bluebird
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People who read TAE and other forums know there are elections in Greece today, and in Egypt. Yet most Americans (including my family and friends) have no clue, they have other priorities. Besides, those countries are over there and they think that what happens there has nothing to do with their lives here. Until something affects them personally.
Is it possible the elections in Greece could be rigged such that SYRIZA led by Alexis Tsipras, are prevented from winning?
This article is authored by Charles Hugh Smith
Part I: The Pernicious Dynamics of Debt, Deleveraging, and Deflation
https://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/understanding-pernicious-dynamics-debt-deleveraging-and-deflation/76141Funny story about recycling.
Perhaps 15-20 years ago, I was doing the recycling thing, well for a couple months. Until the day I saw my spouse take my several separate containers of recyclables, and proceed to throw them all together into one container. And why did he do that?
Because for him, it was easier to take just one container to the curb.
LOLThen I became my mom. She was a depression baby and literally saved EVERYTHING. I don’t quite save everything, yet, but I do save some glass jars of various sizes, and even a few plastic containers, and plastic bags. They’re the perfect size to throw away the trash!
So to wash away debt we go to war which creates even more debt. Why not, as the debt will never be repaid. This is not going to end well for most of us.
RE said “aging Rosie the Riveter will get a job making Tanks at the old GM Plant”
Not in my city. Most of the old GM, DELCO,& NCR buildings have already been torn down.
@Reverse Engineer – When people have opened their eyes and ears, they are receptive to reading and hearing about the crumbling of the U.S. empire, financial ponzi, worldwide bubble, poor infrastructure, etc, etc., in order to do some preparations.
But the people that I know have other priorities, and unfortunately it is not reading blogs. None. I have tried many many times, and I have yet to get back any comment that anyone has read anything. When I mention that the stock market goes up and down, to be ready for the next downturn, people roll their eyes.
My sister told me that she would never get out of the markets, because she would miss the gains when it goes back up. She is so busy taking exotic vacations that she has a professional financial planner to manage her portfolio. I’m the nutty sister who reads blogs.
While I do keep trying to enlighten others, they will be totally shocked when the collapse comes. It will be epic.
skipbreakfast said “I admire your commitment to getting the word out, RE. Once one begins to understand how serious things could get, it’s difficult not to think about it and try to impress upon others that they should at the very least take minimal precautions. But even getting friends and family to listen isn’t always easy.”
2nd that.
I have found that most of all people that I know are not receptive at all to the coming ‘doom and gloom’. Until they open their own eyes and ears, it truly is most difficult to spread the word.
@jal – I said something similar on another forum appx 8pm…
Could JPMorgan/Bruno have planned this?
Think back to MF Global and Corzine. It is said that wild speculations resulted using money in customer accounts. And that $1.2 billion ‘vaporized’ to supposedly JPMorgan. And no one went to jail. See how easy that was.So now there is JPMorgan/Bruno also engaged in wild speculations. Where did the money come from for that $2 Billion ‘loss’… customer saving accounts? Perhaps it too ‘vaporized’ to ???
Does anyone else think our money is openly being stolen from us for the elites pockets? And one of these days, we will wake up and find all our money is gone because the elites have stolen it all, and then the system crashes.
steve from virginia said “Some Americans aren’t interested in responsibility they want others to make the problems go away by sweeping them under the rug. Some of the lies are more subtle, they are word games that seek to evade responsibility, what is bizarre is anyone would do so for others’ benefits at the expense of their grandchildren.”
I would say, from personal experience, that most Americans aren’t interested in responsibility. Anything of importance that should be dealt with, is swept under the rug in hopes that it goes away forever.
It is when someone finally stands up and makes an issue of it, and continues to make an issue, then the others start complaining of your whining and bellyaching. Because, of course, the issue was resolved in their eyes as it was already swept under the rug.
But a few people will continue to press forward because some issues are too important to be covered up, and suffer the consequences for exposing the truth.
