Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your Choice for usable information!
The Urban Survivalist
In this issue:
· Special updates on border security-Sinatra sings about terrorists
· Thoughts on the end of the Great Recession
· Digest of news you might use-Grants for Moms
· New-Mainstreet Mall-Alternative to FeeBay
· FCC to regulate internet?
· How many ways can you reuse a coffee can?
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest!
--Benjamin Franklin
Little things add up and up and up!
One of the foundations of financial planning for families is to track your daily spending habits regardless of how small the purchase. If you try this for 30-days, you’ll be amazed at how much money you waste…a cup of coffee each day at $1 represents more than $300 a year – you could brew and take your own in an environmentally safe drink cup (see our Green Irene site to order).
You’d also be surprised at how much you spend on basics such as toilet paper, deoderant, toothpaste and so on. One of the things we look for at estate sales are bargain priced (unused, of course) household goods. For example, we recently picked up a gallon of unopened white vinegar for 25 cents, two large sized containers of Arm & Hammer deoderant for 75 cents each.
When we do shop retail, we do use coupons, and buy items on sale. It’s a bit ironic, but even sale items at the superstores often fail to be less than the cost at DollarTree or other dollar store so you must keep vigilant.
Finally, there’s little doubt, you’re concerned about the federal government’s lack of effort in keeping our southern border safe despite the fact the flatworm in charge of Homeland Security is the former governor of Arizona…I laugh over federal rules now requiring everyone going to Canada to have a passport. Like gun control laws, it has never stopped crooks from getting a gun or in preventing illegals from crossing borders…more often than not, it’s private citizens who catch extremists trying to blow up airplanes – yet the gov’t treats us like children who can’t be trusted!
Waste Not, Recycle it!
http://www.GreenIrene.Com/PoorMan
Digest of News You Might Use
NEW! Main Street Mall Online Offers a Homey Place to Sell Online
Main Street Mall Online (MSMO) offers small online sellers an easy, friendly venue on which to sell. MSMO is a family operation founded by former eBay PowerSellers who provide personalized service to their merchants - including phone support. They offer mini-stores free of charge – worth a try as an alternative to feebay. http://mainstreetmallonline.com/
Privacy Rights for Users of Social Networks?
According to dowloadsquad.com, with all the recent privacy issues that keep cropping up in the various social networks, it’s no surprise that people are looking to find a way to protect users in a more proactive, permanent way.
This week, the Electronic Freedom Foundation got more deeply involved by posting a proposal for a Social Networking Bill of Privacy Rights.
Read more: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/05/bill-privacy-rights-social-network-users
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AOL Small Business asks who better to help mompreneurs than a diaper company? Deadline is fast approaching!
Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies recently announced the launch of the
Huggies MomInspired Grant Program, which will provide mothers with up to $15,000 total in seed capital and business resources to help turn their business ideas into reality.
In order to be eligible, companies do not have to be specifically diaper- or hygiene-related, but should serve the prenatal to 6-year-old set in some capacity, according to Huggies.
Why aren’t fathers able to get in on the grant action? Huggies pointed out that according to research from Babson College, U.S. women start businesses at nearly twice the rate of men, but only about 3 percent of them attract investments from venture capital.
The deadline for applications is June 9, 2010. Applicants have to be 21 years of age or older and live in the United States. Huggies plans to give up to $250,000 total to entrepreneurial moms through the grant program.
A dollar saved is fifty cents lost!
FCC to Regulate Internet? Sneaky Change of Court Tactics may make it so…please say it ‘aint so!
Seeking to re-establish the FCC’s legal authority after losing a court decision to Comcast, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced last week a plan that reclassifies broadband technology as a hybrid between an information service and a utility.
By doing this, the FCC will regain sufficient power to regulate Internet traffic under existing law. Genachowski’s plan is virtually assured victory, since he has the support of the Democratic majority on the FCC as well as the blessing of key members of Congress.
More at:
http://broadcastengineering.com/news/fcc-regulate-internet-service-providers-0510/
How Many Ways Can You Reuse a Coffee Can?
Americans love their coffee – 350 million cups a day worth! Must have something to do with the early Colonists dumping British tea into the Boston Harbor…or perhaps the overpriced Starbucks?
I enjoy my morning coffee but prefer gallons of iced tea throughout the day and evening. Here are some useful ways to recycle those cans & grounds.
· Planters, seedling starters
· Kitchen compost container, ultimately transferred to our outdoor composter (home made from a trash can)
· Crafts container, useful for colored penceils, paint brushes, etc.
· Great for nuts, bolts and misc. hardware-ask any handyman!
· Hiding spot for gold & silver-placed into your freezer to look like any other normal kitchen item
· Bake perfectly round bread. Grease the inside. For yeast breads use two smaller cans & fill each half full. When the lid pops off, it’s ready to bake.
· I see lots of corner store fundraisers using coffee cans with a section of the lid cut out asking for loose change.
· Use them as paint cans or to soak paintbrushes
· Make a quick dehumidifier for your basement. Fill an empty can with salt & leave it in a corner. Replace the salt monthly (save the salt for icy sidewalks).
· Although we primary use a resuable filter (& save the grounds for compost) you can use the paper filters as a food cover in your microwave to prevent splatter…also useful for holding homemade tacos or to make a quick funnel.
The legendary Mae West boasted she used a coffee enema daily to maintain her youth!
Finally, don’t pitch your coffee grounds, they should be added to your compost and/or added directly to your potting soil. The leftover liquid is also good for watering plants.
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My thoughts on illegal immigration-update to our Oct ’09 Issue
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
'In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.' <>
--Theodore Roosevelt 1907
More than just illegal Mexicans-Terrorists too.
See this TV report from Atlanta
According to the Border Patrol the public is being mislead as to WHO is
coming into the US from Mexico. This IS THE TRUTH. as reported by WSBTV
in Atlanta.
Video 1 http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html
Video 2 http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/index.html
Illegal Baby Racket Targeted-Bill to Stop Automatic Citizenship
"If we are going to have an effect on the anchor baby racket, we need to target the mother. Call it sexist, but that's the way nature made it. Men don't drop anchor babies, illegal alien mothers do," the email said.
Pearce did tell the CBS affiliate, however, that he didn't see anything wrong with using the term "anchor baby" to refer to natural-born U.S. citizens.
Last year, 92 Congressmen sponsored a bill that would change the 14th Amendment so that children of illegal aliens born in the United States would not be granted citizenship. The bill is still in committee.
Last month, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California told a tea party rally he would support deporting children of illegal aliens, even if they are citizens.
"And we're not being mean. We're just saying it takes more than walking across the border to become an American citizen," he said. "It's what's in our souls."
17 more states planning Ariz. 'illegal' crackdown.
In what is developing into a standoff between states and the federal government that could be bigger than gun control or even health care, 17 states have launched versions of Arizona's immigration law, even as federal officials say they may not bother to process illegal aliens caught by the states.
William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, which has been trying to get officials to address the open southern border for years, warned the consequences could be dire.
"Over the last couple days, Obama and the chief of ICE have refused to honor their oaths of office," he said. "Their constitutional requirement is to enforce existing laws.
"They've told the American public to go eat cake," he said.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=156985
Finally, a bit of humor – Frank Sinatra singing about Terrorists
http://www.animatronics.org/strangers/strangers.htm
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Essential Element Makes solar generate pure water & more…get one today!
Imagine a single trailer-mounted device that turns scum into over 20,000 gallons of pure water a day, stores electricity better than a battery, makes medical-grade oxygen, and runs on the sun.
A trio of inventors today unveiled the first working model of The HYDRA, a fuel cell-based device they say does all that, at a hydrogen-powered show house in Hopewell, N.J. They are taking orders at $99,500.
A video of the invention is available at Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEaavKyZ9HY&feature=player_embedded#!
God helps those who help themselves & the government takes of the rest.
Prepare Your Personal Bailout Now…
Short of a terrorist with a nuke in downtown Washington...
There is no greater threat to you, your money, or this nation as a whole, than this...Washington has mortgaged your future!
The danger isn’t just a little bit of vaporized retirement security... it’s the very real risk that the entire U.S. economy will collapse, with a “hard landing” for the dollar, third-world levels of unemployment, and government retirement programs that disappear overnight.
Get your Poor Man Recession Survival Kit(s) Now-Go to: http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
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^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Save Money, Save the Environment: http://greenirene.com/PoorMan
Wall Street is the barometer of greed!
Parting Shots & Thoughts
The ‘recession’ might seem like it’s over with for now. However, most of those in the know, know better. The next recession is going to be worse than what we’ve experienced recently for two simple reasons…very few of the unemployed were able to find meaningful work this time around and many jobs, especially for men, are gone for good (unless you’d like to be a gift wrapper at Best Buy).
Second, we’re broke. The US treasury and non-governmental banking group, the Fed, can’t afford to bail out their friends again!
Europe is falling apart at the seams. And it's trying to take the U.S. stock market with it. Oil prices are falling, stock prices are falling, even the safe haven of gold is starting to show some weakness.
It's no surprise that the financial media is starting to call this "Lehman Brothers II." The debt crisis in Europe is starting to resemble the global financial crash that destroyed trillions in wealth after investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed.
The profligate spending of our government through bailouts, wars, welfare, health care plans and crap has brought the dollar to the very tipping point of complete and utter insolvency.
Like Wiley Coyote, we have already one foot suspended in the air as the ground crumbles beneath the other…just look at this May 25th article:
“Private Wages Fall in Historic Pay Shift,” was the headline in USAToday this week as paychecks from private employers shrank to their smallest level in US history.
Most of you can’t afford to buy gold but you should make other preparations while we have some time. Food storage is always a good idea – build up a one or two year supply whenever possible. Do buy silver and goods to trade with. The dollar has weakened tremendously over the past 20 years, losing 40% just since 2005. Inflation will rear its ugly head soon. Some ideas for self preservation of your assets are wise to consider now such as:
· Dropping money into retirement accounts. Congress made them off-limits to most creditors and lawsuits.
· A number of U.S. states are rivaling offshore havens with less-expensive trusts. Alaska, Delaware, Rhode Island, Nevada, and South Dakota are excellent starting points (and you don't have to be a legal resident to set one up.) U.S.-based trusts cost about half the amount it takes to set them up abroad. While domestic trusts haven't yet been fully tested by the courts, they are still a complicating factor to those pursuing frivolous lawsuits.
· Umbrella insurance protects assets from personal injury and other claims by extending coverage beyond all the limits of your other insurance. And it's dirt cheap because umbrella policies only kick in after the claims on your other insurance policies have been exhausted.
· Be wary of putting gold, diamonds, cash, etc. in a personal safe deposit box at your bank. (Actually, we're a bit wary of putting gold in a safe deposit box at all, for reasons detailed elsewhere.) Upon the death of the box's holder, it automatically gets sealed for purposes of probate and tax liability review. Use a corporate safe deposit box instead – people die, but corporations with multiple trusted key holders don't.
Overspending by our government has put our country into jeopardy and Obama won’t have a choice except to raise taxes. Of course, many are suggesting a value added tax or VAT, not a good choice as it is a hidden tax and keep in mind, half of all Americans don’t pay any tax. There will be an automatic tax hike at the end of this year when Obama allows Bush’s tax cuts to end, thus hiking the minimum amount the “rich” pay.
So which is better to raise, chickens or rabbits?
Yours for better living,
Your Politically Incorrect Ally on the War Against the Middle Class
Bruce “The Poor Man”
Our sites include:
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Http://www.Oldbooknook.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
A Shallow Planet Production
The Urban Survivalist
Our Mission: To protect and promote your freedom, civil rights, financial well being and overall self reliance in these turbulent times.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Why I Like the Amish, Green Irene Updates-Free Fundraisers
Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Gold Vending Machines
· I like the Amish-their fight against Social Security
· May is National Bike Month-making energy
· Green Irene Updates
· No Cost Recreation Ideas
“Insanity: doing the same thing over & over again & expecting the same result”
--Einstein, commenting on how US fiscal policies are
running America
My Follow-Up on Green Irene
Readers have already noted our site and weekly bulletin devote attention to the green movement and how to be eco friendly while saving money. Indeed, one of my primary reasons for getting involved with alternative energy savings programs is to save money and to beat ridiculous government and utility rate hikes.
If you’ve read the Poor Man Recession Survival Kit you may recall one of the PDFs it contains is called 45 Ways to Make a Living Without a Job. Part of the philosophy it contains is to develop several circles of income within each family and Green Irene makes sense in that regard for our site and weekly bulletin – it might for you too.
In the previous two issues you learned about our free Poor Man’s Guide to Low Tech, Low Cost Eco Friendly Ways to Save Money…written in large part to continue my war against price gouging and to do our part to help the planet (old hippies never die). I’ve been a subscriber to Green Irene’s newsletter for several months and made a recent test purchase. Products arrived VERY quickly and ALL of the products ordered worked and were easy to install (a big plus for weekend mechanical dummies like me) and they were all reasonably priced.
Another important element I like about Green Irene – easy, free fundraiser for your school, church or group – get a free site, choice of length of time and 20% of sales. See more about this wonderful opportunity to generate funds at the site below.
You can spend a lot of time going to Home Depot and other places (and waste a lot of fuel in the process) to seek out energy saving devices but it’s doubtful you’ll find so many under one roof. So I signed on to become an EcoConsultant – beats trying to keep up with my book suppliers and it’s a service and product list which will only grow in need and popularity…Green Irene offers an energy tune-up for small businesses as well as homeowners (get my free ebook for the basics) which will save money and energy. Check it out at:
http://greenirene.com/PoorMan
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Getting Rid of Smell & Mess…
Composting may be the right thing to do for the environment, but it can be hard to get around the smell and the mess—particularly for urbanites without expansive yards. Trendspotter Springwise reports that Compost Cab is a new service about to launch in Washington, DC, that can be called upon to handle all the dirty details.
DC-area consumers begin by signing up online. Once it launches, Compost Cab will then provide them with a standardized bin equipped with a sturdy, compostable bag liner. Each day clients will fill the bin with their organic material, and once a week—on a reliable, fuel-efficient schedule—Compost Cab will pick up the bag, leaving behind only a clean bin with a new liner. The cost is simply USD 8 per week per bin; no long-term commitments are required.
At least as interesting is that clients who have been with Compost Cab for nine months or longer can claim some finished soil in return. Specifically, for every 50 pounds of organics the company collects from them, they can receive five pounds of fresh compost and one pound of worm castings in exchange. Those who choose not to claim their share, meanwhile, can ask Compost Cab to donate it on their behalf to ECO. Compost Cab is a production of Agricity LLC, a Washington, DC-based company focused on sustainability.
The average American family produces more than 500 pounds of leftover organic material every year; composting not only keeps that waste out of methane-generating landfills, it also produces nutrient-rich, fertile, natural soil. Looks like another win-win-win—for eco-minded consumers, the environment, and companies like Compost Cab that make it all happen.
“Free Trade has killed America-Repeal NAFTA Now!”
LOW & NO COST family recreational ideas…
· Learn a new language, hear an author, get a free DVD and more at your local library. www.publiclibraries.com
· Get cheap concert & event tickets by checking with your local Visitors Bureau for the best deals; use your membership privileges at AAA, AARP, or warehouse club to find good deals, check your credit card provider to see of they offer promotional deals, volunteer at theatres to get a ticket – check VolunteerMatch.org
· Win a Red Roof getaway - $400 pass, $400 giftcard & a $400 gas card. Register at: Woman’sWorldMag.com
May is National Bike Month and this is Bike to Work Week, why not consider cycling as a way to get in shape -- and produce energy?
In Detroit in January, the non-profit Cass Community Social Services opened what it says is the first green gym specifically meant for the homeless. The gym, located in a warehouse, has 10 stationary bikes that generate electricity. More gyms in the United States are retrofitting equipment to produce electricity. Among them is a homeless center in Detroit, where residents work out on 10 stationary bikes that help power the building and an Arizona jail where female inmates take turns on a bike to power the TV on which they watch soap operas.
Florida-based company ReRev has found a way to convert the DC power created by exercise into AC and then send it to the grid. A 30-minute workout on an elliptical cross-trainer generates about 50 Watts of power, enough to run a laptop for an hour.
