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Saturday, November 30, 2013

The One Man Revolution




Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

 

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap –Napoleon Bonaparte

 

From The Smiling Dog Saloon Files

 

 

In This Issue:

1.        The One Man Revolution

2.       Mommy (& you) Save big

3.       Why the average person doesn’t save

4.       The coin card for convenience, Pet discounts

5.       2014 Sure looks a lot like 1984

 

 

"An anarchist is anyone who doesn't need a cop to tell him what to do."
 
Ammon Hennacy:  The One Man Revolution
 
"Oh, judge, your damn laws: the good people don't need them

and the bad people don't follow them so what good are they?"

-- Ammon Hennacy
 
   Hennacy passed away the year I became politically aware.  I had just enlisted into the Navy as my lottery number was 50 and I hadn’t enrolled into any college.  In school most of my friends were anti-war and anti-big government (whatever happened to that generation?)
 
After getting out of the service my awareness about government hijinks increased as did my disdain for the corporate culture which is why I primarily engaged in self employment strategies over the years, starting my own successful publishing company and other businesses.
 
Nowadays, even more folks have awakened to the follies and destructive nature of the Washington-Wall Street Cartel and I thought it pertinent to share a bit Hennacy’s story.


(1893-1970) Catholic anarchist, pacifist, vegetarian, draft refuser in two world wars, tax resister - a "One-person revolution in America."
 

"Being a pacifist between wars is as easy as being a vegetarian between meals."

 

Best known for his work in operating the "Joe Hill Hospitality House" for transients in Salt Lick City, Utah. Hennacy was a self-described "Christian-anarchist-pacifist" who never paid taxes or went to war. A conscientious objector in both world wars, & anti-war activist, Hennacy strongly influenced the Catholic Worker movement & emerging civil rights movement of the 60s.

Over his lifetime, Hennacy developed an assortment of related tactics to resist the state and avoid support for the military.  He called himself “a one-man revolution,” and through voluntary poverty, refusing to vote, engaging in public protest and practicing anarchy, Ammon Hennacy carried out his revolution with tireless zeal.  He estimated that 75% of all income taxes go to support American militarism, so he vowed to earn no more than menial labor wages in order to avoid paying taxes.    Because of the imposition of the income tax, Hennacy realized that he could not avoid funding U.S. warring around the world unless he kept his earnings below the minimally taxable rate. He believed that to pay income tax was a sin against God because of the state’s use of taxation to support war

 Whenever Ammon was arrested for any number of reasons, mostly for "illegal" picketing, instead of pleading guilty or innocent he would plead 'anarchy'. This was his reply to the judge's statement 'But Ammon you broke the law.'
 
How many of you would risk arrest to protest against government tyranny today?  All it takes to reclaim our country is for you to take a stand.  The Poor Man has shared strategies such as Jury Nullfication, shunning, and other activism methods you can use and teach others to stop the nonsense destroying our nation.  Have you shared or used any of these strategies?
 
Download his autobiography here:

 

Autobiography of an Anarchist-Free download


 

RELATED:

 

A Financial System for the People

The Poor Man frequently promotes alternative and community currencies, bartering and other methods of boosting the economy of local communities.  We also promote DIY ideas and self employment in order to break away from the plague of high interest credit cards, auto loans and the like – Find resources at: (http://www.poormansurvival.com/Pages/grassroootsmoney.aspx)

 

The founder of the Slow Money movement, Woody Tasch, has a new book out – Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money, which outlines a path for bringing money back to earth (order at Amazon). 

Here are a few other resources:

 

Buy/Sell/Barter ads.  A free service from the Poor Man

 Share this with like minded folks (a small price to pay).


 

Find a Co-Op near you: 


 

 

AG Gag Lawsfirst passed in Kansas in 1990-made it illegal to take photos at an animal facility or research lab.  This anti-journalist concept is being spread in an effort to stop activists from recording animal cruelty practices.

 

 

PM’s Roundup of Useful Resources…

 

Mommy Saves Big

You know what makes holiday shopping better? Being able to get great deals!

Here is a free coupon site that offers not only great coupons for the everyday items like groceries, but also coupon codes for major retailers, printable coupons, and so much more!

When you load into the site, you’ll find a navigation strip along the top and featured deals beneath it. The main tabs on the navigation strip are Coupon Codes, Grocery Coupons, Printable Coupons, and Daily Deals.


