Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
ISSN 2161-5543
In This Issue:
1.
Seasteading – a new expatriate dream?
2.
Beating Red light traffic cameras
3.
18 ways to reuse plastic bags
4.
New business grant and funding sites
5.
Food prices climbing and expected to rise even
more
“Whenever a man does a
thoroughly stupid thing it is always from the noblest motive.”
— Oscar Wilde
Wanted:
Freedom…alternatives for a new country
The Poor Man has been repeatedly asked about
which country offers the most freedom.
The number of expatriates continues to grow despite new rules which make
it more expensive and time consuming for one to renounce their citizenship
(fees begin at $450 plus ‘escape’ taxes and the average wait is two
years). The US is the only country which
pursues its citizens living in foreign countries for income taxes, even from
children of Americans who’ve never set foot inside America.
The IRS is now demanding
that banks in Canada go after the college accounts of children of US born
citizens who might not have paid taxes.
Currently, there are
no lands available for settlement, unless you’re equipped for space
travel. Over the years the concept of floating
countries has been circulated but this group is the only one with a viable
plan.
From the website for
the Seasteading Institute...
"At The Seasteading Institute, we believe that
experiments are the source of all progress: To find something better, you have
to try something new. But right now, there is no open space for experimenting
with new societies. That's why we work to enable seasteading communities
-- floating cities -- which will allow the next generation of pioneers to
peacefully test new ideas for government. The most successful can then inspire
change in governments around the world. We're opening this new frontier because
humanity needs better ways to live together to unlock our full potential.
"Seasteaders believe that government shouldn't be
like the cell phone carrier industry, with few choices and high customer
lock-in. Instead, we envision a vibrant startup sector for government, with
many small groups experimenting with innovative ideas as they compete to serve
their citizens' needs better.
"Currently, it is very difficult to experiment
with alternative social systems on a small scale; countries are so enormous
that it is hard for an individual to make much difference. The world needs a
place where those who wish to experiment with building new societies can go to
test out their ideas. All land is already claimed -- which makes the oceans
humanity's next frontier."
Seasteading would
offer an opportunity for true experimentation. The idea is to get away
completely from existing states and let new arrangements flourish and compete
with one another...much like the original American experiment before Lincoln's
war put an end to that.
We've run out of
existing frontiers to try that sort of thing...so it looks like it's time to
create new ones literally from scratch.
The Seasteading
Institute was founded by none other than Patri Friedman, grandson of Milton
Friedman. http://seasteading.org/
When your doctor writes
you a prescription, always ask if he or she has samples you can try for the
first month in order to save money.
PM’s
Compendium of Useful Resources
There are a number of great
organizations across the country designed to assist entrepreneurs. There is
not, however, a single organization in Washington that focuses on the unique
legislative and regulatory challenges of start-up companies.
It’s not easy to fund a
business, unless you’re ready to jam those credit cards at loanshark interest
rates, or your Uncle Warbucks dies and leaves you a fortune. As you weigh your
options, don’t forget Kickstarter, the new site that lets you post a project and seek
direct investment from the public.
Love a Local
Business Grant Competition
Software developer Intuit
wants you to hire local and be liked by your community. The firm’s “Love a Local Business” program
offers funding for small businesses through March 2012. During the past 18 months it has awarded
hiring grants with awards ranging from $500 to $25,000. Nominate yourself or another business. Learn more at:
LoveaLocalBusiness.intuit.com
100 Urban Entrepreneurs is a young, nonprofit organization devoted to
fostering entrepreneurship among minority and low income communities in
America’s largest cities. Taking off in 2010, the foundation hosts events where
entrepreneurs can pitch startup ideas to judges, mingle with other aspiring
entrepreneurs, confer with mentors and apply for startup funding. 100 Urban
Entrepreneurs has currently allocated nearly $1 million dollars to 48 startups
with the goal of eventually supporting 100 startups. However, the money is not
necessarily the most important part of the organization. Most participants
believe that the ability to share their ideas and receive feedback has been a
priceless contribution from the foundation
Preparing for
autumn weather
Early fall is the time
of year to prepare your house for the cooler weather just around the corner.
Most people know to clean their gutters and seal openings around windows that
can leak heat. But there are other less obvious measures you'll need to take to
keep your home in tip-top shape inside and out.
Here are 5 tips on
getting your home ready for Fall:
1. Crank the heat.
"You forget your
heating system when it's summer. But believe me, you'll notice if it doesn't
work right in the winter," says Ed Del Grande, host of Do It Yourself
Network's "Ed The Plumber."
More at:
Stock Up on Fall Produce and Save
Make the most of
in-season season brings makes being in the kitchen more appealing. Use the
season’s bounty to make fruits and vegetables with these satisfying, low-cost
recipes
Farmer’s markets are bursting with fresh produce in
the fall, and the slight chill in the air that the these delicious, easy recipes.
http://www.allyou.com/food/supercheap-meals/fall-produce-00411000073122/?xid=recipe-092211
http://www.allyou.com/food/supercheap-meals/fall-produce-00411000073122/?xid=recipe-092211
Cash Strapped
cities look to traffic enforcement for revenue
Motorists.org offers
this one clarifying definition: "A 'speed trap' exists wherever traffic
enforcement is focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving
safety."
It's estimated by
Motorists.org that $7.5 to $15 billion is generated annually from tickets for
government agencies and insurance companies, which is more money than many
states take in from taxes!
Motorists.org offers
this one clarifying definition: "A 'speed trap' exists wherever traffic
enforcement is focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving
safety."
It's estimated by
Motorists.org that $7.5 to $15 billion is generated annually from tickets for
government agencies and insurance companies, which is more money than many
states take in from taxes!