Its elliptical machines at the University of Kansas powered the basketball court during a recent game, reports Inhabitat, an environmental website.
During Earth Hour in March, a man in Hiroshima, Japan, generated electricity by pedaling a bicycle at the Peace Memorial Park. Pedal power is not limited to gyms. "You can get inspiration from a New York vendor who makes smoothies with a bike blender or actor Ed Begley, Jr., who pedals to toast bread," reports the Sierra Club's The Daily Green blog.
"People worldwide are using bikes to wash clothes, pump water, mill grain and even power computers," says the blog, adding that you buy a modified bike or make your own.
While more gyms and individuals are producing power through cycling, this concept has yet to become mainstream, CNN reports.
"Nobody is coming out with the Prius of exercise equipment," Adam Boesel, owner of Green Microgym, a human-powered gym in Portland, Ore., says in the story. He adds:
"I think it's because big companies move slow. I liken it to the hybrid car. Five years ago, there were only a couple electric cars, now everyone wants to do it.
The way we look at it, you can waste energy or not waste energy. Anytime people exercise, that exercise is being wasted in terms of heat. We're trying to save a little bit of energy."
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How to Annoy Politicians…it’s gratifying to see many Americans finally coming to their senses about lifelong politicians such as Arlen Specter. No one needs to spend 30 years in Washington and perhaps the Tea Party Movement is taking hold as many career politicos are finally running scared – what, no more greasing the palms?
News of the odd - Gold Vending Machine
AFP:
There’s no mistaking what’s in this vending machine. The well-heeled in the Gulf can now grab “gold to go” from a hotel lobby in the United Arab Emirates, when the need for a quick ingot strikes.
On Thursday, a day after its inauguration, the shiny machine attracted spectators of many different nationalities who gathered to watch whenever an enthusiast was struck with the urge to splurge on a bar of the precious metal.
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Hotel became the first place outside Germany to install “gold to go, the world’s first gold vending machine,” said a statement from Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the vending machine.
Amish, Independent Living & Social Security
I like the Amish. They grow their own food ... help each other build their houses ... and use horse and buggies instead of gas guzzling vehicles. They were "green" before the term became fashionable.
I’ve often hired Amish carpenters and farriers… the workmanship is top-notch.
Amish have a strong sense of self sufficiency. Amish do not typically participate in our nation's Social Security system.
Here’s an interesting story that takes place in New Wilmington, PA
Is It a Tax or an Insurance Premium?
The Social Security Act — which marked the beginning of the system we know today — passed Congress in 1935. But for the first 20 years, it didn't cover farmers. So it was only in the middle of the 1950s when the mostly rural Amish first confronted the prospect of paying into Social Security in any meaningful way.
As it was explained to them at the time, Social Security was a tax and it was the Internal Revenue Service's job to collect this tax.
Amish routinely pay property and income taxes just like everyone else.
But Social Security also clearly contains the name "Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance" ... which meant those "tax" payments could really just be looked at as mandatory insurance premiums.
(it’s worth noting that even now the Amish do not take advantage of government-sponsored programs such as unemployment insurance or welfare.)
The Amish sent a petition to Washington with 14,000 names on it. Their primary message to Congress: They didn't want to cause problems, but they didn't want to go to Hell, either.
When that petition went unanswered, some Amish farmers decided to close their bank accounts down ... giving the IRS no easy way to collect money owed.
And ultimately, Uncle Sam had just one last measure available — seizing property.
Of course, it's pretty hard to seize property from a group of people who don't believe much in worldly possessions. Which is why the IRS had to settle for farm animals.
Giving a New Meaning to the Term "Milking the System"
This is where a man named Valentine Byler, from western Pennsylvania, enters the picture. In 1959, he owed the IRS four years worth of taxes and interest — $308.96 all told.
Like many other Amish, Mr. Byler explained to the IRS precisely why he couldn't make the payments.
Their response? According to The Amish News website, here's the IRS press release from April 18, 1961:
"Since Mr. Byler had no bank account against which to levy for the tax due, it was decided as a last desperate measure to resort to seizure and sale of personal property.
"It was then determined that Mr. Byler had a total of six horses, so it was decided to seize three in order to satisfy the tax indebtedness. The three horses were sold May 1, 1961 at public auction for $460. Of this amount, $308.96 represented the tax due and $113.15 represented the expenses of the auction sale, including feed for the horses, leaving a surplus of $37.89 which was returned to the taxpayer.
"The Byler case, like all others in the same category, presents an unpleasant and difficult task for the Internal Revenue Service... We have no other choice under the law."
That's right. The IRS took half his horses.
Remember, these weren't show horses or pets. They were Mr. Byler's livelihood because he used them to plow his fields.
The implications of the seizure were clearly lost on the IRS, with the Pittsburgh IRS Chief of Collections reportedly saying, "Plowing never occurred to me. I live in an apartment."
Nor had Uncle Sam thought through the fact that auctioning the horses off in the largely Amish area would fall flat on its face.
In the end, yes, the government got its money ... along with a lot more than it bargained for.
Media outlets all over the place picked up the story, and were largely supportive of Mr. Byler. Meanwhile, the Amish put additional pressure on Washington through meetings, letters, and threats of legal action.
By 1965, their point had been made. Because when the amendment to the Social Security Act establishing Medicare and Medicaid was passed that year, it contained a clause that exempted the Old Order Amish from paying into the system. In fact, it covered any religious sect that objected to the idea of insurance, as long as they had been established before December 31, 1950. All monies owed for the years leading up to this change were also forgiven.
Here's the story of that amendment according to "The Riddle of Amish Culture" by Donald B. Kraybill:
"More than a dozen bills seeking to exempt the Amish from Social Security were sponsored by legislators from heavily populated Amish states in the early 1960s. A Social Security exemption was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on 30 July 1965 as an appendage to the bill that established the national Medicare program. According to an Amish negotiator, Lancaster Bishop David Fisher told House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills that 'we take care of our own people and if we start paying in, the next generation will collect and we don't want no government handouts.' Mills replied, 'There's nothing wrong with that.' And, according to an observer, 'Mills just hung an exemption rider on the Medicare bill and it sailed right through the Congress.'"
Of Course, the Story Doesn't End There.
Nor Are Relatively Small Religious Groups
The Only Americans Who Don't Pay Into Social Security ...
It's worth noting that another Social Security scuffle took place between the Amish and Washington in the early 1980s.
The battleground? Western Pennsylvania.
The crux of the matter: Whether Amish employers needed to pay into Social Security for their workers.
By the 1980s, some Amish found themselves operating more mainstream businesses such as furniture factories and construction outfits. That posed a problem on whether they were required to pay into Social Security for their employees, especially those who were also Amish.
A man named Ed Lee became the face of the issue. According to a Time magazine story from April 19, 1982:
"Ed Lee is one of 5,000 Amish in Lawrence County. He differs from his neighbors for reasons other than the fact that he is not a Byler or a Swatzentrooper or a Hofstader or the bearer of some other traditionally Amish name. Lee is different because he has done something that the Amish rarely do. He has ended up in court. His offense: refusing to pay Social Security taxes for 30 Amish men who worked for him over an eight-year period as carpenters, building houses. The Internal Revenue Service claimed that he owed the Government $27,000. Lee challenged the IRS ruling in federal district court in Pittsburgh. To prove his good intentions, he offered his farm as security in the event he lost. As it turned out, he won, but the IRS then appealed to the Supreme Court."
After that story was published, the Supreme Court found in favor of the IRS, saying:
"A comprehensive national Social Security system providing for voluntary participation would be almost a contradiction in terms and difficult, if not impossible, to administer."
But Lee kept up the fight — writing to President Reagan, gathering signatures, and pursuing other legal avenues. And again, the Amish ultimately prevailed. By the end of the decade, Amish employers were no longer required to pay into the system for their Amish employees.
Today, Amish families quickly fill out IRS form 4029 after their child is baptized. This document exempts them from the Social Security system entirely…how many of us would choose to forego our little “tax exemptions” and not get them a socialist slave number?
The Amish are Great Entrepreneurs
Want to find America’s most successful entrepreneurs? Skip Silicon Valley and Manhattan; head to the rural Amish enclaves.
Amish businesses have an eye-popping 95% success rate at staying open at least five years, according to author Erik Wesner’s new book, Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive.
It’s a statistic he backs up with a variety of academic surveys, drawing particularly on a 2009 report by Elizabethtown College sociology professor Donald Kraybill. Studying several Amish settlements, Kraybill found failure rates ranging from 2.6% and 4.2%; interviews with loan officers, accountants and industry professions in other Amish regions yielded additional anecdotal evidence of closure rates significantly south of 10%.
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
>>>>>>>>>
Goodbye Mom
A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a little old lady following him around. If he stopped, she stopped. Furthermore she kept staring at him.
She finally overtook him at the checkout, and she turned to him and said, "I hope I haven't made you feel ill at ease; it's just that you look so much like my late son."
He answered, "That's okay."
"I know it's silly, but if you'd call out 'Good bye, Mom' as I leave the store, it would make me feel so happy."
She then went through the checkout, and as she was on her way out of the store, the man called out, "Goodbye, Mom."
The little old lady waved and smiled back at him...
Pleased that he had brought a little sunshine into someone's day; he went to pay for his groceries.
"That comes to $121.85," said the clerk.
"How come so much? I only bought 5 items."
The clerk replied, "Yeah, but your Mother said you'd be paying for her things, too."
Parting Shots
EBay continues to become a thorn in the side of many sellers. Non-stop changes along with burdensome rules and regulations (they now remind me of the federal government). Changes to fees, elimination of storefronts, elimination of blogs, and a degenerating customer base is simply helping its competitors - mainly Amazon (I still haven’t completed my account set up on Amazon).
Although I continue experimenting with other sites, I’ve had little or no success with them either. The saving grace for me personally is my Poor Man site, which continues to grow. Here are some valuable insights & rankings from Skip McGrath for selling on sites other than eBay.
Other Online Selling Sites and Auctions
By: Skip McGrath
With all the seller dissatisfaction with eBay and their strategy to drive small sellers from the site, I am often asked where else small sellers can sell their items. The obvious answers are Amazon and Craigslist, but there are many other selling sites as well.
So I spent some time researching alternative selling sites and came up with a list of the best sites. I did not cover Amazon and Craigslist as those sites are very well known. Instead I looked for sites that you may not have heard of. Get the rest of the scoop at:
http://skipmcgrath.com/articles/ebay-alternatives.shtml
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
http://GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldBookNook.com
A Shallow Planet Production
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Gold Vending Machines
· I like the Amish-their fight against Social Security
· May is National Bike Month-making energy
· Green Irene Updates
· No Cost Recreation Ideas
“Insanity: doing the same thing over & over again & expecting the same result”
--Einstein, commenting on how US fiscal policies are
running America
My Follow-Up on Green Irene
Readers have already noted our site and weekly bulletin devote attention to the green movement and how to be eco friendly while saving money. Indeed, one of my primary reasons for getting involved with alternative energy savings programs is to save money and to beat ridiculous government and utility rate hikes.
If you’ve read the Poor Man Recession Survival Kit you may recall one of the PDFs it contains is called 45 Ways to Make a Living Without a Job. Part of the philosophy it contains is to develop several circles of income within each family and Green Irene makes sense in that regard for our site and weekly bulletin – it might for you too.
In the previous two issues you learned about our free Poor Man’s Guide to Low Tech, Low Cost Eco Friendly Ways to Save Money…written in large part to continue my war against price gouging and to do our part to help the planet (old hippies never die). I’ve been a subscriber to Green Irene’s newsletter for several months and made a recent test purchase. Products arrived VERY quickly and ALL of the products ordered worked and were easy to install (a big plus for weekend mechanical dummies like me) and they were all reasonably priced.
Another important element I like about Green Irene – easy, free fundraiser for your school, church or group – get a free site, choice of length of time and 20% of sales. See more about this wonderful opportunity to generate funds at the site below.
You can spend a lot of time going to Home Depot and other places (and waste a lot of fuel in the process) to seek out energy saving devices but it’s doubtful you’ll find so many under one roof. So I signed on to become an EcoConsultant – beats trying to keep up with my book suppliers and it’s a service and product list which will only grow in need and popularity…Green Irene offers an energy tune-up for small businesses as well as homeowners (get my free ebook for the basics) which will save money and energy. Check it out at:
http://greenirene.com/PoorMan
<<<>>>
Getting Rid of Smell & Mess…
Composting may be the right thing to do for the environment, but it can be hard to get around the smell and the mess—particularly for urbanites without expansive yards. Trendspotter Springwise reports that Compost Cab is a new service about to launch in Washington, DC, that can be called upon to handle all the dirty details.
DC-area consumers begin by signing up online. Once it launches, Compost Cab will then provide them with a standardized bin equipped with a sturdy, compostable bag liner. Each day clients will fill the bin with their organic material, and once a week—on a reliable, fuel-efficient schedule—Compost Cab will pick up the bag, leaving behind only a clean bin with a new liner. The cost is simply USD 8 per week per bin; no long-term commitments are required.
At least as interesting is that clients who have been with Compost Cab for nine months or longer can claim some finished soil in return. Specifically, for every 50 pounds of organics the company collects from them, they can receive five pounds of fresh compost and one pound of worm castings in exchange. Those who choose not to claim their share, meanwhile, can ask Compost Cab to donate it on their behalf to ECO. Compost Cab is a production of Agricity LLC, a Washington, DC-based company focused on sustainability.
The average American family produces more than 500 pounds of leftover organic material every year; composting not only keeps that waste out of methane-generating landfills, it also produces nutrient-rich, fertile, natural soil. Looks like another win-win-win—for eco-minded consumers, the environment, and companies like Compost Cab that make it all happen.
“Free Trade has killed America-Repeal NAFTA Now!”
LOW & NO COST family recreational ideas…
· Learn a new language, hear an author, get a free DVD and more at your local library. www.publiclibraries.com
· Get cheap concert & event tickets by checking with your local Visitors Bureau for the best deals; use your membership privileges at AAA, AARP, or warehouse club to find good deals, check your credit card provider to see of they offer promotional deals, volunteer at theatres to get a ticket – check VolunteerMatch.org
· Win a Red Roof getaway - $400 pass, $400 giftcard & a $400 gas card. Register at: Woman’sWorldMag.com
May is National Bike Month and this is Bike to Work Week, why not consider cycling as a way to get in shape -- and produce energy?
In Detroit in January, the non-profit Cass Community Social Services opened what it says is the first green gym specifically meant for the homeless. The gym, located in a warehouse, has 10 stationary bikes that generate electricity. More gyms in the United States are retrofitting equipment to produce electricity. Among them is a homeless center in Detroit, where residents work out on 10 stationary bikes that help power the building and an Arizona jail where female inmates take turns on a bike to power the TV on which they watch soap operas.
Florida-based company ReRev has found a way to convert the DC power created by exercise into AC and then send it to the grid. A 30-minute workout on an elliptical cross-trainer generates about 50 Watts of power, enough to run a laptop for an hour.
Its elliptical machines at the University of Kansas powered the basketball court during a recent game, reports Inhabitat, an environmental website.
During Earth Hour in March, a man in Hiroshima, Japan, generated electricity by pedaling a bicycle at the Peace Memorial Park. Pedal power is not limited to gyms. "You can get inspiration from a New York vendor who makes smoothies with a bike blender or actor Ed Begley, Jr., who pedals to toast bread," reports the Sierra Club's The Daily Green blog.
"People worldwide are using bikes to wash clothes, pump water, mill grain and even power computers," says the blog, adding that you buy a modified bike or make your own.
While more gyms and individuals are producing power through cycling, this concept has yet to become mainstream, CNN reports.
"Nobody is coming out with the Prius of exercise equipment," Adam Boesel, owner of Green Microgym, a human-powered gym in Portland, Ore., says in the story. He adds:
"I think it's because big companies move slow. I liken it to the hybrid car. Five years ago, there were only a couple electric cars, now everyone wants to do it.
The way we look at it, you can waste energy or not waste energy. Anytime people exercise, that exercise is being wasted in terms of heat. We're trying to save a little bit of energy."
