.com/
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Whatever happened to Usury Laws?
Predatory lending has become the norm in this country, especially with those loan sharks on nearly every corner called ‘check cashing’ storefronts. So what ever happened to usury laws in this country?
Definition: Usury is defined as the act of lending money at an unreasonably high interest rate, this rate is defined at the state level. Repayment of loans at a usurious rate makes repayment excessively difficult to impossible for borrowers. This is also called “loan sharking” or “predatory lending”.
Many states have abandoned such laws in order to allow credit card firms and other financial pirates to scam the low income public.
Usury is a very old notion that is almost as old as banking itself. It was first simple the charging of a fee for a loan, something obviously accepted today. As the notion of interest, or a flat-rate fee, for loans became common, the definition change to charging a rate perceived as excessive.
Find the usury limits in your state by visiting:
http://www.usurylaw.com/
Suggested Reading:
This Land is Their Land by Barbara Ehrenreich (author of Nickel & Dimed)
After America: Narratives for the Next Global Age by Paul Starobin - 2009
That’s the roundup for this week pardners!
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Bruce “The Poor Man” http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
Our Mission: To protect and promote your freedom, civil rights, financial well being and overall self reliance in these turbulent times.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Civil Unrest & Consumer Confidence, Recycle Pallets
The Poor Man’s Recession Bulletin
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Preparing for Civil Unrest
· What Recession?
· More Money Saving tips & Resources
· Consumer confidence falls – again
· Recycling Wood Pallets
Every government degenerates when trusted
To the rulers of the people alone.”
--Thomas Jefferson
The Recession Paradox-Where is it?
Prior to moving back to Michigan for family reasons, we heard reports of how bad the recession is in this state. I think it’s a lie. My mother’s home sold in less than three days of listing it for more than its asking price. Valentine’s Day saw a 90-minute wait at an area Olive Garden restaurant. Every retail business we’ve visited during the past 60-days has been crowded with shoppers. Every auction we’ve attended has been crowded with buyers (spending big bucks). There are no boarded up businesses in the community we moved to. Area newspapers would not report on our free Recession Survival workshop.
Reports of rising use of shelters and food banks still make the nightly news, but it seems confined to areas, which have been on a downward spiral for years such as Detroit, Pontiac and Flint.
As reported last week, cities and state budgets are the ones hurting most from the recession; despite massive federal bailout funds. It sure seems to me that political entities never learn to rein in their budgets. But, government was never supposed to be a growth industry.
Perhaps Ayn Rand’s idea portrayed in Atlas Shrugged is coming true – all the smart people have quit working in order to cut government revenues off at the knees!
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More Ways to Save Money
Visit these sites for printable coupons and more.
· On eBay purchases, go to: Honesty.com
· On Gas, go to: Gasbuddy.com
· On Groceries, go to: TheGroceryGame.com
· On Clothing, go to: RetailMeNot.com
TIP! Watch out for discounts offered after you make an online purchase. Some retailers use the promise of a future discount to lure you into joining a membership fee-based club; don’t waste your time or money.
TIP! Make your printer’s ink last longer by ignoring the warning light. There’s usually 20% more ink left when the 1st warning comes on AND switch your printer setting from ‘standard’ to draft (unless it’s an important document) – save as much as 50% of your ink.
TIP! Soothe sore muscles by filling an old sock with rice and tie a knot at the end. Heat it in your microwave for 30-seconds, then apply to sore areas.
TIP! Now is the time to trade in your old inefficient appliance while getting $100s of dollars back. Take advantage of the new Cash for Appliance stimulus plan. Each state is rolling out the plan at different times, so plan accordingly. Check out this site to find the best time to buy: ApplianceRebate.com – the site also lists any other rebates available from the manufacturer or utility company.
TIP! Make soil testing easy this year for your garden or small farm with a free soil-testing chart which can be downloaded at: www.hobbyfarms.com/soiltest
TIP! Learn more about raising ducks from the Univ of Calif Coop Extension at:
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/ducks.pdf
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Creative Uses for Wooden Pallets
I moved into a “new” house last spring — a 1923, one-story bungalow with a full basement. The full, dry, clean basement was a big selling point, as I have a lot of stuff in boxes — years (generations) worth of books, scrapbooks and other mementos. I was thrilled to know I could store these treasures in a safe, dry location.
Have you noticed I used the word “dry” a couple of times? Well, that would be the issue — whether the basement really was dry year round. And, no, it was not (as we found out after the first big rain storm). A lovely little stream runs from one corner, across the floor and pools in the area where the old coal furnace used to sit. Hmmmmm
The best solution for me was to put the boxes up off the floor. We occasionally have a pile of wooden pallets at work. I hauled six of them home, laid black plastic on top of each pallet and piled on the boxes. The plastic prevents any moisture that seeps into the wood from getting into the cardboard boxes. A great solution until I can build permanent shelving.
The pallets were free and have served me well. More at:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Hands-On-How-To/Wooden-Pallets.aspx?utm_content=02.24.10+DIY&utm_campaign=DIY&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email
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28 Tasty Tips to Save on Food
According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the average American family spent $6,443 on food. To put that number in perspective, that “average” family consists of 2.5 people (not a nice mental image) with an income of $63,563. So from these numbers we can surmise that our average family spends about 10% of their income on food.
Depending on who you choose to believe (there’s some dispute about this) the average American family also carries a $5,000 balance on credit cards. If they’re paying 15% interest, that’s more than $750/yr.
Conclusion? We could materially impact two expenses simultaneously if we could convince the average American family to eat their credit cards…read all of the tips here:
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/02/19/tips-to-save-on-food/
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"The state tends to expand in proportion to its means of existence and to live beyond its means, and these are, in the last analysis, nothing but the substance of the people. Woe to the people that cannot limit the sphere of action of the state! Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity, all vanish." --French economist Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)
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News Roundup & Commentary
Consumer confidence falls sharply…what a shock!
NEW YORK – A monthly poll showed consumers' confidence took a surprisingly sharp fall in February amid rising job worries. The decline ends three straight months of improvement and raises concerns about the economic recovery.
The Conference Board said Tuesday its Consumer Confidence Index fell almost 11 points to 46 in February, down from a revised 56.5 in January. Analysts were expecting only a slight decrease to 55.
The increasing pessimism is a big blow to hopes that consumer spending will power an economic recovery. Economists watch the confidence numbers closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. Meanwhile, our federal government is preparing for civil unrest if the sheep get out of control…
Staring at frightening unemployment reports, his massive "stimulus" doing nothing but fan profound taxpayer resentment and Tea Party protests...
President Obama has quietly ordered 80,000+ returning GI's to retrain for deployment in U.S. cities & towns to quell "domestic emergencies"
ALL SIGNS POINT to pent up anger and simmering civil unrest across our nation – from grossly overtaxed workers and citizens fed up with the non-stop flood of illegal aliens...
...to the rising numbers of unemployed and discouraged workers whose job prospects are bleak and whose benefits have run out...
...to the massive underclass that is dependent for its very existence on a continuous stream of taxpayer handouts – the ones who have been promised the earth, moon, and stars on a silver platter by an administration which is now flat broke.
In coming months when middle class Americans run out of jobs, cash, credit, and patience... when the dependent class misses a few welfare checks and Food Stamp cards...
In a recent press interview, Col. Lou Vogler, U.S. Army Northern Command, characterized the Consequence Management Response Force as intended purely "for domestic operations... to reinforce state and local responders."
Vogler's Marine Corps counterpart, Lt. Col. James Shores, confirmed "this [unit] is precedent-setting" in terms of the extent of military preparedness for responding to domestic unrest.
A year ago, The Washington Post noted the Obamacrats would earmark at least 20,000 troops returning from Iraq to deal with "domestic emergencies."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100223/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy
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10 Job Sectors in Decline
People in almost every profession may feel like jobs are scarce right now. For many industries, this is a temporary situation. But jobs in some fields are expected to continue disappearing even after the economy picks up.
Is your industry on the decline? The federal government projects that a number of industries will lose jobs from 2008 to 2018.
"You can't sit around and wait for news to come out about what's going to happen to your industry," said Alexandra Levit, author of "New Job, New You." "You have to be proactive about this."
Disappearing Jobs
Here's a list of the top 10 industries expected to lose the most jobs by 2018 -- and what to do if you're working in one of them:
1. Department stores: Projected to lose 10.2 percent of the 1.56 million jobs they had in 2008.
2. Semiconductor manufacturing: Projected to lose 33.7 percent of the 432,000 jobs it had in 2008.
3. Motor vehicle parts manufacturing: Projected to lose 18.6 percent of its 544,000 jobs…More at:
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-10_job_sectors_in_decline-1090
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State studies toughening limits on property seizures
“Legal” Seizure happen everywhere in this country-Not Right!
LANSING — Some lawmakers want to require police departments to charge suspects with a crime before seizing property.
Even though the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, Dan Korobkin, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, said seizures of property are a big problem in the state.
“People who aren’t committing or being charged with a crime are having their property taken away,” Korobkin said. “It flips the saying, innocent until proven guilty.”
The ACLU sued the Detroit Police Department for a 2008 raid on the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. The police suspected the gallery of serving alcohol without a permit.
That incident sparked legislative interest.
Police seized 40 legally parked cars belonging to some of the 100 people charged with loitering.
Those whose cars were seized had to pay fines of about $1,000 to retrieve them, according to the ACLU, although all criminal charges were dismissed.
Korobkin said that is a common practice, not just in Detroit but all around the state and country.
A person whose property is seized by the police must prove his or her innocence, even if not charged with a crime.
http://thecountypress.mihomepaper.com/news/2010-02-24/News/State_studies_toughening_limits_on_property_seizur.html
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When the 16th Amendment Became Law
Ninety-four years ago this week the United States Constitution suffered its worst-ever addition when the 16th Amendment, which permits a progressive income tax, was ratified by Congress. In just one sentence, a mere 31 words long, our relationship with those who would rule over us was changed dramatically.
A graduated federal income tax became legal for the first time in our country’s history on Feb. 25, 1913, thanks to 16th Amendment. Prior to its ratification the courts had repeatedly ruled that a progressive income tax—that is, the more you earn the greater percentage the government would take—was unconstitutional.
Thanks to a virtual conspiracy among the rich and powerful and their lackeys in Congress, Americans were persuaded that a graduated income tax (a key plank in the Communist Manifesto, by the way) would “soak the rich” and shower benefits on the poor. Instead, as many warned at the time, the tax and those who enforce it have done incalculable harm to the spirit of freedom and independence that once typified this country.
—Chip Wood
Gatekeepers Destroy American Democracy
It’s no wonder to me the mainstream press and both political parties dislike the Tea Party movement…after all, it might mean an actual challenge to their power. Each political party, lobbyist and other special interest group have a vested interest in keeping citizens from getting involved in the political process.
The sheep in this country are kept docile and in the dark about the political process…how to run for office, how to initiate a voter petition, even how our Bill of Rights works (or doesn’t work). We do not have a level playing field and system is set up (by Democrats & Republicans) to keep 3rd parties from gaining access to the system.
It’s easy to see how the re-education of our young people has worked to keep them from knowing American history or how the system is supposed to work. State and local governments work hard to ensure we cannot even exercise our right to public assembly…without the necessary permits and fees! In New York, for example there is a fee to use a bullhorn at a public rally! Whoever came up with that should be tarred and feathered.
Our nation was founded by protestors, not sheep. Today, most folks are so frustrated by our current system (which does not resemble what our Founders had in mind) they’ve given up practicing democracy – BECAUSE we no longer live in one. Our Bill of Rights has been eroded, our schools ‘dummied down,’ and our two-party system is in gridlock most of the time.
Contemplating the huge financial divide between CEOs and slave workers (something which has affected nearly all of the middle class), the increasing polarization of classes in this country…is it any wonder so many in government and elsewhere are predicting urban chaos or class warfare within the next few years?
As I always say We don’t need another election, we need another revolution!
It’s high time we said no to legislators and took our country back. With that in mind you should consider joining a tea party chapter in your area (or start one). Get rid of elected representatives in Congress who’ve served too long. Make your voice heard…you’ll learn a lot by reading the following book or by visiting her site at:
www.AmericanFreedomCampaign.org
SUGGESTED READING:
Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries by Naomi Wolf (published by Simon & Schuster – 2008)
That’s it for this week’s exciting episode!
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
P.S. If you were unable to attend our Recession Survival workshop but would like the handout, drop me an email at bedavid@yahoo.com with ‘Workshop’ in subject line.
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Preparing for Civil Unrest
· What Recession?
· More Money Saving tips & Resources
· Consumer confidence falls – again
· Recycling Wood Pallets
Every government degenerates when trusted
To the rulers of the people alone.”
--Thomas Jefferson
The Recession Paradox-Where is it?
Prior to moving back to Michigan for family reasons, we heard reports of how bad the recession is in this state. I think it’s a lie. My mother’s home sold in less than three days of listing it for more than its asking price. Valentine’s Day saw a 90-minute wait at an area Olive Garden restaurant. Every retail business we’ve visited during the past 60-days has been crowded with shoppers. Every auction we’ve attended has been crowded with buyers (spending big bucks). There are no boarded up businesses in the community we moved to. Area newspapers would not report on our free Recession Survival workshop.
Reports of rising use of shelters and food banks still make the nightly news, but it seems confined to areas, which have been on a downward spiral for years such as Detroit, Pontiac and Flint.
As reported last week, cities and state budgets are the ones hurting most from the recession; despite massive federal bailout funds. It sure seems to me that political entities never learn to rein in their budgets. But, government was never supposed to be a growth industry.
Perhaps Ayn Rand’s idea portrayed in Atlas Shrugged is coming true – all the smart people have quit working in order to cut government revenues off at the knees!
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More Ways to Save Money
Visit these sites for printable coupons and more.
· On eBay purchases, go to: Honesty.com
· On Gas, go to: Gasbuddy.com
· On Groceries, go to: TheGroceryGame.com
· On Clothing, go to: RetailMeNot.com
TIP! Watch out for discounts offered after you make an online purchase. Some retailers use the promise of a future discount to lure you into joining a membership fee-based club; don’t waste your time or money.
TIP! Make your printer’s ink last longer by ignoring the warning light. There’s usually 20% more ink left when the 1st warning comes on AND switch your printer setting from ‘standard’ to draft (unless it’s an important document) – save as much as 50% of your ink.
