How healthcare reform will affect you, Middle Class Stressors

The Poor Man’s Recession Fighter Bulletin
Your Choice for Usable Information

In This Issue:

· Home butchered meat trend
· Stress points sapping middle class
· Overview of how healthcare reform will affect you
· Work-at-home blog and resources
· Microloans for women entrepreneurs
· Odd stuff to keep in your freezer


*What makes Clint's day. There's a new coffee-table book out on Clint Eastwood's film career, from the 1959 western Rawhide to his most recent directorial duties on Invictus. The book includes 325 photographs and movie stills and some wonderful quotes, such as this one from the time he had the romantic lead in The Bridges of Madison County. Said Clint, "This romantic stuff is really tough. I can't wait to get back to shooting and killing."


The Green Millionaire

I just finished reading the Green Millionaire by Nigel Williams. An interesting book filled with methods for which we could all save money and the planet by becoming more recycling oriented…lots of good statistics and suggestion for products to save energy, boost your car mileage and so on. The biggest drawback…no website links or contact information for the products he suggests.

His premise is you can become wealthy when you implement the money-saving strategies he suggests while saving the planet.

The book is free and includes a trial subscription to his newsletter…the catch – you sign up for a bi-monthly automatic billing of $29.95. You do have a free 14-day trial evaluation period. I’m still waiting for my 1st issue of the online newsletter.
https://www.greenmillionaire.com/index.html

Who would’ve guessed…lawyers are the worst drivers. According to an insurance institute study, 44% of lawyers and judges admitted to being in an accident prior to shopping for auto insurance. Financial professionals, and government workers were next in line as the worst drivers.

Europeans are gloating this week. The continent might be struggling with ballooning debts, a faltering euro and national strikes, but when the U.S. House voted in favor of President Barack Obama's health care bill Sunday night, March 21, Europeans seized the moment to thumb their noses at Americans and remind them that they've had pretty good health care for decades.

Finally…Does anyone aside from myself feel Americans are practicing the crime of democracy? The federal government seems to dominate our nightly news and our daily lives…yet, access to government actions are limited to mainstream folks more than ever before. Freedom of information and open access always seem in short supply. Indeed, under Bush Jr., the Attorney General sent a memo to all federal agencies directing them to cripple the process wherever and however possible. Slowly but surely, the government rules every aspect of our lives.

So much for transparency in government that Pres. Obama promised. Below is a resource you can use to learn more about Freedom of Information:
http://www.nfoic.org/

--Just got a note from Diane Sawyer/ABC news regarding their current series about the attack on the middle class. There is a chance they’ll include a plug for the Poor Man in an upcoming segment!

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Penny Pinching Tips


Try the following free site for online coupons
www.coolsavings.com

Fee-based online manufacturing coupon clipping service
www.thecouponclippers.com

Need to escape an auto lease…try these sites
www.swapalease.com
www.leasetrade.com
www.leasetrader.com

Peer-to-Peer lending sites
A booming alternative to tight fisted bankers – average loan is $5000. Review these sites: (Check each site to see if they operate in your state)
www.prosper.com
www.lendingclub.com
www.raisecapital.com


Count me in – a non-profit group which makes microloans to women
In all 50-states.
www.makemineamillion.org

Always an interesting site-Work-at-Home Blog-See her radio show guests!
http://blog.2work-at-home.com/WordPress/work-at-home/radio-guests-this-week-will-be-vipdesk-and-scoping-expert-linda-evenson/

Tired of Looking for a job – try starting your own direct selling biz
http://www.directsalescareers.com/products.shtml


VIPDesk-Seeks home-based call center people & more
http://www.vipdesk.com/info/careers_concierge.asp

Start Sampling Coupon Site – zip code specific
http://www.startsamplingemail.com/common/dynamicflows/DynamicRegPathCustomPage.jsp

Note: Get your resume noticed. Worried about a gap in your work history…Fill it in with volunteer work. Millions of Americans are currently between jobs, so periods of unemployment aren’t eyebrow raisers like they used to be.