 

Turn your kitchen into a 'food factory' - 6 fun, family-friendly activities that will save you money
read more here

 

Septic secrets - or - how to avoid a home repair that could cost $10k
read more here



Why the Average American Doesn’t Save-Government Discourages Savings

 

The average person with his savings account living in a Brooklyn tenement (I'm speaking of bus driver Ralph Kramden from the iconic television series The Honeymooners) must pay taxes on his measly $75 savings account. This anti-savings mentality has amazed some from nations where savings are viewed positively.

 

A gift basket idea for every occasion 

read more here

 

 
The COIN card: Merge all your credit & debit cards into a single card
From their website: “Coin is a connected device that can hold and behave like the cards you already carry. Coin works with your debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards. Instead of carrying several cards you carry one Coin. Multiple accounts and information all in one place.”
http://christianpf.com/the-coin-card/
 

 

RFID. Those are letters that you'll probably be hearing more about in the future. They stand for radio-frequency identification.

You may already have an RFID device. If you have one of the newer 'smart' credit cards that you can just wave at the checkout, you have an RFID enabled credit card.

They're undeniably handy. Just wave them and they connect to your account. But there's a downside, too. They send off a radio signal that can be read by anyone with a nearby reader. The person at the table next to you in the coffee shop or quietly reading the paper in the hotel lobby could be stealing your credit card info ... Even if your credit card is sitting in your purse or wallet.

HuMn wallets can protect your RFID credit cards from theft.

 

 

Pet Healthcare for Less

Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow lower our pets' medical costs? As much as we love them, it's sometimes quite a stretch to have to pay a large bill that comes as a complete surprise.

 

 

Though difficult find free where I live, old stock tanks can be used to create raised bed gardens.

 

 

The Nanny State- Your Weekly Dose of Government Misinformation

 

California Storm Troopers Grabbing Guns

Using gun registration lists, and drawing information out of several other databases, APPS stormtroopers “regularly sweep through California cities” to seize firearms from people the state has designated “prohibited persons,”reports the Fresno Bee.  California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that will use a $24 million surplus from firearms purchase fees to hire 36 new jackboots for the squad.

As is always the case with “gun control” initiatives, APPS does nothing to abate violent crime, because criminally inclined people do not register their firearms. California gun owners who comply with the state’s laws are subsidizing a program that is increasingly used to confiscate guns from innocent people on the whim of bureaucrats who aspire to disarm the public at large.

Speaking of the tens of thousands of Californians who have been classified as “prohibited persons,” California’s proto-Stalinist Attorney General (and presidential pinup) Kamala Harris insists: “They are those people who have been proven to violate the law, and present a threat to public safety.” Harris insists that proactive disarmament of “dangerous, violent individuals … is smart and efficient law enforcement.”

 
 
 
 

 

The Parting ThoughtNothing to worry in the land of the free!

 

 
The Un-Patriot Act has become a traitorous proposition used to deceive citizens…

The 21st Century looks a lot like 1984.
The government – our government – is using surveillance programs to track us. These secret programs have code names like: Boundless Informant, Carnivore, MUSCULAR, PRISM, Hemisphere, NUCLEON, MAINWAY, XKeyscore, and too many more to list.

Earlier this year, in June, the British daily newspaper, The Guardian, published the first in a long (and still not yet fully realized) line of leaked classified NSA documents, provided by former government contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden. These leaked files document government-led surveillance of telephone records, e-mail messages, Skype conversations, and through a top-secret program called XKeyscore, "nearly everything a user does on the internet."

To date, the federal government has not provided any legitimate warrant requests for this information, instead relying on Section 215 of the Patriot Act as the justification for this widespread, improper collection of private data.

Yes, that's the same Patriot Act that was enacted to fight terrorism. Now, Mr. Obama and his nosy government agents are using it to justify sifting through your private records, including the ones from your bank, your phone company, and your credit card companies, to name just a few. They can even force your financial advisor and accountant to turn over your files!

 
So much for our Fourth Amendment rights to be secure "in our persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures." 



Rampant federal disregard for the Bill of Rights isn't a conspiracy theorist's punch line anymore, this is reality.  Much of this effort is led by special interest groups who have politicians in their pocket…knowing the wars in the Middle East are winding down, high tech spy companies now focus on scamming Uncle Scam and the public, fleecing are already bankrupt nation…
 

Think You Don't Have Anything to Hide?
Already, the government has identified pro-lifers, conservatives, libertarians, gun owners, and survivalists, even those who own precious metals or firearms as "potential terrorists." Learning about edible plants, basic first aid, and paying with cash when you shop could also lead to your increased surveillance by local and federal law enforcement that see you as a threat.