TIP! Soothe sore muscles by filling an old sock with rice and tie a knot at the end. Heat it in your microwave for 30-seconds, then apply to sore areas.
TIP! Now is the time to trade in your old inefficient appliance while getting $100s of dollars back. Take advantage of the new Cash for Appliance stimulus plan. Each state is rolling out the plan at different times, so plan accordingly. Check out this site to find the best time to buy: ApplianceRebate.com – the site also lists any other rebates available from the manufacturer or utility company.
TIP! Make soil testing easy this year for your garden or small farm with a free soil-testing chart which can be downloaded at: www.hobbyfarms.com/soiltest
TIP! Learn more about raising ducks from the Univ of Calif Coop Extension at:
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/ducks.pdf
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Creative Uses for Wooden Pallets
I moved into a “new” house last spring — a 1923, one-story bungalow with a full basement. The full, dry, clean basement was a big selling point, as I have a lot of stuff in boxes — years (generations) worth of books, scrapbooks and other mementos. I was thrilled to know I could store these treasures in a safe, dry location.
Have you noticed I used the word “dry” a couple of times? Well, that would be the issue — whether the basement really was dry year round. And, no, it was not (as we found out after the first big rain storm). A lovely little stream runs from one corner, across the floor and pools in the area where the old coal furnace used to sit. Hmmmmm
The best solution for me was to put the boxes up off the floor. We occasionally have a pile of wooden pallets at work. I hauled six of them home, laid black plastic on top of each pallet and piled on the boxes. The plastic prevents any moisture that seeps into the wood from getting into the cardboard boxes. A great solution until I can build permanent shelving.
The pallets were free and have served me well. More at:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Hands-On-How-To/Wooden-Pallets.aspx?utm_content=02.24.10+DIY&utm_campaign=DIY&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email
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<<<>>>
28 Tasty Tips to Save on Food
According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the average American family spent $6,443 on food. To put that number in perspective, that “average” family consists of 2.5 people (not a nice mental image) with an income of $63,563. So from these numbers we can surmise that our average family spends about 10% of their income on food.
Depending on who you choose to believe (there’s some dispute about this) the average American family also carries a $5,000 balance on credit cards. If they’re paying 15% interest, that’s more than $750/yr.
Conclusion? We could materially impact two expenses simultaneously if we could convince the average American family to eat their credit cards…read all of the tips here:
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/02/19/tips-to-save-on-food/
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"The state tends to expand in proportion to its means of existence and to live beyond its means, and these are, in the last analysis, nothing but the substance of the people. Woe to the people that cannot limit the sphere of action of the state! Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity, all vanish." --French economist Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)
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News Roundup & Commentary
Consumer confidence falls sharply…what a shock!
NEW YORK – A monthly poll showed consumers' confidence took a surprisingly sharp fall in February amid rising job worries. The decline ends three straight months of improvement and raises concerns about the economic recovery.
The Conference Board said Tuesday its Consumer Confidence Index fell almost 11 points to 46 in February, down from a revised 56.5 in January. Analysts were expecting only a slight decrease to 55.
The increasing pessimism is a big blow to hopes that consumer spending will power an economic recovery. Economists watch the confidence numbers closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. Meanwhile, our federal government is preparing for civil unrest if the sheep get out of control…
Staring at frightening unemployment reports, his massive "stimulus" doing nothing but fan profound taxpayer resentment and Tea Party protests...
President Obama has quietly ordered 80,000+ returning GI's to retrain for deployment in U.S. cities & towns to quell "domestic emergencies"
ALL SIGNS POINT to pent up anger and simmering civil unrest across our nation – from grossly overtaxed workers and citizens fed up with the non-stop flood of illegal aliens...
...to the rising numbers of unemployed and discouraged workers whose job prospects are bleak and whose benefits have run out...
...to the massive underclass that is dependent for its very existence on a continuous stream of taxpayer handouts – the ones who have been promised the earth, moon, and stars on a silver platter by an administration which is now flat broke.
In coming months when middle class Americans run out of jobs, cash, credit, and patience... when the dependent class misses a few welfare checks and Food Stamp cards...
In a recent press interview, Col. Lou Vogler, U.S. Army Northern Command, characterized the Consequence Management Response Force as intended purely "for domestic operations... to reinforce state and local responders."
Vogler's Marine Corps counterpart, Lt. Col. James Shores, confirmed "this [unit] is precedent-setting" in terms of the extent of military preparedness for responding to domestic unrest.
A year ago, The Washington Post noted the Obamacrats would earmark at least 20,000 troops returning from Iraq to deal with "domestic emergencies."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100223/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy
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10 Job Sectors in Decline
People in almost every profession may feel like jobs are scarce right now. For many industries, this is a temporary situation. But jobs in some fields are expected to continue disappearing even after the economy picks up.
Is your industry on the decline? The federal government projects that a number of industries will lose jobs from 2008 to 2018.
"You can't sit around and wait for news to come out about what's going to happen to your industry," said Alexandra Levit, author of "New Job, New You." "You have to be proactive about this."
Disappearing Jobs
Here's a list of the top 10 industries expected to lose the most jobs by 2018 -- and what to do if you're working in one of them:
1. Department stores: Projected to lose 10.2 percent of the 1.56 million jobs they had in 2008.
2. Semiconductor manufacturing: Projected to lose 33.7 percent of the 432,000 jobs it had in 2008.
3. Motor vehicle parts manufacturing: Projected to lose 18.6 percent of its 544,000 jobs…More at:
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-10_job_sectors_in_decline-1090
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State studies toughening limits on property seizures
“Legal” Seizure happen everywhere in this country-Not Right!
LANSING — Some lawmakers want to require police departments to charge suspects with a crime before seizing property.
Even though the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, Dan Korobkin, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, said seizures of property are a big problem in the state.
“People who aren’t committing or being charged with a crime are having their property taken away,” Korobkin said. “It flips the saying, innocent until proven guilty.”
The ACLU sued the Detroit Police Department for a 2008 raid on the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. The police suspected the gallery of serving alcohol without a permit.
That incident sparked legislative interest.
Police seized 40 legally parked cars belonging to some of the 100 people charged with loitering.
Those whose cars were seized had to pay fines of about $1,000 to retrieve them, according to the ACLU, although all criminal charges were dismissed.
Korobkin said that is a common practice, not just in Detroit but all around the state and country.
A person whose property is seized by the police must prove his or her innocence, even if not charged with a crime.
http://thecountypress.mihomepaper.com/news/2010-02-24/News/State_studies_toughening_limits_on_property_seizur.html
>>><<<
When the 16th Amendment Became Law
Ninety-four years ago this week the United States Constitution suffered its worst-ever addition when the 16th Amendment, which permits a progressive income tax, was ratified by Congress. In just one sentence, a mere 31 words long, our relationship with those who would rule over us was changed dramatically.
A graduated federal income tax became legal for the first time in our country’s history on Feb. 25, 1913, thanks to 16th Amendment. Prior to its ratification the courts had repeatedly ruled that a progressive income tax—that is, the more you earn the greater percentage the government would take—was unconstitutional.
Thanks to a virtual conspiracy among the rich and powerful and their lackeys in Congress, Americans were persuaded that a graduated income tax (a key plank in the Communist Manifesto, by the way) would “soak the rich” and shower benefits on the poor. Instead, as many warned at the time, the tax and those who enforce it have done incalculable harm to the spirit of freedom and independence that once typified this country.
—Chip Wood
Gatekeepers Destroy American Democracy
It’s no wonder to me the mainstream press and both political parties dislike the Tea Party movement…after all, it might mean an actual challenge to their power. Each political party, lobbyist and other special interest group have a vested interest in keeping citizens from getting involved in the political process.
The sheep in this country are kept docile and in the dark about the political process…how to run for office, how to initiate a voter petition, even how our Bill of Rights works (or doesn’t work). We do not have a level playing field and system is set up (by Democrats & Republicans) to keep 3rd parties from gaining access to the system.
It’s easy to see how the re-education of our young people has worked to keep them from knowing American history or how the system is supposed to work. State and local governments work hard to ensure we cannot even exercise our right to public assembly…without the necessary permits and fees! In New York, for example there is a fee to use a bullhorn at a public rally! Whoever came up with that should be tarred and feathered.
Our nation was founded by protestors, not sheep. Today, most folks are so frustrated by our current system (which does not resemble what our Founders had in mind) they’ve given up practicing democracy – BECAUSE we no longer live in one. Our Bill of Rights has been eroded, our schools ‘dummied down,’ and our two-party system is in gridlock most of the time.
Contemplating the huge financial divide between CEOs and slave workers (something which has affected nearly all of the middle class), the increasing polarization of classes in this country…is it any wonder so many in government and elsewhere are predicting urban chaos or class warfare within the next few years?
As I always say We don’t need another election, we need another revolution!
It’s high time we said no to legislators and took our country back. With that in mind you should consider joining a tea party chapter in your area (or start one). Get rid of elected representatives in Congress who’ve served too long. Make your voice heard…you’ll learn a lot by reading the following book or by visiting her site at:
www.AmericanFreedomCampaign.org
SUGGESTED READING:
Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries by Naomi Wolf (published by Simon & Schuster – 2008)
That’s it for this week’s exciting episode!
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
P.S. If you were unable to attend our Recession Survival workshop but would like the handout, drop me an email at bedavid@yahoo.com with ‘Workshop’ in subject line.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
What Americans Want, DIY WindPower, Commentary
The Poor Man’s Bulletin
Your choice for usable information
It has been my experience that folks
Who have no vices have very few virtues.
--Abraham Lincoln
This Issue
· What Americans Want
· Build your own Wind Power
· State of the states & political news roundup
· $10 a gallon fuel prices?
There should be little doubt by now that our world faces a fossil fuel crunch (see story below) and higher fuel prices mean higher prices for everything. Since the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970s one would think our ‘leaders’ would have pushed for energy independence…not so!
Wind power, for instance, is emerging as a centerpiece for the new economy. It’s abundant, low cost and widely available. Yet, I see many communities fight against wind turbine farms (it don’t look pretty).
Below you will find additional resources for creating an off-the-grid community.
Free – 3-Part video series on building your own Wind Power Generator
http://living-off-the-grid.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:build-a-wind-generator-video-3&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
Find state and local incentives for installing solar & installers
www.findsolar.com
American Solar Energy Society – Learn about the new technologies available
www.ases.org
Learn about the new thin-film laminate products for your home
www.uni-solar.com
Turn your roof into a solar hot water system
www.libertynrg.com
Suggested Reading:
Feeding the Fire: the lost history & Uncertain Future of Mankind’s Energy Addiction
By Mark Eberhart Harmony Books 2007
Uses for Sour & Regular Milk
We don’t drink much milk in our household and inevitably, it goes sour before it is used up. I freeze the left over milk and use it in many ways including adding it to pancake batter and other baking recipes. Once cooked, you can’t tell the difference. Here are several ways to use milk.
· Make frozen fish taste like it was freshly caught. Place the fish in a bath of milk until it thaws.
· Polish silverware in sour milk. Soak the silver in milk for 30-minutes to loosen the tarnish, wash in warm soapy water and buff.
· Soothe sunburn and insect bites by making a milk paste for relief. Mix one part powdered milk with two parts and water, add a pinch of salt and dab it on the bite or burn. Enzymes will neutralize the bite.
· Clean patent leather by dabbing on a little milk. Let dry and then buff
· Use leftover milk containers to make ice blocks – leave room at the top for expansion.
I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government
And report the facts. –Will Rogers
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Note: I seldom include recipes, but these sound pretty good & I do enjoy cooking!
Eat Well, Spend Less
From Natural Home, by Deborah Huso
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/cooking/eat-well-spend-less.aspx
Trimming your grocery bills doesn’t have to mean giving up healthful eating. “It’s a myth that healthy food cannot be cooked on a budget,” said Ross Dobson, author of Casual Entertaining (Ryland Peters and Small, 2009). “Try your local farmer’s market. Locally grown organic produce will not be as expensive as you think.”
The hardest part of eating well on a budget is planning, said American Dietetic Association spokesperson Marisa Moore. She suggests several key strategies: Shop for produce in season when it’s cheapest; buy less expensive, organic grocery-store brand staples such as cereals and rice; and make extra of freezable meals such as soup or casseroles so you use them later.
Stock nutritious, economical standbys including rice and pasta, frozen vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and dried herbs and spices, said Anne Sheasby, author of Mediterranean: The Low-Fat No-Fat Cookbook (Southwater, 2009).
Canned or dried beans are a nutritious, low-cost staple. Beans cost only about 50 cents (or less) per half-cup serving, and they’re loaded with fiber and potassium, said Jessie Price, deputy food editor for Eating Well magazine. Eggs are another highly nutritious option. “A large egg costs 23 cents,” Price said, “and they have lots of protein as well as lutein for eye health.” Other low-cost items that pack a strong nutritional punch include bananas, potatoes, yogurt and even lean ground beef. Adding a whole grain such as bulgur reduces calories, fat and expense while increasing fiber.
“When it comes to fresh food like meat, dairy and vegetables, buy in relatively small quantities on a weekly basis and bolster your meals with cheaper staples,” Dobson said. Stick to easy-to-prepare, budget-friendly basics such as pasta and rice and enhance them by adding flavorful, health-enhancing ingredients such as in-season produce, herbs and roasted root vegetables.
The biggest way to save money is to make sure you use all the food you buy. Prepare as much as possible in advance so you don’t waste food that spoils before you turn it into meals. Cut up fruits and vegetables the day you purchase them so they’re ready to eat or cook with. Most importantly, Moore says, stick to your grocery list. Don’t engage in impulse buys, especially if they’re not good for you.
Quick Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables
Serves 4
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound baby potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
(or 1 teaspoon dried)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (12 ounces each) bone-in chicken breasts, halved crosswise
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red- or white-wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Toss turnips, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Transfer 2 teaspoons flour to a bowl and whisk in broth; set aside. Season chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, skin-side up, and cook until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. After vegetables have roasted for 15
minutes, stir and place one piece of chicken, skin-side down, in each corner of the baking sheet. Return to oven and roast about 20 minutes more.
6. When chicken and vegetables have about 10 minutes left, return skillet to medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk reserved broth mixture again, add to pan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Stir in mustard and vinegar. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauce.
Roasted Bell Pepper and Walnut Dip
Serves 6 to 8
To make dip
3 large red bell peppers
1 slice day-old sourdough bread, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
To season, garnish and serve
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to drizzle
Chopped pistachios
Toasted flatbread, roughly torn
1. Cook bell peppers one at a time by skewering on a fork and holding directly over a gas flame for 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin is blackened all over. Alternatively, put them on a baking sheet and roast in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover with kitchen towel until cool enough to handle.