I’m sure from reading there are going to be some good ideas that I can attempt to do on my own. It’s unfortunate that I am unable to motivate anyone else because ‘many hands make light work’. They have other priorities and just don’t see the need to plan for the future.
@TheTrivium4TW – Yes I am fighting back too, in my own way by learning and preparing. Unfortunately, people have other priorities, and until something affects them personally, they do not open their eyes.
Spouse and I are fighting some legal issues in our community where we have been targeted by the evil police chief for 3 years. We have a few people who are supporting us. But a couple weeks ago, our next door neighbor 10 year old child was targeted by this same evil chief. Now, many more people are waking up because this also affects the schools.
So if our village officials had reprimanded/terminated this evil chief three years ago, then the community would not be in the mess it is today with all the chief’s continued unacceptable dishonest behavior. If his inappropriate actions had been dealt with earlier, a young child would have not been traumatized by this evil chief.
We even voted a new mayor in January, and still nothing has been done about the chief in this small community of 2500 people. So yes we are standing up to to do something and make people aware, but most people do not pay attention. Besides, they trust the system. Even at this small level, they do not understand their system has been corrupted.
skipbreakfast said “have you tried talking to your family and co-workers lately? They won’t even entertain square one let alone conspiracy one-hundred.”
You definitely got that right. People just can’t think that their lives could be anything different, this way of life is ‘normal’. If one talks about something that doesn’t fit their way of ‘normal’, then we are ‘losing it’.
It just seems that the longer everything appears ‘normal’, when this global financial Ponzi bubble bursts, it will be epic. So perhaps we should do whatever is considered ‘normal’ by others, enjoy life and have fun.
Because when it is all said and done, aren’t we going to survive by being creative and lucky. And nature bats last. All the preparations one can do, mean nothing if one is flattened by a tornado or hurricane or tsunami or earthquake or other nature event.
I too miss El G’s commentary, also that of snuffy, greenpa, nobody and others.
@Swineherder – Same as you, I read many sites every day spending many hours to keep informed of the global situation. Unfortunately, I don’t have any solution to complexity, other than by reading, I believe things will eventually have to get simpler.
For many people, it isn’t that they are in denial. They are just clueless because they have other priorities.
My hope is that for the the people living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, will one day wake up, and I’ll be able to help them understand what happened so that we can figure out ways to survive using our collective brains.
Oh, I agree that the Internets are a gigantic library. There is a wealth of information that one can research 24/7. I am going to miss it terribly if TPTB block access. 🙁
However, we also have hundreds, if not thousands of books, many that I buy but have not yet taken the time to read them (because I am reading the web, lol)
I rarely watch TV or go see a movie, mindless entertainment is not for me. In fact, it had been several months that I didn’t even watch the local TV news. In those few months, the stations had employed new people and I didn’t even recognize them.
Thanks RE for your commentary.
It seems that the financial collapse is taking much longer than we anticipated. It’s as if everything else is moving in slow motion too. So collapse could take awhile, on its own.
However, it’s all those unknowns that one could find their collapse immediately. When one is hit by a tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flood, that Mother Nature shows she can collapse anything very quickly. Or another World War, which this time would include devastation in the U.S.
But for those in my circle of family and friends, they tell me I’m the crazy nut. That our ‘leaders’ will protect us, and advances in technology will makes our lives better. So until they open their eyes and connect the dots for themselves, nowadays I mostly just keep quiet. It’s less stressful that way, for all of us.
From being a Girl Scout many years ago, I know it is important to ‘Be Prepared’. And I’m way ahead of anyone else that I know in some preparations. Also, from reading TAE and elsewhere, I know it is important to practice various skills for survival, growing food, mentoring family and friends, etc., etc.
But how long is it going to take after the global financial Ponzi bubble implodes, when we really will need to become nomadic moving from place to place using those primitive survival skills? A few years? A decade? How fast does total collapse come?
jal said “Everyday someone else starts to question the status quo and looks on the web for answers. Those wanting to work in secrecy are having a harder time hiding their misdeeds and finding acceptable explanations. “
This is my main concern…That TPTB, in order to work in secrecy, will shut down the entire Internet so that none of us could find answers.
