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.
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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.

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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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