Moonfruit & Spare time cash opps-Develop your Plan B

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Spare cash opportunities, legitimate at-home jobs
2. Moonfruit targets US w/ Free web store sites
3. For a Good Time – Go to these sites…
4. New Consumer Bureau targets its first industries
5. Challenges to new (lack of) privacy policies at Google

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it. –Henry Ford

Studies show that in a crisis, eight out of ten people will remain passive, relying on someone else to take charge. One out of ten will panic and endanger others in the process.

And only one out of the ten will take swift, decisive action to improve their situation. (When they do, they immediately increase their chances of survival.)

In regard to extreme prepping (the TV show & our last issue), a reader sent this:

‘Panic is what we’ll see from those remaining 99% of Americans who have failed to take measures to protect themselves from the coming devastation.’

“I don’t see that happening. What will be seen is determination. Determination to remember who they know that prepared, determination to find them, and determination to “take” what they need to survive. Them and their families.

“Unless the “preparers” have enough to feed the entire area, they will have to defend (most likely with deadly force) their preparations. The family, friends, and neighbors will not prepare, but they will remember. And because of the present day ‘entitlement’ mentality, they will expect to be helped. And if the ‘preparers’ aren’t willing to ‘share’, they will attack in mass with whatever they can get a hold of. If need be, it will be with shovels and pitchforks.

“To those folks that have gone on the National Geographic series ‘Doomsday Preppers’, good luck. You have just painted a huge bulls eye on yourselves and your families. It tempts me to watch it to find out if there are any resources in my area. If that thought came to me, I’m sure it did to others too.

“Every person helped will want to bring their family and friends, and so on and so on. If we get the chaos that has happened in other parts of the world, the best defense will be to look like you don’t have anything. And to mount a strong enough defense to make the attackers go to easier pickings.

What do you think?

Winter is pruning time for shade and fruit trees and most blooming trees and shrubs. Aim to
remove all crossing or touching branches, dead or damaged limbs, suckers and water sprouts.
PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Public Administration education website called http://www.mpaprograms.org.
This site is a personal project of subscriber Allison that will help inform
students about which schools across the country are currently offering an MPA
program.

More Sites to Check for Generating Spare Cash

Be a Poll Worker – Elections take place three to five times a year as office seekers run for races in local, state and national elections. If you’re over 18 and a registered voter, you can earn $80-$300 to work on election day plus get paid for training.
Contact the office for your county’s Supervisor of Election (check the Blue government pages in your telephone directory).

Focus Groups – Typical earnings range from $10 to $250 for trying a product or service and providing your opinion. Some require participation in person, others offer online programs. Check this site for information:
www.FindFocusGroups.com

Food Sample Rep – Have you ever had ‘lunch’ while shopping Costco? What I mean, of course, every weekend dozens of food samples can be tried there and at other retailers. The folks which staff those kiosks are called Brand Ambassadors. Here are two sites to explore:
www.ASMnet.com
www.Crossmark.jobs

Find legitimate at-home-jobs at our site:

http://poormansurvival.com/JobResources.aspx

Worldwide Economic Downturn – What Is Your Plan B?
Good video to get you thinking about developing a sideline income…
Here’s a rule to remember. It’s NEVER as easy as you expect it to be when you’re starting out. It will take more time and more money than you budget for it. And it requires consistent FOCUS to get the results you’re looking for.

We’ve mentioned several times, eBay is a good way to start an online business. Almost zero cost but it will get your feet wet, so to speak.

Consumer Bureau Names First Targets
The Obama administration’s new consumer protection bureau has outlined its first targets for tougher oversight: large debt collectors and credit reporting companies, both of which have largely escaped federal scrutiny. The agency proposed a draft rule to begin oversight, which it hopes to finalize by July. Director Richard Cordray said the rule would treat debt collectors and credit reporting agencies the same way as banks.

We love this: Hospitals in Texas are building farmers’ markets inside their facilities (prescribing carrots instead of pharma drugs

Moonfruit Targets US Consumer Sellers with DIY Storefront Builder
UK firm Moonfruit is targeting U.S. consumer- and micro-sellers
with a do-it-yourself storefront builder that makes it easy to
sell online, on Facebook and on the mobile web.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y12/m02/i16/s01

For a good time (call…):

For a variety of work-at-home job leads, SimplyHired.com.

For news on emerging trends, Springwise.

For writing and related leads, JournalismJobs.com.

For tech jobs, AuthenticJobs.com.

For green news, Treehugger.

For a good (free) computer system cleaner, Piriform’s CCleaner.

For the cheapest gas in your area, MSN’s Gas Prices search page.

The U.S. national debt on Jan. 1, 1791, was just $75 million dollars. Today, the U.S. national debt rises by that amount about once an hour.

The Nanny State Updates…

If you are not able to produce “your papers”, there is a good chance that you will get thrown into prison in America. For example, a 21-year-old college student named Samantha Zucker was recently arrested and put in a New York City jail for 36 hours just because she could not produce any identification for police.

It’s not terrorism that will destroy our country but cultural and political sabotage as we are seduced by the wine of ‘safety’ promised by Washington. –The Poor Man

“Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”
Henry Kissinger in a recent British tabloid story on the likelihood of another war…
Mr. Kissinger then added: “If you are an ordinary person, then you can prepare yourself for war by moving to the countryside and building a farm, but you must take guns with you, as the hordes of starving will be roaming. Also, even though the elite will have their safe havens and specialist shelters, they must be just as careful during the war as the ordinary civilians, because their shelters can still be compromised…more at:

http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/world/3089-henry-kissinger-if-you-can-t-hear-the-drums-of-war-you-must-be-deaf.html

The Parting Thought – Another blow to online privacy?

Google’s upcoming changes to their privacy policies are causing an uproar…
Focusing on how Google offers up your private online activities to the feds and other governments around the world.

Sitesell.com founder Dr. Ken Evoy wrote a terse letter to Google regarding its upcoming changes. His gripe is Google is not being clear on how its new privacy policies affect the typical Google consumer. Therefore, Google is forcing the consumer to accept a new contract without properly informed consent.

Google’s Transparency Report on Government Requests shows that in just a six month period in 2011 the U.S. government made 5,950 requests covering 11,057 specific accounts. Google complied 93% of the time

For the tracing and recording of your activity to work, you must be logged into Google’s services. Make sure to log-off from all your Google services if it doesn’t require you to be logged-in to use it. For example, you don’t need to be logged into YouTube to watch videos.

Set your Google services to the maximum security available. For instance, Google’s browser, Chrome, can be set to Incognito Mode to give you a bit more privacy. Simply strike Shift-Control-N while in Google Chrome to open a new window in Incognito Mode. Look over Google privacy tools for further directions.

Online Search Alternatives to Google – Ixquick (https://www.ixquick.com/) is a privacy conscious search engine. It doesn’t record your IP address when you search, and it has additional privacy tools like a proxy server to look at search results anonymously

More online security…Stalk Yourself
Google can still be used to help you manage your digital identity. Go to google.com/alerts to be alerts when new information goes online about you or your business. Use Pipl.com to get a better handle on the information that’s already out there.

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…
Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Stealth Survival Resources-Being Prepared for the Worst

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. Why more people are becoming ‘Preppers’
2. New Stealth Survival, Shooting & Home Protection sites
3. Choosing a shotgun, Police pistol shooting training
4. Money under 30 blogsite
5. Will America go the way of Greece?

“… judicial verbicide is calculated to convert the Constitution into a
worthless scrap of paper and to replace our government of laws with a judicial
oligarchy.”– Senator Sam Ervin

Last week I viewed the premier of NatGeo TV’s Extreme Prepper Show…
I plugged the program a couple of weeks ago in this newsletter. I thought it was interesting, if extreme.

As many as three million Americans now fall into the category dubbed ‘preppers’ – people who are making detailed plans for the end of the world as we know it.

Many preppers represent an ever-growing group of survivalists who take extreme measures to prepare for a major catastrophic event.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/

Why the Poor Man sites aren’t typical
Unlike other prepper sites, we devote a significant amount of content toward developing alternative income sources, frugal living, tools for fighting government abuse, political insights and overall self sufficiency skills.

I feel there is an explosive potential in the loss of trust angry middle class people have with our government and its lack of concern over our country becoming second-rate and the shrinkage of the middle class. Perhaps there will be a social or political revolution against the wealthy.
The social contract which once existed, seems to be evaporating. (Read the Nanny State Updates to see how much less taxes corporations now pay in the US).

The U.S. national debt on Jan. 1, 1791, was just $75 million dollars. Today, the U.S. national debt rises by that amount about once an hour.

Few of us, for instance, have any belief in government statistics regarding unemployment rates, inflation rates, etc. Government numbers simply don’t ring true. If you want accurate numbers, you can always go to:
www.ShadowStats.com

DIY Instant hand warmer – Fill a large ziplock bag one-quarter of the way with calcium chloride ice-melt pellets. Fill a smaller ziplock halfway with water, close tight, and place inside the first bag. Squeeze the smaller bag until it breaks open, to create a heat-producing reaction between 20 minutes and an hour.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Stealth Survival Resources

Interesting assortment of DIY articles on survival
If you follow most of the mathematical projections, things are going to get more and more dangerous and challenging 10-20- and 30 years down the road (or sooner). That means that the current and yet to be born children are going to need survival skills even more than we do. The problem is that recent studies indicate that we are raising the most dependent, and mechanically incapable generation ever. Several new studies indicate that modern children have problems tying their shoes (thanks to Velcro), working a can opener, or even mastering a clothes hanger. They don’t need to “know” things because “there an APP for that” or Google.

http://www.americansurvivor.org/

Standing on Your Own Two Feet: Young Adults Surviving 2012 and Beyond
If the world keeps moving toward economic collapse, climate change, resource
depletion, civil unrest, wars, famines, and other nasty things, young adults
will find they can no longer live exclusively in the protected worlds of the
shopping mall and the fast food stand. This book provides a mixture of
story and information that motivated young adults (or anyone) can use to
help them stay alive and happy during challenging times, regardless of what
anyone else around them is doing (or not doing).
FREE to our readers and their young ones…

http://www.nebador.com/TwoFeet.html

For more winter survival and power outage tips head over to Modern Survival Blog and read about survival preparedness for winter weather and 7 equipment ideas for a home without power.

Free Bush Survival Manual Download

http://www.box.com/shared/x5qis69rdg

Discovery Channel Guide on how to survive

http://dsc.discovery.com/survival/how-to-survive/how-to-survive-tips.html

Survival Shotgun (8 Part Series) – Survival Cache
An eight part series on the survival shotgun, a valuable tool that should be in everyone’s survival arsenal.
1. 6 Reasons You Need One
2. Choosing Gauge and Type
3. Choosing the Gun
4. Understanding Loads
5. Myths Explained
6. Cleaning and Maintenance
7. Accessories You Actually Need
8. Mossberg M500SP Loadout

Home Invasion: PM’s Extreme Guide to Protecting Your Homestead

http://poormansurvival.com/HomeDefense.aspx

Intense Handgun Training
Owning a gun doesn’t prepare you to repel a home invasion. Now, a video, formerly only available to police is available to the public.
www.PopularMechanices.com/handgun

Don’t know how to shoot?
Find a free First Shots seminar at a local range in your area

http://www.nssf.org/FirstShots/Seminars/index.cfm

Money Under 30
Money Under 30 is a blog about learning to build the life you desire.

http://www.moneyunder30.com/about

Winter is pruning time for shade and fruit trees and most blooming trees and shrubs. Aim to remove all crossing or touching branches, dead or damaged limbs, suckers and water sprouts.

The Nanny State Updates…

Corporations are paying the lowest taxes in 40 years. Last year corporations paid just 12.1 percent on US profits compared to 25.6% they paid from 1987-2008 – Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) has made it official: After its latest two day meeting, it announced its goal to devalue the dollar by 33% over the next 20 years.

The worst money managers in America…you guessed it!
Congress, convincing people once more that they are possibly the worst managers of other people’s money outside of Obama’s Department of Energy, has now found itself in the public ire once more after a new series of reports from the Washington Post. The Post revealed that the earmarking going on inside of Congress wasn’t necessarily done to benefit the greater good of the congressional district but rather to benefit the members of Congress and those connected to them such as the institutions and companies that employ friends and family of the Members of Congress themselves…a veritable taxpayer-funded buffet for special interests.
And get a load of this — Congress writes their own ethics code so in essence, if the code said that they could hand out earmarks to benefit friends and family it would completely above board.

Cure a cold sore by eating a whole green pepper…everything except the seeds.

The Parting Thought – Is Greece going to happen here?

I watched an interview on PBS with the Greek ambassador to the United States regarding the austerity measures taking place in his country and the subsequent riots, looting and burning of city buildings in Athens.

Greece is experiencing a full-blown economic collapse.

Despite his optimism that the Greek people will learn to adjust to a significant downward standard of living, residents obviously don’t agree. Even with this second round of bailouts from the European community, a third round may be necessary.

With the submission of Obama’s new budget, which again increases government spending and debt, it truly makes me wonder if we’re headed for the same disaster. Already, many cities such as Detroit and Scranton, PA cannot pay their bills and are reducing government services and schools left and right leaving many to form their own vigilante squads.

As the hours for police departments are cut in half, Detroit residents are seeing a huge spike in applications for gun permits (yeah in MI you need government permission and you cannot even legally own non-lethal stun guns and such to protect yourself) and the number of “self-defense” killings has risen more than 2000% in ten years.

Always keep in mind, our government, at every level, has spent this country into ruin. They have not been good stewards of the public treasury or the Constitution.

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Becoming a Consumer Rebel

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. Become a Consumer Rebel
2. Find freebies, good deals on eyewear and more
3. Do some good-donate baby clothes and wedding dresses
4. Find recalls and get your money back
5. How about living without money for 15 years?

“The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.”
- Frank Zappa

Become a Consumer Rebel – The unConsumer

The economy is based on consumption, exemplified by non-stop newscasts every holiday season about nervous retailers fears of ‘did we spend enough, did we break last year’s records, did Americans go deeper into debt to buy stuff that will wind up in next year’s garage sale?

Obviously, we need to make purchases, many of our own jobs depend on that.

The problem is how most Americans are being nickel and dimed by such merchants as banks, cable companies, cell phone companies, insurance companies and every other hooligan who financially hoodwinks us with non-stop fees, surcharges and higher rates.

Of course, the biggest pirate is the government at every level. They nickel and dime us on everything including phone bills, water bills, electric bills, heating bills, fuel fees, license tag fees, sales taxes and more. There are so many hidden government fees (in reality, a tax) that most no longer question this form of theft.

Some steps to consider:

>Dump all unnecessary services such as cable TV, multiple cell phones, land lines, etc.
>Switch your banking to a community credit union
>Stop buying Chinese made goods wherever possible.
>Support local merchants and tradesmen instead of Fortune 500 firms such as GE (the pioneering leader in off-shoring US jobs).
>Grow your own produce, make your own snacks and desserts
>Review all insurance programs annually and switch whenever possible.
>Use co-ops wherever possible or create one of your own*
>Reuse, recycle, re-gift consumer goods; Make your own cleaning supplies
>Shop flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores
>Become as energy independent as possible – use a well (shower with a friend), solar and wind turbine systems, geothermal, ride a bike or use public transportation, etc.

*Self Organizing Collective – adaptiveness of self-organized systems, i.e. their ability to “reorganize” in order to adapt to a changing environment.

Small communities of people, usually 3 to 5 families, which have gathered together to form a self-sustaining and self-contained community. They support each other with talents, resources, and experience, that individually they don’t have. They share in the various chores that are for the good of the community as their talents and resources permit. This allows for a fuller and more secure living arrangement for all, with fewer resources and aid requirements from outside sources needed to maintain a reasonable lifestyle.

http://www.collectiveself.com/self-organizing-groups2/leadership-and-self-organizing-groups/what-is-a-self-organizing-group/

Please share this with others…you’ll find resources to accomplish this at our site:
www.PoorManSurvival.com

Surprising foods to skip if you want to lose weight…Sweetened yogurt, granola, dried fruit, including raisins and orange juice. All are high in calories and/or sugar. Example: one cup of raisins has 460 calories while the same of grapes has only 60!

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Grandmother Lives Without Money for 15 Years
In response to our previous issue asking if you “Can live without money for 30-days” One of our readers suggested this useful site.

http://livingwithoutmoney.org/

Good Site for Finding Freebies, Coupons & Deals
Bargain hunters seem to flock to this site. Worth a look-see at:
www.Dealigg.com

Find a Good Deal on Eyewear
If you know your prescription, you can save 100s by looking at these two sites:
www.39DollarGlasses.com
www.ZenniOptical.com

On March 31st, the FDA is scheduled to announce if it will ban BPA from all food packaging, not just baby bottles.

Do Good with Your Old Clothes
Brides against Breast Cancer organizes sales of used wedding gowns and uses the proceeds to grant wishes to cancer patients.
www.MakingMemories.org

Helping babies…this group takes baby clothes in good condition or that have never been worn and distributes them to needy families.
www.RoomtoGrow.org

Ditch those online selling site fees like eBay
I’m always amazed at high my monthly fees to eBay are…really cuts into the profits.
This site has no fee to list and charges a 3.5 transaction fee when an item sells.
www.Bonanza.com
Here’s a site for crafters to explore…no selling fees whatsoever:
www.ThingsPeopleMake.com

How to Find Refunds on items which have been recalled
Each year 100s of products are recalled by the manufacturer and you can get a full refund. Usually, the amount refunded is what the item is currently selling for which may not be the price you paid originally.
www.Recalls.gov

If your bed is chilly, skip that extra blanket in favor of a newspaper. Newspaper is the best free insulation in the world – Simply insert a paper between your mattress and box spring to heat your bed.

The Nanny State Updates…

Drones over U.S. get OK by Congress
The Orwellian dystopia of a constant surveillance society was once fictional…what’s happened to the Bill of Rights?
Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s … a drone, and it’s watching you. That’s what privacy advocates fear from a bill Congress passed this week to make it easier for the government to fly unmanned spy planes in U.S. airspace.

Lack of government regulation on tracking data and its use is fairly unique to the United States. Some other countries require that the company provide a means for the customer to opt out of the web site’s data tracking methods or, in some cases, even choose to allow it.

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (which includes the U.S. Wiretap Act and the Stored Communications Act) prohibits people and companies from intercepting or accessing communications to which they are not a party. There are some exceptions for service providers as long as they use the information for the provision of services, but generally a company cannot collect data that was never directed to it. (This is why, e.g., Google got in trouble when its Google Street View vans intercepted and copied data transmitted over unsecured wireless Internet routers.)

The most important thing to remember is that you have complete control over what personal data you choose to provide to any given company. You do not have to post embarrassing photos to Facebook or shop for an erotic massager on Amazon. It’s important to be aware of the trade you’re making every time you willingly provide information with a company’s web site.

Use an air-based popcorn popper and roast your own coffee beans at home. The quality is often higher than at your local coffee shop and that home-roasted beans make great gifts. Among our favorite places to buy beans: u-roast-em.com.

The Parting Thought – Oh those nasty libertarians…

Watch out Libertarians – You’re Now an Extremist

Now that NDAA is law, many of the basic tenets of freedom are under attack in the 21st century.

According to a Reuter’s article published recently, the “FBI warns of threat from anti-government extremists.”"Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday.” The article went on to say that: “These extremists, sometimes known as ‘sovereign citizens,’ believe they can live outside any type of government authority.”

“Routine encounters with police can turn violent “at the drop of a hat,” said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.” Yes, any wrong look or posture by any citizen can result in extreme violence against that innocent citizen by police. This is proven every single day around this country.

The NDAA gives the government, mainly the executive branch, Carte blanche power in its march toward rounding up any American that it deems as a threat to its false sovereignty. This power not only extends to the capture and detention of citizens, but the president also claims the power to assassinate any he chooses to on his say so alone.

According to recruitment propaganda handed out by the FBI and the Department of Justice to Internet cafe owners across the country, a person may be considered “suspicious” if they “are overly concerned about privacy” or if he/she “attempts to shield the screen from view of others.”

The Fed’s cheerfully-titled “Communities Against Terrorism” flyer series identifies 25 “threat areas” where you might encounter suspicious persons. These include such notorious ne’er-do- well hangouts as:

Dive/boat shops
Martial arts centers/Paintball
Hobby shops
Farm supply stores
Financial institutions
Electronics stores
Shopping malls
Hotels/Motels
and, just to be on the safe side, The General Public

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Could you survive a month of not spending?

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. Indefinite Detention or Stealing our Rights
2. Freelance Job Boards-Finding Revenue Ideas/Sources
3. Custom Landing Pages all about you
4. Sourcing products to resell, Get Free Magazines
5. Could you go a month without spending any money?

“America’s one of the finest countries anyone ever stole.”
- Bobcat Goldthwaite .

Traitors among us in Washington…Voting away our rights and due process!
George Orwell would be proud of how Congress has trampled the Bill of Rights

US Senators Who Supported the “Indefinite Detention” Sections of the 2012 NDAA
Right after the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed through the Senate, with 86 senators voting in favor of bill, hackers who operate under the name Anonymous leaked detailed information on many of the politicians.

The large document starts with Republican Senator from the state of Ohio, Robert J. Portman.

“He has made himself a target as an advocate of the NDAA, but we are truly disturbed by the ludicrous $272,853 (190,000 EUR) he received from special interest groups supporting the NDAA bill that authorizes the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Robert J. Portman, we plan to make an example of you,” said the hackers in a statement.

Debbie Stabenow, Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand, Kay R. Hagan, Thomas Harken and Alan S. Franken are just a few of the people whose lives were posted online by hackers…many citizens started accusing the senators of “treason”.

Senator Carl Levin of MI is generally credited with crafting this legislation and represents another example of why we need term limits. Like anything else the government promises, this ‘tool’ will be used to make certain people simply vanish through secret administrative decision just like in the old Soviet Union and in WWII Germany.

A day later, Anonymous came forward with another statement that targeted US leaders.

“This is an open letter to the US leaders. We have watched as you have violated the very laws that guarantee your power. We have witnessed your fall from Representatives of the People to Representatives of Greed and Corruption,” they say.

Homeland Security has shifted its focus from terrorists to ‘domestic extremists,’ under the guise of protecting our freedom. Once the unPatriot Act was passed, we all knew it was only a matter of time before freedoms and Constitutional rights would be eroded and it didn’t escape us how SECRETIVE congress was about passing this law without any fanfare or media attention.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012

Adding a squeeze of lemon to your water or tea boosts the antioxidant content and may help with digestion. One study found that your body better absorbs the antioxidants in green tea when lemon is mixed in. Of course, lemon and other citrus fruits are also loaded with natural vitamin C, one of the best cold- and flu-fighting agents out there.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

If you lose your job in this economy, you might be out of the game for good.
If you can believe it, today there are 100 million working age Americans that do not have jobs.
In all, there are 242 million working age Americans.
Only 142 million of them actually have jobs.

Freelance Job Boards – Finding revenue ideas
One of the best ways to find ideas is to look at how other people are already making money. The flip side of this is to look at what businesses are in need of. We’ve covered this to some degree with Elance and oDesk. But another great source of ideas come from online freelance job boards. Here are a few favorites:
Freelance Switch http://freelanceswitch.com/
ProBlogger Jobs Board
Guru

vWorker.com where over 300,000 workers are making a living and there are thousands of open jobs. Unlike Elance.com, there are no arbitrary bidding limits that require you to pay a subscription fee to overcome

Make and Host Your Own Customized, Personal Landing Page in a Few Minutes
Learn how to promote yourself, your special interest or non-profit…
Free options for setting up a single page on the web that’s all about you, has a memorable URL, and serves as a jumping off point to other places on the web where visitors can learn more about you.

Personal landing pages like Flavors.me are really popular right now, but we prefer more complete control over what Google has to say about us. Here’s a Lifehacker-made, easily customizable, open-source solution that you can place on any server and have running in minutes.

Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur, business owner, social media maven, and author of the books Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion and The Thank You Economy
Read more at:

http://lifehacker.com/5636983/how-to-make-and-host-your-own-custom-personal-landing-page?utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=189f389a13-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email

Is it always sunny in Philadelphia? Not for bloggers who recently have been told that they need a $300 Business Privilege License to operate their blog in Philadelphia. For most people it is only a warning of what might happen to any blogger.

Sourcing Closeup: TopTenWholesale.com
A look at one of the myriad international trading sites that cater to e-merchants…getting reliable wholesale sources can be a challenge.

http://www.theonlineseller.com/2012/02/03/sourcing-closeup-toptenwholesale-com/

Meet the family who is going a month without spending any money.
I know I couldn’t go a month without spending any money…could you?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/a-month-without-spending-anything-28230433.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Fus-15749625%252Fa-month-without-spending-anything-28230433.html

Many Free Magazine Subscription Available Here:
Town and Country, Motocross – Emagazines too…

http://www.valuemags.com/home/free_magazines.asp

Want a better future during these turbulent times?
Cut your debt, reduce expenses and increase your income.

http://poormansurvival.com/SelfSufficiencyProgram.aspx

Turn off all electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. That means cell phones, personal computers, radios, televisions etc. Give your mind and your senses a chance to be still before you go to bed and you’re likely to get a more complete and restful sleep.

The Nanny State Updates…

Many once iconic “American companies” have been bought up by the rest of the world. The following comes from a recent article posted on Economy In Crisis….
RCA is now a French company, Zenith is a Korean company. Frigidaire is a Swedish company. IBM’s Personal Computer Division—with its 500 patents—is now a Chinese company. Westinghouse Nuclear Energy’s major shareholder is Toshiba—a Japanese Company. Lucent Technologies, a former research division of AT&T, along with all the patents acquired from the beginning of the phone system, is now a French company. In 2008, Brazilian-Belgian brewing company InBev purchased the iconic American brewer Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser. With the sale of these manufacturing companies, the future profit and technologies all belong to foreign entities.

Too Much Passenger Screening Is Making Airports Less Secure
Ever stricter security measures in place in U.S. airports is making air travel less safe and airports more vulnerable, according to University of Illinois mathematics professor Sheldon H. Jacobson. Too many resources are spent screening passengers who pose little risk, which steals time and money away from identifying real threats.

“A natural tendency, when limited information is available about from where the next threat will come, is to overestimate the overall risk in the system, ” says Jacobson in a press release. “This actually makes the system less secure by over-allocating security resources to those in the system that are low on the risk scale relative to others in the system.”
Addressing Passenger Risk Uncertainty for Aviation Security Screening by Adrian J. Lee and Sheldon H. Jacobson, Transportation Science (December 2011)

When John F. Kennedy was President, just over a quarter of federal spending went to fund programs paying for some 21.7 million Americans to be dependent on Uncle Sam. But as high as that spending and dependence on the federal government was then, it has exploded today, with one in five Americans — more than 67.3 million — depending on Washington for assistance.

The Parting Thought – Who gains most from spying on citizens?

The Surveillance Industrial Complex Depends on “Sheeple”
to Survive and Prosper…

Republican nominee Mitt Romney has advocated the use of a biometric-driven federal database to authenticate the citizenship of any person hired in the U.S. – which effectively sets up the central government as the gate keeper to authorize – or not – whether a person may work.

“In the future, whether it’s entering your home, opening your car, entering your workspace, getting a pharmacy prescription refilled, or having your medical records pulled up, everything will come off that unique key that is your iris,” says Global Rainmakers CDO Jeff Carter, in an interview with FastCompany. “Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected [to the iris system] within the next 10 years.”

When asked why anyone would volunteer to submit to this government intrusion, he said positively, “There’s a lot of convenience to this – you’ll have nothing to carry except your eyes.” But then he followed-up with this disturbing omen: “When you get masses of people opting-in, opting out does not help. Opting out actually puts more of a flag on you than just being part of the system.”
One privacy and security expert says, “whatever you can store, I can steal.” Meaning the existence of private biometric data stored in big government databases (and big commercial databases, as well) isn’t safe.

The Clear System used in airports is another great example. Plied with promises of shorter security lines, some frequent travelers have submitted to background checks and biometric cataloging. Early in the Clear program, data for 33,000 passengers was compromised after an unencrypted computer turned up missing.

Security researcher and Innovya founder Michael Shafir invented a security protocol called Traceless Biometrics System (TBS), and it seems to be less intrusive and does not require government databases.

“With this technology, there is no need for central databases, stored templates, or any type of smart cards. The traceless solution is completely anonymous, removing all privacy law issues and any chance of being cloned,” he writes.”Innocent people should NOT be recognized ‘automatically’ by their ‘body parts copies’ stored in ‘Private’ or ‘National’ databases.”

Like an ATM, the pin is your biometric marker (iris, finger print, etc.). You choose it, it’s not stored in a big database center out of your control, and you can change it whenever you want. Your privacy is protected, and your security can adapt to intrusions.

But we all know well the government would prefer databases under their “wise” control!

SOURCE: Lee Bellinger’s Executive Bulletin, a division of Independent Living.
377 Rubin Center Drive • Suite 203 • Fort Mill, SC • 29708

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…
Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

10 Frugal Valentine’s Ideas, Will You be Eating Cat Food in Retirement?

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543
A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. 10 or more frugal Valentine Activity/Gift Ideas
2. Quick n Dirty Job Search Tips
3. Essential Disaster Survival Tips
4. Will you be eating cat food in your retirement years?
5. Extreme Prepper TV debuts

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
Anonymous

THREE “QUICK & DIRTY” JOB SEARCH TIPS

You need a job to pay for those fancy Valentine Gifts, right?

In addition to checking published job leads, don’t forget to run job searches of your own. (With a 60 to 1 scam ratio among home-based job leads, just remember to keep your “BS” – Big Scam – radar on.)

Here are three quick job-searching tips from our tip barn.
1. Use Google Alerts to scan for job leads “while you sleep.” On the Alerts page, just enter the words or phrases you’d use in your usual Google job search. Google will continuously scan the web and email you the results. For more, go to http://www.google.com/alerts.

2. Similarly, set up alerts at the big “job aggregator” sites like Indeed.com. Just enter your parameters on the advanced search page at http://www.indeed.com/advanced_search. Then click “Find Jobs,” and enter your email address in the box at the bottom of the results page.

3. Beware home-business or home-job “opportunities” advertised on late-night infomercials. Often, these entice buyers with discounted books or other materials. But you’ll “pay the price” when your information is passed to salespeople who call you with high-pressure pitches for expensive add-on programs.
Bonus Tip: Be hyper-vigilant when evaluating administrative (i.e., “secretarial”) jobs. The scammers know that home-based admin jobs are in high demand, and the supply is low. Hence, the scam ratio among admin jobs is even higher than the norm. Legitimate data entry jobs are especially scarce. (Please pass it on!)

Source: www.RatRaceRebellion.com, www.PoorManSurvival.com

Instead of using bleach to brighten whites, try a ¼ cup of lemon juice instead. Add it to the wash cycle.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Hey guys – ever come home with those embarrassing lipstick marks on your collar? Get rid of them by placing the stain face-down on a white towel, then blot it with a clean cloth moistened in rubbing alcohol.

Frugal Valentine Ideas
Suggestions as to how to make Valentine’s Day a special, fun, yet inexpensive dayhttp://www.stretcher.com/stories/980129b.cfm?STT

10 More Fun Low-Cost, No Cost Valentine’s Day Ideas
A festival for love ‘n romance, Valentine’s Day provides us with a splendid opportunity to spend some quality time with our truelove. Are you looking for some tips to romance your sweetheart on this Feb 14?

http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/10_romantic_ideas.htm

Heineken Serenades on Valentine’s Day
Heineken is helping ignite romance this Valentine’s Day with the launch of a fun new Facebook application called The Serenade. Based on the brand’s second global film “The Date,” the new app enables Heineken consumers to send humorous personalized songs to
potential partners, inviting them on a date…

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/idUS92447+01-Feb-2012+HUG20120201

Find Local Store Coupons Online Fast
Just type in your zip code at this site and a map of your area pops up pinpointing retailers offering coupons.
Printable.RetailMeNot.com

Need a fun gift, say for Valentine’s Day?
Frequently one needs a low-priced gift as a thank you or for a little surprise. Check these sites:
FiveBelow.com
10DollarMall.com

Reciprocal Valentine (or other special occasion) Gift
Take turns giving each other a massage…Swedish research suggests giving a massage boosts mood levels. In my college days I took a class in massage and used that training to barter for haircuts, dinners and other goodies all through school!

Raise Money for You Favorite Charity
Readers already know we offer a We don’t Need Another Election T-Shirt. A portion of the profits are donated to area charities (PoorManSurvival.com, click on RevolutionT). You can design your own shirt, then visit this site where you can get them printed in bulk. Sell them at special events as a fundraiser.
www.TShirtCharity.com

Know Your Priorities – Basics of Survival
I talked with survival teacher and founder of onPoint Tactical Kevin Reeve for help coming up with a list of priorities for survival in case of a disaster. This is what he suggests:
Immediate security: If the building is on fire, get out. If someone is shooting at you, move to cover. Whatever the immediate danger, get away from it.

First aid: Attend to any medical problems that may have happened in the original event. Check yourself for injuries and treat them.
Self protection: If you are at risk from predators, two-legged or four-legged, you must arm yourself. This might be a sharpened stick, a knife, machete, shotgun, or banjo. Just have something to attack the zombies with.

Physical needs (in order): Shelter, fire, water, food, and hygiene.
It’s also worth noting that nearly every survivalist, doctor, paramedic, and teacher recommends one key survival tool everyone should follow: positivity. It seems silly, but it can provide you with the mental endurance to stay safe in any number of situations. A recent study in Psychological Science also suggests that your own perception of illness and the potential for treatment has an effect on the outcome. In short, the idea of mind over matter can help you survive.

http://www.onpointtactical.com/default.aspx?utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=24f2790f25-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email

New ‘Doomsday Preppers’ Show Highlights Extreme Survivalists
It’s better to be safe than sorry, which is why FEMA guidelines recommend stockpiling your pantry with three days worth of food in case of a natural disaster. Meanwhile, Paul Range and Gloria Haswell have enough in store to feed 22 people for 15 years — as well as enough guns, bullets and bug-out vehicles to wage a small war. The couple occupies nine steel shipping containers arranged in a castle formation outside Floresville, Texas. A system of windmills and solar panels powers the compound, and human body waste is used to generate methane, which serves as their cooking fuel.

http://news.yahoo.com/doomsday-preppers-show-highlights-extreme-survivalists-214404285.html

Upgrade the safety of your door by replacing the striker plate in the door jamb with a heavy-duty brass variety that requires six screws – makes your door impossible to push in.

The Nanny State Updates…

World War Web
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trademark Agreement, ACTA, is sitting in the wings, as is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, TPP. All these initials add up to one particular end goal, an internet-centric “anti-piracy” bill that raises concerns for both consumers’ privacy and civil liberties.
Protest ACTA on February 11, 2012
Currently, 22 countries in Europe have signed ACTA, but the European Parliament has yet to pass it. Those opposed in Europe are asking for similar help as the SOPA and PIPA protests in hopes to have a similar outcome. On February 11, protests are being organized by Access, a self-proclaimed global movement for internet freedom in an attempt to show the EU that they must ultimately reject the ACTA.
More than the internet is at stake
The ACTA is not limited to the internet; in a scary twist, the crackdown would include generic drugs and a global standard on seed patents that would threaten local farmers and ultimately the food supply across the world, according to Forbes.

The Parting Thought – Better stock up on cat food

Will you and your family be eating cat food soon?

I still marvel at how my fellow citizens get excited over the coming election. Why?
These politicians offer no solutions to the many problems we face.

The United States has recently passed a new milestone. A week before Christmas we joined a club. Our government debt now exceeds our GDP. Few in the “lame-stream” press seemed to notice our 100%+ debt-to-GDP ratio puts us in the same league as many 3rd World countries and troubled nations such as Greece.

Despite the political BS taking place in the primaries, no one has addressed this issue. Of course, this will probably mean a further downgrade of our credit status and force us to borrow even more money, at higher interest rates, effectively diluting even further your spending power.

It will get worse. Consider that nearly 80-million more baby boomers will be lining up to collect Social Security from a fund which has already been robbed dry by Congress. Is anyone in Washington doing anything about it? No!

Regardless of who wins the November election, nothing will change the course of our nation, except perhaps the speed to which we will collapse.

The White House and Congress continually provide dishonest statistics and solutions to overwhelming financial problems. The media continues to hammer past marital indiscretions of the candidates (Oh boy) with rarely a mention of our national dysfunction.

We, as a nation, are insolvent and the few solutions which are open to us are more than most politicians are willing to discuss.

So, as inflation continues to blast your spending power, as more cities and states continue to cut services, as the tax man is gearing up to take more of your money, will you and your family be eating cat food soon?

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Women-Assault Prevention Tips, Shelf of Pantry Food, Use Land Trusts

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543
A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. Know the shelf life of pantry foods
2. Safeguarding your privacy on facebook
3. Preventing assaults on women
4. Freelancers – Know what to set aside for taxes
5. Earn SWAG by spotting trends, Foreclosure prevention/Land Trusts

Some lawyers and judges may have forgotten it, but the purpose of the court system is to produce justice, not slavish obedience to the law.”– Charlie Reese
(1937-2011) Columnist

A New Level of Education in Aquaponics

Aquaponics, an innovative method of agriculture that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, has garnered international attention as people around the world look for sustainable, efficient and highly productive methods of growing fresh food.

The Poor Man wanted to try this while living in AZ but no outdoor project seemed workable. As you might guess, it’s too darn hot. I plan to give this a serious look at though this coming summer at our mini-farm. One always investigates what works best to achieve a self sufficient lifestyle on small acreage. Goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks are always a good choice and provide a variety of food sources.

A suburban family of four turned an old swimming pool into a greenhouse / fish pond food production system. They grow most of what they eat from this backyard setup.
Here is the link to the GardenPool site and their video with the laundry gray water irrigating fruit trees.
http://gardenpool.org/?p=860
www.GardenPool.org.

If any of you have had experience with backyard aquaponics, we’d like to hear from you. If we use your story or resources, we’ll give you a free We Don’t Need Another Election T-Shirt. Send to: PoorManSurvivor@yahoo.com and put “fish” in the subject box.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/sustainable-farming/education-in-aquaponics-zwfz1111zhun.aspx#ixzz1l8JysxBQ

If you live in the Portland area, here’s show worth attending…

Better Living Show in March – Free Admission
Home and Lifestyle show in Portland, OR on March 23-25 featuring green home and garden products, natural health experts, organic food, sustainable energy solutions and more. Keynote speaker: Daryl Hannah
www.BetterLivingShow.org

Repurpose outdated baby cribs into herb drying racks…we turned an old baby expandable pen into a compost barrier to keep critters away.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

The Shelf Life of Pantry Foods
Learn how long foods stay fresh in the pantry, and you’ll know just how much to stock up on, and when it’s time to replace key ingredients like baking powder and spices. More at: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/stockpiling/a/The-Shelf-Life-Of-Pantry-Foods.htm?nl=1

Free Box of Samples (while they last) – Handcrafted, natural products
Sample box includes info, salve, bottle of wonder spray and organic soap…
www.MyWonderSpray.com

EARN SWAG BY SPOTTING TRENDS
In these budget-tight times, “swag” (free merchandise) can help. If you’re good at spotting trends, take a look at Happy Spotting. It’s a global network of folks who keep an eye out for new consumer styles, products, behavior, etc.

Free to join, and swag ranges from Amazon gift certificates to netbooks, real books, etc. For details, click here. http://www.happyspotting.com/

Freelancers -What you should set aside for your annual IRS Squeeze…IRS rules as of February 2011 state that if you net $400 or more from freelancing, you must file a tax return. This likely comes as no surprise. However, the amount to set aside for taxes varies based on a few considerations. Keep in mind that percentages, credits, exemptions and other factors that may affect tax amounts change from year to year. Keep yourself informed or consult a tax professional experienced in freelance income reporting to verify that your information is current…

http://www.ehow.com/info_7911135_much-set-aside-taxes-freelancing.html

Safeguarding your Facebook and online privacy
If you don’t like targeted ads based on your search history, you can just utilize your browser’s Do Not Track options (read this to learn how to enable them). Facebook now offers lots of ways to set the level of privacy you want to maintain, which is great, but with all the options it can be tough to learn and get just the way you want. Our always up-to-date guide to managing your Facebook privacy can get you up to speed.

One of the first things you should do with Facebook is prevent apps from using your personal data as much as possible. Signing up for an app can provide the developers with much more information than you may realize as the apps will take information they don’t necessarily need. To find out what each app is doing and limit its reach, just click the downward-facing triangle in the upper-right hand corner of your Facebook page and choose “Account Settings.” From there click the Apps tab and click the “Edit” link next to any app. You’ll see a list of what it is allowed to do plus the information it can access. Some stuff will be required for the app to function, but you’ll almost always find something that isn’t. Click the “Remove” link to revoke the app’s permission to access that information.

http://lifehacker.com/5813990/the-always-up+to+date-guide-to-managing-your-facebook-privacy?utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=908b92b731-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email

Assaults happen all too frequently, especially on women.

You may already know:

One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.

One out of eight women will be raped while in college.

84% of women who were raped knew their assailant.

57% of rapes occur on a date.

75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in date rape had been drinking or using drugs.

These are the reported figures. There is a lot of data suggesting that most rapes go unreported. One study showed that only 5% of victims of rape or attempted rape report it to college police.

Here are some things you should know to help prevent an assault …..

LOOK. Look around you and be aware of your surroundings, such as hiding places, people following you, etc. If confronted by an assailant, look him straight in the eye so he knows for sure that you will remember what he looks like in a police lineup.

YELL. There are two things about a shout. One, it attracts the attention of others. Second, it deters assailants. They want an easy target, not someone who is going to resist.

SHOW. If you are carrying a non lethal self defense weapon, SHOW IT. Sometimes the sound of a discharging stun gun is enough to frighten them off. Try using a combination of SHOW and YELL. Try something like “back off or you’ll get 900,000 volts!”

PAIN. Learn where some key points for pain are and how to inflict as much pain as you can quickly. Eye gouge, pinch or bite under the arm or the upper inner thigh, or the groin areas are all sensitive and subject to maximum amounts of pain. A sharp blow across the bridge of an assailant’s nose will stop him dead in his tracks. You want just enough time to escape. Consider using your elbow if you can – it is the strongest point on your body.

INSTINCTS. Always trust your INSTINCTS. Women are usually more insightful than men – use it to your advantage.

CARRY. Always carry some type of non lethal self defense weapon. A stun gun, pepper spray, or a telescopic baton are good examples. Each, if and when used, will afford you enough time to escape and get help. NOTE: Even non lethal self protection devices are illegal to carry in some states like MI. Be sure to check for anti-citizen laws in your state before purchase.
http://www.tbotech.com/

Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted with annual maintenance. If your furnace is working at peak efficiency it will use less energy and cost less to operate.

The Nanny State Updates…

If the global economy was a game, America would be losing very badly… According to Stanford University economics professor Ed Lazear, if the U.S. economy and the Chinese economy continue to grow at current rates, the average Chinese citizen will be wealthier than the average American citizen in just 30 years.
Nobel economist Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago is projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than the U.S. economy by the year 2040 if current trends continue.

No Common Sense at too many schools
At one public school down in Texas, a 12-year-old girl named Sarah Bustamantes was recently arrested for spraying herself with perfume.
– A 13-year-old student at a school in Albuquerque, New Mexico was recently arrested by police for burping in class.
– Another student down in Albuquerque was forced to strip down to his underwear while five adults watched because he had $200 in his pocket. The student was never formally charged with doing anything wrong.
– A security guard at one school in California broke the arm of a 16-year-old girl because she left some crumbs on the floor after cleaning up some cake that she had spilled.
– One teenage couple down in Houston poured milk on each other during a squabble while they were breaking up. Instead of being sent to see the principal, they were arrested and sent to court.

The Parting Thought – Safeguarding your homestead

Foreclosure Prevention/Land Patent Scam – Land Trust Tool

As most property owners already know, you never truly own your own land as we’re all in perpetual hock to various levels of government. Get behind on property taxes and your property can be sold off.

These days, many people are worried that their home may be foreclosed on. Scammers are preying on this fear by holding “seminars” in which they sell you a “land patent” on your property. They claim that if you apply for this patent, generally costing between $500 and $15,000, you can prevent foreclosure.

In addition to paying this large sum, you are required to remove the address numbers from your house, remove all mail receptacles, and “trademark” your name, along with several other bizarre tasks. The people leading these seminars state that, by following these instructions (and paying their fee), you can re-negotiate your promissory notes and trust deeds with your lender. As a result, you will then only be required to pay a percentage of your previous mortgage payment every month.

Scam. A land patent was used to evidence right, title, or interest in real property in the early days of America. Land Patents were usually granted by a central, federal, or state government to an individual. Since then, these tracts of land have been separated, platted, carved up and conveyed through time by deeds.

You’re better off to consider this…

The land trust is a very powerful tool for the savvy real estate investor. A land trust is a revocable, living trust used specifically for holding title to real estate. Each property is titled in a separate trust, affording maximum privacy and protection.
Here are seven reasons to use land trust for titling property to real estate.

Read the rest at: (Scroll down to 2nd half of the page)
http://poormansurvival.com/LowerYourPropertyTaxes.aspx

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Remember, remember the 4th of November…Get your “We don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now

http://poormansurvival.com/RevolutionTShirt.aspx

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Turning Vets into Farmers, Lowering Your Tax & Utility Bills

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543
A Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People

In This Issue:
1. Lower those utility bills
2. Lower your property tax bill
3. More, useful self-sufficiency sites, Vets into Farmers
4. Overlooking small money matters can cost you plenty
5. Wall Street continues its bad practices

“Politicians never accuse you of ‘greed’ for wanting other people’s money—only for wanting to keep your own money.”– Joseph Sobran
(1946-2010) Columnist

Here are simple ways by which you can significantly lower your exposure to rising utility bills:

Two weeks ago I shared with readers why your utility rates are going up. Here are few useful tips on how to lower those painful rate hikes.

• Turn your thermostat down 8 degrees before you go to bed. Use heated mattress pads or heated blankets to keep yourself toasty while you sleep. This could easily yield savings of 10%.
• Turn your thermostat way down when no one is home. Yes, it will feel chilly for a few minutes when you come back home, but avoiding all the wasted heat during the hours or days while you are gone will translate into big savings.
• Get an insulation jacket for your water heater (assuming it’s not recommended against by the manufacturer of your particular model). By wrapping up your water heater, you can cut heat losses by 25% or more. A simple wrap kit from a home improvement store will pay for itself in less than a year.

Use Your Shades
During the day, open your shades to let the sunlight help warm your house. Close your shades at night to help your house retain heat.

Explore installing a wood burning heat source. Wood, in most parts of the country is still pretty cheap and if you have your own wood supply on your farmstead, so much the better.
Find more useful tips here:

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/winter.html

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Useful Prepper and Self Sufficiency Sites
Free ebooks on Self Sufficient Living – Handy

http://www.self-sufficiency-guide.com/eBooks.html

Interesting site and good article on working from home

http://www.self-sufficient-farm-living.com/Work-From-Home.html

Homesteading Information Directory – A directory of homesteading sites including topics such as animal husbandry, self-sufficiency, and more.

http://goodwordusa.org/homestead/other/sites.htm

A Self Sufficient Life
Well Kind Of – With Self Sufficiency & Frugal Living Tips Plus Musings from the Mountain.

http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/

Veterans to Farmers Nice, free service…
Non-profit group that teaches vets the skills they need to begin a career in agriculture; includes paid training at one of their network farms in organic farming and growing techniques. Can be completed in nine months or less. Get more information at:
www.VeteransToFarmers.org

Property Taxes Got You Fuming?
Don’t take any “official” appraisal of your home as the final word. If you believe you have been over-assessed, you can appeal. The county assessor’s office will inform you of the process upon request. Substantiating your appeal may be as simple as printing out recent sale prices of similar properties in your area culled from a five-minute Internet search
(www.zillow.com).

Two of the leading property tax reduction services are:
• EasyTaxFix 888-292-5050; www.easytaxfix.com
• LowerMyAssessment 877-908-7191;
www.lowermyassessment.com

Overlooking old library fines or parking tickets can cost you…

Big complication: To raise revenue, many U.S. libraries and municipalities are turning unpaid debts over to collection agencies. Once an agency takes over your debt, even if it is only $20, you can count on a big dent in your credit score―100 points or more, according to Craig Watts, a spokesperson for Fair Isaac Corp., the financial-management company that developed the FICO credit score, a number that determines a borrower’s credit history.

Small mistake: You make an insignificant claim on your home owner’s insurance.
Big complication: It can increase your monthly premiums, and you could be dropped as a customer. If dropped, it could be hard to find other coverage, as most companies share claim information.

Cut your losses: Before filing a claim, talk to your agent to help you decide whether to make the claim, advises Lamont Robinson II, a Chicago-based insurance agent for Allstate. You should pay small repairs (those less than $1,000 or less than your deductible) out of pocket. Also, raising your deductible to around $2,500 may lower your premium and deter you from making small claims.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/795/money-missteps-that-matter/

Maine, New York, and Hawaii exact the highest average levels of taxation. Alaska, New Hampshire, and Delaware offer the lowest tax rates overall. For a comprehensive and up-to-date
listing of the highest-tax and lowest-tax states for retirees, visit the web site of the Retirement Living Information Center (www.retirementliving.com).

The Nanny State Updates…

Can You Hear Me Now? Everything’s free in America
The federal government is giving out free cell phones and free cell phone minutes to welfare recipients? It may be hard to believe, but it is true. Right now, there are companies that are running advertisements specifically targeted at low income Americans informing them of the fact that all they have to do is sign up and they can get a free cell phone and hundreds of free cell phone minutes every single month and it will all be paid for by the federal government. Some have referred to this as “The Obama Phone”, but that is not exactly accurate. The outrageous federal programs that are paying for this were initiated before Barack Obama entered the White House.