I want to thank all the contributors to TAE for expanding my knowledge of so many different topics. I am learning so much about subjects I never knew existed, and my thinking about what I learned 50+ years ago is much different than what I know now. 🙂
The Shakers were quite innovative during the 1800s. My sisters and I toured an ongoing restoration of Pleasant Hill, in Kentucky. From what we were told, their demise came with industrialization.
Reverse Engineer said “EVERYBODY knows they are being ripped off by the TBTF banks.”
Not really. I have a sister who retired early from a major bank in Boston. She is fully entrenched that big banking is good, and she is glad that the government bailed out the TBTF banks because it is keeping the economy from getting worse. She is clueless about things going on around the world, that stuff is over there. She has told me that our government is taking care of us, we have rules and regulations that will prevent another 1930’s depression, that advances in technology are always coming to make our lives better, etc., etc.
She is worth a few million and has a professional financial planner to manage her portfolio. She truly believes that no one is stealing her wealth. If the markets go down, she has plenty of time to recoup the losses, because she told me, if you get out, you will miss the gains when the markets recover.
It is impossible to talk to her otherwise…I’m just a reader of blogs so what do I know.
About that limited window before the Internet becomes less accessible than now…
It seems to me that people are becoming so techie dependent, they don’t buy books anymore because they have e-book gadgets for downloading and reading books, people rely on electronic banking and access to the Internets for email, texting, researching history, watching videos, business transactions, and many other things.
Most people cannot comprehend a world with less technology, but more and more ways to develop and use it. It is really difficult to conceive a world with less accessibility to the Internets 🙁
ashvin said “there’s no full global recovery expected by anyone who has the least bit of awareness and common sense.”
That’s the problem with people I know. Although they are intelligent and college-educated, they are clueless about anything global. A few did mention an economic downturn, but I am told it is just a blip. Nothing to worry about, as the economy always recovers.
TheTrivium4TW said “The banksters are planning to cut off the credit cards after they’ve maximised their current looting operation.”
If that occurs, then without plastic cards, wouldn’t that indicate the end of the online banking system? Assuming a person still had a paycheck automatically deposited, how could a person buy anything without a plastic card? Would people write checks? Could people withdraw cash?
edit – I lumped credit and debit cards together because some people use the debit card as a credit card.TheTrivium4TW also said “The average person has no ideas that bad guys even exist”
True that, many people are self-absorbed with texting, and busy with hobbies, watching mindless TV, family and vacations.
@Ashvin – And yet, for everyone I know, they think it is all normal. Technology keeps getting better every day. Or so they tell me. If I happen to say something contrary, their eyes roll, or laugh at me outright.
When this Ponzi blows, it will be epic…because most people truly will not see it coming.@Greenpa – I first heard about the Adrian Schoolcraft saga on the radio program This American Life, The Right to Remain Silent,
Originally aired 09.10.2010It was one of the best audios I have ever listened to…
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/414/right-to-remain-silentCould one assume that the economic brain is being kept alive while the money people are deciding which asset organs they want for themselves? Then, these money people decide the plug gets pulled resulting in the implosion of the global Ponzi.
Unless, some black swan appears first to hasten the kaboom.
Reverse Engineer said “The key here is learning to live on unimproved land with temporary structures in a nomadic lifestyle.”
Reminds me of various Indian tribes who lived hundreds of years ago in North America. And if I were younger, I would seriously consider it. But I am older and with family history, I probably won’t live beyond 10 more years anyway. It is unfortunate that I am unable to get younger family members (or anyone) to understand our planetary/financial/food/shelter predicaments that this would be beneficial for them to begin prepping for. But they already think I am crazy at the small things I already am doing, I can’t imagine what they would say if I attempted a nomadic lifestyle.
hombre said “By the way TAE folks, the wind blew some of us away this week and we (Hoosiers) are all trying to pitch in and fill the voids as best we can in many Indiana hearts and lives. One NEVER knows…”
My daughter in SW Ohio was caught up in the tornadoes. Luckily, she and her husband and pets are fine, her house is fine, but the tornado flattened her barn and everything in it. A dozen+ large old trees blew over, and the cleanup is a daunting task. No matter how prepared one is, Nature will always bat last.