2. Remove skin and seeds from peppers, and tear flesh into pieces. (Don’t rinse, as this will remove the smoky flavor.)
3. Put pepper flesh and all other dip ingredients in a food processor and process to a coarse paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours.
4. To serve, bring dip to room temperature and transfer to a shallow bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve with torn toasted flatbreads. The dip will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
Excerpted from Natural Home, a national magazine that provides practical ideas, inspiring examples and expert opinions about healthy, ecologically sound, beautiful homes. To read more articles from Natural Home, please visit www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com or call 800-340-5846 to subscribe. Copyright 2009 by Ogden Publications Inc.
The government of the United States is not,
In any sense, founded on the Christian Religion.--George Washington
US debt will keep growing even with recovery…Congress is killing our country.
WASHINGTON – It’s bad enough that Greece’s debt problems have rattled global financial markets. In the world’s largest economic and military power, there’s a far more serious debt dilemma.
For the U.S., the crushing weight of its debt threatens to overwhelm everything the federal government does, even in the short-term, best-case financial scenario — a full recovery and a return to prerecession employment levels.
The government already has made so many promises to so many expanding “mandatory” programs. Just keeping these commitments, without major changes in taxing and spending, will lead to deficits that cannot be sustained.
The U.S. debt crisis also raises the question of how long the world’s leading power can remain its largest borrower…
New Poll Shows what Americans want.
The Peterson foundation commissioned a rigorous national poll by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies in late March 2009. We wanted to see whether the recent hard times had made people more likely to accept reforms. And the answer was yes.
Above all, Americans told us that they want to get the economy back on track. But their second priority for the Obama administration was somewhat surprising. They wanted the president and the Congress to address our escalating deficits and debt levels. A cynic might suggest that it’s easy to endorse fiscal responsibility – as long as the money to pay for it doesn’t come out of your own pocket. Bill Clinton succeeded with the help of a strong economy; in the 1990s, we didn’t feel that the government was picking our pockets. In the 2010s, our weak economy could work for Obama: We have seen what irresponsible spending can lead to, and it’s scary.
Cracks are continuing to appear in our government’s financial foundation. In the fall of 2009, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures our bank deposits, revealed that it faced serious cash-flow challenges. So did the Transportation Department’s Highway Trust Fund. And the Social Security Administration disclosed that the retirement and survivors insurance program was expected to pay out more than it took in during 2010-11.
Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_deficit_crunch
http://dailyreckoning.com/us-recession/
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Secession: A Solution to the Washington Debt Threat
Frédéric Bastiat must have been looking toward the future of the United States today when he said, “When plunder has become a way of life for a group of people living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it, and a moral code that glorifies it.”
I fear the federal government will plunder much of our private wealth, retirement plans and personal savings through hyperinflation, financial controls and confiscatory tax rates all in the name of protecting the public from a future debt crisis unless the states can secede from the Union and the crushing Washington debt load. Get the rest of the story:
http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/
News Flash
In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out in mass and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups. (NOTE: we placed an entire section on our site devoted to this idea…get rid of these self serving politicians)!
Little Brother is as bad as Big Brother…
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), state spending grew from $945.3 billion in 2000 to more than $1.5 trillion 2008, almost a 58.7 percent increased during what can be termed the boom years, where revenues were generally rising. Despite the economic downturn in 2007, spending still grew by about $100 billion in 2008.
In fact, in the past 3 years, the states' troubles have only increased due to declining revenue and an unwillingness to make necessary cuts. According to Sunshinereview.org, state budget shortfalls totaled $113.2 billion for FY 2009, and then rose to $142.6 billion in FY 2010. With the number now alarmingly rising to $180 billion for FY 2011, it is time for the federal government to send a message to states: it is time to cut state operations back to levels justified by revenue.
Now it’s time for Americans to waste tons of hours on income taxes…
There's a better way. Steve Forbes based two unsuccessful Presidential campaigns in 1996 and 2000 on the concept of a single-rate flat tax with few deductions, while Rep. John Linder of Georgia has spent the past decade introducing a consumption-based solution dubbed the FairTax to each new session of Congress.
While both methods are long on merits and could easily be adjusted to rates assuring sufficient funds for necessary government programs, there's one element missing from these alternatives which prevents them from getting traction inside the Beltway or in any state capital.
America's complex tax code allows Washington to control behavior through reward or punishment. In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama noted, "We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families…We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college."
Few would argue our income tax plan is insanity at its best and despite Congress being told it is illegal according to our Constitution (by the Supreme Court in the 1890s) these pirates forced an amendment on us while foisting the Federal Reserve scheme on the American public…go figure as to why we’re now in trouble?!
>>><<<
The Saudi Oil Cupboard is nearly bare…maybe half of what they claim!
The U.S. and China both have a growing problem with the price of oil and with the unstable countries they have to buy it from. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China both have HUGE reserves of coal.
Add in Australia and Canada and you've got four countries that you could call the OPEC of coal. They own just about all the coal there is.
For thousands of years coal was used sparingly. It was used in ancient China to smelt bronze and the Romans used it for heating. In the 1300s, the Hopi Indians used it for cooking, heating, and to fire pottery.
Coal use has fallen out of favor due to ‘acid rain’ but current technology eliminates that problem (and others).
The U.S. alone has 254 billion tons of proven coal reserves, or about 25% of the world total. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, with 24% of the world's oil (if you believe it). Coal could be the next primary source of fossil fuel in this country…if we fail to exploit this resource, we could be headed for $150 a barrel oil prices…this would mean $10 a gallon pump prices. Not a good thing for the economy or us poor folk!
Our massive coal reserves might prove a good thing as the rumor mill has it that China will no longer purchase dollar denominated stocks EXCEPT those guaranteed by our government…
The US Needs to Create an Energy-Industrial Complex
I know many environmentalists dislike the use of nuclear power plants. However, I see that France has done well with them. I also know our Navy has 80+ ship-based nuclear reactors and 5,400 reactor years of accident-free experience. Our military/government/corporate complex has a tendency to look at everything with short-term eyes…what we need is to apply the same thinking we had during the cold war (as in we spent a lot of money in research to deter communism) to our national energy problem!
The right to be left alone is indeed
The beginning of all freedom. –Justice William Douglas
That’s it for this week.
Feel free to share this with your friends.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
Res ipsa loquitur (The Facts Speak for Themselves).
Your choice for usable information
It has been my experience that folks
Who have no vices have very few virtues.
--Abraham Lincoln
This Issue
· What Americans Want
· Build your own Wind Power
· State of the states & political news roundup
· $10 a gallon fuel prices?
There should be little doubt by now that our world faces a fossil fuel crunch (see story below) and higher fuel prices mean higher prices for everything. Since the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970s one would think our ‘leaders’ would have pushed for energy independence…not so!
Wind power, for instance, is emerging as a centerpiece for the new economy. It’s abundant, low cost and widely available. Yet, I see many communities fight against wind turbine farms (it don’t look pretty).
Below you will find additional resources for creating an off-the-grid community.
Free – 3-Part video series on building your own Wind Power Generator
http://living-off-the-grid.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:build-a-wind-generator-video-3&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50
Find state and local incentives for installing solar & installers
www.findsolar.com
American Solar Energy Society – Learn about the new technologies available
www.ases.org
Learn about the new thin-film laminate products for your home
www.uni-solar.com
Turn your roof into a solar hot water system
www.libertynrg.com
Suggested Reading:
Feeding the Fire: the lost history & Uncertain Future of Mankind’s Energy Addiction
By Mark Eberhart Harmony Books 2007
Uses for Sour & Regular Milk
We don’t drink much milk in our household and inevitably, it goes sour before it is used up. I freeze the left over milk and use it in many ways including adding it to pancake batter and other baking recipes. Once cooked, you can’t tell the difference. Here are several ways to use milk.
· Make frozen fish taste like it was freshly caught. Place the fish in a bath of milk until it thaws.
· Polish silverware in sour milk. Soak the silver in milk for 30-minutes to loosen the tarnish, wash in warm soapy water and buff.
· Soothe sunburn and insect bites by making a milk paste for relief. Mix one part powdered milk with two parts and water, add a pinch of salt and dab it on the bite or burn. Enzymes will neutralize the bite.
· Clean patent leather by dabbing on a little milk. Let dry and then buff
· Use leftover milk containers to make ice blocks – leave room at the top for expansion.
I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government
And report the facts. –Will Rogers
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Note: I seldom include recipes, but these sound pretty good & I do enjoy cooking!
Eat Well, Spend Less
From Natural Home, by Deborah Huso
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/cooking/eat-well-spend-less.aspx
Trimming your grocery bills doesn’t have to mean giving up healthful eating. “It’s a myth that healthy food cannot be cooked on a budget,” said Ross Dobson, author of Casual Entertaining (Ryland Peters and Small, 2009). “Try your local farmer’s market. Locally grown organic produce will not be as expensive as you think.”
The hardest part of eating well on a budget is planning, said American Dietetic Association spokesperson Marisa Moore. She suggests several key strategies: Shop for produce in season when it’s cheapest; buy less expensive, organic grocery-store brand staples such as cereals and rice; and make extra of freezable meals such as soup or casseroles so you use them later.
Stock nutritious, economical standbys including rice and pasta, frozen vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and dried herbs and spices, said Anne Sheasby, author of Mediterranean: The Low-Fat No-Fat Cookbook (Southwater, 2009).
Canned or dried beans are a nutritious, low-cost staple. Beans cost only about 50 cents (or less) per half-cup serving, and they’re loaded with fiber and potassium, said Jessie Price, deputy food editor for Eating Well magazine. Eggs are another highly nutritious option. “A large egg costs 23 cents,” Price said, “and they have lots of protein as well as lutein for eye health.” Other low-cost items that pack a strong nutritional punch include bananas, potatoes, yogurt and even lean ground beef. Adding a whole grain such as bulgur reduces calories, fat and expense while increasing fiber.
“When it comes to fresh food like meat, dairy and vegetables, buy in relatively small quantities on a weekly basis and bolster your meals with cheaper staples,” Dobson said. Stick to easy-to-prepare, budget-friendly basics such as pasta and rice and enhance them by adding flavorful, health-enhancing ingredients such as in-season produce, herbs and roasted root vegetables.
The biggest way to save money is to make sure you use all the food you buy. Prepare as much as possible in advance so you don’t waste food that spoils before you turn it into meals. Cut up fruits and vegetables the day you purchase them so they’re ready to eat or cook with. Most importantly, Moore says, stick to your grocery list. Don’t engage in impulse buys, especially if they’re not good for you.
Quick Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables
Serves 4
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound baby potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
(or 1 teaspoon dried)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (12 ounces each) bone-in chicken breasts, halved crosswise
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons red- or white-wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Toss turnips, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Transfer 2 teaspoons flour to a bowl and whisk in broth; set aside. Season chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, skin-side up, and cook until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. After vegetables have roasted for 15
minutes, stir and place one piece of chicken, skin-side down, in each corner of the baking sheet. Return to oven and roast about 20 minutes more.
6. When chicken and vegetables have about 10 minutes left, return skillet to medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk reserved broth mixture again, add to pan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Stir in mustard and vinegar. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauce.
Roasted Bell Pepper and Walnut Dip
Serves 6 to 8
To make dip
3 large red bell peppers
1 slice day-old sourdough bread, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
To season, garnish and serve
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to drizzle
Chopped pistachios
Toasted flatbread, roughly torn
1. Cook bell peppers one at a time by skewering on a fork and holding directly over a gas flame for 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin is blackened all over. Alternatively, put them on a baking sheet and roast in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover with kitchen towel until cool enough to handle.
2. Remove skin and seeds from peppers, and tear flesh into pieces. (Don’t rinse, as this will remove the smoky flavor.)
3. Put pepper flesh and all other dip ingredients in a food processor and process to a coarse paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours.
4. To serve, bring dip to room temperature and transfer to a shallow bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve with torn toasted flatbreads. The dip will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
Excerpted from Natural Home, a national magazine that provides practical ideas, inspiring examples and expert opinions about healthy, ecologically sound, beautiful homes. To read more articles from Natural Home, please visit www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com or call 800-340-5846 to subscribe. Copyright 2009 by Ogden Publications Inc.
The government of the United States is not,
In any sense, founded on the Christian Religion.--George Washington
US debt will keep growing even with recovery…Congress is killing our country.
WASHINGTON – It’s bad enough that Greece’s debt problems have rattled global financial markets. In the world’s largest economic and military power, there’s a far more serious debt dilemma.
For the U.S., the crushing weight of its debt threatens to overwhelm everything the federal government does, even in the short-term, best-case financial scenario — a full recovery and a return to prerecession employment levels.
The government already has made so many promises to so many expanding “mandatory” programs. Just keeping these commitments, without major changes in taxing and spending, will lead to deficits that cannot be sustained.
The U.S. debt crisis also raises the question of how long the world’s leading power can remain its largest borrower…
New Poll Shows what Americans want.
The Peterson foundation commissioned a rigorous national poll by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies in late March 2009. We wanted to see whether the recent hard times had made people more likely to accept reforms. And the answer was yes.
Above all, Americans told us that they want to get the economy back on track. But their second priority for the Obama administration was somewhat surprising. They wanted the president and the Congress to address our escalating deficits and debt levels. A cynic might suggest that it’s easy to endorse fiscal responsibility – as long as the money to pay for it doesn’t come out of your own pocket. Bill Clinton succeeded with the help of a strong economy; in the 1990s, we didn’t feel that the government was picking our pockets. In the 2010s, our weak economy could work for Obama: We have seen what irresponsible spending can lead to, and it’s scary.
Cracks are continuing to appear in our government’s financial foundation. In the fall of 2009, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures our bank deposits, revealed that it faced serious cash-flow challenges. So did the Transportation Department’s Highway Trust Fund. And the Social Security Administration disclosed that the retirement and survivors insurance program was expected to pay out more than it took in during 2010-11.
Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_deficit_crunch
http://dailyreckoning.com/us-recession/
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Secession: A Solution to the Washington Debt Threat
Frédéric Bastiat must have been looking toward the future of the United States today when he said, “When plunder has become a way of life for a group of people living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it, and a moral code that glorifies it.”