But the fact that welfare recipients have been receiving free cell phones and free cell phone minutes under both the Bush and Obama administrations has been confirmed as being true by Snopes. All of this is paid for by “the federal Universal Service Fund”. That is one of those annoying little taxes that you may have noticed on your phone bill. So what is essentially happening is the federal government is taking money from all of us so that they can provide free cell phone service for welfare recipients every single month.

For most people, drinks are a substantial expense that can add up at the end of the month to a lot more than you might think. Is it really worth spending $3.50 at Starbucks every morning
($105.00/month)? Or $30.00 on cocktails when you go out every Friday evening
($1,560.00/year)?

The Parting Thought – No one does the time though

Wall Street Continues to Break the Rules

Many of you might recall that the straw which broke our financial back was the repeal of the 70-year old law which prevented Wall Street from becoming a casino, playing with your money. That law was repealed by Bill Clinton on the advice (and avarice) of Wall Street insiders who effectively got what they wanted from the White House.

The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. This repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to use their depositors’ money that was held in the commercial banks.

Bill Moyers of PBS aired a show recently in which the players behind this influence were interviewed, admitting this was a big element leading to our downfall. Further, they admitted this repeal was a done deal while they filed papers announcing the merger of financial firms which allowed what was to become CitiBank, even though they knew it was against the current law.

Yet, to the best of my knowledge, none of these insiders were ever brought to justice. Indeed, it has showcased the revolving door of Washington bigwigs and Wall Street CEOs, who have taken over the country. This is why I call them the Washington-Wall Street Cartel See more at:

The Journal: Achieving Financial Reform
How did Big Finance grow so powerful that its hijinks nearly brought down the global economy — and what hope is there for real reform with Washington politicians on Wall Street’s payroll? Authors Simon Johnson and James Kwak, two of the nation’s most respected economic experts and authors of the new book 13 BANKERS: THE WALL STREET TAKEOVER AND THE NEXT FINANCIAL MELTDOWN.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1471123509#

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

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A Shallow Planet Production

Poor Man’s Instant Stimulous Package

Bruce’s Instant Stimulus Package

 

 

 

1. Revamp the tax system whereby the 1^st $25,000 of income of individual taxpayers is exempt from any kind of taxes, state or federal.  People need every cent to survive and this would provide an instant ‘raise’ which would help the economy.  After $25K, a flat rate of 12% and all non-profits, foreign corporations, domestic corporations would have to pay 12% if they’re doing business in the US.
2. The government would begin selling off unused assets, especially land and buildings.  A modern version of the homestead act would take place whereby average citizens would have 1^st dibs on small plots of land, homes and buildings.  Speculators and investors would be next.
3. I would initiate an immediate across the board 10% pay cut for all federal politicians and cabinet holders.  Government workers would have fewer federal days off and would have to contribute at least 25% of their pay toward health benefits.
4. Immediate tort reform – no more stupid lawsuits.  If you file a frivolous lawsuit and lose, you pay the legal expenses for all.
5. A national health insurance plan, covering at least the basics, would be funded via an additional premium on auto and/or home owners insurance based on a sliding scale.  This would create a very large pool of health subscribers and keep costs down.
6. Massive cuts in military operations overseas.  We don’t need soldiers stationed in 140 countries.
7. Like the Manhattan Project of WWII, the government would devote significant resources to putting people back to work in decent jobs by way of making the US energy independent…jobs in creating a national rail service, energy alternatives and rebuilding of our infrastructure (perhaps like the CCC of the Depression era) would be implemented.
8. For a 10-year period, I’d suspend Congress.  Eliminate their high pay and perks.  The governors from each state would be used; appointing non-partisan representatives to help with decision-making.
9. I would decriminalize marijuana.  We spend too much money incarcerating people for a non-narcotic weed and despite government propaganda, it’s never been proven to lead to hard drug use.  Its sale would be regulated and taxed, adding more revenue while decreasing expenses on law enforcement and prisons.
10. Finally, my mother would become the National Budget Manager…as a Depression-era woman, she knows how to squeeze a dollar from a dime!

 

That’s the basis for my platform…consider me as your write-in candidate.

Bruce David…get your copy of the Poor Man’s Recession Survival Kit (on CD ROM) at my eBay storefront at: www.oldbooknook.com

10 Ways to Find Emergency Cash

10 Ways to Find Emergency Cash

© 2008 Bruce David

 

 

 

   Even if you haven’t received a pink slip, money can become tight.  The following are ways to get your hands on some cash.

 

1. Sell off your gold and sterling jewelry, sterling flatware sets, sterling silver serving pieces and accessories. Sell your pre-1964 US silver coins and/or gold coins.  Plenty of dealers advertise to this end on Craigslist.org, local newspapers and television.
2. Borrow against your whole life insurance policy.  You can repay it, usually at a low interest rate…or don’t repay it and the amount you borrowed is deducted against the proceeds of a payout. Search your records to find old policies you might have purchased for your children and cash those in.
3.  Look into a reverse mortgage if you’re over the age of 65.  You live in the home and draw out a monthly income. The amount you get is determined on its current value and location.  The loan comes due when you die, sell or move away.  The FHA requires that you see a counselor prior to using such a mortgage.
4. Raid you children’s savings account or college fund if you’ve set one up.  You can always repay it in the future.
5. Get everyone in the family, including teens, to get a job.  Try to develop circles of income even if it’s only $200 a month through babysitting, lawncare, selling eggs from chickens you raise, crafts you make, etc.
6. Cut back on cell phones, cable TV, auto insurance coverage, etc.  On our 11-year-old van, for instance, we cut back to a liability policy which saved $75 a month.  We cut our cable to the bare bones and went to the cheapest cell phone plan saving another $10 per month – total monthly savings was $105 per month.  Cell phones are ridiculously expensive.  Consider a pre-paid plan through TracPhone for which the cost of a new phone and annual 500 minutes was $100…many folks are forking out that amount each month!
7. If you’ve not done so already, hold a garage sale or neighborhood sale and sell of unwanted items.  Consider using Craigslist.org to sell higher priced items.  There are other websites which offer free classified ads including Walmart.
8. Moonlighting.  If you’re a car repair person, computer geek, electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc., perform these tasks on the side at a lower rate. Consider a part time second job.  Most convenience stores always need extra help.  It may require crappy hours, but think of it as short term.
9. If it makes sense and your employer will go for it, consider ending your employee status and become an independent contractor.  Of course, working independently means billing your employer for your time.  This will put more ‘pay period’ cash in your pocket and you can deduct many expenses that you cannot do so as an employee.  Consult with a CPA first.
10. If you get vacation or sick pay, approach your employer about getting a check instead of taking time off or for unused sick days.
11.  A bonus method.  If you own a car without a loan balance but need to keep driving it, consider one of the many places, which offer title loans.  Most often the interest is steep but you still have use of the vehicle while you’re paying off the loan; they just become a lien holder on your title.
12. It may be possible to reduce or manage your mortgage better to reduce your monthly overhead.  Check these two sites for their free loan modification, no refinance programs.

www.emortgagemanager.net

www.mortgage-manager.org

 

OK…there are 12 tips outlined here!  Be sure to get your copy of The Poor Man’s Recession Survival Kit.  Find it on my eBay storefront, member name Oldbooknook

 

Recycling for Profit

Recycling for Profit

© 2008 Bruce David

The Poor Man’s Survival Center

 

 

   Do you happen to recall an old episode of Seinfeld where Kramer decides to haul a large quantity of empty soda cans to Michigan where he can cash them in?  At the time, Michigan was paying 10 cents per can at any supermarket.  Now, it’s against the law to bring cans in from out of state.  Still, you can make extra cash by recycling for profit and the market isn’t just limited to aluminum cans.

 

   Aside from precious metals such as gold and silver, plenty of other metals bring good money.  Cast aluminum, copper wire, even steel items are all bought by recycling outlets.

 

   All you really need is a decent pickup truck and some work gloves.  You’ll also need to locate reputable buyers in your area.  This can be done via the Yellow Pages and usually through Craigslist.org where plenty of buyers advertise.

 

   After you’ve located a few buyers, the first place to start is around your home.  You’ll be surprised at how many items you probably have laying around…old aluminum lawn chairs, parts/pipe/pieces left over from home improvement projects and so on.  Contact your family and neighbors by offering free removal services to them.  Run local ads and fliers in community newspapers, supermarkets, etc.  Have some inexpensive business cards run off to distribute. 

 

   You may want to encourage local church groups and other non-profits to work for you.  They can hold a monthly drop-off of such items.  You pick up the items and split the profit with them.   The following links will give you plenty of know-how as to setting up your business.

 

http://recyclebiz.com/weblog/bloggers.html

Provides free info resources on recycling cell phones, car batteries and more.

 

www.fundingfactory.com

www.highdollarempties.com

Resources for recycling printer and ink jet cartridges

 

www.ecolgue.com

www.profitquests.com/ideasrecyclingforcash.html

 

www.emagazine.com/directory/viewlink.php?d=O&category=57

Provides an online directory – very useful

 

www.howtoadvice.com/paperrecycling/recyclingcenters.org

Links by zip code plus other resources

 

www.startyourownpaperrecyclingbusiness.com

More free resources & useful guide

   As you can see, recycling for profit means more than just empty soda cans.  By the way, I’m not affiliated in any manner with these resources.  My goal in making my site and blog is to provide you with usable resources.

For more on our poormansurvival series, go to:

www.poormansurvival.com

 

Show Me Some Sugar, Essays on Middle Class

Women Vote

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

Short essays on decline of middle class
Girl Scouts dumping its American supplies in favor of China?
This week’s resources
Nat’l Buy Nothing Day & ShareSomeSugar

“Every friend of freedom must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed camp, by the vision of jails filled with casual drug users and of an army of enforcers empowered to invade the liberty of citizens on slight evidence.”
– Milton Friedman
(1912-2006) Nobel Prize-winning economist, economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan, “ultimate guru of the free-market system

Even the Chinese want the Poor Man
On a somewhat bizarre note…the Chinese are known for their expropriation of technology secrets, but stealing the Poor Man too? The Poor Man Survival name is trademarked and we paid for its domain and several variations but I got a letter from the non-profit group in China which is responsible for domains in that country and it seems a business there is attempting to register our names…what will they want next-my ex-wife?

Speaking of China, news reports have that the Girl Scouts are contemplating placing all future uniform orders with a Chinese company vs. the New Jersey firm which has supplied them for the past ten years. If that happens, everyone we know is going to stop buying their cookies…enough already of shipping America to China!

With the hoopala surrounding the coming elections, a reader asked me why I haven’t run for office. Well fellow Romans…I once considered a career in politics after serving as a young volunteer for Cong. Chas Vanik (D) [now deceased] of Ohio and was told I should get involved with the ‘party.’

Being young, my ambition at the time was to emulate the writer Hemingway and lead a life of adventure, hard drinking and women while writing novels…that never happened, but I did serve as a city councilman for a spell. Beside, the Poor Man has enough skeletons in his closet that the press and pundits would have had a field day with my past escapades.

Borrowing beats buying or so states a new online community of folks seeking to share or borrow items rather than buy them…everything from ladders to carpet steamers. Their site suggests how users can create a sharing group. Check it out at: www.ShareSomeSugar.com

November 15th is America Recycles Day and November 26th is Buy Nothing Day, a reminder to turn away from mindless shopping and tune into life.
Sources:
www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org
www.BuyNothingDay.org

This week’s odds n ends

Google Patents

Are you a tinkerer? An inventor? Maybe deep down inside there’s a mad scientist, just screaming to get out! Well, whatever the case, Google is here to make sure that an idea you’ve come up with hasn’t already been patented.

Here’s how to get to it:

Browse to Google.com, and in the upper left-hand corner you’ll see a list of filters (Web, Images, Videos, etc.) – click more. A drop-down list with more options will appear. Go to the bottom and click the even more>> option.
The next page that appears is chock-full of Google goodies, but the option we’re looking for is on the left side about a third of the way down the list. It’s called Patent Search.

Now, simply type the name or description of your invention into the search box and Google will look through over 7 million patents to see if anyone has beaten you to the punch!

You can also click the Advanced Patent Search link to the right of the search box and input other criteria like patent number, inventor and more!

WinUtilities Free Edition

I’m always looking for new products that will clean junk from my computer. As a result, after repeatedly installing new junk removing software, more junk accumulates. While I have kept, and still use, several other utilities, none seem to clean as thoroughly as WinUtilities. Most maintenance software misses or ignores certain items, including WinUtilities, but this one seems to find and correct more problems than any of the others. It also includes more features than any I’ve tried. http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/winutilities-free-edition

Turn your old electronics into cash
Sell you iPods, cellphones, printers & computers – trade them in for gift cards or a check. Here are a few more resources to use:
www.BuyMyTronics.com
www.YouRenew.com
www.BestBuyTradein.com

Free Samples-USA

http://www.freesamplesdirectoryusa.com/Free_Newsletter.html

More free stuff via daily deals

http://www.dailyedeals.com/free_stuff/freebies.htm

Get free groceries-click on your state

http://freegroceriesdirectory.com/?sjid=B001

Kellene Bishop’s an NRA instructor & training pro-check her blog

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/

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The Era of Big Government is Over!
–1996 William Jefferson Clinton
Aka: Slick Willie

Some mini-essays on the decline of America’s middle class, national suicide & how Washington is destroying the USA…

Deception has been the key to
Success for the globalists

America’s Middle Class Has Become Globalization’s Loser
By Gabor Steingart
At the beginning of the 21st century, the United States is still a superpower. But it’s a superpower facing competition from beyond its borders as well as internal difficulties. Its lower and middle classes are turning out to be the losers of globalization.
Editor’s Note: The following essay has been excerpted from the German best-seller “World War for Wealth: The Global Grab for Power and Prosperity” by SPIEGEL editor Gabor Steingart. SPIEGEL ONLINE is publishing a series of daily excerpts from the book.
There are essentially three exclusive characteristics whose simultaneous development have served as the foundations of the United States’s success up until now — and they only appear in this particular combination in America. They are not only the country’s biggest strengths, but also its greatest weaknesses

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,439766,00.html

For the past two centuries, America’s middle class thrived. It bulwarked the foundation of our liberties and became the envy of the world.

Today, because of Congressional-sponsored insourcing, offshoring, outsourcing along with FTAA, CAFTA, NAFTA and other corporate tools, Americans find themselves joining the “race to the bottom.”

In his laser-piercing book, “AMERICA’S ENGINEERED DECLINE,” William Norman Grigg, editor of the New American, said, “Even as our nation exports jobs that once opened the door to the middle class, we are importing waves of unskilled immigrants, including millions of illegals. No longer our protector, our political elite schemes to merge our country with other nations of this hemisphere into a continent-spanning socialist mega-state modeled after the European Union.”

He quotes Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo who echoes Grigg’s conclusions, “We are undergoing a radical change in our national character and social structure, not to mention language, and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen without at the very least the informed consent of the public. I am among those who believe that it shouldn’t be allowed to happen, period-and that’s the majority view, which is probably why it’s being done by stealth and misdirection.”

Grigg presents cogent examples why Americans sweat over their country’s future. America suffers growing consequences in every sector-mirroring the corruption seen in Third World countries. Instead of our Congress adhering to the Constitution, a majority march to the beat of a different drummer with a social experiment much like what Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev forced on Russia.

The sky isn’t falling, exactly. America isn’t on a fast track to irrelevance. Even in a state of total neglect, we could probably shamble along as a disheveled superpower for a few more decades.
But all empires end, and the warning signs of American decline seem to be blinking more consistently. In the latest annual “prosperity index” published by the Legatum Institute, a -based research firm, the United States ranks as the ninth most prosperous country in the world. That’s five notches lower than last year, when America ranked No. 4. The drop might seem inconsequential, especially in the midst of a grueling recession—except that most of the world has endured the same recession, and other countries are bouncing back faster
Real household income in America has flat-lined, for instance, which means many middle-class families are barely keeping up with inflation. The exploding federal deficit hamstrings the government’s ability to help. Healthcare is too expensive, America’s manufacturing base is eroding, and two open-ended foreign wars are draining the national treasury. This is not a recipe for building national wealth

Economic growth. The IMF also predicts that the U.S. economy will grow 1.9 percent in 2010. That’s a tad better than the average for all advanced economies, but at least 10 developed nations will grow faster. Woo-hoo. Three cheers for mediocrity.
Poverty. The U.S. poverty rate, about 17 percent, is third worst among the advanced nations tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In that sample, only Turkey and
Education. American 15-year-olds score below the average for advanced nations on math and science literacy. But don’t worry, our nation’s future leaders are still ahead of their peers in Mexico, Turkey, Greece, and a few other places.
Prosperity. The most prosperous nations, according to the Legatum report, are Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. These fairly homogenous European countries are the teachers’ pets of global rankings, often appearing near the top because of right-sized economies and a relatively small underclass.
For a huge economy like America’s, a No. 9 ranking is still respectable. And part of the drop from last year’s No. 4 spot is a change in methodology that puts more emphasis on the health and safety of citizens. Still, in the index’s subrankings, the United States isn’t even in the top 10 for economic fundamentals, safety and security, or governance. We should do better.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/10/26/9-signs-of-america-in-decline.html

In 1847, Marx and Engels proposed ten steps to convert the Western nations to Communist countries without firing a shot. Most of these ideas have been successfully implemented in our own country with little, if any, resistance! …

One of the ten steps called for “centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly” just like our own Federal Reserve! …
Another of the ten steps called for instituting “a heavy progressive or graduated income tax” just like our own federal income tax! …
Another step proposed by Marx and Engels was “abolition of all right of inheritance,” which we come ever closer to as inheritance taxes increase. Taking wealth at gunpoint, if necessary that one person has created and given to another person is theft. Whether the wealth creator is alive or dead, the act and the impact are the same.
Another step was “free education for all children in public schools.” Although our country still has many private schools in addition to the public ones, the content of both is dictated by aggression-through-government, to teach aggression.
Marx and Engels also recommended the “extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state.” In the past century, more and more services have become exclusive, subsidized government monopolies (e.g., garbage collection, water distribution, mass transit, etc.). As a result, we pay twice as much for lower quality service!
Marx also called for the “centralization of the means of communications and transport in the hands of the state.” Television and radio stations are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. A station that does not pursue programming considered “in the public interest” is stopped at gunpoint, if necessary from further broadcast. … Radio stations have an elite ownership as well. Those who benefit from aggression-through-government have little incentive to tell the public that licensing is a tool of the rich! …
Another of the ten steps calls for “confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels” … [O]ur law enforcement agents can seize the wealth of anyone suspected of drug crimes without a trial! [T]he Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has also been seizing the assets of taxpayers without a trial if the IRS thinks they might have underpaid their taxes! The wealth we have created can be taken from us at gunpoint, if necessary without a formal accusation or a chance to defend ourselves! …
In addition, Marx and Engels called for “abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.” In other words, land would not be privately owned. No homesteading would be permitted. Our federal and local governments have title to 42% of the land mass of the United States. Most of the remaining land is under government control as well. For example, today’s homeowners can pay off their mortgages, but must still pay property taxes to the local government. If they stop payments, their property is taken from them. They are, in essence, renting their home from the local government.”
– Dr. Mary J. Ruwart
(1949- )
Source: Healing Our World: The Other Piece of the Puzzle, Ch 19. (1992)

The Post American World

The economy is in trouble, and there’s little the Federal Reserve can do about it, says esteemed Yale economist Robert Shiller.

Economic growth slowed in both the first and second quarters, he notes in an interview with Yahoo’s Tech Ticker. “That’s not a very strong indicator, but it does suggest a recession may be coming soon,” Shiller explains. “Things are looking weaker now.”

As for the Fed, it already has pushed short-term interest rates to zero. “So they can’t do anything more about it,” Shiller says.

“They’re pushing on a string. It’s just not enough. If people don’t want to spend, if they aren’t confident about the future, even if you offer them a zero borrowing rate, they don’t want it.”

That situation amounts to a “liquidity trap,” a phrase legendary economist John Maynard Keynes coined to describe the Great Depression.

Gluskin-Sheff economist David Rosenberg says the only factors supporting the economy are government handouts, which now make up over 20 percent of personal disposable income.

“For all the talk of how a double-dip was averted, we may look back at a 50 reading on consumer confidence — 20 points below recessionary averages in the past — as a sign that the original downturn never really ended,” Rosenberg writes in a note to investors.

Parag Khanna who worked for the World Economic Forum and the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote a book titled The Second World, in which he argues the US is currently in decline to becoming a second-class nation saddled by debt and taxes. The United States share of the world economy has fallen from 50% to 25% since WWII and is quoted as saying the US could “long remain on the debt-funded consumption binge that fueled the world in the 90s….because America’s (gov’t) debt payments already exceed the investment it receives, it is living beyond the wealth saved for the next generation.”

Big Money, Lousy Politicians

My conclusion – The American people have been screwed by greedy, short-sighted politicians and Wall Street globalists who now reap what they’ve sown because so few of the population awoke to the massive fraud foisted upon our country. The war on the middle class has been about big money vs. every American. The greatest heist in history has been going on right under the nose of most citizens.

Democracy in America is dying, replaced by an irresponsible government, controlled by global corporations.

Finally, it’s always puzzled me why the globalists, or the Washington-Wall Street Cartel (as I have termed them) would go so far as to decimate the middle class as that has been the engine which drove the world economy. Goes back to what I began writing about in the mid-1980s when the pirates who ruled Wall Street began shipping blue collar and then white collar jobs overseas and I wrote burger flippers can’t afford $40K cars and these idiots, so blinded by greed, still don’t get it!

http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/ShillerEndofTaxCreditMayDoomHousing-BanksasRecessionLooms/2010/10/27/id/375084?s=al&promo_code=B06D-1

Lena Hill Weed, Norwalk , Conn. Served 3 day sentence in D.C. prison for carrying banner, ‘Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.’

Parting shots…

It seems to me every president and politician lies to the American people including Obama, Clinton, Bush and others with the possible exception of Washington & Jefferson. We need a National Inspector General or something akin to this to reign in the bullcrap fed to us by Washington.

One of our subscribers sent me an email outlining how one older woman was happy to have Obama on board as the President, then proceeded to outline how his actions have sparked more of a resurgent interest in conservatism than this country has seen since Reagan was in office and how liberals such as Harry Reid were likely to be gone…good point! As the Poor Man has always stated, career politicians beginning with the start of WWI have not proven good for this country.

Another subscriber sent me an email detailing the horrors of the women’s right to vote movement as described in an HBO documentary…those many fearless women were often jailed and tortured by local police for having the nerve to stand up to government in order to fight for your rights which is why it’s important to find the time to vote.

The political climate has changed significantly in this country and many now fear speaking out against the government since Bush was in office. The government spies on its citizens, which is abhorrent in itself but keep in mind two things:

—The government (aka: poor leadership) is the primary cause of our problems
—Since our founding, Patriots such as Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Adams, etc. put their life on the line to ensure our freedom from bad government.

Keep in mind too, both parties have proven dangerous to America. Clinton undermined our intelligence community & allowed a law to lapse that would have prevented Wall Street from becoming a mere casino with your money. Bush ruined the office of the presidency with executive orders weakening the Constitution and Congressional lapdogs and spent more money than he should have.

Can we not do better? Though we still enjoy a healthy measure of freedom, Americans have lost a lot during the past 30 years and there is no question, our own government is the biggest threat to our freedom, privacy and economic security.

Yours for freedom…the Poor Man

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

Your Taxes Will Rise, Why Your Vote is a Waste

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

Inside this issue:

1. Your taxes will go up in 2011
2. Why voting is a waste of time
3. No cost trade magazines
4. Home funerals cost less
5. Dual Flush toilet conversion kit
6. Energy tax credits due to expire-use now

“Pity the poor opponents of the right to keep and bear arms! They must distrust
just everybody except criminals and except the tyrant to whom they concede the
armed monopoly of their protection.”
– Pierre Lemieux
Source: LIBERTY Magazine Nov. ’97

Verisimilitude: the appearance of truth
Our ruling elite are masters at manipulating the truth and will do whatever they can to deceive the public. It’s no shock that I’m a believer in what our Founders wanted – limited government and maximum individual liberty.

The above term is one I taught in the marketing classes I conducted at Cleveland State University and it is one that politicians know well.

A sure sign of a failing government is a stepped up propaganda agenda which attempt to convey to the people that the policies of the administration are here to help you. Another sign is its growing aggressiveness toward its own citizens. The US puts more people in jail than any other country in the world, it deprives more people of its assets than any other country in the world; especially now through its escalating ponzi scheme of intergovernmental bonds, devaluation of our currency, etc.

We can see the growing loss of confidence in our system among investors such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gross who advise their clients to sell off dollar investments, “before central banks and sovereign funds do.’

Not exactly a vote of confidence and as the debt crisis grows, you will find our government turning against its own populace on a grander scale, leading to economic tyranny…as I announced previously, the IRS now wants your PayPal transactions reported (watch for PayPal to begin requesting your Socialist Slave number or EIN in the coming year) AND, the gold tax on anyone selling $600 worth of gold must now be reported to the IRS also!

The dollar will continue to weaken as the emerging world continues to outgrow the United States…growth in emerging markets such as Chile and Peru, China and India, will help keep the bull market in gold going forward and will further erode the value of our dollar.

Got a few spare trillion…sounds like Fed does (keep your ears open as the fed makes the mistake of buying up its own debt…the so-called “intergovernmental bonds.” Watch out for the propaganda brewing from Washington informing them of a new program called Treasury Direct, allowing us to buy savings bonds direct automatically via payroll or a personal checking account. The intent is to force private pensions to hold government debt in the form of long-term US bonds, paid off by less valuable currency for pennies on the dollar.

What a deal! Don’t bite.

>>Bill-thanks for pointing out one of those skeletons in my closet (see previous issue)…“Poor Man Charged with Possession of Illegal Death Ray.”<<

“Our federal government, which was intended to operate as a very limited constitutional republic, has instead become a virtually socialist leviathan that redistributes trillions of dollars. We can hardly be surprised when countless special interests fight for the money. The only true solution to the campaign money problem is a return to a proper constitutional government that does not control the economy. Big government and big campaign money go hand-in-hand.”– Dr. Ron Paul
(1935-) American physician, US Congressman (R-TX),

Weekly resources & fun stuff

GottaDeal.com Posts Black Friday Ads, Giving Consumers the Advantage This Holiday Season

GottaDeal.com, a web site dedicated to covering Black Friday and the holiday shopping season since 2003, is once again posting advance copies of major retailers’ Black Friday sale advertisements, giving consumers the advantage in what is shaping up to be a very important season for the retail industry.

Download Tube

YouTube is the new cable TV and as much as most people hate to admit it, it’s easy to get hooked. Who here hasn’t gone on a YouTube marathon only to realize that 6 hours have passed by and the birds are already chirping outside ? Darn those video recommendations. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could take those videos along for the subway ride or when you are waiting at a coffee shop ?
Downloadtube.org is meant specifically for such purposes. It’s clearly aimed at fulfilling the need for a quality YouTube downloader and many of the downloaders include additional and sometimes unnecessary features. The process is very basic, you simply copy the link of the YouTube video that you want to download from the address bar of the browser and paste it in the URL field of downloadtube.org main page.

Step number 2, in my opinion is the icing on the cake. The website lets you convert the video you want to download to another accessible format. Usually YouTube video are in the flash ‘FLV’ format meaning that to play them after downloading, you need to have a FLV player installed on your machine . However by converting a YouTube video to a more convenient format (like mpg) we can eliminate this extra step. Downloadtube.org gives you the option to convert the video for your phone, iPod and even the PSP.

Then, just click the Convert and Download button and within a few minutes you will be able to download your desired YouTube video, by clicking on the Download button.

Net Data Miner Knows Your Name and Interests; See What Info They Have on You
A company you never of heard — Rapleaf — has accumulated one billion email addresses, and is building a database based on your shopping history, social networking activities, real estate transactions, voter registration files, and more. They even know your name! See what info they have on you here, and opt-out if you like.

Study: 95% of Green Products Make Baseless or Misleading Claims
Marketers have figured out that the public responds well to products that are good for the environment. The trouble is a new study suggests that most of the green products make at least one claim that is misleading or unsubstantiated. See full study. [pdf]

Take advantage of the Energy Tax Credit, you’d better act fast. The credit for HVAC, insulation, roofs, water heaters, windows & doors and biomass stoves expires December 31, and is not scheduled for renewal. It’s worth up to $1,500.
Tip: Stack the tax credit with rebate offers from product manufacturer’s and your local utility company to save even more. I plan to use the credit to replace my HVAC system. Here’s a sample game plan:
Energy Tax Credit – $1,500
Manufacturer Rebate – $1,250
TVA Rebate – $250
Total Savings: $3,000

Your Coupon Can Track You!
The advent of online coupons has made shopping and saving that much easier. In an earlier era, people spent their Sunday mornings clipping coupons out of the newspaper.
Now, you can download coupons from dedicated sites like Coupons.com or Ebates.com, or even social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. But this convenience carries certain privacy risks: Some companies track consumer spending habits based on the coupons those consumers use.
Last April, The New York Times reported on how a company called RevTrax, which manages online coupons for retailers, was tracking consumer spending habits through these online coupons. RevTrax clients include stores like Filene’s Basement, Lord & Taylor, and Micro Centre; restaurants like Ruby Tuesday; and a number of marketing agencies representing multiple clients.

>>>

“Just wanted to make your readers aware of some great resources that are updated monthly and available at N0 C0ST. — GlobalSources started publishing monthly emagazines of ‘verified’ product sources in China and throughout Asia in PDF format in 2009 and just last month increased the number of product categories from 16 to 18. — These emagazines are not just a few pages as several are well over 100 pages in length with direct, clickable links to the supplier’s email and/or website. — The categories include Auto parts & Accessories, Electronics, Baby & Childrens products, Security products, Hardware & DIY, Telecom, Gifts & Premiums, Sports & Leisure, Computer Products, In Car Electronics & GPS, Solar & Energy Saving Products and more. — Generally, the first week of every month is when these emagazines are updated and when new categories are added, if any.”

Here is where you can sign up for one or all eighteen (N0 C0ST): http://tinyurl.com/y7u2ak9

Home Funerals Are More Personal and Less Expensive
Joshua Slocum
Funeral Consumers Alliance

Home funerals are more personal and less expensive than traditional funerals. Family members wash and dress deceased loved ones for burial, arrange viewing hours, even can build the coffin and conduct the funeral service. Families must get a death certificate — usually from the doctor in attendance at death or the deceased’s primary care doctor — and a transit permit (from the health department) so that the body can be moved from a hospital to a home, cemetery or crematory. Some communities, especially those in rural or semirural areas, allow backyard burial. Families are allowed to handle the body themselves in most states — only Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and New York require involvement of a funeral director. Cost savings can be significant — an average funeral costs about $6,000, but a home funeral may cost as little as $250.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Joshua Slocum, executive director, Funeral Consumers Alliance, South Burlington, Vermont. www.funerals.org.
NOTE: The Poor Man recently buried both of his parents & funerals are unbelievably expensive as are the obits in newspapers.

Hydroright Dual-Flush Converter Hyr270
Convert your old toilet into a dual flush-no tools required!
As low as $25.70 from Home Depot
Description: The HydroRight Dual-Flush Converter turns standard toilets into 2-button fixtures that is designed to help reduce water usage. The quick-flush setting uses significantly lower water volume for liquids and paper, while the full-flush setting uses the normal amount of water for solids.

Reading a Bar Code to Determine Which Country the product is made:

If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690, 691or 692, the product is MADE IN CHINA.
471 is Made in Taiwan. This is our right to know, but the government
and related departments never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products “MADE IN CHINA”, so they don’t show from which country it is made.

However, you may now refer to the barcode -
remember if the first 3 digits are:

690-692 … then it is MADE IN CHINA
00 – 09 … USA & CANADA
30 – 37 … FRANCE
40 – 44 … GERMANY
471 … Taiwan
49 … JAPAN
50 … UK

We don’t know a millionth of one percent about anything.”
–Thomas Edison

Some highlights on the coming tax year-what you can expect…
we feel completely confident making this post-election prediction anyway: Your taxes are going up!
Now, if you are wondering right about now if we have been living in a cave the last few weeks, don’t worry. We know that the Republicans seem poised to take back control of the House of Representatives, and make inroads in the Senate. And yes, we know that many Republicans have talked about tax cuts in one form or another.
BUT here’s the truth:
Thanks to a weak economy, tax revenue fell again in 2010. That means less money to pay for our massive deficit and to keep feeding the government’s huge appetite for spending.
We know the government isn’t going to significantly cut spending to pay these bills, so there is no other alternative but higher taxes.

Higher taxes on marriage and family.

The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income.

The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child.

The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level.

The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and Employer Tax Hikes

When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise-the AMT won’t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired.

The major items include:

The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year.

According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center , Congress’ failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families-rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers

Medical insurance will be INCOME on your W2′s!

One of the surprises we’ll find come next year, is what follows – - a little “surprise” that 99% of us had no idea was included in the “new and improved” healthcare legislation . . . the dupes, er, dopes, who backed this administration will be astonished!

Starting in 2011, (next year folks), your W-2 tax form sent by your employer will be increased to show the value of whatever health insurance you are given by the company. It does not matter if that’s a private concern or governmental body of some sort.

If you’re retired? So what… your gross will go up by the amount of insurance you get.

You will be required to pay taxes on a large sum of money that you have never seen. Take your tax form you just finished and see what $15,000 or $20,000 additional gross does to your tax debt.. That’s what you’ll pay next year.

For many, it also puts you into a new higher bracket so it’s even worse.

This is how the government is going to buy insurance for the15% that don’t have insurance and it’s only part of the tax increases.

Here is a research of the summaries…..

On page 25 of 29: TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET PROVISIONS-(sec. 9001,
as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 “requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that is excludable from the employees gross income.”

- Joan Pryde is the senior tax editor for the Kiplinger letters.

I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?

Well, did you waste a vote this week?

Ever since I can remember everyone is chastised to “get out and vote.” Why bother?
Nothing ever changes, despite tired old grandiose promises made by candidates. For 30 years the American public has been screwed regardless of which party is in power…they’re equal opportunity destroyers!

Neither party has done anything about a national energy program to get us off our foreign oil addiction. No one has done a damned thing about illegal immigration (except to hassle Arizona). Neither party has stopped its bankrupting of America. Neither party has strengthened our privacy laws. Neither party has obeyed the tenants of the Constitution.

“Our nation is headed in the wrong direction, and both parties are to blame.”
–Marco Rubio

What have they done? As far as I can see, they’ve enriched themselves and their corporate masters, violated the American worker and have ruined the American Dream.

Lies and more lies is all I’ve seen for 30 years. Yes, I am jaded but with strong foundation. Here’s my challenge to ANYONE: During the past 35 years have any of these areas of life improved for Americans?

–Quality and cost of education
–worker wages and benefits
–cost of living-housing, food, utilities
–Our national debt, trade balance
–Our standing in the world
–stopped illegal immigration
–Improvements in cost of health care, prescriptions, etc.
–Your privacy

The bilge rats who really run this country keep feeding the masses nonsense about how important it is to get out and vote. They want you to believe that, otherwise, if people knew the truth, they might actually have the cajones to rebel and they couldn’t have that. So as long as the sheep continue to believe, they will be led to slaughter.

We have lost ground in every single category and I challenge anyone to point out otherwise and to tell me voting has improved this country. Since the jackasses in Congress allowed the creation of the un-Constitutional Fed and the income tax, we’ve lost 95% of the value of our dollar and they’ve sold us out ever since.

There is one thing both demorats and repubs have agreed on for the past 30 years – ignore the Constitution & stick it to the people! Career politicians are the bane of this country.

Here are a few fun things…

The most interesting thing about the Quiz is that it goes beyond the Democrat, Republican, and Independent.
The Quiz has gotten a lot of praise. The Washington Post said it has “gained respect as a valid measure of a person’s political leanings.” The Fraser Institute said it’s “a fast, fun, and accurate assessment of a person’s overall political views.” Suite University said it is the “most concise and accurate political quiz out there.”

Click on the link below:

http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz

I’ve been cheated, I’ve been lied to…theme song of Washington sung by my buddy Linda

Here’s a little movie we created about voting.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7539911

That’s it from the old contrarian, muckraking curmudgeon Poor Man!

Http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

Signs US Middle Class is Becoming Extinct

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

MI takes top award for Red Tape State
Quick, improvised weapons to defend yourself with
EBay alternatives & listing strategy to increase sales
Giant sucking sound heard is the decimation of working Americans

I think almost every economist would agree that government gets itself in trouble when it tries to interfere with voluntary behavior.” — Milton Friedman

Michigan fails its citizens-ranks 48th on the happiness scale…Or why are stupid people allowed to rule?

Using a variety of unscientific, but hands on methods, the Poor Man has ranked Michigan at the bottom of the list in citizen-friendly states. Ranking is based on government caused red tape, cost of living and ease of use.

While most state governments at least make an attempt to help citizens, MI does not. Detroit and Flint rank the worst in the country when it comes to crime. MI is the 2nd highest state in the union to insure a vehicle (LA is #1). It also ranks low in attracting new business investment (read: jobs) because of rules, regulation and red tape.

MI does not want its citizens to protecting themselves either. MI has banned its citizens from owning non-lethal weapons including mace, pepper spray or stun guns and obtaining a pistol is even tougher requiring cash and lots of time. Michigan does not recognize Concealed Carry permits issued by other states as they use a “different” FBI for background checks so they can charge you high fees.

I was surprised and angered at a recent phone call from a very loud county official yelling and threatening me with legal action over the placement of an older mobile home on some property we own. Obviously, this poor citizen did not know of all the various requirements in place as none are posted on their website and beside, they don’t own the acreage, we do and I thought private property rights were guaranteed in this country so long as one doesn’t pose a health hazard.

We ‘rehabbed’ a similar mobile on our other property (in a more citizen friendly, green state) complete with Florida room and front deck and secondary roof and it looks great and we did not require the permission of any local government bureaucrat as it should be.
But apparently, county officials here are against recycling of such homes or from what we can determine, they oppose low cost housing in these tough times. We can only assume they would rather see folks homeless and plenty of stuff be placed into landfills…how inappropriate for the growing green movement everywhere in the country except Michigan.

Detroit ranked number one as the worst city in the nation to live (Forbes Misery Index).

The University of Warwick, CNS News, and Forbes Magazine and other entities were researched to reach this conclusion. Nevada ranks No. 2 while Texas ranks high on the user-friendly scale. They all could take a lesson from Norway which ranks highest in the world in citizen satisfaction. Let’s hope the new governor of MI can get things going along the right path.

I ran into my friend Dave this afternoon. He’s a guy I buy silver coins from and he tells me prices went up again today…what a shock!
Gold went up $41 an ounce and silver went up $1 per ounce. As I warned in the last issue, the Fed is playing some dangerous games to essentially buy back the debt.

Because of these actions, the price of food and fuel are already rising and will likely see hikes about 10 cents a gallon or more by Thanksgiving and it has nothing to do with supply. Americans are using less fuel but in effect, the Fed action will act like a hidden tax as our dollar becomes worth less on the world market…

Giant Sucking Sound
The reality is that no matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working American workers are, they just cannot compete with people who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at less than a dollar an hour on the other side of the world. After all, what corporation in their right mind is going to pay an American worker 10 times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? See how much Americans have lost in the past few years at the end of this week’s bulletin.

Daylight Wasting Time Is Coming To An End
It’s Time To Set Your Clocks Back An Hour!

This week’s tools, tips & teasers

Facebook is a wonderful tool to connect with family and friends, problem is that some of the time we’d like the things we post to only be viewable by certain people.

Here’s how to post more privately…

First, get on Facebook and enter your desired post in the “What’s on your mind?” area.

Now, click the lock icon and choose Customize
In the resulting window, you’ll see options to choose specifically who to make the post visible to, or who to hide the post from. All you need to do to hide a post from someone (or multiple people) is type their name into the box as shown in the graphic below. As long as they are your friend, their name should pop up for you to select.
When you’re done, click Save Setting.

Now all you have to do is click Share and your post will go out to everyone except those you specified.

What You Own, a site that offers free software that will help you inventory what you own. There are a lot of practical reasons to create an inventory of what you own. What if your house burned down? What if you were robbed? What if you’re moving and need a better way to know what you have, so that you can pare down or store correctly? I suggest that before you download the software and go to town making an inventory, that you read the FAQ section. This will answer a lot of the questions you may have or that may spring up before you get started

http://www.whatyouown.org/

Find Overstocks, odd lots, customer returns, one day auctions starting a $1
www.rockbottomauctions.com

Winter Proof your car batteryWhen your engine is cool, remove the battery caps, clean with a wire brush and then cover with untinted lip balm before replacing the cap. The petroleum base will form a waterproof layer protecting them from salt and snow.

Spiffy for Gmail-free notifier for new email. It’s free & allows customization

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,155610/description.html

More eBay Alternatives
Although eBay remains the largest auction site, it is being challenged by Amazon and other selling platforms. Here are a couple of others you might want to explore, many offering lower or free costs and better features.
>>This site provides free tools to help you build your own web store & you can import your eBay listings.
www.ecrater.com
>>This site is a hybrid of eBay, and etsy and social network…think garage sale.
www.Bonanzle.com

One key to getting top dollar on eBay auctions-is to maximize exposure. The Poor Man does this by having his listings automatically appear on Facebook. Here’s another idea. Post the item on a Thursday and set the auction to a 10-day listing which allows your posting to appear during the course of two weekends. Saturday & Sunday are two highest traffic days. (10-day listings cost more so be sure your item justifies this).

Snag Special Deals-this site guarantees its deals are valid-good for vouchers obtained from sites like Groupon.com or LivingSocial.com (more than 500 sites have jumped on the group buying discount bandwagon).
www.Lifesta.com

“A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity.”
– Sigmund Freud

Common Goods As Self-Defense WeaponsBy Lost Johnny
We are never unarmed, we can always use something as a weapon. This article is dedicated to use common goods as a self-defense weapons.
One of the most popular ordinary things being used for self-defense is undoubtedly the simple pen. It has several advantages: absolute legality, small size, and, that is the most important, pen is usually not considered as a potential weapon by attackers, so you can carry it openly, attached to your front pocket. The simple pen looks harmless enough, but you can use it successfully as relatively powerful weapon.
As a self-defense weapon, pen can be used like a dagger or a stiletto. Use a pen to stab assailant’s body/chest/neck. If he continues with the attack, you can also use your pen to give him an eye gouge. Alternatively, you can use your pen to stab his groin as many times as you can – then escape! You can also apply pen to break body grips.

Editors Note: As previously mentioned, a can of RAID or Black Flag Wasp killer spray (the one with the extended spray head) is pretty good to use instead of mace or pepper spray and is readily available. We also mentioned using a knitting needle as a weapon…thanks grandma!

Nail file is being widely used as a women’s self-defense weapon. The defense tactics with a nail file are quite similar to those with a pen: quick stabs at an attacker’s face, eyes, neck, groin.
Umbrella – can be successfully used as a cane, striking the header and wave strokes to an assailant’s body. It allows to block enemy’s hits and edged weapon attacks. Umbrella with a handle of a bent (Ã-like) shape one may use as a tonfa.
Hair spray/ air freshener/ deodorant spray can also become self-defense weapon. Spray them in an assailant’s eyes; the aerosol’s components act as an irritants, cause short-timed enemy’s blindness and disorientation. There’re known some facts about another spray use possibility: spray aerosol on an attacker’s body or face and light by a cigarette lighter. Ordinary household spray turns into the small but harmful flame-thrower.
Computer cable with a massive plug-and-socket at the end one may use as a flexible chain-like weapon. This improvised weapon allows to keep self-defender at a distance from an attacker and strike intense blows.
It’s not hard to find a stone (or a brick/solid piece of asphalt) in the street and use it as a defensive weapon. Stones serve people as a weapons since prehistoric times and are being used by a modern street fighters as before. There’re two different ways of use of stone in a battle: use it as a missile weapon throwing at assailant and use it as impact weapon squeezed in your fist. The first way is actually not very efficient, but allows to keep defender at a distance from his enemy; the second is potentially more successive, but compels self-defender to come into close combat. Strike quick and powerful blows at an assailant’s head. If you want to win, your stone-fighting technique must be utterly cruel and brutal.
Glass bottle (for beer, whisky, vine, etc.) is known as popular street weapon. Bottle is usually used as baton striking opponent’s head. Often even one strong blow upon somebody’s head is quite enough to put him out of action. Then the bottle breaks, it transforms to a very dangerous and impressive weapon – the neck with a lot of very sharp and non-uniform ends.
Plastic bottle with water – can be used as a baton which usually doesn’t break.
The overall efficiency of this improvised weapon depends on its weight (the volume of water it contains). Plastic bottle with 3 and more pints of water is really powerful weapon. Moreover, it usually doesn’t leave a visible traces of strokes on its victims’ bodies. Due to this feature, some police officers use such batons for inflicting torture on suspect people.
Electric flashlight in solid metal casing (Mag Lite type) is versatile tool, being used not only for lighting, but for self-defense purposes. Many police officers and security guards use it as a metal baton. This tool is suitable for striking short and quick blows on an opponent’s head, shoulders and hands, short-distance header blows on a face, neck and groin, for blocking enemy’s attacks.

http://www.self-defender.net/article8.htm

“We’ve never been in this unstable position in
The entire currency history of 3,000 years.”
–Nobel Laureate, Robert Mundell
Wall Street Journal-10/2010

Victory! Federal Court Upholds Amazon Users’ Privacy and Free Speech Rights

Last month, a federal district court in Seattle ruled that the North Carolina Department of Revenue’s (NCDOR) demands for detailed information about the purchases of Amazon.com customers violated the Constitution and the federal Video Privacy Protection Act….too many governments are far too reaching…now NY needs a lesson in leaving the Native Americans alone.

Parting Thoughts…

Ebay & Antiques Roadshow=Microcosm of US Economy

I’m frequently asked why I spend so much time on economic issues in this letter. That should be apparent-the economy affects all of us and how well we live. Years ago I used to following analogy to teach my kids about how the economy works.

EBay started off as a brilliant place to sell antiques and collectibles & it accounted for about 60% of revenues in the beginning. With the advent of the PBS Antiques Roadshow series, most Americans (the show is based on a British version) came to realize how many collectibles they owned and soon eBay was flooded with the same item which drove prices down.

Once sellers of mainstream products got on board, they too drove prices down. Laptops, still a big seller, have come down in price as manufactures flooded eBay. The same applied to real estate. There was a glut of high priced/over priced homes on the market and few builders were creating stock for the middle or lower middle class (teachers, firemen, etc.) and when urged by HUD to start making loans to minorities and lesser qualified borrowers, we created another bubble.

The glut of everything fed the gluttons no more as I told these kids…simple economics that our government ignores as well. As more investors flee the US dollar, precious metal prices increase. As Washington and the Fed print more fiat money, they must find buyers for more than 40% of the national debt (growing at a rate of 41 cents for every dollar spent by the government).

All financial markets have been heavily focused on the U.S. and the Fed’s plans for more quantitative easing…economic history strongly suggests this isn’t a wise move.

Because of all this government chicanery, the middle class continues to lose in America.

Here are the statistics to prove it:
• 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.
• 61 percent of Americans “always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.
• 66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
• 36 percent of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything to retirement savings.
• A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
• 24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
• Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
• For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.
• In 1950, the ratio of the average executive’s paycheck to the average worker’s paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
• As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.
• The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.
• Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
• In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.
• The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America’s corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
• In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
• More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
• or the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.
• This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.
• Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 – the highest rate in 20 years.
• Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.
• The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income

I wonder how long Washington can or will continue this delusion of debt accumulation and how much longer you will survive under our current direction?

Yours for scraping by,
The ever grinning, ever amazed, ever wondering why stupid people are allowed to rule…
Poor Man

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A shallow planet production (getting ever more shallow)

Rise of the Surgical Shopper, Avoid Scams w/ SiteJabber

Bruce’s Poor Man Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:
1. Living in small homes
2. Free credit scores
3. Don’t waste your money on these auto scams
4. Avoid or Post Scams at Site Jabber
5. Free magazine archives
6. Rise of the Surgical Shopper

On account of us being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only
people in the world that has to keep a government four years no matter what it
does.”
– Will Rogers

“We Will Bury You.” Was Khruschev right or will we do it ourselves?…Musings on fighting City Hall & the state of America

Some of you may not remember the famous 1956 speech made by the Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev about how Communism would bury the United States. His premise was the working class would rise up and bury capitalism from within.

That may come to pass and as we have witnessed much of the middle class disappearing, losers to the capitalism game and indeed, our country has adopted many of the planks of the Communist Party (as outlined two issues ago). Capitalism is good so long as greed doesn’t get in the way and the playing field remains level…something which has not happened here in recent years.

As most of us know too, just because something is a law, doesn’t make it right or ethical. Most would agree, for example, the right to vote for women or Blacks was against the law at one time and that did not make it right.

The income tax was against the law until globalists infested Congress and managed to amend the Constitution and allowed the fed to take control of our currency.

As America slowly succumbs to a socialistic state, run by county commissars and politburos, we will see more of our Bill of Rights vanish and there is no easy way to fight back.

Locally, there is a fellow now serving time in prison for his attempts at fighting local government. Larry Wilcox chased a state trooper off his waste management business property after the cop had pulled over a suspected traffic scofflaw onto his business parking lot. To make a long story short, Larry soon faced a Waco-like visit from several state and local ‘authorities,’ complete with helicopters and tanks.