@JoeP – I understand. There are some topics that are best left un-discussed.
Reverse Engineer said “It will be interesting to see how the Pensioners and SS recipients react as their pensions and SS are cut”
Oh, hubby does realize his pension cannot continue and will be cut. What will he do? He says “I won’t be able to spend like I used to”
So I ask him, how will we pay the bills? Hubby says “Social Security will pay the bills”
And everyone I know, is just like him. They pay no attention to Greece’s financial problems because Greece is ‘over there’. My family and friends believe that in America we have rules and laws and the government always does whatever is in our best interests They truly believe there is nothing to worry about.
@JoeP – Yes, it is very frustrating, but we do what we can preparing. I figure with what we are learning, we can help others when the Ponzi implodes.
@Reverse Engineer – If my family and friends are any indication, no one is going to voluntarily shrink any manner of their lifestyles. For them, it’s all about spending more, and buying more stuff using credit cards. Even spouse, who is 65 and sees that this economy cannot be sustained, does nothing to shrink his lifestyle. Just the opposite, he’s going to enjoy himself racing gokarts and eating fast-food. Besides, he tells me, there is nothing to worry about, we’re not going to implode during his lifetime.
Reverse Engineer said “Part of Prepping Up is being aware of the possible ways the system might be manipulated or morphed here.”
Indeed. No one knows exactly how anything will be occurring. So I’ve been trying to do a bit of prepping in several areas, and hope for the best.
But to remind everyone, Nature will always bat last. My daughter and family recently survived a tornado in SW Ohio. Luckily, she and her husband and pets are fine, her house is fine, but the tornado flattened her barn and everything in it…generator, lawnmower, tools, etc. She is on the third day without electric as the tornado took out all the poles and wires in her area. Definitely many lessons to be learned.
I expect that eventually TPTB will take down the Internets and accessibility to online banking and ATM cards. No cash, no digi-cards, ugh. I suppose by then I shouldn’t worry, because I probably wouldn’t have survived anyway.
Hm, I tried signing into TD with my AOL browser. And it worked! I’m glad that worked, but what does that say about AOL.
Now for a cash story…
My spouse went to pay a couple bills with cash. One was to an insurance company, the other to a department store. Each bill was appx $500.Neither company would accept the cash. Spouse was getting very irritated. The department store ended up calling their corporate office and finally decided to allow the cash payment.
The insurance company wanted a check. He did not have any checks with him, but they would allow payment to be made with a credit card. So that was resolved.
As far as stashing cash in the ‘Bank of Sealy’, I have some extra 20s, a few 50s, even fewer hundreds. I had heard the lower the denomination, the better. But after the ordeal with paying bills with cash, I think next time to get money order first.
Thanks El G, great topic!
I have my TD account linked with a credit union. no issues.
The issue I have with TD, is that my computer fails to be registered to TD. So every time I sign into TD, I get a temporary password. While this has been doable, it is kinda annoying whether I use IE or Firefox. I wonder how long I can get TD temporary passwords before TD locks me out?
I am thinking with FDIC insured bank accounts or NCUA insured accounts with a credit union, that with the global financial Ponzi implodes, most people will still think their accounts are ‘safe’. However, I think there will be limits on the amount of withdrawals. Otherwise, if not allowed any of their money, the angry people will go after the banksters with pitchforks, ropes, guns, and tear down the banks.
We will be told the limits are just temporary until the crisis is resolved.
At this time in the Lifeboat section, it shows up as the last comment posted by Reverse Engineer, and accessible.
Last Post: Re: Doomstead Diner Hydroponic …
Could it be the topic, while in the Lifeboat section, but is not in a category, so we can’t see it?
@Candace – I shudder to think how badly it will end when this Ponzi does collapse.