<<<>>>
How to Annoy Politicians…it’s gratifying to see many Americans finally coming to their senses about lifelong politicians such as Arlen Specter. No one needs to spend 30 years in Washington and perhaps the Tea Party Movement is taking hold as many career politicos are finally running scared – what, no more greasing the palms?
News of the odd - Gold Vending Machine
AFP:
There’s no mistaking what’s in this vending machine. The well-heeled in the Gulf can now grab “gold to go” from a hotel lobby in the United Arab Emirates, when the need for a quick ingot strikes.
On Thursday, a day after its inauguration, the shiny machine attracted spectators of many different nationalities who gathered to watch whenever an enthusiast was struck with the urge to splurge on a bar of the precious metal.
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace Hotel became the first place outside Germany to install “gold to go, the world’s first gold vending machine,” said a statement from Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the vending machine.
Amish, Independent Living & Social Security
I like the Amish. They grow their own food ... help each other build their houses ... and use horse and buggies instead of gas guzzling vehicles. They were "green" before the term became fashionable.
I’ve often hired Amish carpenters and farriers… the workmanship is top-notch.
Amish have a strong sense of self sufficiency. Amish do not typically participate in our nation's Social Security system.
Here’s an interesting story that takes place in New Wilmington, PA
Is It a Tax or an Insurance Premium?
The Social Security Act — which marked the beginning of the system we know today — passed Congress in 1935. But for the first 20 years, it didn't cover farmers. So it was only in the middle of the 1950s when the mostly rural Amish first confronted the prospect of paying into Social Security in any meaningful way.
As it was explained to them at the time, Social Security was a tax and it was the Internal Revenue Service's job to collect this tax.
Amish routinely pay property and income taxes just like everyone else.
But Social Security also clearly contains the name "Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance" ... which meant those "tax" payments could really just be looked at as mandatory insurance premiums.
(it’s worth noting that even now the Amish do not take advantage of government-sponsored programs such as unemployment insurance or welfare.)
The Amish sent a petition to Washington with 14,000 names on it. Their primary message to Congress: They didn't want to cause problems, but they didn't want to go to Hell, either.
When that petition went unanswered, some Amish farmers decided to close their bank accounts down ... giving the IRS no easy way to collect money owed.
And ultimately, Uncle Sam had just one last measure available — seizing property.
Of course, it's pretty hard to seize property from a group of people who don't believe much in worldly possessions. Which is why the IRS had to settle for farm animals.
Giving a New Meaning to the Term "Milking the System"
This is where a man named Valentine Byler, from western Pennsylvania, enters the picture. In 1959, he owed the IRS four years worth of taxes and interest — $308.96 all told.
Like many other Amish, Mr. Byler explained to the IRS precisely why he couldn't make the payments.
Their response? According to The Amish News website, here's the IRS press release from April 18, 1961:
"Since Mr. Byler had no bank account against which to levy for the tax due, it was decided as a last desperate measure to resort to seizure and sale of personal property.
"It was then determined that Mr. Byler had a total of six horses, so it was decided to seize three in order to satisfy the tax indebtedness. The three horses were sold May 1, 1961 at public auction for $460. Of this amount, $308.96 represented the tax due and $113.15 represented the expenses of the auction sale, including feed for the horses, leaving a surplus of $37.89 which was returned to the taxpayer.
"The Byler case, like all others in the same category, presents an unpleasant and difficult task for the Internal Revenue Service... We have no other choice under the law."
That's right. The IRS took half his horses.
Remember, these weren't show horses or pets. They were Mr. Byler's livelihood because he used them to plow his fields.
The implications of the seizure were clearly lost on the IRS, with the Pittsburgh IRS Chief of Collections reportedly saying, "Plowing never occurred to me. I live in an apartment."
Nor had Uncle Sam thought through the fact that auctioning the horses off in the largely Amish area would fall flat on its face.
In the end, yes, the government got its money ... along with a lot more than it bargained for.
Media outlets all over the place picked up the story, and were largely supportive of Mr. Byler. Meanwhile, the Amish put additional pressure on Washington through meetings, letters, and threats of legal action.
By 1965, their point had been made. Because when the amendment to the Social Security Act establishing Medicare and Medicaid was passed that year, it contained a clause that exempted the Old Order Amish from paying into the system. In fact, it covered any religious sect that objected to the idea of insurance, as long as they had been established before December 31, 1950. All monies owed for the years leading up to this change were also forgiven.
Here's the story of that amendment according to "The Riddle of Amish Culture" by Donald B. Kraybill:
"More than a dozen bills seeking to exempt the Amish from Social Security were sponsored by legislators from heavily populated Amish states in the early 1960s. A Social Security exemption was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on 30 July 1965 as an appendage to the bill that established the national Medicare program. According to an Amish negotiator, Lancaster Bishop David Fisher told House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills that 'we take care of our own people and if we start paying in, the next generation will collect and we don't want no government handouts.' Mills replied, 'There's nothing wrong with that.' And, according to an observer, 'Mills just hung an exemption rider on the Medicare bill and it sailed right through the Congress.'"
Of Course, the Story Doesn't End There.
Nor Are Relatively Small Religious Groups
The Only Americans Who Don't Pay Into Social Security ...
It's worth noting that another Social Security scuffle took place between the Amish and Washington in the early 1980s.
The battleground? Western Pennsylvania.
The crux of the matter: Whether Amish employers needed to pay into Social Security for their workers.
By the 1980s, some Amish found themselves operating more mainstream businesses such as furniture factories and construction outfits. That posed a problem on whether they were required to pay into Social Security for their employees, especially those who were also Amish.
A man named Ed Lee became the face of the issue. According to a Time magazine story from April 19, 1982:
"Ed Lee is one of 5,000 Amish in Lawrence County. He differs from his neighbors for reasons other than the fact that he is not a Byler or a Swatzentrooper or a Hofstader or the bearer of some other traditionally Amish name. Lee is different because he has done something that the Amish rarely do. He has ended up in court. His offense: refusing to pay Social Security taxes for 30 Amish men who worked for him over an eight-year period as carpenters, building houses. The Internal Revenue Service claimed that he owed the Government $27,000. Lee challenged the IRS ruling in federal district court in Pittsburgh. To prove his good intentions, he offered his farm as security in the event he lost. As it turned out, he won, but the IRS then appealed to the Supreme Court."
After that story was published, the Supreme Court found in favor of the IRS, saying:
"A comprehensive national Social Security system providing for voluntary participation would be almost a contradiction in terms and difficult, if not impossible, to administer."
But Lee kept up the fight — writing to President Reagan, gathering signatures, and pursuing other legal avenues. And again, the Amish ultimately prevailed. By the end of the decade, Amish employers were no longer required to pay into the system for their Amish employees.
Today, Amish families quickly fill out IRS form 4029 after their child is baptized. This document exempts them from the Social Security system entirely…how many of us would choose to forego our little “tax exemptions” and not get them a socialist slave number?
The Amish are Great Entrepreneurs
Want to find America’s most successful entrepreneurs? Skip Silicon Valley and Manhattan; head to the rural Amish enclaves.
Amish businesses have an eye-popping 95% success rate at staying open at least five years, according to author Erik Wesner’s new book, Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive.
It’s a statistic he backs up with a variety of academic surveys, drawing particularly on a 2009 report by Elizabethtown College sociology professor Donald Kraybill. Studying several Amish settlements, Kraybill found failure rates ranging from 2.6% and 4.2%; interviews with loan officers, accountants and industry professions in other Amish regions yielded additional anecdotal evidence of closure rates significantly south of 10%.
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
>>>>>>>>>
Goodbye Mom
A young man shopping in a supermarket noticed a little old lady following him around. If he stopped, she stopped. Furthermore she kept staring at him.
She finally overtook him at the checkout, and she turned to him and said, "I hope I haven't made you feel ill at ease; it's just that you look so much like my late son."
He answered, "That's okay."
"I know it's silly, but if you'd call out 'Good bye, Mom' as I leave the store, it would make me feel so happy."
She then went through the checkout, and as she was on her way out of the store, the man called out, "Goodbye, Mom."
The little old lady waved and smiled back at him...
Pleased that he had brought a little sunshine into someone's day; he went to pay for his groceries.
"That comes to $121.85," said the clerk.
"How come so much? I only bought 5 items."
The clerk replied, "Yeah, but your Mother said you'd be paying for her things, too."
Parting Shots
EBay continues to become a thorn in the side of many sellers. Non-stop changes along with burdensome rules and regulations (they now remind me of the federal government). Changes to fees, elimination of storefronts, elimination of blogs, and a degenerating customer base is simply helping its competitors - mainly Amazon (I still haven’t completed my account set up on Amazon).
Although I continue experimenting with other sites, I’ve had little or no success with them either. The saving grace for me personally is my Poor Man site, which continues to grow. Here are some valuable insights & rankings from Skip McGrath for selling on sites other than eBay.
Other Online Selling Sites and Auctions
By: Skip McGrath
With all the seller dissatisfaction with eBay and their strategy to drive small sellers from the site, I am often asked where else small sellers can sell their items. The obvious answers are Amazon and Craigslist, but there are many other selling sites as well.
So I spent some time researching alternative selling sites and came up with a list of the best sites. I did not cover Amazon and Craigslist as those sites are very well known. Instead I looked for sites that you may not have heard of. Get the rest of the scoop at:
http://skipmcgrath.com/articles/ebay-alternatives.shtml
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
http://GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldBookNook.com
A Shallow Planet Production
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Newest Poor Man Updates, Protect Your Privacy Updates, Frugal Resources
Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Free Rabbit Butchering Video
· More on Protecting your privacy
· Frugal ways to live on despite ‘end’ of recession
· Free Alternative Energy Videos
· Get our newest Poor Man CD release
· More free resources to make life easier
The trouble with socialism is you run out of other people’s money to spend.
--Margaret Thatcher
Spring is here and Scavenger Lifestyles
Off-the-Grid Economics
There are dozens of ‘survivalist’ sites available to you on the internet. Most of them and related print magazines are devoted to finding a place in the country to ‘homestead.’ While this is a terrific goal, one that I had achieved in the late 90s (we had a great 38-acre spread), it’s not always practical or affordable for most…even with the recession, land prices in most (not all) parts of the country are still expensive and even in ‘recession-torn Michigan, virtually no one is offering cheap land.
Going completely off-the-grid is not an inexpensive process, even for DIY folks. We also, at one point, owned 40-acres of vacant land in AZ which we had planned as our off-the-grid retirement project. An uninsured illness and other factors forced us to sell that land. While planning that project we estimated it would cost us nearly $45,000 to become completely energy self-sufficient excluding the cost of the home itself.
That’s why our Poor Man site and Bulletin is devoted more to the Urban Survivalist. Most of us will be happy to cut our utilities in half, earn a living from home, and to supplement our larder with natural, home-grown food. Not all of us have a complete workshop with our own lumber mill and a circle of like-minded DIY’ers to help us out…hell, I can’t even convince my wife to go along with some of the stuff I do (she will not help raise any animal she might have to eat). Of course, I do throw my politically incorrect insights about how the government mistreats its one-time masters into the mix!
I’ve always admired the Amish, many of whom I’ve hired over the years to perform tough carpentry projects, farrier work, etc. Because of community, they can raise a barn in a weekend without any kind of debt! It’s tough to find that sense of community in most localities. (More on Amish in next issue).
In that regard I’ll soon expand my book offerings to include a useful new book by Brett Markham called Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency of ¼ Acre. I’m waiting on his publisher for prices. As you noted in the previous issue, we’re also offering the best book on stockpiling, now in its 11th edition – Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down, available on our site. In 1999 we distributed case lots of this book and it’s one I suggest everyone in America own.
Finally, another useful paperback we’ve begun stocking is Anneli Rufus’ Scavengers’ Manifesto: a guide to freeing yourself from the endless cycle of buying stuff and discovering how salvaging, swapping and recycling can save your cash and the earth! This is currently available on my eBay site at 40% less than bookstore prices – go to www.Oldbooknook.com to order.
With all the doom & gloom that’s fit to print…stock market crashes, earthquakes, oil leaks, mass murders, mining accidents, bomb plots, etc. don’t you think it might be prudent to become more self reliant and prepared?
Our newest release:
Advanced
Poor Man Underground Survival
Strategy Series
Part III
Now on CD and a perfect companion to our first two releases of the Poor Man’s Recession Survival kits…includes:
· The Crisis Preparedness Handbook complete Guide to Home Storage & Physical Survival– 322 page PDF
· The Unemployed Millionaire-Escape the Rat Race – 275 pages
· Knife Fighting Manual-Put ‘Em Down/Take ‘em Out/31-pages
· Survival – Outdoors, Self Protection-330 PDF files covering everything from Urban Survival, Wilderness Survival, Survival & Evasion, Civil Disruption Preparedness, Several US & Canadian Military survival manuals and much, much more.
Here’s the deal for our readers…skip the shipping & pay just $4.95 for this CD ROM – heck of a deal off our already low prices. Order directly from our site or send your payment & address via PayPal to: bedavid@yahoo.com
--If you don’t have a paypal account, you can still send money through them – visit their site at: www.PayPal.com or contact me for other payment arrangements.
With this addition to our Self Reliance library, the Poor Man now offers the most comprehensive collection anywhere. Go to our site to order all of our CDs for one low price.
<<<>>>
Updates, Resources, Freebies & News
Rabbit Butchering Video---be sure to see the Poor Man’s How-to Video selection too.
http://www.homesteadernews.com/survivalskills.htm
Free e-book, the *Basic Sprouting Guide.* Click on the link below to receive the download:
http://familypreparednessguide.com/E-Book-Basic-Sprouting-Guide.pdf
Here are more great resources to help you with your Solar or Wind renewable energy projects:
Solar Calculator:
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/
Wind Map:
http://www.bergey.com/wind_maps.htm
Ever want to know how much solar or wind energy you can capture at your home? Here are some online tools that you will really like. "DIY Solar & Wind" Video page. Here is a link if you wish to watch the videos:
====> 4 DIY Videos: http://greendiyenergy.com/gotvideos.php
Former eBay Execs Are Behind New Social-Shopping Yardsellr Site
Former eBay manager Danny Leffel has created a new site for
online sellers called Yardsellr, backed by former eBay VP Michael
Dearing's investment firm. The site focuses on social shopping
and uses some of the ideas from eBay's 3.0 project.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m05/i11/s03
Myth: Brown eggs are different than white.
Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.
Thinking of Going Back to School? Find help from scholarships to support:
www.eLearners.com/ProjectWorkingMom!
Change your name with a click. We discovered the hard way when renewing a passport that a name change due to a marriage requires an original marriage certificate – the government won’t accept anything else (adding to the cost). Either way, when you change your name, it frequently requires notifying 25-35 different agencies. Here are few resources to use.
www.namechangeexpress.com
www.MissNowMrs.com
www.GetYourNameBack.com
Find a missing part…Looking for an oddball knob or replacement part for an older, discontinued appliance? Type in what you need at these sites to quickly find it:
www.PartStore.com or www.RepairClinic.com
"Government machinery has been described
as a marvelous labor saving device which
enables ten men to do the work of one."
-- John Maynard Keynes
Frugality among consumers is outliving recession
A new frugality among consumers whose wealth has shrunk is outliving the recession…Gee, what’s the Poor Man been saying for years now?
Even as the economic recovery plods ahead, many American consumers are refusing to come along.
They're not spending freely -- and they have no plans to.
Many of them have steady income. They aren't saddled by high debts. They don't fear losing their jobs. Yet despite recent gains, they've lost so much household wealth that they're far more cautious about spending than before the recession.
Their behavior suggests that the Great Recession may have bred a new frugality that will endure well into the recovery. And because consumers fuel about 70 percent of the economy, their tightfisted habits means the rebound could stay unusually sluggish.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Frugality-among-consumers-is-apf-3355135283.html?x=0
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4,525-number of lobbyists hired by companies &
organizations to influence health care reform in 2009.
The hogs have come to the trough again to feed!
Survey of Jobless Finds “No End in Sight”
A new national survey of unemployed Americans reports that nearly 80 percent of those who lost jobs during the Great Recession were still without work as of March 2010.
In a report titled No End in Sight: The Agony of Prolonged Unemployment (pdf) released today by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, researchers found that of those surveyed who were jobless in August 2009 only 13 percent had found full-time work.
