Getting Ready for Hard Times - Free E-Book

snip
>The arrogance of politicians, corporate and banking functionaries to think they can do a better job of managing money than an individual acting in his own self-interest is ludicrous and dangerous. The economic failures of the USSR provides an illuminating example of how dubious planning and excessive control by a central government erodes individual rights of the masses and diminishes the real value of labor and capital, over time. Vast wealth is concentrated into the hands of a tiny minority with increasing power over those who choose to surrender their individual freedom to socialist bureaucracies. History is a testament that centralized economic control, in the extreme, has always preceded economic and social chaos, although the process may take decades.<

hiya shadow


god bless you and yours

hope things are swell and get better :)

Hiya Man! yes my life is good, I hope yours is too!

This is an amazing e-book, full of facts and history. I'm working my way slowly through it, I'll post pertinent sections.

'Mornin' Sugar Britches!



Thanks for the link!

maybe it's time to think about another depression...by remembering the last.

[link to www.amazon.com]

i be alive shadow

looking forward to your analysis


yep, if money is controlled, so are people - under the present system


alimony courts certainly proves that

i don't want to think about another depression, i've had eight of 'em

Morning MMITK! how are you today?


14406, that is what this article is saying, better, it tells us how to get ready (though I'm not there yet)

snip
>Under US law, a $100.00 has the same legal value of two $50 American Gold Eagles (AGE) or one hundred $1.00 American Silver Eagles (ASE) and they may be exchanged based on their respective face value. A $100.00 bill may be produced for 6 cents. As of June 15, 2006, the market value for a single $50.00 AGE is more than $600.00 and a single ASE is more than $12.00.<

Gold is sorta outperforming the US$ since the gold standard was abandoned.

>The problem with these "face value" representations of legal currency is the public is lead to believe a fiat $100.00 bill (that cost only 6 cents to produce) is more valuable than silver and gold; when it is obvious, even to a politician, that the reverse is true.<

snip
>If a hundred dollar bill loses purchasing power, it is no less a real loss than if it was used to purchase any other asset that failed to keep up with inflation. Again, why is it that this loss in purchasing power not a legitimate tax deduction?<

Whoa!!!

it is a legitimate business expense tax deduction - so is alimony and most anything else


its all in finding the right accountant

Doin' fine! It's finally cooler here in the mornings! (got down to 46 deg F!!!)


Hope all is well with you and your Mom too ~ she recovers well?

snip
>“Stock” EXAMPLE: Boeing Aircraft (BA) common stock sold at an average price of $18.74 in 1970. On June 22, 2006, "BA" closed at $84.06 per share. If sold at the recent price, 1000 shares would have a nominal value of $84,060.00 producing a gross profit of $65,320.00 subject to capital gains tax. Using the Inflation Calculator BA would have to sell at $97.81 per share just to maintain purchasing power against the depreciated US dollar.<

Why isn't inflation tax-deductible, when deflated profits are?

I'm doing great, had to cut the work week down though, from 75 hours to ~ 50 too much me. Mom is fine, but she doesn't get the hatch covers back until the doc says she's okay to paddle. lol

snip
>What it boils down to is the government has developed a statutory, but constitutionally questionable means, whereby they can pick the pockets of taxpayers without them realizing that theft has occurred.<

Have a great weekend luv!

You too MMITK

Mornin' Shadow.
I did a scan through your link above and looks very interesting. Bookmarked to for reading during "slow" times.

Hey F.B. Nyte I was hoping you'd show up. It's one of the best I've read in a while.

Question is shadow, what do we do about it?? Here's a read from a site I was on earlier.

I see every day, writings and or film clips on how to solve the problem, to bring governance back into line with the needs of the populations they are supposed to be serving. Almost without exception every one of these films and essays ignore or omit what is behind it all. Until a vast amount of the people in the world recognize what and who is behind the events we complain about so strenuously you are quite simply whistling in the wind. Until people recognize that the people in the governments of the world are either puppets or part of the forces directing events, you will have no change. If you for a minute believe that these forces have your interests at heart, you are going to be sadly disappointed to learn otherwise if you bother to look. George Carlin expressed it rather savagely with the multiple repeated phrase, “They don't give a fuck about you”, and they never have. These forces are concentrated into a relatively small amount of huge extended families that have been pursuing an agenda for domination and wealth for centuries, teaching their children contempt for the unwashed masses they are controlling. Generation after generation of consolidation of power and wealth has led us to where we are now. So just what do you expect 100,000, or half a million people, discontented, and demonstrating in the streets is going to accomplish? What do you expect to happen if a discontented public flock to the polls and elect a new set of faces into the governance system? Do you really, in your most optimistic flight of fancy, believe that will change the essence of anything? Even the huge late and great British empire with all of its resources was only a weak forerunner of what exists today, the nearly iron clad control that is practiced globally by these families. Without a very large and drastic change in consciousness, these people are mostly untouchable.


