Poor
Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for
independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban
Survival Resources
Many
Americans Still Stuck in Financial Limbo-Surprising US Demographics
How
exactly did the company store system operate?
Under
a scrip system, workers were not paid cash; rather they were paid with
non-transferable credit vouchers that could be exchanged only for goods sold at
the company store. This made it impossible for workers to store up cash
savings.
Workers
also usually lived in company-owned dormitories or houses, the rent for which
was automatically deducted from their pay.
This
model was simple enough to understand. “Pay” your workers with scrip
vouchers, then sell them your marked-up goods at the company store, pocketing a
nice profit. On top of that, force your employees to live in company housing,
too, also at terms very favorable to the company.
Add
it all up and the workers found themselves in perpetual service to their
employer. No matter how hard and long they toiled, there was nothing left for
their own private benefit after all was said and done. The company
succeeded in skimming off any and all ‘excess’ for itself.
This
vast unfairness eventually led to the formation of unions as well as to
regulations providing protection to the workers.
However,
capital never sleeps; and the human temptation to skim and take what they can
for themselves is a constant in every hierarchical, post-agriculture
society. If the idea of “the company store” was too obvious, then a
better method of achieving the same outcome had to be hatched. Something
with sufficient additional complexity to defeat the ability of the average
worker to detect the nature of the scam….
The middle class—the most politically and economically stable
part of our society—has been shrinking thanks to what I term the “Washington-Wall
Street Cartel” which has systematically robbed middle America of pensions,
health care and decent wages for decades.
The Left whines about this [yet willing pays $1,000 for an I-Phone while
Apple pays third-world workers $20 a day in sweatshops to manufacture phones so
Americans can glue their attention to
phones in oblivious glee to them while bemoaning their own financial fate].
The foundation of the middle class in America was a long history
of consistently rising wages. For millions of Americans, life got a little
better, year after year, as the value of their wages increased and our economy
grew into the world's largest.
But this is no longer happening. Low income earners now make
LESS in real terms than they did in 1980! And middle income earners make just
6% more than they made back in 1980. That's an increase of just 0.00172% a
year! [wages are finally beginning to
rise under the current administration].
Here are some interesting stats from Pew Research:
Millennials are the largest adult gneration in the United States,
but they are starting to share the spotlight with Generation Z. This year, Millennials, those ages
23 to 38, will outnumber Baby Boomers (ages 55 to 73), according to Census
Bureau projections. Now in their young adulthood, Millennials
are more educated, more racially and ethnically diverse and slower to marry
than previous
generations were at the same age. But after growing up in
the Great Recession, their economic picture is mixed: Young adult households
are earning
more than most older Americans did at the same age, but
have less
wealth than Boomers did at the same age, partly because
they are more likely to have higher amounts of student loan debt.
Although the
nation’s 73 million Millennials are the largest living adult generation, the
next one – Generation Z – is entering adulthood. Also known as the
post-Millennials, Gen Zers (those ages 7 to 22 this year) are on track to be the best
educated and most diversegeneration yet. Nearly half of Gen Zers
(48%) are racial or ethnic minorities. Socially and politically, their
liberal-leaning opinions on key issues are similar to
those of Millennials.
No real
surprise with this next statistic as birth rates among Hispanics has outnumbers
all racial groups and they rely heavily on welfare to subsidize their families
and medical costs.
Hispanics are projected to be the largest racial or ethnic
minority group in the U.S. electorate when voters cast their ballots next
year. The number
of eligible voters who are Hispanic (32 million) is projected to surpass that
of black eligible voters (30 million) for the first time, according to Pew
Research Center projections based on data from the U.S.
Census Bureau. However, voter turnout will play an important role in the
influence of different racial and ethnic groups. In past elections, black voter
turnout substantially surpassed Hispanic voter turnout. The projections
indicate that whites will account for two-thirds of the electorate, a declining
share.
As the
nation’s demographics are changing, so are those
of Congress, though not as rapidly, according to a February 2019
Pew Research Center analysis. Nonwhites have risen to 22% of Congress, and
women are a record 24% of voting lawmakers (a share that matches the average in
legislatures worldwide).
The share
of immigrants in Congress has ticked up, but at 3% remains
short of historical highs and far below the foreign-born share of the total
U.S. population (13.6% as of 2017). An influx
of younger representatives is having a small impact on the
median age of the House of Representatives, according to a November 2018
analysis.