According to Professor Carl Van Horn, a co-author of the report:
“Despite recent signs that the worst phase of the Great Recession may be behind us, the vast majority of jobless Americans have not found new jobs. When they did find work, most took pay cuts and/or lost benefits. Among those still searching for work — many for more than a year — are millions who have never been without a job and who have at least a college education. The inability of these job seekers to find new opportunities is an economic and cultural disaster.”
The report is based on a six-month follow-up survey of unemployed Americans included in a September 2009 study titled The Anguish of Unemployment.
This latest follow-up found that of those who were jobless last August only 21 percent had found any work. Less than 10 percent had found jobs that were at least on par with their previous pay levels. Of those newly reemployed more than half had settled for lower pay, and more than one-third had accepted reduced benefits.
In what will come as no surprise to many older jobless workers, the new survey found only 12 percent of those over age 50 had found either full- or part-time work, compared to 21 percent of those age 30 to 49, and 29 percent ages 18 to 29.
Related Story…
The latest survey to hit the wires is the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which surveyed more than 30,000 Americans about their entrepreneurial inclination.
There are some interesting results to report:
· More than 1/3 of the respondents describe themselves as "free agents". I'm surprised that only 1/3 said this, as it is ever more clear that large corporations consider all of their employees as "free agents" - subject to termination whenever they feel the need to boost the stock price to up the obscene value of executive stock options.
· 38% of Boomers describe themselves as "free agents" compared to 33% for Gen X folks.
· 52% of Boomers say that they have the skills to start a business.
· The largest concentration of self-employed or free-agent people is in Hartford, CT (52 percent), followed by Baton Rouge, LA (50%).
· NOTE - The main factor preventing Americans from becoming free agents is uncertainty about income, followed by availability/cost of replacing corporate health care.
Says the surveys director: "We are seeing a new mindset among many workers who do not share the same concerns about job security as their parents nor do they place such high value on lifelong career, or attachment to one employer".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!
How to Stay Anonymous Online
If you want to stay inconspicuous while online, here are some products, services, and best practices to put to use
The good news is that you can take back control of what others see and know of you online. Here's how.
CHECK YOUR STEALTH
Put your PC through an Internet anonymity test to see just how stealthy it really is. Whenever you connect to Web sites, you're basically telling them your IP address—if nothing else. Based on that information alone, sites can tell a lot about you, such as your general location. If you want to get an idea about what you're telling the Web, check out sites like What the Internet Knows About You and Stay Invisible.
ANONYMOUS E-MAIL
Let's face it, as nice as it is to remain anonymous as you surf, it's almost essential for your e-mail to go unnoticed, or you're going to be swamped with spam in no time. Consider this: Recently, a PCMag editor created a Hotmail account, did nothing with it, and days later he was getting over 500 unsolicited messaged a day. If you prefer a Web-based mail service, Google's Gmail has, without a doubt, the best spam catcher in the business.
In addition, you can avoid putting your e-mail out in the wild by using an alias. These sometimes-temporary addresses can be doled out as you receive requests from Web services or elsewhere. You might be able to set one up if you own your own domain name.
Buying an alias or two is also an option. For example, Anonymizer's Nyms, short for pseudonym, provides alias e-mail addresses for $20 a year. Anonymizer ensures that you still receive your messages but without the sender knowing your real address.
Get all the tips here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363302,00.asp
Speaking of no privacy…the Commonwealth of PA is getting snoopy with their Find Us Before We Find You TV Ad – View Ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybcu2itqvEQ&utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Shocking%20TV%20Ad%20Targets%20Public,%20Escalates%20Government%20Fear%20Campaign
What's telling about Pennsylvania's taxpayer attack ad campaign is that it brags how you have no shield of privacy from government snoops. It is a classic example of a disturbing trend: A situation in which bureaucrats have forgotten their place as public servants and now openly regard taxpayers as subjects to be preyed upon -- not a master to serve.
Why it’s happening – same old story: government greed…
Northwestern University economist Joshua Rauh recently calculated 50 states' pension obligations by removing the rigged statistics governments use to make their pensions appear solvent. Rauh learned that in addition to horrific operating deficits, state government pension obligations are (on a national level) a whopping three times greater than their rapidly collapsing reserves.
Don’t leave counterfeiting to amateurs; let the feds do it!
<<<>>>
I don’t want to get into printing recipes every issue but thanks Carolyn for this cool recipe that we’ll all enjoy!
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
Self Sufficiency-Not Dependency!
>>>>>>>>>>>>
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. Go Here:
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Parting Shots
We finished a busy weekend participating in a community wide garage sale. As anyone who has ever set up a three day sale knows, the challenge is in the set up. In this part of the country we’ve had problems with weather and tons of rain ruining the first day…or so I thought. We actually had more customers on the day it rained the hardest-go figure.
The Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index shows the US slipping in its freedom rankings to below that of Canada…who would have guessed?! It’s also clear the long-term trend of our dollar is headed downward, especially with huge and growing deficits and our trillion dollar plus unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare and of course, new reports indicate Obama’s healthcare plan will be higher than originally promised – much, much higher. I said it from the start, Obama’s first priority should’ve been JOBS!
I just placed an order for some Eco friendly products from Green Irene. Once I test them in terms of reliability and cost I’m thinking about signing on to become a distributor of theirs…if you’ve had any experience with this firm, drop me a note to let me know what you think.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
Global Economy=s Global Serfdom!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
A Shallow Planet Production
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Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Free Rabbit Butchering Video
· More on Protecting your privacy
· Frugal ways to live on despite ‘end’ of recession
· Free Alternative Energy Videos
· Get our newest Poor Man CD release
· More free resources to make life easier
The trouble with socialism is you run out of other people’s money to spend.
--Margaret Thatcher
Spring is here and Scavenger Lifestyles
Off-the-Grid Economics
There are dozens of ‘survivalist’ sites available to you on the internet. Most of them and related print magazines are devoted to finding a place in the country to ‘homestead.’ While this is a terrific goal, one that I had achieved in the late 90s (we had a great 38-acre spread), it’s not always practical or affordable for most…even with the recession, land prices in most (not all) parts of the country are still expensive and even in ‘recession-torn Michigan, virtually no one is offering cheap land.
Going completely off-the-grid is not an inexpensive process, even for DIY folks. We also, at one point, owned 40-acres of vacant land in AZ which we had planned as our off-the-grid retirement project. An uninsured illness and other factors forced us to sell that land. While planning that project we estimated it would cost us nearly $45,000 to become completely energy self-sufficient excluding the cost of the home itself.
That’s why our Poor Man site and Bulletin is devoted more to the Urban Survivalist. Most of us will be happy to cut our utilities in half, earn a living from home, and to supplement our larder with natural, home-grown food. Not all of us have a complete workshop with our own lumber mill and a circle of like-minded DIY’ers to help us out…hell, I can’t even convince my wife to go along with some of the stuff I do (she will not help raise any animal she might have to eat). Of course, I do throw my politically incorrect insights about how the government mistreats its one-time masters into the mix!
I’ve always admired the Amish, many of whom I’ve hired over the years to perform tough carpentry projects, farrier work, etc. Because of community, they can raise a barn in a weekend without any kind of debt! It’s tough to find that sense of community in most localities. (More on Amish in next issue).
In that regard I’ll soon expand my book offerings to include a useful new book by Brett Markham called Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency of ¼ Acre. I’m waiting on his publisher for prices. As you noted in the previous issue, we’re also offering the best book on stockpiling, now in its 11th edition – Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down, available on our site. In 1999 we distributed case lots of this book and it’s one I suggest everyone in America own.
Finally, another useful paperback we’ve begun stocking is Anneli Rufus’ Scavengers’ Manifesto: a guide to freeing yourself from the endless cycle of buying stuff and discovering how salvaging, swapping and recycling can save your cash and the earth! This is currently available on my eBay site at 40% less than bookstore prices – go to www.Oldbooknook.com to order.
With all the doom & gloom that’s fit to print…stock market crashes, earthquakes, oil leaks, mass murders, mining accidents, bomb plots, etc. don’t you think it might be prudent to become more self reliant and prepared?
Our newest release:
Advanced
Poor Man Underground Survival
Strategy Series
Part III
Now on CD and a perfect companion to our first two releases of the Poor Man’s Recession Survival kits…includes:
· The Crisis Preparedness Handbook complete Guide to Home Storage & Physical Survival– 322 page PDF
· The Unemployed Millionaire-Escape the Rat Race – 275 pages
· Knife Fighting Manual-Put ‘Em Down/Take ‘em Out/31-pages
· Survival – Outdoors, Self Protection-330 PDF files covering everything from Urban Survival, Wilderness Survival, Survival & Evasion, Civil Disruption Preparedness, Several US & Canadian Military survival manuals and much, much more.
Here’s the deal for our readers…skip the shipping & pay just $4.95 for this CD ROM – heck of a deal off our already low prices. Order directly from our site or send your payment & address via PayPal to: bedavid@yahoo.com
--If you don’t have a paypal account, you can still send money through them – visit their site at: www.PayPal.com or contact me for other payment arrangements.
With this addition to our Self Reliance library, the Poor Man now offers the most comprehensive collection anywhere. Go to our site to order all of our CDs for one low price.
<<<>>>
Updates, Resources, Freebies & News
Rabbit Butchering Video---be sure to see the Poor Man’s How-to Video selection too.
http://www.homesteadernews.com/survivalskills.htm
Free e-book, the *Basic Sprouting Guide.* Click on the link below to receive the download:
http://familypreparednessguide.com/E-Book-Basic-Sprouting-Guide.pdf
Here are more great resources to help you with your Solar or Wind renewable energy projects:
Solar Calculator:
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/
Wind Map:
http://www.bergey.com/wind_maps.htm
Ever want to know how much solar or wind energy you can capture at your home? Here are some online tools that you will really like. "DIY Solar & Wind" Video page. Here is a link if you wish to watch the videos:
====> 4 DIY Videos: http://greendiyenergy.com/gotvideos.php
Former eBay Execs Are Behind New Social-Shopping Yardsellr Site
Former eBay manager Danny Leffel has created a new site for
online sellers called Yardsellr, backed by former eBay VP Michael
Dearing's investment firm. The site focuses on social shopping
and uses some of the ideas from eBay's 3.0 project.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m05/i11/s03
Myth: Brown eggs are different than white.
Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.
Thinking of Going Back to School? Find help from scholarships to support:
www.eLearners.com/ProjectWorkingMom!
Change your name with a click. We discovered the hard way when renewing a passport that a name change due to a marriage requires an original marriage certificate – the government won’t accept anything else (adding to the cost). Either way, when you change your name, it frequently requires notifying 25-35 different agencies. Here are few resources to use.
www.namechangeexpress.com
www.MissNowMrs.com
www.GetYourNameBack.com
Find a missing part…Looking for an oddball knob or replacement part for an older, discontinued appliance? Type in what you need at these sites to quickly find it:
www.PartStore.com or www.RepairClinic.com
"Government machinery has been described
as a marvelous labor saving device which
enables ten men to do the work of one."
-- John Maynard Keynes
Frugality among consumers is outliving recession
A new frugality among consumers whose wealth has shrunk is outliving the recession…Gee, what’s the Poor Man been saying for years now?
Even as the economic recovery plods ahead, many American consumers are refusing to come along.
They're not spending freely -- and they have no plans to.
Many of them have steady income. They aren't saddled by high debts. They don't fear losing their jobs. Yet despite recent gains, they've lost so much household wealth that they're far more cautious about spending than before the recession.
Their behavior suggests that the Great Recession may have bred a new frugality that will endure well into the recovery. And because consumers fuel about 70 percent of the economy, their tightfisted habits means the rebound could stay unusually sluggish.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Frugality-among-consumers-is-apf-3355135283.html?x=0
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
4,525-number of lobbyists hired by companies &
organizations to influence health care reform in 2009.
The hogs have come to the trough again to feed!
Survey of Jobless Finds “No End in Sight”
A new national survey of unemployed Americans reports that nearly 80 percent of those who lost jobs during the Great Recession were still without work as of March 2010.
In a report titled No End in Sight: The Agony of Prolonged Unemployment (pdf) released today by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, researchers found that of those surveyed who were jobless in August 2009 only 13 percent had found full-time work.
According to Professor Carl Van Horn, a co-author of the report:
“Despite recent signs that the worst phase of the Great Recession may be behind us, the vast majority of jobless Americans have not found new jobs. When they did find work, most took pay cuts and/or lost benefits. Among those still searching for work — many for more than a year — are millions who have never been without a job and who have at least a college education. The inability of these job seekers to find new opportunities is an economic and cultural disaster.”
The report is based on a six-month follow-up survey of unemployed Americans included in a September 2009 study titled The Anguish of Unemployment.
This latest follow-up found that of those who were jobless last August only 21 percent had found any work. Less than 10 percent had found jobs that were at least on par with their previous pay levels. Of those newly reemployed more than half had settled for lower pay, and more than one-third had accepted reduced benefits.
In what will come as no surprise to many older jobless workers, the new survey found only 12 percent of those over age 50 had found either full- or part-time work, compared to 21 percent of those age 30 to 49, and 29 percent ages 18 to 29.
Related Story…
The latest survey to hit the wires is the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which surveyed more than 30,000 Americans about their entrepreneurial inclination.
There are some interesting results to report:
· More than 1/3 of the respondents describe themselves as "free agents". I'm surprised that only 1/3 said this, as it is ever more clear that large corporations consider all of their employees as "free agents" - subject to termination whenever they feel the need to boost the stock price to up the obscene value of executive stock options.
· 38% of Boomers describe themselves as "free agents" compared to 33% for Gen X folks.
· 52% of Boomers say that they have the skills to start a business.
· The largest concentration of self-employed or free-agent people is in Hartford, CT (52 percent), followed by Baton Rouge, LA (50%).
· NOTE - The main factor preventing Americans from becoming free agents is uncertainty about income, followed by availability/cost of replacing corporate health care.
Says the surveys director: "We are seeing a new mindset among many workers who do not share the same concerns about job security as their parents nor do they place such high value on lifelong career, or attachment to one employer".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!
How to Stay Anonymous Online
If you want to stay inconspicuous while online, here are some products, services, and best practices to put to use
The good news is that you can take back control of what others see and know of you online. Here's how.
CHECK YOUR STEALTH
Put your PC through an Internet anonymity test to see just how stealthy it really is. Whenever you connect to Web sites, you're basically telling them your IP address—if nothing else. Based on that information alone, sites can tell a lot about you, such as your general location. If you want to get an idea about what you're telling the Web, check out sites like What the Internet Knows About You and Stay Invisible.
ANONYMOUS E-MAIL
Let's face it, as nice as it is to remain anonymous as you surf, it's almost essential for your e-mail to go unnoticed, or you're going to be swamped with spam in no time. Consider this: Recently, a PCMag editor created a Hotmail account, did nothing with it, and days later he was getting over 500 unsolicited messaged a day. If you prefer a Web-based mail service, Google's Gmail has, without a doubt, the best spam catcher in the business.
In addition, you can avoid putting your e-mail out in the wild by using an alias. These sometimes-temporary addresses can be doled out as you receive requests from Web services or elsewhere. You might be able to set one up if you own your own domain name.
Buying an alias or two is also an option. For example, Anonymizer's Nyms, short for pseudonym, provides alias e-mail addresses for $20 a year. Anonymizer ensures that you still receive your messages but without the sender knowing your real address.
Get all the tips here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363302,00.asp
Speaking of no privacy…the Commonwealth of PA is getting snoopy with their Find Us Before We Find You TV Ad – View Ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybcu2itqvEQ&utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Shocking%20TV%20Ad%20Targets%20Public,%20Escalates%20Government%20Fear%20Campaign
What's telling about Pennsylvania's taxpayer attack ad campaign is that it brags how you have no shield of privacy from government snoops. It is a classic example of a disturbing trend: A situation in which bureaucrats have forgotten their place as public servants and now openly regard taxpayers as subjects to be preyed upon -- not a master to serve.
Why it’s happening – same old story: government greed…
Northwestern University economist Joshua Rauh recently calculated 50 states' pension obligations by removing the rigged statistics governments use to make their pensions appear solvent. Rauh learned that in addition to horrific operating deficits, state government pension obligations are (on a national level) a whopping three times greater than their rapidly collapsing reserves.
