First Published 10-20-10
I do not know if a Tier 5 will be passed. However, I am pretty sure that if it is, that will be it, there will be no Tier 6. I have tried to be an optimist but the facts contained in reality are demanding that I be a realist. I think our economic situation is going to continue to deteriorate to the point of complete collapse.
As we are not depleted of resources, an economic collapse cannot destroy us as a country or a people unless we let it. After we have taken out the garbage and the sediment has settled, we are going to have to rebuild from the bottom up. The work will be hard, but prosperous, and in order for each of us to participate, we will have to survive until that day. We are going to have to start informally forming think tanks in order to acquire the survival skills needed to survive both in the country and in the city.
My dad grew up on a farm and my mom in a coal camp. So the art of survival was taught to me from the time I was able to discern the English language. My dad made a good living, but had five other children on the other side of the country, which he had to support on top of the seven of us here. There is an old saying, “Many hands make light work”, and this is the strategy we used.
I live in the country so I am adept at surviving in its environment. I have a 20 by 30 foot garden which did not produce much this year due to the frigid weather. So by next spring I will have built a greenhouse over its entirety using lodge poles taken from the forest and plastic which I will acquire over the winter by hook or crook.
Years before my unemployment came and went; when I was working I always stashed staples like dried beans, canned goods, nails, and tools.
I have a couple of apple trees in my yard which bore no fruit this year but generally do. If you live in a small town like I do, you will probably find apple trees everywhere. I go to the houses where I know the owners do not harvest the apples. These people are always quick to give their apples to anyone who will harvest them. Needless to say, I have a lot of apples stored. I check all yard sales for mason jars and dehydrators. You can buy sugar and pectin with food stamps and if you make it a priority you will find that you can fill them up pretty quickly.
I also have a smoker which I built from wood that someone else was throwing away. The hot plate I use for heat I got at a yard sale for two dollars and the racks came from an old refrigerator. I have fishing poles which I use to harvest the fish which are abundant in the lakes and streams. And I have guns which not only provide for my protection, but also work quite well to feed me.
These are just a few ideas to get people thinking.
If we do indeed get the Tier 5 when Congress returns, remember there’s still going to be a long, hard row to hoe. We are going to have to survive as the housing crisis runs its course and get used to the idea of our so called representative government continuing to send money to foreign countries while we do without.
I know it may seem impossible, but through all the deprivations we must become stronger, as we are going to need every bit of our strength to reclaim our country and become prosperous once again. If we fail, we fail not only for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren. So I guess it comes down to: worst case scenario, we need to know what to do to survive; best case scenario, we need to know what to do to better survive if we get the Tier 5.