I think it is true that if, in this country, we had no less than 10% (and I mean just 10%) of the population, (30 million people) who stood up and would not sit down and shut up, we MIGHT swing this country alone onto a different course. Any hopes for an electoral system to make these changes, seems obviously to me, not going to work. But, in either event, if the world wide influence of the elite families currently in control are not stopped dead in their tracks, it will just be a wheel turning and always coming back to the same point down the road. These people have had setbacks before, but they are amazingly patient, striving for generations for the control. It appears to me that they have it now, the whole enchilada. It would take a world wide mass movement to take it back. At least at this stage of the drama, not going to happen. Any reforms in this country would be temporary if effective at all, then back to business as usual. I do not, at this time see any discontent in this country that is sufficient to bring meaningful changes, only temporary band aids that solve nothing. Give us more time to really get serious you say? Also not likely. The seriousness you are looking for is only going to come about when the vast and sufficient majority are hurting enough to get indignant enough and mad enough to lay it all down in the name of change. A band aid only prolongs the agony.


So what can people do? Take a good hard look around you. What groups are being successful, currently, at divorcing themselves from this insanity. What is their characteristics, their methodology? Here are a few names of groups for you to take the time to look at. The Amish and Mennonites, the Anarchists, maybe to a lessor extent the Mormons, the gypsies, and last but not necessarily the least, the old concept of the hippy, and maybe, the socialists communes, (there are still some in existence). For the most part, self contained groupings, having minimal contact with the greater society. None of them have anything that the elites want, they are mostly left alone to do their thing, they have no power and mostly don't want any, they operate in smaller groups, have no large cities, (with the exception of the Mormons) they do take care of each other, and while governance within the groups have a fairly wide variety, they seem to work for each group.


What I am advocating is that until there exists some kind of mass world wide uprising against these control freaks, the only thing to do is retreat and get away from them as much as possible. Within the next couple of years, the plan is to have all drivers licenses, ID cards of any sort, credit cards and bank cards have a tiny dot on them that is capable of tracing and identifying you and everything you do with that card, and trace the location. They have the technology to do this. Which means that all cash money will cease to be used, it will be numbers on a computer, and that folks is total control. If things hold together long enough, identifying chips will be implanted in bodies, they have that technology also. The propaganda that will be used to justify this to the general population will be extreme. I expect most to buy into it or at least go along with it to reduce the hassles involved with non compliance. What about you?


[link to cyclone696.blogspot.com]

And if you think GW has it under control consider this:

"And so, in my State of the--my State of the Union--or state--my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation--I asked Americans to give 4,000 years--4,000 hours over the next--the rest of your life--of service to America. That's what I asked--4,000 hours."

George W. Boosh; Bridgeport, Connecticut; April 9, 2002 (tell me he's not drinking)

BTW Shadow any feedback on that Bactech technology??

And there lies the cruxt of the problem. I've been saying for years 'money is all they respect and understand', refuse to give them that, they'll do what it takes to get it, including fair trade for value.

It's too late for that now, too easy to just say "I can afford $70.00/month for 4 years" without bothering to do the math.



About Bactech, nothing new since we last talked of it, but I'll ask my hubby when he gets home what they're doing about it.

snip
>Survival requires an examination by each household to determine the extent of their financial dependency on government promises of entitlements. Individuals must become responsible for funding their anticipated future requirements with little reliance on government assurance. Government generosity should be viewed as a bonus beyond those assets held under personal control that may satisfy projected needs.<

This should be put on it's own thread and pinned.

A company my father worked for back in the 70's went on strike and the company broke the Union. My father at the time had been there 27 years and ended up with no retirement. So it's not only the government financial dependency but your company retirement funds that also need to be evaluated.

I have always felt that I needed to do what it takes to not be dependent on any other forms for my survival. Like it states above, "Government generosity should be viewed as a bonus beyond those assets held under personal control that may satisfy projected needs."

Fat chance.

But I think like you do. If I can rely on myself and nobody else, I'm a fortunate person. I hope your Dad gets by okay...

Why are the elite City banks building distressed debt teams?

>Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse are all recruiting trouble-shooters to exploit the next credit crunch, prizing veterans who cut their teeth in the Asian banking crisis of the late 1990 – and its lucrative aftermath.