I fear the federal government will plunder much of our private wealth, retirement plans and personal savings through hyperinflation, financial controls and confiscatory tax rates all in the name of protecting the public from a future debt crisis unless the states can secede from the Union and the crushing Washington debt load. Get the rest of the story:
http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/
News Flash
In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out in mass and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups. (NOTE: we placed an entire section on our site devoted to this idea…get rid of these self serving politicians)!
Little Brother is as bad as Big Brother…
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), state spending grew from $945.3 billion in 2000 to more than $1.5 trillion 2008, almost a 58.7 percent increased during what can be termed the boom years, where revenues were generally rising. Despite the economic downturn in 2007, spending still grew by about $100 billion in 2008.
In fact, in the past 3 years, the states' troubles have only increased due to declining revenue and an unwillingness to make necessary cuts. According to Sunshinereview.org, state budget shortfalls totaled $113.2 billion for FY 2009, and then rose to $142.6 billion in FY 2010. With the number now alarmingly rising to $180 billion for FY 2011, it is time for the federal government to send a message to states: it is time to cut state operations back to levels justified by revenue.
Now it’s time for Americans to waste tons of hours on income taxes…
There's a better way. Steve Forbes based two unsuccessful Presidential campaigns in 1996 and 2000 on the concept of a single-rate flat tax with few deductions, while Rep. John Linder of Georgia has spent the past decade introducing a consumption-based solution dubbed the FairTax to each new session of Congress.
While both methods are long on merits and could easily be adjusted to rates assuring sufficient funds for necessary government programs, there's one element missing from these alternatives which prevents them from getting traction inside the Beltway or in any state capital.
America's complex tax code allows Washington to control behavior through reward or punishment. In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama noted, "We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families…We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college."
Few would argue our income tax plan is insanity at its best and despite Congress being told it is illegal according to our Constitution (by the Supreme Court in the 1890s) these pirates forced an amendment on us while foisting the Federal Reserve scheme on the American public…go figure as to why we’re now in trouble?!
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The Saudi Oil Cupboard is nearly bare…maybe half of what they claim!
The U.S. and China both have a growing problem with the price of oil and with the unstable countries they have to buy it from. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China both have HUGE reserves of coal.
Add in Australia and Canada and you've got four countries that you could call the OPEC of coal. They own just about all the coal there is.
For thousands of years coal was used sparingly. It was used in ancient China to smelt bronze and the Romans used it for heating. In the 1300s, the Hopi Indians used it for cooking, heating, and to fire pottery.
Coal use has fallen out of favor due to ‘acid rain’ but current technology eliminates that problem (and others).
The U.S. alone has 254 billion tons of proven coal reserves, or about 25% of the world total. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, with 24% of the world's oil (if you believe it). Coal could be the next primary source of fossil fuel in this country…if we fail to exploit this resource, we could be headed for $150 a barrel oil prices…this would mean $10 a gallon pump prices. Not a good thing for the economy or us poor folk!
Our massive coal reserves might prove a good thing as the rumor mill has it that China will no longer purchase dollar denominated stocks EXCEPT those guaranteed by our government…
The US Needs to Create an Energy-Industrial Complex
I know many environmentalists dislike the use of nuclear power plants. However, I see that France has done well with them. I also know our Navy has 80+ ship-based nuclear reactors and 5,400 reactor years of accident-free experience. Our military/government/corporate complex has a tendency to look at everything with short-term eyes…what we need is to apply the same thinking we had during the cold war (as in we spent a lot of money in research to deter communism) to our national energy problem!
The right to be left alone is indeed
The beginning of all freedom. –Justice William Douglas
That’s it for this week.
Feel free to share this with your friends.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
Res ipsa loquitur (The Facts Speak for Themselves).
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Cut Property Taxes, Tea Party Lesson, Frugal Resources
The only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes, beer and cigarettes, since these are the only products still produced in the US.”
This Week’s Poor Man Bulletin
Your Choice for Usable Information
Rewards for Recycling
Rewards for Recycling is a community based program that provides a Club-Based system providing rewards to residents encouraging curbside recycling participation. Your community, by adopting this valuable program has made club membership available to you simply for being a resident. Rewards for Recycling is a community participation program, not a competition.
Learn more by visiting:
http://www.rewardsforrecycling.com/howitworks.htm
New Gold Rush?
Officials at the Suwa sewage treatment plant in Japan are extracting gold from processed sewage. They average 1,890 grams of gold per ton of incinerated sludge. More than is processed from most gold mines. It’s believed the gold is from hi-tech manufacturers in the area!
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How to Reduce Your Property Taxes
In the mid 90s I owned 10 acres and a 10-bedroom, 18,000 sq. ft. home and my property tax bill was only $1100 per year. This was a bargain compared to my retired father who lived in a new Michigan subdivision and was paying $5000!
With some coaching and a variety of tools, including a senior citizen homestead exemption, he was able to cut that bill in half.
The housing market may have softened, but many homeowners are discovering one place where their property values remain at peak levels: on the local property-tax roll.
Because many local governments assign values to properties in their jurisdictions only once every three or more years, many homes still carry assessments from the market's peak, in 2005 and 2006. Some of these valuations are only now being reflected in taxpayers' bills. As a result, the National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit advocacy group in Alexandria, Va., expects local property-tax bills to increase at least 5% this year, on top of 7% to 8% average annual gains since 2001.
In response, homeowners in many parts of the country have filed a record number of property-tax appeals this year. You can lodge an appeal at any time, though if you want to affect your tax bill for the current fiscal year, you may have to file by a specific deadline. Get the steps you need to lower your bill by going to our site - click on “lower your property tax” tab. http://www.poormansurvival.com or visit:
http://www.ntu.org/main/
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25 Ways to Cut Household Expenses
An arsenal of weapons to start cutting your expenses right away.
http://www.squidoo.com/cuttinghouseholdexpenses
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New State Government Scam…
Many cash-strapped state governments are considering legislation that will allow them to claim balances on gift cards that go unused. Nearly half the states currently grab unused card balances after two to five years of inactivity. You should purchase cards that allow you to register your information with the issuing company.
www.consumer-action.org
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Find locally grown foods: Directory of farmer’s markets, family farms and more at:
www.localharvest.org
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Find Day Old Bakery Outlets in your area
http://www.bakeryoutlets.com/
http://www.likemerchantships.org/2009/03/bargain-secret-bakery-thrift-stores.html
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More Household hints for living cheaper!
· If you still use a dishwasher, clean it with Kool-Aid vs. buying special, overpriced powders at the store. Just dump in a packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid.
· Use cat litter to make a facial mud mask. The clay in litter detoxifies your skin by absorbing dirt and oil from pores.
· The key ingredient in Alka Seltzer is aspirin and you can use it to clean your toilet – drop a couple of tablets into your bowl and let it work for 20 minutes. Use it to also clean your jewelry to soothe insect bites (drop two tablets into a glass of water, then dip a cotton ball & apply to the bite).
· Use aspirin to revive a dead car battery if you don’t have jumper cables. Drop two tablets into the battery; the acetylsalicylic acid will combine with the battery’s sulfuric acid to produce one last charge.
· Use beer to soften up tough meat. Simply pour over the tough cut and let it soak for an hour or marinate it overnight or place into your slow cooker with the meat.
· Use left over cardboard tubes from toilet paper to keep electric cords tangle free or flatten them out to secure kitchen knives when you go on a picnic. We often use these tubes in packing delicate items we sell on eBay.
· Don’t toss your dryer lint. Save it in a zip-lock bag and use it in your firepit to get the kindling started.
· Erase winter salt stains from your hardwood floors with Apple Cider Vinegar. Pour 1 tbs. Onto a cloth and start dabbing at the edges of the marks, working your way toward the center; won’t damage the wood floor. Use this vinegar too to get rid of bad foot odor (like my brother used to have). Simply soak your feet in a solution of 1/3 cup of vinegar and a ½ cup of warm water for about 30-minutes. Repeat nightly until the odor is gone.
· Use Vicks Vapo Rub to treat toenail fungus-simply apply several times a day or use it to stop insect-bite itch – apply a liberal portion.
Vicks was created by a pharmacist in 1905. Realizing he needed to promote the new product, he convinced postal authorities to allow him to send ads via the mail addressed to ‘boxholder.’ Our first ‘junk mail.’
Need to brush up on your Valentine’s flirting? >>>>”The other night, after I crawled into bed next to my husband, he wrapped his arms around me, took a deep breath, and whispered, :Mmmm-that Vicks smells good.”
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How & Where to hide or store your guns – useful free site
http://www.mouseguns.com/storage.htm
Free Potato (Spudgun) Cannon Plans…something to beat the winter doldrums – why spend $12-$20 when you can get the plans free at these sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMNbAqxE2TU
http://www.spudzooka.net/SpudZooka/fueled.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Potato-Launcher
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Bad economy is good news for direct sales
Historically, hooking up with a direct sales firm is one of the easiest and least expensive types of home businesses to start and depending on the effort you put into it, they can be quite successful in generating extra income and tax breaks.
Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef and even Fuller Brush (started by a Black man in the 1920s) are well known names, which can prove lucrative for entrepreneurs.
At any given time, 15 million Americans work in direct sales and commissions range in the 20-50% range. After expenses, most folks earn an average of $15 an hour, but work typically less than 20 hours a week. Only about 10% manage to turn these opportunities into a full-time job. If you’re afraid of selling, this is not a venture for you.
Avoid companies, which ask for more than $150 in start up fees. You can research reputations by visiting the following sites.
www.mydswa.org
http://internetbasedmoms.com
www.dsa.org
NOTE: The above named firms are not to be confused with multi-level-marketing (MLM) firms, though many will pay you an override commission on people you recruit. MLM is good in theory, but seldom pans out financially for most folks. The one time I was persuaded to get involved with one, they went out of business the day after they cashed my check!
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Ways to make money with your blog
Although I’ve not personally tested these out, they may be worth your while. Many retailers have affiliate programs or you can earn money with product reviews. Each of the following links have their own requirements and payout plans so examine each.
www.Amazon.com
www.DrugStore.com
www.commissionjunction.com
www.LoudLaunch.com
www.SponsoredReviews.com
www.SocialSpark.com
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Six Red Flags Which Trigger IRS Audits
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/108757/avoid-an-audit-6-red-flags-you-should-Know?mod=taxes-advice_strategy
Find out which online tax prep software is the best from PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2359077,00.asp
News Flashes
Tea-Party Convention: Lessons on Palin and the Movement
Things can get awkward when protesters have to put down their placards and tackle the business of building an organization - networking online and recruiting reliable volunteers, precinct captains and even candidates. The transition is even more uncomfortable when undertaken in the glare of the national media spotlight, as the national tea-party movement attempted to do at its first convention, held in Tennessee over the weekend.
As with any protest movement, consensus proved elusive in two days of debate, but they seemed to agree on five key points:
1. Don't Tread on Me
The tea-party folks are innately suspicious of any institutions. "Keep the change ... I'll keep my freedom, my guns and my money!" read a T-shirt for sale in the lobby. The very term national convention might imply the existence of a leadership, but the activists proudly insist that there is none. "I'm a facilitator; we don't have leaders," one lady told TIME when asked if she heads her local tea-party chapter. "We're all equal in this movement."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100208/us_time/08599196072600
(NOTE: next issue will include a thought provoking concept…States to secede to accommodate Washington budget woes.
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Most Consumers happy with store brands-Big Savings
So long Pampers, Hefty, and Birds Eye. Instead, the pantry is stocked with cheaper imitations of the same goods: Wal-Mart’s diapers, BJ’s garbage bags, and Stop & Shop’s frozen veggies.
“I am not loyal to any grocery store or any brand,’’ said O’Herron, who estimates she saves at least $50 a month by buying generic brands. “I am loyal to savings.’’
A growing number of consumers like O’Herron are ditching their beloved Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Wonder Bread for less expensive versions without the familiar packaging. Unit sales of private label goods have jumped 8 percent since 2007, while brand names have declined roughly 4 percent, according to Nielsen Co.
Many shoppers are finding that sugar, shredded cheddar, and milk peddled under store labels cost up to 40 percent less and often taste just as good as nationally known brands. Some items are even made by the same manufacturers.
Shoppers’ switch to store brands suits merchants just fine because they make a bigger profit from selling their own labels. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/01/29/shoppers_are_ditching_name_brands_for_store_brands/?page=full
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Forget the Mortgage, I'm Paying My Credit Card Bill
Amid high unemployment and sliding home prices, a growing number of struggling consumers are doing what was once considered unthinkable: paying their credit card bills instead of their mortgages. A recent study developed by TransUnion found the percentage of Americans who were current on their credit cards but behind on their mortgage increased to 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2009, up from 4.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the share of consumers making mortgage payments on time but behind on their credit cards moved in the opposite direction, sliding from 4.1 percent to 3.6 percent over the same time period.
The data reflects a "fundamental paradigm shift" in the way consumers prioritize payment of debt obligations, says Ezra Becker, of TransUnion. "This is dramatically different," he says. "It is a clear manifestation of the dynamics that lead up to the recession and the recession itself."
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Forget-the-Mortgage-Im-Paying-usnews-816222158.html?x=0&.v=2
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Consumer Watchdog Says Wall Street Spent Millions To Influence Financial Reform Outcome
As the financial reform bill makes its way through Congress and the tug of war continues between the proponents and opponents of greater regulation, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization has released a report that details the Washington lobbying efforts of the financial industry.
According to the report, the Senate Banking committee members received $41 million in contributions since 2005, and representatives of Wall Street banks and investment firms spent $336 million lobbying Congress in the first three quarters of 2009.
More from our friends at: http://www.personalliberty.com/news/consumer-watchdog-says-wall-street-spent-millions-to-influence-financial-reform-outcome-19598914/
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The Dirty Dozen: How 25 percent of Americans are Dying from the Food They Eat
Pizza Hut. It ranked No. 1 on three of the Worst of the Worst lists
In the process of researching the nutritional facts from 12 of the more popular chains when a copy of Aramark Corporation’s “Guide to Fast Food” came across my desk. In this little gem I found the “tale of the tape” on 20 of the country’s most popular fast food chains. Starbucks, too! And if you think eating at Subway is good for you because of that guy from the commercial… think again. And if you think chicken served in these restaurants is a better choice than beef… you’ve been misled.
