Poor
Man Survival
Self
Reliance tools for independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
More money buys
more happiness for the poor and more headaches for those who already have too
much. - Anonymous
“It’s nearly impossible to
make an honest living.”
The number of Americans that are living in concentrated
areas of high poverty has doubled since the year 2000
In the 1970s
when I attended ASU [Arizona State] as an out of state student my tuition was
roughly $650 per semester. Between the
GI Bill and the money I had saved from summers of driving a fork lift in a
factory as a union member and some sideline painting jobs I had stashed away
nearly $6,000 to pay my expenses.
I further supplemented my income by working a part time
job as a night club bartender [that made it tough on my 7am Spanish
class]. My budget was often wrecked by
the constant tweaking that my Chevelle Super Sport required and the steady
stream of girlfriends I seemed to
acquire [there was a reason Tempe, AZ was nicknamed ‘Sin City].
The cost of living then was considerably lower back
then. Around 1975 my brother purchased a
new VW bug for less than $1800 – today you can’t buy a decent lawn tractor for
that!
By the mid-1980s I owned a successful company which
published regional business journals and produced business expos and
seminars. I also wrote a nationally
syndicated business column, and offered marketing seminars throughout the
country based on a business manual I had written.
I belonged to a barter exchange which allowed me to
stretch my budget even further and offered me further ways to promote my
business while enhancing my travel dollar.
However, the most important rule I learned in business
was this: One must always seek out new
profit centers and new ways to save money. This has become increasingly
more difficult. The average American has
no real money to speak of and they have the attention span of a gnat, seldom
able to take their eye off their “smart” phone for more than a minute.
Today it seems the government’s goal is continually
create new barriers to starting a business, job creation, saving money and/or
the enjoyment of life. Is it any wonder
why so many of our youth take to dealing drugs on street corners rather than
working for minimum wage?
These roadblocks have taken a huge toll on the
American Dream
It looks like a new housing slump is emerging in the United States. Sales of previously owned homes fell by 2.3 percent in September.
New home sales in the United States declined
by a whopping 11.5 percent
in September.
According to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if the government was actually using honest numbers the unemployment rate in the United States today would be 22.9 percent.
And according to Challenger Gray, layoffs at
major firms have risen to the highest level that we have witnessed since
2009.
Recently I had given
thought to starting a neighborhood barter club but decided against it given the
limited outlook on life most of my neighbors have. Using Craigslist as a barometer I can see
few, if any, folks around here have any interest in bartering…
If
I trade my neighbor one chicken for help fixing my plumbing, where/how will we
generate the currency I need to pay our exorbitant water bill, property taxes,
auto insurance [all of which are among the highest in the nation]?
I’ve
asked my neighbors if anyone here has ever tried launching alternative currency
or a trade exchange of any sort…the short and long answer is NO. Even the poor vendors at our one and only
indoor flea market of the area gripe about ‘cheap ass’ customers and lousy
sales.
I’ve
been working hard on a new business venture connecting college student workers
and senior citizens - something ideally suited for Arizona, Miami, Utah,
Washington and other areas and have recently started preliminary advertising…so
far however, not even one inquiry. I’ve
included several premiums [a PR package, a mobile app and more] into the
package but am left scratching my head about the state of entrepreneurism in
this nation…
Fewer
US corporations innovate today as it is easier to simply purchase another
startup company. Indeed, due to our
overly litigious society, most firms discourage any innovation from outside their firm.
Think
about why so many politicians want to remain in office for life? It sure beats working for a living and the
benefits and perks outweigh the private sector.
I’m
leaving for Arizona soon to connect with old friends and business contacts…perhaps
we’ll be able to brainstorm some better avenues…Have
Brain-Will Travel!
A few parting goodies
15 Grocery Store Foods You Can Stockpile Virtually Forever
Preserving and stockpiling food is a cornerstone of
homesteaders and off-gridders. Not all foods, though, preserve well, no matter
what you do to them. Some are just bound and determined to deteriorate with
time. But there are enough foods that will last virtually forever, if we
take the time to select and pack them in the right manner.
Read more here.
Read more here.
|
|
||
|
Books, Art, Video – the saucy, the odd, the retro,
even the practical…support our vices
No comments:
Post a Comment