.............
"Private equity firms are flipping assets at ever higher levels of leverage, and it's endemic to the market. This is the sort of risky business you see at the peak of the cycle," he said.

Average debt is nearly six times earnings (EBITDA), an all-time high.

.............
For now, the vulture teams are mostly twiddling their thumbs in quiet corners of Canary Wharf, waiting for the default season to begin.<

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]

It would take a world wide mass movement to take it back.<<

F.B., there is a grass roots movement forming that intends to take our Government back. The unbrella is small, but in time, when we have the people behind us, there will be additional demands of our Government. Won't you please take a look at this link, and help us by adding your signature. We need millions of signatures to make this work.

[link to wwunited.org]

<Why are the elite City banks building distressed debt teams?>

Maybe they know something we don't. The article mostly talked about companies in Europe but what about the individual debt??

Britain becomes 'never, never land' as personal debt runs out of control
UK borrowers account for one third of unsecured debt in western Europe
On average, a Briton has twice the debt of a European
Total consumer debt in the UK is at a record £1.3 trillion
New debt last year came to an unprecedented £215bn
Citizens Advice faced 1.25 million new debt cases last year - the figure is rising

[link to money.independent.co.uk]

And we already know whats going on here in the US with individual debt. (As well as GM Ford and etc.)

Sounds like they are setting up to buy assets for pennies on the dollar.

Author of Getting Ready for Hard Times
had this letter published on Oct 11th.

Saving Social Security

The following letter to the Editor, East Texas Mailbox, Tyler Morning Telegraph, was published today. [link to www.zwire.com] (Note: scroll to the third item in the column.)

“In his first major speech as Treasury secretary, Henry Paulson said the growth in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid was the "biggest economic issue facing our country." He said, "trying to find a solution was a leading reason that he took the job."

Secretary Paulson will likely have no more success in reforming Social Security than the President did last year UNLESS public outrage forces fundamental changes.

To reform SS and Medicare means concurrently, reforming the tax code. To do either exposes the FRAUD that has been perpetrated on US employees, for decades. I have written extensively about SS in my free E-Book “Getting Ready for Hard Times”

As a minimum two things have to occur for SS to be made solvent:

1. AMEND the IRS tax code so that FICA taxes (including those contained within "wages") cannot be a business expense deduction on Corporate Income tax returns OR REPLACE the Corporate Income Tax with an excise tax on business receipts. Currently approximately 1/3 of the FICA (OASDI-HI) taxes withheld from employee paychecks and reported by corporations to the Social Security Administration is NOT collected by the IRS because of business expensing of wages (THAT CONTAIN THE FICA TAXES). This is the ONLY way current deficits may be replaced with surpluses,

2. AFTER enacting one of the above alternatives (that would produce surpluses instead of deficits), REPEAL the law that requires that SS and Medicare surpluses ONLY be invested in special government bonds. REPLACE with a law that requires the newly created surpluses SHALL be placed in REAL TRUST FUNDS invested in alternatives OTHER than US Government debt. This is the ONLY way COMPOUNDING, unredeemable US DEBT can be replaced with COMPOUNDING real ASSETS.

Neither of these actions will be taken OR even discussed by politicians or mass media UNLESS there is a PUBLIC OUTRAGE to the ongoing FRAUD. There will be no public outrage until the public understands HOW the system really works. And, the public will not understand how the system works UNLESS they are told.

The urgency for Social Security and tax reforms should be elevated to the HIGHEST POLITICAL PRIORITY (above the War on Terrorism and Illegal Immigration) before the federal government bankrupts the country.”

John Koraska
Tyler

This part of my letter to the Editor was omitted from the publication:

DOING YOUR PART to SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY
If you agree with the above, please help spread the word by MASS e-mailing this letter and/or hyper-linking Getting Ready for Hard Times [link to debtism.com] to those you think may interested. Request they repeat the process.

SargeK

The corporatocracy is RUINING the US, and making Americans think it was a good idea.

Social Security – An Expose’ of Legalized Fraud

Social Security can be reformed and it can be made perpetually sustainable; but, it must first be understood how the program operates; how revenues are raised, how benefits are determined, who pays and who doesn’t. Encoded in federalese, the program presents a formidable enigma to decipher. The following analytical techniques were used to discover the dark secrets hidden in US Tax and Welfare Laws and how the truth has been concealed from the general public.