Larry, not one to take things lightly, filed liens on the property of something like 80 local cops, judges, and other government types. A big no-no as government types dislike any use of the legal system against them. They will use it to BURY you however and will use overwhelming numbers and resources (using your tax dollars, of course) to achieve that goal.

The average politician is ego driven and somewhat childish by nature and should be nurtured in advance through bribes and favors in the form of campaign contributions and the like.

Therefore, one should know that you never attack a superior force head-on.

All Warfare is based on deception–Sun-Tzu, Art of War

My friends, let this be a lesson. Without massive public support, you cannot fight city hall. You must use a bigger city hall such as the federal government to file grievances against local government agencies and most good lawyers can find violations of civil rights laws against local politicians and other government critters…this happened frequently with ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) laws. When this law was enacted, plenty of local governments got slammed by inventive citizens.

Another useful tool is rumor. For example, local tradesman and retailers don’t take kindly to local bureau twits when they learn their action costs them money and business. Of course, let others spread the news. You simply plant the seed.

It all sounds Machiavellian and it is. So let the feds or others do the dirty work whenever possible.

“[I]f we won’t choose to pay the price of liberty, then by default we shall suffer the cost of servitude — whether it be the iron chains of a tyrannical oligarchy or the regulatory chains of unelected, faceless bureaucrats. When we witness our neighbors abused by tyrants, will we skulk away and hope we’re not next? Or will we stand by them and challenge — as freedom-loving Americans—the tyranny of lawless leaders.”
– Phil Trieb
Source: The New American,

This week’s good stuff & it’s all good!

Build an Earth Sheltered Home for $5K-kind of cool! Scroll down further to read more about small homes.

http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/12/01/hand-build-an-earth-sheltered-house-for-5000/

Magazines provide a fascinating look back into history. When you read them, you can get a sense of what was going on at the time they were written, what the popular sentiment about certain issues was at the time, and get a glimpse into how people lived their lives.

This site provides old magazine articles on a plethora of different topics and they’re free! All you have to do is choose a category that interests you, click into it, and start reading. The articles are saved in .PDF files so that they’re easy to save.

http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/

You’ve probably seen the “free” credit score offers. Technically they are free,
but you have to sign up for a trial of credit monitoring service and give them
a credit card. Fail to cancel the service before the trial expires, and they charge
your credit card.
Fortunately, you can get your credit score completely free, and without giving
up your credit card number. The truly free credit score comes from Credit Karma

http://www.creditkarma.com/

Pouring This Stuff In Your Car Is Money Down The Drain

As the economy has plummeted and the recovery has stagnated, it seems that companies promising false hope are on the rise. In the automotive realm, these are the firms peddling formulas that claim to solve various mechanical problems such as engine knocks, transmission slippage and oil consumption. Some even claim that their products will enable your car’s engine to harmlessly run without oil. Preying on the ignorance and wishful desires of the public, these products are snake oil of the first order

http://autos.aol.com/article/automotive-alchemy/

Food Inflation Accelerating

Cooking oils, left behind in this year’s surge in agriculture prices, are poised to catch up with grains as record demand cuts stockpiles by the most in 17 years.
Inventories of soybean oil and palm oil, used by Nestle SA and Unilever and in everything from Hellmann’s mayonnaise to Snickers candy bars, will drop 12 percent in the coming year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-31/food-inflation-rising-as-cooking-oil-poised-to-catch-up-with-grain-gains.html

From the National Science Foundation. If you run across a questionable site, one that looks too good to be true, you can now come to Site Jabber and find out if it is on the up an up! Or if you’ve already been scammed, you can head to Site Jabber and write a review of the site that scammed you so that others can avoid the same fate

http://www.sitejabber.com/

USPS to Raise Priority Mail Rates in January
The USPS is raising the rates of Priority Mail packages in
January and is introducing two new Priority Mail envelopes.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m11/i08/s01

Recipe Gold Mine, where you will find the mother lode of recipes

http://recipegoldmine.com/

As a survival expert I’m trained to survive extremes in weather, wildlife, terrains and scenarios of all types. Surviving an extreme government is the last thing I planned for. I never thought we would need to prepare for Uncle Sam poking his finger in our chests.
Like many of us, I’m tired. I’m tired of ever expanding and encroaching government and the career politicians and bureaucrats that staff them. I’m tired of our Constitution being treated like a speed bump to the agendas of those trying to strip our freedoms at every turn. I’m tired of ever increasing taxes from the local to the federal levels and those that are busy spending and hocking our futures. I’m tired of many in the mainstream media and their near constant spin.
The video premiere for The Brian Brawdy Show, Liberty’s Line in the Sand at Livestream.com/brianbrawdy.

Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

Live Well in Less than 1,000 Square Feet
From Natural Home, by Carol Venolia

During the past 60 years, the size of American homes has exploded, but the trend is now moving in the opposite direction, proving once more that bigger isn’t always better. In 1950 the average American home size was 983 square feet; by 2009 the average home was 2,343 square feet — even as family size shrank. Finally, it appears people are rethinking housing size. In 2010, average home size is down 9 percent, and many communities — such as California’s Marin County and Georgia’s DeKalbe County — have enacted laws limiting new home size.

A moment’s thought yields a multitude of reasons to consider living in less than 1,000 square feet. Smaller homes generally cost less and require less maintenance than larger ones. A small house consumes fewer natural resources in construction and requires less energy for heating and cooling. But perhaps the most compelling reason for going small is that it feels good. People who live in small, well-designed houses say their homes feel cozier, and they love having everything they need within reach.

Design makes all the difference. A poorly designed 900-square-foot house can feel smaller than a well-designed 400-square-foot house. Homes feel cramped when they have small, dark rooms and insufficient storage space. Well-designed small spaces feel open, efficient and cozy. As architect and small-space specialist Henry Yorke Mann proves in his homes, living in a cozy space doesn’t mean sacrificing convenience or livability. “You don’t want to get too mean about things,” he said.

The Spirit of the Sea
Keith and Judy Scott loved the 450-square-foot cabin Mann designed for them on their British Columbia property so much that they moved out of their main house and now live happily in the small home. “We never thought we could live in 450 square feet,” Keith said. “The home we’d lived in was 5,000 square feet. But the spaces just work right. They’re not too big, and they’re not too small.”

How did the architect do it? “Anyone who’s lived on a boat knows that there are lots of things you can do to save space,” Mann said. He hid storage everywhere, including under the stairs, and he didn’t skimp on quality. The materials are beautiful and earthy. The kitchen and bathroom are efficient and luxurious. Keith calls the sleeping loft “a really comfortable nest.” The vaulted ceiling is expansive, and thoughtfully placed glass embraces the sky, trees, birds and water.

“A home has to have a spirit,” Mann said. “It has to have its own presence — something you can settle into, that you can be quiet in. It’s a question of design; that’s the most important thing.”

“It’s like a little jewel box, a beautiful piece of wood work,” Keith said. “I wish everybody would build half the size of house and use the space right — and use an architect to design it.”

Tumbleweed: A Tiny Home Tumbles Along
In the past 12 years, Jay Shafer has lived in homes with less than 100 square feet. At 130 square feet, the first tiny house he built in Iowa City, Iowa, was too small for the city’s minimum house size requirement, so Shafer put it on wheels and called it a trailer. Through his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Shafer has spent the past decade designing and building tiny homes for those who share his love of intense coziness.
“When it comes to my domestic environment, anything that’s not working for me works against me,” Shafer said. “More stuff means more space and more cost. So I’m liberated by small spaces.”

It all comes down to quality of space, not quantity. And storage. “If your stuff’s not out of sight, it can drive you crazy,” Shafer said. “On the other hand, when everything you need is right there in reach, it feels great.”

Now that Shafer is married and has a baby, he’s added another criterion. “To make a small space feel big, every individual has to have private space,” he said. Shafer designed a 400-square-foot home for his family, with private space for all. Someday, he imagines each family member having their own tiny house on wheels — “kind of a little family village.”

A Garden Home Grows Great Little Spaces
Michael Ann Brown wanted a small house in a large garden. Her 1,200-square-foot house just felt too big. She disliked unused space and fondly recalled once having lived in a small trailer with a big sunroom.

The result is a 996-square-foot, one-bedroom house, perched high on her south-facing slope. The main living areas face south for passive solar gain. Outdoor spaces include a screened porch on the east, a narrow porch on the south (to avoid blocking winter sun), a deep west-facing porch for shade from the hot afternoon sun, and a cool summer patio on the north. The outdoor rooms expand the living space and make the house more energy-efficient. “I absolutely love that west porch,” Michael Ann said. “I cook out there. I often bring out a glass of wine, sit in the porch swing and watch the sunset. Who needs more?”
Indoors, the architects used some classic spatial tricks. They kept the living spaces open to one another yet subtly divided, striking a balance between lots of small rooms, which feels cramped, and one big room, which is uninteresting. You can subtly divide spaces using ceiling or floor height. In this case, they designed the floor slab so it steps down two feet from a higher bedroom/bathroom/laundry/storage area to a lower living/dining/kitchen. This helps subtly divide the spaces and gives the living areas a space-expanding 10-foot ceiling while giving the bedrooms and bathrooms a more intimate feeling, and maintains money-saving flat ceiling framing.

Well-placed windows and French doors add to the feeling of space and light. “I like the amount of glass and the views outward,” Michael Ann said. “At the same time, I like how solid and cozy this small house feels.”

Excerpted from Natural Home, a national magazine that provides practical ideas, inspiring examples and expert opinions about healthy, ecologically sound, beautiful homes. To read more articles from Natural Home magazine, please visit www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com or call (800) 340-5846 to subscribe. (C) 2010

Most governments are an expensive, unnecessary inconvenience.

US Banks at Risk of Insolvency…PM reported this previously

Nouriel Roubini, the star economist whose gloomy forecasts have earned him the nickname of Dr. Doom, is at it again…

This time he has taken to Twitter to predict pain. The New York University professor was reacting to a report by Laurie Goodman, senior managing director at Amherst Securities, who says one in five distressed homeowners in the U.S. faces, or may face, foreclosure, Housing Wire reports.

She says 11.5 million home loans are non-performing or highly distressed at present.

And Roubini says that spells trouble. “Amherst Securities Goodman estimates that 11.5 million households could default on their mortgages, not the 4 million priced in by markets,” he tweets.

“If 11.5 million more households default on their mortgages, most U.S. banks would be insolvent again. That’s why Goodman’s estimates are scary.”

http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/RoubiniUSBanksatRiskofInsolvency/2010/11/09/id/376510?s=al&promo_code=B132-1

>>><<<

Is Every Corporation bent on screwing its market?
…mirrors what the Poor Man has been saying for years & why you need a Plan B!

Ina Steiner, AuctionBytes Blog, has a very interesting post about a long time seller who was just suspended by eBay for one year because she had a couple of low DSR hits. Be sure and read some of the comments on Ina’s post.
What this tells me is what I have been telling my readers for years: You never want to put all your eggs in one basket. eBay is still a good place to sell –but if you think they care the slightest bit about you, your financial well-being, profits or success you are mistaken. You are nothing but a fee-machine.

eBay is a corporation. They answer to Wall Street –not eBay members. All eBay policies are driven by one thing – earning more fees. Anything that gets in the way of that is road- kill to them. Lest you think I am being too harsh –most (but not all) large public corporations are like this. I have had experiences with Google that are far worse than this. There is something about these types of businesses. Once the original founders leave or they just get so big –they forget what got them there and take on an arrogance that is only matched by government bureaucrats.

Your only defense is to expand your business to other venues such as Amazon, your own website, Facebook and other selling venues such as Etsy, OnlineAuctions.com, ePier, Bonanza and so on. eBay is still a good place to sell and many sellers including myself are making good money there –but you would be foolish to think that eBay cares a whit about you. Everyone needs a Plan-B. Read more at Skip McGrath’s excellent newsletter:

http://www.skipmcgrath.com/newsletters/current.shtml

“There’s no business that’s too small for government to torture.” – John Stossel

Parting shots…

During the past couple of issues I’ve pointed our what I believe has been the folly of the fed. I’m not alone as other world leaders have cried foul too as has our own Ron Paul. As a result of the fed action…

Silver EXPLODES 5.8%! Gold surging!
Global firestorm raging over Fed

One of our readers wrote to thank me for the ‘heads up’ as to how this action will prove costly to the American public via more inflation…

”thanks for the information you provide. I told my wife to stock up on stuff and she did. Thank goodness too as the very next day, butter went up 50 cents a pound! Your advice has saved our family a lot of money and time over the past few months. We recommend your letter to everyone we know.”

Ron Paul: Fed Will 'Self Destruct' as Easing Kills the Dollar…

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, says the Federal Reserve will eventually self-destruct because of its efforts to revive the U.S. economy with more monetary easing.

Paul told CNBC that the Fed’s decision last Wednesday to spend an additional $600 billion in quantitative easing — government bonds in a bid to make loans cheaper and get Americans to spend more — won't work and will destroy the dollar's value around the world.

“They (the Fed) can’t manage a dollar like this,” Paul told CNBC. “People are going to desert the dollar. I think the Chinese are hinting that already: They’re not wanting our dollars as much as they want raw materials and other things."

As a result of renewed inflationary pressures brought about by the fed, Americans are becoming what’s being termed surgical shoppers.

The days when shopping was a leisure activity unto itself are over, at the nation's largest shopping centers and beyond. Americans are being precise in how they shop, regardless of what they are buying.
They're visiting fewer stores, checking off their lists and walking away. They're spending fewer minutes online when they shop. They aren't stockpiling food or clothes or much of anything that I can see.

The shift is greatest among low-income Americans.

You can see it during the wee hours of the morning on the first day of each month. That's when government assistance electronically drops into debit cards of millions of Americans. So they line up to get the basics just after midnight, a scene that's increasingly common across the country. Stores that close overnight report crowds first thing in the morning.

The commercial real estate industry is likely to keep struggling in part because of more targeted shopping by Americans. J.C. Penney Co. CEO Mike Ullman calls this behavior "appointment shopping." He's seeing more shoppers only visiting stores when they have a specific reason to buy – Christmas, back-to-school, Mother's Day or another occasion.

Meanwhile, websites like Groupon are becoming more popular. Since its launch in late 2008, the site has attracted 25 million subscribers around the world. They band together to get the lowest price on an item, then pounce.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101108/ap_on_bi_ge/us_consumer_chill_surgical_shopping

http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/RonPaul-Fed-SelfDestruct-easing/2010/11/08/id/376340?s=al&promo_code=B113-1

That’s it for this issue from your friendly tightwad and agitator-the Poor Man!

Visit our sites, spend your money, support my cause!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

$77 for a Can of Folgers-$11 for an Ear of Corn?

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:
War Vets Unhappy
Improve Herbal Product Safety
The Coming Suburban Welfare State
Rent college textbooks vs. buying them
Black Friday Shopping Myths
Do Not Call – register your cell numbers now
$77 for a Can of Folgers Coffee? $11 for an Ear of Corn?

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.”
– Ayn Rand

BBB-Shakedown Group?
According to reports on ABC News the Better Business Bureau is nothing more than a scam; low ratings given to those who don’t pay up and join the BBB. An Anonymous blogger paid $425 to have Hamas, the terrorist group, get an “A” rating from the BBB…supposedly a Neo Nazi group also managed to get a high rating.

Head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, shocked the world this week. It’s time to start discussing a gold-backed currency, he said. Maybe the crown of creation of modern economics – its centrally managed money – was not such a good idea after all. The Poor Man has written repeatedly – the dollar only has value as long as people have faith in it.

How’s your faith? Is what we preach each week finally sinking in?
Speaking of faith, President Obama took a whoopin this week on the world stage and was essentially shot down by Germany, China, South Korea and others on currency talks – three strikes and you’re out Mr. President!

Generic brands, brown-bag lunches, and fewer trips to the beauty salon are three of the top ways U.S. consumers are looking to save money, according to a recent survey. Look a little further down the list, though, and you’ll find that more and more Americans are also cutting back on their cable TV and cell phone service.
A recent Harris Interactive survey found that a good 22 percent of consumers either scaled back their cable service or canceled it completely in the last six months, and an additional 21 percent gave the idea serious thought.

Now that elections are over with, it’s the same old song. Our first revelation is it’s going to be politics as usual from Kentucky. Senator-elect Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) who campaigned on principles, fiscal responsibility and slashing the pork from our budgets announced that he was going to grab as much pork as he could for the Bluegrass State. Politics as usual replacing principles.

It’s clear that there will be no shrinkage of the Federal Government. It’s equally clear that the next two years will be spent jockeying for political position for the 2012 elections. There will be nothing done to fix the economy, create jobs or put food on your table…which is why the Poor Man repeats, voting is a waste of time.

$11 for an ear of corn? See the result of coming massive food inflation
Fox News Interview-watch that holiday food bill!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGp7T2_bV0

Finally, a bit of entertainment as heard on the Rush show…Musical version of Barak, Don’t You Come Back no More…

Economics, the dismal science!

This week’s odds n ends
Improve Your Safety with this Herbal Products Site-thanks Amanda!
With all the supplements and herbs out there on the market now-a-days I think we should look into herbal safety.

Scientific Monograms – this gives you a list of the common plant names with their scientific name. Clicking on the name will take you to a page with a picture of the herb, and some information.

Herbal Fact Sheet – here you will find another list of herbs, and you can click on them to get in-depth information. (Including what it is used to treat, what medicines it interacts poorly with, and so on.)

Check this site out, if you take herbal supplements, or even if you are thinking about taking herbal supplements. It could save your life.

http://www.herbalsafety.utep.edu/

DealNews Publishes Top Black Friday Shopping Myths
Online merchants can offer shoppers deals during the holidays
that are as good as or better than Black Friday deals offered by
retailers, according to DealNews, which published a list of top
Black-Friday shopping myths.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m11/i10/s03

Association of Mature Citizens-easy alternative to AARP

http://joinamac.us

Cut 10-60% off the cost of college textbooks by renting them (look for them on Amazon too). Here are a few sites to check for renting. Share this with others.
www.chegg.com
www.CollegeBookRenter.com
www.BookRenter.com

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER….. all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

…. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked .

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

Your Thanksgiving Survival Guide
If you’re a food lover, this is the season for you! Whether you’re looking for something you’ve never tried before, or just want to put a new spin on an old family recipe, Food Network is the place to go. There’s no telling how inspired you’ll be after watching these foodies do their thing!

And if you need a few ideas to perk up your décor for the holidays, look no further than HGTV. These pros know a thing or two about putting together an amazing motif on a tight schedule. This Thanksgiving, give them a show they won’t forget with HGTV and Food Network.

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As we warned more than a month ago, the Fed’s action would take place & would increase inflation in the US-just look at commodity prices such as butter & fuel. Our readers wrote “thanks for the warning…my wife saved a lot off our grocery bill alone this month due to your forecast…so glad we signed up for your free letter.’ – Barb & Jeff of MI

The Coming Suburban Welfare State
Some have predicted that high-energy costs, either due to decreasing supply of oil or costs associated with carbon emission mitigation, will soon push people out of their cars and onto public transportation.

But there’s something else happening: people are getting sick of spending time in transit at all, making city living increasingly attractive. We are now increasingly able to infill “scrap-time” during our days with useful activity, and location-based social networks make it possible to maximize personal connections as we move about. We are engineering our own serendipity to generate real value from every moment. Why would we squander that potential by spending time in transit of any kind?

In the future, I predict:

Air travel will be reserved for trips greater than 500 miles

Trains will be used for trips less than 500 miles

Bicycles, walking, and local transit will be used within cities

Any local trip longer than 20 minutes will be seen as burdensome

Cars will be seen as a luxury to be used for road-trips + utility hauling
More at: http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/the-coming-suburban-welfare-state/

“Bill of Rights is Void where prohibited by Law”.

Email From Disgusted Iraq Veteran + Other Closing thoughts.

The World Bank has just suggested that the international currency markets be put back on a gold standard…we’ve seen an immediate rise in prices (inflation) as the Fed floods the world with unbacked paper dollars.

But would a return to a gold standard work? Frankly, we don’t know. I suspect it might only if other key countries did the same…

On a closing note. A few days we ago America celebrated Veteran’s Day.
I was almost startled to learn how many vets are mad at Washington on a number of counts. “Think about it. Go fight in a war, risk your life day after day, come home, go back and do it all over again fighting for your rights in America which have been decimated by our own government. Can’t get decent medical treatment, can’t cross the Canadian border without a passport (yet I could go to Iraq & fight), can’t open a bank account without a slave number…”

Civil Liberties at Risk
… I’m disgusted with this president,” Romero told the America’s Future Now breakout session…
In an interview with POLITICO, Romero confirmed the gist of the quote, though he emphasized it wasn’t intended as an ad hominem attack.
“I’m not disgusted at President Obama personally. It’s President Obama’s policies on civil liberties and national security issues I’m disgusted by. It’s not a personal attack,” Romero said.
While liberals of various stripes have or had gripes with how Obama has conducted himself since taking office, civil libertarians may well be the most disillusioned at this point.

The administration still uses state secrets to shield themselves from litigation. There’s no prosecution for criminal acts of the Bush administration. Surveillance powers put in place under the Patriot Act have been renewed. If there has been change in the civil liberties context, I frankly don’t see it.”

“Patriots or Extremists?” we looked at the growth of private militias in this country. Now we turn to a group whose founder says he doesn’t need a militia. That’s because his organization is recruiting its members… right out of the military and law enforcement.

“If we’re going to watch while our country dies and think that there’s nothing we can do about it, we’re wrong,” says Richard Mack, a former sheriff.

The Oath Keepers aren’t in Las Vegas looking for gamblers. They’re seeking out police officers, sheriff’s deputies, military veterans, even active duty members of the Armed Forces. If you’ve taken an oath to protect this nation, the Oath Keepers want you.
So are the Oath Keepers a militia group? “We don’t need to be. We’re the military and the police,” says Stewart.

The Oath Keepers call on their members to disobey any orders, as they put it, “to disarm the American people,” or “to force citizens into detention camps.” It’s a pledge Rhodes recites in an anti-Obama DVD called: “The Fall of the Republic.” See what’s wrong with government at this video:

Ironically, the Poor Man has been down this week with a sore back, something caused by a military related injury he sustained during a training exercise during the Viet Nam era.

Thanks Bob for sending these excerpts to us. As Bob is fond of saying (from his uncle, a former Senator) There aren’t enough real Americans left in Washington to hold up the American Flag! (This is condensed from the original email sent to us)

It’s a horrid shame. I return from fighting Communists in Korea,
Only to find my own country sh___ing on our freedoms here.
—RFP, Retired US Army, 1929-2009

We’re inclined to agree but feel that extends to state and local government officials as well. Hail to the commissar! Is there any reason to be paranoid in this country!?

Some had a glimmer of hope for the future of our country ….
… and the rest of you are prepping even harder than ever!

P.S.: Most of you will be caught unprepared for the ugliness ahead. Many of you are clueless about what you need to do to prepare yourself. That’s not your fault; you just don’t have the experience of having lived through the tumultuous times in our past so have no sense of what it takes to survive rioting, civil breakdown and political violence. Life was just too easy for those of you who came of age in the 80s, 90s and the turn of the century.

http://www.PoormanSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin is an independent, all about urban survival and self reliance and loaded with helpful information on recession survival, gardening, money saving, money making, alternative energy, government bullcrap, privacy and security as well as gold…no apologies, not fancy & definitely politically incorrect.

A Shallow Planet Production

Can I Use Food Stamps as Collateral?

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Communists are now our friends
2. 10 Riskiest places to give out Social Security number
3. Cool products you can get for free
4. Send a free ecard or one with money
5. Humorous cartoon movie explaining Fed moves
6. How to properly check basement for water problems
7. Surviving in the City

Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked: ‘Account Overdrawn.’”
– Ayn Rand

The Paradox of US Recession-Or, Can I use food stamps as collateral?

There is much confusion in America surrounding the recession. The nightly news brings stories of homeless and hungry, foreclosures and federal actions…but we also see stories of sold out Carnival Cruise ships limping back to the United States or one day staggering sales of new video games and Ipod phones.

I see record shattering prices paid at auction for all kinds of items (including a recent gun auction we attended, but that doesn’t surprise me as much) and I can’t help but wonder – where are these people getting the money?

Train traffic is another economic indicator and a set of tracks runs very close to our home and it runs 24/7. Last night, within a 25-minute time span, seven trains went by. That tells us someone isn’t hurting.

Does everyone get a good paycheck, perhaps working for the government? We know government workers earn on average 60% more than there private sector counterparts, but even state and local governments are hurting. So many contradictory messages floating about such as this one:

Car, retail sales boost outlook for economy
The economic outlook has brightened noticeably in recent days, with a splurge of car-buying by consumers unexpectedly lifting retail sales and businesses putting some of their nearly $2 trillion in stashed cash to work buying other companies with an eye toward growth.

According to the US Census, which has a data base dating back to 1946 for federal employment, current “civilian” employment is about the same it was during the Regan era – slightly under 2,000,000. The largest growth in Federal employment since 9/11 is for TSA (airport security) and the . We now have more than 19 million federal employees (about 310 million citizens).

Scroll down to near the end of this week’s bulletin to watch a damn cute little video which explains the Fed’s QE2 actions…you’ll love it. Thanks Mike for sharing!

As I’ve written previously, here in MI it’s tough to get a tradesman to even return a call. They all must be busy working on other projects? The local commissars still think everyone has a whole bunch of money and income as they discriminate against lower cost housing projects…so exactly what gives?

http://www.givemeliberty.org/

This is the time of year to stock up on seasonal grocery items such as turkey and baking goods. Purchase extra sale items and stockpile them away for later in the year. If you find butter, for example, on sale, buy extra and freeze it.

Finally, it would appear many eBay customers believe I offer lay-away. At last count, I had a dozen unpaid purchases from my storefront?! A large uptick in slow paying ebayers.

Here’s what readers can buy the Poor Man for Christmas…get me a Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the zero emission, solar & battery powered aircraft. I’ve always wanted a helicopter, but this will work!

When the socialist economies of Eastern Europe disintegrated, the cause was evident to nearly everyone: the stifling directives of central planning had all but obliterated individual initiative and accountability. The cure was just as obvious: a healthy dose of entrepreneurship and private enterprise.”
– Dr. Lawrence W. Reed
(1953-) President of the Foundation for Economic Education

This week’s cool stuff n resources

Cool Products and Services You Can Get for Free
Look hard enough and you can find a bevy of 100% discounts, especially online. “Facebook is a great source of freebies right now, as so many brands try to attract fans and establish themselves,” says Julia Scott, who runs the popular blog BargainBabe.com.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111305/cool-products-and-services-you-can-get-for-free

One App Will Set You Free…SIRI Personal Assistant uses natural language processing and personal preferences/context to understand complex requests using your voice commands as prompts. Cost-FREE
www.Siri.com

DIY Clay Pot Smoker & Other Projects Can be found at:
www.Instructables.com

10 Riskiest Places to Give Your Social Security Number
We should always be leary about giving our social security number, but at some places, it is more risky to do so. McAfee looked at places that have had the most data breaches.

More consumers are selling the gift cards they already possess for around 10% to 20% less than face value to third-party sites like GiftCards.com, CardHub.com, PlasticJungle.com and GiftCardRescue.com. Sales at GiftCardRescue.com are up 1,000% through October of this year compared to the same period in 2009, says Kuadey. PlasticJungle.com says sales have more than doubled through the middle of this year. “People would rather use the cash anywhere they like than be restricted to a specific store,” says Dan Horne, professor of marketing who tracks the gift-card industry at Providence College. In turn, consumers who shop at specific stores can buy the cards at a discount; for example, GiftCards.com recently listed a SpaFinder gift card worth $100 for $86 and a $37 Home Depot card for …

Read more: Why Cash Is the New Plastic – Spending – Budgeting – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/budgeting/3-signs-cash-is-making-a-comeback/#ixzz15M6hNraq

Send a free Thanksgiving e-card…animated and personalized with your message
www.Care2.com/send/catthanks1.html
Even though the popularity of gift cards seems to have waned somewhat, try this new service to make it more personal by uploading a special image and message. Go to:
www.GiftCardMall.com

Does your kid have a wish list?
Send a letter to Santa via Macy’s which has placed special boxes at their mall locations. For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Dave Guindon’s eBay feedback analyzer software-free

http://www.feedbackanalyzer.com/download.php

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or simply stocking up your family food storage, The Ready Store
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If your furnace quits or breaks down try these eight simple solutions before you call for service help. You can solve the problem and avoid a $200 service call.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Heating—Cooling/Furnace-Repair/simple-furnace-fixes?pmcode=IAFEC967&_mid=765734&_rid=765734.595400.338589

Make Your Own Windshield Scratch Remover
Ever see those guys standing on a street corner offering to remove scratches from your auto glass free of charge? Most of the time it is a scam designed to bilk your insurance company. Grit on your wiper blades will cause scratches (along with neighborhood kids) making night time driving a pain in the butt as the light from oncoming cars can be blinding especially as one gets older. Try this home made approach before calling your insurance agent.
Ingredients

Jeweler’s rouge
4 oz. of ammonia
1 gal of water

Get out that handy portable drill you have and fasten a lamb’ wool buffing pad to it. You might want to wear some rubber gloves and use a safety rated indoor/outdoor extension cord for your drill.
Rub the rouge onto the buffing pad until it is coated with powder. Place on your windshield where the scratches are and turn on. If the scratches aren’t too deep, this action will restore the glass. Afterward, mix the ammonia and water in a bucket (this is why you might want rubber gloves) and wash the windshield and then dry with some paper towels.
Note: you can get the rouge from a jeweler and ask for a grade suitable for polishing glass.

Damp Basement?
We didn’t find basements too often while living in AZ but MI has many and they’re often referred to as MI basements due to dampness. Here’s a pretty quick way to determine if the moisture is seepage from inside or merely condensation from inside.

Tape a piece of aluminum foil tightly to the inside of your basement wall. After a few days, examine the foil. If the wall side is wet, you have seepage. If the room side is wet, the problem is condensation. If both sides are wet, you need to waterproof that basement and use a dehumidifier.

Surviving in the City
This article appears on the End Times Report webpage
(http://www.endtimesreport.com/Surviving_in_the_City.html) and should be required reading for any individual
who is preparing for ‘hard times’, regardless of cause. This article is from Christopher Parrett’s book, “The
LDS Preparedness Manual” which is posted for free downloading to any and all at
http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/ The author also has a web site at
www.anothervoiceofwarning.org This has been around since Y2K days and is still relevant.

Download one of the themed shopping lists from FreePrintableGroceryList.com. The Thanksgiving list features a cute turkey graphic and lists items commonly purchased for that holiday. The site also has a Christmas menu planner and a gift-shopping list template. Everything at the site is free to download and print, and you can choose from PDF or editable DOC versions. (The DOC versions are especially handy, because you can type right into the lists using Microsoft Word or another compatible word processing program.) Here’s link to the holiday lists, but be sure to check out the master grocery list and other printables as well:
www.FreePrintableGroceryList.com/category/holiday

Vanishing Point: How to disappear in America without a trace

http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/vanish.htm

May we be a channel of blessings for all that we meet.
– Edgar Cayce, American spiritualist (1877-1945)

Guest Editorial
Our Vanishing Rights
Our inalienable rights, guaranteed by the United States Constitution, have steadily become alienable. The actions of Congress and the States are restricting our freedom.

Years ago, with the advent of the automobile, when codifying this new means of transportation, states decreed that having a driver’s license was a right. Today, having a driver’s license is a privilege. It would be awkward, if not impossible, for the courts to penalize individuals by taking away their right to drive a vehicle.

In many states, you can be ticketed for not having a seat belt fastened when driving a vehicle or not wearing a helmet operating a motorcycle and riding a bicycle.

There are federal and state laws preventing smoking in certain prescribed areas. There are a multitude of rules and regulations dictating how businesses, professions, and manufacturing can be managed.

Politically correct speech, though not a formal law, is an incursion on our vocabulary. A subtle control on how we express ourselves.

Undeniably, some of these laws, such as requiring seat belts and helmets, are logical measures to lessen injuries if there are accidents. Non-the-less, if some people are foolish enough not to take these precautions, it is their constitutional right to make those choices. This philosophy of “the government knows what is best for you” leads to complete control of our lives. Big Brother telling us what to do is a Dictatorship not a Democracy.

Some of these controls and restrictions may be unconstitutional. Yet, there is no uproar by the passive public, which results in the further removal of our rights. One feature in the proposed national health insurance plan calls for mandatory insurance for all citizens.

The appeal and success of our Republic is based largely upon the freedom its citizens enjoy, unrestricted by authority. Let’s not squander anymore of our constitutional rights to our control-seeking, elected officials. Vote the incumbents out of office to re-establish that they are our servants, not our masters.

By: A. Woodrow
Author, How to Make Your Vote Count
Founder, Democracy Conservator Foundation
“Preserving our democratic representative government through smart voting”

http://www.DemocracyConservator.org

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2785668/are_our_constitutional_rights_eroding.html

Sidebar:
Your property rights are under assault
There’s no doubt private property was one of the founding tenets of our country but state and local governments have increasingly violated those rights.
Private property rights have attributes in addition to determining the use of a resource. One is the exclusive right to the services of the resource…
weakened private property rights are socialism and “commonly owned” resources. Under socialism, government agents—those whom the government assigns—exercise control over resources. The rights of these agents to make decisions about the property they control have expanded greatly in America without regard to the rights of the citizens who have paid for the property.

http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg802

http://prfamerica.org/speeches/10th/USPrivatePropertyRightsUnderIntlAssault.html

http://www.cato.org/testimony/ct-pi210.html

I have no need to run for president anymore. The Democratic Party has adopted my platform!
–Norman Thomas-Socialist Party/1940

Thanks Mike for sharing this…

I Should Have Moved to OK vs. Communist MI…drat!!!

Several weeks ago, OK passed a law, declaring Oklahoma as a Sovereign state, not under the Federal Government directives. Joining Texas, Montana and Utah as the only states to do so. More states are likely to follow: Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolina’s, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, West Virginia,Mississippi, Florida. Save your confederate money, it appears the South is about to rise up once again. HJR 1003 (Wooops!)

The federal Government has made bold steps to take away our guns. Oklahoma, a week ago, passed a law confirming people in this state have the right to bear arms and transport them in their vehicles.

Just this month, the state has voted and passed a law that ALL driver’s license exams will be printed in English, and only English, and no other language. They have been called racist for doing this, but the fact is that ALL of the road signs are in English only.

Oklahoma recently passed a law in the state to incarcerate all illegal immigrants, and ship them back to where they came from unless they want to get a green card and become an American citizen.

The property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable.
–Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations

Oddities:

**A Mystery Missile if fired off the coast of California to who knows where and no one will admit who or what did it.
In the same area a cruise ship is disabled, the Chinese have submarines in the area and the president is in Asia for 10 days. A few days earlier UFO’s were spotted and filmed over New York City and El Paso, Tx and Pennsylvania

**Airport security began confiscating little old ladies’ knitting needles and breaking the mouse-sized nail files off of passengers’ nail clippers. Surprisingly, no decrease in the number of hijacking attempts by little old ladies and manicurists was noted.

**Humorous, must-watch animated video explaining Fed economic actions.

http://www.examiner.com/right-side-politics-in-national/quantitative-easing-explained-video

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Parting Thoughts…our friends in China

A reader sent this note-I find it hard to argue with…ever wonder why we’ve cozied up to Communist China, once an avowed enemy? It’s because the US is becoming more communist every day and we‘re now owned by it!

There was a time when we rounded up Communists, now we’re their buddy. We have Communists within & without…for the first time, true income equality will appear (for all but the political class), but the only thing available to share will be poverty. Ask a Russian.

Chinese missiles can ravage U.S. basesChina’s military can destroy five out of six U.S. bases in Asia with waves of missile strikes as the result of its large-scale military buildup that threatens U.S. access and freedom of navigation in East Asia, according to a forthcoming congressional report.

Communism in the United States is something of an anomaly. The basic principles of communism are, by design, at odds with the free enterprise foundation of U.S. capitalism. The freedom of individuals to privately own property, start a business, and own the means of production is a basic tenet of U.S. government, and communism opposes this arrangement. However, there have been, are, and probably always will be communists in the United States.

Charges that the federal government is inching ever closer to communism are far from new – this 1955 academic editorial contends that arresting all card-carrying members of the communist party would have little effect on our march toward communism: Our own politicians will get us there quite handily on their own.

The Von Mises Institute, in Human Action, argues that Marxist redistribution is a direct form of coercive suppression. They say that both the initial and ongoing forms of redistribution are direct coercion of the victims.

Milton Friedman argued that the absence of voluntary economic activity in communism makes it too easy for repressive political leaders to grant themselves coercive powers. Friedman’s view was also shared by Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes, both of whom believed that capitalism is vital for freedom to survive and thrive.

When most middle class wealth is built on jobs, no jobs = no middle class. So will the jobs be back soon? Short answer: No. And the main reason, politicians’ speeches to the contrary being lies, is deliberate government policy

In Saving Freedom, Senator Jim DeMint addresses his concern that the United States – the world’s great bastion of freedom – is sliding toward socialism. Federal control now extends in various ways to education, health care, financial markets, real estate, businesses, and religion. The walls between government and the private sector are getting thinner every day.

Out-of-control government spending and increased debt are draining the economic and political strength of our people. Senator DeMint provides a firsthand account of the behind-the-scenes actions in Congress that are altering the character of our Nation. He illuminates key principles of freedom and how they are being compromised by big government. More important, he lays out an action plan to reclaim America’s freedom based on legislation that would reduce debt, fix Social Security, and provide a tax credit for every family to buy health insurance.

That’s it for this issue from your merry muckraker-I am looking out for you!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Touch my Junk & Muslim Women

Bruce’s Poor Man BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Get your current issue of Homeland Security Today
2. I want to be a consumer when I grow up
3. Touch my junk, will Muslim women submit to pat downs-WARNING: Immature Subject Matter from Reason Magazine
4. The ‘sissy’ generation-Daily Crux interview excerpt
5. Make a home made slingshot
6. Something(s) are very wrong in America=creating its destruction

It might be more worthwhile if we stopped wringing our hands and started ringing our congressmen. ~Author Unknown

Join the Resistance-Support American Workers, Dump New TSA Pat Down Rules
It will come as no surprise to readers but even Glen Beck did a piece about how the Communists have taken over the US. Positive feedback on last week’s issue came in within the hour of its posting!

As outsourcing decimates American industry, there are a few shining lights among executives and entrepreneurs keeping jobs here in the home front and Reader’s Digest (Dec/Jan ’10) issue included an inspiring story about New York fashion designer, Anna Sui, who is fighting to keep her collections made in the United States.

Poll Shows More Want Job Stimulus before Deficit Cuts
“More voters express support for spending that spurs job creation than for efforts to cut the deficit, according to a poll released today.” (Bloomberg)
Public miseducation is succeeding.

It Happened in ‘free’ America…storm of protests coming from everywhere

WASHINGTON — After weeks of public outcry and lawsuit threats, the administration bowed to demands Monday and announced that airport full-body scans will now include an array of free outpatient diagnostic services and microbrew selections. TSA Administrator John Pistole said the concession will “retool airport scanners for quick radiology, CAT scans, MRIs, bone densitometry, ultrasounds, and more for weary travelers.”
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said travelers can choose “long or short consultations” with the attending physicians. Travelers can also opt out of consultations “and just take their free scans and beer into secure waiting areas.”

For a clever look at what TSA stands for go to Reason’s site-WARNING: Immature Subject Matter

http://reason.com/blog/2010/11/19/reasontv-44-ways-to-say-tsa-wh

But seriously folks…

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has crossed the line. As if subjecting millions of Americans to X-rated x-ray scans and public groping sessions weren’t bad enough, the agency now threatens $11,000 in fines against anyone refusing to submit to humiliation at the airport.

Oceanside, Calif., resident John Tyner found this out after he posted on YouTube a video of his degrading encounter with TSA screeners. Mr. Tyner’s catchy phrase, “If you touch my junk, I’ll have you arrested,” spread quickly, thanks to attention provided by the Drudge Report. TSA was not amused, and an official announced Monday that Mr. Tyner faces punishment for leaving the airport without submitting to the high-tech or low-tech molestation options.

The term is not used lightly. Under 18 U.S. Code Section 2244, ” ‘sexual contact’ means the intentional touching, either directly or through the clothing, of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh or buttocks of any person with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade.” It’s no coincidence that TSA initiated sexual-contact pat-downs after fliers began to refuse the pornographic scanners. There can be no question that when threats of civil punishment are used to ensure compliance, those encounters with the TSA lose their status as a voluntary transaction. It’s even more outrageous that these unnecessary searches are being conducted on children.

There’s also no doubt that some rogue TSA agents seek self-gratification at the expense of passengers. In January, a TSA agent planted white powder in the bags of passengers, according to documents posted on the Smoking Gun website. Apparently, scaring members of the public into thinking they were being busted for smuggling drugs made for a good “joke.” The new screening rules open yet more opportunities for the worst elements at TSA.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano insists that anyone who has a problem with the state of affairs simply shouldn’t fly. Unelected bureaucrats like Ms. Napolitano – known across the blogosphere as Big Sister – have no business making decisions that touch upon such a fundamental right as the ability of innocent citizens to travel freely. In Ms. Napolitano’s view, Americans wishing to visit family and friends across the country exercise a privilege granted by the government.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has avoided answering a question about whether hijab-wearing Muslim women would be given the same security X-rays – or full-body pat-downs – as other passengers.

When the Poor Man was growing up, ‘don’t touch my junk’ meant keeping your hands off my baseball card collection!

Join thousands of others in a petition demanding action against the intrusive airport screening procedures implemented by Janet Napolitano and send #HYPERLINK “http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=226969″a letter to Congress, President Obama and others telling them exactly what you think about the issue.

The American people have been gypped and lied to, we’ve been shortchanged by those in government who always promise a better tomorrow and delivery nothing…no energy independence, no solutions to illegal immigration, no fair tax system, no fiscal prudence, no one in jail from the Wall Street meltdown…not a damn thing from government. I want my money back!

Virtually everything today is in one way or another a potential danger to U.S. national security. There are foreign terrorists, of course. Beyond that authorities cite drug cartels, downturns in the economy, espionage, street gangs, counterfeit goods, right-wing militias, left-wing environmentalists and the multiple personalities of Mother Nature.
Source: Washington Times

>>><<<

Over the 20th century, the federal government has assumed a vast and unprecedented set of powers. The human imperative is to fight those in power who wish to subvert natural law and freedom, something most US political leaders have forgotten in their pursuit of the nanny state.
–The Poor Man, Political Muckraker

This week’s useful resources!

Clear that hard drive
In 2003, students from MIT bought 158 used hard drives from eBay and other second hand sources. Credit cards numbers, financial information, data files, medical records, browsing histories, emails and more were all recovered from these disks, despite the fact that 60% of them were formatted before they were sold.

So, how do you make sure that your data is gone for good? You need to use a secure disk wipe utility. They used to be the preserve of government agencies, but now everyone can get a hold of software that will exceed or meet the Department of Defense standards for the secure deletion of data. Here’s how to do it with Darik’s Boot and Nuke, (DBAN).

1. First, make sure that all the data you want to keep is backed up and copied to another source, because once this process is complete, you will not be able to recover any data from your hard drive.

2. Download the free DBAN software from their website. It downloads as an ISO file

http://www.dban.org/download

3. For more on how to clear the drive, go to our friends at WorldStart at:

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/darik's-boot-and-nuke

DIY Solar Hot Water Heater Plans-Free

http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/solar-hot-water-z10m0zgri.aspx?utm_content=11.17.10+DIY&utm_campaign=DIY&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

Woodcraft & Camping 100 year old classic about the ways of surviving in the woods by George Washington Sears aka: Nessmuk. Get a free PDF copy of it:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/downloads/pdf/woodcraft-and-camping.pdf

Lanae Paaverud, the Social Networking Nanny, Wins Top Honors in Mom Business Competition
From among thousands of contestants, Lanae Paaverud, the Social Networking Nanny has been ranked #30 in StartupNation.com’s 2010 Leading Moms in Business competition, sponsored by Infusionsoft. The Poor Man wrote about her last year!

Get a free, printable gun target from Nat’l Shooting Foundation

http://nssf.org/targets/

RECIPE FOR HOME MADE RYE HARD TACK

1 c of water
½ c of vegetable oil
1-¼ tsp salt
½ tsp of honey
1 egg
½ c powdered milk
Blend all of the above…
Mix 1-1/3 c of rye flour, 1-¼ c of wheat flour, ¼ c of wheat germ, 1-½ c of soy flour and add to liquid. Knead well to make dough & roll out on floured board about the size of a pie crust. Cut into cracker size pieces & bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Make a Portable Candle Lamp-great for camping or emergencies…

Place a tea candle inside a baby food jar (yeah, clean the jar 1st).
Tea candles are cheap and sold at most dollar stores. There is enough room in the jar to store a couple of candles and packs of matches, use the lid to make a waterproof seal.
This is an old military trick we picked up years ago.

Good Emergency Weapon

Newer slingshots with wrist guards make a good, silent weapon and can be quite deadly and accurate (with practice) using marbles, ball bearings, etc. Always have an extra rubber sling on hand as well. You can pick these up rather cheaply at sporting goods stores and departments or online. Here are few sites I chose at random.

http://www.selfdefenseweapons.com/slingshot.htm

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/819659/make_an_amazing_slingshot_like_weapon_in_minutes/

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade including floats and live animals from the Central Park Zoo began in 1924. Three years later, the first giant balloon character – one of my favorites, Felix the Cat.

For left over turkey recipes, go to:
www.AllRecipes.com
www.CooksRecipes.com
Just type in ‘turkey leftovers’ into the search box.

"Restraint of government is the true liberty and freedom of the people."
– John P. Reid

Left wing activities…our weekly rant

Want to keep up with national security issues? All good little citizens should so check out this monthly online magazine-Homeland Security Today.

http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/October2010/

Socialists to tea party: we'll crack open your heads

Yes, those are American socialists and they are calling for revolution here in America. Glenn plays the disturbing audio of radical leftists who want to 'fight' Tea Party members, saying if they fail to open their minds, they'll just open their heads. Hear the audio played on radio today. ( Transcript, Insider Audio)

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/magazine/

More Communist Activity
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Revolutionary Communist Party USA has announced a "Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America," and members say they are planning for a "revolution" against capitalism, with violence if necessary.

The politicians have it easy. At the end of November, the unemployment insurance extension is set to expire. With the unemployment rate still hovering around ten percent, this means that millions of Americans will be without mortgage payments, groceries, and heat. They will be without Christmas presents, winter coats, and school supplies. Sure, maybe a job will pop up. Maybe from one of the hundreds of applications that they sent out, they will get a call back. They will keep hoping and applying, and maybe it will finally pay off. But undoubtedly, the rent will be due.

Graft, payola, bribery…that’s what Washington calls it but this is how business is accomplished in foreign countries. In America, we call them campaign contributions.

Parting Shots…What is wrong with government & why we need radical change!

I know a lot of people I speak with or who email me are fed up with government encroachments at every level. They do not know what to do. They feel powerless and not everyone wants to run for office in order to correct things. Recently, someone sent me a story about a jerk off city councilman who sent cops after some elementary school kids having their 2nd bake sale in a community park because they didn’t have a license. When approached by local media he was unapologetic explaining his need to give these kids an example in there is a ‘cost of doing business.’

From teachers suspending children for bringing an aspirin or plastic bread knife to cut their lunch, to an idiot city councilman trouncing an entrepreneurial spirit, this country has gotten itself into a zero tolerance mode or in reality, a zero common sense mode.

Friends, this is what is wrong government and this Nazi like attitude permeates every level of government from politicians to local building inspectors. We have to many people in power who have no common sense and we need to get rid of them and this alarming anti-citizen attitude.

Politicians have bankrupted this country, discourage business start ups and job creation and have violated the Constitution that it is no longer tolerable.

What's wrong with America today
Millions of Americans are waking up to the fact that "something is wrong" with our country.

Television personalities like Glenn Beck are drawing incredible audiences as people try to determine how America came to possess the world's weakest major currency, a broken health care system, and a socialist-leaning president.

For an unvarnished take on "what's wrong with America," we sat down with Daily Crux Editor in Chief Brian Hunt. As you'll read in just a moment, we're facing three major problems that could lead to long-term disaster in the coming years. You'll also find we should take some serious advice from Jim Rogers… and Clint Eastwood.

The Daily Crux: Fox personality Glenn Beck has become wildly popular with his argument that "there is something wrong with America." What's your take on the situation?

Brian Hunt: Well, Glenn is right… There is something very wrong with America right now.

My belief is based on karma… on the idea that you reap what you sow.

We're sowing some bad stuff these days… We're generating a lot of bad karma. The bad news is that the government is behind most of it, and it will continue to make things worse. The good news is that you can take action to make sure you're protected.

Three of the major areas where we're headed down a dark path are: One, our crazy tax system and our perverse attitude toward success. Two, our food system, which is building weak and unhealthy people from the ground up. And three, a problem Clint Eastwood succinctly summed up in a recent interview, when he said America is living in a "sissy generation"… only he didn't use the word "sissy."

Crux: Let's start with taxes.

Hunt: As I said, the problem we have with taxes in the U.S. could be called our perverse attitude toward success. Read the rest at:

http://www.thedailycrux.com/reports/internal/20091109-CRX-Wrong-Report.asp

I still see a rough road ahead for many Americans as we're still a nation suffering from the consequences of addictive spending of money we've never had.