Of the 20 fast food restaurants listed in the guide I’ve culled information from 12, and I call them “The Dirty Dozen.” Below are some tables based on the information published by Aramark, as provided by the franchises themselves, or found on their websites. I call these tables, “The Worst of the Worst” (i.e., things never to eat), and “The Best of the Worst” (i.e., things almost never to eat). I then list the worst and best from the selected Dirty Dozen, in terms of overall numbers of calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
More at: http://www.personalliberty.com/health/the-dirty-dozen-how-25-percent-of-americans-are-dying-from-the-food-theyeat/
Few Americans Want Members of Congress Re-Elected, Poll Finds
Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Just 8 percent of Americans want the members of Congress re-elected, according to a CBS News-New York Times poll taken nine months before roughly one-third of the Senate and the entire House face voters.
The Feb. 5-10 survey found 81 percent of respondents saying the lawmakers shouldn’t receive another term.
By 80 percent to 13 percent, Americans said members of Congress are more interested in serving special interests than the people they represent.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20100212/pl_bloomberg/aesowriv31_g
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Politically Incorrect Commentary
How much do you think Senators make? They now make $154,700 a year. But they say it will stimulate the economy because eventually that money will trickle down to the liquor stores, the hookers, the brothels ... then it will get back in the community." —Jay Leno, on Congress voting itself a pay raise.
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Even Pelosi is in disagreement with the President on his ‘job creation tax credit’ saying it’s unlikely to create jobs…
Tax credits are nice, but in the scheme of things, most small business owners need cash or credit now to expand or to hire.
Outright grants would be great!
I believe the Netherlands provides startup grants to those who are unemployed and wish to start up a business…plus they offer complete support assistance to startups.
During the Great Depression we had programs such as the CCC and TVA, which helped to build the infrastructure of America. Programs of this nature devoted to rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, grants for manufacturing and research into alternative energy projects, low cost or tuition grants in needed career fields and more is the way to go in rebuilding this country…not more red tape.
When businesses cannot borrow money, it leads to more layoffs. (Note: one option – consider factoring –selling receivables- to raise cash and stop extending credit to customers)…
meanwhile>>>
A shocking new report out just this morning gives the lie to the government-endorsed myth that the worst is behind us ...
Official figures out of Europe show that the Eurozone barely had a pulse — growing only .1%; a mere one-fourth as fast as predicted in the last three months of 2009.
The German and Portuguese economies failed to grow at all ... Spain’s economy contracted .1% and Greece’s economy shriveled by.8%.
That brings total economic growth in the European Union to a MINUS 2.3% for the year!
Meanwhile, the news from our side of the pond wasn’t much better: Foreign investors are recoiling in horror from Washington’s spending and borrowing spree: Yesterday’s auction of 30-year treasuries was a huge disappointment — only about 28.5% of the issues were sold to indirect bidders.
What this country needs is a Citizens Oversight Committee to watch over politicians and special interest groups. Findings from this group should be broadcast in detail on FOX and other news outlets.
^^^^^^^
“I don’t know why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day.When I think of romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.”--Paul McGinty
As always, I welcome your comments and invite you to share this with your friends.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The PoorMan”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
This Week’s Poor Man Bulletin
Your Choice for Usable Information
Rewards for Recycling
Rewards for Recycling is a community based program that provides a Club-Based system providing rewards to residents encouraging curbside recycling participation. Your community, by adopting this valuable program has made club membership available to you simply for being a resident. Rewards for Recycling is a community participation program, not a competition.
Learn more by visiting:
http://www.rewardsforrecycling.com/howitworks.htm
New Gold Rush?
Officials at the Suwa sewage treatment plant in Japan are extracting gold from processed sewage. They average 1,890 grams of gold per ton of incinerated sludge. More than is processed from most gold mines. It’s believed the gold is from hi-tech manufacturers in the area!
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How to Reduce Your Property Taxes
In the mid 90s I owned 10 acres and a 10-bedroom, 18,000 sq. ft. home and my property tax bill was only $1100 per year. This was a bargain compared to my retired father who lived in a new Michigan subdivision and was paying $5000!
With some coaching and a variety of tools, including a senior citizen homestead exemption, he was able to cut that bill in half.
The housing market may have softened, but many homeowners are discovering one place where their property values remain at peak levels: on the local property-tax roll.
Because many local governments assign values to properties in their jurisdictions only once every three or more years, many homes still carry assessments from the market's peak, in 2005 and 2006. Some of these valuations are only now being reflected in taxpayers' bills. As a result, the National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit advocacy group in Alexandria, Va., expects local property-tax bills to increase at least 5% this year, on top of 7% to 8% average annual gains since 2001.
In response, homeowners in many parts of the country have filed a record number of property-tax appeals this year. You can lodge an appeal at any time, though if you want to affect your tax bill for the current fiscal year, you may have to file by a specific deadline. Get the steps you need to lower your bill by going to our site - click on “lower your property tax” tab. http://www.poormansurvival.com or visit:
http://www.ntu.org/main/
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25 Ways to Cut Household Expenses
An arsenal of weapons to start cutting your expenses right away.
http://www.squidoo.com/cuttinghouseholdexpenses
>>><<<
New State Government Scam…
Many cash-strapped state governments are considering legislation that will allow them to claim balances on gift cards that go unused. Nearly half the states currently grab unused card balances after two to five years of inactivity. You should purchase cards that allow you to register your information with the issuing company.
www.consumer-action.org
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Find locally grown foods: Directory of farmer’s markets, family farms and more at:
www.localharvest.org
>>><<<
Find Day Old Bakery Outlets in your area
http://www.bakeryoutlets.com/
http://www.likemerchantships.org/2009/03/bargain-secret-bakery-thrift-stores.html
>>><<<
More Household hints for living cheaper!
· If you still use a dishwasher, clean it with Kool-Aid vs. buying special, overpriced powders at the store. Just dump in a packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid.
· Use cat litter to make a facial mud mask. The clay in litter detoxifies your skin by absorbing dirt and oil from pores.
· The key ingredient in Alka Seltzer is aspirin and you can use it to clean your toilet – drop a couple of tablets into your bowl and let it work for 20 minutes. Use it to also clean your jewelry to soothe insect bites (drop two tablets into a glass of water, then dip a cotton ball & apply to the bite).
· Use aspirin to revive a dead car battery if you don’t have jumper cables. Drop two tablets into the battery; the acetylsalicylic acid will combine with the battery’s sulfuric acid to produce one last charge.
· Use beer to soften up tough meat. Simply pour over the tough cut and let it soak for an hour or marinate it overnight or place into your slow cooker with the meat.
· Use left over cardboard tubes from toilet paper to keep electric cords tangle free or flatten them out to secure kitchen knives when you go on a picnic. We often use these tubes in packing delicate items we sell on eBay.
· Don’t toss your dryer lint. Save it in a zip-lock bag and use it in your firepit to get the kindling started.
· Erase winter salt stains from your hardwood floors with Apple Cider Vinegar. Pour 1 tbs. Onto a cloth and start dabbing at the edges of the marks, working your way toward the center; won’t damage the wood floor. Use this vinegar too to get rid of bad foot odor (like my brother used to have). Simply soak your feet in a solution of 1/3 cup of vinegar and a ½ cup of warm water for about 30-minutes. Repeat nightly until the odor is gone.
· Use Vicks Vapo Rub to treat toenail fungus-simply apply several times a day or use it to stop insect-bite itch – apply a liberal portion.
Vicks was created by a pharmacist in 1905. Realizing he needed to promote the new product, he convinced postal authorities to allow him to send ads via the mail addressed to ‘boxholder.’ Our first ‘junk mail.’
Need to brush up on your Valentine’s flirting? >>>>”The other night, after I crawled into bed next to my husband, he wrapped his arms around me, took a deep breath, and whispered, :Mmmm-that Vicks smells good.”
>>><<<
How & Where to hide or store your guns – useful free site
http://www.mouseguns.com/storage.htm
Free Potato (Spudgun) Cannon Plans…something to beat the winter doldrums – why spend $12-$20 when you can get the plans free at these sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMNbAqxE2TU
http://www.spudzooka.net/SpudZooka/fueled.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Potato-Launcher
>>><<<
Bad economy is good news for direct sales
Historically, hooking up with a direct sales firm is one of the easiest and least expensive types of home businesses to start and depending on the effort you put into it, they can be quite successful in generating extra income and tax breaks.
Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef and even Fuller Brush (started by a Black man in the 1920s) are well known names, which can prove lucrative for entrepreneurs.
At any given time, 15 million Americans work in direct sales and commissions range in the 20-50% range. After expenses, most folks earn an average of $15 an hour, but work typically less than 20 hours a week. Only about 10% manage to turn these opportunities into a full-time job. If you’re afraid of selling, this is not a venture for you.
Avoid companies, which ask for more than $150 in start up fees. You can research reputations by visiting the following sites.
www.mydswa.org
http://internetbasedmoms.com
www.dsa.org
NOTE: The above named firms are not to be confused with multi-level-marketing (MLM) firms, though many will pay you an override commission on people you recruit. MLM is good in theory, but seldom pans out financially for most folks. The one time I was persuaded to get involved with one, they went out of business the day after they cashed my check!
>>><<<
Ways to make money with your blog
Although I’ve not personally tested these out, they may be worth your while. Many retailers have affiliate programs or you can earn money with product reviews. Each of the following links have their own requirements and payout plans so examine each.
www.Amazon.com
www.DrugStore.com
www.commissionjunction.com
www.LoudLaunch.com
www.SponsoredReviews.com
www.SocialSpark.com
>>><<<
Six Red Flags Which Trigger IRS Audits
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/108757/avoid-an-audit-6-red-flags-you-should-Know?mod=taxes-advice_strategy
Find out which online tax prep software is the best from PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2359077,00.asp
News Flashes
Tea-Party Convention: Lessons on Palin and the Movement
Things can get awkward when protesters have to put down their placards and tackle the business of building an organization - networking online and recruiting reliable volunteers, precinct captains and even candidates. The transition is even more uncomfortable when undertaken in the glare of the national media spotlight, as the national tea-party movement attempted to do at its first convention, held in Tennessee over the weekend.
As with any protest movement, consensus proved elusive in two days of debate, but they seemed to agree on five key points:
1. Don't Tread on Me
The tea-party folks are innately suspicious of any institutions. "Keep the change ... I'll keep my freedom, my guns and my money!" read a T-shirt for sale in the lobby. The very term national convention might imply the existence of a leadership, but the activists proudly insist that there is none. "I'm a facilitator; we don't have leaders," one lady told TIME when asked if she heads her local tea-party chapter. "We're all equal in this movement."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100208/us_time/08599196072600
(NOTE: next issue will include a thought provoking concept…States to secede to accommodate Washington budget woes.
>>><<<
Most Consumers happy with store brands-Big Savings
So long Pampers, Hefty, and Birds Eye. Instead, the pantry is stocked with cheaper imitations of the same goods: Wal-Mart’s diapers, BJ’s garbage bags, and Stop & Shop’s frozen veggies.
“I am not loyal to any grocery store or any brand,’’ said O’Herron, who estimates she saves at least $50 a month by buying generic brands. “I am loyal to savings.’’
A growing number of consumers like O’Herron are ditching their beloved Kellogg’s Raisin Bran and Wonder Bread for less expensive versions without the familiar packaging. Unit sales of private label goods have jumped 8 percent since 2007, while brand names have declined roughly 4 percent, according to Nielsen Co.
Many shoppers are finding that sugar, shredded cheddar, and milk peddled under store labels cost up to 40 percent less and often taste just as good as nationally known brands. Some items are even made by the same manufacturers.
Shoppers’ switch to store brands suits merchants just fine because they make a bigger profit from selling their own labels. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/01/29/shoppers_are_ditching_name_brands_for_store_brands/?page=full
>>><<<
Forget the Mortgage, I'm Paying My Credit Card Bill
Amid high unemployment and sliding home prices, a growing number of struggling consumers are doing what was once considered unthinkable: paying their credit card bills instead of their mortgages. A recent study developed by TransUnion found the percentage of Americans who were current on their credit cards but behind on their mortgage increased to 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2009, up from 4.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the share of consumers making mortgage payments on time but behind on their credit cards moved in the opposite direction, sliding from 4.1 percent to 3.6 percent over the same time period.
The data reflects a "fundamental paradigm shift" in the way consumers prioritize payment of debt obligations, says Ezra Becker, of TransUnion. "This is dramatically different," he says. "It is a clear manifestation of the dynamics that lead up to the recession and the recession itself."
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Forget-the-Mortgage-Im-Paying-usnews-816222158.html?x=0&.v=2
>>><<<
Consumer Watchdog Says Wall Street Spent Millions To Influence Financial Reform Outcome
As the financial reform bill makes its way through Congress and the tug of war continues between the proponents and opponents of greater regulation, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization has released a report that details the Washington lobbying efforts of the financial industry.
According to the report, the Senate Banking committee members received $41 million in contributions since 2005, and representatives of Wall Street banks and investment firms spent $336 million lobbying Congress in the first three quarters of 2009.
More from our friends at: http://www.personalliberty.com/news/consumer-watchdog-says-wall-street-spent-millions-to-influence-financial-reform-outcome-19598914/
<<<>>>
The Dirty Dozen: How 25 percent of Americans are Dying from the Food They Eat
Pizza Hut. It ranked No. 1 on three of the Worst of the Worst lists
In the process of researching the nutritional facts from 12 of the more popular chains when a copy of Aramark Corporation’s “Guide to Fast Food” came across my desk. In this little gem I found the “tale of the tape” on 20 of the country’s most popular fast food chains. Starbucks, too! And if you think eating at Subway is good for you because of that guy from the commercial… think again. And if you think chicken served in these restaurants is a better choice than beef… you’ve been misled.
Of the 20 fast food restaurants listed in the guide I’ve culled information from 12, and I call them “The Dirty Dozen.” Below are some tables based on the information published by Aramark, as provided by the franchises themselves, or found on their websites. I call these tables, “The Worst of the Worst” (i.e., things never to eat), and “The Best of the Worst” (i.e., things almost never to eat). I then list the worst and best from the selected Dirty Dozen, in terms of overall numbers of calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
More at: http://www.personalliberty.com/health/the-dirty-dozen-how-25-percent-of-americans-are-dying-from-the-food-theyeat/
Few Americans Want Members of Congress Re-Elected, Poll Finds
Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Just 8 percent of Americans want the members of Congress re-elected, according to a CBS News-New York Times poll taken nine months before roughly one-third of the Senate and the entire House face voters.
