I wasn't so much — I was disgusted, but I was not surprised because I've always judged Obama and others by what they've done, not by what they've said. And judging by his past as a community organizer, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
-- Thomas Sowell, speaking in an interview with Sean Hannity
Now, this isn't going to be just an anti-PBO rant.
It started out that way. I was irritated this week looking at the USDA and Korea. More irritated looking around my local area and seeing all the wasted "stimulus" and all the people and businesses moving away.
You all probably can guess what I think about the recent developments, which show him (again) acting hastily and without enough information--I mean the unfair firing of Shirley Sherrod (a dumb lady, but apparently not a racist) and the dodgy way the Justice Dept. has decided to dismiss a case involving voter intimidation and the New Black Panther Party, an organization with the same credibility as, say, the Freemen.
Blah blah, I think the racial stuff at the moment, while pathetic, is a distraction.
Glenn Beck thinks the distracting with health care and racial stuff is on purpose; I don't go as far as that.
So really, what I'm thinking about today is an issue of past behavior being the best predictor of future behavior. Has the government, either under W or PBO, shown that they're any good at responding to crises, keeping the economy from collapsing, or distributing aid in an efficient manner?
NO.
I do think things in this country show no signs of getting better before they get worse--unemployment keeps rising (and lots of people have simply given up looking for work). The houses in my neighborhood keep going up for sale; I see more garage sales as folks are trying to make a little extra cash; and it's going to be hard, under the new health care laws, for employers and physicians to stay in my county.
It's going to be up to people in local neighborhoods to utilize resources and take care of each other. That's you and me, chums.
Just given that, even if you don't think anything too bad is going to happen, I have a few mental exercises for you.
1. Write down every food item your family consumes for a week, multiply it by 2, and then check and see if you have that much food or the equivalent in the house. This is what FEMA says you should have in the house in case of natural disaster, civil disruption, or zombie attacks. :)
("Or equivalent" means things like, we go through 3 gallons of milk per week, so you could get either powdered milk or that UHT milk in boxes--in the baking aisle--to equal 3 gallons. Or you could freeze 3 gallons in your chest freezer, but better not to depend on the electricity.)
2. Think about what you could do if you weren't doing what you're doing now. This sounds confusing, but what I mean is, do you have any skills that you could use to make money or otherwise meet your needs (I mean barter, etc.) if your current job went away? Even state and government jobs are not terribly secure. (That is, you may still be *working* for the State of California, but they might be paying you in IOUs before long.)
For instance, would you be able to swap something you make or grow for something you need? Can you do freelance bookeeping for local businesses? Can you sing at a farmer's market? Can you mend people's clothes? Can you refinish furniture? Put up drywall? Fix computers? Garden?
You get the idea. It's worthwhile to just think about it. And don't get panicky and think, "I'd starve!" You wouldn't. Probably someone in your extended family will still have a job, and maybe they will need a cook and housekeeper or a child-minder or a weed-puller. I think we're all going to be getting more domestic as the world develops in the next few years.
3. Read a bit. Just, if you like, for curiosity's sake. Try something like The Encyclopedia of Country Living or even just some urban homesteading blogs. Having the knowledge in your head can be the first step toward *gasp!* making your own yogurt or bread, and from there it might snowball.
4. Think about where you could cut back on expenses now, while you don't have to, and pick a place to do it. I don't care what it is--maybe you need to keep eating out for your mental health, but realize that the five-year-old doesn't really need a cell phone. Or maybe you desperately feel the five-year-old DOES need a cell phone, but nobody's home during the day and so the cable TV is largely a waste. Or you can live without manicures, or you never go to the gym anyway so why keep the membership. I don't care. Cut one thing, take the money that was going into that, and begin putting it away. (Either in a bank or in a fire safe in your house or in the form of food and tools. Again, I don't care, whichever makes you feel safter, savings accounts give negligible interest anyway.)
Remember, past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. If crises in the past made you panic and act hastily, then start changing now so that when something really bad happens, you'll emerge on the other side mostly okay.
That's the real CHANGE we need.
Cheers,
Breanna
No comments:
Post a Comment