Let's look at some sobering statistics:
Nearly 2 million people have a negative equity of 5% or less in their homes
Another 1.5 million people have a negative equity of 5-10% in their homes
Over 9 million people have a negative equity of over 20% in their homes
Right now over 14 million Americans are upside down in their mortgages, and this doesn't include the figures of those who have already defaulted on their loans. And for each 5% fall in home prices, close to another 2 million borrowers drop below zero equity in their homes. With most Americans having the majority of their wealth tied up in their home purchase, they're in danger of losing everything.

With consumers making up 70% of the United States economy, the loss of this magnitude of wealth will severely hamper any recovery efforts. We will simply not have the money to spend to get us out of this mess. According to the Campbell Real Estate Timing Letter, "we're facing a no growth/low growth economy–and this means the U.S. jobless rate will go even higher in the next two to four coming quarters." With true unemployment in the double digits, how can we expect any kind of recovery?

The simple truth is-look around you. Do you like what you see in this country? The job of the government isn’t to make everything more difficult or more expensive, it is to serve.

Government stupidity & need for control vis a vis over regulation, is costing Americans thousands of jobs and compliance wastes countless hours of time.

Passive aggression no longer works; voting no longer works…you need to get active in exposing government corruption, needless red tape and more. Get your local media involved wherever possible in order to embarrass the jerk responsible for government nonsense.

The Poor Man got asked to appear on a mid-MI TV station as a commentator on high MI utility prices, in particular, water bills. Should be interesting. Just remember…

If people behaved like governments, you'd call the cops. ~Kelvin Throop

Have a happy Thanksgiving and despite my rants, know there is still plenty to be thankful about. There will be NO Thursday PMB issue!

That’s it for this week from your fed up Poor Man! Stay tuned for the next issue as we’ll be sharing some incredible preparedness resources and details of a new ebook we’re working on to fight the mindless bureaucrats who wreak havoc on citizens.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

A Shallow Planet Production

Beating the Bureaucrat-New eBook, TSA Crap, Resources

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In this issue:

PM’s newest ebook “How to Beat the Bureaucrats”-excerpt below
4 Things not to buy at Costco
TSA Funnies
New PayPal Alternatives
160+FREE Preparedness files-for subscribers-only
New download site address for PM II

“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” – Thomas Jefferson,

Funny TSA photos posted & more!
Like many, the Poor Man got full of turkey & stuffing. For the rest of the week we’ll live on leftovers plus I made a generous pot of chili using our own tomatoes and deer meat…yummy and goes great with shredded cheddar cheese and some leftover biscuits!

The annual spending race has kicked off & retailers are sure hoping you keep the Black Friday tradition alive by purchasing more stuff that you don’t need or that will be obsolete before the next holiday season. It would appear the recession is now officially over with.

The Poor Man has completed another ebook titled How to Screw the Bureaucrats: Terrorcrats Gone Wild. In my research it was scary to learn how many citizens are tired of the chicanery posed by bureaucrats at every level of government and how much it cost this nation. As many have suggested that unions have lost their way over the years, I would argue most bureaucrats have lost their way too and become agents of an out of control government quagmire which burden our system and greatly stunts job growth.

Bureaucratic bungling & BS cost this country billions
And it’s time to put an end to it.

This ebook will cover some of the stats as well as legitimate ways of defeating them and what to avoid (knowing this will keep you out of jail) plus I wind it up with a collection of whimsical revenge stunts you can use to inflict punishment.

I placed a test ad on my eBay storefront on turkey day…after the test we’ll place it on our download site for easy access. A complete description & PayPal link now appears on our site. http://poormansurvival.com/BeatBureaucrats.aspx

It’s available now as an emailed PDF to save shipping costs. I’m going to try an experiment by offering it on a strictly donation basis and will offer a link to a huge library of self sufficiency how to materials as a bonus. We’ll see how it goes…if you’d like a copy now, send a donation using your PayPal account and our email address of poormansurvivor@yahoo.com

America has been compromised by Washington…
But does anyone care or remember?

Most folks would agree that the Poor Man practically gives his how-to library away compared to others on the net or eBay selling similar materials…we’re sure not getting rich doing it and if I could afford to, I’d give everything away so you can prepare for the unpredictable and volatile future. Scroll down to get the link to nearly 180 free survival reports and how to order our new ebook…this is for subscribers only and the link will not appear on our public blog sites.

Finally, the TSA continues to amaze and anger much of the public and as we have stated, these stroke n gropes are a violation of your civil rights. Private citizens have caught more terrorists than the government…it’s like our gun laws. They’ve not prevented bad guys from getting guns, only honest citizens (who have the most to fear and lose to the government). The TSA crap is just another step toward creating an atmosphere of obedience among the serfs (you & I)…the march continues to total dominance.

From Jeffrey Goldberg writing for The Atlantic…

But come November 24th, here’s an idea you might try to make the day extra-special. It’s a one-word idea: Kilts.

Think about it — if you’re a male, and you want to bollix-up the nonsensical airport security-industrial complex, one way to do so would be to wear a kilt. If nothing else, this will cause TSA employees to throw up their hands in disgust. If you want to go the extra extra mile, I suggest commando-style kilt-wearing. While it is probably illegal to fly without pants, I can’t imagine that it’s illegal to fly without underpants.

So put on a kilt, and strike a blow against stupidity!

I can’t help but wonder if this entire TSA crap is less about security, but rather the airport security devices sold by former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. Well, as our rights are diminished in the name of security, here’s a chuckle for you-cute country song on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a8jGVXOMsw

In the past few months we’ve written about new laws that have gone into effect which curtail your freedoms such as the new passport rules, costs and restrictions on law abiding citizens, the new law forbidding you to mail tobacco to soldiers, etc. Slowly but surely we’re all cooking. It’s all about conditioning the sheep-most terrorists caught are on the way here, caught by civilians…not innocent Americans going about their business. Folks, did stringent gun control laws stop bad guys from getting guns -NO!

Just like most events in this country, it’s about the money. Corporate America sells the security devices so of course they push for this crap.

Go to the Group site to see some humorous TSA photos I placed.

Due to my holiday schedule…this is a short bulletin for the week!

The people are the masters of both Congress and the courts, not to
overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who would pervert it!– Abraham Lincoln

4 Things Not to Buy at Costco
Most of us are notoriously poor at assessing a true bargain, says C.W. Park, professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and editor of The Journal of Consumer Psychology. Seduced by the prospect of saving money, we give in to impulse buys. Eventually, we regret the purchase or throw much of a past-its-prime product away. It’s called the Costco Effect, and it’s actually part of the store’s incredibly successful retail strategy. But the effect on your wallet is that you spent more than you would have if you’d never seen that “bargain.”
The Poor Man likes their meat dept., good pharmacy and tires are usually a good deal and it’s the only place I can find the 5lb or larger bags of baking soda which we use for so many things. Get the rest at:

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111341/things-not-to-buy-at-costco

Updated government grant resources
To view the Grants.gov Fall 2010 Newsletter please click here:

http://www.grants.gov//help/newsletter.jsp

More, Extreme Weapons Resource Site

http://www.weaponscombat.com/

From Pig Book 2010 from the Citizens Against Government Waste. It’s clear that Congress could save billions by a one to five-year hiatus on spending. The country would not collapse. Yes, some people might lose jobs. Others would gain. Would Mississippi collapse without the $10 million for the Sustainable Energy Research Center? Or, would or country go down without ten C-17 aircraft that cost $2.5 billion?

http://www.cagw.org/reports/pig-book/2010/

eBay Exec Takes Social Commerce Ideas and Launches Yardsellr

A former eBay executive thinks he can bring the excitement of
eBay’s early days to Facebook through his startup, Yardsellr. We
chatted with Danny Leffel to learn more about his ideas on social
commerce, Facebook and more.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m11/i24/s03

FBI Wants Expanded Internet Wiretapping Capabilities

The FBI is lobbying tech companies including Google and Facebook to win support for an Obama administration proposal to expand its Internet wiretapping capabilities, according to a report in the New York Times. The administration is urging Congress to revise the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), claiming that law enforcement needs to keep pace with technological changes. The original law, passed in 1994, compels telecommunications and broadband companies to make their services wiretap-ready.

Collection Of FREE Internet Business
& Marketing Gifts That You Can
Start Profiting From Today!”
The Poor Man hasn’t had time to check ‘em all out but worth a ‘look see’

http://seorevengetactics.com/

Will a Food Bubble Be the Next Phase of Financial Chaos?
Is a “food bubble” the next financial crisis on the horizon? Some of the same sinister forces that brought down stocks and housing seem to be aligning to push the price of food products into the danger zone for nations and consumers around the globe.

Food prices soared 21% in Egypt and 17% in India last year. The UK has experienced a 22% increase in the past three years. Wheat and corn prices have gone up 57% over the past six months, with sugar rising 55% and rice not far behind at 45%. Food riots in Mozambique recently killed twelve people. Every nation will be affected by steep increases in these fundamental dietary necessities of the world’s food supply and we’ve seen fuel and food jump overnight in the US…bet you a Big Mac it continues!

Another Tear Gas substitute…good on nasty attack dogs.
Formaldehyde-97% solution. Place in a spray or aerosol dispenser and fire away. Will temporarily blind the attacker.

Extreme Survival Guide For The Modern World!
One stop online resource for learning extreme survival skills.
Forget sissy government issued “emergency preparedness” leaflets written for the weak and vulnerable.
Take ownership of your and your families survival in an emergency or disaster, don’t rely on “authorities” or other civil defense type organizations – Read our survival guides NOW.

http://www.weaponscombat.com/

New, Viable alternatives to PayPal Debut

Over the years we’ve all heard horror stories about losing money due some of its practices and with the IRS now snooping on those who make more than $20K or more than 200 annual transactions, it might be time to consider other tools to send and receive money.

Popmoney.com which launched last year and ZashPay.com work like PayPal for payments in that you only need the recipients email address or mobile phone number. If you have a PayPal account, you must first fund it via a bank account or credit card while the above services transfer money directly from your bank account directly to the person you are paying. Both services are offshoots of CashEdge and Fizerv respectively. Sender and receiver must hold accounts on these services.

More and more banks are now offering the above services in order to eliminate checks and some banks will set up these accounts automatically for you. Each require a verification process which takes about 48 hours. ZashPay charges 75 cents to and cash up to $500.

Two more services worth looking at include AlertPay and Obopay, each of which work essentially like PayPal and can be used on mobile services as well. AlertPay accepts money orders and lets you send money to people in 190 countries.

Check them out but exercise normal prudence and caution.

<<>>
Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops-thanks Tina for this after holiday entre idea!

Get some nice porch chops about ¾ or 1” thick & butterfly them
Tenderize them if desired (beat them silly with a mallet)

Stuff with dried cherries or other fruit and nuts if desired
Wrap with bacom

Bake at 350 – about 10 minutes before they’re done…
Coat with a light brown sugar topping and bake another 10 minutes

The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data.
Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession’s first 18 months — and that’s before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.
Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.

>>><<>>Must be a subscriber to access these files!

The media is reporting things are looking rosier on the economic front as folks are already spending more money for the holidays. Kind of perplexing due to the fact there has been no appreciable jump in the jobs picture and what little improvement has occurred is most likely due to temporary holiday hiring!
Happy spending!

The hidden bonus resource for our readers only…more than 160 downloadable preparedness files-FREE!
—you must be a subscriber to view this link
That’s it for the short week – hope all of you had an enjoyable holiday.
The stuffed Poor Man…your new head of Surveillance Information Network (SIN) – watching out for the undesirables in your life!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

http://www.OldBookNook.com

 Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

More Under the Table Income Ideas

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In this issue:
1. The Indian Lament-White man speak with forked tongue
2. Earn cash under the table-more news from the underground
3. 10 Commandments of being financially independent
4. Make your own apple cider vinegar
5. Fixing your own car gets easier
6. Our country is being plundered-mini-essays

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.”– Mark Twain

White man speak with forked tongue

No matter where you stand on the WikiLeaks drama, I have to give the guy credit as he brings to light many shameful US activities. This kind of stuff has been going on with governments for centuries but it’s rather odd to see the dirty laundry being aired worldwide and you know our government is mighty pissed.

WASHINGTON – To ease surging budget deficits, Americans prefer cutting federal services to raising taxes by nearly 2-1 in a new poll. Yet there is little consensus on specific, meaningful steps — and a wariness about touching two gargantuan programs, Social Security and Medicare.

An Associated Press-CNBC Poll showed widespread anxiety about exceeding $1 trillion a year. Eighty-five percent worry that growing red ink will harm future generations — the strongest expression of concern since AP polls began asking the question in 2008. Fifty-six percent think the shortfalls will spark a major economic crisis in the coming decade.

Trying to buy the 364 items repeated in all the song’s verses — from 12 drummers drumming to a partridge in a pear tree — would cost $96,824, an increase of 10.8 percent over last year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by .

The Consumer Price Index only rose less than 2% but that government issued index conveniently fails to include the price of food or fuel….proving once again, there is little truth to come out of Washington.

Indeed, here’s a little ditty called the Indian Lament

Wife he die,
I so sad.
Done gone bad.

Buy ol’ Ford
No good too–
Ride and push
No can do.

White man banker
No can trust,
Take in monies–
Bank go bust.

Republicans,
Stock market hogs,
Run it country,
To the dogs.

Democrat,
He Hoover man–
Hoover man,
Republican.

No more Democrat
By damn–
Guess me vote
For Uncle Scam!
–Unknown-from the Great Depression Era

Treating Terrorists like Americans -
And Americans like Terrorists!

Here are some helpful hints that could make your winters easier to dealwith! Thanks Mitch!

>Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your
headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that
messy mixture from accumulating on your lights – lasts 6 weeks.

>Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol! Wipe the wipers with a cloth
saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly
streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

>Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on it’s way? Just fill a spray
bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your
windows at night. In the morning, they’ll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar
contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water—preventing
water from freezing!

>Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil
on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel. The
cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.

>Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on
the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream
has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

>De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand
sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!
Hope these hints help even just one time!

How to Make Apple Cider VinegarRead more: How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2295083_apple-cider-vinegar.html#ixzz16nr7swkC

Avoid Nasal Zinc products.
Homeopathic nasal zinc sprays and gels can permanently damage your sense of small and does not prevent or treat colds according to a new Univ of CA study.

Here is an informative pdf on using animals, insects, birds and worms for food that you can download for free.

http://www.preppers.info/uploads/Food_-_Animals_For_Food.pdf

Random Password Creator-Free

http://passwordplace.net/

Just for fun-site is so intense that originally I thought I’d write up certain categories individually, then I realized that in one visit I had managed to click into just about every section to see what was there, so I’m bringing it to you all as one but be warned you can lose the better part of a day checking out all the different sections!

Under Updates you’ll find: Matchbox Museum, Comic Covers, 100 Mysteries, Star Tribune, Black & White World, The 30s, Comic Ads, and Miscellany. Thankfully you’ll find a great description of what each section has in it before you click.

http://lileks.com/

– Leonard Peikoff

10 commandments of achieving financial independence and being happier while you do it …
1. Thou shalt live like you’re going to die tomorrow, but invest like you’re going to live forever.
The ease of making money in stocks, real estate, or other risk-based assets is inversely proportional to your time horizon. In other words, making money over long periods of time is easy – making money overnight is the flip of a coin.
Money is like a tree: Plant it properly, care for it every so often, then wait patiently. Stare at a newly planted tree for 24 hours, and you’ll be convinced it’s not growing. Fixate on your investments the same way, and you could miss out on a game-changer.

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/11/24/the-10-commandments-of-wealth-and-happiness/

Fixing Your Own Car Just Got Easier

If you like to make auto repairs yourself, here are a few gadgets, including diagnostic tools, that could make it easier…
Battery Monitor ($19.95). Know the current state of your car battery at a glance with the simple installation (with basic hand tools) of the Battery Doctor 3-in-1 monitor on or near the battery. The device also can act as a surge protector during jump-starting (or recharging). Available from AutoSport, 800-953-0814, www.autosportcatalog.com.
Non-Contact Laser Thermometer ($59.99). Car lovers often need to take the temperature of components in their cars to trace an overheating problem. This handheld tool saves time and hassle because you can read the temperature of things, such as radiators and cylinder heads, just by pointing at them. It also is helpful for diagnosing problems with air-conditioning systems — and can read temperatures from -4°F to 968°F. Available from Harbor Freight Tools, 805-388-3000, www.HarborFreight.com.
Multi Fluid Extractor ($89.99). Changing the oil can be a messy job that may require jacking up the car and crawling underneath — unless you have this tool. The pump can suck the old oil out of the engine with a nozzle that slips into the oil dipstick tube. It holds nearly seven quarts of oil. Available from Griot’s Garage, 800-345-5789, www.GriotsGarage.com.
POR-15 Super Starter Kit ($19.80). A car lover’s nemesis is rust — and POR-15 is the best stuff available to stop rust in its tracks. A rust-preventive paint (a favorite of those who restore old cars), it permanently seals existing rust and can protect exposed metal with a virtually indestructible coating that can be drilled and painted. The kit includes enough POR-15 to cover six square feet with two coats, plus metal-preparation treatment, a degreaser, gloves and two brushes. Available from POR-15, Inc., 800-726-0459, www.POR15.com (click on “POR-15 Rust Preventive Paint”).
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Eric Peters, a Washington, DC-based automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate (MBI). A member of the International Motor Press Association and the Washington Auto Press Association, he has been writing about cars for 17 years. His next book, Road Hogs (MBI), will be published later this year. http://EricPetersAutos.com

<<>>

Our Country is being plundered

Neither the Constitution of the United States nor the institutions set up by that Constitution are enough to ensure the continuance of a free, self-governing nation. When Benjamin Franklin was asked what members of the Constitutional Convention were creating, he replied: “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”

Here’s a small roundup of essays and examples to ponder on the coming cold nights (pun intended).

The Rape and Plunder of America

http://www.sullivan-county.com/wcva/lilley1c.htm

For an interesting series of essays by the famed Frenchman, Bastiat, go here:

http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html

Or view the Crime of our Time video here:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/28/plunder_the_crime_of_our_time

How To Protect Your Hard Earned Money From Financial Meltdown

Peter Schiff: Americans must prepare for deepening unemployment, inflation and possible breadlines

Fiscal Mess Puts U.S. at Crossroads
“If Americans aren’t prepared for the hard choices needed to control the national debt, most voters here must have missed the memo…. Cutting the deficit and debt is the preferred prescription for the economy among 39% of Americans, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll conducted Nov. 19-21 shows. That tops other options, including raising taxes on the wealthy, cutting taxes and increasing stimulus spending.” (USA Today)
Thanks to all the politicians who dug this hole and all those who voted them into office.

Business of the USA for 50 years has been war. Making money off weapons is what rich Americans do. In essence, China is financing our wars and debt. The dollar will make its final demise as the world currency no later than 2018. –The Poor Man

News of the odd-underground living
A number of subscribers are asking about more ways to make cash…

Site devoted to 2012 disaster, but has interesting info on building underground bunkers

http://blog.2012pro.com/2012/10-tips-how-to-build-bunker-to-survive-2012

Information on making money in the underground economy

http://livesafely.org/financial-freedom/underground-economy-work-under-the-table/

An educator looks at how ghetto dwellers survive in the underground economy

http://www.wmich.edu/destinys-end/underground.htm

http://www.4shared.com/dir/17648511/7c1808f/Extraordinary_Books_and_Texts_.html

http://www.4shared.com/dir/13123021/9b2c77ad/sharing.html

>>><<<

Now we've moved into the realm of gangster government. We have gangster government when the Federal Government has set up a new cartel and private businesses now have to go begging with their hand out to their local–hopefully well politically connected–Congressman or their Senator so they can buy a peace offering for that local business. Is that the kind of country we are going to have in the future? –Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachman

99ers: Unemployed need help as their benefits expire

Other groups are taking a more high-profile approach. FlashMobs4Jobs is holding rallies and demonstrations, mainly in New York City, to show how urgent the need is to extend the safety net.
"We want to educate and ask for support from the American public so they understand these are not lazy bums happy to get a check," said Kian Frederick, an unemployed union organizer who founded the movement.

Earlier this month, the group recreated a 1930s breadline outside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to send home the message that many jobless are finding it hard to feed themselves or their families.
.
UnemployedStatesofAmerica provides forums for its 270 members to ask questions, post information or just vent. It also offers resources such as interviewing tips and the number for the national suicide prevention hotline. And it sponsors an online radio show focused on unemployment issues.
"This gives them a sense of 'people are going through this with me. I am not alone,' " said Wendy Ashley of Evansville, Ind., an unemployed factory worker who spearheads the site…in that line of thought, here are some ideas for generating extra income:

<<>>

It is incredible that a system of taxation which permits a man with an income of $1,000,000 a year to pay not one cent to his Government should remain unaltered.”
–Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury under conservative Republican President Calvin Coolidge

Earn Cash: Jobs That Pay Under The Table
Earn cash tutoring college students. One of the easiest ways for a college or university grad to earn straight cash is to work as a tutor. Some skills that are in very high demand for this could involve tutoring math courses, physics, English literature, history, or languages such as French or Spanish. You could also offer to teach English to new immigrants off the books.
Work as a proofreader. I knew someone when I was in university who had graduated years before who supported themselves, under the table, by proofreading essays and term papers for students and charged by the page.
Make a second income delivering lifestyle services to people’s homes. I have met dozens of women who made ends meet by offering professional salon quality hairstyling – in peoples homes, well below market cost of the typical salon price. The same applies to similar work: manicures, pedicures, massage therapy, aromatherapy, yoga classes, reflexology, reiki, alternative medicine/naturopathy, the list goes on.
Work for extra money in the food and beverage industry. Without a doubt, one of the biggest underground employers is the food industry. Coffee shops, bars, pubs, taverns, restaurants etc have employed many people I have known over the years – many of which have also lived below the radar of immigration services for many years. It is also one of the easiest ways to finance living abroad if you have skills as a cook, bartender or doorperson and want to escape and start a new life abroad.
Offer traditional building trades in your community. This “no-brainer”, like the food and beverage is one of the two most obvious examples of an underground employer. Offering anything from complete major renovations to small carpentry jobs, welding jobs, plumbing repairs. If one is a skilled carpenter with their own facilities, one could even build custom lawn furniture, wooden retro screen doors, stairs – right down to something obscure like custom birdhouses, some of which can fetch over a hundred dollars. The construction industry is a huge consumer of undocumented workers.
Earn profit from your craft skills. Selling anything from homemade soap and paper products, to quilting, sewing, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, screen printed clothing, homemade rugs. I know of a guy who, when he came to Canada, made homemade sandals out of old tires which resembled those popular rubber “crock” style shoes. This same guy used that money to fund a legitimate food and catering business, which he still operates today!
Teach music lessons. Offer guitar lessons in people’s homes. Or piano lessons in yours. The possibilities here are endless.
Rent your home or apartment to tourists. Just check Craigslist and I’ll bet that there are people in your city advertising to rent out their apartments for close to what hotels charge! All you need to be competitive is a place that has a good location for tourists and is of the quality that someone would actually like to rent, and you could be on your way to having a competitive bed and breakfast business.
Clean people’s homes or apartments. Start off by using some free desktop publishing software to make some flyers and then distribute them in your area.
Teach classes in any sort of skill you have. Do you have experience in yoga? martial arts? pottery or ceramics? This could be the prefect income opportunity for you.
Give walking tours of your city. If you live in an urban setting and have knowledge of history, this could make you a good income with tourists. Even better if you can make this service unique, like for example offering a walking tour of famous haunted houses and buildings in your city.
Become a bicycle messenger. If you have bike and being a bit of a road warrior appeals to you, you could make several hundred a week, just for a few days work.
Offer to edit student papers. Live in a university town and have a degree in the Arts? Great, then you can advertise to proof student papers. Maybe there could even be a better income if they want you to write them. Some online services charge as much as $20 a page!
Become a personal assistant. Running errand for execs such as shopping, deliveries, etc can pay handsomely.
Become a pet sitter. Often dog walkers and pet sitters can make $20-30 a day just for a couple of hours doing very little If you love being around animals, as I do, this could be fun as well as lucrative.
Offer services for elderly consumers. Yard work, snow and roof shoveling are very popular and obvious choices here. So are any other rubbish removal, spring cleaning services.
Make a second income growing vegetables in people’s backyards. Got a green thumb? Offer to grow vegetables for people for a low cost, setting them up with a starter home garden which you get paid cash to maintain. Sure, a reasonable rate might only be 20-30 dollars a month, but add this up if you did this for 100 people!
Offer computer repairs. Computer savvy? This could be another perfect way to provide a service for people off of the books.

Bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pygmies.”
– Honore de Balzac

Parting thoughts…

In October 1937 the stock market crashed – again and nearly as badly as it had in 1929. The reason? That year Social Security taxes were withheld for the first time from paychecks. Consumer spending dropped dramatically as people had less of their money to spend.

The economy shrank and unemployment shot up to 22%. Money that had been skimmed from paychecks (most folks at the time were a little slim on the details) didn’t circulate in the economy again for another year.

You might think this would be a lesson for Washington. Each time they take away from citizens, it has negative repercussions.

Now that Washington has looted this so-called ‘lock box’ you know who will pay the price for this larceny…certainly not the thieves.

On another political oddity…Eugene Debs is the only person in history to run a presidential race while serving time in prison. He ran on the Socialist Party ticket in 1920 against Warren Harding. Though he managed to get 920,000 votes, he was serving a 10-year sentence for publicly criticizing the government’s questionable use of the Espionage Act in prosecuting people!

2009 saw a 20% increase in the number of people growing their own vegetables. It saw an increase in the number of people interested in living a more simple life that gives them greater control. Living off the grid is more than being independent. It’s about be proactive in your own survival, it’s about becoming more connected to family and community, and it’s being responsible for your own well-being and not dependent on the government to get you through.

That’s it for this issue of pithy thinking! The Poor Man!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

Why So Many Live in Fear, Poor-a-Holics, More

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In this issue:
1. Superfluid – a new social currency?
2. Your plan for the coming years
3. Why most live in fear
4. Program for Poor-aholics
5. Pentagon war games-’breakdown of society’
6. People are still making $ on eBay
7. Using the free SkyDrive
8. Gov’t pressures PayPal, Foreigners to cut off Wickileak founder

“…If a bad guy really wanted to do some damage, he’ll just stand in a line with hundreds of others waiting to go through screening, and detonate his carry-on bag there. Soon, there will be armies of TSA agents swarming through bus and train terminals, then the public highways. Terrorists are smart enough to know how to win against Americans – keep ‘em scared and let the government keep ‘em under control.” –from ‘keepthesheep’

Making money online, on eBay requires constant tweaking
Our Poor Man library has grown nicely but I do believe with all of the free links and bonus items we include we’ve reached somewhat of a saturation point on self sufficiency, preparedness materials (at least I think we have). Our goal has been to offer the most information at little cost, trying to keep all prices at $4.95. – far less than our competition.

With that in mind, the coming year will see growth in the publication of other, related how-to materials more along the lines of what Paladin Press used to offer (except for how to be a hit man). If you have ideas or suggestions or wish to collaborate on such ebooks, send me an email with your proposal or outline. We probably won’t get rich but we can possibly enrich others!

One area I would caution against writing about – Green anything. My experience over the year selling ‘green living-money/planet saving’ books has been dismal at best. Frankly, I think most folks give lip service to the concept of going green. On the other hand, acts done for social good will be the “in” thing for commerce in the coming years.

Stats are showing us that eBay’s traffic is down. Some are joyful that eBay is taking a hit.
However, it has become a challenge to remain profitable on eBay while still trying to offer unique items. Over the holidays, the Ipad and Ipod and other electronics continue to be the hot sellers. Vintage toys, especially Disney & scifi stuff like robots still do quite well. Then there are the unique items such as seller easymakebow who makes hairbow ribbon spike kits…makes on average of $4k every 90 days!

Another person sells digital study guides for current university classes and generates $7k quarterly…a Monkees LP sold for nearly $800. All things Superbowl seem to sell – an ‘07 Peyton Manning patch sold for $700, a press pin went for $237, a program sold for $200…an old pair of Levi jeans sold for a whopping $4K.

Yes, there is a recession but it doesn’t stop people from spending their money.

Creativity is key!
When you use eBay as a TOOL instead of an “end game” it’s still a great place to get started and thrive online…when I say tool, that means building a mailing list from your sales.

I constantly tweak items I’ve created & listed. Example: we’ve had a lot of problems with our Poor Man IV in that I keep losing or screwing up the transfer process and have lost much of this extensive data. So I revamped it and revised the eBay listing to reflect the changes…ultimately, my buyers will get more and pay less.

I’ve now included more information that I created and added a link which will provide the same materials as previously offered at no cost to me, eliminating the need for shipping costs. To comply with eBay’s stupid rules, I will still mail something to the buyer (a letter summarizing what they purchased and how to access it)…will cost me far less too. This is important because as we all know, eBay will nickel and dime you to death with fees and it’s important to keep costs down wherever possible.

I encourage you to share your success stories on generating extra cash or eBay strategies!

<<>>

This week’s odds and ends resources
Superfluid is a mechanism for providing “social currency,” hence
facilitating the exchange of services via social networking.

Members of the network earn “Quids” through collaborative work; Quids
may also be borrowed against future contributions of goods or services
to other members.

Two levels of superfluid participation are available: Activities deemed
to have commercial, monetary value are managed in superfluid:business
while other, noncommercial activities are managed on the superfluid:p2p
side.

https://www.thesuperfluid.com/

Do you have a personal strategic plan for the next 10 years?
Your plan includes three parts:
• A vision— a mental image of your life ten years from now.
• An action plan composed of strategies and a timetable for execution of each strategy.
• A contingency plan—actions to take when a low-probability, high-impact event occurs.

Now is the time to do some analysis before you put your plan into effect. Here’s a good starting point. NOTE: The Poor Man was a member of the World Futurist Society for several years and I feel you might benefit from their materials in the coming year.

http://www.wfs.org/content/analyzing-your-personal-plan

================================

Depression and mass unemployment are not caused by the free market,
but by government interference in the economy.”– Ludwig von Mises
(1881-1973) Economist and social philosopher, escaped from NAZI Germany

Last.FM

Last.FM is considered by some to be the ultimate free music website. It is free online music, you can customize with your favorite artist and songs. You have the ability to listen to all sorts of music, both new and old. Essentially no matter your age or your taste, this free online site has it. If you have not downloaded or heard of Last.FM simply go to http://www.last.fm/ and sign up

Get Terry Dean’s latest offering free of charge-(Dean is a cool guy even if he does live in Florida)
You can create the lifestyle you want where you earn more, work less, and enjoy life with your own kitchen table business…just like we have.
“Secrets of a Kitchen Table Entrepreneur”

http://mymarketingcoach.com/kitchen-table-entrepreneurs-and-you/

===================================

People are gobbling up their food-government subsidies subside to the public
With 17.3 percent underemployment, the only thing shrinking faster than wallets are time horizons. The Wall Street Journal has a compelling story today about how consumers are stocking their pantries only with the products they’ll use in the immediate future, even at the expense of sales bargains. According to research done by , home pantry inventories have fallen 20%.

“For over two decades, Americans bought big, bought more and stocked up, confident that bulk shopping, often on credit, provided the best value for their money. But the long recession—with its high unemployment, plummeting home values and depleted savings accounts—altered the way many people think about the future. Manufacturers and retailers report that people are buying less, more frequently, and are determined to keep cash on hand.”

“Found your new book Citizens Guide to Screwing Bureaucrats witty & useful…ever see the movie Deliverance? Our local jerk off is squealing like a pig now.”

Configure Gladinet to Access Multiple SkyDrive Accounts from Windows Explorer…two issues back I indicated the PM had to migrate files from the old Microsoft platform to its new platform…here’s how plus some tools you can use.

SkyDrive is a cloud storage service from Microsoft that offers 25GB storage space for free. Those who are already familiar with Gladinet can skip this part, but for those who aren’t, let me introduce you to the service. You can use Dropbox which offers free 2GB cloud storage but comes with a syncing app that automatically synchronizes your cloud files with those on your PC. SkyDrive, on the other hand, doesn’t come with this feature. So we are going to use Gladinet, a free tool used for syncing popular cloud storages like Amazon, Google Docs, Google Picasa, SkyDrive, FTP server etc., for this purpose.

Why Do You Need SkyDrive?

With the rising demand for hard disk space for images, documents, multimedia, the risk of losing them is equally increasing. Whether it’s your son’s 1st birthday pictures or your office project files, you should always have a backup. In addition to offering a backup, cloud storage has another advantage over conventional backup. You can access your backed up files anywhere with just a browser.

Why Have Multiple Accounts?

It’s never enough. I mean 25GB is a lot of storage, but it’s nothing if you have a picture gallery of 30GB. Having two SkyDrive accounts will make the count 50GB and if you still need more, do the math.

SkyDrive is great when you think about the storage space it offers for free. However, if you want to download the cloud storage files back into the system, you have to manually download every single of them. Consider what happens if you lose your hard disk. It’s great to have access to all your files, but downloading all the 20K project files one by one will take some time. But what if I say, it can be done automatically? In this tutorial, I will show you how.

To read the full tutorial, click here. From our friends in Toledo:

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/multiple-skydrive-accounts-with-gladinet

<<>>
Free coupon code app

http://www.myshoppinggenie.com/msgdownload/getfreegenie.aspx?key=76740

How to Venture Offshore Without Getting in Trouble with the IRS

http://offshorepress.com/

The governments of the great States have two instruments for keeping the people dependent, in fear and obedience: a coarser, the army; and a more refined, the school.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900)

A Program for Poor-aholics
Can’t earn enough dough to pay the rent? A tiny but growing fellowship of New Yorkers might suggest that the problem isn’t the economy. The problem is you. You may have a disease—a compulsive addiction to low-paying work. And they have a 12-step program to help you recover: Underearners Anonymous.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111383/a-program-for-poor-aholics?mod=career-salary_negotiation

· Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal “Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership”

“My name is Susette Kelo, and the government stole my home.”
Government thieves use eminent domain to steal private property-video

Homeland Security shuts down dozens of websites without court order

While many of the web domains were sites that trafficked in counterfeit
brand name goods, and some others linked to copyright-infringing
file-sharing materials, at least one site was a Google-like search engine,
causing alarm among web freedom advocates who worry the move steps over the
line into censorship.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/homeland-security-shuts-dozens-sites/

“Apologists for activist government never tire of telling us that the benevolent state is our protector and that without it we’d be at the mercy of monsters. It is about time that we understood that the U.S. government does more to endanger the American people than any imagined monsters around the world…By pursuing its Grand Foreign Policy of meddling anywhere and everywhere.”

— Sheldon Richman

Military Actively War Gaming ‘Large Scale Economic Breakdown’ and ‘Civil Unrest’
For the hard core “preppers” amongst us, you may have already considered
this possibility and the chance that the fallout from an economic collapse
may lead to an inability to perform daily transactions with the U.S. dollar,
food supply disruptions, violence and looting, and even a completely
‘down-grid’ where utilities are completely out of service. If you haven’t,
what would you do if you awoke to news of a total meltdown in the US
dollar – one that led to rejection of the US dollar as a currency for
international settlement?

Will you be the one facing off against highly trained U.S. military
personnel holding a “Food Now” sign at an inner city riot? The U.S.
government and many of their counterparts around the world are getting
ready – just in case – maybe you should be too.(China and Russia recently
dumped the dollar)

http://blacklistednews.com/Pentagon%2C-Military-Actively-War-Gaming-%E2%80%98Large-Scale-Economic-Breakdown%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98Civil-Unrest%E2%80%99-/11628/0/5/5/Y/M.html

<<>>

You are no longer free to move about the country
Janet Napolitano said last month that we should expect to soon see tighter restrictions at bus, train, and marine transportation centers, too. Here’s a report about TSA, Border Patrol, and local police setting up a checkpoint at a Greyhound station in Tampa. Note how quickly preventing a possible terrorist attack expands to include catching illegal immigrants, and preventing drug and what sounds like “cash smuggling.” (It’s hard to tell from the audio.) Note also the complete and utter reverence the local news report bestows on these government agencies, who after all are merely “teaming up to keep your family safe.” http://reason.com/blog/2010/12/01/you-are-no-longer-free-to-move

Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder
respectable, and to give the appearance of solidarity to pure wind.”
– George Orwell

Parting Shot-Why most live in fear

Most of us fear something. As in the case of government, it fears exposure of their mean spirited ways through groups like Wikileaks and will do whatever it can (including blackmail and extortion) including pressuring foreign governments and even PayPal in its goal to “get” its founder. This is why freedom of the press and the need for them to act as public watchdog is so important.

Right now there are a lot of folks who fear losing their unemployment benefits. Rightly or wrongly, the government (as I write this) sounds as if it will not grant an extension of those funds. Yet, we all know politicians will continue to accept raises and perks most of us could only dream of.

If these millions, and the millions more (including police, fire, emergency crews) who will lose their benefits and/or jobs in the coming months, what will happen? Will they riot, turn to crime, go hide in the woods to live…what will happen to the small businesses, such as grocery stores who depend on those people who spend their UE benefits at the local Kroger? Will they lay off employees, adding to the cycle?

Any student of history knows it doesn’t take much to rattle ‘law-abiding’ citizens and food riots have already taken place in cities around the world. It didn’t take a day during Hurricane Katrina before looting of stores started and police abandoned their post. Hell, many Americans panic to the point of riot if their cell phones die!

Students of history also know when citizens are hungry or desperate, this is when they become most vulnerable to being led astray.

I once asked my former father-in-law (a former German soldier during WWII) how the Germans could so easily fall for Hitler’s megalomania? His response was most citizens were timid, afraid to lose their job or bureaucratic position. This enabled the Gestapo to have an easy time controlling the population.

“Soon, things we had taken for granted, became a crime. The right to own pistols, unless you were a party member. Even travel became restricted. At first we could only take 50 marks out of the country, then it became 5, passports were harder to get even for non-crimes such as being a Jew or non-citizen. The same kinds of things are happening today in America…restrictions on how much currency you can leave the country with, passports denied for non-crimes. It’s always a slow process and I see it happening here and Americans don’t realize it, just like we didn’t fully realize it back in the 1930s.”

Most everyone knew how brutal and ruthless the regime was with anyone it didn’t like or who refused to be brought into line or disobeyed the thousands of regulations and prohibitions. Many people, even priests, were taken into ‘protective custody’ and jailed never to be seen alive again, all of their possessions confiscated by the state.”

This is how a minority succeeded in holding the majority in check.”

All along the way, there were two types of people: The first group was folks that figured, “This has GOT to be the bottom; it can only get better from here.” Their patriotism was rewarded with reduced civil liberties, higher taxes, insane despots, and a polluted currency.

The other group consisted of people who looked at the warning signs and thought, “I have to get out of here.” They followed their instincts and moved on to other places where they could build their lives, survive, and prosper…which group are you in?

That’s all for this issue from your benevolent dictator…the Poor Man! Please share our bulletin with your friends. I invite you to view this video of how the government is attacking our freedom from the Ayn Rand Inst.

The tap’s run dry, the supermarkets have been ransacked, the power is off and the low rumble of tanks can be heard in the distance. The unprepared who refused to believe that such a thing could happen here will live as wretched refugees—if they live at all. But for the prepared—for the city survivors—life will go on for the prepared.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

The Poor Man is not sustained by any political, special interest or parent company.
The views presented are ours and those of our contributors.

How Greed Works, Dr. Doom, Make Some $$$

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Secret IRS formula/reduce your audit risk
2. Make a few extra bucks
3. Financially fit tips, not made of money blog
4. How Greed Works-the interview
5. $1500 worth of stuff for $20
6. 99 Lies, Stupidity in government files
7. Dr. Doom

Most Americans are not concerned about the erosion of the Constitution, of the sinister interlocking of government/Big Money/Big Docile Media or much of anything other than Sunday Night Football.

Self Defense laws…do you have a right to shoot?
If you ordered and read our Poor Man’s Homestead Defense manual…you may recall the illustration I used when, on the 38-acre farm we owned, two girls (they turned out to be adults) crashed through our fence on their 4-wheelers.

I happened to be nearby with our dog, kerplinking with a .22 rifle and observed them racing toward me. I held up my rifle cross wise, not aimed at them and stopped them, making them turn off their engines. I lectured them loudly about destroying my property and ignoring my No Trespassing signs and they left.

An hour later a deputy pulled up into our driveway. He asked me if I had experienced a problem recently with some young women. (That’s how I learned they were over 21). I explained what happened. Apparently, the women reported me to the sheriff’s department saying I had threatened them.

Thankfully, I had called law enforcement several times in the past over these trespassing incidents as it occurred frequently and the officer was aware of this. He politely told me to keep it cool, that he understood but was doing his duty by coming out to investigate.

Recently , in AZ a law was passed placing the burden of proof on the prosecutor when someone used a weapon to defend their person and property which put the reins on many stupid stunts pulled by anti-gun prosecutors. In MI, it’s even illegal to own or use non-lethal items such as pepper spray or stun guns to protect yourself…damned absurd.

My suggestion – a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is one should only shoot to protect life, not property. Of course, the prudent person will check out what laws apply in their area.

Learn how greed works by watching this interview with Milton Friedman & Phil Donohue

<>

Try this morning shot – This smoothie gives you a good start on the day…
Breakfast SMOOTHIE
½ cup milk (regular or skim)
½ cup plain yogurt (full-fat or low-fat)
½ cup frozen strawberries
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon honey
4 ice cubes
Purée everything but the ice cubes in a blender. Add the ice, and purée again. Serves one.

From the stupidity in government files…watch this cute flick.All actions have unanticipated side effects, but government acting through regulation or legislation is particularly adept at creating disastrous unintended consequences.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences takes a look at three instances of epic government facepalm: Osborne Reef, Corn Ethanol Subsidies, and a particular clause in ObamaCare that is already doing more harm than good.

<<>>

Freedom, independence, and awareness are undoubtedly in decline in the western world, particularly the U.S. In the last 10-days, Homeland Security has started seizing Internet domains from ‘rogue’ webmasters, and TSA has begun labeling dissenters of its new security procedures as domestic extremists.

The weekly blabber & blather!

Online Merchants Face Annual Increase in Shipping CostsWhichever carrier you use to ship your orders, you’ll be paying
more beginning in January. FedEx announced rate increases of
Friday, echoing previously announced UPS rate increases. The USPS
is also set to raise prices in January.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i06/s02

How the Coupon Prof Got $1500 worth of stuff for $20http://couponprof.blogspot.com/2010/11/post-thanksgiving-super-ninja-at.html

Fellow online publisher Steve (and subscriber) writes a tome which should be of interest to all… “99 Lies.”
Law is implemented from the barrel of a gun. That is meant metaphorically in part, but you probably get the point. It is the threat of force that ultimately makes us comply with laws we don’t agree with.
A couple years ago I wrote an ebook called “99 Lies,” which covered common lies we are told or common beliefs that are not true. I explained the reason for each lie (sometimes speculative on my part), the truth, and why it matters. Many of the entries were what I sometimes refer to as “public lies.”
Another description could be “participatory lies,” since they require not only a desire to deceive, but a desire on the part of others to be deceived. Politicians and businesses cater to this desire. These lies can be right out there for all to see and believe or not. Here is an example from the book.

The Business Licensing LieThis is actually a small bundle of lies. First, it isn’t necessarily true that licensing protects us as is commonly believed, or that most businesses need to be regulated in this way. The bigger lie though, is that “consumer protection” is the intention from which such regulations originate. Finally, another huge non-truth is the belief that businesses don’t want this kind of regulation.
People, businesses and governments lie for all sorts of reasons. For example, lies are told to gain…
Continues here…

http://www.999ideas.com/blog/?p=343#more-343

Making a few extra hundred dollars.More and more readers are asking for examples of producing extra money…this is due to holiday shopping, job loss or the need to sock away more cash or an uncertain future. As the fed continues creating more fiat money, it’s not difficult to see how nearly everything costs more now.
I truly feel sorry for seniors and parents who are footing college tuition bills, which always far exceed cost-of-living hikes.
The past few issues have featured a number of ideas and we’re continuing with that theme with this issue as well.
What can you do to earn a few hundred bucks extra this month? The first
step, experts say, is to focus on what you have to offer by assessing your
skills and researching the market rates for those abilities.

>>Become a virtual assistant. world of virtual word-processing work available:
Typing press releases, resumes, manuscripts, medical and legal transcription,
student papers, and business letters are just a few, says Ennen,
who offers a free booklet at VirtualWordPublishing.com on how to obtain
clients. Web sites, including HireMyMom.com, ProductionTranscripts.com,
Tigerfish.com, and AliceDarling.com hire transcribers for virtual work.

>>Become a Customer Service Agent: Another growing work-from-home opportunity
lies in answering inbound customer calls for companies like
1-800-Flowers, Virgin Atlantic, and Walgreens. These companies and many
others now outsource their customer-service calls to companies that hire
U.S.-based virtual agents.

The work requires a pleasant voice, strong customer-service skills, highspeed
Internet access, a computer, a landline, and a quiet place to
work. Though you can set your own hours, most companies will probably
want you to work a minimum of 20 hours per week. Some of the companies
that hire virtual agents include LiveOps.com, West.com, Arise.com,
WorkingSolutions.com, AccoladeSupport.com, Customer Loyalty Concepts
(www.customloyal.com), Overflow (www.overflowusa.com), JetBlue.com,
ACDDirect.com, and AlpineAccess.com.

>>Work One Day at a Time: consider contacting an agency that provides
short-term help to employers, such as KellyServices.com, RobertHalf.com,
and Manpower.com. Jobs here can range from office work and reception work
to landscaping or work in construction, factories, offices, and manufacturing.
Specialized services like Accountemps.com focus just on the finance
profession.
<>

Here’s a timely offer for PM Subscribers… go to this website (http://www.homebusinessguru.net/7techniques.htm) and read the ad. The ebook offered is only $29.95. If you mention you saw the ad in this newsletter, Dave will answer any questions they have about the techniques or about getting ideas or even evaluating an idea that you have via his email at dearestsan@aol.com . Here’s the catch: if you don’t like the offer or the ad, please tell Dave why.

<>

According to the SBA, the US has dropped to 3rd place in terms of being entrepreneurial
And the number one cause of this drop, according to its recent survey-government red tape and cost of insurance!

NOTE: Watch out for government tax traps…they want your cash!

Worker misclassification.” Basically, that’s when you
pay somebody as an independent contractor, thus avoiding the need to withhold
payroll taxes, rather than as an employee. Or perhaps you are paying
someone a salary when they really should be hourly and subject to overtime
pay. Either way, if you get it wrong it could cost you dearly.

The new federal budget hands the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) an extra
$25 million to pursue misclassification miscreants. But, according to leading
human resources consulting firm MBO Partners, the extra dough for DOL
is nothing compared to an estimated $8 billion boost the feds are giving
IRS to modernize and expand enforcement programs.
Implications for small business are terrible. Make sure you use qualified tax professionals to assist you.

>>Little known tax tip<<
Make work pay. All wage earners, including the
self-employed and working retirees who receive earned
income, may qualify for the Making Work Pay Credit
for the 2009 and 2010 tax years equal to 6.2 percent
of taxable wages, up to $400 for single filers or
$800 for joint filers.

Many self-employed people don’t realize that they
can get the ‘back to work’ credit for 2010 — $400 for
single filers and $800 for those married with earned
self-employment income, people tend
to think it’s only for those who get W-2 forms, where
it reduces Social Security tax, because the credit
for the self-employed is not well publicized.
The credit begins to phase out at adjusted gross
incomes of $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for
joint filers, and drops to zero when AGI hits $95,000 for single filers-speak with
Your tax consultant.

Want useful economic information? Known as Dr. Doom, Nouriel Roubini, economics professor and financial guru predicted the current crisis back in 2005 and is now a sought after expert. Sign up for his blog at:

http://nourielroubini.blogspot.com/

Failure to extend the Bush tax cuts will result in an average additional tax burden of $2600 a year for middle-income families earning around $70,000. But don’t worry – if you make less, you’re still going to get hit. A married couple making a combined income of $40,000 with two dependent children will still face a tax increase of about $1,000 a year.

Lower your odds of a tax audit by taking certain steps with your tax return.
You just need to be “DIF” score savvy. DIF is hush-hush Fed-speak
for “discriminate information function,” the secret IRS formula that
decides whether your tax return is ripe for an audit.
Although DIF details are, well, secret, the steps below can help you avoid
the audit hook. “The best defense is a good offense,” says Maggie Doedtman,
former manager of tax advice delivery for H&R Block. “You don’t have to
worry about an audit as long as you prepare honestly and have the receipts
to prove it.” Here are eight things you can do:

1. Be accurate, thorough, neat, and on time (but not early). Sloppy
returns, math errors, and rounded numbers raise flags. Using tax preparation
software makes your return look more professional and helps you avoid
mistakes. Filing too early only gives the IRS extra time to look it over.
2. Avoid filing electronically. Sure, electronic tax return filings are
convenient. But the IRS hires temporary workers to enter data from millions
of paper returns, and they capture only about 40 percent of the info.
Electronic filing gives the IRS fast access to 100 percent of your return.
3. File on time or request an automatic extension. This is a no-brainer, but
millions of Americans still roll the dice. Late returns raise flags.
4. Beware of your income-to-deduction ratio.
Your tax audit odds rise if the difference
between expenses and income exceeds about
52 percent. But total deductions are only
part of it. One especially large deduction
also can raise flags, even if others are
small or in line with other people in your
line of employment or income.
5. Take reasonable deductions. The only
way to guarantee you won’t get audited is to
not take advantage of any deductions, credits,
and so on — of course, that’s the worst
tax advice you can give anyone-Take deductions, but don’t be greedy.
6. Be careful about taking home office deductions. This has been a rule for a very long time as the government seeks to discourage folks working from home. As always, consult with a tax professional to ensure the most legal deductions.