Thwart Red
Light Traffic Cameras
If you live in a city
that hasn't made the right choice of eschewing these Orwellian cameras, here
are a few tips to help you:
Log on to http://www.photoenforced.com/. This gives you an interactive map of numerous cities
and areas where red light traffic cameras are installed, allowing you to plan
your route accordingly.
You can also try
license plate covers, screens, and even sprays – if legal in your area. They
all attempt to provide a similar solution: making photographs of your license
plate unreadable and helping you avoid getting a ticket in the mail or a
collection agency calling your home.
LensMart.com offers
contact lens at prices even cheaper than WalMart
18 ways to
reuse plastic bags
Here in the U.S.
alone, we use around 100 billion plastic grocery bags every single year. While some cities have banned the
bag, most of us aren’t lucky enough to live in a town that’s nixed those
ubiquitous, flimsy grocery bags.
Dental schools
can save up to 70% on procedures - find a school near you at: ADA.org
The Nanny
State Updates…
The IRS is
making a worldwide push to squeeze money from Americans living abroad and from anyone who holds dual
citizenship, whether they know it or not. It doesn't matter if the
"duals" want U.S. status, have never set foot on U.S. soil or
never conducted business with an American. It doesn't matter if those targeted
owe a single cent to the IRS. Unlike almost every other nation in the world,
the United States requires citizens living abroad to file tax forms on the
money they do not owe as well as to report foreign bank accounts or holdings
such as stocks or RSSPs. The possible penalty for not reporting is $10,000 per
"disclosed asset" per year.
Thus, Americans and
dual citizens living in Canada (or elsewhere) who do not disclose their local
checking account -- now labeled by the IRS as "an illegal offshore
account" -- are liable for fines that stretch back 10 years and might
amount to $100,000. A family, in which
there are two American parents and two dual-citizen children, might be
collectively liable for $400,000.
Approximately 7
million Americans live abroad. According to the IRS, they received upward of
400,000 tax returns from expatriates last year -- a compliance rate of
approximately 6%. Presumably, the compliance of dual-citizen children is far lower.
Customs and Immigration is now sharing information with the IRS and, should any
of 94% expats or their accidentally American offspring set foot on U.S. soil,
they are vulnerable to arrest.
The Foreign Account
Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA; it was a revenue-raising provision that was
slipped into one of Obama's disastrous stimulus bills. Starting in 2013 -- or
2014 if an exemption is granted -- every bank in the world will be required to
report to the IRS all accounts held by current and former U.S. citizens. If
account holders refuse to provide verification of their non-U.S. citizenship,
the banks will be required to impose a 30% tax of all payments or transfers to
the account on behalf of the IRS. Banks that do not comply will "face
withholding on U.S.-source interest and dividends, gross proceeds from the
disposition of U.S. securities and pass-through payments."
The true hope lies in
a worldwide refusal to comply. The only power strong enough to rein in the
United States is the world itself. Source:
The Whiskey Rebellion
Clean shower door tracks
using a screwdriver with a cloth wrapped around the pointed end. Spray first with your favorite cleaner.
The Parting Thought – Food Prices Expected to Rise
More
Food Giant ConAgra
just announced they have raised prices on 90-95% of their products thanks to
skyrocketing costs of food basics--everything from flour to corn to sugar to
meat. And they warned that they expect food inflation to jump another 9-10% in
2012!
Families are paying
$1,300 a year more this year for groceries than they did two years ago--and the
worst is yet to come.
>>Economic
growth in a large number of
developing countries, which increases the demand for a wide variety of food
products. For example, when a country becomes wealthier, its citizens eat more
meat, and that increases demand for feed grain crops, and on and on.
>>Poor harvests
in some large food-producing countries such as Russia (droughts), Australia
(floods) and the US (floods in some areas, record drought in others).
>>Increased
demand and shrinking supply—a classic equation that leads to higher prices.
>>Increased cost
of fuel that is needed to power machines for harvesting, planting, shipping,
etc. that then get passed on to consumers.
But part of this food
inflation crisis lies at the foot of the Federal Reserve. Does Chairman
Bernanke ever shop at a supermarket?
When the Fed flooded
our economy with trillions of cheap dollars in the past two years, more money
became available for investing.
Where did a chunk of
those "new" bucks go? Into commodities. And that helped drive up
commodity prices and the stock market.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The world economy has entered a "dangerous new phase,"
according to the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. As a
result, the international lending organization has sharply downgraded its
economic outlook for the United States and Europe through the end of next year.
The U.S. economy faces
longer-lasting problems that go beyond high gas prices and disruptions caused
by the Japan crisis, the IMF said.
Employers are adding
few jobs and giving out meager pay raises. Many homeowners owe more on their
mortgages than their homes are worth. Banks are keeping credit tight.
Investors are pulling
a huge amount of money out of stocks right now. Do they know something that we
don't? The following is from a report in the Financial Post....
Investors have pulled more money from U.S. equity
funds since the end of April than in the five months after the collapse of Lehman
Brothers Holdings Inc., adding to the $2.1 trillion rout in American stocks.
About $75
billion was withdrawn from funds that focus on shares during the past four
months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from the Investment Company
Institute, a Washington-based trade group, and EPFR Global, a research firm in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Outflows totaled $72.8 billion from October 2008
through February 2009, following Lehman’s bankruptcy, the data show.
The Average Joe does not pay attention to world finances. The sad fact is, however, it affects us in
several ways. Nearly everyone can see
the toll inflation is taking and that the days where the American dollar rules
supreme is becoming rather limited.
Yours in freedom, the
Poor Man.
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