The American family continues to change. A growing share of parents are unmarried. Among
parents living with a child, the share who are unmarried increased from 7% in 1968 to 25% in 2017. Part of this
increase is due to a growing share of unmarried parents cohabiting, as 35% of
unmarried parents were in 2017. Over the same period, the share of U.S.
children living with an unmarried parent more
than doubled, from 13% in 1968 to
32% in 2017.
Americans generally see
change on the horizon when it comes to the future
of the family, according to a Pew
Research Center survey. A majority of Americans (53%) say that people will be
less likely to get married in the year 2050, and 46% say people will be less
likely to have children than they are now. Even today, 71% of parents younger than
age 50 say they are unlikely
to have more kids in the
future, while 37% of childless adults of the same age say they are unlikely to
ever have kids, according to another survey by the Center.
Incomes are rising in the U.S., but the increase is not being felt
equally by all Americans. Household
income in the U.S. is
at or near the highest level it has been in the last 50
years. At the same time, income inequality continues to grow, and the growth
has been more pronounced among some racial and ethnic groups than among others.
For example, the gap between Asians at the top and bottom of the income
ladder nearly
doubled between 1970 and 2016. Over that period, Asians
went from being one of the groups with the lowest income inequality to the
highest. A separate analysis found that, among Hispanics, the median income of
foreign-born workers – but not U.S.-born workers – had returned
toits pre-Great Recession peak in 2017.
The share of
Americans who are in the middle class has
fallen over the last several decades. About half (52%) of
adults were considered middle class in 2016, down from 61% in 1971. The share
of adults in the middle class has stabilized around half since 2011. Meanwhile,
median incomes have grown more slowly for middle-class households than for
upper- or lower-class households.
Six states account for 58% of illegal immigrants:
California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois. But individual states have experienced different
trends. From 2007 to 2016, the unauthorized immigrant population decreased in a
dozen states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois,
Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Oregon. In three states,
the unauthorized immigrant population rose over the same period: Louisiana,
Maryland and Massachusetts.
The number of unauthorized
immigrants living in the United States was lower in 2016 than at any time since
2004. This decline is due mainly to a large drop in the number of new
unauthorized immigrants, especially Mexicans, coming into the country. The
origin countries of unauthorized immigrants also shifted during that time, with
the number from Mexico declining and the number rising from only one other
region, Central America, according to the latest Pew
Research Center estimates.
NOTE: There has however, been a recent
surge in illegals crashing the border – as high as 100,000 in a single month,
mainly from Central American nations.
Finally…if
you’re able to reach this magical stage:
7 Ways to Retire — Even if the Economy Heads South Again
It's only a matter of time before the stock market plunges
again. Here's how to keep this from turning your golden years into a rickety
roller coaster ride.
Here are my
ideas for new bill [s] to improve government…
>Since term limits never
seems to gain any traction perhaps we should entertain the idea of zero pay for
elected officials after their third term in office…give them their office,
expenses, health insurance while in office and a living allowance only=much
like our Founding Fathers and see how many decide to remain in office.
>Perhaps
we need to resurrect a new version of ‘war’ bonds, perhaps calling them
“government bailout bonds” to help pay off our national debt and/or to help pay
for our massive deficits and proposed new spending projects since fewer foreign
nations are buying our debt!
>An idea I've suggested before: Eliminate ALL
city/state & Federal taxes on the 1st $25K of income for all people. 41% of
citizens pay no Federal tax, many city/state taxes are killers for many. Tax
laws that encourage more US manufacturing/jobs & elimination of red tape
would help too.
“When a population
becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual
round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of
baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public
business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; a culture-death
is a clear possibility.” — Professor Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to
Death: Discourse in the Age of Show Business
What characterizes American government today is not so much
dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out
behind the entertaining, distracting and disingenuous curtain of political
theater. And what political theater it is, diabolically Shakespearean at times,
full of sound and fury, yet in the end, signifying nothing.
Bruce ‘the Poor Man!’
Free enterprise, limited
government, individual freedom!
Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.
You Can’t Buy Life
Insurance After You’re Dead-Prepare NOW for Emergencies…
Finally, grab
an emergency power cell or solar/battery radio weather radio!
Having the Patriot
Power Cell on-hand for emergencies keeps your essential electronics up and
running in case you need to call for help.