Washington fat cats will bail out Wall Street buddies, but they’ll play games with American workers…how sweet.

http://action.workingamerica.org/c/575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1013

Now, Some ways to save some scratch…
Updated guidelines, better ways to save.
Most of us learned the basic tenets of budgeting, housekeeping and auto maintenance from our parents. But times have changed, and some of the things you believed to be true are not the case anymore.
Following are several examples of conventional wisdom that may cause you to needlessly waste money. Dig in and learn how to effortlessly save money by thinking outside the box.

Change Your Oil Every 3,000 MilesThe little sticker placed on the car windshield reminds you to change a car’s oil every 3,000 miles — regardless of make, model or scenario.
But many experts now say the 3,000-mile oil change is dead. Why? New car engines and oil quality have advanced to the point where cars can go 5,000 to 10,000 miles without a
Change. Get more money saving tips and videos at:

http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-111447-7590-3-6-ways-conventional-wisdom-wastes-money?ywaad=ad0035&nc

Thanks Amanda for sharing this - as a college student, I often don’t have more than two nickels to rub together, so the idea of finding ways to save money, invest money, or just make things cost less without sacrificing a whole lot really appeals to me. And I thought considering the economic downturn, it might appeal to a whole lot of you too.

http://notmadeofmoney.com/blog/

Step-by-step guide to a frugal living style and environmentalism. Features practical money saving tips, ideas and techniques, more…thanks Roy!

http://www.best-money-saving-tips.com/

Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy, finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness (by the government). — George Orwell

*******************************

A Few Good Articles:

Time Has Killed the Constitutionby Michael LeMieux

We have generations of American citizens that have been persecuted by the infernal IRS, families and lives destroyed, and the theft of trillions of dollars from the American citizens on the back of a lie and our courts not only know it – they defend it. The American political system is corrupt! How can we expect justice in America when the courts openly admit to supporting unconstitutional laws?…..

