One wonders where this is all leading. Will the United States ever see the kind of prosperity with did through the last half of the last century? Or is the U.S. really just a fading giant who's prime has passed?
Well, I personally still believe in American Exceptionalism. The idea that the United States is the greatest and most powerful nation the world has ever known, and that it occupies a special place in history as a beacon for other nations and peoples to look toward as a way of improving their own fortunes or lot in life. The freedom this nation has offered created the greatest single engine of economic development in the history of mankind.
Among some, particularly those on the left, this idea is often considered ludicrous, if not even abhorrent. Some would have us believe that the United States is no different than any other nation, and that our fortunes here in the United States were primarily won off the backs of peoples the U.S. has "oppressed" around the world.
Such discussion is suitable for a whole topic, or series of topics. But not today.
Today, the bottom line topic is more along the lines of : "What are YOU going to do?"
Economic instability in Greece, touched off by their economic woes and so vividly seen recently on our television screens, SHOULD have us here in the United States wondering: What if that happens here? Already, there have been warnings that Europe's economic woes could spread. Portugal, Spain, Italy are teetering. There's talk that Great Britain could follow. Ireland is having problems. There are even reports that the economic mess over the pond is affecting Canada, and Canada is closely tied to the United States.
Hopefully, the powers that be, whomever they are, will find a solution soon. The average American has very little influence over those at high levels of government who seem to be doing whatever they want to do, regardless of what the public wants, or demands. Like it or not, we've elected a government that overall appears to have completely forgotten that elections still do matter to people, and hopefully we will be able to demonstrate that fact this coming November. But what do we do in the meantime to prepare ourselves in case Europe's financial crisis does spread? Are YOU ready, in even the least way, if there is a run on the banks, you lose your job, your unemployment runs out, you lose your house or cannot afford your rental anymore? What if you went to the store, and there was no food on the shelves? What then?
Thinking about this stuff is unpleasant. No one likes to think there might be economic upheaval of that magnitude here in the United States. And indeed, we AREN'T Europe. This ISN'T Greece. It might NOT happen here. I can pretty comfortably state that it probably won't happen here. After all, barring aberrations evidenced from an extremely small minority of nutjobs, the United States is a pretty civil nation. We don't generally riot in the streets, burning vehicles and busting shop windows, without some pretty serious provocation. Whether that "civility" is truly an intrinsic value, or merely the result of the general population being lulled into indifference by television and video games, is debatable. Again, fodder for another subject!
But what if it does? What if your personal situation becomes dire? Are you in the least bit prepared?
All of my life, I've had the mindset that I often cannot control my income, however, I can definitely control my "outgo". While others in my age group have leaped ahead of me in the external appearance of lifestyle, often this is at the expense of a massive debt load that simply cannot be supported if times get tough. A lot of folks in my age group have become slaves to their possessions. Their nice homes and vehicles, along with myriads of toys from RVs to boats to ATVs, are all well and good when the money is rolling in. But often high incomes are stretched to the limit, and if influx of monthly cash is the least bit reduces, the "house of cards" comes crashing down. I'll even admit that I've been jealous of some of my peers. I had a single friend who purchased a home a few years ago, and when I saw the place, I'll admit to being envious. His house, which he bought for himself alone, was nearly twice the size of my "fixer-upper" which has housed as many as two adults and five kid over the years.
However, my envy disappeared completely when I learned what his house payment was over three times what mine is, and was for twice as long a period of time. Both of us being in the same business, I knew that he was going to have to work his butt off in order to support that debt load. It could be done, but could he count on the his business being so consistent for the next thirty years?
Turned out, he couldn't. With the economic downturn, and some personal issues, he ended up having to rent out his extra bedrooms, and often didn't have good luck choosing his boarders well. The stories of what some of those folks did to his house, or how they upset his personal life with their varied lifestyles, was enough to fully reverse whatever shred of remaining envy I might have felt. I'll take fixing a leaky pipe in my old dump over having to deal with the nonsense he had to put up with any day.