Breaking the Code

Before a plan can be developed, facts have to be known. Every minute’ detail, no matter how trivial must be examined to determine how it fits into the puzzle. As details evolve, they are analyzed and organized to form parts of a picture. The collected pieces are placed in logical positions, to enlarge the picture and make it more transparent. When successfully completed, the micro-snapshot should tell a story that requires little imagination as to what the facts are and how they may relate to other facts that help form a bigger picture. When correctly assembled, a completed macro-picture may be used as a tool to develop strategies for planned improvements. see [link to debtism.com] and [link to debtism.com]

Social Security Failure May Threaten National Security

On March 20, 2006, President Bush signed a bill to raise the (statute) Debt Ceiling to $8.965 Trillion. The National Debt of $8.44 Trillion (July 31, 2006) has increased $511.64 billion (at a daily average of $1.68 billion per day) since soaring to $ 7.93 on September 30, 2005!

Social Security as it now exists is not sustainable. Those who understand how the program operates know this and many have said so. The irony is the public has tuned out irrefutable facts. They irresponsibly choose to believe what they want to believe or what they think may best serve their own personal interest. The well being of future generations is left smoldering on the back burner.

On August 23, 2006 in an appearance on C-Span, Former Republican majority leader of the House of Representatives, Dick Armey stated: “Social Security is headed for the biggest catastrophe in the history of the world.” Mr. Armey is not a political ideologue. He is a highly respected republican, moderately conservative, and a former economics professor. He is presently Chairman of “Freedom Works.” Mr. Armey is one of many knowledgeable
Leaders, who is expressing grave concern. Their warnings do not resonate; primarily because tax and welfare issues have become so complicated the public doesn’t know what or who to believe, so they tune them out. And/or, many who do understand, are heavily subsidized beneficiaries of current defective laws and therefore remain silent.

What Mr. Armey, nor any other public official will tell you is: “The biggest catastrophe in the history of the world” is being produced by the biggest tax and welfare scam in the history of the world! Few politicians and fewer retirees are aware that there really is no surplus cash to place in Social Security or Medicare Trust Funds and it is their own children or grandchildren that are being robbed to maintain previous political commitments. Current workers are compelled by law to pay for unjustifiable, overly generous entitlement programs, while portions of funds required for their own retirement are being confiscated by employers and/or spent by government.

In February 2005, President Bush, in several speeches to arouse supports for Social Security, Private Retirements Accounts (PRA); said this:

"As a matter of fact, in 2018, the system goes into the red. And by the way, there's not a Social Security trust. In other words, people think your money goes into the trust and it's held for your account and then you get it out. That's not the way it works. It's pay as you go. It goes in and it goes out. And to the extent that there's money more than the retirees receive, like it is today, it goes to other programs. And so, what you've got is an IOU, kind of a bank of IOUs. It's an important concept."

President Clinton said this:
"Trust Fund balances are available to finance future benefits...but only in a bookkeeping sense...they do not consist of real economic assets that can be drawn down in the future to fund benefits. Instead, they are claims on the Treasury that, when redeemed, will have to be financed by raising taxes or borrowing." --President Bill Clinton in his Analytical Perspectives section of the 2000 budget.

June O'Neill, former Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) at the CATO Institute's Conference for Women and Social Security:
"It holds no real assets. Consequently, it does not generate funds to pay future benefits. These so-called trust fund 'assets' simply reflect the accumulated sum of funds transferred from Social Security over the years to finance other government operations,"

David Walker, US Comptroller General, said this: “the federal government’s fiscal exposures (explicit liabilities and implicit exposures) has increased from $20.4 trillion in 2000 to $46.4 trillion in 2005. “Addressing the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalance constitutes a major transformational challenge that may take a generation or more to resolve. Given the size of the projected deficits, the U.S. government will not be able to grow its way out of this problem.”

The Comptroller also said: "I am desperately trying to get people to understand the significance of this for our country, our children, our grandchildren," Walker says. "How this is resolved could affect not only our economic security but our national security. We're heading to a future where we'll have to double federal taxes or cut federal spending by 50%."




Advice to both Presidents and to the public has been misleading. There are no “accumulated sum of funds” because Social Security is running cash-flow Deficits NOT Surpluses. The “make believe” Old-Age-Insurance (OAI) FICA so-called surplus is money confiscated from workers by their employers so corporations can afford to build modern factories in low-wage countries in competition with American businesses and jobs. see [link to debtism.com]

Spreading the Word

After careful review of this message and supporting documentation, if you feel the facts and interpretations have been accurately presented, please HELP spread the TRUTH by hyper-linking or copy/paste this message to other forums and message boards and/or E-mailing it to family, friends and others you think may be interested, asking them to do the same. United, We Stand! TIA

John Koraska (SargeK)