Don’t leave counterfeiting to amateurs; let the feds do it!
<<<>>>
I don’t want to get into printing recipes every issue but thanks Carolyn for this cool recipe that we’ll all enjoy!
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
Self Sufficiency-Not Dependency!
>>>>>>>>>>>>
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. Go Here:
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Parting Shots
We finished a busy weekend participating in a community wide garage sale. As anyone who has ever set up a three day sale knows, the challenge is in the set up. In this part of the country we’ve had problems with weather and tons of rain ruining the first day…or so I thought. We actually had more customers on the day it rained the hardest-go figure.
The Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index shows the US slipping in its freedom rankings to below that of Canada…who would have guessed?! It’s also clear the long-term trend of our dollar is headed downward, especially with huge and growing deficits and our trillion dollar plus unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare and of course, new reports indicate Obama’s healthcare plan will be higher than originally promised – much, much higher. I said it from the start, Obama’s first priority should’ve been JOBS!
I just placed an order for some Eco friendly products from Green Irene. Once I test them in terms of reliability and cost I’m thinking about signing on to become a distributor of theirs…if you’ve had any experience with this firm, drop me a note to let me know what you think.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
Global Economy=s Global Serfdom!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
A Shallow Planet Production
Friday, May 7, 2010
Don't Get Caught W/ Your Pantry Down, Mother's Day Freebies
Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Survival Bulletin
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Grow Food-not grass
· Learn to fight the bill collector-Win $1000
· How to save at warehouse clubs – even if you’re not a member
· Hitchikers guide to alternative transportation
· Using Groupon, Mothers’ Day Freebies
· New Nat’l ID Scam from Democrats
· Don’t Get Caught with your Pantry Down
Don’t Do Drugs because if you do drugs you’ll go to prison,
And drugs are really expensive in prison. – John Hardwick
The Healthier I Get…
After the income tax became law, WC Fields was audited by the newly formed IRS and was questioned about his writing off the use of gin as a business expense. When he was told he couldn’t do that, he quipped “the price of living just went up $2 a quart.”
It seems we just can’t have any fun involving things we ‘used’ to like such as drinking and smoking (by the way, I quit six weeks ago).
According to a new study released last month, four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests.
The study appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
The healthiest group included never-smokers and those who had quit; teetotalers, women who had fewer than two drinks daily and men who had fewer than three; those who got at least two hours of physical activity weekly; and those who ate fruits and vegetables at least three times daily.
…and here I thought alcohol preserved you! I guess everything, except government largess, in moderation!
One of the best, if not THE best family preparedness guides to have ever been published has been updated & includes online videos…Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down by Stevens is now available through the Poor Man – see below for more information or to order. You will not be sorry!
Speaking of healthy…try this instant breakfast recipe instead of the store bought crap out there. I used to whip this up for my guests and they seemed to enjoy it (perhaps they were being polite).
Austrian Beauty Breakfast
Juice of 3 fresh oranges and/or pineapple juice
4 tablespoons of raw wheat germ
1 tsp of brewers yeast
1 banana
Honey to taste (I don’t like the taste of honey & find the fruit is sufficiently sweet)
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 tsp whey powder (optional)
4 sliced apricots – sun dried or fresh
Blend all ingredients for about 5 minutes and drink. Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. Go Here:
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
>>><<< Grow food – not grass! Something we’re in the process of doing or as this site states…”10,000 pounds on 1/10th of an acre.” For most of us, moving to a small farm in order to become self sufficient just isn’t in the cards. Even with the down real estate market, open tracts of land in most parts of the country is still mighty expensive and cost of a start up farm and/or making it energy self sufficient is prohibitive.
The folks at this site present a journal of sorts of how they live a self sufficient life in the suburbs and you might find it of interest. The site is somewhat confusing to navigate at times, but it’s worth a look see.
http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/
>>>>> Find the best grocery deals for you by viewing
Blogs that match manufacturer’s coupons with store coupons and sales from local supermarkets. Click on grocer deals at this site:
www.becentsable.net
NOTE: Most warehouse clubs do not accept manufacturers coupons. The exception is BJs. Although I’ve pushed using such clubs in the past, I’m not so sure anymore. High entry fees (average membership fee is now $45 or more) would discourage me from joining unless I was buying one hell of lot of stuff…most often, I can find the same deal elsewhere by checking sale prices. Consider making your purchases online as most of these outlets offer 80% more items on their sites.
Kind of a sneaky way to use these clubs without joining…if you know someone who does belong, give them some cash to buy you a warehouse gift card – you can use it to buy what you want and get the same deals as members without paying for a membership.
Generally, you’ll save a respectful buck when using their pharmacy, fuel stops or making alcohol purchases AND most offer free tech support for purchases of computers, TVs or other electronics – Costco automatically gives you a two-year warranty on all electronics you purchase from them!
Finally, check out My Harvest America, an online supermarket and non-grocery savings plan sent to me by a new subscriber, foxybird…the sites are:
http://www.myharvestamerica.com/benefits.asp
http://www.marybirdsinformationplace.com/
(see last issue link to discount supermarkets)…the Poor Man
Happy Mother’s Day!
President Wilson made Mother’s Day official in 1914. This year Americans are expected to spend $2.6 billion on flowers and $68 million on greeting cards. Here are a couple of freebies for mom…
1. May 9th TCBY is offering a free cone or cup of their frozen yogurt – go to:
www.TCBY.com
2. Grab some free ice cream on Mother’s Day at Cold Stone Creamery – offerings vary from store-to-store. www.ColdStoneCreamery.com
"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."
Tenneva Jordan
EcoBees, the newest way to get free stuff
There's never been a better time for freecyclers , who share and receive an infinite array of goods with others, all for free. The launch of a new site, EcoBees.com , in March brings with it even more options for the concept, which helps keep stuff out of landfills and decreases the need to go shopping. This is one more sign the freecycle movement is growing. EcoBees claims to be "saving the planet one item at a time," and it provides a forum for people to reduce waste. http://www.ecobees.com/
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
DYI Energy Efficient Updates can help you save some big CASH!
FREE-30-page PDF saves an average of $175 per month or $2000 annually – Not getting this is like leaving money on the table.
Poor Man’s Guide to Eco Friendly No Cost, Low Cost & Low Tech Ways to Save $ & the Environment…click on the Poor Man Free Reports folder, the PM Eco Guide PDF
www.poormansurvivor.spaces.live.com/
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Alternate Transportation
Almost every municipality in the country is making a push for alternate modes of transportation. More and more bike paths are being built. Sidewalks are being widened. Community shuttle buses are popping up in towns where car congestion and parking (or lack thereof) has reached critical mass and if you haven’t been on a public bus lately, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Leaving the car at home makes a whole lot of financial and environmental sense if you can manage it. Here are nine alternative ways to make a short trip — to the store, to a friends’, to the beach, etc. and save. Read the rest here:
http://www.doughroller.net/personal-finance/guide-to-alternate-transportation/
Noteworthy & Newsworthy!
Student Explains Budget Cuts - ONLY 1 MIN 38 SEC.
This is short, simple, and ultimately disturbing. Everyone needs to understand this. This is not political, per se, but is the best illustration of economics I have seen as to what we can, and cannot, cut from the national budget, and how to illustrate the significance of what is proposed.
A college student "explains our Federal Budget" and the portion that must be borrowed in simple terms for everyone, plus his visual aid example easily demonstrates the $100 million cut that the President promised as savings.
Click on this link and be amazed. Watch it twice to enjoy the simplicity. Then decide if it is time to write and call your Senator for a stop to deficit spending.
http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts/
Collective Buying Service
Groupon is a collective buying discount service. Actually, that idea has been around in variations for years, both on and offline, but Groupon seems to have figured out how to make it simple and social.
Every day subscribers get one great deal offer for their community by way of email. Offers are from local businesses and are come with a price tag in order to earn a discount – something like $35 for an $80 massage. Groupon is working in about 30 cities currently, with near term plans to go to 80.
The offer doesn’t become good until some prescribed number of people elect to buy it. If a subscriber decides to buy the offer they often pass it along to friends to make sure the deal happens.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
More Good Stuff!
Learning How to Fight the Collector
Mr. Katz, a 58-year-old accountant in suburban Tucson, spends his free time schooling debtors on the finer points of consumer protection law to help them turn the tables on debt collectors. On occasion, he thumbs his own nose at them too.
“How many times can I sue you? Let me count the ways,” he wrote under his pseudonym, Dr. Tax, in a March posting on Inside ARM, a debt collectors’ Web site.
A former bill collector himself, Mr. Katz rebelled after a debt buyer damaged his credit score with what he says was a bogus bill. Mr. Katz sued, and in 2003 he collected his first damage award, a $1,000 check that he now keeps framed behind his desk.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Learning-How-to-Fight-the-nytimes-3387084735.html?x=0&.v=1
>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< New National ID Scam proposed by Democrats
WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Civil liberties advocates decried a Democratic proposal that would require all workers in the United States to carry an ID card with biometric identifiers.
Senate Democratic leaders Thursday revealed an outline to reform U.S. immigration laws
, including a proposal requiring workers to carry a national card with biometric data, such as fingerprints, within six years.
Always an excuse using some BS “greater good logic.”
Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who worked on the outline and helped present it Thursday, said the public has become more comfortable with the idea of a national identification card.
"For a long time it was resisted by many groups but now we live in a world where we take off our shoes at the airport and pull out our identification," Durbin said. "People understand that in this vulnerable world we have to be able to present identification."
Like this will work…just like gun control kept guns out of the hands of criminals! It’s just another control/power grab so they can keep a better eye on their serfs. The Poor Man has reported on this extensively in previous issues…you may recall that I suggested they will use the Nat’l Health program as a means of issuing national identity cards using our need for healthcare as subtefuge!
Entrepreneurs who want to put principles before profits—even after their companies go public—may soon have the legal cover to do just that, reports BusinessWeek.
On Apr. 13, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a law creating legal entities known as “benefit corporations” and giving them greater protection from shareholder lawsuits. California and Vermont have similar bills in the works and legislators in at least three other states, including New York, are considering them. While many entrepreneurs applaud the measures, corporate governance experts worry about the rights of shareholders.
Interest in so-called socially responsible businesses by investors and entrepreneurs has grown in recent years. More than $2.7 trillion—about 11% of all assets under professional management—were in some kind of socially responsible investment in 2007, the latest data from Bloomberg show.
More than 30,000 U.S. companies are members of socially responsible or sustainable business organizations, according to B Lab, a Berwyn (Pa.) nonprofit that certifies businesses as socially responsible.
Under the new Maryland law, benefit corporations must spell out their values in their charters, report annually on activities that benefit the public, and submit to third-party auditing of their societal impact. Becoming a benefit corporation, or shedding that status, would require approval of two-thirds of shareholders.
Despite the stupidity of government officials in AZ…
Researchers have determined one way to help contain global warming is as simple as painting every rooftop white and roads too. US energy Secretary, Steven Chu discussed this proposal at a recent climate conference. I made the same suggestion (along with other suggestions) to then Gov. Janet Napalitano, now director of Homeland Insecurity.
Needless to say, they never responded to my proposals.
Want to check crime in your neighborhood?
It’s now as easy as going these sites in order to learn about perverts in your area, drunk driving arrests and more:
www.everyblock.com
www.www.criminalsearches.com
www.crimemapping.com
www.crimereports.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Government: More Incompetent than Ever
Most intellectuals support big government, and millions of people depend on it. So why, with thousands of laws, millions of employees working to carry out those laws, and trillions of dollars spent, is it in trouble?
The most popular big-government programs–like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid–are going broke. These entitlements account for more than half of annual federal spending. In 2009, spending on all federal entitlements exceeded all federal tax revenue. As Cato Institute economist Richard W. Rahn explained, this means “virtually all of the other government spending programs, including defense and interest payments on the debt, will be funded by more borrowing.” More at:
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/government-more-incompetent-than-ever/?utm_source=The+Freeman&utm_campaign=5b6594e498-Freeman_May2010_Issue&utm_medium=email
If you think about it, it’s all about control!
Seldom do Americans have much say-so in how the government intrudes into our lives. We’re pretty much told “that’s the way it is and if you don’t like it, tough”! Freedom of choice has become a quaint, old-fashioned thought among leaders at the state and federal level.
I think of seat belt laws, anti-smoking bans, airport security rules, financial rules (you can’t open a bank account, take more than $5K in cash out of the country, open a foreign bank account, buy a money order over a certain amount, etc. etc. without the government knowing about it).
We are the most heavily regulated society on the planet and because of that, the most heavily controlled in a “democratic country.” After all, the more laws created, the more lawbreakers there are. The average American breaks 21 laws a week, often without realizing it. The more laws, the more control and often the more revenue skimmed from your pocket via the courts or regulatory agencies.
Like good sheep, we all go along with the program in the name of some ‘greater good,” such as protecting the children, controlling social behavior, protecting our health, and blah, blah, blah.
Seldom is any thought of compromise given in legislation or achieving some kind of middle ground – it’s always a sledge hammer approach. Smoking bans are a good example…why can’t businesses, especially bars and clubs create non-smoking areas within reason – after all, no one is forced to go to a casino, nightclub or restaurant.
Our ruling class would not want you to exercise any freedom of choice that’s why. It allows them another means of grabbing your money in the form of fines.
That’s it for this week pardners…from the worldwide PoorMan Network! Be sure to share this with a friend!
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after."
Peter De Vries.
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Grow Food-not grass
· Learn to fight the bill collector-Win $1000
· How to save at warehouse clubs – even if you’re not a member
· Hitchikers guide to alternative transportation
· Using Groupon, Mothers’ Day Freebies
· New Nat’l ID Scam from Democrats
· Don’t Get Caught with your Pantry Down
Don’t Do Drugs because if you do drugs you’ll go to prison,
And drugs are really expensive in prison. – John Hardwick
The Healthier I Get…
After the income tax became law, WC Fields was audited by the newly formed IRS and was questioned about his writing off the use of gin as a business expense. When he was told he couldn’t do that, he quipped “the price of living just went up $2 a quart.”
It seems we just can’t have any fun involving things we ‘used’ to like such as drinking and smoking (by the way, I quit six weeks ago).
According to a new study released last month, four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests.
The study appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
The healthiest group included never-smokers and those who had quit; teetotalers, women who had fewer than two drinks daily and men who had fewer than three; those who got at least two hours of physical activity weekly; and those who ate fruits and vegetables at least three times daily.
…and here I thought alcohol preserved you! I guess everything, except government largess, in moderation!
One of the best, if not THE best family preparedness guides to have ever been published has been updated & includes online videos…Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down by Stevens is now available through the Poor Man – see below for more information or to order. You will not be sorry!
Speaking of healthy…try this instant breakfast recipe instead of the store bought crap out there. I used to whip this up for my guests and they seemed to enjoy it (perhaps they were being polite).
Austrian Beauty Breakfast
Juice of 3 fresh oranges and/or pineapple juice
4 tablespoons of raw wheat germ
1 tsp of brewers yeast
1 banana
Honey to taste (I don’t like the taste of honey & find the fruit is sufficiently sweet)
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 tsp whey powder (optional)
4 sliced apricots – sun dried or fresh
Blend all ingredients for about 5 minutes and drink. Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. Go Here:
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
>>><<< Grow food – not grass! Something we’re in the process of doing or as this site states…”10,000 pounds on 1/10th of an acre.” For most of us, moving to a small farm in order to become self sufficient just isn’t in the cards. Even with the down real estate market, open tracts of land in most parts of the country is still mighty expensive and cost of a start up farm and/or making it energy self sufficient is prohibitive.
The folks at this site present a journal of sorts of how they live a self sufficient life in the suburbs and you might find it of interest. The site is somewhat confusing to navigate at times, but it’s worth a look see.
http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/
>>>>> Find the best grocery deals for you by viewing
Blogs that match manufacturer’s coupons with store coupons and sales from local supermarkets. Click on grocer deals at this site:
www.becentsable.net
NOTE: Most warehouse clubs do not accept manufacturers coupons. The exception is BJs. Although I’ve pushed using such clubs in the past, I’m not so sure anymore. High entry fees (average membership fee is now $45 or more) would discourage me from joining unless I was buying one hell of lot of stuff…most often, I can find the same deal elsewhere by checking sale prices. Consider making your purchases online as most of these outlets offer 80% more items on their sites.