“The
Cell is a workhorse of power — it’ll charge your phone soup to nuts 3 to 8
times… I think of the Patriot Power Cell as “everyday prepared.” Awesome for
travel or avoiding inconveniences while saving your bacon in an outage. It’s a
MUST HAVE for your survival lineup."
10,000
mAh Battery/Water Resistant/2 LED Flashlight/1.5 Watt Solar Panel/6-Hour Charge
Time
In stock again!
Additional
Resources
A retreat location is something you better be
thinking about, especially if you live in a
heavily populated area. If a SHTF scenario does occur, you will be hit the
hardest and you may not have anywhere to go if you haven't planned a retreat
location.
Now there are 2 types of retreat
locations: short-term and long-term. Here we are talking about the long-term
retreat location - someplace that you can either live or where you can go at
the very first signs of trouble. Whether you are buying an additional property
in the nearby rural area or moving across country to your perfect new
homestead, you should do your research before you leap.
Generally when we talk about a
retreat location, we talk about some place that is strategically positioned to
keep you protected, supplied and comfortable for as long as possible.
Hopefully, you can afford a piece of property like that.
First thing you need to think
about when you are looking at a potential property is how your land is
positioned. You don't want to be too isolated where you and your family are
completely alone. Neither do you want to be located too close to major
highways, towns or obvious natural resources, where your property could be
wandered into easily. Get in the mind of that desperate wanderer; get in the
minds of those looters. If they are able to see your retreat property easily
they are going to try to break into your property. You should not be isolated.
Before you make the move, make sure you research the area and find a community
of like-minded preppers. Look for properties with multiple natural “layers of
defense” and strategic advantage. You want something that has varying terrain.
With that said, some states are
better for retreat locations than others. Obviously, you don't want your
hideout to be in Washington, D.C. or New York or Florida. In fact, generally
the further North you go, the better.
You have to consider several
factors when you think about the area.
- First of all, what kinds of weather is the
area prone to? Are natural disasters frequent there? What kinds? Consider
the general weather pattern, too.
- Secondly, look at the criminal activity. Are
there many gangs in the area? Predictably, gang members will band together
during a crisis, terrorizing neighborhoods.
- Third, consider man-made hazards: proximity
to nuclear reactors, toxic waste plants, chemical production plants, etc.
In an extended crisis, these facilities will be in disrepair, and whatever
they happen to leak or release will be floating in your air or water.
- Next you need to consider the cost of living.
How expensive would it be to live at your retreat location? Will cost more
or less than where you're currently living? Make sure before you make a
move that you are not spending more. The goal is to save money and spend
some of the money that you save stocking up on a few extra supplies.
- Available natural resources. Everybody needs
to eat and drink, so when you are choosing your retreat location, focus on
the land that has good access to water and has the opportunity for you to
produce, grow or raise your own food.
- Simplicity of implementing your off-grid
design is another key consideration. If you plan on using a windmill,
choose the land carefully to get the most out of it. In other words, don’t
move to Seattle with a bunch of solar panels.
These are just the basic
considerations for choosing your perfect hideout.
Rosefield is a classic
traditional cabin, which
can be built for less than $6,000. The cabin
is open plan, which has the advantage of making it far easier, cheaper and
quicker to build than more intricate cabins with separate rooms. This
particular plan also includes a detailed cabin assembly diagram and
step-by-step instructions which includes a foundation guide. [282sf’]
Skills Every Survivalist Should Know
Essential skills every
survivalist may want to consider learning.
What would you consider important skills every survivalist should
know? For the sake of context, this is the same question I have asked
myself for decades. With limited time and resources, it is impossible to
focus on all survival skills. We can
touch on various skills to get a basic understanding, but if we wanted to focus
on exact list, what would that list contain?
After putting much thought into the topic, this is the
answer I propose. Let’s use our ancestors as an example and focus on
skills that allowed them to survive for thousands of years. Furthermore,
let’s divide our ancestors into two groups:
A Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production
3 comments:
Very interesting peek inside America and your usual useful resources!
Life has been a two-edged sword since the 80s when greed at every became the national mantra and corporate America sucker punched workers and so did local and state governments with ever increasing reaches into our collective wallets...never thinking we might need higher wages to support those beasts and others such as health care and other vampires like college tuition which raised fees higher than anything else [with virtually ZERO oversight-just another scam].
Your idea for tax reform makes the most sense-too bad no one running for office among the Left has any sense!
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