http://www.newswithviews.com/LeMieux/michael138.htm

~~~~~

Global Elites Reveal the Final Plan: Destroy Americaby Greg Evensen

Timing, as I have told hundreds of thousands, is the critical element here in how “we,” the man of valor, respond to the escalating threat circling in the field preparing its final assault. If you can get a picture of our situation through this symbolic illustration, then you just begin to understand the reality of world bankers, international corporate entities, domestic political figures, and all of their related networks and…….

http://www.newswithviews.com/Evensen/greg159.htm

********************************

Three degrees and only able to find a part time job washing trash cans…60 Minutes

Parting Shots…Dept. of Homeland Insecurity
If you’ve made public your support of Ron Paul…if you’ve opposed U.S. intervention abroad…hell, if you’ve so much as bought a copy of Atlas Shrugged, then you very well may be on the list of “persons of interest.” At some point the federales are going to stop playing nice.

I placed a terrific link on my face book page of an interview w/ Newt Gingrich and my favorite judge regarding Wickileaks-its founder having turned himself into British authorities. The first rule of spying and diplomacy is NOT to leave a paper trail so why did all these idiot diplomats leave so much paper? Interesting and you can view it here:

Finally, have you ever taken a hard look at your monthly budget? It sure seems much of it is taken up by various insurance policy premiums. Auto insurance (in MI we have the 2nd highest in the US), homeowners insurance, life insurance, health insurance, etc. all add thousands of dollars annually to the cost of living.

Most of our grandfathers did not use or pay for these services. However, living in a country where the national motto has become when in doubt-sue, legal considerations have certainly contributed to the need for such policies.

Thanks for all of you who take the time to send me your thoughts, resources and updates. It’s not always easy knowing what to include in this bulletin but I try to keep it varied.

PS. Are you tired of the corporate controlled media?
Get the latest news and information at http://RealityReport.TV

That’s it for this week from your favorite gossip column – the Poor Man!

Visit our sites and spend some money.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

Discounted, Free, Cheap Gift Ideas-What I Gained When I Lost

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:

What I gained When I lost Everything
America now has the worst income disparity in the world
Big Brother on Steroids-Walmart TV-Spy on Fellow Americans
American stupidity-why the sheep are so easily led
Online holiday freebies, Free PDF of Economics in One Lesson, More
Last minute gifts you can print online
The Biggest Bank Robbery

“For everybody has a natural right to defend his own person and property against aggressors, but also to go to the assistance and defense of everybody else, whose person or property is invaded. The natural right of each individual to defend his own person and property against an aggressor, and to go to the assistance and defense of every one else whose person or property is invaded, is a right without which men could not exist on earth.”– Lysander Spooner
(1808-1887) Political theorist, activist, abolitionist

A blend of the ACLU & Nader’s Raiders-Are we just road kill?
Our country has entirely too much duplication of government agencies
One of the reasons we created the Citizen’s Guide to Screwing Bureaucrats is because many are tired of their ruthless, costly antics but most of us lack either the desire or means of challenging these flatworms in a legal fashion.

It is simply not government creeps that screw things up, it is often corporate jerks too and the most famous for screwing its customers is feebay. There are loads of blogs and sites devoted to exposing at their insidious practices. EBay’s ad network owes me $26.50 and they don’t want to give it back – they even admit they owe it! I will probably wind up filing a complaint with the CA Attorney General’s office (find a link to all 50 states on our Poor Man site).

A former employer of the Poor Man’s wife owes us a few thousand and is dragging his heals and openly shows his disrespect. We’ll file a complaint with the Department of Labor against him. An example from our book on how to use a bigger fish to go after a smaller fish at no out of pocket expenses.

My sister always said I should have been a lawyer and both of us passed the LSAT’s while in high school but never went to law school. However, the Poor Man sits on the board and acts as volunteer executive director of a not-for-profit group which has been essentially sitting idle for the past year. We used to make grants of cash and gifts to other non-profit groups, but that fund is empty.

We grew up in an era when Ralph Nader and his Nader’s Raiders were popular and it is time to revive an organization devoted to citizens rights since most often, the government either falls down on the job or is the problem. Nader went after consumer products, such as GM and their auto, the Corvair along with governmental organizations such as the FTC. There is no doubt we have too many government agencies. Can anyone tell me why the Department of Education needs to be duplicated 51 times? Let each state handle their own educational needs and save the taxpayers some cash!

Over the years, some have accused me of being un-American. Quite the opposite, I love this country but I’ve grown increasingly disgusted at how governments at all levels have trampled the rights of hard working Americans and have squandered our public treasury placing our children into hock for generations to come. Just because a child is sick doesn’t mean you toss it out the window, you try to cure it.

Most folks are too intimidated, too broke or don’t have the time or inclination to battle government agencies. That’s what they count on!

In the eyes of our Washington-Wall Street Cartel, many citizens have become serfs, serving the feudal master and if we no longer serve their purpose – we’re road kill.

My thinking is our activist group would target government agencies primarily as they seem to do the most harm and cost the public the most money – needlessly. If you have any interest in getting involved, drop me a line. Defending our rights under Natural Law is in the interest of every American. I will be seeking paralegals, researchers and lawyers to assist on a pro bono basis.

I’m meeting with the MI branch of the ACLU to get some pointers on approaching law schools to gather volunteers. We’re contemplating as our first case, to go after MI law preventing people from defending themselves using non-lethal tools such as mace and stun guns, something currently against the law.
To learn more about Nader’s Raiders, go here:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/unreasonableman/beyondraiders.html

Here’s our Christmas Card to all of you…feel free to share it with your friends!

http://ak.imgag.com/imgag/product/preview/flash/bws8Shell_fps24.swf?ihost=http://ak.imgag.com/imgag&brandldrPath=/product/full/el/&cardNum=/product/full/ap/3166187/graphic1

Learn to make your eBay listings stand out-Free guidehttp://pagemage.com/docs/eBay_Stand_Out_Guide.pdf

How to profit on eBay-even if you don’t have a product. (Part of a free online course you can sign up for when you visit this site)

http://www.hotitemfinder.com/hotprofits/lesson14_a4fq.php

UPS Adds Photo ID Requirement for Retail ShippingUPS is expanding its policy to require customers who ship
packages from retail shipping locations to present a
government-issued photo ID for verification of identification.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i10/s04

It [the State] has taken on a vast mass of new duties and responsibilities; it has spread out its
powers until they penetrate to every act of the citizen, however secret; it has begun to throw
around its operations the high dignity and impeccability of a State religion; its agents become a
separate and superior caste, with authority to bind and loose, and their thumbs in every pot. But it
still remains, as it was in the beginning, the common enemy of all well-disposed, industrious and
decent men.
Henry L. Mencken, 1926.

Read-Our Enemy, the State-free PDF you might wish to share or watch the video. One of the absolute best treatise on state power grabs and control

http://mises.org/etexts/ourenemy.pdf

Homestead series on how to grow garlic. They also offer free how to’s on building a greenhouse and more.

A variety of Christmas-Holiday FREEBIES
Cards, music, catalogs and more…

http://thefreesite.com/Seasonal_Freebies/Christmas/

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/gifts/tp/Free_Christmas_Gifts.htm

Last Minute gifts you can print at home…
Amazon.com – simply click the ‘gift cards’ menu tab and select Print a Gift Card
Restaurant.com – good at more than 15,000 eateries & you pay only 40-60% of the actual value!
Netflix.com – go to their site & click on gift Purchase & choose how many months you’ll give.
!Tunes! – use gift cards to download songs & albums to suit nearly any taste (I like 80s music)

Here’s another idea…several years ago we made up custom gift baskets as presents to family members. Knowing each person allowed us to include their favorite chocolates and I baked up batches of cookies and mini-loaves of blueberry, pumpkin and banana breads. To this we included a 60-page cookbook I had written of unique country recipes…the baskets & cookbook proved a big hit and for several years we got requests for additional copies of our Secrets & Shortcuts of a Country Inn Chef!

<<>>

What I Gained When I Lost Everything…
Michael Gates Gill – thanks to Bottom Line for allowing this to be shared! The Poor Man went through a similar experience but he’s not old enough to get medicare and he never worked at Starbucks…but he did rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in uninsured medical bills and bounced back. You can too is the moral of this story.

Fourteen years ago, at age 53, Michael Gates Gill was at the top of his game — he had a lovely wife, an expensive home and a $160,000-a-year job in advertising. By age 63, he was divorced, unemployed and nearly broke — then his doctor informed him that he had a slow-growing brain tumor.
In desperate need of health insurance and a regular paycheck, Gill took an entry-level job serving coffee at Starbucks for $10.50 an hour. To his amazement, he loved the work.
Four years later, Gill no longer needs the health insurance — he now is old enough to qualify for Medicare. He also has sold his life story to Hollywood (Tom Hanks is expected to portray Gill in the film), but he plans to remain at Starbucks — he enjoys the job. He has chosen “watchful waiting” as the treatment option for his brain tumor.
Bottom Line/Personal asked Gill to share what recent years have taught him about life…

Your own expectations can constrain you. In my earlier life, I defined myself by my career and social status — I was an affluent, Yale-educated ad executive. When I lost my job in advertising, I was certain that the solution to my problems lay in landing a new job in advertising or, if not that, a new client to get my own advertising consulting business on its feet.

My mental image of myself prevented me from considering opportunities that did not fit that picture. I could not see myself in a service-sector job wearing an apron and a baseball cap — even though Starbucks’ generous health insurance plan offered a solution to my most immediate problem.
It took an outside force to break me out of this box. I was in my local Starbucks when, out of the blue, a manager asked me if I needed a job — it turns out that the Starbucks I had entered was having a “Hiring Open House.”
You may not know your true priorities. I spent most of my adult life chasing bigger paychecks, loftier job titles and flashier possessions. These were my goals not because I chose them, but because I never considered that any other goals existed. My friends and family seemed to want these things, and I assumed that I wanted them, too.

When I accepted the job at Starbucks, it struck me that I probably would never again have money, titles or expensive possessions — yet one evening at Starbucks, I realized that I was as happy as I had ever been in my life. This “low-level” job gave me supportive bosses and coworkers, lots of human interaction and enough money to live a simple life. These were my real priorities, and I had never even known it. Instead, I had wasted most of my life pursuing other people’s goals. Perhaps I could have discovered my true priorities long ago if I had listened to my heart, rather than allowing myself to get swept along in what those around me were doing.
Trust the universe. I thought of myself as a master of the universe when I was young and successful. Only later did I discover that no person is a master of the universe, and it is foolish even to aspire to be one. Trying to master the universe means struggling against the tide of events, which rarely works. When the universe pushed me out of the executive suite, I tried to take charge and reclaim the life I had had previously. I did not find happiness again until I stopped fighting the tide and started swimming with it to see where it led.
Any task can be worthwhile if it involves serving others. I had considered serving coffee an unimportant job — until I figured out that my job was not really serving coffee at all. It was serving my customers and my coworkers. I might not be curing cancer, but I am doing my best to make life a little better for anyone who steps through the Starbucks’ door. There are few feelings as wonderful as the feeling you get when you help someone feel better.
Having money only creates a desire for more money. I earned a lot in my previous career, yet I was always in debt and worried about finances. Today I no longer have a car, a big house, stylish furniture or $2,000 suits… and I do not miss my former possessions in the least. I can’t even remember why I thought they were important. Living without luxuries doesn’t feel like a sacrifice. I love my cozy apartment. I love that I can go for a walk or sit at home reading a book and not feel that I should be out at a business event or an expensive restaurant.
The best jobs are those that keep you in the moment. Much of my 26 years in advertising was wasted in meetings. Many times we had meetings to prepare for other meetings. We were living not for the moment but always in the future.

Only when I started working behind a counter did I discover the joy of work that keeps you in the here and now. There are no long-term projects in my new career. When I prepare a cup of coffee, I don’t worry about past mistakes or future challenges. I just do what I am doing right now to the best of my abilities, and I immediately see the results of what I have done. That is a wonderfully gratifying way to live.
Most people work long hours and think about their jobs even when they are home. When I worked in advertising, a boss once ordered me to fly to Detroit on Christmas while my young children were still opening their presents. I went.
I love the fact that now when I leave work for the day, I do not think about my job again until my next shift. That is what a job should be — a relatively small part of life.
True, jobs that offer lots of free time are unlikely to be very lucrative — but the free time they provide can lead to even greater financial success. I used some of my free time to write a book that will soon become a movie. If I were still a “successful” executive, I never could have found the time to write.
The only job that’s beneath you is one that you do not give your full effort to. I no longer consider it degrading to clean the toilets in a coffee shop bathroom. What would be degrading would be cleaning them poorly. Doing a task well — any task — is a source of self-respect.
It is natural to fear change, but things are rarely as bad as we fear. When we’re faced with change, we worry that we will not be able to adapt or that we will not enjoy our new situation. I was scared of taking a job at Starbucks… scared that I wouldn’t get along with coworkers half my age… scared when I was put in charge of a cash register, because I have never been very good with money.

Each time, I was scared before the change occurred — yet once it did, it was never as bad as I had feared. Sometimes we just have to take that leap into a completely unfamiliar situation and expect that we will rise to the challenge.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Michael Gates Gill, former creative director at J. Walter Thompson Advertising and currently an employee at a Starbucks in Bronxville, New York. He is author of How Starbucks Saved My Life (Gotham)

Useful Resources…

Do you have multiple social networks that you try to keep updated? Wouldn’t it be nice to able to update them all at once? Well now you can with Ping.

You’ll have to register to be able to use it, but it’s free! So just fill out the registration form with an e-mail address and password and then click the Sign Up button. Then you’re whisked off to a list of social network sites. To connect them to your Ping account, all you have to do is click Add Network, and then follow the directions for that social networking site. http://ping.fm/

Consumers Follow Brands on Social Media for Coupons
Forty percent of consumers say they are most likely to search for
coupons or promotions when interacting with a brand via social
media, according to an Empathica survey.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i08/s04

Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment Workshops
Free assistance for homeowners
Learn how to appeal your property tax assessments by attending a free, two-hour workshop offered by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. Currently scheduled are five Workshops for Detroit-area residents. West Michigan and out-state Workshops are being planned.
“Too many struggling homeowners may end up paying too much in property taxes if they don’t appeal their assessments. These workshops will provide valuable, expert and free information to homeowners.”
“Appealing your property tax assessment can be a bit tricky,” stated Leon Drolet, Chair of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance. “Learn the law and the appeals process and you increase your odds of paying no more than what you legally owe in property taxes.”

http://www.mitaxpayers.org/propertytax.html

Perpetual Wars, Endless Enemies-our government is the biggest arms dealer and dealer in death than any other country and it routinely trumps the Constitution.
As the Poor Man has stated…it’s about control & the corporations making money from the technology they sell to Uncle Scam. Our government has in reality, declared war on its own citizens-Straight out of 1984 the movie AND it’s disgusting! Government extremists are everywhere.
Janet’s Homeland Security TV at WalMart – 1984 Style Tyranny

http://alex-jones-infowars.blogspot.com/2010/12/wal-mart-invasion-part-of-larger-dhs.html

Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross…
Salary for year ending 06/30/09 was $651,957 plus expenses…while
Salvation Army’s Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of
only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion
dollar organization.

What is your plan B?
THE PERFECT STORM
The financial problems we all face are now bigger than the government alone can handle. These problems are now becoming global problems:

1. Value of the dollar falling
2. National debt increasing
3. Baby boomers starting to retire
4. Oil prices rising
5. Gap increasing between the rich and everyone else
6. Wages decreasing
7. Jobs being exported
8. Social Security and Medicare going bankrupt
9. Savings being wiped out
10. Lack of financial education being taught

http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-your-plan-b.html

Congress”borrowed” nearly 43% of the money you paid into Social Security last year.

American Stupidity with Bill Maher…let this perk up your day!
It’s little wonder this country is in trouble & why the sheep are so easily led.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0LZcN4Qf3Y&feature=related

The average person will spend a buck on a lottery ticket or cup of coffee,
But they won’t drop a dime on something which will improve their brain
Or earning power…many no longer read anything.

Lawyer: U.S. to Indict Assange

Get ready for hacker mayhem. Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange say he’ll soon be indicted by the United States for spying. “Our position of course is that we don’t believe it applies to Mr. Assange and that in any event he’s entitled to First Amendment protection as publisher of WikiLeaks and any prosecution under the Espionage Act would in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organizations in the U.S.,” said his lawyer. He’s currently being held in solitary confinement in Britain on sexual-assault charges from Sweden.

Parting shots…

Freedom of speech…especially when its inconvenient

It’s probably safe to assume that Australian Internet activist Julian Assange wasn’t thinking specifically about Iran when his brainchild, the information clearinghouse WikiLeaks, released its latest round of classified U.S. government cables. Still, the data dump, encompassing more than a quarter-million internal memos issued by the State Department and U.S. embassies overseas, successfully demolishes a number of sacred cows relating to American policy toward the Islamic republic and its burgeoning nuclear effort. What truly amazes me however, the first rule one learns in the spy game is to never keep written records of damaging information! So what happened?

Part of me wants to cheer the guy on. He’s taken on the behemoth US government and appears to me sort of like David & Goliath…then again, it is our country?! I must remind myself how the Washington-Wall Street Cartel decimated our middle class and perhaps…

…when the workers decide they are tired of being exploited, and if anyone else wants their job they’re welcome to it. We will see worker slowdowns similar to those popular in Europe. Suddenly, corporate profits will be jeopardized.

And as I began writing in the mid 1980s, what will happen when corporations no longer have anyone left to sell to. In other words, if the number of unemployed keeps rising, at some point there will no longer be anyone left to buy things until they get employed again. At this point corporate survival will dictate the need to hire people if only to continue selling their products.

And as most of us already knew…despite the changes in ‘leadership’ of the past election, Congress will do little to change their spending habits. Oh yeah, there will be a lot of lip service to reining in the budget, but don’t count on it.

Closing thought on the economy…

In conversations with associates whose business it is to know (industrial, business & real estate forecasting), this will be the slowest recovering recession ever…2014 at the earliest in terms of jobs. Personally, I’m not as certain. I realize those calculations are based on current trends and stats but as I’ve warned readers before…it wouldn’t take much to upset the apple cart!

The fed says no inflation…but most of us know we’re being lied to again with manipulated statistics. The price of fuel and therefore, grains, has soared recently…expect the US to continue to under report inflation even as the average American continues to be pinched.

{I know economics bores most folks, but it is your pocket that is being picked. I suggest reading -FREE- the 1946 book Economics in One Lesson. Get it here}:

http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Economics_in_one_lesson.pdf

Another war with (take your pick)…more crushing government rules, regulation or the production of even more fiat money, more taxes at any level, no pick up in hiring, etc.- even so, Wall Street – see below.

America worst income disparity in world Top Wall Street firms will once again break their own salary record this year and as the gap between the haves and have-nots worsens, could it get worse? Most of the government benefits have gone to help Wall Street get on its feet while others suffer. Mike Norman says what is happening to the United States is very disturbing and the US now ranks the lowest in income disparity in the world.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/america-worst-income-disparity-in-world.html

Suggested reading from Laissez faire books…(a company I once tried to buy).
Tax Revolt: The Rebellion Against an Overbearing, Bloated, Arrogant, and Abusive Government

One more you might enjoy about ‘The Biggest Bank Robbery yet

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/gerald-celente-biggest-bank-robbery-non.html

That’s it for this week from the Poor Man, curator of the Museum of Lost Civil Rights and all around bon vivant.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBooknook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

A Shallow Planet Production

Frazzle Free Freebies,Electronic Pickpockets,Amazon Money

<img src="http://poormansurvival.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bigbank.jpg?w=99" alt="" title="Big Bank is Watching" width="99" height="150" class="alig

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. 1926 Humor from Disney & the Skillet Lickers
2. Frazzle free holidays
3. How your bank spies on you, electronic pick pocketing
4. Which consumer goods will rise in price
5. Who really owns our country-you & I are not in the club
6. When will the economy collapse-the answer
7. Making money on Amazon-free PDF report

Our advisors tell me that Quantitative Easing & weakness in the US Dollar will continue throughout 2011, allowing gold to continue rising…silver dollars in our area have been selling for $27 ea in ‘junk silver condition.’

Top Searches for 2010
Sunday’s edition came through a bit garbled as I forgot to transfer the content to the better version of our word processor…or maybe it was so blasted cold and snowy that my brain froze. I kind of forgot how blasted cold it can get and why I’m happy to work primarily from home!

Google and other released their Top 10 Searches for 2010 and it should come as no surprise that…
In a nutshell, 2010 has been a year of global struggles ranging from the debt crisis, soaring unemployment, political turmoil to achievements in the medical and scientific fields, and catastrophic tragedies caused by both man and nature.

More folks are becoming more than a little concerned about the global financial turmoil, inflation and the bad government policies which brought the economic crash upon us.

That, gentle reader, requires a reminder of what I wrote a couple of weeks ago…gold prices will go higher and whenever gold shoots higher, that nearly always means commodity prices shoot higher. The people always have to pay the price for bad government and Wall Street decisions.

As we get closer to the holiday, I’m going to include additional videos to make you think, to make you laugh…we can always use more of that!

As more nations default, as most recently seen in Ireland, Our economy will suffer even more due to QE! Most banks which were bailed out are in worse shape now due to toxic mortgages. Most likely, the middle class will be completely destroyed in the coming years due to even more inflation.

As I wrote on Sunday, despite the recent election, nothing in Washington has changed.

You might find Ron Paul’s interview about Soviet style economy on the horizon for US voters of interest. Draw your own conclusion. You will also enjoy my favorite judge & his Freedom Watch show from Fox News.

http://peterschiffchannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/andrew-napolitano-on-tax-and-spend.html

Parody of how the fed will fix the economy-cute!

Japanese parody of our TSA using dirty old man inspector…cute

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=118_1290452447

Here’s the sad reality on who REALLY controls this country & it’s not the politicians. Learn who is truly ruining America, from my favorite guy, George Carlin.

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=george+carlin+who+really+controls+america

It ‘aint mine [the National Debt], I didn’t sign those check(s)…perhaps you
Should hit up those generous lobbyists for some cash as we’re broke thanks to you!
–John & Mary Q Taxpayer

Our Weekly round-up: tips, tricks, freebies

GIMP: http://gimp.org (free download)
An open source program used to create & edit – free alternative to Photoshop.

CamStudio: http://camstudio.org (free download)
Lets you record all screen & audio activity on your computer and create video files.

CCleaner: http://ccleaner.com (free download)
Removes unused files from your pc allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up space.

Give Away Of The Day: http://giveawayoftheday.com (free download)
Unique site that offers you a free license digital product daily.

PDF to Word Converter: http://pdftoword.com (free online tool)
Easily create editable Word Doc files from PDF content – for legit purposes only!

Tweet Deck: http://tweetdeck.com (free download)
Great for staying in touch with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and more.

8 Weeks to a Frazzle Free Christmas
Well written and a lot of family-oriented useful ideas, links & resources

http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/frazzle-free-christmas.html

Another useful tool worth checking out…
I really enjoyed browsing through the posts of your blog and I would
like to tell you about Shoeboxed.com. Shoeboxed.com is a web app that
helps entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses get their paper
clutter organized and digitized — specifically we scan and data enter
paper receipts for taxes, bookkeeping, and the IRS, a task that is
notoriously painful.

You can make money selling via Amazon’s FBA program-learn how here.
http://www.sellfba.com/selling_on_amazon_fba_9-17-10.pdf or try

http://www.sellfba.com/mstdownload.html

Free eBook
Suzanne Wells – This is great free ebook. This ebook is a business plan for 1 person to build an Amazon book business in 90 days generating $400 a week profit – only spending 5 hours a week on the business.

http://ebaysellingcoach.com/f/90_Day_Amazon_3.pdf

Moms can make a connection. I’ve always heard that holidays are the loneliest time for many and suicide rates often spike as a result. If you know of someone who is lonely, perhaps just lost a loved one, share some time with them and direct them to this site where they can join an online community.

http://www.MomsLikeMe.com

Michelle Madhok founded a couple of sites for busy moms to make life a bit more fun
www.SheFinds.com and www.MomFinds.com

Our government steals, excuse me, seizes a lot of goods from citizens. They do auction quite a bit of it off (the Poor Man used to auction the City of Phx surplus & seized goods) and you can save some cash. Try this site:
www.USA.gov/shopping/shopping.shtml

Donate your left over holiday greeting cards this year to St. Jude’s Hospital. They’ll turn them into new cards & resell them for their Ranch for Children. Send to:
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s St.
Boulder City, NV 89005

If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you,
it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
– Dalai Lama
[Tenzin Gyatso] (1935-) 14th Dalai Lama of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism

How Bankers Spy on You…
Big Banker is watching you—more closely than ever.
With lenders still skittish about making new loans, credit bureaus and others are hawking services that help banks probe deeply into your financial closet. The new offerings include ways to look at your rent and utility payments, figure out your income, gauge your home’s value and even rate your banking habits based on details like whether your direct deposits have stopped. More at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704865104575588803958385376.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_personalfinance

Electronic Pick pocketing-thanks to that other Big Brother crap-RFID
New technology our gov’t uses to spy on you, is now used by crooks!

http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/?watchId=8ba6f8fc-90a2-4711-90ea-1884ec348310

Several services and commodities will rise in price in 2011
-Postal Rates
-Gold (most likely silver too)
-Ammunition
-College tuition
-Coffee
-auto insurance, health insurance
-new car prices
-Water rates-if you are serviced by a government, your rates will increase
-Fast food – Mickey Dee’s has little choice as the price of wheat rises, most everything else will too. The Poor Man predicted this 4 or 5 issues ago and prices went up the next day!

“One of the greatest problems that we as a free people face today is that for the past 100 years trial judges in the U.S. have routinely misinformed jurors that they were bound to accept the judge’s opinion of what the law is; which law to apply; and whether or not they had to find a defendant guilty. In so doing these judges have welded shut this all important safety valve, which our Founders so wisely provided our society — and the result has been an explosive one.”
– Mike Robbins
Source: Fully Informed Jury Association Activist

FREE-online marketing guidebook

http://cdn1.infusionsoft.com/site/infusionsoft.com/media/pdf/nd/Internet-Marketing-Guidebook.pdf

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Storage Unit Wars, Disposable Americans

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In this issue:

1. Amazon Advantage-another selling tool to consider
2. Storage unit wars-make some money
3. Basics of solar cooking
4. Online Privacy from the fed-don’t hold your breath
5. As the world squirms-prediction of hyperinflation in 2011
6. Dumbing down of US continues-the video
7. YouTube time machine
8. Disposable Americans

Peter Dickinson on Christmas…
The threat of Christmas hung in the air, visible already in the fretful look of passersby as they readied themselves for the meaningless but necessary rites of false jovialities and ill-considered gifts.

Storage Wars-another way to make some money

Following the popularity of Pawn Stars, two new programs have begun airing on cable stations, Storage Wars & Auction Hunters. All of them feature a lot of fat guys having a good time buying and selling goods they get on the cheap.

I wrote about this a bit at the beginning of the year but with the advent of these entertaining adventures of entrepreneurial Americans, I wanted to remind readers of this avenue of making some extra cash. Yes, it’s a gamble as one is not allowed to go inside and look through the boxes which have been stored. The door is opened for all to view and the bidding begins!

I’ve done several of these auctions over the years and it is interesting. One guy got a 21ft boat & trailer, 750cc motorcycle (the key was taped to the gas tank), tons of tools, etc. for $250. Another guy got a $2000 power tool and a cigar box full of US silver coins for $425. We’ve seen units sell for as little as $5 and as high as $1400 (that unit had two snowmobiles).

You never know what you will find. Sometime just junk (always wonder why folks pay to store garbage which should have been donated a long time ago). Other times valuable tools – it can be a crap shoot.

What I suggested in my 45 Ways to Make a Living Without a Job CD is to form a syndicate or buying club. Friends of ours in CA did this and profited nicely from this sideline. Each member put up $200 into the pool. Two people were designated as the buyers. Contents were hauled back to the home and sorted through by the group who frequently found coins and valuable jewelry, antiques, household goods, etc. If someone in the group wished to purchase something, they voted to come up with a fair price and those funds were placed back into the fund. Items were sold via eBay, local auctions, Craigslist and at frequently held garage sales. Lots of fun for the those who are inclined to gamble a little and who enjoy sifting through mountains of stuff!

Decades ago when I first began writing, I interviewed Ron Popeil, or as you might know him as Ronco products or his little kitchen oven he promotes on TV. Ron told me that for every 10 products he purchased and promoted, seven were outright failures, two broke even and one made a lot of money. Over the years I’ve interviewed other successful entrepreneurs including Dr. Jeffrey Lant, Dan Kennedy, Ben Suarez and others.

They all share something in common – chance favors the prepared and testing & refinement is always needed. The message is that it is often necessary to break out of your comfort zone and research new ideas or to put a new twist on an old idea. (I once interviewed Ms. Barrows of Mayflower Madame fame…turned out, we share the same birthday).

You can locate these auctions by looking at the classified sections of local newspapers and free shopper type publications. Here are couple of sites to use as well.

http://www.auctionzip.com/storage.html

http://www.storageauctions.com/

Santa is jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live!

Tips, tricks and tools

Some will rob you with a six-gun;
And some with a fountain pen.

Trapped in Bank of America Hell
Are you one of the lucky ones? Have a good job, live in a nice neighborhood, enjoy your cozy home? Think foreclosure only impacts the reckless or the unemployed?
Think again
Get the full story here: http://www.prwatch.org/node/9818

http://www.banksterusa.org/

What’s next for insolvent banks & our economy/Charlie Rose interview

Oodle Relaunches Classifieds Using Facebook Social Graph
Oodle launched a new version of its classifieds platform using
Facebook’s social graph. The ”social marketplace” powers both the
Facebook Marketplace and Oodle. It’s also available on smartphones.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i16/s04

>>>

A follow up to the free PDF we provided in the last issue for selling on Amazon:

We have a service you might be interested in, we have a great program for independent publishers and artists that lets you include your titles in the Amazon.com catalog. It’s called Amazon.com Advantage.

As an Advantage member, your titles will appear more often when customers search our catalog. We’ll display a picture of each book, music CD, or video cover alongside reviews, excerpts and other information designed to spark sales. Amazon will keep copies of your titles in our inventory to offer immediate availability to buyers.

A complete program description, including information on how to sign up, is located at the following URL:

http://www.amazon.com/advantage

Find out what eBay buyers want

http://www.auctionyen.com/videos/want/index.html

Wind Power is losing, Solar getting bigger
As federal grants for such projects dwindle, wind power efforts will slow to their lowest point in four years. Solar projects on public lands however, will start converting sunlight to electricity this year, mostly in California.

The YouTube time machine
Your afternoon productivity will probably suffer…this site aggregates thousands of news broadcasts, sports highlights and other videos representing every year since 1860…pick a date, specify what types of clips you want, and the site cues up just about anything. (how do they get stuff from 1860)?

http://www.Yttm.tv

“Manna from Heaven”.
The history of Aloe goes back to Alexander the Great and it is mentioned in the Bible many of times. What makes this product so special is the actual process of Aloe where all of the great healing abilities of Aloe are captured, not destroyed or altered. http://www.Symmetrydirect.com/Optimum

The Basics of Solar Cooking
Sunshine is the most reliable resource we have, so why not use it? Uses for solar energy are abundant, but most don’t consider cooking with it. Solar cooking takes the power of the sun, reflects and focuses it in such a way as to produce a remarkable heat source. This is done using reflectively coated walls around the food. Think about how warm the summer sun makes a stone or the interior of a car. Similarly, a solar cooker intensifies the suns rays and makes them hot enough to cook an entire chicken or roast dinner.
Click below to find an easy to use overview of using solar to cook with.

http://www.cookingschools.net/resources/the-basics-of-solar-cooking/

Reason.tv: Ayn Rand and the World She Made – Q&A with Anne Heller

Anne C. Heller’s critically acclaimed and best-selling 2009 book, Ayn Rand and the World She Made, is new in paperback (we’re tempted to say that it makes a great Christmas gift, though it’s clear that Rand didn’t believe in the holiday or the altruism that attaches to it!).

Reason’s Nick Gillespie talks with Heller about Rand, whom the biographer says remains the great explicator of capitalism’s virtues and remarkably undervalued by the literary establishment.
Click here to watch.

Spybot Search and Destroy

This program is used for removing those pesky adware / spyware files on your computer. By now, most people understand the vast threat out there when it comes to malicious files that are sometimes tied to programs you download. If you are not aware of the potential threats I will give a bit of an overview.

Spyware is defined as a type of malware designed to collect information from your computer about you without your knowledge. It can do many things from changing your computer settings to causing really slow connection speeds on your computer. This program is designed to take care of these and many other problems for you.

If you’d like to learn more about Spybot, click here.

Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” ~ Johnny Carson

Round up of government nonsense

Do you remember the good old days the when it used to be illegal for governments to spy on their citizens? I don’t either… but I’m told that it used to be illegal. Oh how times have changed.

PM Predicted little would change with the elections…more proof
A tax-cut compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans – a harbinger of a new era of divided government in Washington – has cleared the House, sending the $858 billion bill to the president’s desk. The bill, which passed 277 to 148, provides a two-year extension for all tax cuts that were due to expire Dec. 31 — including for families earning more than $250,000 a year — and extends unemployment insurance benefits through next year.

Feds call for online ‘privacy bill of rights’
The Commerce Department is calling for the creation of a “privacy bill of rights” for Internet users to set ground rules for companies that collect consumer data online and use that information for marketing and other purposes. Gee, why don’t they just get rid of that Constitution bashing un-Patriot Act?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/16/feds-call-for-online-privacy-bill-of-rights/

Hyperinflation to start within a few months…as the world squirms
John Williams of Shadowstats has repeatedly warned that our economy is not doing as well as some would have you believe. From unemployment to GDP to current and future liabilities, there are fundamental problems that will not be resolved anytime soon – in fact, they’re likely to get worse.
The end result according to Williams? A hyperinflationary depression.

http://jimrogers1.blogspot.com/2010/12/john-williams-hyperinflation-will-start.html

Dumbing down of America & the west continues..
As PM says, the reason is to make the populace easier to control!

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/deliberate-dumbing-down-of-america-and.html

EDITORIAL: A death panel for government
Ronald Reagan observed that a federal program is the nearest thing to eternal life on this Earth. With President Obama’s budget forecasting nearly doubled expenditures by the year 2020, governmental red ink appears equally immortal. Next year, Congress should pilfer an idea from the Texas state legislature that would give wasteful departments the dignified burial they have long deserved.

“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.” ~ Shirley Temple

Parting thoughts—financial cannibalism

Last issue showed how banks and government watch every financial move Americans make…not in the name of national security, but in the name of grabbing money from you by charging you with some kind of crime…this is the new cornerstone of their recovery strategy; everyone is fair game for surveillance, and the threshold for asset seizure is minimal.

The more laws government passes, the more new classes of criminals it creates, the more assets the government can seize and the more control it can exert. That is what the Un-Patriot Act was truly about. It was never meant to protect American citizens, rather it allows the government to prey on its citizens, stripping them of their rights.

No on can keep up with the thousands of laws government passes each year…The system that they’ve created is one in which suspicion equals guilt, all without due process. Once they deem you suspicious, they can freeze your accounts and seize your assets, thus taking away whatever resources you might have to defend yourself and prove your own innocence.

What happens when the US dollar is dumped as world currency of choice?

The first thing is denial by our central bank (Tim Geitner) even though it was reported that a meeting, sans the US, took place recently by Arab nations, China, Japan & Russia to discuss dumping the dollar as the reserve currency. China is already buying less dollars (debt) as our government/Fed continue cranking up the printing press.

I still recall buying a home when interest rates were skyrocketing to 11, 12, 14% and higher and felt lucky to find one at 8.5% (I swapped my VA Certificate of Eligibility to another Vet-owned home mortgage along with $20,000 cash) and was happy! Land contracts were popular and state usury rates kept the interest somewhat reasonable…now, few states have such usury laws thanks to credit card companies.

In other countries which experienced massive inflation, such as England in the 80s and post war Germany, social structure bordered on collapse when folks often experienced 100% inflation rates every 24-hours.

Just think, in 2011 46 states face huge budget shortfalls and the fed will no longer bail them out. In Arizona, they’ve put up government buildings for sale, in CA which devotes 11% of its budget to prisons (more than education) it is releasing prisoners early. One southern state is buying life insurance policies on its employees in hopes of collecting the proceeds once he or she dies!

This is why state governments pass more and more laws too. By creating new classes of criminals, they collect more fines which supplement their budgets. (recall the story in the last issue of how Florida is sending in SWAT teams on so-called licensing violations for small businesses as to avoid Constitutional protections).

‘Hotwatch orders,’— government agents are able to write their own administrative subpoenas to surveil US citizens; they request the records of phone companies, Internet service providers, video rentals, and even frequent flier / customer loyalty programs at airlines and grocery stores.

Friends, I do believe our nation is teetering on the edge of massive disruption and the continued violations of Constitutional law by government terrorists is not a good sign!
Better perfect your black market and barter skills now.

Disposable Americans…an interesting site I ran across that I feel is worth sharing.
Disposable Americans, is what millions in this country have become. Thrown away, tossed out, laid off, and disposed of, during the Great Recession. Millions of Americans have seen their dreams turned into nightmares. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their savings, their homes, and even their lives. American families have been devastated. Who are these people? They are your neighbors, your friends, and your family members.

http://disposableamericans.net/index.php/home

Keep these folks in mind as you celebrate the holiday and this is why the Poor Man created the site and newsletter. It’s been our goal to share resources and to expose how practices have hurt America.

Yours for survival, the Poor Man…“Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.” ~ Unknown
Have a blessed Christmas!

Enjoy the Poor Man’s holiday photo spread on face book…
Share this album with anyone by sending them this public link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100257&id=1375151530&l=ae2d54ddad

10 Worst States, Avoid TowTruck Scams, Mediation

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:

1. States of Disunion-worst states for retirees/citizens
2. States going broke in 2011
3. Rise of the police state-surveillance increases
4. Avoiding tow truck scams
5. Get free magazine subscriptions
6. The 4th branch of government
7. How to be a mediator-another potential source of revenue

He who does not have a dog to hunt with – must use a cat. –Brazilian Proverb

More market mayhem? 60 Minutes Hit it on the Head
American mainstream media has become rather servile in the past decade. Gone are the in-depth, microphone-in-your-face interview exposing corporate and political corruption. The reason is simple, we’ve gone from 250 media corporations in the 70s to about five conglomerates today and they cooperate on how they fashion what is “news” or info-tainment as most of them term it.

On Sunday, Dec. 19th 60 Minutes (link below to program) showed a brief glimpse of what they used to be with an interview and segment of how state governments are going broke, playing games with their budget numbers (something ordinary businesses would be jailed for) and how there gold-plated pension funds are bankrupting them and there is little hope of any kind of bailout from Washington. http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/pubs/mcc/videos.aspx

It’s nice to see vindication for what the Poor Man has been writing for the past year and half…folks, if mainstream media is awakening to the coming crash, you know it’s bad!

They are already rioting in England, Greece and other countries. Residents in South Korea are finding bomb shelters if the nut case who runs N Korea gets his way…it’s not a pretty picture and as we’ve warned for the past year, you never know which crisis will suddenly get out of hand and send civilization reeling.

As Greece faced a debt crisis, the government passed a series of strict austerity measures, including taxes hikes and cutting public sector pay.
The move sparked angry protests, strikes and riots across the country as unemployment skyrocketed and the crisis spread to other European nations. The move also incited a rush to online dictionaries from those searching for a definition.
Austerity, the 14th century noun defined as “the quality or state of being austere” and “enforced or extreme economy,” set off enough searches that named it as its Word of the Year for 2010, the dictionary’s editors announced Monday

Governments at all levels have financially raped the American public for decades, feathered their respective nests and it appears it is finally coming home to roost. Many of us would simply like to ‘make government disappear’ as these pirates, along with their corporate masters, have been hell-bent on a path of ruination of our great country.

States such as NJ, IL, MI and others which are going bankrupt have more tax scams than a boardwalk hustler.

After watching the 60 Minutes segment, my wife quipped ‘is this a sneak peak of what will be before Wiki leaks it?” You’ll find several links to video clips of the coming disaster at the tail end of this week’s episode.

Based on what you’ve seen and/or experienced during the past decade, do you still trust the government to do what is right? Have you taken the necessary steps to protect yourself from food & fuel shortages, social unrest and possible martial law as we‘ve seen in Europe?

Is the government scam finally being exposed to the world? I know I get more than a bit passionate about what our government has been doing to this country…I truly worry how my children will survive with what’s left of this country.

If you’ve not already read Martin Gross’ The Government Racket, grab a copy from your library. I believe that last edition was from 2000 – still a valuable read.

Finally, conservative vs. liberal – you decide on this insightful animated video.

“Promotion of human rights around the world is a vital & integral part of US policy”
–US State Dept (Statement is void in the USA)

Our Top Secret 4th Branch of Government

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/

Useful Stuff (It’s all useful to someone)
Mediation & Arbitration Training CertificationLawyers are an expensive way to solve problems and many are turning to the use of mediators for workplace disputes, marital problems and more. Many local two-year colleges offer courses which can lead to ‘certification’ which allow you to work in the courts system and it can provide a lucrative sideline income. In many states little is required but most are headed toward occupational birth control in this area. You can always check with your local court system to learn more. There are how-to books, online training courses available as well. Many churches find this a useful service to offer and rarely require any kind of certification.

While there is no national body that conducts or sets the standards for legal mediation training, there are several well-known and respected organizations that provide such training. These can generally be found at universities across the country, as well as some that can be conducted entirely from home. Here is a current listing of such manuals posted to eBay:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=mediation+books&_sacat=0&_odkw=mediation+courses&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Read more: Legal Mediator Training | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7294620_legal-mediator-training.html#ixzz18fUs5JAc

Free basic website – so easy to use, your mother could do it. When I first thought of the Poor Man concept I was unable to find anyone to help me create a website, so I taught myself and I keep learning…too bad I didn’t know about this beforehand!

http://www.webs.com/

80 percent of free government money is not called
“grants.” Of the $2 trillion in free government money that is given out
each year, only about $378 billion is referred to as grants. The rest are
direct payments, venture capital, or loans you do not have to pay back.
So, you won’t want to contact a government agency and simply ask for
information on grants, as you will miss 80 percent of the free money that
is given out.
Members of Congress can provide the best help. All elected officials
have people on their staffs who help people take advantage of government
programs. Senators and representatives are the most motivated people
in government to help you because, if they’re able to call a government
office and get you $50,000 for your business or $8,000 to train for a
new job, you’re likely to vote for them in the next election. (Find your
elected official at www.congress.org.)

6,500 to “green” your home. Families with incomes up to $44,000
a year who applied have received an average of $6,500 to help lower their
heating and cooling bills via insulation, weatherstripping, replacement
or repair of furnaces, and more energy-saving projects. They’ve even
received assistance on issues revolving around carbon monoxide detection
and household appliance safety.
Having these energy-saving measures done to your home will save you close
to $500 a year on your heating and cooling bills. To submit an application,
contact the Westernization Assistance Programs Branch, EE44, U.S. Department
of Energy, at (877) 337-3463 or www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/wap_apply.html.

8,000 to improve your home and cut your utility bills. The Energy
Efficient Mortgages Program can be used to make energy-efficient improvements
in new and existing homes.
The cost of the improvements that may be eligible
for financing as part of the mortgage is either 5 percent of the property’s
value (not to exceed $8,000) or $4,000, whichever is greater. The maximum
mortgage limit for a single-family home is $160,950, plus the cost of the
eligible improvements. (Limits may be lower in some areas of the country.)
To take advantage, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development by writing to the department at 451 7th St. S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20410, visiting www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/eem/energy-r.cfm or
calling 202-708-1112.

Land a job, thanks to the stimulus package. The people who have money
to spend are those who received stimulus funds. These are government agencies,
contractors, and even subcontractors who are hiring people, buying
equipment and supplies, looking for caterers for their parties, or are
flush to donate to your charity.
To find out who received this money in your area, contact the office of
your senator or representative or your governor’s office. Almost every
state has a website describing who is getting what. At the time of this
writing, it has been more than 22 months since the stimulus bill was
passed and only about 40 percent of the funds have been spent so far. To
research, go to www.recovery.gov.

Subscribe to Your Favorite Mags for Free
Take advantage of the free magazine subscriptions available on the
Internet. I currently get about 30 free magazines a month. One way is by
doing surveys for www.erewards.com. You do their surveys and after the
money adds up a little, you can trade it in for subscriptions or a number
of other things, but I think the subscriptions are the best buy.
Another option is to go to www.slickdeals.net. They have a free magazine
forum. Sometimes you have to fill out a short survey to get a subscription;
in other cases, you just fill out a form with your name and address
and you’re set.

If you haven’t heard of Fiverr (www.fiverr.com), you better take a look at it. Fiverr
is a website where members can post what they call “gigs”. Gigs are generally
services you offer for five dollars. It can range from video recording to sharing
advice, for five dollars.

How to Avoid Tow Truck Scams
If you run into problems on the road this winter, you should be wary of tow trucks you didn’t call that offer to help.
There’s a chance that those tow truck drivers will offer services at an extremely high price and or may keep your car hostage until you pay high towing and storage fees. A tow for a simple flat tire, for instance, could result in a $1,600 bill for towing and storage.
The insurer Allstate recently issued a warning about the rise of such scams. (I suggest using a AAA membership).

http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/how-to-avoid-tow-truck-scams/

The Family Handyman site offers a lot of DIY projects online

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Saving-Money/Energy-Efficiency/how-to-seal-attic-air-leaks?pmcode=IAFEC960&_mid=825032&_rid=825032.643000.574912

“We now have so many regulations that
everyone is guilty of some violation.”
– Donald Alexander
Former IRS Director

This week’s dose of political reality

As for fiscal health, six of the 10 worst states for retirees on TopRetirements.com’s list were among those just identified by a Pew Center for States report as being in “fiscal peril.”
The report, “Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril,” showed that “some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster are wreaking havoc in a number of other states, with potentially damaging consequences for the entire country.”
Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin joined California as the 10 most troubled states, according to Pew’s analysis.
Of note, TopRetirements.com’s Brady suggested that retirees and would-be retirees might want to avoid states in fiscal peril because these locales might be expected to face decreasing services and increasing taxation.
States of Disunion
Topping his website’s list, Illinois’s fiscal health could be the worst of any state, observed Brady. “It even borrowed money to fund its pension obligations,” he said. As for California, he said the Golden State — though it does have a warm climate — is expensive and its finances are in disarray. What’s more, he added, it has paid some bills with vouchers.
New York wasn’t mentioned as being in fiscal trouble by the Pew Center, but it does have “very high taxes, including property taxes.” In fact, Brady said New York has the second-highest tax burden and fifth-highest per capita property taxes. Plus, he said, the Empire State has a “dysfunctional state legislature.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s terrifically expensive to live in New York. The only benefit to living in New York, he said, is that pensions are exempt from income tax

http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/111588/the-10-worst-states-for-retirees?mod=fidelity-readytoretire&cat=fidelity_2010_getting_ready_to_retire

State “Repeal Amendment” Would Check Central Government
“The same people driving the lawsuits that seek to dismantle the Obama administration’s health care overhaul have set their sights on an even bigger target: a constitutional amendment that would allow a vote of the states to overturn any act of Congress. Under the proposed ‘repeal amendment,’ any federal law or regulation could be repealed if the legislatures of two-thirds of the states voted to do so.” (New York Times)

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
–George Orwell

Rise of the Police State
The is assembling a massive database on thousands of Americans, many of whom have not been accused of any crime, the Washington Post’s Dana Priest and William Arkin report. The reporters’ latest look at the country’s ballooning national security system focuses on the role that local agencies — often staffed by people with little to no counter-terrorism training — have played in combating terrorism since 2001. Read to find the 5 most disturbing parts of this expose>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101220/ts_yblog_thelookout/the-5-most-surprising-revelations-from-the-posts-monitoring-america-investigation

Americans Are Under Government’s Watchful Eye
“Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.” (Washington Post)
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

There are so many clear signs that our political establishment and financial system are based on fraud… from the ponzi scheme debt levels of western governments to their farcical elections to the mindless distractions that continually dribble out of the mainstream media. -Simon Black

Parting guest commentary…

The U.S. is descending into a police state. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before the redux of the “Un-American Activities Committee.”

Perhaps the final nail in the coffin is that in addition to their far-reaching, unchecked power for surveilling their citizens, U.S. federal agents also have nearly unlimited powers to confiscate any asset in the country that they suspect may be involved in criminal wrongdoing.

Law enforcement officials often use that tired expression “ignorance of the law is not an excuse…” The truth is that U.S. Code comprises hundreds of thousands of pages of obscure, conflicting, Byzantine regulations. Each of us is guilty of something right now… and perhaps that’s the point.

There are 4.2 million security cameras in public places in the U.K. That’s one camera for every 14 citizens. The average person there gets captured on film about 300 times as he makes his rounds each day.

Security cameras surround George Orwell’s London residence where he lived from 1904 till his death in 1950. Ironically, this is where the man penned his novelized warning about the panoptic police state, 1984. There are two cameras viewing his back window and another nearby camera is aimed at the front door of his favorite pub.

It’s far, far too late to heed any warnings from 1984, however. But there is another book from which we could all take a little inspiration…

What would happen if a few very capable lovers of liberty were to take matters into their own hands?

What could they possibly to fight Leviathan?

They could see to it that our representatives never have a chance to become corrupt or entrenched enough to wreck our lives for their own political gain. They could convince Congress to observe term limits…even if it required extreme measures to get Congress to listen…

“Four angry individuals believe deadly force is justified to restore the Constitution and regain our liberty. If their plans succeed, ‘The thieves that have stolen our liberty will pay with their lives…or resign if the voters agree, professional politicians will be forever barred from serving in Congress.’

“The Department of Justice begins a vengeful and bloody hunt for the ‘terrorists,’ but the hunt itself threatens our remaining liberties. When the first senator is ‘term-limited,’ it is clear the terrorists will not be easily found — they are inside the federal government, and they have carefully prepared.

“The same questions asked before the American Revolution are asked again: Is deadly force justified to defend liberty? Under what conditions? When will it be too late?”
An Act of Self-Defense may be fiction, but it’s timely, to say the least. It’s also a very plausible way that things could work out in reality.

Sure, it’s entertaining, but it’s also a warning about what to expect…and about the plans your government is making for you right now.

Thank you Simon, I couldn’t have stated it any better!

Mayhem Meltdown – End time stuff, the coming revolution…plus-how long are we going to put up with TSA crap? Write your congress-critter & here’s a funny ‘Grandma Got Run Over by the TSA’ humor…think about, our rights have been violated, billions spent on so-called security, yet not one terrorist caught. Who is really being violated?

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/steve-quayle-mayhem-meltdown-dec-17.html

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/steve-quayle-mayhem-meltdown-dec-17.html

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/gerald-celente-coming-revolution.html

That’s all for this issue of Poor Man Madness…Merry Christmas to all!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

You could be a terrorist if…

Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. More examples of government waste-the craziest
2. How to restore the economy-interview
3. New Updates on our guest column page
4. 10 Signs the US is becoming a 3rd World country
5. Sell off those unwanted gift cards
6. Matt Lesko-the free money man

“I don’t want to scare anyone but I am considering investing in barbed wire and guns, things are not looking good.” –Anthony Fry to his investment clients.

Fixing America, You could be a terrorist if you…
I had extra time over the holiday week to sift through several articles forwarded to me by readers regarding how to fix America, how you could be a terrorist if you…and more. All of these have been posted to our site under the Guest Column tab and make for some provocative reading.

I also urge you to view the video interview John Stossel did with a Peruvian economist about private property rights, something which was ingrained in our founding principles and something which has been under attack in the US. Remember in Nazi Germany their thinking was that they could care less who owns the property, so long as they control it, something which has happened in our country where armies of petty bureaucrats spit on the rights of property owners. You’ll find the link to this interview below.

Finally, kids are expensive. Here are some ways to feed them free of charge.
“Kids eat free” deals at local restaurants usually require buying an adult meal, are restricted to certain days or hours, and may be limited to one or two freebies per adult meal purchased. Even with such limitations, however, they can save you a bundle if you eat out often.
But what if you’re traveling? Many national chains and thousands of local eateries offer discounts or free meals for children 10 and under, or sometimes up to age 12. To find free kid meals anywhere you happen to be, first visit a website that lists local free meal deals nationwide. KidMealDeals.com, KidsEatFreePlaces.com, AllKidsEatFree.com, and KidsEatFree.com are free sites listing thousands of restaurants offering free or discounted kids’ meals, organized by city and state.

Most likely you’ve heard of Matthew Lesko, the free money man. Over the years I’ve interviewed and promoted a variety of his useful information resources (and have personally used them). We’re now affiliates of his so please take a peek at his new selections at:

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

Paper money in moderate quantities has been found beneficial; but when
more than the occasions of commerce require, it depreciates and is
mischievous and the populace are apt to demand more than is necessary.”— Ben Franklin (1787)

The weekly roundup – blackmail & more, how we spend…
How we spent our money
For a U.S. snapshot, Forbes turned to SpendingPulse, the economic research arm of MasterCard Worldwide, to break down Americans’ discretionary spending — all $1.13 trillion of it in 2009, slightly down from $1.16 trillion in 2008 — across 10 categories: air travel, auto parts and service, electronics and appliances, furniture, lodging, apparel, department stores, jewelry, luxury (excluding jewelry) and restaurants.
With personal savings on the rise in the wake of the latest downturn, that grand total looks like it will slip again, to $1.03 trillion, in 2010.

* Air Travel
Total Spent in 2009: $41.9 billion
* Auto Parts & Service
Total Spent in 2009: $164 billion
* Department Stores
Total Spent in 2009: $72.5 billion
* Electronics & Appliances
Total Spent in 2009: $99.5 billion
* Furniture
Total Spent in 2009: $88.8 billion
* Jewelry
Total Spent in 2009: $27.5 billion
* Apparel
Total Spent in 2009: $177 billion
* Restaurants
Total Spent in 2009: $392 billion

Redbox codes are the way to get free DVD rentals from video rental
kiosk Redbox. Redbox creates these codes to get more people into the
stores to use their services. You simply need to enter the coupon
code from the main screen online or just before checkout at your local
kiosk. When you do, you will receive a one-day free rental. Go to
www.redbox.com and register. You will get updates on new releases, you can
search for movies, and best of all get coupon codes by text message for
free movies.

• Get help online: Online bill comparison service BillShrink.com just
launched a free module that helps consumers compare TV plans. Packages
are ranked objectively by cost and provider. Within each suggested TV
package, BillShrink simplifies provider rates, terms, and conditions so
you can make easy comparisons. Another site, CancelCable.com, offers
information on how you can cut the cord entirely, save thousands of
dollars, and still watch your favorite shows for free using the Internet
hooked to your set.

Sell Your Designs Online: You don’t have to invest any money to sell
your T-shirt, baseball cap, apron, coffee mug, poster, note cards, or
other designs online. Zazzle.com, CafePress.com, and similar sites will
pay you a commission on sales your designs generate, and uploading your
designs is easy. Etsy.com allows you to sell your products directly.

Cash in on Your Gift Cards: To unload your unused or partially used cards, first go
online to register for a free card-trading account (you can browse available
cards on the site without an account, but you need to register to
buy or sell). Sites such as PlasticJungle.com and GiftCardsAgain.com have
emerged as leaders in this arena. You can sell gift cards with a minimum
balance of $25. You can also exchange your unwanted or partially used gift
cards for purchasing power at stores like Amazon.com or donate the balance
to charity.
At Plastic Jungle, the process works like this: Once your account is set
up, you enter details of the cards you want to sell, which the site then
validates. If you don’t know some information, such as the remaining value
on the card, it can be verified by the Web site later in the process. The
site will create a prepaid shipping label for you to send in your card.
Once it is received and the balance is verified, they’ll send you a check.

A Single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic–Josef Stalin

Congressional Traitors hard at work destroying your right to grow…

All those who voted for S.510 — which includes the entire U.S. Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike — are traitors to the freedoms upon which America was founded. They have thrust our food supply into the hands of tyrants who are just waiting to exercise their control and “authority” over as many people as possible.

Five years ago, I joked that people might one day be arrested for smuggling broccoli across state lines. Today, that joke has become a sad reality. The mere act of growing food and selling it to your neighbor without government permission is about to become a criminal act. And no, small farms are not “exempt” from S.510. They must provide financial information and apply to the FDA to be granted exemption status. That sounds a lot like slaves begging for mercy from the king, doesn’t it? –Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History by Judge Andrew Napolitano
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030799_food_freedom_Wickard_vs_Filburn.html#ixzz18tqXntsn

It’s always ironic that in the eyes of the government, it’s always the other country that is bad or is a terrorist. Our government refutes that governments can carry out terrorism unless, of course, it’s what Washington terms ‘state sponsored terrorism’ which is precisely what many other countries call the United States.

2008 Prediction of economic collapse-ignored by Congress>Documentary

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/firewall-in-defense-of-nation-state.html

Paul Kruegman, economist interview on how to fix the economy-you decide

http://marcfaberchannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/paul-krugman-onhow-to-stimulate-economy.html

2011 Jobs outlook somewhat better-hiring up http://financearmageddon.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-jobs-outlook.html

Personal Property Rights-John Stossel InterviewSomething which made America great, is now under attack in USA

http://peterschiffchannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/john-stossel-property-rights-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PeterSchiffBlog+%28Peter+Schiff++Blog%29

“A legislative act contrary to the Constitution is not law.”– Justice John Marshall
(1755-1835) US Supreme Court Chief Justice

How Washington Protects Your Privacy & LibertyPreserving trust in government is the highest good—at least for politicians. To create that trust, government continually spawns façades to make people believe their rights are safe. Few things better illustrate this charade than the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
In 2004, three years after the Patriot Act was enacted, politicians started to worry about the rising number of Americans grumbling about government intrusions. The 9/11 Commission proposed creating “a board within the executive branch to oversee adherence to the guidelines we recommend and the commitment the government makes to defend our civil liberties.” Creating another office within the executive branch to report on executive branch activities was unlikely to produce anything more than extra jobs for Washington hangers-on. The White House edited the 9/11 commission’s report before it was publicly released, so the Bush team had no trouble with this toothless-tiger palliative

http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/how-washington-protects-your-privacy-and-liberty/?utm_source=The+Freeman&utm_campaign=d2a92d3ab9-Freeman_Jan2010_Issue&utm_medium=email

This was written by one of my favorite authors & everything he has written is worth reading.

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one’s time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all. — H. L. Mencken

Take a peek at Mike Rivero’s site…enjoyable!

http://whatreallyhappened.com/join

10 Signs America Is Becoming a
Third-World Country before Our Eyes
The folks at Casey Research recently unearthed a perceptive little article titled “10 Signs the U.S. is Becoming a Third World Country.” The list speaks for itself, as I have been warning my readers of these flags for some time:

Rising unemployment and poverty (both are much bleaker than official reports portray, as government statisticians routinely “cook the books”).
Economic dependence (debt above 90% of GDP).
Declining civil rights (Patriot Act and other privacy stealing mandates).
Increasing political corruption (not only the criminal trials and sex scandals that make for titillating headlines, but the insidious, below-the-radar payola system that corrupts government at all levels).
Military patrolling the streets- (we’ve detailed the hush-hush training of thousands of U.S. troops for deployment in urban America).
Failing infrastructure (bridges, dams, oil and gas pipelines, power grid).
Disappearing middle class (massive, permanent loss of blue-collar jobs).
Devalued currency (the inevitable result of chronic deficit spending).
Controlling the media (the FCC, having effectively co-opted the major networks, is now eyeing talk radio controls and internet “neutrality”).
Capital controls (preventing free markets and free people from correcting and disciplining the financial misdeeds of big government).

“We’re seeing one of the lowest mobility rates in a century,” says Nathaniel Karp, chief economist for banking firm BBVA Compass. Karp says the recession has forced many people to stay put because they are unable to sell their homes, cannot find jobs or are unwilling to relocate for work if it means sacrificing a partner’s stable position.

Six CA cities were among the worst in the nation for jobs, while OH, MI, NJ and IL had the worst state governments in terms of managing their budget or for its citizens.

Government Waste: 20 Of The Craziest Things That The U.S. Government Is Spending Money On
You are not going to believe some of the things that the U.S. government is spending money on. According to a shocking new report, U.S. taxpayer money is being spent to study World of Warcraft, to study how Americans find love on the Internet, and to study the behavior of male prostitutes in Vietnam. Not only that, but money from the federal government is also being used to renovate a pizzeria in Iowa and to help a library in Tennessee host video game parties.
These are just some of the examples in a new report on government waste from Senator Tom Coburn entitled “Wastebook 2010″. Even as tens of millions of American families find themselves suffering through the worst economic downturn in modern history, the U.S. government continues to spend money on some of the craziest and most frivolous things imaginable. Every single year articles are written and news stories are done about the horrific government waste that is taking place and yet every single year it just keeps getting worse. So just what in the world is going on here?

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/government-waste-20-of-the-craziest-things-that-the-u-s-government-is-spending-money-on

Do you know what the Federal Register is? The Federal Register is the primary source of regulations for U.S. government agencies. In 1936, the number of pages in the Federal Register was about 2,600. Today, the Federal Register is over 80,000 pages long. That is just one example of how bad things have gotten.

Started a new business this year in AZ. Paid over $10,000 in fees for permitting, $10,000 in fee for elec hookup, $10,000 in fees for gas hook up and an extra $200 fee per month just for the “privilige” of having gas. Adding up all the fees to start our business, I don’t think we would do it again. We are now just getting to the point that we are making our bills each month, and so we are not taking a paycheck, and don’t anticipate one for at least another year. Our family has been in business for ourselves for decades ,and we know what we are doing, but the rising fees caught us off guard. Cities, municipalities, counties and states are raising all fees at astronomical rates to help offset the slump in their real estate income (since banks apparently don’t have to pay real estate taxes)…I’m telling you every business person I know is on their last leg.

16 U.S. Cities That Could Face Bankruptcy in 2011
The Poor Man reported previously about states which aren’t citizen friendly, now read about the cities which are likely to fail in the coming year…
2011 will be the year of the municipal default. At least that’s what analysts like Meredith Whitney predict, as do bond investors that have been fleeing the muni market.

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/16-u.s.-cities-that-could-face-bankruptcy-in-2011-535744.html

Is the U.S. about to get a case of the Moody’s Blues? Reuters reported today that the credit rating agency is unsettled by the deficit-increasing tax deal struck by President Obama and Congressional Republicans. Should the deal pass, it will “adversely affect the federal government budget deficit and debt level,” Moody’s said. That means it might be more likely to downgrade Uncle Sam’s credit rating in the future.

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/moody’s-warns-tax-deal-could-harm-u.s’s-triple-a-rating-535717.html?tickers=MCO,TLT,%5ETNX

Just because it’s a law does not make it right or ethical!

Parting Shots…

My eyes are bigger than my stomach. Recently I mentioned the idea of starting a Naider’s Raiders type group to go after the wrongs in society. I met with potential attorneys to volunteer their help and nada, zilch, not interested. Well, the Poor Man can’t do it all by himself, so this idea has been put on the back burner for now.

Seems most everyone is running twice as hard just to stay in place.

For now, we’ll be doing some brainstorming on how to best use our resources in the coming year. Preliminary discussions already lead us to believe we need to focus more on our core activities. A large part of that will be to bring you, our reader, more useful resources in the coming year. Simply keeping up with the technology and marketing end is challenging enough.

We’ve completed the migration of our documents and hopefully, no longer have any incomplete CD packages out there…had one particularly irate fellow who thought we had cheated him. Hopefully, he’s now squared away and one of the reasons why we now provide download links to our reports vs. CD ROM packages for most items. Needless to say, I don’t like unhappy subscribers and fortunately, most feel we over deliver!
Judging from the feedback we get, many are amazed at how much quality information is included with each issue of this bulletin AND all at no charge!

We’re exploring even more useful resources to share with you in 2011, much of it we’re paying for which is why we appreciate your support in terms of purchases and in promoting our bulletin with your family and friends. Your suggestions and contributions are always appreciated so keep them coming.

I try to present a balance of money making ideas that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, useful free and low cost resources which will save you money and thought provoking reports and analysis of economic and world events in terms of how they affect you and America along with some fun stuff too!

Initially, I started this bulletin as a means of sharing resources with a small circle of like minded friends and it has expanded in content and in numbers. We’ll have 1,000 subscribers before the end of 2011!

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Who stole your piece of the pie?

Bruce’s Poor Man’s Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. A homegrown revolution
2. The Zombie Bank-fun stuff
3. The Working Poor Families Organization
4. Recipe for creating the ‘cuddle’ hormone
5. End of America-Senator Tom Coburn Warns
6. Everything in America is now a crime