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Odd Stuff Your Freezer will help to preserve…Batteries: A number of studies have shown that storing batteries in the freezer helps them retain their charge longer. This is less true for alkaline batteries (freezing extends their shelf life by only about 5%) than it is for NiMH and Nicad batteries often used in electronics. Keeping NiMH batteries in the freezer can boost battery life by 90%.
* Plant Seeds: Many (but not all) types of plant seeds will keep longer and germinate more successfully when stored in the freezer. Consult a copy of Seed Storage of Horticultural Crops, by S.D. Doijode, for more than you'd ever want to know about this fascinating topic. Many of the planet's most important seeds are being stored in the chilly "doomsday" seed vault in Norway.
· Plastic Soda Bottles Filled with Water: Grandma knew that keeping her freezer chockfull helped to insulate it and perform better, and kept things cold longer if the electricity failed. I like to fill empty plastic soda bottles nearly full with water, and put them in the freezer to take up any vacant space. Plus they make convenient "drip-less ice cubes" to use instead of real ice cubes in my ice chest. More at:
· http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/9-weird-things-i-freeze-to-save-money-1172687/

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For designs that might move one to contemplation
check out:

Unixarcade Zazzle's
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Resources for Stockpiling and Disaster Preparation
http://www.tbotech.com/cmd.asp?af=1126539

Make Your Own Energy
Step-by-step guide reveals how to
make your own energy for 100$ or less.
http://tinyurl.com/PMEnergy


News & Views


America lagging behind in too many areas…
Since 1999 there has been zero net job creation in this country. In the 1960s the US had the top high school graduation rate in the world; by 2000, we were 19th. Our college graduation rate has fallen to 12th place. We have only a tiny fraction of the top 10 global companies in emerging green industries.

Here are the top predicted growth occupations in the coming years. Note the anticipated growth in security jobs…perhaps that is why so many Wall Street firm executives are now applying for concealed weapons permits?

Predicted job Growth Areas for Men

1. Security Officers
2. Appliance/Automotive/Home Repair
3. Farming/Gardening
4. Disaster Preparation/Recovery/Cleanup
5. Personal Protection Guns/Safes/Home Security Systems
6. Dog Breeder/Trainer
7. Community Leadership City Counsel/School Boards
8. Community College/Trade School Teacher
9. Energy Reduction Expert
10.Entrepreneur/Businessmen Source:
http://www.pennyjobs.com/pp/public/Articles.aspx?aid=515
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Stressors Sapping the Middle Class

Working harder for less is the new normal--for those lucky enough to have a job. Millions of families are giving up comforts they long took for granted, such as restaurant meals, new clothes, vacations, spacious cars, home improvements, and cable television. College funds and retirement savings have taken a hit, and some families have been forced to downsize their homes or, worse, submit to foreclosure. Little wonder that record numbers of Americans tell pollsters it's getting harder to get ahead and that they worry their kids' standard of living may fall rather than rise.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-Stressors-Sapping-the-usnews-2236123833.html?x=0

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In a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll last fall, Americans were asked how much of the time they trusted the government to do the right thing; 65% said "only some of the time," and a stunning 11% said "never."
Big Brother is watching…Resources to protect your privacy

Your personal information—everything from your shopping habits to your health history—can be available to creditors, employers, landlords, insurers, law enforcement agencies, and, of course, criminals. All they need to do is tap into the public and private databases that gather, buy, and sell your vital statistics.

Demand for your personal information has exploded in recent years. Its availability has also raised privacy concerns. When users buy and compile various pieces of information about you, “they can paint a very complete picture of your activities,” says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

Here’s what Big Brother has on you:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/consumer-protection/big-brother-is-watching/overview/index.htm

Also, See How Privacy Vanishes Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html?src=me&ref=technology

In Bid to Sway Sales, Cameras Track Shoppers
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/business/20surveillance.html?adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1269338880-mW1wcFHNuEA3EBZFvDiftQ

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Home-Butchered Meat

The thud of heavy knives bashing bones, the splat of dead muscle hitting the table, the twisting of heads off bodies and the ripping of flesh from limp, cold limbs. Is this a nightmare vision from the makers of Saw or Hostel? An autopsy? No, it's actually the scene at a home kitchen near you, as more and more young Americans are taking a DIY approach to meat. It's part home economics, part politics and certainly at least part fad. But it's changing the way many Americans approach meat, chop by succulent chop.
More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100323/us_time/08599197434500

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OIL Still at $75 a barrel-Fuel Prices Rose 20 cents a gallon last week…Talk about short-term thinking! OPEC is pushing car-manufacturers and drivers around the world to accelerate hybrid and electric car development. Just this week, Chrysler announced it would roll out an all-electric car — based on the Fiat 500 platform but made in America — for 2012. This car, which was tested in Europe, gets up to 120 miles on a charge. Other U.S.-made electric cars will hit the highways even sooner.