The argument that the only people who need to worry is those who have something to hide is quickly becoming irrelevant as the federal government slowly, but significantly, expands their definition of "potential terrorists." There are few left in the U.S. who fit within the government's definition of those who have "nothing to hide."
 
Most of the “problems” we have in our country are self-inflicted by our political elite and their handlers.  Most often they offer fairy tale solutions which almost always require more fixing and more money – just look at the disaster known as Obamacare!
 
 
IT jobs can’t replace manufacturing jobs in the US but…like Germany and Switzerland,  we could and need to rebuild our manufacturing base again.  America needs to build things!

 
 

Support the Revolution – Make a Donation to the Poor Man today!

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

 

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FREE-Just launched …our own Poor Man’s Barter/Buy/Sell Network Ad Site

Your Price – Share with like minded friends…A small price to pay…


 

New Books & Curiosities Added Weekly


 

Back in stock again…

You can’t buy life insurance after you’re dead-Did you know that you're 8 times more likely to be the victim of a violent home invasion than you are to have your house catch on
fire? Get our home defense CD and Basic pistol training DVD now…one of our most popular programs.


 

 


A Shallow Planet Production

 

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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

It's often easier to be angry than it is to be thankful...




 

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

 It is often easier to be angry than it is to be thankful…

Despite my non-stop griping about the government and society, about interruptions to various service platforms, brain dead zombies who clog up the system, about subscribers who don’t read my stuff, business deals gone south, about my life, blah, blah, blah…

I have a lot to be grateful for.

I have a wonderful, caring wife who always takes the time to listen to my rants.

I survived a near-death heart attack and surgery (though I’m not 100%, the alternative wasn’t very rosy either).

I do have a number of subscribers who read and share my newsletter and website resources.

I still live in a land of relative freedom.

I haven’t lost my home or have been forced to live on the street.

I have some very dear, wonderful friends (who also listen to my rants).

There are vast numbers of Americans who have been wounded during their military service, vast numbers who have lost their jobs or homes, vast numbers doing jail time for a non-crime, and vast numbers who feel hopeless or abandoned, abused by a spouse, victimized by classmates and more…

Think about what you have that you might be grateful about and thank someone for being a part of your life…and DON’T shop on Thanksgiving Day!

God Bless All of You!

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’   (Your regularly scheduled rant will resume on Sunday)


 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Holy Big Mac: How Wall Street is Gutting the Middle Class




Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543


Russell Baker
It was dramatic to watch my grandmother decapitate a turkey with an ax the day before Thanksgiving. Nowadays the expense of hiring
grandmothers for the ax work would probably qualify all turkeys so honored with 'gourmet' status.

 

From The Smiling Dog Saloon Files

 

 

In This Issue:

1.        Kit houses are affordable but beware local bureaucrats

2.       A Thanksgiving gift for you-A free Copy of Possum Living

3.       Make money extracting gold from old electronics

4.       Holy Big Mac-How Wall Street Guts the Middle Class

 

 

May All of you enjoy the blessing of a happy Thanksgiving Weekend-The Poor Man

Ambrose Bierce from The Devil's Dictionary…
Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and
gratitude.

Kit houses can be grand or tiny, sophisticated or rustic, traditional or ultra-modern…Also, pocket-sized inflatable house!

Kit homes can offer efficiency in construction as well as in energy use after the house has been built, and many kit home companies offer state-of-the-art green and renewable energy options. In short, if you’d like to build an affordable custom home (or cabin), a kit house may be a solution.

One of your first decisions will be how big to build. Census statistics show that the average home size in the United States has grown from 1,600 square feet in 1975 to more than 2,200 square feet in 2005, notes Steve Linton, president of Deltec Homes. No one but you can say what size home is right for your family, but maybe you don’t need a formal dining room or that “bonus” room.

Is there a way to calculate how much your dream house will cost? The website B4UBuild.com, which answers questions about home construction, says a new house “will probably cost $80 to $200 per square foot.” Thus, a 1,500-square-foot house, with no sweat equity from you, could cost $120,000 — or $300,000. The figures provided by the companies in our DIY Kit Homes for Every Style, Size and Budget chart range from extremely low to moderately high.


 

A Word of Caution:

 

Be careful though.  Local bureaucrats often resemble communists in that there may be multiple restrictions and some towns (like ours) don't publish their requirements anywhere which proved costly in our case.