7. Destruction by Design-Sen. Bernie Sanders

P. J. O’Rourke
The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to.

Shattered Dreams for Too Many Americans
Washington is destroying the future of our children…
“Business is up,” said Linda, and “that’s not a good thing.”
Linda runs our local church ’soup kitchen’ and food bank for the needy. They serve free meals twice a week and help families who have been devastated by natural or man made disaster.

The truth is that there are millions upon millions of American families that have been pushed to the edge of despair by the lack of jobs. In August 2009, only 10 percent of the unemployed had been out of work for 2 years or longer. Today that number is up to 35 percent.
One very disturbing sign of the times is that many churches are now holding “blue Christmas” services to comfort those who are going through hard times. Back during the “good times” such a thing would have been unimaginable, but now they are being held from coast to coast.
All over the nation, food banks, aid agencies and homeless shelters find themselves absolutely overwhelmed this winter.

Despite White House propaganda and mainstream news reports of how the ‘economy is slowly improving,’ there are many long term unemployed and the odds of finding a job that pays more than $10 an hour are slim. The one segment of the nation doing well are those making more than $180,000.

What is perhaps saddest of all is what this economy is doing to so many children.
The richest 1% of U.S. households had a net worth 225 times greater than that of the average American household in 2009, according to analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. That’s up from the previous record of 190 times greater, which was set in 2004.

According to one recent study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 – the highest rate in 20 years.
Poverty is absolutely exploding all over the United States. The number of Americans living in poverty has increased for three consecutive years, and the 43.6 million poor Americans in 2009 was the highest number that the U.S. Census Bureau has ever recorded in 51 years of record-keeping.
So, no, this Christmas is not “a season of joy” for many Americans. For example, a commenter on the Unemployed-Friends website identified only as “jobless_in_MA” says that her holidays are going to be quite depressing since she has been out of work for 2 Christmases in a row now.
No one in this country should go hungry or go without affordable medical care. If we can afford billion dollar aircraft carriers and multi-million dollar jet fighters to attack street thugs in the mountains of Afghanistan, we should be able to take care of our own.

There are many, many flaws in the medical program Obama pushed through as it doesn’t address costs, the need for Tort Reform or the shortage of nurses and doctors (we also have a shortage of vets in the US) and by all rights, it should eliminate the need for Workers Comp costs for small business owners…perhaps it is just a start.

Today, one out of every six Americans is now enrolled in a federal anti-poverty program. As 2007 began, “only” 26 million Americans were on food stamps, but now 42 million Americans are enrolled in the food stamp program and that number keeps rising every single month.

Sadly, there are millions upon millions of Americans that do have jobs and yet barely find themselves able to hang in there. Many Americans have been forced to grab whatever job they can find. In fact, the number of Americans working part-time jobs “for economic reasons” is now the highest it has been in at least five decades.
It is becoming increasingly more difficult to make a living in the United States. Today, half of all American workers earn $505 or less per week.
Could your family get by on $505 per week?

America’s economic pie is rapidly shrinking. As our national wealth continues to be destroyed, even more American families are going to suffer. Indeed, watch for the price of oil to head up to as high as $120 a barrel in the coming year…that, of course, will mean another round of higher priced commodities such food. There are many reasons this will take place but I’ll skip the economics lesson this issue (suffice it to say it has more to do with greed and speculation than demand).

Here’s the Poor Man’s message to Washington-Stop killing us (I like making these little animated movies) http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8198351

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.

Free, Interesting or low-cost resources

Get it free-TV & Movies & More

http://www.crackle.com/c/Backwash/?cmpid=1662

Nimble ways to manage your social life

http://www.pcworld.com/article/214926/a_nimble_way_to_manage_your_online_social_life.html?tk=nl_wbx_h_topnews

When preparing fresh vegetables…save the scraps & trimmings. You can freeze them or turn them into soup quickly just by boiling them with a bouillon cube or two and water, then puree them until smooth!

Compare online & store prices instantly-check out this site:

http://www.SwoopThat.com

Opt out of catalog mailing lists. Holiday shopping frequently finds your name on a variety of mailing lists. If you want to stop the junk mail & save few trees, go to:
www.CatalogChoice.org

What Does the New HEALTH CARE LAW Mean for You?
The Affordable Care Act means that today, insurers can’t:
deny coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions;
cancel your policy without proving fraud; or
put lifetime limits on benefits.
Also, your children may be able to stay on your insurance plan until they are 26; and, if you’ve been denied insurance due to a pre-existing condition, you may be eligible for coverage through your state’s high-risk pool.
Learn more and search for insurance options available to you at healthcare.gov.

JOB TRACKER: Shining a Light on Outsourcing
Want to know what corporations are doing in your community? Just pick a ZIP code and enter it into our Job Tracker. Take 44115, in the Cleveland area: 47 companies sent jobs overseas, 130 had mass layoffs and 2,963 had violated safety and health laws.
Job Tracker is a publicly available, ZIP code-searchable database exposing companies that have been exporting jobs, laying off workers and violating safety, health and labor laws. Go to workingamerica.org/jobtracker to search your area.

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
– Proverbs

The News Roundup

Candice Miller R-MI sent this new pledge to me just before Christmas regarding-

reforms recommended by the transition team and are expected to be adopted as the new House rules are:
• Requirement for every bill to cite its specific constitutional authority and for every bill to be available online for the American people to read and review;
• A prohibition on the consideration of any “suspension” bill that creates a new program unless it eliminates or reduces a program of equal or greater size, also known as “cut-as-you-go;”
• A prohibition on the consideration of any “suspension” bill that increases authorizations, appropriations, or direct spending in any given year unless fully offset;
• And, for the first time among either party, a requirement that internal Republican Conference rules and resolutions are made available online for the American people to read and review: http://rules-republicans.house.gov/News/Read.aspx?id=442.

“Dissent is what rescues democracy from a quiet death behind closed doors.”
–Lewis H. Lapham

Destruction by Design? The war on our middle class continues. Watch Sen. Bernie Sanders speech in the senate as how we’re being screwed.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/senator-bernie-sanders-war-against.html

Rumor Central…Fiscal vampires push for new world currency
Over the years, several ideas to replace the dollar have surfaced. The latest is called the SDR, a fiat currency of the IMF (Int’l Monetary Fund) run by Swiss bankers and our Fed…the plan is to reduce the size of the US economy and remove the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. These vampires have been meeting in Switzerland over the past year.

Browse every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991.
» EXPLORE THE DATABASE | House Votes | Senate Votes
• Congress 111, House vote: Vote 664: H R 847
• Congress 111, Senate vote: Vote 299: On the Nomination
• Congress 111, Senate vote: Vote 298: On the Resolution of Ratification

Corporate America screwing the little guy
As the American unemployed continue to struggle, Wall Street is making record profits and shelling out huge bonuses. With the US government is spending billions on wars abroad but neglecting its own people at home the holiday season looks bleak. Economist Max Fraad Wolff says because so many people are without a job, the social division between profits and wages has tilted further towards profit.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/max-fraad-wolff-corporate-america.html

The year 2011 will bring Americans a larger and more intrusive police state, more unemployment and home foreclosures, no economic recovery, more disregard by the US government of US law, international law, the Constitution, and truth, more suspicion and distrust from allies, more hostility from the rest of the world, and new heights of media sycophancy.

Everything in America is rapidly becoming a crime. Learn of some of the most ridiculous ‘crimes’ under our rising totalitarian government at:

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com/legalresources

Path to Freedom presents ‘A Homegrown Revolution’ A collaboration of selective media clips which feature their urban homestead and farm which focus on the need of radical action — growing food in the city.

This self produced, short music video was shown at Peter Seller’s Cultural Art’s class at UCLA followed by a short presentation by urban farmer, Jules Dervaes founder of Path to Freedom. The class focus was on the art of slow food and among other guests invited were Michael Pollan, Alice Waters and Eric Schlosser.

Like Victory Gardens of yesteryear, start your own homegrown revolution, grow your own food in your back or front yard — for more information visit the urban homesteaders at http://www.PathtoFreedom.com

Or on their online journal at: http://www.urbanhomestead.org/journal

The End of America – A Tsunami of debt is growing and will drown the United States by 2020

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn warned Americans this Sunday of an apocalyptic economic future, with Great Depression levels of unemployment and a destruction of the country’s middle class.
The Oklahoma Republican told Fox News that unless Washington cuts spending and reduces the national debt, unemployment in the United States could rise dramatically from less than 10 percent today to 18 percent or more.
At the same time, Coburn says the nation’s economic output could drop calamitously — by 9 percent. Once that happens he predicts the middle class could be destroyed

A Tsunami of debt is growing and will drown the United States by 2020. Unfunded entitlemnet promises will be ruinous to keep and if cut will likely bring civil unrest. Sovereign insolvency is likely to spread across the Globe as higher interest rates are demanded for government borrowing. America faces a terminal decline as an economic Superpower as stagnation and high unemployment sap its strength.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/end-of-america-tsunami-of-debt-is.html

What will the next generation think of us when they
Learn our government has cannibalized their country, their opportunities?
–The Men Who Sold out America

Guest Editorial

The middle class and its jobs continue to be wiped out, little or no relief in site-poverty to
increase. Today, nearly one out of every three families in the United States is considered to be “low income”. Millions of American families are finding that they can barely make it from month to month even with both parents working as hard as they possibly can. Blue collar American workers from coast to coast are having their wages decreased at a time when it seems like the cost of virtually every monthly bill is going up. Unfortunately, there is every indication that things are only going to get worse and that average American families are going to be financially squeezed even more in the months and years to come.

The Working Poor Families Project has just released their policy brief for the winter of 2010-11. What they have discovered is that the number of working poor in the United States is higher than they have ever seen it before and it continues to increase at a staggering pace. The following are some of the key findings for 2009 that were pulled right out of their report….

* There were more than 10 million low-income working families in the United States, an increase of nearly a quarter million from the previous year.
* Forty-five million people, including 22 million children, lived in low-income working families, an increase of 1.7 million people from 2008.
* Forty-three percent of working families with at least one minority parent were low income, nearly twice the proportion of white working families (22 percent).
* Income inequality continued to grow with the richest 20 percent of working families taking home 47 percent of all income and earning 10 times that of low-income working families.
* More than half of the U.S. labor force (55 percent) has “suffered a spell of unemployment, a cut in pay, a reduction in hours or have become involuntary part-time workers” since the recession began in December 2007.

Unfortunately, things are not going to be getting any better for the working poor. In the new “one world economy” that our politicians keep insisting is so good for us, millions upon millions of American workers now find that they have to compete for work with laborers on the other side of the globe that are willing to work for slave labor wages. This is causing millions of jobs to leave the United States and it is forcing wages down.
Millions of Americans now find that they are making substantially less than they used to. If that has happened to you, perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Or perhaps it is not that comforting. In any event, American workers are not just competing with each other anymore. Now there is the constant threat that all the jobs could just be sent overseas.

As wages are forced down, a record number of working Americans are finding themselves forced to turn to food stamps and to other government anti-poverty programs. Millions of Americans have been forced to take part-time jobs in order to supplement their incomes. Millions of others have been forced to take part-time jobs because that is all they can find.

This is all part of a long-term trend. The numbers don’t lie. About the only people doing well are those on Wall Street and the very rich. Nearly every other segment of the population is getting poorer.

The following are 10 statistics that I have shared previously, but I think that they do a really good job of highlighting the plight that the working poor in this country are now facing….
#1 In 2009, total wages, median wages, and average wages all declined in the United States.
#2 Since the year 2000, we have lost 10% of our middle class jobs. In the year 2000 there were about 72 million middle class jobs in the United States but today there are only about 65 million middle class jobs. Meanwhile, our population is getting larger.
#3 As 2007 began, only 26 million Americans were on food stamps, but now 42 million Americans are on food stamps and that number keeps rising every single month.
#4 Since 2001, over 42,000 U.S. factories have closed down for good.
#5 One out of every six Americans is now enrolled in at least one anti-poverty program run by the federal government.
#6 Half of all American workers now earn $505 or less per week.
#7 The number of Americans working part-time jobs “for economic reasons” is now the highest it has been in at least five decades.
#8 Ten years ago, the United States was ranked number one in average wealth per adult. In 2010, the United States has fallen to seventh.
#9 In 1976, the top 1 percent of earners in the United States took in 8.9 percent of all income. By 2007, that number had risen to 23.5 percent.
#10 According to one recent study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010.

The United States is becoming poorer as a nation even as the boys up on Wall Street are busy grabbing a bigger share for themselves.
We are rapidly becoming a nation that will have a very small privileged class of ultra-wealthy and a very large class of “workers” that is just barely trying to survive.
So is the answer even more government handouts and even more government social programs?
Of course not.

There is no distinctly native American criminal class save Congress.”
– Mark Twain

What middle class Americans need are middle class jobs.

http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/

I’m a new subscriber & had a chance to look through your previous issues too. You are indeed a passionate political muckraker. I enjoy your comments and resources and I’m making a small donation to the ‘cause.’ –Lifeworks/MaryAnne, TX

I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities
–Whoopi Goldberg

Parting thoughts-enjoy your New Year Celebration

I leave you with a bit of New Year’s trivia to brighten your celebratory weekend…

>>Bond with a midnight kiss. When the countdown ends & the ball drops (doesn’t Congress do enough of that), be sure to give your loved one a kiss-it will spur production of the cuddle hormone oxytocin which will fill you with love!

>>If that doesn’t work, try this recipe: In a large pitcher, stir together 2-½ cups of OJ, 1-½ cup of pineapple juice, ¼ cup apple juice, ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ cup of grenadine and a cup or so of bourbon…add 2 Tbs of light brown sugar until dissolved, cover & chill. Before serving, add 2 cups of 7-up and garnish.

>>The first New Year’s ball dropped from a flagpole at One Times Square at midnight in 1908. That ball was made from wood & iron weighing 700 lbs. Today’s ball weighs over 11,800 lobs.

>>The Rockettes home, Radio City Music Hall opened its doors in NYC in 1932 (has a wonderful Art Deco interior)…so who was better – the Rockettes or the June Taylor Dancers who used to appear on the Jackie Gleason show? You decide!

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions!

Finally, here’s a fun little ditty called The Zombie Bank

http://economycollapse.blogspot.com/2010/12/zombie-bank.html

A hearty happy New Year to all of you!
The “getting-too-old-to-enjoy-it” Poor Man

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

11 Predictions of ’11

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Interview with Elizabeth Warren
2. Why has the war on terror become a war on our freedom?
3. Remember when using Time Warp
4. What new tax laws mean to online sellers
5. New-free reports now available/Happy New Year!
6. Austerity cuts in Europe-a harbinger of things to come here?
7. 11 Predictions for the coming year-Gas Prices to Rise is #12

“When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world?’ You are.”
– Ayn Rand
(1905-1982) Author
Source: Atlas Shrugged.

Americans of our Revolutionary War Period were better educated than most college grads of today
Nearly a half million copies of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet were sold in the years leading up to our American Revolution. Although most folks were self-educated or home schooled in those years, most were better read than today’s college graduate. Natural Law and human rights had a very real value and respect then, lawyers were actually respected and common law was considered to be a science.
Most of our common laws were derived over the centuries and judges found their roots in the clergy. In its early years common law was a private legal system, independent of government. Because law had no connection with government, judges would instruct offenders to make restitution to the victim (unlike today where fines are paid to the government instead of the victim).

If the offender refused, the judge used a procedure called outlawry, meaning if the criminal chose not to obey or to act outside the law, their legal status was reduced to that of a wild animal and this fact was publicized so that anyone could hunt that person down (the origin of bounty hunting) and kill him or enslave him.

Under Clovis, founder of the Frankish kingdom, a book of laws were compiled called Lex Salica, with its main premise is the criminal’s first liability was to the victim, not the state. A range of offenses and fines were listed in this book and restitutions were split 50-50 between the victim and the state.

Common Law became so logical and sensible, that most colonists studied and understood it. In fact, the British stateman, Edmund Burke observed “In no country in the world, is law so general a study.”

Essentially, there are two laws. They are universally understood in ALL religions and little argued (though sadly ignored today by the US legal/political system which has become one and the same). They are:
>> Do all that you have agreed to do
>>Do not encroach on other persons or their property
The basic precepts of common law are no longer understood by our citizens or practiced in our legal system. Essentially we are left we political law which is constantly subject to change, challenge and twisting by politicians and bureaucrats who ignore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Learn more at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law
NOTE: Our newest free report, How the Washington-Wall Street Cartel is Robbing America contains new & pieces previously published. Additional new how-to reports are included in this file for downloading and represents our ongoing effort at providing our readers useable information. Feel free to share these files — my way of saying Happy New Year!
Be sure to see the 11 trends forecast from our friend Gerald Celente at the bottom of this week’s edition. Normally, I provide such predictions, but Gerald hit pretty much all that I had come up with on the head…not a pretty site.
As governments become corrupt, they have need of more laws to dominate its citizens.

The Weekly Round up

Make your shower self cleaning with daily use of this MIY cleaner. Combine 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol and 1 cup water into a spray bottle. Spray walls and tub after each shower…the alcohol will dissolve shower grime & evaporates quickly!

Profile-Interview with Ms. Warren-New Consumer Chief
If Elizabeth Warren offers you a cup of tea, don’t accept. I’ve been known to pinch a penny myself, but when President Obama’s choice to run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pulls a rumpled gray object with a tail out of her desk drawer, even I blanch. It looks more like a dead mouse than a used tea bag.
“I know,” she says, laughing, when I express surprise. “But I just can’t stand the waste of throwing out a tea bag after one use. It’s like a knife in the gut for me.”http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/elizabeth-warren-held-to-account/

Minimum Wage rises for some in 2011-PM maintains that by not taxing the first $25K of income would give everyone a much needed boost!
The , a New York-based advocate for workers, estimates that about 647,000 people will see their paychecks go up in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington
Retail clerk Kimberly Bobian of Denver agreed. Bobian stopped by a corner grocery to pick up a can of tomato sauce and said it’s hard to keep her pantry stocked on the .
“It’s going up 11 cents? That’s a big deal, definitely,” she said. “Food prices are going up, everything goes up, so any little bit helps
State-by-state minimum wage laws: http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm

What the New Tax Law Means to Online Sellers
Just before the Congress adjourned, the Tax Relief, Unemployment
Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 was signed into
law. Barbara Weltman explains what it means to self-employed and
small businesses, including online sellers.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i27/s01

Upcoming UPS and USPS rate changes — review your shipping costs-PM tried getting the new rates but they weren’t yet available so check them.
Carrier rates are changing, effective January 3 for UPS and January 2 for USPS (check USPS.com in January for rates).

eBay’s top-selling items in 2010 include iPhones, Barbie dolls
and military jackets, according to its just-released ”Top Shopped” report.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m12/i29/s02

How the Washington-Wall Street Cartel is
Selling your children into slavery, mortgaging & destroying
Your future…and what you can do to
Restore your freedom.

If you’re happy with TSA pat downs, no knock warrants in the middle of the night, diminishing property rights, no middle class jobs, over-paid government bureaucrats, unfair tax laws, a once prosperous country now bankrupt, a Congress bought and paid for, government spying on your email, finances & more…then read no further.

This ‘serious-as-a-heart attack,’ jaw clenching report will reveal how Americans are being financially raped and terrorized by a government which is supposed to protect us…mostly in the name of ‘keeping us free’ from terrorism.

You’ll also find some other reports here including how to Do Your Own Pig Roast, Basics of Plumbing, Coping w/ Farm Emergencies, 3-Day Emergency Food Supply & more.
http://tinyurl.com/GovCartel or go to www.PoorManSurvival.com and click on the Citizen Preparedness tab.

45 Tons of CDs & DVDs wind up in landfills each month. AbundaTrade.com refurbishes & re-circulates used discs. Enter the UPC code for a price quote, then swap them for cash or gift cards, ipods, etc.-or donate them to DiscsforDogs.org-benefits SPCA!

To save money when dining out, book a reservation in advance online through DinnerBroker.com or OpenTable.com. You will get discounts and points that can be turned in for cash — exact amounts depend on the restaurant and time of reservation. Also, clip coupons from Sunday newspapers, mailbox coupon packs and free penny-saving publications. Restaurants often offer discounts this way. The Entertainment Book (about $30*) offers a wide variety of restaurant discounts — using just two or three discounts pays for the book (888-231-7283, www.entertainment.com). If you like a specific restaurant, sign up for its reward program — you will get special deals by E-mail. Watch for promotions, such as Kids Eat Free or Early-Bird Specials.

Government mandated costs have all gone up (our state has among the highest in the US). We got our property taxes, water bill and auto insurance all in December…put a real strain on our holiday finances. It also virtually eliminated our charitable donations this year as we had to feed the government instead! –Margaret

Nonprofits getting first shot at bank foreclosures
Rebuilding Together obtained the home for free from ., the bank that foreclosed on its previous owner. Honeywell International Inc. provided the labor to renovate it and $25,000 cash for the materials.
In a market hot with speculators snapping up cheap foreclosures, Rebuilding Together’s program is one of many that give a leg up to nonprofits and redevelopment agencies trying to stabilize neighborhoods dotted with vacant houses.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_foreclosures_families_first

http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/section/about/

It’s not who wins or loses, but who gets to control the wreckage

The $20K Pet-High Vet Bill Under Scrutiny
Vet bills are increasing and many Americans can no longer afford treatment for fido – Read more at: http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/health-care/the-20000-pet-1292884111206/
People have more to fear from governments than from terrorists. Terrorists come and go but power-hungry politicians will always be with us. We must ensure that each new debacle caused by government incompetence is not converted into another coffin nail for individual freedom as has happened in the United States.

Remember when:

When it was assumed the next generation would have it better than their parents
When most high school kids could read and knew American history
When poverty was declining
When home ownership was a viable step up
When a middle class family could exist on one paycheck
When income taxes were almost an afterthought & didn’t require CPAs
When good jobs were commonplace

Speaking of ‘Remember When’ here’s a free site that will whisk you back as far as 1900 and it let’s you peek at what life was like during each decade, even what kind of toys kids played with. For a good description of what all you might find on this site you may want to check out the Time-Warp Project button at the top of the page. The Research button yields some great information too. Just scroll down and check out the timeline.

http://www.time-warp.org/

How it works in the US workplace…no health insurance, no first aid kit – it’s cheaper to simply replace the worker!

Parting thoughts…

Why has the war on terror become a war on freedom?
How many people is a government allowed to kill accidentally?

A number of years ago when I owned a chain of newspapers, we tried to find out how many people were killed accidentally by police. No one would provide us with that information. No knock ‘shock and awe’ style SWAT break ins to the wrong home have killed countless people such a retired minister in Philadelphia who was reading his Bible when police broke down his door screaming at him to get on the ground. He died of a heart attack. Oh, an informant had given them the wrong address.

Last year in Detroit, police SWAT killed a young child when they entered the wrong home and a police firearm went off. Indeed, statistics show more Americans are killed accidentally by police than terrorists.

In most years since the 1990s, Americans were at far greater risk of being gunned down by local, state, and federal law enforcement agents than from international terrorists. In 2001, the Washington Post reported, for example, that Prince George police (MD) shot 122 persons, killing 47 – half of those citizens were unarmed.

A Human Rights Watch report observed “police officers engage in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessary roughness in cities all across America, while their superiors fail to act or even to record the problems.”

The FBI killed 80 men, women and children in Waco after dousing the buildings for six hours with flammable gas and prevented fire trucks from approaching the inferno. If this had been carried out my Muslim fanatics, it would be classified as one of the worst terrorist acts in history…instead, Attorney General Janet Reno was treated like a hero!

Between 1980 and 2000 governments around the world killed more than 10 million people. In the 20th century, governments were responsible for killing more than 120 million people, while wars only accounted for 35 million deaths. Year in and year out, governments kill 100 times more people than terrorists.

In Serbia US & allied war planes killed between 500 and 2000 civilians and even more in Afghanistan…but when government kills it doesn’t count and it usually gets white washed as the government investigates its own incidents. Many would agree that any action done by a private citizen that would be considered terrorism should also be considered terrorism if done by government agents.

The notion put forth by our “Department of Justice” that governments cannot be terrorists (unless of course, our government says another government is a terrorist) doesn’t hold a lot of water by those on the receiving end. US sponsored torture, using other countries at our behest, makes us hypocritical in the eyes of the world.

One of the reasons why our government is so often despised in other countries is due to our need to not only control US citizens, but to also stick our nose into the business of foreign citizens acting as the policeman to the world. We just can’t seem to get enough of our addiction to control or to act as big brother to the world. Noted in this recent story…

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Drug Enforcement Administration has grown into a global intelligence organization whose reach extends far beyond international drug trafficking, The New York Times reported.
Citing documents from the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, the newspaper said the DEA’s operations had become so expansive the agency has had to fend off foreign politicians who want to use it against their political enemies.
One August 2009 cable reported Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli as having sent an urgent BlackBerry message to the US ambassador asking the DEA go after his political enemies. Speaking of Panama, I always found it odd that our country could ethically invade (we called it extradition) another country simply to nab someone (Pres. Noriega) it no longer liked and the rest of the world said nothing.
Too bad our politicians didn’t lean more toward the advice George Washington gave us in his farewell speech about avoiding entangling alliances and foreign intrigues…guess we can learn from history.
Finally, are the austerity cuts & protests witnessed across Europe a harbinger of things to come in the USA? Remember, it doesn’t take much to get a populace angry and many Americans are becoming fed up with the direction this country is headed toward as well.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/revolt-2011-coming-dark-ages-2010.html

Also, check out Gerald’s 11 predictions for the coming year…not pretty & don’t forget as the Poor Man has been saying, oil will rise, meaning gasoline will rise, meaning in turn, food prices will rise. Costs will be passed onto consumers for a variety of items in addition to food.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2010/12/gerald-celente-top-predictions-for-2011.html

Yours for better living in ‘11–the Poor Man,

“Congressman is the trivialist distinction for a full grown man.”
– Mark Twain

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

The Three Liars of Society

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:

Surviving the Three Liars of Society
PM’s Health Concoction
Finance is the new warfare & Chinese are winning
McAlvany Intelligence Advisor
Free ebooks for Kindle Readers
Legitimate ways to check your credit score
Emergency water purification methods
Top Money Savers in 2011

Unnecessary laws are not good laws, but traps for money.
–Thomas Hobbes

The Three Liars of Society There is no longer any stability in our legal system. Once our nation shifted from Natural and Common Law ideals to those of Political Law, no one can predict from one administration to the next what is permissible and what is not. Most recently, this, along with our uncertain tax laws has caused uncertainty among business leaders which prevents them from hiring.

Most larger businesses know doing business in America is a joke due to its constant court ordered mandates, unlegislated bureaucratic rules and other constant changes. In short, we’re always in a state of flux which causes turmoil in the markets.

Political law has also kept our God given rights in a state of flux. The government seems to think they grant us permission to travel, to do business, to write publish or speak. Government at levels is quick to deny those rights on the slightest, unfounded whim since 911 and the creation of the unPatriot Act.

America is the most heavily regulated society on earth and it’s been reported state lawmakers issue some 200 million laws every ten years. Collectively, we have more than 500 million laws, something no rational society can keep up with, but then again, our government is no longer rational. As I write this a MI prosecutor has filed charges again a man for looking at his wife’s email without her permission. If convicted of this non-crime, he faces up to five years in prison and the flatworm of a prosecutor will get on TV in her indignant manner and chastise anyone who dare dream of performing this felonious act.

The legal system has ruined this country and discouraged business and job growth. There are many firms who will not do business in America because of our out of control legal system. No doubt you recall the time when all the states got together with a big law firm to sue Big Tobacco with the promise the proceeds would benefit children’s education. With one exception, the state government lied to the world and of course, the lawyers got rich and the states blew their ill-gotten gains on pork projects. You cannot trust a government based on political law.

What prudent merchant will hazard his fortunes
In any new branch of commerce when he knows not
That his plans may be rendered unlawful before they
Can be executed? –James Madison

The American Trial Lawyers Association is a very successful lobbying group. As a result of their efforts, we are the only country in the world which does not have tort reform, a very costly mistake for American jobs.

When in doubt…Sue! The American National Motto

In the previous issue I wrote there are two basic laws. Allow me to remind what they are:

Do all you have agreed to do.
Do not encroach on other persons or their property
Since the 1930s America has been falling into the Dark Ages of law. Laws vacillate in the wind, according to the whim of whichever party is in office. Politicians of both parties have sought to make us more of a democracy rather than a republic and this is something our founders absolutely warned against as majority rule is dangerous. Any sociologist will tell of the bandwagon factor which influences how people vote. Rarely does the individual look at the long term effect of any law and its true cost to society. Marijuana laws are a good example. No one ever got ‘juiced up’ on pot and went on a crime binge. History is filled with examples of folks who got drunk and committed crime, yet pot is bad and offenders fill our jails and penalize our community resources.

The Three Liars of Society include >Legislators >Lawyers and >Lobbyists. No other group in history has done more damage to our Bill of Rights and Constitution.

As far as I’m concerned, Washington has sold our Liberty Bell for scrap. Instead of common sense or common law, prosecutors and politicians now use the blackjack approach to hijacking our rights and undermining our system.

Protection of the innocent is no longer a concern. The law is strictly a punitive tool to enforce whichever behavior is no longer in vogue. In recent years just about everything has come under attack, from gun ownership and tobacco use to wearing a seat belt. Most of the time, it’s not for public safety, it’s to put more cash in government coffers.

As citizens, these government agencies and prosecutors are supposed to be working for us. When they don’t perform, they need to be removed from office. Most of them seem to have forgotten they took an oath, perhaps they need a strong reminder.

Natural law and common law are superior to political law and was made famous prior our American Revolution by Rev. Jonathan Mayhew. Political law is arbitrary.

The vigor of Mayhew’s sermons established his reputation. It was published not only in Boston, but also in London in 1752 and again in 1767. In Boston, John Adams remembered long afterward that Mayhew’s sermon, “was read by everybody.” Some would say later that this sermon was the first volley of the American Revolution, setting forth the intellectual and scriptural justification for rebellion against the Crown.

Natural law or the law of nature has been described as a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere. As classically used, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behavior.

If our country were under external attack, we’d all race to the rescue. Why aren’t we defending our freedom and rights from these domestic political terrorists?

In the US the sanctimonious maxim that “Ignorance of the law is no excuse’ puts every citizen at risk. This notion may have been a sound rule in simpler times, when the catalog of offenses was limited to traditional offenses…but it’s a sinister joke when applied to the 6 foot shelf of criminal codes at the federal and state level. Moreover, no one today can rely on a straightforward meaning of the law as they have become twisted, subject to the whims of whichever prosecutor is in office becoming utterly arbitrary and deliberately unclear! In many respects, these prosecutors would be considered traitors under Colonial law.

I’ve included a link below to legal resources that are either free or low cost and which cover many areas of law. Although geared primarily to MI contacts, many of the resources lend themselves to folks in any state…use it as a starting point.

http://julieslist.homestead.com/LegalResources.html

…This is part of an ongoing series of the Poor Man’s take on how our political system has been corrupted.

This n That…

PM’s New Year’s Health concoction
My wife won’t go near this, but I find it healthful and a good way to begin a healthier New Year. I have been drinking this each morning for about eight days and already feel the benefits of rejuvenation. Remember, all recipes are merely guides. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients. I use a blender to make a large cup of this each day.

1 tbs of apple cider vinegar
4-5 ounces of cranberry-pomegranate juice
1 chopped apple, ½ banana, 1 fresh pineapple slice
1 ounce sesame oil
1 ounce blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon flax seed
¼ cucumber
Bunch of fresh spinach
Small slice of fresh ginger root

The sesame oil gives it a nutty flavor and the ginger root gives it a flavor boost too. This plus a couple of slices of raisin toast and coffee carry me through most of the day-try it!

PM is on a health kick this month…this might prove useful to many of you!
You can figure out which foods your body is efficient at digesting, your eating becomes much more efficient. Also, many raw foods contain some of the natural enzymes required to digest them. When you cook them, you kill some/all of the enzymes and put more of the stress of digestion on your gut and causing you to get fewer net calories. One free tool you can use to figure out the foods that are best for you is from, Dr. Joe Mercola. You can use it by going to: http://nutritionaltyping.mercola.com/PreTest.aspx

Weekly Roundup of Useful Stuff

How to Purify Drinking Water in an emergency

http://www.prepare-for-emergency.com/purify-water.htm

*Something I often neglect to mention about preparedness…keep an extra tank or three of LP gas filled at all times. Your BBQ can be used for cooking & these tanks are usable for other devices such as heaters and stoves.

Free ebooks for Kindle Readers
This Christmas, I noticed a trend among the gifts my friends and family received. A lot of them were now owners of a Kindle. Here’s a source of free e-books to put on their e-readers.
This site is the best of a ton of them that I looked at because the books are 100% free with no hidden membership costs.

http://manybooks.net/

Amazon Launches Kindle eBook Lending, BN.com’s Nook Is a Bestseller

Amazon.com is now allowing owners of its Kindle eBook reading
devices to lend eBooks to others through the Kindle Book Lending
program. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble said its Nook eBook reader is
its most popular product ever, and said it now sells more digital
books than physical books on BN.com

Atomic Mall Launches Auctions Very Different from eBay-Style Listings

Online marketplace AtomicMall.com launched its anticipated
auction format on Saturday. The sealed-bid auctions are designed
to eliminate the shortcomings of the traditional online auction
format found on sites like eBay. Atomic Mall founder Mike Shannon
tells AuctionBytes he launched auctions to attract unique items,
and believes product diversity will be a powerful force for
attracting buyers to the site.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m01/i03/s01

Gift Cards Are Out
After nine consecutive years of gains, gift cards are on the wane. Sales of gift cards are expected to drop to $86.2 billion, an 11% decline from their peak in 2007, according to CardHub.com. Shoppers want to avoid pitfalls like expiration dates and inactivity fees that can quickly erode a card’s value, says Kwame Kuadey, chief executive of GiftCardRescue.com, which buys and sells gift cards. Even if you use a portion of the gift card, these inactivity fees can kick in if the rest of the card remains unused for at least 12 months. However, the Card Act eliminated other loopholes, including extending expiration dates to at least five years after the gift card is issued. Before, expiration dates could kick in at any time and often did within one year.

The first goal of any off grid electrical system is to reduce the electrical usage of your household as much as possible.
How to do that you say?
Non-electric or hybrid appliances. Let’s talk possibilities, starting with refrigeration.
With a propane refrigerator you get a lot less for you money in terms of size and luxuries than you do with an electric unit. It’s the price you pay for refrigeration where there isn’t any electricity. But let’s face it, a cold drink, ice, and preserved food are worth it.
http://www.realgoods.com/product/home-o … gerator.do

End of Days starts May 21st according a group of Christian groups going about the country to warn the rest of us. Guess that ties into the Mayan Calendar prediction?!

Libertarian Party to participate in “Stripping of Freedom” TSA conference

WASHINGTON – Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict will join Ralph Nader and Cato Institute information policy expert Jim Harper this Thursday, January 6, as a panelist at a public conference examining TSA security procedures.

The conference is sponsored by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and titled “The Stripping of Freedom: A Careful Scan of TSA Security Procedures.” It is open to the press and public. (Advance registration is preferred.)

Benedict commented, “TSA agents strip-scan and grope us when we want to take an airline flight. We need to treat their security theater with just as much scrutiny. Terrorists win by tricking us into letting government trample on our rights.”

Top 15 Money Saving Tips for 2011

“Every year, ShopSmart publishes hundreds of tips to help consumers slash their bills,” said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. “So to help them kick off 2011 right, we pulled together our best cost-cutting measures that could save hundreds of dollars.”

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shopsmarts-top-15-money-saving-tips-for-2011-111821089.html

>>Use vegetable spray as a quick lubricant on squeaky doors, bike chains, etc.<>>Legitimate ways of checking your credit score. Even if you no longer use credit, a bad score can hurt your chances at a job and will affect premium prices paid for auto insurance (which makes no sense whatsoever but our anti-consumer gov’t allows them this unfair practice…guess that’s why they call it ‘free enterprise.’)
None of these services are free >>>>
True FICO Score @ Fair Isaac 800-319-4433 or MyFICO.com
Equifax @ 866-493-9788 or Equifax.com
Transunion @ 800-888-4213 or TransUnionCS.com

Beginner’s Guide to Investing in Silver-Free
http://silver-shortage.blogspot.com/

PMs Political Hacking…

Get links to our intelligence services, preparedness checklists & more at Don McAlvany’s Intelligence Advisor. Don has been around a long time and has always provided useful content (hey, he’s a Phx boy)!

http://miatoday.com/today.asp

Will Congress order changes at the U.S. Postal Service?
Postal reform could be the sleeper issue of the year — and a politically tricky one. (Which lawmaker wants to become the champion of closing post offices?) But make no mistake: This is the year the Postal Service will really run out of money — unless Congress seriously addresses postal reform. Pensions are ballooning, mail volume and revenues are plummeting and — most perilous of all — a $15 billion line of credit with the U.S. Treasury dries up this year. Two substantive legislative proposals are on the table and after years of avoiding the issue, it appears Congress will have to deliver a serious solution in 2011.

Use a coffee filter to hold a taco or hot dog or other messy food-they make a sleeve!

Most wealthy simply do not pay income taxes. Today, it is estimated that a third of all the wealth in the world is held in offshore banks. So why is so much of the wealth of the globe located in places such as Monaco, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Isle of Man? It isn’t because those are fun places to visit. It is to avoid taxes. The super wealthy and the international banking elite think that it is really funny that our paychecks are constantly being drained by federal taxes, state taxes and Social Security taxes while they literally pay nothing at all. These incredibly rich elitists make a ton of money doing business in wealthy western nations and then they transfer virtually all of their profits offshore where they don’t have to contribute any of it in taxes. It works out really great for them, but it sucks for the rest of us.

It is estimated that approximately $1.4 trillion is held in offshore banks in the Cayman Islands alone. According to an article in Forbes magazine, there is a total of approximately 15 trillion to 20 trillion dollars in offshore bank accounts, brokerage accounts and hedge fund portfolios.

A recent article in the Guardian stated that a third of all the wealth on the entire globe is held in offshore banks and that the vast majority of international banking transactions take place in these tax havens….
On a conservative estimate, a third of the world’s wealth is held offshore, with 80% of international banking transactions taking place there. More than half the capital in the world’s stock exchanges is “parked” offshore at some point.
All of the biggest banks in the world are involved in playing this game.

>>>Help abused animals at www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com – become a sponsor or donate!<<<

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PM’s Rumor Mill>>>Italy will be the next European nation requiring a bailout!
Our country no longer hold the international respect it once did, Asia is the new empire. Even street vendors in Switzerland are trying to dump the dollar. Even the Euro is likely to fall within two years, as is the US dollar. Asia has far fewer job killing bureaucratic regulations than the west. With strong encouragement from the Chinese government, their people are buying up gold. Paper dollars lost 16% of their value at the end of 2010. Asians are laughing at what they perceive as “dumbed-down Americans,” and plan to have their gold-back currency become the world currency within a few years. Despite this, many are saying the dollar will remain strong throughout 2011. Are we laughing yet? Finance is the new form of warfare.

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“Coercion by government, the main fear of our founding fathers, is now its most common attribute.”
– Philip K. Howard
New York attorney

Wanted to say thanks. You obviously put some thought and research into your site and your weekly newsletter. I pay for other publications which aren’t nearly as good or on target! –Dave of TN

>>Buy American-Each time you go to a store, ask where the ‘made in USA’ aisle is. If they don’t have any, say thanks & let them know you’ll go elsewhere. Go to TV star (Cheers) John Ratzenberger’s site: www.Ratzenberger.com to find US made products.<<

The Parting Shots…

It's mind-boggling the blinders our politicians have. I mean, surely that must be the reason. No sane person acts as fiscally irresponsible as they do.
If not blinders, then they are deliberately running this country off a cliff and it's criminal at the least.

Treasonous is more like it.
This financial debacle we're in affects not only the jobs we do or do not have, it affects everything else as well, including energy infrastructure and our food supply. This country is the basis and standard of all the currencies in the world, and we're being run like a banana republic. Given that this train wreck we call a government is still intentionally driving us over a cliff, what can one do?

Stop the Police State in America-Ron Paul

http://peterschiffchannel.blogspot.com/2011/01/ron-paul-stop-police-state-repeal.html

Too many Americans have been ‘dumbed down’ as the Chinese believe (actually, many Asians have felt that way about America since WWII). We’ve been scorned and admired at the same time for our freedoms (which are evaporating) and lifestyle.

Consider that Nine out of Ten Americans are hurting financially…

More Americans are on food stamps than are enrolled in college
Home foreclosure notices were issued at the rate of 322 per hour in 2010
There are 5.5 job seekers for every job & most US jobs pay a fraction of what they used to…dropping significantly from the 80s
More than $7 trillion in US household wealth-lost since the Recession began
The number of laws that confiscate property and new fines by cities and states (aka: traffic offenses) has jumped 23% …laws such as anti-smoking, no texting, seat belt laws, etc….all in an effort to squeeze more revenue from citizens.

Every single month tens of billions of dollars of our national wealth is transferred to the rest of the world. We buy far more from the rest of the globe than they buy from us, and this difference is called a trade deficit. Most Americans don't even think about the trade deficit, but the truth is that it represents a transfer of wealth that is almost unimaginable.
Every month when the oil-exporting nations of the Middle East send us oil, what do we send to them? Our dollars of course. So we burn up their oil in our vehicles and end up with nothing at the end of the month, and they end up with a big pile of our money. So what happens the next month? The exact same process repeats again.

But it is not just oil-exporting nations that we are transferring our national wealth to. Back in 1985, the U.S. trade deficit with China was 6 million dollars for the entire year. For this past August alone, the trade deficit with China was over 28 billion.

Why Rich People are Leaving

http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/donald-trump-rich-people-are-leaving.html

In other words, the U.S. trade deficit with China in August 2010 was more than 4,600 times larger than the U.S. trade deficit with China was for the entire year of 1985.
That is why China has so much money to lend back to us – we have been transferring tens of billions of dollars of our national wealth to them month after month after month.

Just think of we saw in 2010:

- The TSA 'tip of the spear' enforcing subordination to government authority
- Canada's government authorizing its agents to search homes without a warrant
- Gold hitting all-time nominal highs due to unprecedented monetary inflation
- Governments around the world raising taxes with immediate effect
- Homeland Security began seizing domains without due process
- The beginning of the end of the Eurozone
- World governments engaging in mutually assured destruction currency wars
- FBI raiding the homes of war protestors
- Passage of the HIRE Act in the United States, a precursor to capital controls
- Political heavyweights openly calling for the assassination of Julian Assange
- Switzerland settling with the US government
- Panama caving to pressure and signing a Tax Information Exchange Agreement
- Homeland Security encouraging US citizens to spy on each other at Wal Mart

Barron's: US Will See Run on Treasurys, Hyperinflation
Investors in U.S. debt around the world are worryingly near a "psychological breaking point" that could force a "run on the bank" against Treasuries. If that happens, hyperinflation quickly follows and gold will soar much, much higher from its now record-setting levels, argues author and longtime trader Victor Sperandeo in the latest issue of Barron's.

It’s our hope the Poor Man bulletin, web site, special reports and CDs have given you some means of preparation. You should always be stockpiling cans of oil, ammo, liquor, food, silver coins (I know, they go up weekly), batteries, toiletries, etc. for use in barter and for your family. Soon, your $20 bill might be worth a whole lot less.

Please, please, please…share this with your friends and family who may not have stockpiled anything. I know, there are still many who don’t believe. Better off being a Boy Scout.

Final shot…if you are an entrepreneur who desires more, learn from one of the best marketers on the planet, Jay Abraham on this 26 minute live video.

http://jeffwalker.com/eben-pagan-jay-abraham/

Happy trails till next issue! –the Poor Man

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Dumpster Diving, Houseboat Living, Best Flea Mkts

Bruce’s Poor Man Survivor Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:
1. 5 Golden Rules of Dumpster Diving
2. Living cheap on a houseboat
3. Survival Tips from the Rich Dad
4. When the crap hit’s the fan, what we do know
5. Best flea markets in the US

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than
sincere ignorance and conscious stupidity.”– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Living the cheap life on a houseboat
As a kid I grew up around the water as my grandfather owned a cottage on a big lake and owned several boats. We did a lot of fishing back then, mostly perch which in those days, there was virtually no limit on what you could catch. Plenty of fish scaling and yanking out the innards-and tons of flies swarming about on those hot summer days.

Later in life, we had a family owned condo in Ocean City, MD and would frequently rent a houseboat too. Lots of fun and we were able to put down nets smeared with chicken fat and haul up a load of great tasting crabs for the evening meal. (Nothing like fresh crab sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning along with ice cold beer on a hot, muggy night).

I’ve always considered living on the water, especially on a houseboat. Pretty inexpensive, no permanent address, eat what you catch, pick up and move to another location when you like. With the advent of solar and small wind turbines and internet via satellite, it continues to look attractive to me, but…

The Poor Man’s wife doesn’t have sea legs and unlike the Poor Man who learned to dive while serving in the Navy, she has no interest, beside, a horse would never fit onboard easily. The cats, maybe.

Other folks prefer a land roaming lifestyle using a big RV. That can be nice and some of the 5th wheels I’ve seen are pretty cozy…but they cost a lot to buy and even more to drive or tow around the country. Then there are the RV park fees. There was a time when you could sort of drop anchor in the middle of nowhere but as governments and landowners became more greedy, those are getting tough to find except for some remote desert and mountain locations out west.

I always recall a TV show called the Rockford Files with Jim Garner. He lived in a cheap trailer on a beachfront hideaway. Then there was Jack Klugman who played a role on Quincy. He lived on a large sailboat. Oh well, those guys were all single.

In any event, if you have sense of adventure and don’t want the ‘advantage’ of being tracked by the Census Bureau’s GPS system, ex-spouses and bill collectors, this might a way to consider. There are houseboats for sale on eBay and you can use the sites listed here to learn more about this kind of lifestyle.

Houseboats are a different and exciting way to live. There are multiple brands and sizes of them. There are simple houseboats and huge luxurious houseboats. But for most of us, the first thing we look at when purchasing a houseboat is the price.

Our Poor Man cabin progress was slowed due to local inspectors who proved inept and costly to our financial well-being. We’ll finish up the plumbing and outbuilding in the spring and hope to begin planting our small area of crops. You can see more photos on our site under the Cheap Housing tab.

Tons of useful and mostly free information on houseboat living including a free magazine and free classified ads and other resources.

http://www.all-about-houseboats.com/houseboat-magazine.html

http://www.livingonahouseboat.com/cheap_houseboats.htm

Get rid of water rings from wood tables by dabbing on a non-gel toothpaste with a damp cloth & gently massage the mark until it’s gone, then wipe with a clean cloth.
Reminder to New & Existing Subscribers
All subscribers can take advantage of the built-in free classifieds under our YahooGroups page…feel free to place an ad with your offers, wants, etc. Many have taken advantage of this as we encourage a sharing community.
For example, here in IC, MI we have the Grocery Outlet where you can find many bargains, especially on canned goods. Recently, we purchased 2lb cans of beef stew for $1.50, 6oz bottles of pure honey for $1 and small jars of freeze dried coffee for a buck…all those items are good for barter as well. Here’s a quick link.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BruceBulletin/app/forsale/view/list

Politicians and other patriotic types like to declare that the Europeans came to America seeking freedom. The claim is at best a half-truth. In the colonial era, most Europeans arrived in North America bound in some form of indentured servitude, many of them children or convicts put out to work. Disregarding such servants, one finds that the free colonists sought mainly to improve their economic well-being.

Weekly round up of useful stuff
Got unused presents? Sell them at these sites:
www.Lifesta.com
www.Cardwoo.com
www.GiftCardRescue.com
www.PlasticJungle.com

My wife & I just finished looking through your site & our first newsletter. She says you have an important message for the American people & you should have your own Fox TV show!

For a number of years I’ve heard about the Free State Project. I thought it had died, but it is alive and well and something freedom loving folks might find interesting. They chose New Hampshire-find out why here.

http://freestateproject.org/

Get a well report-prior to sealing the deal on a rural property, ask for a well construction report. It should include date of construction, depth & size of casing and pump capacity. A water test is a good idea also. The more shallow your well, the more ‘local’ your supply!

Ritz Mock Apple Pie-How Mom made it!

The classic pie, featuring Ritz crackers baked in a golden crust,
is perfect for the holidays.

Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie
36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1 3/4 cups crumbs)
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated peel of one lemon
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate. Place
cracker crumbs in prepared crust; set aside.

2. Heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil in saucepan
over high heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and peel;
cool.

3. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with margarine or butter;
sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie.
Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.

4. Bake at 425 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp
and golden. Cool completely.
Makes 10 servings

Find out about jobs & freebies first. Get alerts via email with this free service which scours postings on Craiglist.
www.NotiFinder.com

Get paid for your empty printer cartridges at these sites-$5 to $20-print their free shipping label and send it off for cash
www.FreeRecycling.com
www.TonerBuyer.com
www.AdvantageCartridge.com

Extreme How-To Magazine offers a free do-it-yourself building guide for a 2′x4′ lean-to shed. As do-it-yourself projects go, this is a fairly simple one. And, this little shed won’t take up a lot of space in your backyard. It’s designed to nestle next to a wall of your house or garage.
Read more, see a photo and get the illustrated, step by step building guide and and a material list >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-extremehowto-2×4-tool-shed-building-guide.html )
Find more small DIY shed plans and shed building kits >>>
( http://www.backroadhome.net/backyard-sheds-diy.html )
Best of luck.

Cut sticky foods by rubbing butter on your knife before cutting which acts like a lubricant.

Reminders not to spend: Consumer Websites of the Week
Tempted by a big-ticket treat but not sure it’s worth it? If you need a little more incentive to keep you from spending too much as you start the new year, here are two websites discovered via Consumerist that will help you put those costs in perspective.
Plug the relevant data about yourself into DaystoPay and find out how many days you’d have to work to earn the money to purchase that flat-screen TV or e-reader.
And if you’re considering putting it on a credit card, use TheRealDamage.com to calculate how much that additional purchase will cost you if you’re already carrying a balance.

Clean salt stains off your shoes by mixing 10 parts water to one part vinegar. Moisten a sponge and dab firmly on the white stains and they’ll lift off.

When the Crap hits the fan…What we do know! In a discussion with like-minded friends this past week we all agreed on a few primary concepts.

6. No one knows when a bankrupt USA will finally dissolve or when martial law, rioting etc. will take place.
7. We do know the price of everything is going up right now, food & fuel in particular.
8. We do know middle class jobs are not coming back in any meaningful way during the next five years or more.
9. We do know our government is becoming more oppressive & invasive.
10. We do know the potential for several current world events pose a threat should they occur…N Korea, Iran, Terrorism, natural disasters, etc.
11. We do know it never hurts to stockpile food and items which can be used for barter such as food, 1st aid items, tools, vegetable seeds, booze, ammo and the like.
12. Gold & silver stockpiling is nice, silver is probably the more useful, especially if US coins are used as opposed to bullion. Gold is more difficult to work with.
13. Storing fuel is a good idea too but long term storage (beyond 100 days is difficult)
14. Keeping a library of how-to materials is a solid idea
15. Developing a plan for your family in the event of an emergency is essential.

So is there any hope that we can turn all of this around?
Unfortunately, the massive amount of debt that we have piled up as a society over the last several decades has made that impossible.
If you add up all forms of debt (government debt, business debt, individual debt), it comes to approximately 360 percent of GDP. It is the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world…our advice: continue to prepare!
The Plain truth-we never know when a catastrophe will occur, man-made or natural!

In June of this past year a White Paper issued by Sentinel Intelligence Service advised:

“Prepare for another economic storm, even larger than what we’ve seen so far. Prepare, with neighbors, to band together to provide for one another…prepare yourself emotionally for rough days ahead and experiences foreign to the American way of life…”

Thomas Jefferson said the following….
I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution. I would be willing to depend on that alone for the reduction of the administration of our government to the genuine principles of its Constitution; I mean an additional article, taking from the federal government the power of borrowing.

About Cash Passport ™
In a previous issue we reported on how Americans can get foreign currency through AAA travelers checks…here’s an even better method of obtaining foreign currency to have in a worst case scenario…we suggest Canadian or Swiss currency for now…
Cash Passport will change the way you think about your money when traveling. With all the convenience of travelers cheques, but without the hassle, it allows you to pre-load your travel budget for smart and convenient use in millions of ATMs, shops, and restaurants where Euros and Pounds are used. You can load your Cash Passport with a choice of two currencies, € Euro and £ GBP.
Smart
The Cash Passport is not connected to your bank account. It is PIN and signature protected and has 24/7 Global Emergency Assistance.
Prepaid Convenience
Withdraw local currency at millions of MasterCard® ATMs worldwide, or pay directly where MasterCard is accepted.

http://www.us.travelex.com/US/Products/Cash-Passport/

Robert Kiyosaki Explains – The Real Value Of The Dollar Gold Silver
Robert Kiyosaki Explains – The Real Value Of The Dollar Gold Silver , a weak dollar is
The Rich Dad Offers Tips to Survive
An all out currency war has begun – governments around the world are devaluing their currencies in order to have cheap exports – and are destroying the middle class.

The irony is pretty soon, food prices will triple, gas will double, and the CPI will still say we’re running at 2-3% inflation annually.
People are going to by paying so much for what they need, that they will stop shopping, as soon as they do, prices for many goods will start to fall but only for the sake of increasing consumption.
And I haven’t even mentioned the next wave of housing foreclosures that will occur in 2011.
Its going to be a very bumpy road the next few years…
You can stock up all you want. The last great depression lasted for over 10 years. Can you stock up enough food to last 10 years? Will your silver get you through 10 years?

http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-kiyosaki-explains-real-value-of.html

Use rubbing alcohol (not de-natured) to clean computer screens, keyboards, TV screens, bathroom fixtures, dissolve windshield frost (use a spray bottle to apply), your phone.

The federal government is poised for the first time to make public thousands of complaints it receives each year about safety problems with various products, from power tools to piggy banks.
The compilation of consumer complaints, set to be launched online in March by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has been hailed by consumer advocates as a resource that will revolutionize the way people make buying decisions…not everyone is happy with this…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/09/AR2011010902730.html?wpisrc=nl_fed

Get your hands really clean by washing them with soap & a teaspoon of sugar.

Best flea markets in the US
We’ve always enjoyed what I believe is one of the last bastions of free enterprise in America. You never know what you’ll find and haggling has become second nature.

National Sunday newspaper supplement’s travel writer, Everett Potter, recently named the Daytona Flea and Farmer’s Market year-round emporium among America’s top five flea markets, joining an elite group including the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Calif., the Kane County Flea Market in St. Charles, Ill., and the Austin Country Flea Market in Texas. The greatest American flea market, Potter reported, was in Brimfield, Mass., with 5,000 dealers in 21 fields. While the Daytona Flea & Farmers Market is one-fifth that size, at peak times up to 50,000 patrons travel its 3 1/2 miles of aisles packed with merchandise mounds, produce piles, clothing collections, antiques, jewelry and eclectic stuff, like lucky bamboo and dreamcatchers.

Forget the Austin Country Flea Market- Whoever said that was a great Flea Market has never been here. Its all “New” crap from China. It has very little used “flea market” items. Bussey’s in San Antonio is 1000x better.

Well, if you are in the CHICAGO area, WOLFF’S FLEA MARKET is great! They are open 6-3 Sundays April-October starting April 25, 2010 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. It’s huge! 700 vendors with new items, old, antique, vintage, junk, produce, tools, sports memorabilia, gourmet food, bikes, clothing and more. Also indoors Sat & Sun 8-4 at 1775 N. Rand Rd., Palatine, IL at least through March 2011

Side Note: Garage sales became popular shortly after WWII and have become increasingly sophisticated with electronic ad postings, offering bags, cookies & refreshments, holding neighborhood sales, etc. As America became affluent, our garages became warehouses for items we seldom or rarely used.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_the_best_flea_markets_in_US#ixzz1AdCfs2HT

http://fleamarket.about.com/od/findafleamarket/a/Top-10-Flea-Markets.htm

Relieve rough hands & sore feet by rinsing in a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and water…then massage them with olive oil and dab dry with a cloth.

Garbage Picking , Dumpster Diving Adventures- Parting Thoughts

When I was a young kid my friends and I looked forward to Tuesdays. That was trash day in our neighborhood and a small gang of us would pull my red wagon around the neighborhood on our weekly treasure hunt.

You never what good stuff you might run across. We always managed to discover castoff toys and odds and ends that fascinated young boys (including some old men’s magazines). My mother never objected as sometimes we found items even she got a kick out of and my mom was the queen of ‘making do.’

We had some competition though. Old Man Charlie, as we called him, was the neighborhood bum who went around the street with a bag of cookies and a beer along with his grinding wheel hoisted on his back. Charlie made money by offering his knife sharpening services to housewives, charging only a few bucks which were scarce among the mostly stay-at-home mothers. When he finished his rounds, he randomly chose a porch to sit on so he could consume his ’snack.’ Of course, most of the women shooed him away. No one was actually afraid of Charlie, but he sure looked like a hobo.

Charlie lived in a ramshackle home on the next block, his yard filled with the treasures he had picked up over the years. When Charlie died the fire department went to his house to dispose of his junk. Guess they figured his property was a fire hazard. Turns out old Charlie died a millionaire. The fire department guys found a ton of cash in the house and Charlie’s sister, who had all but shunned him over the years, became instantly wealthy.

I haven’t done much garbage picking in my adult years, but my wife once spotted a nice old Depression-era desk sticking out of a dumpster once. We loaded it up and with a bit of repair, sold it for $100!

Recently, we attended a storage unit auction in hopes of finding some treasure. Even though it was about 18 degrees outside, apparently many others came in search of treasure too, there were about 75 people who braved the cold that day only to find what even I thought looked mainly like trash. Still, each unit sold for a higher than I would have paid price.

I guess many of those folks read the Poor Man bulletin issue regarding Storage Wars!

I do scour thrift shops searching for old books and oddities but those finds are becoming more scarce as fewer people read or perhaps sell them on their own via eBay? Most thrift stores today offer over priced junk, but each store has seen a growth in customers over the years who search for treasures too.

In the ‘old’ days dumpster diving could prove lucrative and rumor has it that some of the richest people around are the weekly garbage guys who find all kinds of stuff. Waste removal has become another big business with corporations like Waste Management doing over a billion dollars annually.

Supermarkets today, for instance, rarely dispose of their goods in a fashion which allow for dumpster diving. Most other businesses too now shred or lock their waste bins to prevent folks from pilfering through their trash. I’m told college campuses are still good places to hunt, especially at summer break time.

In biblical times, it was called gleaning—the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after the harvest is over—what the farmer didn’t think was worth picking up was fair game for the poor and hungry. The Bible even instructed farmers to leave a bit of grain in the corners of the fields and fallen fruit.
Learn the 5 Golden Rules of Dumpster Diving with these fun resources – take a peak, it won’t hurt you!

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=the+art+of+dumpster+diving

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/extreme-recycling-dumpster-diving.html

http://eco-chick.com/2008/04/1077/the-art-of-dumpster-diving/

Post Script…the Tuscon shooting

The tragedy in Tuscon has brought on the usual round of gun control commentary. Tuscon is one of more lovely ‘big’ cities in AZ & this has impaled the locals with anger and emotional backlash…as it should.
This fellow appears to be a lone nut case and try as we might, we cannot legislate morality or idiocy. Gun bans in England and Australia should be proof that bad guys still get guns. Depriving folks of a driving permit doesn’t stop some people from driving, making all travel require a passport doesn’t stop people from entering a country illegally, drug laws don’t stop drug use but they do encourage drug cartel violence.
It should be apparent to all by now that government and academia do not have a monopoly on stupidity…
So when will we all learn? Never.

That’s all for this issue…remember to share!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Signs You’re Broke-How to Fix it!

Bruce’s Poor Man’s Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:
1. Flat Broke in America-an Economic Education Series
2. Turn what you know into dough
3. Basic Emergency Preparations
4. Rich Dad, Poor Dad Video
5. 20 Things you’ll need to survive the collapse
6. The Caretaker Gazette
7. Can a Monkey do Your Job?-Humor Video from the 50s

No one party can fool all the people all of the time.
That’s why we have two parties.
–Bob Hope

While government derails America…
Few of us still believe the propaganda spewed forth from Washington about our national debt and out of control spending. The market for gold and silver speaks volumes to how the economy is truly working and how China is taking the premier lead internationally on many fronts.

Oh sure, there a promising signs everywhere. The stock market has ticked upward and the jobs picture is ‘improving’ according to mainstream news. However, for main street, they are still waiting for the ‘chicken in every pot and a Ford in every driveway.’

Only 27% of US citizens believe America is still the top dog in the world.

But most of us have noticed how much the price of fuel has gone up recently. It’s ironic however, our Dept. of Energy came into being during the Carter years with the promise of getting us off our foreign oil addition. Back then we imported 28% of our oil, now it’s 70%…how’s that for an impressive agency record?

Many are predicting $150 oil barrel prices before the end of the year. Not so good for retailers, good for online sellers.

As the buying power of our dollar continues to shrink, the cost of everything will continue to rise.

Like many of our area farmers, you could consider buying an above-ground fuel storage tank. A 200-gallon size goes anywhere from $500 used to $1200 new and they can even be found on eBay. The Poor Man owns several 5-gallon sized containers and I use Sta-bil to keep the fuel fresh. http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/sta-bil.htm

You might consider checking this resource (I haven’t used it as of yet) to lock in today’s prices for gasoline at www.MoreGallons.com or call them at: 800-410-1877. They enable you to buy 100s of gallons of fuel in advance at a fixed price, whenever you want. The downside is their $79 membership fee and a small fee for each gallon you consume.

In this issue you’ll find a variety of educational videos about being broke in America (and in Australia) and some ways to better understand how the economy works. I started this issue with a bit of humor on the 18 signs you’re flat broke!

18 Signs You’re Flat Broke
1. American Express calls and says: “Leave home without it!”

2. Your idea of a 7-course meal is taking a deep breath outside a restaurant.

3. You’re formulating a plan to rob the food bank.

4. You’ve rolled so many pennies, you’ve formed a psychic bond with Abe Lincoln.

5. Long distance companies don’t call you to switch anymore.

5. You look at your roommate and see a large fried chicken in tennis shoes.

6. Your rob Peter… and then rob Paul.

7. You finally clean your house, hoping to find change.

8. You think of a lottery ticket as an investment.

9. You give blood everyday… just for the orange juice.

10. McDonald’s supplies you with all your kitchen condiments.

11. At communion you go back for seconds.

12. You wash your toilet paper.

13. You have to save up to be poor.

14. You’re in college.

15. On thanksgiving your dad would bring home a picture of a thanksgiving meal.

16. You owe yourself money.

17. You are sterilizing your urine for re-consumption.

18. Your imaginary friend has more money than you.

Get some real help when you find yourself in a dire financial situation

http://www.youngmoney.com/credit_debt/flat-broke-find-help-for-rent-food-heat-and-more/

Watch the 20/20 news cliphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcsKi2hNuUw

Debt Land-How an Australian went from a house to living in a garagehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGaXnAAAZXA&feature=related

Finally, view this 5-part series Money as Debt from Lifeboat News. Would be a good series to share with all family members as most citizens haven’t a clue how money works.

John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil, believes that American consumers will likely be paying 5 dollars for a gallon of gas by the time 2012 rolls around.
<<>>

Quick business startup ideas Courtesy of Bottom Line Inc.

Turn what you know into dough

If you want more cash, consider starting a part-time business. Almost everyone has the skills and time needed to launch a business that’s capable of generating an extra $500 to $1,000 per month.
With a part-time business, the smart strategy is to get it up and running within a week or two for no more than a few hundred dollars. How to do it…

LOW-COST BUSINESS IDEAS

Identify skills that you already possess that could be turned into a service-oriented business. Possibilities…
Tutoring. Tutor students or help high school students prepare for their SATs or ACTs. Teachers, former teachers, professors and those with degrees from prestigious universities are particularly likely to attract clients.
Auto care/repair. If you’re good with cars, offer auto-maintenance and basic repair services.
Computer. Provide tech support to individuals or small businesses. Set up computer networks, solve problems, optimize computer performance or create and manage Web sites.
Foreign language. If you’re fluent in a foreign language, tutor those who want to learn it or students struggling with their foreign language classes.
Handyman. Home maintenance and repair services always are in demand.
Music/acting. Tight budgets are forcing many public schools to cut back on music and theater programs, creating openings for private tutors.
Photography. Offer portrait or wedding photography services.
Sewing/alterations. Alterations are on the rise as people choose to repair, not replace, clothing.
Sports. Help promising young athletes hone their abilities. Those who played a sport professionally or for a prestigious college program are most likely to attract clients.
Woodworking. High-quality handcrafted wooden bowls and other carved kitchen items can fetch attractive prices in boutiques and at arts and crafts fairs.
If you do not have a particular skill that is likely to be in demand, there are service businesses that do not require extensive training or skills (though experience is, of course, helpful). Possibilities include…

In-home elder care
Child care/day care
Lawn and garden care
Carpooling/driving services
Pet walking/pet sitting
Housesitting
Housecleaning

BUSINESSES TO AVOID

Certain businesses are best avoided by people seeking to earn extra cash with little risk…
Retail stores. Retailing typically requires an expensive inventory, long hours, employees and leased commercial property. Retailers must compete with Internet sellers and massive chains.