In the end, that wasn't even enough. He ended up going into foreclosure, which he had no hope of recovering from. He lost his house, and in the interim, moved most of his stuff into storage, hauled a travel trailer into the woods and parked it on some rural property I own, and lived there for several months while he was trying to figure out what to do. Eventually, he towed his trailer back east and moved in with family where hopefully he will be able to eventually rebuild his life.
Me? I'm still in my little "fixer-upper", I'm more than halfway through a 15 year note, and my payments are still lower than the average rent in my town. But I still have some stability, even though my personal income has dropped as well, by perhaps 25 percent, with the economic downturn.
So, all of that leads me to the main subject at hand. Where will the average person go if things DO go bad, for whatever reason? Do you have a back up plan? You need one. Are you mentally prepared to live with less if need be? You should be. One old slogan I have used often is "As long as a man has an old RV, he's never homeless." Preparedness can start simply with nothing more than an old travel trailer. In an emergency, it can provide a roof over your head, even if you don't know right now where you will park it. RV parks, campgrounds, even free camping on public lands can be a short term solution which can take the imminent pressure off and give you the time to think of what to do next.
Then, there's food. How long can you and your family survive on what's in your cupboard? A week? A couple days? Don't count on what's in the fridge. If the power goes off, that stuff will need to be eaten immediately, or it will be useless. Fresh foods and vegetables are best, but they are perishable and don't always travel well.
This leaves dried and canned foods. Dried, boxed dinners may not always be the best as far as palatability is concerned, but it's better than nothing if your hungry. Canned foods are shelf stable, and the cans themselves can take a beating and food inside stays good. Plus, most canned foods are already cooked, and you can cut the can open with a knife and eat it cold, rather than go hungry. Prices on canned goods have risen dramatically over the last few years. Ever stop to wonder why? If you figure a couple meals a day in an emergency, per person, this can add up to quite a lot of food. You have to think about where you are going to put it, and that isn't always easy. What if you DO have to travel?
What about water? Do you have a source scoped out to use if you no longer have your own tap? Lakes, rivers, streams, the proverbial "muddy hoof print" of western novels, can all be sources of water. But once again, you have to be mentally prepared to drink the stuff. Filters are available for campers and backpackers that will remove most, if not all, of the stuff floating around in there. Most notably, you need one that will remove Giardia, which causes an infection in the lower intestine which is not at all pleasant. I've never had it, to my knowledge, and I've drank unfiltered lake and stream water often (which is not advisable, but hey, I was thirsty). But I'm told Giardia infection is pretty rough. If you don't want it, get a filter. I do have one, and I have used it. What's more, it's there if I do actually NEED it.
Shelter, food, and water. Those are the bare basics. I've covered them slightly, but not necessarily in order of importance. Only thinking of those three things, and finding solutions for their possible absence in an emergency, is a tall enough order for the average American who's used to having a roof over his or her head, a sink with running water, and abundant stocks of foodstuffs at every grocery store in town. In lots a parts of the world, people are right now doing without these things, even in relatively good times. Their possible absence here in the United States will mean absolutely nothing to them. But think of what it WOULD mean to you.
I've been thinking about what could happen if the United States suffered a national emergency of epic proportions for decades now. Call me alarmist if you will. Maybe I am. But over the last few years, I have finally been in a position to take my thinking and DO something with it. I've been able to set up a backcountry place with basic heat, light, water, food, and some luxuries too. We primarily use if for a recreational getaway right now, but the whole place was put together with the idea in mind that it can serve as a safer haven from national, or even persona,l catastrophe if need be. It's certainly not perfect, and it's certainly not yet complete. Maybe a place like that is NEVER complete. But it is, right now, sitting there ready for us if something happens. It's paid for, and stocked with food and water. I don't think I have my months worth yet, but that's still my goal. It is good to at least have a solid start.
By now, both yours, and my, brain is probably fried. Me from typing, and you from reading. You may think I'm a nut and won't come back to read more. Hopefully, for some this will get them to thinking. I'm going to get into this stuff in greater detail in future posts, based on what my experiences have been. A bit of preparedness can go a long way in dealing with whatever crisis hits you.
Maybe some of you are have thought this subject through even more than I have, and if so, I hope you'll join in the conversation and give us the benefit of your experiences.
More to come.
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