 

SIDEBAR:


Like the post says, this idea isn’t quite there yet but the idea is a neat one nonetheless: “Martin Azura has designed the ultimate lightweight shelter for minimalists. The synthetic cube balloon structure fits into your pocket for easy transportation and shelter. The balloon is inflated with body heat or solar rays and the material…


 

 

Also…a little Thanksgiving gift to my readers…

 
 


Possum Living: How to live well without a job
 
In the 1970s Dolly Freed lived of the land dirt cheap and plum easy. Living in their own house on a half-acre lot outside of Philadelphia for almost five years, Dolly and her father produced their own food and drink and spent roughly $700 each per year. Thirty years later Dolly Freed's Possum Living is as fascinating and pertinent as it was in 1978.
 
Get your copy Free copy plus others here:
Possum Living: How to live well without a job
Scroll to bottom of the page to find a nice collection of free ebooks
http://www.poormansurvival.com/Pages/diyfoodcoop.aspx

 

 
 

PM’s Roundup of Useful Resources…

 

5 Secrets of Frugal Grocery Shoppers


It is always a challenge to find good, healthy food at bargain prices. Through a variety of new apps and old-fashioned techniques like buying "day old" baked goods, you really can cut your grocery bill.
 

 

Make Money Extracting Gold from Old Electronics
 
Over the years we’ve made a ton of cash recycling precious metals…
Although it has become more difficult to find, my wife in particular has found thousands of dollars in sterling silver at thrift stores, storage unit auctions and more…Learn more with this DIY article.
 
Wait don’t throw those old electronics in the garbage, there’s gold in them there things. How about putting it in your pockets instead of someone else’s pocket?



Laptops, phones, cameras, and the like are filled with gold plated circuit boards even printers and scanners have gold, silver, and copper, even platinum in them.



Gold is a precious, conductive, and pliable metal that retains a stable value better than many commodities. Its chemical properties make it useful for the manufacture of computers parts and electronics. Some people find it profitable to attempt to extract the gold from these scraps, then refine and sell it. This complicated process requires chemical expertise as well as access to various chemistry equipment. However, with the right knowledge, experience and tools, you can remove valuable gold from computer parts, other discarded electronics.



Things You Will Need:



Scrap electronics

Rubber gloves

Rubber apron

Goggles

Hydrogen Peroxide 3% I got from local pharmacy.

Muriatic acid 31% local hardware store.

Funnel filter I used a drip coffee filter

2 large glass containers I like coffee pots for chemical heat.

Stir stick glass or plastic

Weigh scale mine is accurate to 1/10th of a grain.

Blow Torch hot enough to hard solder.

Borax

Clay bowls just about anything that has a melting point 500o above the melting point of gold will do.

Measuring cup anything you can use to make a 2:1 mix will do.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Gold-recovery/

 

 

 
 


 

The Nanny State- Your Weekly Dose of Government Misinformation

 

 Government wastes more tax dollars as we head toward national bankruptcy…


The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week that DHS may have wasted $1 billion on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program. SPOT aims to spot terrorists by detecting “anomalous” or suspicious behavior. The anomalous behavior – perspiration, fidgeting, restlessness – is supposed to be the result of high levels of stress, fear, or deception. Individuals who exhibit anomalous behavior are subject to additional security screening.


 


Poll: Majority Say Federal Government Is A “Threat” To Their Constitutional Rights, Only 35% Disagree

Voters continue to adamantly defend their constitutional freedoms, and most still consider the federal government a threat to those rights. 


 

 



 

The Parting ThoughtNothing to worry in the land of the free!

 

Minimum Wage Woes for American Workers
 
The New American Sweat Shops…burger flippers can’t afford $40K cars!
 
Holy Big Mac – McDonald’s achieved a 3-month profit of $1.5 billion this summer.  While paying its workforce poverty level wages and no benefits the corporation, (like many US firms) directs its workers to the food stamp office or other taxpayer funded safety net program AND pays little in federal taxes. Amazing!  Much of its cost-of-business winds up on government books (aka: the taxpayer).
 


McDonald’s is under fire once again, this time for suggesting employees break up their food into smaller pieces to get full and to sell personal belongings on eBay or Craigslist for cash.

 
Aren’t you lovin it?
 
Ironically, in the 1980s when General Electric led the way in off shoring US jobs I wrote an editorial which appeared in the Wall Street Journal and other business publications entitled “Burger flippers won’t be able to afford your $40,000 automobile.”
 