The Feb. 5-10 survey found 81 percent of respondents saying the lawmakers shouldn’t receive another term.
By 80 percent to 13 percent, Americans said members of Congress are more interested in serving special interests than the people they represent.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20100212/pl_bloomberg/aesowriv31_g
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Politically Incorrect Commentary
How much do you think Senators make? They now make $154,700 a year. But they say it will stimulate the economy because eventually that money will trickle down to the liquor stores, the hookers, the brothels ... then it will get back in the community." —Jay Leno, on Congress voting itself a pay raise.
>>><<<
Even Pelosi is in disagreement with the President on his ‘job creation tax credit’ saying it’s unlikely to create jobs…
Tax credits are nice, but in the scheme of things, most small business owners need cash or credit now to expand or to hire.
Outright grants would be great!
I believe the Netherlands provides startup grants to those who are unemployed and wish to start up a business…plus they offer complete support assistance to startups.
During the Great Depression we had programs such as the CCC and TVA, which helped to build the infrastructure of America. Programs of this nature devoted to rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, grants for manufacturing and research into alternative energy projects, low cost or tuition grants in needed career fields and more is the way to go in rebuilding this country…not more red tape.
When businesses cannot borrow money, it leads to more layoffs. (Note: one option – consider factoring –selling receivables- to raise cash and stop extending credit to customers)…
meanwhile>>>
A shocking new report out just this morning gives the lie to the government-endorsed myth that the worst is behind us ...
Official figures out of Europe show that the Eurozone barely had a pulse — growing only .1%; a mere one-fourth as fast as predicted in the last three months of 2009.
The German and Portuguese economies failed to grow at all ... Spain’s economy contracted .1% and Greece’s economy shriveled by.8%.
That brings total economic growth in the European Union to a MINUS 2.3% for the year!
Meanwhile, the news from our side of the pond wasn’t much better: Foreign investors are recoiling in horror from Washington’s spending and borrowing spree: Yesterday’s auction of 30-year treasuries was a huge disappointment — only about 28.5% of the issues were sold to indirect bidders.
What this country needs is a Citizens Oversight Committee to watch over politicians and special interest groups. Findings from this group should be broadcast in detail on FOX and other news outlets.
^^^^^^^
“I don’t know why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day.When I think of romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.”--Paul McGinty
As always, I welcome your comments and invite you to share this with your friends.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The PoorMan”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Made in USA Database, Underground Capitalist, WD40 Uses
The United States has developed a new weapon that destroys people but leaves buildings standing. It's called the stock market.
Can You Still Come up with money-making ideas?
Back in 80s and early 90s when I was grossing a million a year with my publishing firm, it was pretty easy to produce profitable publications. We had a circulation of nearly 40,000 and a very successful newsletter. Now, nearly all of the ideas we came up with are being offered free on the internet.
The internet has been a boon and a challenge to entrepreneurs. Some ideas, which still perplex me (such as Twitter & Facebook) generate enormous amounts of cash. PayPal was another good idea, which reaped a huge bonanza for its founder.
Throughout the years, my ‘inner circle’ have brainstormed for ideas in which to make money without a lot of investment or government licensing hassles…it’s been tough as most everything is easily duplicated by others (the old 80/20 rule).
It does seem that schlock sells in America. If something is stupid or outrageous, it has a market. Like many mainstream companies, it’s easier to take an older, successful product and dress it up with a new twist as outlined in the story below! Also, check out the report on the underground economy.
Happy hunting.
New Monopoly Game Due for ReleaseHasbro has unveiled the design of the new 75th anniversary edition of their classic board game, Monopoly, set to hit stores in fall of 2010. "Monopoly: Revolution Edition" is slick and round instead of dull and square, with debit cards and an ATM instead of paper money and a banker, clear plastic representations of the classic tokens (bye-bye, little boot!), and clips of popular songs (like Rihanna’s "Umbrella," Daniel Powter’s "Bad Day," and Beyonce's "Crazy in Love") that play after certain actions.
>>>NOTE: I invented the Middle Class Squeeze game, but have yet to find a producer for it…would also make a good TV game show!
>>><<<
Made in USA-New Database Links Consumers
If you’re like me, you’re tired of seeing our store shelves crammed with foreign made goods. Have American-made goods faded into obscurity? I’m also tired of seeing those profits going outside our country; no wonder why jobs have faded here.
Launched in July of ’09, there is a new free database that offers consumers a way of connecting with American manufacturers. You can help recycle American dollars by buying USA at:
www.MadeinUSA.com
What does AIG stand for? “Ain’t I Greedy!”
As the economy tanks and unemployment jumps, the "underground economy" option is looking pretty good to many Americans.
Making Money in the Underground Economy…the Underground Capitalist
As more folks get squeezed by unemployment, taxes, and a rising cost of living, (inflation, thanks to our government) they seek alternative means of generating revenue. The cost of starting a business is hampered by governmental costs and regulation and forget most franchises (buying a job) as they are too pricey for most.
There are many businesses one can start without much cost. A mobile auto detailing business, window washing service, mobile locksmith, computer consultant, and more.
Of course, most folks immediately think of an illegal business such as drug smuggling, tobacco smuggling, booze or porn. However, the mainstream person is simply looking for a way to generate money to pay their bills without the hassle of a full-blown business startup.
“Also invisible in the statistics are people who work off the books. No one knows the size of the underground economy. This year the Internal Revenue Service expects to collect $114 billion less than it should in taxes on legal but unreported activities. That would make the licit underground economy alone worth some $600 billion (equivalent to 10% of GDP). But economists and sociologists who've looked into it agree that it could be considerably larger, especially taking into account illegal activity. What's more, says sociologist Bruce Wiegand at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, the underground also includes a lot of people who are making ) good money. Wiegand, author of Off the Books: A Theory and Critique of the Underground Economy, has been studying this phenomenon since 1979. ''The underground economy has differentiated and expanded,'' says he. ''It is moving up into the working and middle class and going global as well.”
The underground or "black" economy is rapidly rising, and the fault is mainly due to government policies.
Here is the evidence. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) released a report last week concluding that 7.7 percent of U.S. households, containing at least 17 million adults, are unbanked (i.e. those who do not have bank accounts), and an "estimated 17.9 percent of U.S. households, roughly 21 million, are underbanked" (i.e., those who rely heavily on nonbank institutions, such as check cashing and money transmitting services). As an economy becomes richer and incomes rise, the normal expectation is that the proportion of the unbanked population falls and does not rise as is now happening in the United States.
RESOURCES:
27-page PDF on Underground Capitalism
http://mises.org/etexts/underground.pdf
http://livesafely.org/financial-freedom/underground-economy-work-under-the-table/
http://diydollars.com/diy-life/the-underground-economy/
Don’t forget our Poor Man’s Recession Survival Kit…includes 100-page PDF on 45 Ways to Make a Living Without a Job. To purchase, go to our site.
<<<>>>
Amazing Uses for WD-40
Like the formula for Coca Cola, the recipe for WD-40 remains a closely guarded secret and it’s an American product, which can be found in three out of four American households. A million cans of this useful product are produced each week. Here are some other ways to use this product:
· Clean dried glue from virtually any hard surface. Simply spray on the spot, wait 30-seconds and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
· Remove old decals in the same manner – spray, wait 30-seconds and wipe clean
· Got stains in your carpet? Spray, wait a couple of minutes, then use your regular carpet cleaner or gently cleanse with a sponge and warm, soapy water.
· Use WD-40 to clean toilet bowls instead of expensive cleaners. Spray into the bowl, wait a few seconds and clean with a brush; helps dissolve gunk and lime
· Make your old BBQ look new again by spraying it liberally with WD-40. Wait a minute or so and clean with a wire brush – use only when your grill is cool.
· Renew faded plastic lawn furniture & bring back its shine by spraying onto the surface and wipe clean.
· Keep wasps from building nests under your eaves by misting some WD-40 under all the eaves. It will block the wasps from building a nest again.
· Spray it on your fishing lures. Not only will it protect the lures from corrosion, but it actually attracts fish by disguising human odor.
· Remove burrs from your horse’s mane or tail without tearing its hair out or having to cut it off (my wife swears by this). Just spray some on & you’ll be able to slide the burrs right off.
Get 2000 more uses for WD-40 at their site: http://www.wd40.com/
More Ways to Use Duct Tape
One of our favorite programs is the Canadian TV production, The Red Green Show (available on many US PBS stations). One of Red’s (Steve Smith) favorite handyman tools is duct tape, which he uses in some pretty crazy ways. Hey, if the women don’t find you handsome, at least let them find you handy!
· Catch pesky flies by rolling off a few foot-long strips. Hang them from rafters as flypaper.
· Repair a vacuum hose which has cracked
· Wrap holiday gifts with duct tape; don’t even bother with gift wrapping paper.
· Repair a tail light; it will last until you get to the auto shop
· Make a temporary roof shingle-just wrap strips around a sheet of plywood you’ve cut to size and wedge it into place.
· Of course, all Canadians know this one…add life to a hockey stick by wrapping the bottom of the stick.
· Repair a hole in your tent; stick on both sides of the tear.
Duct tape isn’t recommended (as some have thought) for removing warts & it’s not recommend for repairing dryer ducts. You can visit the 3-M site for other solutions related to the large variety of products they carry. (3-M is another US company which even has a link where you can submit your product ideas; unusual to say the least).
http://www.scotchbrand.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ScotchBrand/Scotch/Solutions/Directory/?WT.ac=topnav_how-to
>>><<<
News Briefs & Roundup
Job losses from Great Recession about to get worse
WASHINGTON – Job losses during the Great Recession have been huge and they're about to get bigger.
When the Labor Department releases the January unemployment report Friday, it will also update its estimate of jobs lost in the year that ended in March 2009. The number is expected to rise by roughly 800,000, raising the number of jobs shed during the recession to around 8 million.
The new data will help illustrate the scope of the jobs crisis. Analysts think the economy might generate 1 million to 2 million jobs this year. And they say it will take at least three to four years for the job market to return to anything like normal.
"It's going to take a long time to dig out of this hole," said Julia Coronado, senior U.S. economist at BNP Paribas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy
Sidebar: According to the Census Bureau, growth in home workers declined. According to Sylvia Hewlett, president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, flex time employees usually work alternative schedules and from their own home but numbers show a drop since December of 2007 as more workers felt they needed to be at the office in order to demonstrate they were indispensable.
A unique feature of this recession is how damaging it has been to the nation's middle class, driving its members further and further away from the American Dream and, in some cases, directly into poverty.
President Obama, in his remarks to Senate Democrats on Wednesday, pointed out that the middle class was hurting even before the recession. "Part of the reason people are feeling anxious right now, it's not just because of this current crisis -- they've been going through this for 10 years. They've been working and not seeing a raise. Their costs have been going up, their spouses going to the workforce -- they work as hard as they can. They're barely keeping their heads above water. They're trying to figure out how to retire. They're seeing more and more of their costs on health care dumped in their lap. College tuition skyrockets.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100204/cm_huffpost/450045
http://www.worklifepolicy.org/
>>><<<
The Deficit: How to Protect Yourself
What do these budget deficits mean for you and your finances?
The federal government is expected to borrow $1.6 trillion this year, or about $15,000 for every household in the country.
Over the next 10 years it's expected to borrow a total of $8.5 trillion. And the government was already deeply in debt to begin with.
Deficits are certainly not always bad for the economy. And it makes sense for Uncle Sam to borrow heavily in a crisis, like now. But these figures are enormous. And they are expected stay big well down the road. The Obama administration forecasts deficits of $1 trillion in 2020. for important tips, go here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/108748/the-deficit-how-to-protect-yourself?mod=taxes-advice_strategy
SIDEBAR
The average family can longer afford to support government debt!
Today, ALG President Bill Wilson condemned the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to increase the national debt ceiling by nearly $2 trillion, saying "the American people are under absolutely no obligation to borrow yet more money to pay for Congress' unsustainable level of spending that threatens the nation with true default."
"No family could sustain itself in such a manner, nor can any nation which robs from future generations to purchase temporary, illusory prosperity," Wilson explained. "It is both immoral and profoundly foolish."
Even college students, facing sky high (overpriced) tuition hikes have been forced to turn to college food banks to sustain themselves!
The final vote in favor of the debt increase was 217 to 212.
"The House has once again voted to kick the can down the road instead of bringing the nation's finances into proper order," Wilson said, adding, "The House has now voted to permanently shackle the American people to a mountain of debt that cannot be paid back, further pushing the nation along the road to financial Armageddon."
Moody's has warned that the United States' Triple-A debt rating could be in jeopardy "if the current upward trend in government debt were to continue and become irreversible.
www.getliberty.org
>>><<<
That’s it for this week’s edition of the Poor Man Bulletin. If you’re worried about the Mayan calendar prediction of the world’s end in 2012, do not worry, scientists say nothing will happen.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
Can You Still Come up with money-making ideas?
Back in 80s and early 90s when I was grossing a million a year with my publishing firm, it was pretty easy to produce profitable publications. We had a circulation of nearly 40,000 and a very successful newsletter. Now, nearly all of the ideas we came up with are being offered free on the internet.
The internet has been a boon and a challenge to entrepreneurs. Some ideas, which still perplex me (such as Twitter & Facebook) generate enormous amounts of cash. PayPal was another good idea, which reaped a huge bonanza for its founder.
Throughout the years, my ‘inner circle’ have brainstormed for ideas in which to make money without a lot of investment or government licensing hassles…it’s been tough as most everything is easily duplicated by others (the old 80/20 rule).
It does seem that schlock sells in America. If something is stupid or outrageous, it has a market. Like many mainstream companies, it’s easier to take an older, successful product and dress it up with a new twist as outlined in the story below! Also, check out the report on the underground economy.
Happy hunting.
New Monopoly Game Due for ReleaseHasbro has unveiled the design of the new 75th anniversary edition of their classic board game, Monopoly, set to hit stores in fall of 2010. "Monopoly: Revolution Edition" is slick and round instead of dull and square, with debit cards and an ATM instead of paper money and a banker, clear plastic representations of the classic tokens (bye-bye, little boot!), and clips of popular songs (like Rihanna’s "Umbrella," Daniel Powter’s "Bad Day," and Beyonce's "Crazy in Love") that play after certain actions.
>>>NOTE: I invented the Middle Class Squeeze game, but have yet to find a producer for it…would also make a good TV game show!