Kind of a sneaky way to use these clubs without joining…if you know someone who does belong, give them some cash to buy you a warehouse gift card – you can use it to buy what you want and get the same deals as members without paying for a membership.
Generally, you’ll save a respectful buck when using their pharmacy, fuel stops or making alcohol purchases AND most offer free tech support for purchases of computers, TVs or other electronics – Costco automatically gives you a two-year warranty on all electronics you purchase from them!
Finally, check out My Harvest America, an online supermarket and non-grocery savings plan sent to me by a new subscriber, foxybird…the sites are:
http://www.myharvestamerica.com/benefits.asp
http://www.marybirdsinformationplace.com/
(see last issue link to discount supermarkets)…the Poor Man
Happy Mother’s Day!
President Wilson made Mother’s Day official in 1914. This year Americans are expected to spend $2.6 billion on flowers and $68 million on greeting cards. Here are a couple of freebies for mom…
1. May 9th TCBY is offering a free cone or cup of their frozen yogurt – go to:
www.TCBY.com
2. Grab some free ice cream on Mother’s Day at Cold Stone Creamery – offerings vary from store-to-store. www.ColdStoneCreamery.com
"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."
Tenneva Jordan
EcoBees, the newest way to get free stuff
There's never been a better time for freecyclers , who share and receive an infinite array of goods with others, all for free. The launch of a new site, EcoBees.com , in March brings with it even more options for the concept, which helps keep stuff out of landfills and decreases the need to go shopping. This is one more sign the freecycle movement is growing. EcoBees claims to be "saving the planet one item at a time," and it provides a forum for people to reduce waste. http://www.ecobees.com/
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
DYI Energy Efficient Updates can help you save some big CASH!
FREE-30-page PDF saves an average of $175 per month or $2000 annually – Not getting this is like leaving money on the table.
Poor Man’s Guide to Eco Friendly No Cost, Low Cost & Low Tech Ways to Save $ & the Environment…click on the Poor Man Free Reports folder, the PM Eco Guide PDF
www.poormansurvivor.spaces.live.com/
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Alternate Transportation
Almost every municipality in the country is making a push for alternate modes of transportation. More and more bike paths are being built. Sidewalks are being widened. Community shuttle buses are popping up in towns where car congestion and parking (or lack thereof) has reached critical mass and if you haven’t been on a public bus lately, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Leaving the car at home makes a whole lot of financial and environmental sense if you can manage it. Here are nine alternative ways to make a short trip — to the store, to a friends’, to the beach, etc. and save. Read the rest here:
http://www.doughroller.net/personal-finance/guide-to-alternate-transportation/
Noteworthy & Newsworthy!
Student Explains Budget Cuts - ONLY 1 MIN 38 SEC.
This is short, simple, and ultimately disturbing. Everyone needs to understand this. This is not political, per se, but is the best illustration of economics I have seen as to what we can, and cannot, cut from the national budget, and how to illustrate the significance of what is proposed.
A college student "explains our Federal Budget" and the portion that must be borrowed in simple terms for everyone, plus his visual aid example easily demonstrates the $100 million cut that the President promised as savings.
Click on this link and be amazed. Watch it twice to enjoy the simplicity. Then decide if it is time to write and call your Senator for a stop to deficit spending.
http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts/
Collective Buying Service
Groupon is a collective buying discount service. Actually, that idea has been around in variations for years, both on and offline, but Groupon seems to have figured out how to make it simple and social.
Every day subscribers get one great deal offer for their community by way of email. Offers are from local businesses and are come with a price tag in order to earn a discount – something like $35 for an $80 massage. Groupon is working in about 30 cities currently, with near term plans to go to 80.
The offer doesn’t become good until some prescribed number of people elect to buy it. If a subscriber decides to buy the offer they often pass it along to friends to make sure the deal happens.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
More Good Stuff!
Learning How to Fight the Collector
Mr. Katz, a 58-year-old accountant in suburban Tucson, spends his free time schooling debtors on the finer points of consumer protection law to help them turn the tables on debt collectors. On occasion, he thumbs his own nose at them too.
“How many times can I sue you? Let me count the ways,” he wrote under his pseudonym, Dr. Tax, in a March posting on Inside ARM, a debt collectors’ Web site.
A former bill collector himself, Mr. Katz rebelled after a debt buyer damaged his credit score with what he says was a bogus bill. Mr. Katz sued, and in 2003 he collected his first damage award, a $1,000 check that he now keeps framed behind his desk.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Learning-How-to-Fight-the-nytimes-3387084735.html?x=0&.v=1
>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< New National ID Scam proposed by Democrats
WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Civil liberties advocates decried a Democratic proposal that would require all workers in the United States to carry an ID card with biometric identifiers.
Senate Democratic leaders Thursday revealed an outline to reform U.S. immigration laws
, including a proposal requiring workers to carry a national card with biometric data, such as fingerprints, within six years.
Always an excuse using some BS “greater good logic.”
Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who worked on the outline and helped present it Thursday, said the public has become more comfortable with the idea of a national identification card.
"For a long time it was resisted by many groups but now we live in a world where we take off our shoes at the airport and pull out our identification," Durbin said. "People understand that in this vulnerable world we have to be able to present identification."
Like this will work…just like gun control kept guns out of the hands of criminals! It’s just another control/power grab so they can keep a better eye on their serfs. The Poor Man has reported on this extensively in previous issues…you may recall that I suggested they will use the Nat’l Health program as a means of issuing national identity cards using our need for healthcare as subtefuge!
Entrepreneurs who want to put principles before profits—even after their companies go public—may soon have the legal cover to do just that, reports BusinessWeek.
On Apr. 13, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a law creating legal entities known as “benefit corporations” and giving them greater protection from shareholder lawsuits. California and Vermont have similar bills in the works and legislators in at least three other states, including New York, are considering them. While many entrepreneurs applaud the measures, corporate governance experts worry about the rights of shareholders.
Interest in so-called socially responsible businesses by investors and entrepreneurs has grown in recent years. More than $2.7 trillion—about 11% of all assets under professional management—were in some kind of socially responsible investment in 2007, the latest data from Bloomberg show.
More than 30,000 U.S. companies are members of socially responsible or sustainable business organizations, according to B Lab, a Berwyn (Pa.) nonprofit that certifies businesses as socially responsible.
Under the new Maryland law, benefit corporations must spell out their values in their charters, report annually on activities that benefit the public, and submit to third-party auditing of their societal impact. Becoming a benefit corporation, or shedding that status, would require approval of two-thirds of shareholders.
Despite the stupidity of government officials in AZ…
Researchers have determined one way to help contain global warming is as simple as painting every rooftop white and roads too. US energy Secretary, Steven Chu discussed this proposal at a recent climate conference. I made the same suggestion (along with other suggestions) to then Gov. Janet Napalitano, now director of Homeland Insecurity.
Needless to say, they never responded to my proposals.
Want to check crime in your neighborhood?
It’s now as easy as going these sites in order to learn about perverts in your area, drunk driving arrests and more:
www.everyblock.com
www.www.criminalsearches.com
www.crimemapping.com
www.crimereports.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Government: More Incompetent than Ever
Most intellectuals support big government, and millions of people depend on it. So why, with thousands of laws, millions of employees working to carry out those laws, and trillions of dollars spent, is it in trouble?
The most popular big-government programs–like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid–are going broke. These entitlements account for more than half of annual federal spending. In 2009, spending on all federal entitlements exceeded all federal tax revenue. As Cato Institute economist Richard W. Rahn explained, this means “virtually all of the other government spending programs, including defense and interest payments on the debt, will be funded by more borrowing.” More at:
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/government-more-incompetent-than-ever/?utm_source=The+Freeman&utm_campaign=5b6594e498-Freeman_May2010_Issue&utm_medium=email
If you think about it, it’s all about control!
Seldom do Americans have much say-so in how the government intrudes into our lives. We’re pretty much told “that’s the way it is and if you don’t like it, tough”! Freedom of choice has become a quaint, old-fashioned thought among leaders at the state and federal level.
I think of seat belt laws, anti-smoking bans, airport security rules, financial rules (you can’t open a bank account, take more than $5K in cash out of the country, open a foreign bank account, buy a money order over a certain amount, etc. etc. without the government knowing about it).
We are the most heavily regulated society on the planet and because of that, the most heavily controlled in a “democratic country.” After all, the more laws created, the more lawbreakers there are. The average American breaks 21 laws a week, often without realizing it. The more laws, the more control and often the more revenue skimmed from your pocket via the courts or regulatory agencies.
Like good sheep, we all go along with the program in the name of some ‘greater good,” such as protecting the children, controlling social behavior, protecting our health, and blah, blah, blah.
Seldom is any thought of compromise given in legislation or achieving some kind of middle ground – it’s always a sledge hammer approach. Smoking bans are a good example…why can’t businesses, especially bars and clubs create non-smoking areas within reason – after all, no one is forced to go to a casino, nightclub or restaurant.
Our ruling class would not want you to exercise any freedom of choice that’s why. It allows them another means of grabbing your money in the form of fines.
That’s it for this week pardners…from the worldwide PoorMan Network! Be sure to share this with a friend!
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after."
Peter De Vries.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
5 Ways to Simplify Your Life plus New Subscriber Benefits
Poor Man’s Recession Survival Bulletin
Your Choice for useable information!
In This Issue:
· 5 Ways to simplify your life
· Saving America from Wall St & Big Government
· Companies offering telecommuting opportunities
· Discount grocery chain directories
· What part of illegal don’t they understand?
· How to survive the collapse of civilization
· Save a bunch of dough on Nolo Press legal ebooks
· New Self sufficiency books added to our Oldbooknook page
I knew a white guy from South Africa, who immigrated to the U.S., who used to put "African-American" on all the forms. I sympathize with his desire to mess with stupid social expectations by putting square pegs in round holes.
IRA and 401(k) De-Privatization
The Poor Man Warned of this…
Every crime has a motive. It's not just ideology but practicality that drives our ruling politicians to seek control over large pools of private wealth. The harsh reality of national insolvency is forcing this danger to the forefront.
Washington is readying confiscatory revenue-raising subterfuge because the funding crisis for Social Security is no longer something that can wait to be dealt with years down the road. Congress has been stealing from this ‘trust’ fund for decades, using federal IOUs to screw the American public.
As the New York Times reported, "This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office." The trickle of red ink will soon become a flood under the pressure of 78 million retiring Baby Boomers.
The herding of the investing public into investments of the government's choosing has begun. As Bob Chapman of The International Forecaster explains, "The looting of retirement plans is still in the planning stage, and you're seeing these trial balloons go up."
The March 9 edition of Business Week notes that new federal regulations designed to "promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams" would help drive cash into government-controlled entities such as American International Group (AIG), which was bailed out to the tune of $182.3 billion.
Always makes me wonder as to how much of my millions I should put into gold, silver or Chinese currency?
You’ll find many NEW/Unused Self Sufficiency books added to my eBay storefront at very reasonable prices including: Scavengers Manifesto, The Urban Homestead, Self Sufficient Life and others – check ‘em out.
http://myworld.ebay.com/oldbooknook
PLUS…get a complimentary 130-page PDF copy of How to Survive the Coming Collapse – a $19.95 value. Simply refer someone to this Bulletin and when they sign up, that report (along with two others) will appear in their inbox. They can share the report with you or I will send it to you. Signup at:
BruceBulletin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>>><<<<< Neat idea department…
CNNMoney.com:
Mario Batali decided last year to install a garden between his adjoining West Hollywood restaurants, Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza. But a plain old backyard patch wouldn’t do. Batali wanted something more visually striking, something more … vertical? So he turned to Jim Mumford, the owner of Good Earth Plant and Flower Company in San Diego.
Mumford, 52, had built a reputation as a nontraditional gardener. In March 2007, he embarked on a “giant experiment,” replacing the 1,800-square-foot roof of a commercial building he owned with a planter’s paradise: three inches of specialized, lightweight soil over a padded waterproofing and drainage system. Now, 46 varieties of plants thrive there, alongside footpaths and faux boulders.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
All Poor Man Readers Get Up to 50% Off Nolo ebooks
All Nolo eBooks are 40% off during Nolo’s Annual eBook Sale. Have you downloaded an eBook before? They’re delivered to your computer instantly, fully searchable and printable-- plus they're less expensive. They contain the same reliable, up-to-date legal information that you’ll find in our other books. I’ve created a coupon code for you to pass along to your users. The coupon code is A123 and it’s good for an additional 10% off any product at Nolo.com. It expires on June 1, 2010.
>>><<<
5 Ways to Simplify Your Life
And Save Money!
“Norm! How’s life in the fast lane? Don’t know, I can’t even find the on ramp!”
--Cheers TV Sitcom
Not enough time, not enough money, not enough space…it’s amazing that we live in a time of history with more time-saving devices and we all cry “we don’t have enough time.”
Since the late 1970s, most Americans were bitten by the affluenza bug. We all wanted more…bigger houses, designer label clothes, flashier cars and all of the latest electronic gadgets. Did having “it all” improve your happiness? Did it improve the upbringing of your children? Was your self-worth higher using the materialist yardstick?
Were you living like our government – beyond its means? Did each pay raise or IRS refund send you on a spending spree to acquire more stuff? Have you found yourself working hard only to discover there is no gold watch at retirement and Wall Street lost most or all of your investments?
“Future shock – the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time.”
--Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970
Perhaps your world has been turned upside down due to recent economic events. It’s our belief, our nation will never return to its spendthrift ways. Therefore, our philosophy has always been one of voluntary simplicity. You can live well on less AND probably derive more enjoyment from life for you and your family.
Here are five ways to simplify your life:
· Stop Working. Perhaps not feasible for all, but consider if you’re a two-income family with children in daycare, it might be cheaper for one of you to stay at home. Potential savings include an average of $800-$1200 a month in daycare costs. You won’t require expensive business clothing. You won’t be roped into making those office donations for everything from retirement parties to other gifts. You may not need a second vehicle. You won’t be eating out as much either.
· Buy Used. You’ll be amazed at what new or near new items you can find at thrift stores including furniture, clothing and kitchen items. Buy late model used cars as opposed to new. An automobile is a depreciating asset, which loses money the minute you drive off the lot.
· Do it Yourself. I once called an appliance repair person to fix our clothes drier. Indeed, after several promises to show up, I fixed the darn thing myself with a little online help and saved $75. The library, online services and a knowledgeable neighbor or relative can provide the information you need to fix most things (I repair my computer but avoid new car engines; but do have a reliable friend who fixes my car at half the price of a shop).
· Stop Expensive Gift Giving. My previous wife spent an average of $12,000 annually on gifts (one of the reasons we’re no longer married). Your 10-year-old-son, for instance, does not need a $100 cell phone and expensive contract. Learn to make your own gifts or provide small amount gift cards. One year, for example, we made custom gift baskets for the holidays for everyone our list. The baskets were purchased at the thrift shop for a buck or two and we filled each with food and other items that were appropriate to each person (most of the gourmet food stocks were purchased at a dollar store).
· Grow a Garden. Nothing beats the tasteless vegetables from the store like homegrown. Where we live the soil is bad and it’s too hot…but container gardening works well. Gardening is also a fine way to relax and sooth the mood.
Affluenza is a tough temptation, so cut up the credit cards too. Keep one for emergencies and only for emergencies. Become a member of your library and check out books and DVDs for home entertainment. Check the sites below for more information.
Voluntary simplicity from those who’ve done it
http://www.gettingalife.org/
9 Steps to transform your relationship with money
http://www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
News Sources of Interest
Last time I checked there was nothing in WalMart made in the USA. I don't need a new car or aircraft, or tank or any of the military stuff that is still being produced here. Business in the US is not loyal to us, they are loyal to the bottom line and US companies pay to build manufacturing facilities in China, India, etc. Politicians, bankers and labor unions act as if they want to destroy the American middle class. – Jack>>>reader from AZ
Little wonder our President defers to the Chinese leader. The Treasury Department’s monthly Treasury International Capital report was just released and it shows China with $877.5 billion in long-term Treasury debt. Even worse, the Obama administration needs the Chinese government to buy part of the estimated $2.4 trillion in Treasury debt that Washington must sell off this year.