Wal-Mart Asks its Low-Wage Workers to Donate Food to its Low-Wage Workers
 
If you want to know why the campaign for a living wage has escalated so dramatically in the past few years, look no further than Walmart…
 

After 11 years at Walmart, Patricia Locks of Seattle earns $13.10 per hour and usually works 34 hours per week. However, since her schedule can vary, her income is not predictable and she struggles to cover bills for herself and her 14-year-old daughter.

 

Demos released new research showing that Patricia's situation is far from inevitable. Not only could Walmart afford to pay higher wages now, it could do so without costing customers a dime. By redirecting the $7.6 billion spent annually on buying back shares of Walmart’s own company stock, the nation’s largest retailer could instead invest in its workforce and put an extra $5.83 an hour into the pockets of its lowest-paid employees.

 
http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/18/wal-mart-asks-its-low-wage-workers-to-donate-food-to-its-low-wage-workers/
 
 

Driven by corporate greed we have a continuing extinction of the American Middle Class…

 

Less than one-third of Americans think it’s a good time to find a job. Nearly 70% believe corruption is widespread in U.S. business and government.

 

“With the exception of the U.S., all countries in the Americas have improved their overall Prosperity Index score in the last five years.”

 

In the Entrepreneurship & Opportunity (E&O) sub-index, we’ve fallen to 13th. Aside from Hong Kong in 10th position, the nations with the greatest E&O readings are all in Europe.

 

Governance, we’re down to 11th ... meaning that the greatest governmental ideology ever created is crumbling in front of us because of what we tolerate from our politicians. Only 35% of Americans have confidence in the people we elect to office – well below the global average of 52%. Which raises a few questions: Are we brain damaged as an electorate? Stupid? Naïve? Wrought with inertia? Lazy? Why do we continue to subject ourselves to the very people, and a lobbyist-controlled political system, that rob America of its freedoms and wealth?

 

And, finally, Personal Freedom … we’ve lost another two spots and now pop up in 16th place. The land of the free just ain’t as free as you’ve been lead to believe. Greater freedoms you will find all over Europe, Uruguay and Australia and Zealand.

 
A recent news story showed the top 10 lowest paying employers include Walmart, Target, all fast food outlets including Starbucks…at the same time the CEOs of these firms make astounding amounts of money…profits are up across the board for these companies.
 
The disparity of income in the US shocks most Europeans and it should be dismal news to the rest of us.
 
While Congress never turns down a pay raise or perk, it did reject raising the minimum wage (how else would Wall Street be able to afford to buy so many politicians)?
 
For fifteen years now I have promoted the idea of eliminating all taxes at every level of government on the first $25,000 of income.  A hike in minimum wage also means higher payroll taxes which only helps the government.  A flat rate tax should be implemented across the board on EVERYONE – non-profits, religious groups, corporations, etc.  At one time, corporations paid more in taxes than the middle class…that flip flopped beginning the late 60s when corporate America managed to “persuade’ Washington that the middle class should pay more and at the same time, Wall Street began gutting jobs, pay rates, pensions and benefits…a sweet deal for Wall Street!
 
According to a whistleblower that has recently come forward, Census employees have been faking and manipulating U.S. employment numbers for years. In fact, it is being alleged that this manipulation was a significant reason for why the official unemployment rate dipped sharply just before the last presidential election.
 

The pressured American working underclass has been under extreme tension for some time. Now with politicians not inclined to increase the minimum wage and food stamps stretched thin, the social ramification could be disastrous. The recession is not over for most American citizens. Most Americans have basically given up.

 

An increasing number of Americans are becoming poor and one of our priorities is to help you develop extra sources of income…
http://www.poormansurvival.com/Pages/bootstrapbiz.aspx

 
Support the Revolution – Make a Donation to the Poor Man today!

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

 
Keep our services free-Check our Resources

 

FREE-Just launched …our own Poor Man’s Barter/Buy/Sell Network Ad Site

Your Price – Share with like minded friends…A small price to pay…


 

New Books & Curiosities Added Weekly


 

Back in stock again…

You can’t buy life insurance after you’re dead-Did you know that you're 8 times more likely to be the victim of a violent home invasion than you are to have your house catch on
fire? Get our home defense CD and Basic pistol training DVD now…one of our most popular programs.


 

 
 

A Shallow Planet Production

 

Follow us on Facebook -  facebook.com/PoorMan