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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Poor in America



I can fake being middle class. I've a home on a lake after all. Never mind that my dad bought land back in the day and gave me a heck of a break when I bought it from him. Sure I can spend money on things like boats -old old boats. It helps that so many of my other expenses have been cut to the bone. There are people who spend more on fancy coffees than I spend on energy for my home.

Part of my low cost of living is that I can do so much for myself. My pension might be small, but it gives me the freedom to use my time on money saving activities.

The rich know how to pass on wealth to their children. When my dad passed he had next to nothing. His big ownership item was an old trailer in a retirement park. My step mom got that and I'm glad she did as I don't want' it. His car was financed and dad had very little savings. Actually, I'm relieved that it didn't cost as much as I'd feared to bury him. A good part of the cost was covered by donations from friends and relatives. All I took home from Florida was a small welding machine and a rifle. My mom's medical expenses bankrupted him years earlier.

In today's America money is free speech. Corporations are people. Poor people are useless eaters. The stress most people have to deal with: crappy jobs, poor food, and dismal medical care is doing us in. That's what the collapse looks like -a disappearing middle class and a sharp divide between rich and poor.

The system is rigged so it's our best interest to live in the cracks like crabgrass popping through sidewalks. We've got to fly beneath the radar. For me part of that is being able to sometimes pass as middle class. It's a disguise.

We are raised from a young age to think a certain way. Most schools are big indoctrination centers. As a kid I couldn't see much difference from prison. Good thing I figured out that learning and school can be separate activities. Our parents were brain washed and they passed that down to us. Some were more brainwashed than others.

For a while it wasn't too bad as myth had some relationship to reality. The disconnect from what we are told and what we see is getting too big to ignore. There's a war on against poor people and the super wealthy have all the tanks. That doesn't mean we can't resist, but you can't fight them head on. Think like irregular troops hiding in the mountains. It's important that we don't live the constrained and boxed in lives they want to squeeze us into. Find your freedom. The first step is realizing it's not your fault, but you can save yourself.

-Sixbears

18 comments:

  1. you have hit the nail squarely on the head.
    i see euthanasia on the horizon.
    we are being primed to go along with it and with other formerly unthinkable things.
    all of us with medicare are seen as expendable and most of us are seen as useless eaters.
    i think there are a group who will keep on only as many humans as needed to do work not done by robots.
    one zillionaire was being interviewed by charley rose some years ago and said that american children need to learn to do things like polish the brass on his yacht.
    that sent me into a temper!
    told my kid if ever in that place throw him to the sharks and take the yacht for yourself!
    only those serving as a host for the Evil One could have such indescribably large egos.
    i see it coming.
    once again i say, only God can save us.
    may He squash or otherwise deal with these corrupt beings soon.
    as usual, He will probably be merciful.

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  2. I agree with your thoughts. My idea of retirement planning these days is learning how to live off the land. So far, so good. Stocked fishing pond, extensive garden, some permaculture, milk goats, and laying hens are well established. Rabbits, frogs, gators, and turtles are everywhere on our land. Artesian wells....we have several. My definition of an IRA is "I Reap Abundantly!!"

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    1. Isn't it great that your "income" from the land isn't taxable?

      Like your IRA definition.

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  3. Only the ones that live 100% on government assistance will be the slaves. Some people are finally starting to see what the future may hold when they don't think and do for themselves.

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    1. The trick is to find some way to live day to day as the world goes though these transitions. We might have to pretend to be upright citizens following the program while living as free citizens on the sly.

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  4. I followed the Dankin plan and collapsed early to a level I can maintain. A good standard of living can be had inexpensively and extra fun can be cheap if you plan. Its nice to wave to the Jones as they move up and we head out enjoy living.

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    1. Collapse early and avoid the rush. It works! Less stuff, more fun.

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  5. My lovely bride and I are trying to get our bills as low as possible with the smallest most efficient house that we both can live with. For us it's 1200 Sq feet, propane heat with backup wood. The winter is mild but just cold enough to kill an old man. Hot season is long and humid, grid cooling as long as possible then open windows with bug screens. Living cheap allows us to enjoy life without worrying over money and bills. The grand children will likely be lots worse off than we will be. That makes me sad.

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    1. It wasn't all that long ago we expected our grandchildren to do better than us, not worse.

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  6. You're right. It's a bad time, getting worse. I worry more about my kids than about me. That's one reason I want to hang on to this place, as a refuge for them if it reaches the point that they just can't live "out there" no matter how hard they work.

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    1. Just because a person works hard doesn't mean they can get ahead. A younger friend of mine will have to work a number of internships to have any hope of getting work in her field. She's competing against rich kids who's families can pay for a nice life style while they work internships, plus, they have the connections to get them.

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  7. The Romans sure had it pegged. Bread and circuses for the masses. Worked for centuries.

    As long as Kardashian t and a shows up everyday on the idiot box, the elites are safe.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe I get all these crazy ideas because I don't watch enough TV to keep me pacified.

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  8. Somber thoughts indeed, but true. Most of the people around me think those thoughts and their lifestyle seems to fit the 'live now for tomorrow we die'.

    Find a niche market and/or become handy. Make learning DIY a priority. Learn the skills and gather the tools to be able to do without having to pay others for your needs. Basically breaks down to that.

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    1. Yeah, that works. I've skills, but I'm terrible at selling them. However, I'm very good for using them for barter.

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