The Obama administration is praying that the Communists will waddle-up and buy hundreds of more billions of dollars in Uncle Sam IOUs. So far things are not panning out. In February China trimmed its holdings of United States Treasury debt by 1.3 percent, the fourth consecutive decline.
Companies with Telecommuting Programs
The companies on this list are pioneers in the area of telecommuting. There are large and small companies in the private and public sectors. The jobs included in the telecommuting programs are as varied as the companies themselves. This list IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE! Everyday new companies are recruiting or allowing employees to work at home. Nevertheless, this list is a resource with which you can:
http://workathomesuccess.com/companies-with-telecommuting-programs/
Save big at discount grocery stores
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- What if we told you that you can find your groceries for up to 90 percent off? Well, we have just the place for you. They are called salvage stores or scratch and dent stores.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=7381948
http://www.salvagecloseouts.com/about-us.html
http://www.andersonscountrymarket.net/directory
Turning Web retailers into tax tattlers-Gov’t greed knows no bounds!
Internet users accustomed to tax-free online shopping may soon be in for an unpleasant surprise: new laws that will force them to cough up more cash every year on April 15.
"This is Big Brother--it's the purchasing police," says Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, which counts eBay, Overstock.com, and Yahoo as members and says the proposals are probably unconstitutional. More at:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20002434-38.html
CR Finds 10 Recommended Water Filters That Can Replace Bottled Water
Top choices produce cleaner, better-tasting water for as little as $30
YONKERS, NY—There’s good news for consumers when it comes to clean drinking water: Water filter manufacturers are producing products that remove impurities, not just improve taste and appearance. Plus filters that cost as little as $30 can provide cleaner, better-tasting water, according to Consumer Reports latest water filter tests.
Consumer Reports tests of 38 water filters uncovered 6 CR Best Buys and 5 Recommended carafe, faucet, countertop, reverse osmosis, and undersink models which can be found in the May issue available April 6th on newsstands and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.
Full story at:
http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2010/04/cr-finds-10-recommended-water-filters-that-can-replace-bottled-water-.html
<<<>>>
What Part of Illegal Don’t they understand?
Mexico City – As Mexicans decry the Arizona immigration law and launch boycotts of Arizona, Amnesty International released a scathing new report urging Mexicans to look in the mirror.
“Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico” details the abuse faced by Central American migrants, who cross the southern border between Guatemala and Mexico, usually en route to the US.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants make the trip.
Many lose limbs from accidents on trains they board to head northward. Women and girls report sexual violence. And - far worse than asking suspected illegal immigrants about their US immigration status, as the new Arizona law will require police to do - many Central American migrants to Mexico accuse Mexican officials of demanding bribes or flat-out stealing their cash. More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100428/wl_csm/297614
These so called ‘rights groups’ invest in fear & hate mongering
The law is the result of festering frustration over the failure of Obama -- and George W. Bush before him -- to enforce immigration law and protect the border.
Phoenix is a war zone, as immigrant smugglers and drug lords kidnap, rob and murder. Up to a half-million illegal immigrants are squatting in Arizona, draining resources and stealing jobs.
The embattled people of the state have asked for a wall. They've asked that federal troops patrol the border. They've pleaded for a crackdown on businesses employing unauthorized workers. They've got nothing but the promise that Washington will someday deliver a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
The advocates for illegals need to get a life & instead, show them the legal method of immigration. America is held to an impossible standard of behavior that no other country expects of any other country. The Poor Man wrote on this extensively late last year. Mexico knows full well the US is a great outlet for its poor…let the norte Americanos pay for medical, food and schooling so we don’t have too.
>>>>>>>
Saving America-guest column
The country is full of thieves and scoundrels…most should be doing hard time…
Saving America from Wall Street & Big Government
NOTE: Guest editorial - slightly condensed version from Whiskey & Gunpowder.
As America sinks deeper into the tyranny of bureaucratic corporatism via today's incestuous relationship between Washington and Wall Street, it is inspiring to see thousands of Tea Parties spring up to express outrage. Unfortunately the "new deal" campaign approach still works as it has been malefically doing for over 70 years since FDR came to visit us. Every election season artful political pitchmen hit the airwaves to call for "change" and "more prosperity for the people," in which millions get swept up.
The promise of change is, of course, a con. Legitimate change from the burden of big government would necessitate a move toward smaller government. But this is not what the statist mentalities have in mind when they preach change. They wield the word "change" as a shrewd angler wields an alluring fly. It's a deceptive hook that works because much of humanity is always looking to get more out of life than it is willing to put in. Both Democratic and Republican regimes realize this. Consequently both promise the voters more entitlements, more pork, more privileges.
Our schools, our churches, our publishers, and our entertainment industries are being infested with the serpents of Cultural Marxism. Political correctness dominates the herd mentalities and philistines who overwhelm the perceptive and productive at the polls every other November.
Allowing our leaders to get away with this kind of political-economic quackery is what the novelist Ayn Rand meant in Atlas Shrugged when she spoke of the "sanction of the victim" being the harbinger of dictatorship. It is what Aldous Huxley meant in Brave New World Revisited when he wrote that a "really efficient totalitarian state" would be comprised of "a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced because they love their servitude." They have been taught to love it b y society's reigning intellectuals in the schools, the churches, and the media.
Signs of Hope
Yet despite the insidious decadence confronting us at every turn, there are signs of hope, significant signs of an awakening desire to face up to the truth -- in other words, to face the root causes of our problems.
The response to the Ron Paul campaign was the first such sign. The Tea Party revolts were the next sign. And now we are beginning to see a few intrepid MSM pundits speak openly about the corporate-statist collusion of Washington and Wall Street and its connection to our economic problems. The reason why this is grounds for optimism is that if ever MSM catches on and begins to venture out from the "politically correct" statist herd, then the jig is up for the corporate-statist authoritarians and their Machiavellian hold over us.
A promising example of the new MSM intrepidity can be found in a recent 12-minute report, The Great Con Job, by Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC. This is a powerful attack upon the banking / bureaucratic con game that has been orchestrated over the past 15-20 years in America. Ratigan is one of MSM's more fearless TV journalists. How deeply he grasps the root causes of our political-economic problems I don't know. It is doubtful that he has connected the dots all the way back through the fraudulency of Keynesian economics and FDR in the 1930s, and then to 1913 where the root causes were laid for America's destruction with the inception of the Federal Reserve and the progressive income tax. But Ratigan is sharp and amazingly articulate, and he has demonstrated throughout his career that he will not play lackey to the establishment as 90% of his journalistic brethren are doing.
We must remember that the Berlin Wall did finally fall. The monster state of the Soviet Union came crashing down with it -- all because the ideological monopoly (which must always precede any political monopoly and dictatorship) became impossible for the communists in the Politburo to maintain. The ideological / political monopoly here in the West is not the same kind as that which plagued the USSR. Ours is voluntarily accepted by the journalistic and political players, rather than coercively enforced through legislation and police suppression. Our submission is more of what Rand and Huxley wrote about 50 years ago. It has been ingrained into us through intellectual sophistry over the decades in the schools and then reinforced by a compliant priesthood and media. Thus it will be more difficult to discredit because it is self-imposed. But unlike the Soviet patriots, we have the Internet which will help immensely.
The Ratigan Report is a very hopeful start toward building that awareness among the intelligentsia that is necessary for statism to be thwarted. Dictatorial government cannot be brought down without such an awareness among the perceptive and independent of the populace. The herd will do as it always has done throughout history -- obey its masters. But the rebels, the doers, the dissidents are a breed apart.
A Grassroots Uprising
This awareness can be built into a major grassroots uprising throughout America. This is what I have written about in The Conservative Revolution: Why We Must Form a Third Political Party to Win It. The oppressive rule of the statist elites cannot maintain itself if we will muster the backbone to stand up to it. But this will take a far more rational approach than the present level of political activism in America. It will take an exposition of the root causes of our despotism, which are the institutions of infamy enacted into law in 1913 -- the Federal Reserve and the progressive income tax. But most importantly, it will take an effective third-party political strategy that can circumvent the corporate-statist elites and their control over our two major parties in America.
Such a plan is outlined in The Conservative Revolution, and is the foundation of the newly formed Conservative American Party. It is called the "Two Pillars Strategy." It is a unique, never before envisioned approach to politics that will go to the root of our problems and bring back sanity to our country. The key to its success will be its genuine reform of our tax and monetary systems. It will lower tax rates to 10% for everyone, simplify tax preparation to 10 minutes every April, neuter the Fed, and reduce inflation to zero. The "Two Pillars" reform plan will bring back millions of jobs from overseas, dramatically restore the productivity of our nation, and because of the way the tax plan is designed, it will stop the growth of the Federal Government cold and begin its automatic reduction.
A second key to the plan's success will be because of its universal appeal, the "Two Pillars Strategy" will easily get the Conservative American Party 15% in the polls, which will qualify it's candidate for the National TV Presidential Debates. This will get a vital third voice -- a true limited government voice -- in front of 70 million voters that can challenge the corruption and obtuseness of our two major parties. This has never been done in the 48-year history of the debates. It will electrify the country.
Conventional pundits scorn the concept of a third-party as "unworkable in America," but they are oblivious to the two major mistakes of "marginalization" and "cloning" that all third-parties have made for the past 150 years, which when corrected will allow a third-party to succeed. The Two Pillars Strategy corrects these two major mistakes. The Conservative Revolution demonstrates that a third political party (espousing freedom and headed by a candidate with gravitas) can indeed work, and that those who think otherwise are immersed in a fallacious darkness that is greatly contributing to the stultification of America.
Is this all a pipe dream, "delusional rantings of reactionaries that refuse to accept modernity," as the leftist establishment will surely try to portray it? Not at all. It is a thoroughly researched, powerfully designed, revolutionary plan to take back America starting in 2012 with the two pillars of tax and monetary reform, combined with two additional pillars of immigration and foreign policy reform. Eminent scholars and pundits have endorsed the "Two Pillars Plan." A 90-minute documentary is presently being made about it by the acclaimed film maker, James Jaeger, of Matrix Entertainment. It’s titled Spoiler: How a Third Political Party Could Succeed. To give the reader an idea of the exciting potential here, Jaeger's film, Fiat Empire, has been viewed by over 5 million people. If we can get the same numbers for Spoiler, the Demopublican establishment and their destructive grip over America will be ended. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5232639329002339531#
In a front page USA TODAY article, Tuesday, April 20, 2010, Richard Wolf writes that, "The nation's fastest-growing political party is 'none of the above'….For the first time since Gallup started asking in 1992, both major parties are viewed unfavorably by most Americans. Nearly four in 10 voters call themselves independents, Gallup says."
It is from this rising sea of discontented independents (40% of the electorate), combined with fed up Republicans and Democrats (probably another 20%), that the impetus will come for the third-party revolution necessary to save America. All it takes is 35% of the vote to win in a three man race.
If we as citizens want to stop the runaway freight train of debt and delusion that is consuming our myopic politicians in Washington, if we want to stop the suicidal immigration policies and imperialistic militarism that are destroying the last vestiges of the American Republic, then we must challenge the monopoly that corporate-statists have over our politics. We must open up the system by injecting a rational third voice into the process.
Breaking the Monopoly
Democrats and Republicans will not tell the truth to voters; they are bought off by the corporate-statists. Our schools will not tell the truth; they are controlled by the corporate-statists. Our media will not tell the truth; they are owned by the corporate-statists. Only a third political party can break this monopolistic grip. But it has to be a REAL third-party that can garner the necessary 15% in the polls so as to qualify for the National TV Presidential Debates where it can forcefully contest the philosophical fraud and political perfidy of the Demopublicans in front of 70 million viewers. This, the Conservative American Party can do because its revolutionary "Two Pillars Strategy" will circumvent the two flaws that have doomed all conventional third-parties for the past 150 years.
Imagine Ron Paul (representing Constitutional conservatism) and Patrick Buchanan (representing cultural conservatism) -- one as Presidential candidate and the other as Vice-President -- on a Conservative American Party ticket in 2012. Imagine them confronting the Democratic-Republican monopoly in front of 70 million viewers on nationwide TV during the 2012 Presidential debates. Imagine them giving half-hour lectures on the major TV networks prior to each of the three debates like Ross Perot did in 1992. Imagine a Paul / Buchanan ticket campaigning throughout the heartland. It would inspire conservatives, libertarians, independents, blue dog Democrats, and Tea Parties everywhere. Imagine the potential! They wouldn't win, but they could launch a true patriot party that could win in the next two election cycles. What's important is that the restoration of the Republic could begin in 2012. The ground is being laid right now. A passionate book has been written, and a galvanizing film is being shot.
www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com
That’s it for this week pardners…
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
A Shallow Planet Production
Your Choice for useable information!
In This Issue:
· 5 Ways to simplify your life
· Saving America from Wall St & Big Government
· Companies offering telecommuting opportunities
· Discount grocery chain directories
· What part of illegal don’t they understand?
· How to survive the collapse of civilization
· Save a bunch of dough on Nolo Press legal ebooks
· New Self sufficiency books added to our Oldbooknook page
I knew a white guy from South Africa, who immigrated to the U.S., who used to put "African-American" on all the forms. I sympathize with his desire to mess with stupid social expectations by putting square pegs in round holes.
IRA and 401(k) De-Privatization
The Poor Man Warned of this…
Every crime has a motive. It's not just ideology but practicality that drives our ruling politicians to seek control over large pools of private wealth. The harsh reality of national insolvency is forcing this danger to the forefront.
Washington is readying confiscatory revenue-raising subterfuge because the funding crisis for Social Security is no longer something that can wait to be dealt with years down the road. Congress has been stealing from this ‘trust’ fund for decades, using federal IOUs to screw the American public.
As the New York Times reported, "This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office." The trickle of red ink will soon become a flood under the pressure of 78 million retiring Baby Boomers.
The herding of the investing public into investments of the government's choosing has begun. As Bob Chapman of The International Forecaster explains, "The looting of retirement plans is still in the planning stage, and you're seeing these trial balloons go up."
The March 9 edition of Business Week notes that new federal regulations designed to "promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams" would help drive cash into government-controlled entities such as American International Group (AIG), which was bailed out to the tune of $182.3 billion.
Always makes me wonder as to how much of my millions I should put into gold, silver or Chinese currency?
You’ll find many NEW/Unused Self Sufficiency books added to my eBay storefront at very reasonable prices including: Scavengers Manifesto, The Urban Homestead, Self Sufficient Life and others – check ‘em out.
http://myworld.ebay.com/oldbooknook
PLUS…get a complimentary 130-page PDF copy of How to Survive the Coming Collapse – a $19.95 value. Simply refer someone to this Bulletin and when they sign up, that report (along with two others) will appear in their inbox. They can share the report with you or I will send it to you. Signup at:
BruceBulletin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>>><<<<< Neat idea department…
CNNMoney.com:
Mario Batali decided last year to install a garden between his adjoining West Hollywood restaurants, Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza. But a plain old backyard patch wouldn’t do. Batali wanted something more visually striking, something more … vertical? So he turned to Jim Mumford, the owner of Good Earth Plant and Flower Company in San Diego.
Mumford, 52, had built a reputation as a nontraditional gardener. In March 2007, he embarked on a “giant experiment,” replacing the 1,800-square-foot roof of a commercial building he owned with a planter’s paradise: three inches of specialized, lightweight soil over a padded waterproofing and drainage system. Now, 46 varieties of plants thrive there, alongside footpaths and faux boulders.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
All Poor Man Readers Get Up to 50% Off Nolo ebooks
All Nolo eBooks are 40% off during Nolo’s Annual eBook Sale. Have you downloaded an eBook before? They’re delivered to your computer instantly, fully searchable and printable-- plus they're less expensive. They contain the same reliable, up-to-date legal information that you’ll find in our other books. I’ve created a coupon code for you to pass along to your users. The coupon code is A123 and it’s good for an additional 10% off any product at Nolo.com. It expires on June 1, 2010.
>>><<<
5 Ways to Simplify Your Life
And Save Money!
“Norm! How’s life in the fast lane? Don’t know, I can’t even find the on ramp!”
