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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

How Things Have Changed in the Prepper Community


Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…


 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
-- Bertrand de Jouvenel
(1903-1987)

 

 


 

How things have changed in the Prepper Community

How things will be changing with the Poor Man Survival site and blog…what would happen if all governments and religions just minded their own business?

 

   I’ve been offering preparedness and political information since 1999 when a small group of us used to meet monthly at our 38-acre farm.  I always baked up batches of goodies along with coffee and other refreshments and we often had guest speakers including shooting instructors, like-minded politicians and others. 

 

Our discussions centered on politics and self reliance strategies including first aid, small farming resources and disaster preparedness (I had taken the FEMA course and was a certified instructor).

 

Our group was frequently profiled in the news and national magazines as we hosted a toll-free number and free basic instructional booklets.  The idea of prepping [outside the Mormons and the Boy Scouts] wasn’t bandied about much then.  Much of my initial education on the topic stemmed from John Shuttleworth, the founder of Mother Earth News.

 

I had met John in 1984. More than a dozen years after he began his magazine (ironically, we both owned publications which were launched within 40 miles each other in NE Ohio].

 

Here are few things I’ve come away with since then.

 

·         There are more prepper sites and groups than ever before but in reality, fewer seem truly engaged as the collapse hasn’t happened yet.  As a result, there is less participation overall and many Americans in general have become lazy.

·         Fewer citizens have a grasp of our history or how politicians have ruined our nation, in particular, the Middle Class.  Fewer show an interest despite the fact politics are at the root of our problems.  Ironically, as our nation loses its top dog role in world, fewer Americans seem to have any interest in how invasive and destructive our political system has become at every level.

·         Prepper skills do seem to fall along gender lines…men are more interested in guns, hunting and the like while women seem to be more interested in gardening and preservation skills.

·         The average American has the attention span of a gnat, even more so among the younger generation who overall seem to have little grasp of world events, our own history, economics or even why they have a dismal economic future.  I see them as a rebirth of sex, drugs and rock n roll with only slight changes (primarily, their heads are glued to their phone and texting with little actual human interaction].

·         Fewer people today read.  Everything now is a sound bite or a brief text message.  This has further eroded the intelligence level of many.  [Have you ever witnessed a young person’s attempts at counting back change if the cash register is broken?  So much of the money geared toward education seems to be wasted].

·         As our nation and its schools adopt more ideology from the Planks of the Communist Manifesto, fewer students today are taught how to think or how to perform independent research.  As a result it is no wonder that as our nation heads south in terms of world leadership, few seem to understand the underlying reasons for our demise.

 

As fewer people demonstrate an interest or ability to become aware of current events, the political elite are happy at how easily fooled and led the masses have become.  The old maxim of ‘those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,’ holds true for America as well.

 
Our distracted society certainly follows the path of least resistance for everything and the younger generation in particular, seems to have less class than any other that I can recall.


Bear in mind that life is like the English language in that there are exceptions to every rule.  Also, everything in life is cyclical.  Our nation and its freedom are eroding.  There is little question that we’re no longer the shining beacon of freedom, privacy and economic opportunity we once were.  Eventually, we’ll likely hit rock bottom, perhaps a revolution will take place [our government is certainly arming ALL federal agencies and local police as if they are expecting one].

 

There are only two types of people: the people who want control over others and the people who just want to be left alone.

What would happen if ALL governments and religions simply minded their own business?  The world would probably be a safer place for all! 

 
What will a new American era bring?  I have no clear idea, only speculation.  Perhaps enough patriots will rise to the call to reignite real freedom again or maybe we’ll become a caricature of the book 1984.  

 

One thing which never changes is the axiom that there are those in this world who make things happen, those who watch what happens and those who haven’t a clue as to what just happened!


 

 


The Changes I’ll be Making to the Poor Man Site & Blog

 

   There are now 100s of prepper sites out there, some good, some bad and most are trying to build a consensus of support.  The Poor Man is dropping his prepper related focus as few seem interested and even fewer of those sites have ever supported us [despite our repeated show of support over the years at announcing their shows and sites].  We’re renewing our focus on  helping folks to retain their middle class status, to help them save a buck [ make a dime do the work of a dollar]! 



We’ll also explore the concept of mini-grants, mini-loans, mini-businesses and eventually, mini-training programs in an effort to put more money into your pocket.



The one-percenters in our country have enjoyed a 60% increase in earnings during the past 10 years while we have lost nearly 15% of the middle class, which have been struggling during the same time frame with low wage jobs without benefits.  We’re seeing corporations reduce hours further due to Obamacare while costs for everything continue to head skyward!  Overregulation is killing the small business job engine as well.


Lost in the rhetoric about the decline of the middle class is the reality of the decline. Nearly everyone is aware that the middle class is struggling, but few understand how the struggle plays out in everyday life.

 

Our primary focus has always been on helping the shrinking middle class to survive, something only a few others devote time to.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be redesigning our main site with this renewed focus in mind, dropping some sections, adding new ones.  We’ll also be dropping much of our political news as well – few care, few know what to do, but all will experience the same results in the end.

 Another thing which never changes...the desire to save a buck or make a buck!

Take a peek at our many updates and free downloads we’ve added throughout the site at:  www.PoorManSurvival.com

 

As always, your suggestions are welcome.

 

10 Signs US Families are Falling Behind


 

 

Additional useful gems for making life better…

 

Before You Move

I've worked for a moving company and something has always baffled me. Why do people move old, heavy stuff cross country that they can easily replace when they get into their new home?

For instance, I've seen people pay good money to move old refrigerators and sofas that they could have sold before the move. Get $50 or so on Craigslist and add to it the amount you saved by not moving it. Buy a used one when you get settled.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Find DIY and Homemade ideas here:


 

 

Yours in freedom,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

 

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