The combination of electric, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles entering the market should drive U.S. gasoline use DOWN over the next 5 to 10 years, perhaps down a lot. And this should rev up America's energy independence. The only thing that could derail this shift is lower gasoline prices. And OPEC is making sure that's not going to happen.
The cheapest source of new energy is to use less of it, and therefore make the energy you have go further. A smart grid helps you do that, by managing energy usage more effectively. The Obama administration announced a $3.4 billion package in 2009 to help build a smart electric grid meant to trim utility bills and reduce blackouts.


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Nearly half of Americans are "extremely" or "very worried" about rising costs for health care and health insurance, and a majority place the blame on drug and insurance company profits, a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds

Overview of how the new healthcare reform will affect you
http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/109145/in-depth-health-care-overhaul

"On Sunday evening the richest, most powerful country in the world, the USA, finally entered the 20th century. Yes, not the 21st century, but the 20th," read an article published Monday on the popular French news website Rue89.com.

Parting Shot-No church would have me but…

I grew up in a part of Cleveland, OH where the population was about 40% Jewish (I’m a Heinz-57 Deist) and I often noted how well as a whole these neighbors did financially. Young men were groomed to become professionals or business owners and I always felt they prospered because of an unwritten dogma – “Sell to anyone, but buy from your fellow Jews.”

When I went to college in Arizona I noticed a similar philosophy among the Mormons. In fact I admire the Mormons for several reasons. They too foster success among their young and willingly support the businesses of their spiritual community. Also, their members never need rely on government welfare. The Mormons will help their own through paying rent and utilities for an out-of-work member and they have their own grocery store to provide food to its members. They also practice long-term food storage and believe everyone should stockpile a two-year supply of food.

These observations led me to found a not-for-profit group (later in life) called the Minimalist Group, which is based on the idea of minimizing dependence on government while maximizing self reliance.

It’s been my goal in building up the Poor Man site and Bulletin to foster a sense of community among its readers. Sharing resources, ideas and thoughts is what will allow us to remain optimistic during trying times and will help each of us survive and prosper. A small reminder – you can always email me and/or post your wants and needs and thoughts through our Yahoo community bulletin site.


Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com


P.S. Spending into oblivion

We're in the terminal stages of the world's most gigantic pyramid scheme" set to vaporize assets of the average citizen…

Here's just a glimpse of the likely fallout:

· A PRICE EXPLOSION as Americans scramble over one another to obtain 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.
· A BREAKDOWN IN COMMERCE, as longer-term transactions become impossible to do.
· RISING CRIME with rampant unemployment far beyond today's "official" 10% jobless rate.
· GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS DRYING UP, with the dependent class – angry, hungry, and desperate – taking to the streets. Looting, arson, and general lawlessness will quickly follow.

The Fed's own Inspector General in recent Congressional testimony admitted after much waffling that she cannot account for trillions of dollars in off-balance-sheet transactions and has absolutely no idea how much the secretive central bank is losing on its "investments."

As scandalous as the massive corporate bailouts are, they pale in comparison to those that will be required for Social Security and Medicare. An editorial in Barron's stated flatly – "Medicare, Medicaid, pensions, indeed the full freight of the federal government constitutes a Ponzi scheme in plain sight. Income is recycled to pay benefits; no new wealth is created."

Beware the "International Emergency Economic Powers Act" and how it can be activated to seize what's yours…The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is a United States federal law allowing U.S. Presidents to identify any unusual extraordinary threat that originates outside the United States and to confiscate property and prohibit transactions in response. In the United States Code the IEEPA is Title 50, sections 1701-1707. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Emergency_Economic_Powers_Act

Or read the Treasury Dept. PDF of the Act here”
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/statutes/ieepa.pdf

Be sure to order your Poor Man Recession Survival Kit – get PM Part I & Part II for only $4.95 plus $2.25 shipping…see our site today. http://www.poormansurvival.com