--Cheers TV Sitcom
Not enough time, not enough money, not enough space…it’s amazing that we live in a time of history with more time-saving devices and we all cry “we don’t have enough time.”
Since the late 1970s, most Americans were bitten by the affluenza bug. We all wanted more…bigger houses, designer label clothes, flashier cars and all of the latest electronic gadgets. Did having “it all” improve your happiness? Did it improve the upbringing of your children? Was your self-worth higher using the materialist yardstick?
Were you living like our government – beyond its means? Did each pay raise or IRS refund send you on a spending spree to acquire more stuff? Have you found yourself working hard only to discover there is no gold watch at retirement and Wall Street lost most or all of your investments?
“Future shock – the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time.”
--Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970
Perhaps your world has been turned upside down due to recent economic events. It’s our belief, our nation will never return to its spendthrift ways. Therefore, our philosophy has always been one of voluntary simplicity. You can live well on less AND probably derive more enjoyment from life for you and your family.
Here are five ways to simplify your life:
· Stop Working. Perhaps not feasible for all, but consider if you’re a two-income family with children in daycare, it might be cheaper for one of you to stay at home. Potential savings include an average of $800-$1200 a month in daycare costs. You won’t require expensive business clothing. You won’t be roped into making those office donations for everything from retirement parties to other gifts. You may not need a second vehicle. You won’t be eating out as much either.
· Buy Used. You’ll be amazed at what new or near new items you can find at thrift stores including furniture, clothing and kitchen items. Buy late model used cars as opposed to new. An automobile is a depreciating asset, which loses money the minute you drive off the lot.
· Do it Yourself. I once called an appliance repair person to fix our clothes drier. Indeed, after several promises to show up, I fixed the darn thing myself with a little online help and saved $75. The library, online services and a knowledgeable neighbor or relative can provide the information you need to fix most things (I repair my computer but avoid new car engines; but do have a reliable friend who fixes my car at half the price of a shop).
· Stop Expensive Gift Giving. My previous wife spent an average of $12,000 annually on gifts (one of the reasons we’re no longer married). Your 10-year-old-son, for instance, does not need a $100 cell phone and expensive contract. Learn to make your own gifts or provide small amount gift cards. One year, for example, we made custom gift baskets for the holidays for everyone our list. The baskets were purchased at the thrift shop for a buck or two and we filled each with food and other items that were appropriate to each person (most of the gourmet food stocks were purchased at a dollar store).
· Grow a Garden. Nothing beats the tasteless vegetables from the store like homegrown. Where we live the soil is bad and it’s too hot…but container gardening works well. Gardening is also a fine way to relax and sooth the mood.
Affluenza is a tough temptation, so cut up the credit cards too. Keep one for emergencies and only for emergencies. Become a member of your library and check out books and DVDs for home entertainment. Check the sites below for more information.
Voluntary simplicity from those who’ve done it
http://www.gettingalife.org/
9 Steps to transform your relationship with money
http://www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
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
Terrific site for resources and green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
News Sources of Interest
Last time I checked there was nothing in WalMart made in the USA. I don't need a new car or aircraft, or tank or any of the military stuff that is still being produced here. Business in the US is not loyal to us, they are loyal to the bottom line and US companies pay to build manufacturing facilities in China, India, etc. Politicians, bankers and labor unions act as if they want to destroy the American middle class. – Jack>>>reader from AZ
Little wonder our President defers to the Chinese leader. The Treasury Department’s monthly Treasury International Capital report was just released and it shows China with $877.5 billion in long-term Treasury debt. Even worse, the Obama administration needs the Chinese government to buy part of the estimated $2.4 trillion in Treasury debt that Washington must sell off this year.
The Obama administration is praying that the Communists will waddle-up and buy hundreds of more billions of dollars in Uncle Sam IOUs. So far things are not panning out. In February China trimmed its holdings of United States Treasury debt by 1.3 percent, the fourth consecutive decline.
Companies with Telecommuting Programs
The companies on this list are pioneers in the area of telecommuting. There are large and small companies in the private and public sectors. The jobs included in the telecommuting programs are as varied as the companies themselves. This list IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE! Everyday new companies are recruiting or allowing employees to work at home. Nevertheless, this list is a resource with which you can:
http://workathomesuccess.com/companies-with-telecommuting-programs/
Save big at discount grocery stores
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- What if we told you that you can find your groceries for up to 90 percent off? Well, we have just the place for you. They are called salvage stores or scratch and dent stores.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=7381948
http://www.salvagecloseouts.com/about-us.html
http://www.andersonscountrymarket.net/directory
Turning Web retailers into tax tattlers-Gov’t greed knows no bounds!
Internet users accustomed to tax-free online shopping may soon be in for an unpleasant surprise: new laws that will force them to cough up more cash every year on April 15.
"This is Big Brother--it's the purchasing police," says Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, which counts eBay, Overstock.com, and Yahoo as members and says the proposals are probably unconstitutional. More at:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20002434-38.html
CR Finds 10 Recommended Water Filters That Can Replace Bottled Water
Top choices produce cleaner, better-tasting water for as little as $30
YONKERS, NY—There’s good news for consumers when it comes to clean drinking water: Water filter manufacturers are producing products that remove impurities, not just improve taste and appearance. Plus filters that cost as little as $30 can provide cleaner, better-tasting water, according to Consumer Reports latest water filter tests.
Consumer Reports tests of 38 water filters uncovered 6 CR Best Buys and 5 Recommended carafe, faucet, countertop, reverse osmosis, and undersink models which can be found in the May issue available April 6th on newsstands and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.
Full story at:
http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2010/04/cr-finds-10-recommended-water-filters-that-can-replace-bottled-water-.html
<<<>>>
What Part of Illegal Don’t they understand?
Mexico City – As Mexicans decry the Arizona immigration law and launch boycotts of Arizona, Amnesty International released a scathing new report urging Mexicans to look in the mirror.
“Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico” details the abuse faced by Central American migrants, who cross the southern border between Guatemala and Mexico, usually en route to the US.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants make the trip.
Many lose limbs from accidents on trains they board to head northward. Women and girls report sexual violence. And - far worse than asking suspected illegal immigrants about their US immigration status, as the new Arizona law will require police to do - many Central American migrants to Mexico accuse Mexican officials of demanding bribes or flat-out stealing their cash. More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100428/wl_csm/297614
These so called ‘rights groups’ invest in fear & hate mongering
The law is the result of festering frustration over the failure of Obama -- and George W. Bush before him -- to enforce immigration law and protect the border.
Phoenix is a war zone, as immigrant smugglers and drug lords kidnap, rob and murder. Up to a half-million illegal immigrants are squatting in Arizona, draining resources and stealing jobs.
The embattled people of the state have asked for a wall. They've asked that federal troops patrol the border. They've pleaded for a crackdown on businesses employing unauthorized workers. They've got nothing but the promise that Washington will someday deliver a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
The advocates for illegals need to get a life & instead, show them the legal method of immigration. America is held to an impossible standard of behavior that no other country expects of any other country. The Poor Man wrote on this extensively late last year. Mexico knows full well the US is a great outlet for its poor…let the norte Americanos pay for medical, food and schooling so we don’t have too.
>>>>>>>
Saving America-guest column
The country is full of thieves and scoundrels…most should be doing hard time…
Saving America from Wall Street & Big Government
NOTE: Guest editorial - slightly condensed version from Whiskey & Gunpowder.
As America sinks deeper into the tyranny of bureaucratic corporatism via today's incestuous relationship between Washington and Wall Street, it is inspiring to see thousands of Tea Parties spring up to express outrage. Unfortunately the "new deal" campaign approach still works as it has been malefically doing for over 70 years since FDR came to visit us. Every election season artful political pitchmen hit the airwaves to call for "change" and "more prosperity for the people," in which millions get swept up.
The promise of change is, of course, a con. Legitimate change from the burden of big government would necessitate a move toward smaller government. But this is not what the statist mentalities have in mind when they preach change. They wield the word "change" as a shrewd angler wields an alluring fly. It's a deceptive hook that works because much of humanity is always looking to get more out of life than it is willing to put in. Both Democratic and Republican regimes realize this. Consequently both promise the voters more entitlements, more pork, more privileges.
Our schools, our churches, our publishers, and our entertainment industries are being infested with the serpents of Cultural Marxism. Political correctness dominates the herd mentalities and philistines who overwhelm the perceptive and productive at the polls every other November.
Allowing our leaders to get away with this kind of political-economic quackery is what the novelist Ayn Rand meant in Atlas Shrugged when she spoke of the "sanction of the victim" being the harbinger of dictatorship. It is what Aldous Huxley meant in Brave New World Revisited when he wrote that a "really efficient totalitarian state" would be comprised of "a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced because they love their servitude." They have been taught to love it b y society's reigning intellectuals in the schools, the churches, and the media.
Signs of Hope
Yet despite the insidious decadence confronting us at every turn, there are signs of hope, significant signs of an awakening desire to face up to the truth -- in other words, to face the root causes of our problems.
The response to the Ron Paul campaign was the first such sign. The Tea Party revolts were the next sign. And now we are beginning to see a few intrepid MSM pundits speak openly about the corporate-statist collusion of Washington and Wall Street and its connection to our economic problems. The reason why this is grounds for optimism is that if ever MSM catches on and begins to venture out from the "politically correct" statist herd, then the jig is up for the corporate-statist authoritarians and their Machiavellian hold over us.
A promising example of the new MSM intrepidity can be found in a recent 12-minute report, The Great Con Job, by Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC. This is a powerful attack upon the banking / bureaucratic con game that has been orchestrated over the past 15-20 years in America. Ratigan is one of MSM's more fearless TV journalists. How deeply he grasps the root causes of our political-economic problems I don't know. It is doubtful that he has connected the dots all the way back through the fraudulency of Keynesian economics and FDR in the 1930s, and then to 1913 where the root causes were laid for America's destruction with the inception of the Federal Reserve and the progressive income tax. But Ratigan is sharp and amazingly articulate, and he has demonstrated throughout his career that he will not play lackey to the establishment as 90% of his journalistic brethren are doing.
We must remember that the Berlin Wall did finally fall. The monster state of the Soviet Union came crashing down with it -- all because the ideological monopoly (which must always precede any political monopoly and dictatorship) became impossible for the communists in the Politburo to maintain. The ideological / political monopoly here in the West is not the same kind as that which plagued the USSR. Ours is voluntarily accepted by the journalistic and political players, rather than coercively enforced through legislation and police suppression. Our submission is more of what Rand and Huxley wrote about 50 years ago. It has been ingrained into us through intellectual sophistry over the decades in the schools and then reinforced by a compliant priesthood and media. Thus it will be more difficult to discredit because it is self-imposed. But unlike the Soviet patriots, we have the Internet which will help immensely.
The Ratigan Report is a very hopeful start toward building that awareness among the intelligentsia that is necessary for statism to be thwarted. Dictatorial government cannot be brought down without such an awareness among the perceptive and independent of the populace. The herd will do as it always has done throughout history -- obey its masters. But the rebels, the doers, the dissidents are a breed apart.
A Grassroots Uprising
This awareness can be built into a major grassroots uprising throughout America. This is what I have written about in The Conservative Revolution: Why We Must Form a Third Political Party to Win It. The oppressive rule of the statist elites cannot maintain itself if we will muster the backbone to stand up to it. But this will take a far more rational approach than the present level of political activism in America. It will take an exposition of the root causes of our despotism, which are the institutions of infamy enacted into law in 1913 -- the Federal Reserve and the progressive income tax. But most importantly, it will take an effective third-party political strategy that can circumvent the corporate-statist elites and their control over our two major parties in America.
Such a plan is outlined in The Conservative Revolution, and is the foundation of the newly formed Conservative American Party. It is called the "Two Pillars Strategy." It is a unique, never before envisioned approach to politics that will go to the root of our problems and bring back sanity to our country. The key to its success will be its genuine reform of our tax and monetary systems. It will lower tax rates to 10% for everyone, simplify tax preparation to 10 minutes every April, neuter the Fed, and reduce inflation to zero. The "Two Pillars" reform plan will bring back millions of jobs from overseas, dramatically restore the productivity of our nation, and because of the way the tax plan is designed, it will stop the growth of the Federal Government cold and begin its automatic reduction.
A second key to the plan's success will be because of its universal appeal, the "Two Pillars Strategy" will easily get the Conservative American Party 15% in the polls, which will qualify it's candidate for the National TV Presidential Debates. This will get a vital third voice -- a true limited government voice -- in front of 70 million voters that can challenge the corruption and obtuseness of our two major parties. This has never been done in the 48-year history of the debates. It will electrify the country.
Conventional pundits scorn the concept of a third-party as "unworkable in America," but they are oblivious to the two major mistakes of "marginalization" and "cloning" that all third-parties have made for the past 150 years, which when corrected will allow a third-party to succeed. The Two Pillars Strategy corrects these two major mistakes. The Conservative Revolution demonstrates that a third political party (espousing freedom and headed by a candidate with gravitas) can indeed work, and that those who think otherwise are immersed in a fallacious darkness that is greatly contributing to the stultification of America.
Is this all a pipe dream, "delusional rantings of reactionaries that refuse to accept modernity," as the leftist establishment will surely try to portray it? Not at all. It is a thoroughly researched, powerfully designed, revolutionary plan to take back America starting in 2012 with the two pillars of tax and monetary reform, combined with two additional pillars of immigration and foreign policy reform. Eminent scholars and pundits have endorsed the "Two Pillars Plan." A 90-minute documentary is presently being made about it by the acclaimed film maker, James Jaeger, of Matrix Entertainment. It’s titled Spoiler: How a Third Political Party Could Succeed. To give the reader an idea of the exciting potential here, Jaeger's film, Fiat Empire, has been viewed by over 5 million people. If we can get the same numbers for Spoiler, the Demopublican establishment and their destructive grip over America will be ended. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5232639329002339531#
In a front page USA TODAY article, Tuesday, April 20, 2010, Richard Wolf writes that, "The nation's fastest-growing political party is 'none of the above'….For the first time since Gallup started asking in 1992, both major parties are viewed unfavorably by most Americans. Nearly four in 10 voters call themselves independents, Gallup says."
It is from this rising sea of discontented independents (40% of the electorate), combined with fed up Republicans and Democrats (probably another 20%), that the impetus will come for the third-party revolution necessary to save America. All it takes is 35% of the vote to win in a three man race.
If we as citizens want to stop the runaway freight train of debt and delusion that is consuming our myopic politicians in Washington, if we want to stop the suicidal immigration policies and imperialistic militarism that are destroying the last vestiges of the American Republic, then we must challenge the monopoly that corporate-statists have over our politics. We must open up the system by injecting a rational third voice into the process.
Breaking the Monopoly
Democrats and Republicans will not tell the truth to voters; they are bought off by the corporate-statists. Our schools will not tell the truth; they are controlled by the corporate-statists. Our media will not tell the truth; they are owned by the corporate-statists. Only a third political party can break this monopolistic grip. But it has to be a REAL third-party that can garner the necessary 15% in the polls so as to qualify for the National TV Presidential Debates where it can forcefully contest the philosophical fraud and political perfidy of the Demopublicans in front of 70 million viewers. This, the Conservative American Party can do because its revolutionary "Two Pillars Strategy" will circumvent the two flaws that have doomed all conventional third-parties for the past 150 years.
Imagine Ron Paul (representing Constitutional conservatism) and Patrick Buchanan (representing cultural conservatism) -- one as Presidential candidate and the other as Vice-President -- on a Conservative American Party ticket in 2012. Imagine them confronting the Democratic-Republican monopoly in front of 70 million viewers on nationwide TV during the 2012 Presidential debates. Imagine them giving half-hour lectures on the major TV networks prior to each of the three debates like Ross Perot did in 1992. Imagine a Paul / Buchanan ticket campaigning throughout the heartland. It would inspire conservatives, libertarians, independents, blue dog Democrats, and Tea Parties everywhere. Imagine the potential! They wouldn't win, but they could launch a true patriot party that could win in the next two election cycles. What's important is that the restoration of the Republic could begin in 2012. The ground is being laid right now. A passionate book has been written, and a galvanizing film is being shot.
www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com
That’s it for this week pardners…
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
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