>>><<<
Made in USA-New Database Links Consumers
If you’re like me, you’re tired of seeing our store shelves crammed with foreign made goods. Have American-made goods faded into obscurity? I’m also tired of seeing those profits going outside our country; no wonder why jobs have faded here.
Launched in July of ’09, there is a new free database that offers consumers a way of connecting with American manufacturers. You can help recycle American dollars by buying USA at:
www.MadeinUSA.com
What does AIG stand for? “Ain’t I Greedy!”
As the economy tanks and unemployment jumps, the "underground economy" option is looking pretty good to many Americans.
Making Money in the Underground Economy…the Underground Capitalist
As more folks get squeezed by unemployment, taxes, and a rising cost of living, (inflation, thanks to our government) they seek alternative means of generating revenue. The cost of starting a business is hampered by governmental costs and regulation and forget most franchises (buying a job) as they are too pricey for most.
There are many businesses one can start without much cost. A mobile auto detailing business, window washing service, mobile locksmith, computer consultant, and more.
Of course, most folks immediately think of an illegal business such as drug smuggling, tobacco smuggling, booze or porn. However, the mainstream person is simply looking for a way to generate money to pay their bills without the hassle of a full-blown business startup.
“Also invisible in the statistics are people who work off the books. No one knows the size of the underground economy. This year the Internal Revenue Service expects to collect $114 billion less than it should in taxes on legal but unreported activities. That would make the licit underground economy alone worth some $600 billion (equivalent to 10% of GDP). But economists and sociologists who've looked into it agree that it could be considerably larger, especially taking into account illegal activity. What's more, says sociologist Bruce Wiegand at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, the underground also includes a lot of people who are making ) good money. Wiegand, author of Off the Books: A Theory and Critique of the Underground Economy, has been studying this phenomenon since 1979. ''The underground economy has differentiated and expanded,'' says he. ''It is moving up into the working and middle class and going global as well.”
The underground or "black" economy is rapidly rising, and the fault is mainly due to government policies.
Here is the evidence. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) released a report last week concluding that 7.7 percent of U.S. households, containing at least 17 million adults, are unbanked (i.e. those who do not have bank accounts), and an "estimated 17.9 percent of U.S. households, roughly 21 million, are underbanked" (i.e., those who rely heavily on nonbank institutions, such as check cashing and money transmitting services). As an economy becomes richer and incomes rise, the normal expectation is that the proportion of the unbanked population falls and does not rise as is now happening in the United States.
RESOURCES:
27-page PDF on Underground Capitalism
http://mises.org/etexts/underground.pdf
http://livesafely.org/financial-freedom/underground-economy-work-under-the-table/
http://diydollars.com/diy-life/the-underground-economy/
Don’t forget our Poor Man’s Recession Survival Kit…includes 100-page PDF on 45 Ways to Make a Living Without a Job. To purchase, go to our site.
<<<>>>
Amazing Uses for WD-40
Like the formula for Coca Cola, the recipe for WD-40 remains a closely guarded secret and it’s an American product, which can be found in three out of four American households. A million cans of this useful product are produced each week. Here are some other ways to use this product:
· Clean dried glue from virtually any hard surface. Simply spray on the spot, wait 30-seconds and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
· Remove old decals in the same manner – spray, wait 30-seconds and wipe clean
· Got stains in your carpet? Spray, wait a couple of minutes, then use your regular carpet cleaner or gently cleanse with a sponge and warm, soapy water.
· Use WD-40 to clean toilet bowls instead of expensive cleaners. Spray into the bowl, wait a few seconds and clean with a brush; helps dissolve gunk and lime
· Make your old BBQ look new again by spraying it liberally with WD-40. Wait a minute or so and clean with a wire brush – use only when your grill is cool.
· Renew faded plastic lawn furniture & bring back its shine by spraying onto the surface and wipe clean.
· Keep wasps from building nests under your eaves by misting some WD-40 under all the eaves. It will block the wasps from building a nest again.
· Spray it on your fishing lures. Not only will it protect the lures from corrosion, but it actually attracts fish by disguising human odor.
· Remove burrs from your horse’s mane or tail without tearing its hair out or having to cut it off (my wife swears by this). Just spray some on & you’ll be able to slide the burrs right off.
Get 2000 more uses for WD-40 at their site: http://www.wd40.com/
More Ways to Use Duct Tape
One of our favorite programs is the Canadian TV production, The Red Green Show (available on many US PBS stations). One of Red’s (Steve Smith) favorite handyman tools is duct tape, which he uses in some pretty crazy ways. Hey, if the women don’t find you handsome, at least let them find you handy!
· Catch pesky flies by rolling off a few foot-long strips. Hang them from rafters as flypaper.
· Repair a vacuum hose which has cracked
· Wrap holiday gifts with duct tape; don’t even bother with gift wrapping paper.
· Repair a tail light; it will last until you get to the auto shop
· Make a temporary roof shingle-just wrap strips around a sheet of plywood you’ve cut to size and wedge it into place.
· Of course, all Canadians know this one…add life to a hockey stick by wrapping the bottom of the stick.
· Repair a hole in your tent; stick on both sides of the tear.
Duct tape isn’t recommended (as some have thought) for removing warts & it’s not recommend for repairing dryer ducts. You can visit the 3-M site for other solutions related to the large variety of products they carry. (3-M is another US company which even has a link where you can submit your product ideas; unusual to say the least).
http://www.scotchbrand.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ScotchBrand/Scotch/Solutions/Directory/?WT.ac=topnav_how-to
>>><<<
News Briefs & Roundup
Job losses from Great Recession about to get worse
WASHINGTON – Job losses during the Great Recession have been huge and they're about to get bigger.
When the Labor Department releases the January unemployment report Friday, it will also update its estimate of jobs lost in the year that ended in March 2009. The number is expected to rise by roughly 800,000, raising the number of jobs shed during the recession to around 8 million.
The new data will help illustrate the scope of the jobs crisis. Analysts think the economy might generate 1 million to 2 million jobs this year. And they say it will take at least three to four years for the job market to return to anything like normal.
"It's going to take a long time to dig out of this hole," said Julia Coronado, senior U.S. economist at BNP Paribas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy
Sidebar: According to the Census Bureau, growth in home workers declined. According to Sylvia Hewlett, president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, flex time employees usually work alternative schedules and from their own home but numbers show a drop since December of 2007 as more workers felt they needed to be at the office in order to demonstrate they were indispensable.
A unique feature of this recession is how damaging it has been to the nation's middle class, driving its members further and further away from the American Dream and, in some cases, directly into poverty.
President Obama, in his remarks to Senate Democrats on Wednesday, pointed out that the middle class was hurting even before the recession. "Part of the reason people are feeling anxious right now, it's not just because of this current crisis -- they've been going through this for 10 years. They've been working and not seeing a raise. Their costs have been going up, their spouses going to the workforce -- they work as hard as they can. They're barely keeping their heads above water. They're trying to figure out how to retire. They're seeing more and more of their costs on health care dumped in their lap. College tuition skyrockets.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100204/cm_huffpost/450045
http://www.worklifepolicy.org/
>>><<<
The Deficit: How to Protect Yourself
What do these budget deficits mean for you and your finances?
The federal government is expected to borrow $1.6 trillion this year, or about $15,000 for every household in the country.
Over the next 10 years it's expected to borrow a total of $8.5 trillion. And the government was already deeply in debt to begin with.
Deficits are certainly not always bad for the economy. And it makes sense for Uncle Sam to borrow heavily in a crisis, like now. But these figures are enormous. And they are expected stay big well down the road. The Obama administration forecasts deficits of $1 trillion in 2020. for important tips, go here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/108748/the-deficit-how-to-protect-yourself?mod=taxes-advice_strategy
SIDEBAR
The average family can longer afford to support government debt!
Today, ALG President Bill Wilson condemned the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to increase the national debt ceiling by nearly $2 trillion, saying "the American people are under absolutely no obligation to borrow yet more money to pay for Congress' unsustainable level of spending that threatens the nation with true default."
"No family could sustain itself in such a manner, nor can any nation which robs from future generations to purchase temporary, illusory prosperity," Wilson explained. "It is both immoral and profoundly foolish."
Even college students, facing sky high (overpriced) tuition hikes have been forced to turn to college food banks to sustain themselves!
The final vote in favor of the debt increase was 217 to 212.
"The House has once again voted to kick the can down the road instead of bringing the nation's finances into proper order," Wilson said, adding, "The House has now voted to permanently shackle the American people to a mountain of debt that cannot be paid back, further pushing the nation along the road to financial Armageddon."
Moody's has warned that the United States' Triple-A debt rating could be in jeopardy "if the current upward trend in government debt were to continue and become irreversible.
www.getliberty.org
>>><<<
That’s it for this week’s edition of the Poor Man Bulletin. If you’re worried about the Mayan calendar prediction of the world’s end in 2012, do not worry, scientists say nothing will happen.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Trends in the Great Recession-Unstuffing Your Life
“The great masses of the people will more easily
fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.”
--Adolph Hitler
Do you have a stash of cash waiting for you?
An average of 50% of Americans have money they’ve forgotten about. Try the following free sites to do a quick, free search. You never know.
· MissingMoney.com from the National Assn of Unclaimed Property Administrators – works directly with all 50 states. Check under your maiden name too and don’t forget to check for your family members.
· Did your company go out of business? Did you forget about any potential pension funds? Type in your name & company name at: Search.pbgc.gov/mp or call 800-400-7242
· Failed credit union owe you money? Call the NCUA Asset Management Center at 512-231-7900
· For failed banks, which owe you money, go to www.FDIC.gov/Funds/Index.asp or go to FDIC.gov and click on Bank Find to see if your bank merged or changed its name.
· Did you have an FHA insured mortgage? If you paid off your loan or refinanced, you might have some cash left over from the insurance they require upfront if your down payment is below 20% - go to: HUD.gov/offices/hsg/comp/refunds/index.cfm or call 800-333-4636
<<<>>>
Recessionomics 101: How to Make Extra Money
Fortunately, there also are many ways to earn extra cash even when full-time jobs and extra shifts aren't an option. They include taking in boarders, starting a small business and getting paid for your opinion. Some of this work provides only a free meal and $10 fee but others, such as tutoring or selling Grandma's diamond broach, could be quite lucrative.
The key, according to Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, is to "find your skill or what you think would be fun to do." She says, for example, someone with computer skills may want to teach a class, install computers or create Web sites.
"Think about what are people willing to pay for," says Ms. Cunningham. "Who do you know and how can you leverage existing relationships." For example, does your dentist need someone to clean the office or does your accountant need someone to cater the Christmas party?
1 Sell It: One of the fastest and easiest ways to get extra cash is to sell unwanted and unused stuff. And it's never been easier to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You could post a few signs in the neighborhood and sell everything at a Saturday garage sale or you could try the online route with services such as eBay or Craigslist.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126428109487634281.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF4
<<<>>>
Cheap Hot Water!
Bill Banack doesn't fancy himself an environmental "fanatic," but his showers, dishwasher and washing machine all use renewable energy these days. The source: three slim solar panels perched atop his 2,200-square foot Hadley, Mass., home. They don't provide electricity—they send him heat for hot water. More at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703906204575027012258855730.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF2
'Free' Credit Reports That'll Cost You
There's nothing free about forking over $179 a year for information at Freecreditreport.com.
Instead you can go to AnnualCreditReport.com, which is run by the Federal Trade Commission, and get a truly free report once a year from each of the credit agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
Remember Earth Day? It started in 1970 (at the time we had 111 million vehicles on the road; now we’re up to 254 million). The Earth Day Network is a global group of organizations who still believe. They still encourage folks around the globe to go green and their big event is scheduled for April 22nd. You can download their new toolkit that offers simple tips. Visit:
www.createthegood.org/diy-toolkits
www.billionactsofgreen.net
“I hate people who are intolerant”--Laurence Peter
>>><<<
Obama Cutting NASA Budget-Space Program
While the US never has a problem increasing our military budget, Obama has decided to cut our space exploration program – something, which does far more good than the evils of war. Without our space program, Americans wouldn’t have cell phone technology, GPS, and other advanced technology we enjoy! (even Tang).
I know many among us feel the space program is a waste of money, but it is not. How much do you want to bet that our military budget in terms of outer space technology, won’t be cut.
I grew up reading Popular Mechanics which predicted we’d have flying cars by now – what happened; where are they? Before I pass away, I want to know are we alone?
>>><<<
Americans Coming of Age in the Great Recession
BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire - 01/27/10) - Context-Based Research Group, an ethnographic firm with a global network of consumer anthropologists, and Carton Donofrio Partners, an advertising agency in Baltimore, today unveiled key findings from their new research report, "Coming of Age in the Great Recession."
One of the most interesting findings is that 78 percent agreed the American Dream has died, however, based on responses, we see that a new dream -- focused on freedom and ideals rather than material possessions -- is being born," said Dr. Robbie Blinkoff, principal anthropologist and co-founder of Context-Based Research Group. "In our studies, we found people reaching this epiphany and then going through a 'coming of age' process that's leading to new attitudes and new ways of interacting with the world."
What will this mean for our culture and for consumerism? Read the rest of the story at:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-Study-by-Consumer-iw-3736206499.html?x=0&.v=1
SIDEBAR
Profitable niches which will interest consumers include:
Cheap | ‘Cheap’ is king, both because of the recession (reduced spending power), and because of the shift away from ‘bling’ towards frugality and practicality as new status symbols.
· Smaller and/or limited number of features, to keep prices low.
· Simpler, or easier to use, for inexperienced consumers.
· Energy efficient (or not using any traditional energies at all) and/or easy to repair and/or waste-reducing.
· Robust, as some of them are used in rugged conditions.
· Well-designed (the democratization of design is a global phenomenon).
· Aimed at helping owners to generate income, or allow users to create self-sustaining systems
http://trendwatching.com/briefing/
<<<>>>
“I don’t care what your income bracket is. I don’t
think anybody is secure.” –Gail H. Las Vegas
Obama unveils $3.83T budget with massive deficits
Ominous Economic signs loom…potential fallout exists!
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama sent Congress a $3.83 trillion budget on Monday that would pour more money into the fight against high unemployment, boost taxes on the wealthy and freeze spending for a wide swath of government programs.
The deficit for this year would surge to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion, topping last year's then unprecedented $1.41 trillion gap. The deficit would remain above $1 trillion in 2011 although the president proposed to institute a three-year budget freeze on a variety of programs outside of the military and homeland security as well as increasing taxes on energy producers and families making more than $250,000.
But…
Respected economist and forecaster George Whitehurst-Berry has offered this astute explanation of the financial gyrations rocking U.S. markets, as quoted:
"We are in the terminal stages of the world's most gigantic pyramid scheme," he explained, referring to the ultimate collapse of the U.S.-led monetary order that will permanently impoverish millions.
This threat is so real that top Pentagon intelligence experts are running live "planning scenarios" in which resource-rich nations like Russia and China exploit U.S. indebtedness to wreak sudden havoc in our financial system and basic economy.
In the 2009 Unrestricted Warfare Symposium at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, intelligence analyst James Richards unveiled a blueprint detailing exactly how U.S. enemies could drop the value of the dollar by a shocking 75%, crippling our economy overnight.
President Obama's proposed initiatives aimed at bringing peace of mind back to middle- and low-income earners won't do much to stimulate the economy and in general don't help the unemployed but could represent a tiny beacon for many struggling Americans in this recessionary storm.
Here's just a glimpse of the likely fallout:
· A price explosion as Americans scramble over one another to buy tangible assets or simply hoard basic necessities, before the dollar's purchasing power evaporates fully.
· Widespread shortages, sparse grocery store shelves and the return of long gas lines.
· Failed businesses and economic dislocations far eclipsing anything we've seen to date.
· Rising crime and rampant unemployment.
· Government handouts drying up, with an angry dependent class taking to the streets.
Wall Street & Other Markets Are Down-
Greece & Portugal in Trouble Now
The U.S. government suffers from the same, or worse, underlying disease as Greece, Portugal, or any other victim of the contagion — massive, out-of-control federal deficits. America's burden was $1.4 trillion last year and ANOTHER $1.4 trillion this year.
The government cannot create jobs or real money…
I might just be a fool but the Poor Man feels the economic signs are not good. One cannot continue to spend on borrowed money. Most foreign governments are already extremely nervous about the US treasury and debt…what happens when the spigot runs dry?
Do you know that it is a crime to try to keep what you earn and save? Just try to hold onto what “Uncle Sam” claims you owe. The government plans on hiring over 1,000 new IRS agents to go after the American people for more money. Tax attorney Marshall Langer says Obama plans a value added tax (VAT) like Europe has. Once started it will get higher and higher.
Can we afford Obama? As a part of this tremendous budget, Obama has earmarked $100 billion for jobs (mostly in the form of tax cuts for small businesses which hire). Wouldn’t it be easier to send each adult a check for $500,000 with the provision the money be used to start a business?
For more on the budget, go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100201/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_budget
>>><<<
Wet summer, more demand could create seed shortage
DES MOINES, Iowa – Dreaming of biting into a garden-fresh cucumber sandwich this summer? Better order your seeds now.
A poor growing season last year and increased orders from Europe could make it difficult for home gardeners to get seeds for the most popular cucumber variety and some vegetables this spring. Farmers, who usually grow different varieties than home gardeners, aren't likely to be affected.
Seeds for what's known as open-pollinated cucumbers seem to be most scarce, but carrots, snap peas and onions also could be in short supply.
"I suspect there will be some seeds you just won't be able to buy if you wait too long on it," said Bill Hart, the wholesale manager in charge of seed purchasing at Chas. C. Hart Seed Company in Wethersfield, Conn. "The sugar snap peas we're not able to get at all, and other companies that have it will sell out pretty quickly."
Personally, I just purchased a large quantity of seeds for 20 cents a pack!
>>><<<
Jobless Rates Won’t Improve anytime soon says forecast…
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is predicting little improvement in the nation's unemployment rate by the end of the year.
Although President Barack Obama says the multitrillion-dollar spending plan released Monday is designed to get Americans back to work, the administration forecasts 9.8 percent unemployment at the end of this year. That would be down only slightly from the current rate of 10 percent.
Those predictions are in line forecasts from independent economists. The administration is predicting 8.9 percent unemployment at the end of 2011, and 7.9 unemployment percent by the end of 2012.
Here’s an idea…why not send unemployed construction contractors to Haiti instead of the US Army and pay them to rebuild that country…perhaps another stateside job stimulus program would be to hire those folks to rebuild our own crumbling infrastructure!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tools for Self Protection & Self Reliance
http://www.tbotech.com/cmd.asp?af=1126539
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That’s it for this week’s Bulletin. Saw the movie Book of Eli this weekend – great flick…don’t forget about our upcoming Recession Survival Workshop slated for Thurs Feb 25th in Imlay City, MI…go to our website to register.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.”
--Adolph Hitler
Do you have a stash of cash waiting for you?
An average of 50% of Americans have money they’ve forgotten about. Try the following free sites to do a quick, free search. You never know.
· MissingMoney.com from the National Assn of Unclaimed Property Administrators – works directly with all 50 states. Check under your maiden name too and don’t forget to check for your family members.
· Did your company go out of business? Did you forget about any potential pension funds? Type in your name & company name at: Search.pbgc.gov/mp or call 800-400-7242
· Failed credit union owe you money? Call the NCUA Asset Management Center at 512-231-7900
· For failed banks, which owe you money, go to www.FDIC.gov/Funds/Index.asp or go to FDIC.gov and click on Bank Find to see if your bank merged or changed its name.
· Did you have an FHA insured mortgage? If you paid off your loan or refinanced, you might have some cash left over from the insurance they require upfront if your down payment is below 20% - go to: HUD.gov/offices/hsg/comp/refunds/index.cfm or call 800-333-4636
<<<>>>
Recessionomics 101: How to Make Extra Money
Fortunately, there also are many ways to earn extra cash even when full-time jobs and extra shifts aren't an option. They include taking in boarders, starting a small business and getting paid for your opinion. Some of this work provides only a free meal and $10 fee but others, such as tutoring or selling Grandma's diamond broach, could be quite lucrative.
The key, according to Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, is to "find your skill or what you think would be fun to do." She says, for example, someone with computer skills may want to teach a class, install computers or create Web sites.
"Think about what are people willing to pay for," says Ms. Cunningham. "Who do you know and how can you leverage existing relationships." For example, does your dentist need someone to clean the office or does your accountant need someone to cater the Christmas party?
1 Sell It: One of the fastest and easiest ways to get extra cash is to sell unwanted and unused stuff. And it's never been easier to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You could post a few signs in the neighborhood and sell everything at a Saturday garage sale or you could try the online route with services such as eBay or Craigslist.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126428109487634281.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF4
<<<>>>
Cheap Hot Water!
Bill Banack doesn't fancy himself an environmental "fanatic," but his showers, dishwasher and washing machine all use renewable energy these days. The source: three slim solar panels perched atop his 2,200-square foot Hadley, Mass., home. They don't provide electricity—they send him heat for hot water. More at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703906204575027012258855730.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF2
'Free' Credit Reports That'll Cost You
There's nothing free about forking over $179 a year for information at Freecreditreport.com.
Instead you can go to AnnualCreditReport.com, which is run by the Federal Trade Commission, and get a truly free report once a year from each of the credit agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
Remember Earth Day? It started in 1970 (at the time we had 111 million vehicles on the road; now we’re up to 254 million). The Earth Day Network is a global group of organizations who still believe. They still encourage folks around the globe to go green and their big event is scheduled for April 22nd. You can download their new toolkit that offers simple tips. Visit:
www.createthegood.org/diy-toolkits
www.billionactsofgreen.net
“I hate people who are intolerant”--Laurence Peter
>>><<<
Obama Cutting NASA Budget-Space Program
While the US never has a problem increasing our military budget, Obama has decided to cut our space exploration program – something, which does far more good than the evils of war. Without our space program, Americans wouldn’t have cell phone technology, GPS, and other advanced technology we enjoy! (even Tang).
I know many among us feel the space program is a waste of money, but it is not. How much do you want to bet that our military budget in terms of outer space technology, won’t be cut.
I grew up reading Popular Mechanics which predicted we’d have flying cars by now – what happened; where are they? Before I pass away, I want to know are we alone?
>>><<<
Americans Coming of Age in the Great Recession
BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire - 01/27/10) - Context-Based Research Group, an ethnographic firm with a global network of consumer anthropologists, and Carton Donofrio Partners, an advertising agency in Baltimore, today unveiled key findings from their new research report, "Coming of Age in the Great Recession."
One of the most interesting findings is that 78 percent agreed the American Dream has died, however, based on responses, we see that a new dream -- focused on freedom and ideals rather than material possessions -- is being born," said Dr. Robbie Blinkoff, principal anthropologist and co-founder of Context-Based Research Group. "In our studies, we found people reaching this epiphany and then going through a 'coming of age' process that's leading to new attitudes and new ways of interacting with the world."
What will this mean for our culture and for consumerism? Read the rest of the story at:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-Study-by-Consumer-iw-3736206499.html?x=0&.v=1
SIDEBAR
Profitable niches which will interest consumers include:
Cheap | ‘Cheap’ is king, both because of the recession (reduced spending power), and because of the shift away from ‘bling’ towards frugality and practicality as new status symbols.
· Smaller and/or limited number of features, to keep prices low.
· Simpler, or easier to use, for inexperienced consumers.
· Energy efficient (or not using any traditional energies at all) and/or easy to repair and/or waste-reducing.
· Robust, as some of them are used in rugged conditions.
· Well-designed (the democratization of design is a global phenomenon).
· Aimed at helping owners to generate income, or allow users to create self-sustaining systems
http://trendwatching.com/briefing/
<<<>>>
“I don’t care what your income bracket is. I don’t
think anybody is secure.” –Gail H. Las Vegas
Obama unveils $3.83T budget with massive deficits
Ominous Economic signs loom…potential fallout exists!
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama sent Congress a $3.83 trillion budget on Monday that would pour more money into the fight against high unemployment, boost taxes on the wealthy and freeze spending for a wide swath of government programs.
The deficit for this year would surge to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion, topping last year's then unprecedented $1.41 trillion gap. The deficit would remain above $1 trillion in 2011 although the president proposed to institute a three-year budget freeze on a variety of programs outside of the military and homeland security as well as increasing taxes on energy producers and families making more than $250,000.
But…
Respected economist and forecaster George Whitehurst-Berry has offered this astute explanation of the financial gyrations rocking U.S. markets, as quoted:
"We are in the terminal stages of the world's most gigantic pyramid scheme," he explained, referring to the ultimate collapse of the U.S.-led monetary order that will permanently impoverish millions.
This threat is so real that top Pentagon intelligence experts are running live "planning scenarios" in which resource-rich nations like Russia and China exploit U.S. indebtedness to wreak sudden havoc in our financial system and basic economy.
In the 2009 Unrestricted Warfare Symposium at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, intelligence analyst James Richards unveiled a blueprint detailing exactly how U.S. enemies could drop the value of the dollar by a shocking 75%, crippling our economy overnight.
President Obama's proposed initiatives aimed at bringing peace of mind back to middle- and low-income earners won't do much to stimulate the economy and in general don't help the unemployed but could represent a tiny beacon for many struggling Americans in this recessionary storm.
Here's just a glimpse of the likely fallout:
· A price explosion as Americans scramble over one another to buy tangible assets or simply hoard basic necessities, before the dollar's purchasing power evaporates fully.
· Widespread shortages, sparse grocery store shelves and the return of long gas lines.
· Failed businesses and economic dislocations far eclipsing anything we've seen to date.
· Rising crime and rampant unemployment.
· Government handouts drying up, with an angry dependent class taking to the streets.
Wall Street & Other Markets Are Down-
Greece & Portugal in Trouble Now
The U.S. government suffers from the same, or worse, underlying disease as Greece, Portugal, or any other victim of the contagion — massive, out-of-control federal deficits. America's burden was $1.4 trillion last year and ANOTHER $1.4 trillion this year.
The government cannot create jobs or real money…
I might just be a fool but the Poor Man feels the economic signs are not good. One cannot continue to spend on borrowed money. Most foreign governments are already extremely nervous about the US treasury and debt…what happens when the spigot runs dry?
Do you know that it is a crime to try to keep what you earn and save? Just try to hold onto what “Uncle Sam” claims you owe. The government plans on hiring over 1,000 new IRS agents to go after the American people for more money. Tax attorney Marshall Langer says Obama plans a value added tax (VAT) like Europe has. Once started it will get higher and higher.
Can we afford Obama? As a part of this tremendous budget, Obama has earmarked $100 billion for jobs (mostly in the form of tax cuts for small businesses which hire). Wouldn’t it be easier to send each adult a check for $500,000 with the provision the money be used to start a business?
For more on the budget, go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100201/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_budget
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Wet summer, more demand could create seed shortage
DES MOINES, Iowa – Dreaming of biting into a garden-fresh cucumber sandwich this summer? Better order your seeds now.
A poor growing season last year and increased orders from Europe could make it difficult for home gardeners to get seeds for the most popular cucumber variety and some vegetables this spring. Farmers, who usually grow different varieties than home gardeners, aren't likely to be affected.
Seeds for what's known as open-pollinated cucumbers seem to be most scarce, but carrots, snap peas and onions also could be in short supply.
"I suspect there will be some seeds you just won't be able to buy if you wait too long on it," said Bill Hart, the wholesale manager in charge of seed purchasing at Chas. C. Hart Seed Company in Wethersfield, Conn. "The sugar snap peas we're not able to get at all, and other companies that have it will sell out pretty quickly."
Personally, I just purchased a large quantity of seeds for 20 cents a pack!
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Jobless Rates Won’t Improve anytime soon says forecast…
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is predicting little improvement in the nation's unemployment rate by the end of the year.
Although President Barack Obama says the multitrillion-dollar spending plan released Monday is designed to get Americans back to work, the administration forecasts 9.8 percent unemployment at the end of this year. That would be down only slightly from the current rate of 10 percent.
Those predictions are in line forecasts from independent economists. The administration is predicting 8.9 percent unemployment at the end of 2011, and 7.9 unemployment percent by the end of 2012.
Here’s an idea…why not send unemployed construction contractors to Haiti instead of the US Army and pay them to rebuild that country…perhaps another stateside job stimulus program would be to hire those folks to rebuild our own crumbling infrastructure!
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Tools for Self Protection & Self Reliance
http://www.tbotech.com/cmd.asp?af=1126539
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That’s it for this week’s Bulletin. Saw the movie Book of Eli this weekend – great flick…don’t forget about our upcoming Recession Survival Workshop slated for Thurs Feb 25th in Imlay City, MI…go to our website to register.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.poormansurvival.com
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