Franchises. Profitable franchises charge big up-front franchise fees that part-time business people typically cannot afford.
“New idea” businesses. It takes lots of time and marketing dollars to convince consumers to spend their money on something that they’ve never spent it on before. The failure rate for such businesses is very high. More than 485,000 applications for US patents were filed in 2008 — only a few of these will be successful. It is better to offer a service that people already understand.

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

The most cost-effective marketing tool is word of mouth…
Visit local businesses that offer related but not overlapping services. Tell the owners or managers of these businesses what your business does. Ask if you can post a flyer in their windows or leave a stack of flyers on the counter.
Examples: Someone starting a house-sitting or lawn-care business could contact real estate agents.
Consider sharing a storefront location. Ask area businesses that are in some way related to your intended field if they have extra space that they are willing to sublet to you. This can be much cheaper than renting your own space, and you’ll have an inside track on that existing business’s customers.
Example: Someone starting a sewing and alterations business could sublet space at a dry cleaner.
Contact organizations that work with your intended customer base.
Example: If you intend to provide tutoring or music lessons to kids, contact local schools and youth clubs.
Volunteer your services to local nonprofits. It’s a good way to make contacts and show off your skills.
Offer satisfied customers a discount on their next purchase if they refer someone who also becomes a customer.

TAXES, LICENSES AND INSURANCE

Don’t worry about taxes at first. New businesses typically have 90 days from the date they start taking in money to get tax payments squared away. It’s best not to get bogged down in such details sooner than necessary, but do ask your accountant if you need to charge tax on any of your goods and/or services. Don’t worry about hiring a lawyer or incorporating your business until your business is up and running.

A few details do need to be sorted out before your business gets going…
Contact your town or county offices to find out if you need any licenses or permits.
Set up a separate checking account for business expenses and receipts.
Ask your insurance agent about professional liability insurance, particularly if your business involves anything that could cause injury or trigger a lawsuit.
Contact your auto insurance provider if you plan to use your personal vehicle for business. Your existing policy is unlikely to cover business use.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Loral Langemeier, CEO of Live Out Loud, Inc., a coaching and seminar company with offices in Nevada and California. She regularly appears on the Dr. Phil show as a money expert and is author of many books on finance, including the bestseller The Millionaire Maker (McGraw-Hill) and, most recently, Put More Cash in Your Pocket (Harper). www.liveoutloud.com.

<<>>

Well known financial guru provides home biz info-Worth watching Rich Dad
Robert Kiyosaki – How to start a Legitimate Home Based Business Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity A legitimate home based business opportunity in a very well established company with all the training, support systems and marketing tools necessary to .. Business Ideas on a Budget – 10 Legitimate Businesses You Can … Business Ideas on a Budget. 10 Legitimate Businesses You Can Start for Under $20 …. Home-based business ideas that won’t break the bank. Home Business: Getting Started FAQ Stay-at-Home Parents. http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-kiyosaki-how-to-start-legitimate.html

Jim Daniels, one of the pioneers of creating a business online offers sage advice

http://www.bizweb2000.com/incomeplan.html

Get Leslie’s friendly resources from her site
Helping You Work At Home Since 1998
Work-At-Home Success

http://www.workathomesuccess.com

THE CARETAKER GAZETTE is a unique newsletter containing property caretaking and house sitting jobs, advice, and information for property caretakers, housesitters, and landowners. Published since 1983, it’s the only publication in the world dedicated to the property caretaking field. Another potential avenue to explore for employment.

http://www.caretaker.org/

http://www.caretaker-jobs.com/caretaker_benefits.cfm

http://www.escapeartist.com/efam31/rentfree.html

Top 11 New Business Opportunity Predictions of ‘11

http://www.springwise.com/businessideas2011/

MLM and small business opportunities, you’ll get a hoot from this cartoon explaining network marketing. On paper, this way of doing business makes perfect sense. In reality, I’m uncertain as my few experiences have not proven favorable…might be due to the preconceived overall negative impressions most folks have.

http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/network-marketing-cartoon-explained.html

Hey PM.-us ‘poor folk’ here in Ohio appreciate your useful newsletter. We need all the help we can get and we suggest your stuff to everyone! –CJ, Toledo

HSN To Sell Gadgets From Quirky
If you have an idea that you feel would make the perfect invention but you don’t really want to do the work to bring it to fruition, Quirky is the website to visit. For $10, would-be inventors are able to pitch their idea for consideration. People, known as “influencers,” pick over the idea. [...]

World food prices rose to a record in December on higher sugar, grain and oilseed costs, the United Nations said, exceeding levels reached in 2008 that sparked deadly riots from Haiti to Egypt.

Basic Preparations for an Emergency

Start by creating an action plan for your family and rehearse it a few times.

8. Follow the 3-day rule. Have on enough food, water & first aid items to last at least three days. Don’t forget pet foods too if applicable. Other items to have on hand is a good flash light, candles, wind up radio, and we keep a pair of two-mile radius 2-way radios along with a supply of batteries.
9. Get everyone involved. Have a family meeting to decide how you will communicate (a spare, fully charged cell phone works well). Decide where everyone might meet in an emergency. Get more tips at: 72hours.org
10. Keep your cell phone charged or carry a spare battery. Program an “In Case of Emergency” number into it and sign up for your town’s Mobile Alert Service if they have one.
Get more information at our PoorManSurvival.com site by clicking on the Preparedness Tab.

Thanks Mr. Green for sharing this resource!
What To Do If A Nuclear Disaster Is Imminent!
KI4U Nuke Prep Expertise & Solutions!
If you do nothing else here, read our myth-busting expose…

http://www.ki4u.com

Another potential job finding resource to consider…
www.CareerBliss.com

Don’t forget to rotate stock in your food storage pantry. Although most canned goods are good for up to a year beyond their expiration date, they do lose much of their nutrient value.

Weekly news roundup

Full-Catastrophe Banking in 2011
With a $4.7 trillion dollar bailout under their belts with no harm done to their billion-dollar bonuses, don’t expect Wall Street bankers to be chastened by the 2008 financial crisis. Below we list eight things to watch out for in 2011 that threaten to rock the financial system and undermine any recovery. One million homes were repo’d in ‘10!

How to Live on Nothing (practically)-the how-to video
Plus…humorous look at how to beg for money (hint: dump the wine bottle)

Ingenious Hiding Spot:Place a fake electrical box on your wall near your existing breaker box and add warning stickers (available online & hardware stores) reading DANGER: High Voltage…few with mess it!

Taxpayer “Advocate” Says IRS Inflicts Harm
“The Internal Revenue Service’s increasing use of ‘hard-core’ collection tactics ‘is inflicting unnecessary harm on financially struggling taxpayers,’ an in-house critic at the IRS said Wednesday. The IRS routinely imposes liens on delinquent taxpayers, thereby damaging their credit scores and potentially jeopardizing their access to jobs, insurance and even rental housing, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson said in an annual report to Congress.” (Washington Post)
The only solution: Abolition!

According to Gallup, the unemployment rate actually rose to 9.6% at the end of December. This was a significant increase from 9.3% in mid-December and 8.8% at the end of November.
*Not only that, but Gallup also says that the underemployment rate is moving up dramatically. According to Gallup, the underemployment rate in the United States increased to 19.0% during December, which was up substantially from 18.5% in mid-December and 17.2% at the end of November.
*The percentage of Americans participating in the labor force is now the lowest it has been since the early 1980s. In December, the Labor Force Participation Rate fell to 64.3%. Over the last twenty years, the Labor Force Participation Rate has usually been around 66 or 67 percent. So do less Americans want jobs today? Of course not. What has happened is that millions of Americans have become so discouraged about the lack of jobs that they aren’t even actively searching anymore.

*The number of Americans working part-time for “economic reasons” continues to hover around all-time highs.

Speaking of part time…Although I’ve never advertised this fact, the PM picked up some ‘pin money’ this week by writing two blogs for another business. The fellow happened upon my site and liked what he read. Another time I was approached by one of those Pay day loan places to write something positive about their business. I couldn’t think of anything positive, so I declined. In the previous issue I mentioned that during the American Revolution, pins were hard to come by & became valuable as a barter item, hence the term ‘pin money.’

There are many businesses which will pay you to write about them, write content for their site, blog or company newsletter. If writing is something you do well, consider elance.com…
Outsource to expert programmers, designers, writers, translators, marketers, researchers and admin contractors with tested skills.

>>>
Learn more about optimizing your health & making extra money
www.Symmetrydirect.com/Optimum

7 Techniques for Creating a Profitable Business Idea
7
(http://www.homebusinessguru.net/7techniques.htm
<<<

The ever expanding Nanny State restricts our rights & job growth…
Fiction is becoming reality in America as gov’t seeks to control everything. If you still believe in freedom and individual rights, see the John Stossel series about Ayn Rand-very enlightening 6-part series.

The Rumor Mill: Number one topic spoke about at recent investor & economic conferences held-the decline of American dominance and its decline in its economy & society…but despite our high unemployment, falling educational standards, etc., no palpable signs of deflation. Prices, except for real estate, remain the same. US debt levels/GDP ratios will exceed 100% in 2011. Watch for gold & silver prices continue upward.
The state of IL is going to raise income tax by 66% to cover its deficits. Other states are overjoyed! Guess those hapless citizens are stuck (literally).
In light of all the snow which has fallen across the nation, one enterprising person posted a sign on his front lawn that read “Unassembled Snowmen for Sale-Cheap.”

From the US Department of Humor—Can a Monkey Do your job?

Vegetable seeds will be scarce. Go to: www.sustainablegardensupply.com to order.

Parting shots…
Little different format this week. I like to shake it up a bit so you never quite know what to expect from PM, except we always strive to provide useful information & resources!

Our country has been successful due to the freedoms and opportunities afforded entrepreneurs. Since the 1960s government red tape and stupidity has slowly choked a lot of that small business spirit, depriving America of jobs and its leadership role.

Sadly, in the months and years to come millions more working American families will be pushed into poverty-like conditions by rising inflation.
Already we are seeing huge numbers of American families that are working as hard as they can not being able to afford the basics.

A year-end survey conducted by Pew Research found the following….
*51% of Americans say that it is difficult to afford health care.
*48% of Americans say that it is difficult to pay their home heating and electric bills.
*29% of Americans say that it is difficult to afford food.

It can be really depressing to search for a decent job month after month after month when there doesn’t seem to be any out there.

The best thing government can do is to get out of the way!

Until next time, I remain…
Your lonely defender of “truth, justice & fair play” the ‘Poor Man’

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

DIY Vet Pet Tips and Coupons

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Home Pet Vet Tips & Coupons
2. Our steadily shrinking dollar is no accident
3. The Ugly Civilization
4. P.S.-Challenges w/ eBay & Poor Man III
5. Will hyperinflation lead to empty store shelves?

Life is tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid.–John Wayne

On being a watchdog against tyranny
Most Americans have no idea that a horrific economic collapse could happen at literally any time. There is no way that all of this debt, political and financial corruption is sustainable. At some point we are going to reach the time of system failure.

Many of us need more time to prepare. Most of our families and friends need more time to prepare. Once we implode there isn’t going to be an opportunity for a “do over”.

Former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan is convinced that things are so bad that literally 90% of our states and cities could go bankrupt over the next five years….

A recent article in the New York Times did a good job of summarizing the financial pain that many state governments are feeling right now. Unfortunately, as bad as the budget shortfalls are for this year, they are projected to be even worse in 2012….

While state revenues — shrunken as a result of the recession — are finally starting to improve somewhat, federal stimulus money that had propped up state budgets is vanishing and costs are rising, all of which has left state leaders bracing for what is next. For now, states have budget gaps of $26 billion, by some estimates, and foresee shortfalls of at least $82 billion as they look to next year’s budgets.

The New York Times has also reported that powerful lawmakers in Congress are working behind the scenes to help states to get out from under massive debts — including obligations to pay pensions — simply by declaring BANKRUPTCY!
Even Newt Gingrich, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012, endorsed the idea! He says that he hopes …

“House Republicans are going to move a bill in the first month or so of their tenure to create a venue for state bankruptcy.”

Over the past year I’ve repeatedly given you major warnings on several critical issues affecting all of us. Truth be told, it will prove painful for all of us.

Let’s take a look at the U.S. dollar. Since the end of 2001, the U.S. dollar has lost 37.9% of its purchasing power.

It’s being suggested that we place a moratorium on ALL debt, then monetize all debt, issue every American citizen bearer-coupons … a new currency … and equity shares in a newly re-organized U.S. government — inflation through a dollar devaluation is coming, big time.

One way that you can make a difference in this world is by being a watchdog. So exactly is a watchdog? A watchdog would guard the homestead, keeping an alert eye open for intruders and would sound the bark when approached.

Our founding fathers were watchdogs. The founders relentlessly warned their countrymen about the dangers of British tyranny, and when the time came they rallied them together to oppose it. They also warned us against entities such as the federal reserve and how it would destroy lives by fostering our debt-money system…but we never learn.

It’s ironic that in our ‘land of plenty,’ so many do without. In a land which is overdue for an overhaul of our infrastructure, why are so many unemployed? In a country which sucks in terms of mass transit, such as a national high speed rail system, why aren’t we putting folks to work in this industry? In a country which needs to establish a meaningful energy system that lessens our dependence on foreigners, why aren’t we putting more people to work in these industries?

What do you think? Do you have solutions? Will you act as a watchdog for your family and fellow citizens, or just sit by idly watching the world as it continues to erode? Are you stocking up on Chinese currency? Share your solution ideas with us.

Ounce for ounce your best bet is to purchase US pre-1965 silver halves, quarters & dimes.

The Weekly Roundup of Useful Goodies
One of my favorite stores, located in Kidron, OH-all kinds of useful items for self sufficiency…a favorite of the Amish

http://www.lehmans.com/

Edmunds Scientific-Tons of useful stuff for home, lab and your kids-another favorite

http://www.scientificsonline.com/alternative-energy.html

Another useful resource (and still around) for kids & big kids too!

http://www.heathkit.com/

Rocky Mountain Inst.-Useful resources for alternative energy

http://www.rmi.org/rmi/

The How to of food storage

http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/

Emergency & Long term food storage supplier

http://www.efoodsdirect.com/

The ARK Inst-purveyor of food packages, seeds, gardening books, etc.

http://stores.arkinstitute.com/-strse-Self-dsh-Reliance-Packages/Categories.bok

Former Obama administration budget director Peter Orszag sums up bankrupt states this way:
“America must brace itself for
turbulence due to this great debt crisis.

Safely sharpen scissors with a few snips through some steel wool.

DIY Vet Resources
Many times people bring their pets to a veterinarian for things they could prevent themselves at home. “Though it is important for your pet to have regular exams,” advises Dr. Ernie Ward, “pet owners should do at-home check ups that could ultimately save your pet’s life and save you money.”

People often get a pet without any idea what it costs to have it. According to the ASPCA the average annual cost of a large dog is $235 for food, and $260 for vaccinations and annual examinations, or about $500 total – without the costs of any serious illnesses, purchase of toys, damage done by the dog around the house, or dog sitting fees while traveling. Many pet owners will tell you that you can expect to spend a thousand dollars annually for a dog. Cats are almost as expensive, because of the added cost of litter, as well as the more expensive damage they sometimes do.

Pets are getting porkier according to researchers…just like us!

Keep these costs in mind when deciding whether to take in a pet. Also remember that when you generously give a friend or family member a cuddly puppy or kitten, you just gave that person an expensive responsibility. They could easily spend more than $10,000 caring for your gift during its life.
As money has become tight for many folks, we thought you might find these resources useful.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/diy-vet/

http://www.ssrsi.org/911/Medical/vetmed.htm

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/nov/diy_pet_medicine

http://www.cathealth.com/

Pet coupons, supplies, samples & DIY Tips

http://www.dailyedeals.com/coupons/pets.htm

http://www.freemania.net/samples/pet.htm

http://www.couponcraze.com/categories/Pets/

http://www.couponcabin.com/pet-supplies/coupons.htm

http://www.pet-food-coupon.com/

NOTE: If you’d like to see more pet tips featured, drop me an email! Poor Man II contains a file on making your own pet food.

Lubricate old pruning shears with lip balm…if you’re out of WD-40
——————-
FRESH FRUIT LEATHER
——————-

6 pears, 6 peaches or 18 apricots
3 tbsp. honey
1/2 c. applesauce

Wash, core, peel, pit and slice the fruit. Puree the fruit
adding the honey to make the leather more pliable when
dried. Then heat the puree just to boiling point in a
saucepan before drying. Dry as for fruit rolls.

Planned inflation is like planned drug taking…you always need a bigger fix!
Many have seen old movie reels of postwar Germany where it took a wheel barrel full of Marks to buy a loaf of bread. Most don’t know the German government, like our own, is doing this on purpose so they could pay off their WWI debts in cheaper marks. The German people also experienced extremes of inflation and deflation and high unemployment. Apparently, our government is unable to learn from this history…

THIS UGLY CIVILIZATION
‘Ralph Borsodi’ (1886 – , 1977) was an economic theorist and practical experimenter interested in ways of living useful to the modern person or family desiring greater self-direction and self-reliance. Much of his theory related to living in rural surroundings on a modern .

Borsodi spent decades analyzing the ills of modern society and imagining remedies for the problems. His 1968 work, published in India, and titled Seventeen Universal Problems of Man and Society, catalogued his research and can be considered the beginning of a modern taxonomy of human problems and solutions. His followers felt he usually was working at solving problems at least 20 years before most analysts realized the problem existed. For example, it is said he predicted the inflation of the 1970s some thirty years before it came. One of his interests was in local currencies, and he started an experiment with such a currency in his home area, Exeter, New Hampshire; however, the project came to an early end with Borsodi’s failing health.

He created a commodity-backed bartering currency called the Constant, reminiscent of Josiah Warren’s “labor notes” at the Cincinnati Time Store. These appeared first as paper notes, but in 1974, coin-like pieces, called Globes, were minted and sold in 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce .999 silver denominations. The non-profit organization that sponsored them was the International Foundation for Independence, Inc., but the Globes were minted and sold by an organization called Arbitrage International.

Dr. Borsodi is chiefly known for his practical experiments in self-sufficient living during the 1920s and 1930s, and for the books he wrote about these experiments. ”This Ugly Civilization” and ”Flight from the City” are his best known works.
Read his book here…

http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0303critic/030302borsodi.ugly/030302borsodi.ch1.html

Also, read about his plan for an inflation-free currencyhttp://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/1974-05-01/The-Borsodi-Constant-an-Inflation-Free-Currency.aspx?page=5

Tooth Repair Kits-something to include with your first aid supplies. You can pick these up at Walgreen’s and even on eBay. Very handy when access to a dentist isn’t good.

Post Script…consternation in eBay land
An Aside…I thought everyone wanted things faster, better & cheaper today. With the advent of the digital age, Kindle readers & ebooks, I am able to delivery more information at less cost and faster…BUT, some folks on eBay either cannot read what is clearly posted in our listings, in the follow up email I send them or they are not a part of the digital age. The Poor Man got his first negative feedback (in 10 years) from someone who ordered Poor Man III and was angry that all he got were two sheets of paper & an investment CD. Rather than emailing with a request for a refund, he left negative feedback – all of which has me scratching my head.

I am puzzled. Were all the publishing trade magazines which suggest digital delivery is the wave of the future wrong? Is Amazon wrong in promoting digital ebooks?
I take it personally when someone isn’t happy with what we produce. I put a lot of time and effort into compiling, editing and creating these items…so, I rewrote the eBay listing again and jacked up the price to cover postage costs for the CD I will now send. However, I did create a separate eBay classified ad whereby those folks can get everything for a mere $2.50 – nothing mailed…ultimately, the buyer retracted his negative feedback after I contacted him!

If you’re a current subscriber and would like a CD ROM copy with over 200 files plus supplemental bonus links, you can have it for only $2.50 ppd. That’s one heck of a deal and is good while supplies last. Send your PayPal payment to poormansurvivor@yahoo.com & be sure to include a little note in the comment box “Poor Man III” or contact me directly.

Government mandated food prices, empty store shelves…see the startling videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIVVL43qPXY

Best Movie One Liner-Bob Hope

Yours for a brighter future…the Poor Man! Share this with a friend!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

New Social Class in America, Useful DIY Plans, Resources

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin

Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. DIY Plans-clay oven, solar oven, methane generator
2. More moonlighting business ideas
3. Recycle old tires for profit
4. Things which are disappearing from our lives
5. 5 Ways to stop buying stupid stuff
6. Get up to $6500 if you’re low-income for weatherization
7. Emergence of the new ‘Whittled’ Class-Parting Thoughts

“Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.”– John Godfrey Saxe

Visions of Mad Max at the Thunderdome, State of Disunion

Back during my college days we experienced the Arab Oil embargo which left Americans scrambling to fill their fuel tanks, inflation was high, land contracts, assumptions of VA loans and unemployment was rampant. One could only purchase fuel on alternate days and when Pres. Carter took office, he promised our country would become energy independent. Of course, that never happened.

Since then we’ve experienced several recessions and ever higher fuel prices as many leaders suggest we’re running out of oil. That could be. Had our country taken the measures suggested by Carter and had initiated a national energy policy, we might all be enjoying cheaper fuel prices, alternative energy sources and less dependence on Arabs and others who do not like our country.

In 2011 we’re seeing a repeat of history. Food shortages and higher prices for fuel and food and rampant unemployment. Oil prices in Australia are rising the fastest ever during the past 10 years…

It’s rather apparent our government has not learned any lessons from the past, as we’re still overly dependent on foreign fuel sources, even more so today with imports reaching 70% of our use.

The mainstream media and our top politicians are running around proclaiming that the economy has turned around, and yet all of the important long-term economic numbers continue to get worse. Do they think that the American people are stupid?

Many homeowners have taken great strides in cutting their energy bill through the use of CFL bulbs, water miser shower heads, buying smaller vehicles, etc. For the most part, government has not. The government is the largest consumer of energy in the world. If, for example, we eliminated Saturday delivery (keep the post offices open for business) of mail, it would save an incredible amount of fuel. If cities timed their traffic signals to encourage a better flow of traffic as opposed to stop-and-go driving, it would save millions of gallons of fuel each month.

Other countries are much further ahead of the US in creating alternative energy resources especially from methane and gases created from giant agricultural fields.

Sometimes I have visions of America becoming like the old Mad Max movies where vehicles are jerry rigged to run on all sorts of fuel. Successful experiments over the past 100 years have had cars running on wood fire, steam and alternative fuels. Is this where we’re headed? Is this our ‘sputnik moment’ or day of reckoning?

Under the new health care bill – did you know that all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% Sales Tax? The bulk of these new taxes don’t kick in until 2013.
The Round up

How to build a clay oven
An outdoor clay oven is the ideal place to make wood-fired pizza or to roast meat. Outdoor are capable of reaching much higher temperatures than standard ovens, and this high heat creates incomparably crisp crusts for breads and a smoked-wood flavor in meat dishes. This sand-cast style of oven is a flexible model to try because you can build the oven to your exact specifications. While the actual labor time is not that long, you will need to wait for the oven to thoroughly dry out before using.
Read more: How to Build Outdoor Clay Ovens | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5678673_build-outdoor-clay-ovens.html#ixzz1C2nIVbW5

http://clayoven.wordpress.com/

Build your own inexpensive solar oven-even from a pizza box!

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/diy-hacks/diy-solar-oven-460611

http://diysolar.dasolar.com/group/diysolaroven

DIY Methane Generator
You can make biogas energy with a DIY methane generator.
Producing methane from manure using your own small scale waste to energy biogas digester is feasible for many small farms.

http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/methane_generator.html

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/BioFuel/biofuels.htm

Build your own wood stove
I’ve often thought of constructing one of these as a furnace type heater, but it’s getting tough to find metal 55-gal drums around as so many use plastic.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/matthews78.html

http://www.woodstovewizard.com/woodstoveplans.html

DIY Video from kit…also offers DIY greenhouse construction plan

http://noolmusic.com/youtube/diy_build_double_barrel_stove.php

Free Seedling Starts-flower pots & trays can be had free
by visiting the dumpsters at local cemeteries.
Free Credit Repair…don’t fall for scams.
The FTC (FTC.gov)offers many publications devoted to helping you regain good credit and you can also get free counseling from your local County Cooperative Extension Office. Also, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling can help.
www.NFCC.org

Green your home & gain up to $6500
Families with incomes under $44,000 who applied got an average of $6500 to help lower their heating and cooling bills via insulation, weather stripping and more. Obviously, you’ll save on your utility bills as a result.
Contact Westernization Assistance Program at: 877-377-3463 or visit their site at:
Www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/wap_apply.html

Insulate. Then Insulate Some More
Plug your zip code into the Department of Energy’s insulation tool, to find out how much insulation your home needs. Then, beef up your existing insulation as needed.
· Video: How to Insulate Electric Outlets and Switches

You can now search for government forms on USA.gov.
You’ll find a list of commonly requested forms, including tax forms, small business forms, and citizenship and immigration forms; but you can also enter a keyword or form number into the Search box to locate a specific form.
If you prefer to search by agency, use our listing of government forms by agency.

Earn Money by recycling old tires…

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1977-07-01/How-to-Earn-100-A-Day-Recycling-Old-Tires.aspx

http://www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/recycling/tires

You can even build a house using old tires…

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/recycle/tires.htm

>>>Other BootStrap Business-Moonlighting ideas…*In an effort to cut costs, the USPS in many areas, is hiring more independent contractors. Ask your local postmaster for applications and openings.
*Be a night auditor at a hotel. The overnight shift is the most difficult to fill, so if you’re a night owl, this might be for you.
*Newspaper delivery. Most papers now hire only adult drivers. The hours often range from about 2am through 5am, leaving you much of the daytime to pursue other interests.
*UPS often hires temps, especially during the holidays, mainly for loading boxes. If you have a strong back, check it out. Often leads to full time work.
*Many, legitimate, work at home listings at this site. Subscribe to get these each week.

http://blog.2work-at-home.com/WordPress/work-at-home-jobs/work-at-home-job-listings-for-1242011/

A few tablespoons of Epsom salt sprinkled around
Your trash cans will keep raccoons away-reapply after a rain.

5 Ways to stop buying stupid stuff
Shop with a list; compare the per-unit cost; scour the sales circulars. Been there, tried that. I still waltz out of Target with bags full of stuff that I didn’t intend to buy.
It’s no wonder: Two-fers, upgrades, bulk buys, bonus points, door-buster deals — they’re like magnets for our money.
Costco has the formula down pat. In a Motley Fool interview, CEO Jim Sinegal copped to purposely merchandising to the impulse-purchase mind-set. Costco highlights an ever-changing array of items at the entrance — from Coach handbags to Fila track suits — that are probably on no one’s shopping list. Yet they end up in a lot of customers’ shopping carts. Sinegal explained, “The attitude is that if you see it, you have got to buy it, because it may not be there next time. More at:

http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/saving/get-it-done-5-ways-to-stop-buying-stupid-stuff.aspx

——————————————————————-
Peanut Butter Candy-Something kids can help to make!
——————————————————————-
½ cup peanut butter (I like the crunchy style)
1 cup non-fat dried milk powder
½ cup of honey

Combine ingredients & turn mixture onto a buttered surface
Pat or roll to about ½” thickness
Cut into squares and chill…then serve!

Lotka’s Principle: Societies compete for economic survival using systems that win & dominate, that maximize their useful total power from all sources & flexibly distribute this power toward need affecting survival.

Things ceasing to exist…the parting thought(s)
With sub-zero temps this week, our house got mighty cold. Although we had done a lot of insulating and caulking before the season, this is an old house, circa 1915 and it’s settled over the years, leaving it slightly off-balance and it has a cold basement. I spent the better part of the week insulating the basement ceiling (aka: our kitchen floor) and could feel the improvement almost immediately. Now, we’ll see how the energy bill does this month!

Formerly middle class is how many Americans now feel. I believe we’re seeing the emergence of a new social class in America, something I’m calling the Whittled Class.
The gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ has grown to numbers not seen since the Great Depression. This reversal is bound to have repercussions leading to social unrest.

Even our War College (El Paso, TX) has suggested the economic crisis could easily lead to social chaos and use of the military to restore social order may become necessary!
View Elizabeth Warren’s video on the growing inequality in America-important…

For some of us ‘old timers,’ the following might come as a shock…

V No Post Office~ Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

v The Check ~ Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

v The Newspaper ~ The younger generation simply doesn’t read the newspaper. They certainly don’t subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

v The Land Line Telephone ~ Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don’t need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they’ve always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

v Television ~ Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they’re playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It’s time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

v Privacy ~ If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That’s gone. It’s been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, “They” know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View.
…Thanks Jim for sending this to us!

More on ‘You Should be watching for suspicious people‘-from our DHS

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-do-not-have-credit-card-you-are.html

Morality and Capitalism

That’s it from the “Sore” Man-Stay warm out there & share this with friends!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

The Seeds of Revolution

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival BulletinYour choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Wake me up when the revolution starts
2. Simple, at home hydroponic gardening
3. Houston-You can’t feed homeless without a permit
4. Unseen taxes you pay every day

I have seen the truth and it doesn’t make any sense. –Unknown

Are you better off now than a year ago-seeds of Revolution.

I believe President Reagan asked this question of the American people a few decades ago when he announced that government is the problem. As you’ll see by some reader comments I have excerpted in this issue, the answer is a resounding NO.

In the last issue I coined a phrase about what has become of much of the middle class, now calling them the Whittled Class as just about everything associated with the American Dream has been whittled down.

No longer, as was once an expectation, do we envision that our children will do better than we have. Upward mobility is vanishing. In classic political theory, America now has all the seeds of revolution growing.

The financial fragility of the middle class cannot be overstated. It’s become a cliché but many are just a couple of paychecks away from insolvency after losing a job, rising prices, falling home and stock market values, and over extended debt obligations.

Income inequality increases social discontent and fuels distrust in the government. Since the time of Aristotle, social historians, political scientists and economists have concluded that a country is ripe for revolution when the following risk factors occur:

>>The distribution of wealth and the health of the middle class are adversely affected.
>>Impacts of recent economic or political shocks.
>>The lack of satisfaction of rising expectations.
>>The perception of unfairness with the distribution of wealth.
>>The history & efficacy of social and government institutions are in question.

Loss of confidence is speeding up. The deter -
ioration is now visible. More and more Americans
are expressing disapproval and apprehension
about government and politicians.

Many of these indicators are present in the current system. Income disparity has never been higher. There is a growing class of “have-nots” in this country with many having lost their home, their jobs, their investments – through no fault of their own. These people played fair and are now hurting and there is no salvation in sight.

The Wall Street policies of off-shoring jobs, first with the Budweiser crowd, then with the Starbucks crowd corrupted the American Dream.

From 2000 through 2007 real median income per household fell by an average of $1951 but prices increased and the economy expanded. The ‘trickle down’ theory was mainly tripe. The ‘rising tide’ did not raise all boats! Many of us are now living a 2nd hand life.

We are entering a time of extreme financial stress in America. The federal government is broke. Most of our state and local governments are broke. Record numbers of Americans are going bankrupt. Record numbers of Americans are being kicked out of their homes. Record numbers of Americans are now living in poverty.

Is it possible to restore trust in the government? Is it possible to restore trust in the cartels which have decimated our country? The seeds of revolution are here. We may be down, but does this mean we’re out? Could it happen? I don’t know.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the price of food increased 50 percent faster than the overall rate of inflation during 2010.

This Week’s Roundup

Simple, at-home hydroponic gardeningHydroponic systems have been around for centuries. The Aztecs designed floating rafts covered with dirt in which they planted food crops. The dirt was taken from the bottom of the lake so it was loaded with nutrients and the roots of the planted crops would dangle into the lake for water…it’s actually something which could put a lot of people to work-growing food at home for consumption & resale. You can find simple kits for sale on eBay as well but…(at the very least, you can buy some Chia home herb gardens)!
Here are some resources to use.

http://www.hydroponics-at-home.com/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydroponics—at-Home-and-for-Beginners/

Could you use a secure, closed area for your tools and storage and another backyard space that you can use as a studio, workshop or kid’s playhouse? There are free, do-it-yourself building plans may help.
At 10 x 16 ft., this handsome building is large enough for most backyard needs. It has an interior partition so it serves double duty as a storage shed and an all-weather multi-purpose room.
A free illustrated step-by-step building guide, by Joseph Turini of Popular Mechanics Magazine, includes an isometric drawing showing all building details.
See a photo, read the original June, 2002 magazine article, download the drawings and get started on your project >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-popularmechanics-free-backyard-barn-plans.html )

Pre-built Solar Modular Homes…wish the PM had seen this prior to getting the cabin built! As a rule of thumb, 50% of the cost of going solar lies in its installation, not an easy DIY project…you do need a qualified electrician. Pre-built homes can lower that cost.

http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/DAC-ART/modular-kit-houses.html

http://www.solarvillagehomes.com/turnkey/

http://www.otherpower.com/modular.html

Ever use a pair of cheap, Chinese made scissors? They’re crap.
I inherited several pairs of Fiskar scissors, made in the USA & they’re great!

http://www2.fiskars.com/

Bag Balm-not just for cow udders…very useful for dry, cracked skin, especially on your foot.
The Unseen Taxes That You Pay Every DayYou might be surprised – even the price you pay for a loaf of bread is 50% taxed!
A remarkable honey-pot of taxes…how governments gouge us.
The old joke says that nothing is certain in life but death and taxes, and medical science has done a lot to forestall the former. Although nobody enjoys paying taxes, most people probably do not realize how they permeate our daily lives. Simply put, one way or another, we pay taxes on almost anything and everything we do-Get the rest at:

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/111918/the-unseen-taxes-that-you-pay-every-day?mod=taxes-advice_strategy

Dozens of packages that we buy in the supermarket have been reduced in size by up to 20%. For example, there are now 2 less slices of cheese in a typical package of Kraft American cheese, and there is now 9 percent less toilet paper in a typical package of Scott toilet paper.
Economic mobility—the ability to move up or down the economic ladder within one’s lifetime or across generations—is fundamental to our country’s national spirit. The Economic Mobility Project helps the public and policy makers better understand the health of the American Dream and seeks to forge consensus on policies that will ensure the Dream remains a reality for generations to come. Advised by a diverse group of respected thinkers from across the political spectrum, the project identifies underlying factors that aid or inhibit movement up the economic ladder and publishes research and analysis that inform the economic debate
For more information, visit the Economic Mobility Project Web site.

Beginning in the month of March, the U.S. Postal Service will begin shutting down up to 2,000 post offices across the United States.

Reader’s Write…
“The recent Scottsdale antique car auction had bidders paying anything just to secure something that wasn’t greenbacks. Cars that seemed pricey a year ago at $50K were going for twice that. To me, that means the big money is scared; they have lost faith in government, the Fed and our ability to manage our future.”

“I have been keeping an eye on things since I stocked shelves at the grocery store here in Elyria, Oh. We used to sell pasta 3 lbs. for $1 as an advertised special about 2 years ago. Now it goes for $1 per lb. Apple juice was advertised for 99 cents for a 64 oz. bottle. You’ll be lucky to get it for $1.59 now. I could go on… Things used to go up here and there by 5 to 9 cents at a time. Now they jump 59 cents at a time…and this is just the beginning! It is truly shocking…I reckon’ ya better say yer prayers my friends.”

Why government doesn’t work-Can’t feed the homeless without a permit!
A Houston couple was told to stop giving food to the homeless as they didn’t have a permit. They had been feeding up to 120 people nightly using donated food prepared by volunteers.

“It’s a social holocaust”
“…after Meyers lost his job as a Las Vegas Strip bartender and nearly eight months after he exhausted his , it has come to this: a careful inventory of a life’s possessions and the hopeless embrace of a future as a middle-aged homeless man.”

T Egypt threaten to send the price of oil soaring into the stratosphere. On Friday, the price of U.S. crude soared 4 percent. A 4 percent rise in a single day is pretty staggeringhe riots in.

Spoof on Obama- ‘Casey at Bat’ – thanks Frederick for sending this!

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/obama_at_bat.html

————————————-
No Cook Tomato Sauce
————————————-

Using a food processor or blender, add..
-tomatoes, onions, garlic, green pepper, celery & a touch of horseradish.
Blend and cook for pasta dishes.

All over the United States, local governments have begun instituting “police response fees”. For example, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has come up with a plan under which a fee of $365 would be charged if police are called to respond to an automobile accident where no injuries are involved. If there are injuries as a result of the crash that is going to cost extra.

101 Things to do until the Revolution Begins-Parting Shot
Brother, Can you spare a dime?
–Popular song from the Depression
America is at that awkward stage. It’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards…but Joe Biden tells us to be patient, prosperity is just around the corner!

Back in the day, about 11 years ago, there was a popular book by Claire Wolfe called 101 Things to Do Until the Revolution which proved a humorous, interesting read. Used copies are around on Amazon, but none cheap. This tome has been “updated” and those copies are even more expensive…reaching almost cult-like status. Below you can at least read some excerpts or order the full copy.

Read excerpts from the book here.

http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=1373

Don’t Shoot the Bastards…Yet

http://billstclair.com/lodge/BooksShoot.shtml

As our friends at Whiskey & Gunpowder write…
Nearly all the problems we face are caused by governmental intrusions into many aspects of our personal and economic lives — intrusions by federal, state and local governments. Regardless of the good intentions that the welfare and military socialism statists have in justifying their use of compulsory government powers, what America needs is to cut the shackles of State-imposed dependence, restrictions, regulations, taxation, all those policies of moral relativism that involve violations of the Rule of Law: theft, trespass, denial of Due Process, and other acts of State-initiated criminal aggression.

Freeing Americans includes repealing all forms of intrusive presumption-of-guilt regulations and restrictions that are in place having nothing to do with whether any individual is suspected of any crimes against others. Regulations are before-the-fact demands by the government that presume the individual and one’s business guilty, in which one must submit one’s private personal or financial information to the government to prove one’s innocence. Government regulations and arbitrary restrictions are literally searches and seizures by the government of information that is none of anyone else’s business, and effect in the stifling of everyday citizens’ growth and prosperity.

http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/how-to-replace-austerity-with-freedom-independence-and-prosperity/

Yours for a peaceful revolution, the Apostle of Action, the Poor Man! Please share this with others.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Shadow Banking, Shadow Government

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. The world of shadow banking
2. Get internet access-even if the government shuts it down
3. Sites to sell your handmade goods, crafts & art
4. Surfing the web anonymously
5. 10 Offbeat ways to be more frugal
6. Make ice cream from snow video

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.–Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Security in an insecure world…

As chaotic events unfold in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, many ask “how does that affect me?” Other than the sudden spike in oil prices, predicted to rise 10 cents a gallon by March, most Americans pay little attention.

Even during WWII most Americans on the home front have been pretty well insulated from the ravages of war, revolution and international turmoil. We’ve been involved with wars during much of my life and see little in terms of rationing or sacrifice among our citizens. The absolute worst effect has been the loss of life among our military families and that is never taken lightly.

As I indicated in the previous issue…many people, in many countries have become angry over their domestic rulers and economic plight. The rumblings of financial chaos have only started in this country. On a related note…

Wikileaks founder was interviewed on 60 Minutes this past Sunday and I think its founder remained a pretty cool cucumber under questioning from Steve Kroft. What is perhaps more interesting was his take on journalism or should I say, lack of in this country and the fact his crew has more potential bombshells to reveal. Assange has upset the establishment apple cart and political leaders have called for his head to be delivered on a pike. Perhaps this is just another form of insecurity among our so-called leaders and some suggest he’s responsible for much of the turmoil.

I believe that to be nonsense and there is little doubt our own media have fallen down on their jobs as watchdogs of Washington. See the interview here:

http://mashable.com/2011/01/30/julian-assange-60-minutes-video/

SIDE NOTE: My Amazon account was hacked this week by some foreigner…Amazon caught it in no time and within 24 hours my account was secure again and the folks at their customer service were prompt and a delight to work with and actually easy to reach and they spoke English. Unlike some other online entities who make it tougher than blazes to reach by phone, Amazon provided a phone number pronto! Online security is wrought with risk and in this issue, you’ll find some answers.

Use white out correction fluid to repair small nicks on appliances. Once dried, cover with clean nail polish. Many colors now available.

Consumer News & Resources

Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down

Does your government have an Internet kill-switch? Read the guide to Guerrilla Networking and be prepared for when the lines get cut.
These days, no popular movement goes without an Internet presence of some kind, whether it’s organizing on Facebook or spreading the word through Twitter. And as we’ve seen in Egypt, that means that your Internet connection can be the first to go. Whether you’re trying to check in with your family, contact your friends, or simply spread the word, here are a few ways to build some basic network connectivity when you can’t rely on your cellular or landline Internet connections.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/218155/get_internet_access_when_your_government_shuts_it_down.html?tk=nl_wbx_h_crawl2

Q: Is there a way to surf the Web anonymously so that the sites I visit don’t know that I have been there?
A: There are ways to surf anonymously, although there is no guarantee that what you do won’t be seen. Here are two options…
An anonymizer hides information that is coming from the user’s computer. It often is used by government agencies and corporations — it can make communication seem to come from an entirely different place. A company called Anonymizer (www.Anonymizer.com) is a major provider of this type of service for $80 a year.
Onion routing is another method of disguising the origin of most Internet activity. It can be complicated, making it more appropriate for advanced users. You can use onion routing for free through www.TorProject.org.
Our inside source: Randolph Hock, PhD, a former reference librarian and now a seminar and workshop provider and operator of Online Strategies, Vienna, Virginia. www.OnStrat.com.

Sites for selling your crafts and art…
Selling your hand made goods is a good way to earn extra cash. You might find these sites useful or at least review to see what others are selling.

>>Crafty, hip and offbeat goods-Craftster.org
>>Well known marketplace-Etsy.com
>>Good place to sell your art-BigCartel.com
>>Design products, must have your work pre-approved-Supermarketthq.com

10 Offbeat Ways to Be Frugal
What more can you do after you’ve cut out every coupon, cut your own hair, cooked enough beans to last a lifetime and made every meal at home, recycled everything, cut out cable TV and vowed to go to the library every week? There’s only so much penny-pinching people can stand. Read more here:

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/01/24/10-ways-to-be-frugal-that-are-off-the-beaten-path/

10 More US Companies which may vanish this year…

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/10-american-companies-that-will-disappear-in-2011/19798647/

Build a tiny cabin with free plans from FreeProject-Plans.com
Can you use a pretty little cabin? It would be perfect for your use as a backwoods getaway, a hunting or fishing lodge, a backyard office, studio or guest cottage, or as a free-standing apartment for teenagers or caretakers.
The 12′x18′ cabin is packed with features. Downstairs, there is one big all-purpose room, a galley kitchen and a small bathroom. There’s a ladder up to a big storage or sleeping loft. A shady front porch extends the space to the outdoors.
The free thirty-five page plan set includes scaled plans, exterior elevations, framing diagrams, construction details and a list of the materials that you’ll need.
Click here to see an illustration and to download the free project plans >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-freeprojectplans-cabin.html )
Click here for more free cabin building plans >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/free-cabin-plans.html )

Approximately 11 percent of all homes in the United States are currently standing empty.

Tips for Burglar-Proofing you home…
>Keep a low profile-Crooks look for names on mailboxes & use it to call “411” & then your number to see if you’re home.
>Flaunt a security system-Home equipped with security systems are three times less like to be targeted. Post warning signs in visible areas.
>Lock Up!-Install single-barrel dead bolts on all exterior doors, use exterior key-entry types.
>Don’t leave a spare key in obvious places-under a doormat is not a good idea.

Find more from our Poor Man Guide to Homestead Defense at our site.

Do not apply vinegar to jewelry containing pearls or gemstones as it will damage the finish or in the case of pearls, it can actually disintegrate them!
<<>>

Judge Andrew Napolitano – Natural Rights, Patriot Act, The Constitution
Judge Andrew Napolitano gives a speech about freedom and from where our rights come. The Judge explains the Constitution and why we must fight to regain and retain our freedoms.

http://peterschiffchannel.blogspot.com/2011/01/judge-andrew-napolitano-natural-rights.html

Not in our neighborhood…Santa Monica, CA is realigning its sidewalk benches to deter homeless people from accosting (begging) pedestrians.

The Shadow Banking System
The shadow banking system or the shadow financial system consists of non-depository banks and other financial entities (e.g., investment banks, hedge funds, and money market funds) that grew in size dramatically after the year 2000 and play an increasingly critical role in lending businesses the money necessary to operate. By June 2008, the U.S. shadow banking system was approximately the same size as the U.S. traditional depository banking system. The equivalent of a bank run occurred within the shadow banking system during 2007-2008, when investors stopped providing funds to (or through) many entities in the system. Disruption in the shadow banking system is a key component of the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis.

In Washington, Republican leader Paul Ryan warned the nation is on course for an economic disaster thanks to its crushing burden of debt.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor ruled out any congressionally authorized bailouts for states. “There will not be a federal bailout of the states,” he vowed.

The International Herald Tribune warned that the chaos we’re seeing in Europe as a result of its sovereign debt crisis is likely to come to U.S. shores soon.

Even renowned Nobel-prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz predicted “a series of rolling crises for an extended period of time” as one government entity after another succumbs to this great debt catastrophe.

We all know the rising threat of defaults and foreclosures facing America is currently harming the economy, causing extreme asset devaluation, and potentially creating a serious social problem for the greatest example of democracy in the world today (www.marketuncertainty.com).

We all know that we must do everything in our collective power to help homeowners stay in their homes, and at the same time, help lenders keep their loans. This is good for us all. The solution should not be couched in polar divisive politics, nor should the solution be a ‘bailout’ of one interest over another. Neither bleeding hearts nor cold business greed should guide the solution, but, recognition in a few basic American principles must be our precondition. We can, and we must ‘bailout the economy’ because its wellbeing is dangerously uncertain. We should not tolerate the risk of total free market devastation to the extent potentially causing millions of lost households and domestic if not worldwide recession, due to “uncertainty” created by failed system safeguards (i.e.: Shadow Banking System).

Inherent in saving the economy is saving homeowners who are sinking in ‘debt’ while retaining sensitivity to ‘free but responsible open markets’ (FBROM www.fbrom.org). If we don’t we will flirt with ‘actual recession’ or worse. Then we will all suffer.

http://shadowbankingsystem.com/

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) has just warned that the governments of the United States and Japan — the two single largest debtors on Earth — are risking a repeat of the sovereign debt crisis which engulfed Greece and Ireland.

Gold prices in 2011-2012 will probably reach $1700 an ounce-our best prediction.

Is the world operated by a ‘Shadow Government?’ –Parting thoughts…

Since I was a college student there have been rumors concerning the New World Order, the Globalists, a one-world currency, and secret societies bent on ruling the world…

For the most part, I discounted these notions and have applied my own theory of what I call International Cartels. Over the past 60 years we’ve seen more categories of businesses which are gobbled up by international firms. This is highly apparent among food corporations which are ruled by a few (Nestle & General Foods, Monsanto), big pharmaceutical corporations, and big media companies such Fox, Comcast and others. (the most trusted news outlet is now PBS…beating the Fox network).

Each time these international firms gobble up another competitor, prices usually go up, despite the economic theory of savings from a new economy of scale…and people get laid off. Of course, the PM has always felt we have the best government money can buy!

Secret Rule
It is becoming increasingly apparent to American citizens that government is no longer being conducted in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, or, within states, according to state constitutions. While people have recognized for more than 150 years that the rich and powerful often corrupt individual officials, or exert undue influence to get legislation passed that favors their interests, most Americans still cling to the naive belief that such corruption is exceptional, and that most of the institutions of society, the courts, the press, and law enforcement agencies, still largely comply with the Constitution and the law in important matters. They expect that these corrupting forces are disunited and in competition with one another, so that they tend to balance one another.

Mounting evidence makes it clear that the situation is far worse than most people think, that during the last several decades the U.S. Constitution has been effectively overthrown, and that it is now observed only as a façade to deceive and placate the masses. What has replaced it is what many call the Shadow Government. It still, for the most part, operates in secret, because its control is not secure. The exposure of this regime and its operations must now become a primary duty of citizens who still believe in the Rule of Law and in the freedoms which this country is supposed to represent. Read more & you decide at:

http://www.constitution.org/shad4816.htm

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread60574/pg1

http://www.sweetliberty.org/shadow.htm

How to make ice cream from snow-keep the kids occupied this week!

I know our snowplow guy is happy with the winter weather…we all stayed warm with the huge kettle of home made beef-vegetable noodle soup I made.

Yours for some global warming during these frigid wintry days! The Poor Man.

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Lowering Funeral Costs, Raising Frogs for Profit

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Raising frogs for fun n profit
2. Learn how to dowse
3. Lowering funeral costs…or eliminate it
4. Why do immigrants succeed in America?
5. Why US factory jobs are unlikely to return to the USA-video

In the first place, God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made school boards.
–Mark Twain

America, land of special interests
The number of lobbyists in Washington has finally leveled off. However, there are still too many well-heeled groups buying influence from politicians. One of our readers sent me a news clipping written by a man in MI which states some of the obvious. I’ve condensed some of the points here.

“Has America become the land of the special interest & home of the double standard?

Let’s see, if we lie to Congress, it’s a felony but if Congress lies to us, it’s just politics….in public schools you can teach homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word ‘God.’

We got rid of Communists and socialists by renaming them Progressives; we are unable to close our border with Mexico but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea. You can watch pornography on TV & the internet, but you better not put a Nativity scene in a public park…

We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if it’s politically correct. What’s happened to real freedom in this country?”

A new Gallup poll found that 67 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and influence of major corporations in the United States today. Not only that, the most recent Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index found that only 26 percent of Americans trust our financial system at this point. The mainstream media is acting as if this is a new phenomenon, but the truth is that a dislike of giant corporations goes all the way back to the founding of this nation.

There’s little doubt that our freedoms and economic security are being hijacked by special interest groups, especially those corporations who sell ‘spy-on-your-citizen’ technology – all in the name of securing our freedom. What do you think? (thanks Jim for this contribution).

Old cupcake tins can be reused to hold nuts and bolts, loose screws, etc.

This week’s roundup

Speedbit Video Accelerator – Some people have a lot of luck with a video accelerator program like Speedbit’s Video Accelerator. It installs a program in your browser that is designed to help eliminate buffering on video sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, Facebook, CNN and more. The free version will be enough for most people, but if you want to accelerate HD video, you will need to pay for the premium version.

Federal Energy Tax Credits were eliminated on Dec 31st (would have saved up to $1500 for improvements on insulation, etc.)…they continue through 2016 for major projects such as solar, wind and geothermal. Most states still offer rebates or incentive programs however. Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables at:
www.dsireusa.org
Your utility provider may have such programs and/or can help direct you to programs within your state.

Cola can be substituted for penetrating oil in a pinch for
Removing rusted bolts…soak overnight. Also good for cleaning chrome.

Raising frogs for profit & eating…plenty of pitfalls to consider.

When I was a young lad, a local hospital paid us 10 cents a frog. We captured them with nets at a local pond. Frog legs, whether French fried or sautéed in garlic & butter are mighty good.

Edible Frogs
A number of species of frogs, including the green frog (Rana clamitans), the leopard frog (Rana pipiens), and the pickerel frog (Rana palustris), are harvested from the wild and sold as a luxury food – frog legs – in expensive restaurants. However, the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) has the greatest potential for culture.
The common bullfrog, often referred to as the “Giant Frog” or “Jumbo Frog,” is the largest native North American species, often reaching 8 inches in body length. Because of its large size, the bullfrog is the most preferred and commonly attempted species for farming.

Frogs and other amphibians are coldblooded animals that grow slowly, not a particularly desirable trait for farming. The rate of growth of the bullfrog tadpole varies with the climate, length of the growing season, and available food supply. Even in temperate climates, it may take a year or more to transform the tadpole into a young bullfrog. Another year or more is required to produce a mature, marketable-size bullfrog. Therefore, in the mid-latitude states like Virginia, development from egg to a mature bullfrog of harvestable size may take over 3 years, even under ideal conditions.

http://www.mixph.com/2006/07/raising-frogs-for-meat.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1978-07-01/Theres-Big-Money-in-the-Secret-Art-of-Frog-Farming.aspx

http://www.startupbizhub.com/how-to-farm-frogs.htm

See the Poor Man site for the how-to’s of raising fish in a barrel-Urban Livestock page.

According to a report published in The American Journal of Medicine, medical bills cause more than 60 percent of the personal bankruptcies in the United States.
According to that same study, approximately three-fourths of those that do go bankrupt because of medical bills actually do have health insurance.

Lowering the cost of a funeral
The Poor Man buried his parents last year and it wasn’t cheap. The obit alone ran $500 for each of them in local newspapers…The Poor Man donated his entire body to science upon his demise. Organ donation is always a good way of helping others. (they’ll have fun checking my brain). http://www.sciencecare.com/

As the economy has slowed, more families have been forced, for financial reasons, to choose cremation instead of body burial when someone they care about dies.
A typical traditional funeral followed by body burial in a cemetery costs between $7,000 and $10,000. A typical funeral service that results in the body being cremated runs approximately $3000. While the trend towards cremation will likely continue in the near future, there are things you can do to make body burial more affordable.

One of the simplest things a family can do is choose a service level known as an “immediate burial”. With an immediate burial the body is taken directly from the place of death (or morgue) to the cemetery. Normally, the body stops at the funeral home just long enough to secure the death certificate and burial permit (and for the family to buy a cemetery plot if they don’t already own one). No funeral ceremony is held at the funeral home.

http://funeral-tips.com/category/tips-to-lower-funeral-costs/

Warning! If the sole source of heat in your home is a woodburning stove, many insurance companies will not offer homeowners coverage to you…double check your policy.
Do you have questions about making your home more environmentally friendly? Are you trying to find a green professional in your area to do work on your home? Do you want to read articles on learning how to make your home greener? Well then, you’ve come to the right place.

http://greenhomeguide.com/

A disaster planning recovery guide is a useful document addressing how a business or institution prepares and institutes strategies to recover from man-made or natural disasters. In many organizations and businesses, executive management appoints a disaster recovery committee to create disaster planning recovery guides and procedures

Read more: Disaster Planning Recovery Guides | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5886012_disaster-planning-recovery-guides.html#ixzz1Ctw3i9lx

The U.S. government has now deployed VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams to set up security checkpoints at bus terminals, subway stations and on major highways
Dowsing is an old method of finding water that flows underground. It takes an open mind and practice to master the ancient skill. Practitioners swear by it, and many make a living locating water and other materials. Start slowly and take your time when learning how to dowse. You’ll find water before you know it.

Read more: How to Dowse a Water Well Site | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2065927_dowse-water-well-site.html#ixzz1CoSSGw8D

=====================================

“….you’re going to pay $25 for a loaf of bread pretty soon. Look at what’s happening with our food prices. They’re going through the roof. We could end up being another Egypt. You could have riots in our streets also.”–Donald Trump
Elizabeth Warren : Consumer Protections to Arrive This Summer
A new federal watchdog will be policing credit cards, mortgages and other financial products beginning this summer. Treasury Adviser Elizabeth Warren explains how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will impact consumers

http://marcfaberchannel.blogspot.com/2011/02/elizabeth-warren-consumer-protections.html

100 Super Bowl Facts…just for you.
Your quick guide to over 100 facts and figures on spending, consumption and advertising surrounding the Super Bowl. We reviewed more than 200 sources, selected the most essential pieces of information and made it into an easily digestible guide.
Get your copy of the 2011 Super Bowl Facts and Figures report today! (You must email them with why you want the guide, even if you’re just a fan.

http://www.knowteria.com/super-bowl-facts-and-figures

The so-called PATRIOT act was a farce from the beginning. If you don’t think the pols have got you dancing to their tune, go back and look at the last 70-80 years – look at the growth of the Military Industrial Complex which we are seeing the fruit of now. The patriot act is just the latest over-ripe piece of garbage..

http://ronpaul1.blogspot.com/2011/02/ron-paul-patriot-act-update.html

A metal 2lb or greater (empty) metal coffee can turned upside down over a can of sterno can make a quick stove…use a pointed can opener to pop several openings on the top and sides to allow some venting. Useful for keeping soup and other low heat foods warm.

Why do immigrants seem to do well in America? Parting thought

Other than illegal immigrants, it seems to many that immigrants, especially Asians and those from India do well in the United States. Are they harder working, more frugal, get special tax breaks?

For the most part, the answer is no, though Asian children do seem more driven by their parent’s to succeed in life and at a younger age. In fact, not all immigrants remain here.

Those who had left found life in the U.S. had many drawbacks. Returnees cited language barriers, missing their family and friends at home, difficulty with cultural assimilation, and care of parents and children as key issues. About a third of the Indians and a fifth of the Chinese said that visas were a strong factor in their decision to return home, but others left for opportunity and to be close to family and friends. And it wasn’t just new immigrants who were returning. In fact, 30% of respondents held permanent resident status or were U.S. citizens.

New Census numbers show the largest growth rate in the US is from Hispanics, throughout the entire country. MI, for instance, would’ve had a zero growth rate if it weren’t for Mexicans!

<>

World famous investor Harry Schultz recently published the last issue of his legendary financial newsletter. After 45 years, the following is how Schultz summed up the economic collapse that we are now facing….

“Roughly speaking, the mess we are in is the worst since 17th century financial collapse. Comparisons with the 1930’s are ludicrous. We’ve gone far beyond that. And, alas, the courage & political will to recognize the mess & act wisely to reverse gears, is absent in U.S. leadership, where the problems were hatched & where the rot is by far the deepest.”

David Stockman, the former director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan was quoted by Schultz as saying the following about how desperate things are about to become….
“Get some gold, beans, water, anything that Bernanke can’t destroy. Ron Paul is right. We’re entering a global monetary conflagration. If a sell-off of U.S. bonds starts, it will be an Armageddon.”
<>

TULLY, Australia – First came the terrifying roar, then a violent bang like something had exploded. “We gotta go!” David Leger screamed to his father as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in Australia tore the roof off their home, sucking the air up and out of the room like a vacuum.
More & more natural and man made disasters everywhere. Are you prepared?

Finally, watch this Detroit News video as to why it’s unlikely US automotive jobs will ever return to the US in any meaningful numbers…pay attention to the last 30 seconds.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia/player/index.php?id=1189

That’s it for this issue…enjoy the Big Game!

Yours for ‘living under the radar,” the Poor Man

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Hot, Sweet, Sticky Valentine Facts n Freebies

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. History of Valentine’s Day-Freebies
2. Hydronic heating-the basics on saving on heating bill
3. Getting started in blacksmithing
4. What information do they have on you-you’d be amazed
5. DIY electric bike plans
6. Using Netcycler to promote swaps

Why is it in the US folks won’t turn their headlights on during overcast snowy weather, but on a clear night, they’ll blind you with 100,000 watt fog lamps?

Can you afford to retire-or will you work until you drop?

According to one recent survey, 36 percent of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything at all to retirement savings.
Most Baby Boomers do not have a traditional pension plan because employers have eliminated them over the past 30 years. Just consider the following quote from Time Magazine: The traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
Over 30 percent of U.S. investors currently in their sixties have more than 80 percent of their 401k invested in equities. So what happens if the stock market crashes again?

Thanks to Washington pickpockets, Social Security is effectively broke.

In the real economy, grim news abounds. The Federal Reserve’s own skewed statistics now acknowledge that for the first time in 57 years, Americans have made a net negative withdrawal from savings and investment accounts. The cause of this squeeze? Rampant unemployment and hidden inflation, especially evident in rising food costs! Analyst John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics notes that if inflation was counted exactly the way it was during the inflation-ridden Carter Administration, annual cost-of-living increases would be in excess of 10%.

Higher wage jobs, those paying $17.50 to $31 an hour, accounted for almost half the jobs lost in the past few years, according to the National Employment Law Project. Of the new jobs created, 76% paid $8.92 to $15 an hour.

With a decline of what is estimated at 10% in the middle class, the American Dream is rapidly becoming a shattered dream. Betrayed by the Washington-Wall Street Cartel, we now see the middle class as the desperate, downwardly mobile.

Faith in the ‘System’ is getting mighty shaky…

Over the last couple of years, lawmakers in at least 10 U.S. states have introduced legislation that would allow state commerce to be conducted with gold and silver coins. Could this be the beginning of a new trend?

Home made cough syrup-Mix 2 Tbs. of honey with 1tsp. Of baking soda.
The Weekly Roundup of useful stuff…

Valentine’s Day Freebies-hot, sweet and sticky…
Make sparks fly this Valentine’s Day-two out of three women are more affectionate if their partner reads to them in bed. The softer, more intimate tones he uses while reading out loud act as a relaxing aphrodisiac say experts…the bedtime stories found to woo women best include romantic classics, travel guides and restaurant reviews – go figure.

In the 3rd century, the Romans practiced a pagan celebration of a young man’s rite of passage to the god Lupercus. These young men would pick from a lottery, the names of teenage girls and these girls would then be their sexual companions for the remainder of the year.

Pope Gelasius wanted to do away with this celebration, so he ordered a change to the lottery. Both men and women would draw the names of saints instead, and they were to emulate these saints for the rest of the year. He also chose a new patron saint of love to replace the pagan god Lupercus and that was St. Valentine.

St. Valentine was stoned and beheaded by the Emperor Claudius II, on Feb 14, AD 270, for performing secret marriages for young lovers. At this time, the Emperor believed that married men made poor soldiers and banned marriage from his empire. While imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of a jailer and would sign his love notes to her ‘From Your Valentine’, a phrase that is still used to this day.

>Average amount spent on Valentine’s Day (US)-$103
>Men spend nearly two times more than women
>One in four prefer Valentine’s Day with their pet vs. their mate
>Top three gifts-Dinner, flowers and candy

Here are a few sites offering free things to spice up the day of romance.

http://valentinesdayfreebies.com/

http://thefreesite.com/Seasonal_Freebies/Valentines_Day/index.html

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/features/love-potions/volume-12

http://www.ehow.com/how_14024_celebrate-valentines-day.html

Create your own comic strip from Marvel Comics-Fun stuff for kids (& adults)

http://marvel.com/games/play/34/create_your_own_comic

**100% FREE**
Want More Clicks, More Leads, And More Sales?
Want To Work Less…But Earn More!
Increase Your CTR, And Your ROI
Visit http://bit.ly/DOEJER Today!

Marketplace creates ‘trade rings’ for group swaps
Netcycler matches up multiple people and goods so that each person
gets a wished-for item and is able to get rid of something too. This
should allow greater swapping opportunities than one-to-one trades.

Whiten your teeth for less-dip a wet toothbrush in baking soda, top with dollop of toothpaste .Repeat 2-4 times a month, also neutralizes bad breath.

HOW DO I GET STARTED IN BLACKSMITHING?
A frequently asked question. And the answer is almost always the same. But lets look at the art of blacksmithing a little first.

Blacksmithing is not all pounding iron, it is design, layout, cutting, drilling, joining, finishing, tempering, welding, brazing, tool making. . . Blacksmithing is almost ALL the metal working trades all combined. More at these sites:

http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/getstart_index.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVR8f_rVT8E&feature=player_embedded#

Make your own propane forge at home

DIY Hybrid electric bike how-to…this site also offers other interesting projects for the do-it-yourselfer including my favorite – how to build a gyrocopter!

http://hacknmod.com/hack/make-a-diy-electric-bike-drill-batteries/

This site offers how-to and DIY kits…pickle jar minnow trap, hard tack, simple rabbit trap, ghetto knife, DIY cross-bow, etc.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Electric-Bike-Conversion/

Real easy home-made solar cookerComplete solar cookers can be purchased on eBay-variety of prices/styles

Remember to clean your lint trap after every use-saves $35 annually on electric bills.

What is Hydronic Heating & how it can save some cash…
In simplest terms, today’s hydronic heating is an energy efficient home heating system that uses tubing to run a hot liquid beneath the floor, along base board heaters, or through radiators to heat your home. Also referred to as radiant heating, this type of system has become increasingly popular among families that want added comfort and control in their heating zones, savings through lower heating bills, and a decrease in their environmental impact by making smart green building choices.

The hot water, or alternative heated liquid, of the hydronic radiant heat system is circulated throughout the home through loops of plastic piping. Most often, these tubes are installed within your homes concrete slab or floor joist system as radiant flooring, and allow the heat to radiate evenly across the entire floor surface. In addition, baseboard heating units and radiators can be used as sources of hydronic heat.
You can find a variety of such heaters in all price ranges on eBay.
More at:

http://www.hydronicheating.net/what-is.html

Stop buying disposable cleaning wipes. Instead, layer paper coffee filters in a resealable container and pour in just enough multi-surface cleaner to dampen each one.

Growing Garlic for profit
Garlic can be grown in a number of environments & can be sold for a profit.
There are two main kinds of garlic. (Actually, there are three. The third kind, ‘elephant garlic’, Allium ampeloprasum, has absolutely enormous cloves, but has no garlic flavor worth mentioning.) The first is ‘Common garlic’, which is the usual white skinned supermarket type plus the silverskin types generally used for braiding and available at farmers markets; and ‘Hard neck garlic’, which is much less common. Find a complete how-to here…

http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_vegetable_type_garlic.htm

>>December was the third month in a row in which consumer credit grew in the United States. Prior to that, consumer credit in the United States had declined for 20 months in a row

Parting shots…

Jackpot! This past week the PM & his wife went to an estate sale, something a bit rare in the winter. Turns out the home is being foreclosed upon and the couple is moving to HI to stay warm. The fellow had a large storeroom filled with dehydrated survival foods priced dirt cheap. Needless to say, we stocked up. Freeze dried food lasts many years but it is not cheap.

Your Medicaid and Medicare benefits are under assault:
Already, on a state level, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has asked Washington for permission to drop Medicaid coverage for 280,000 people. Other states are doing the same.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Medicare is, by far, the largest, fastest growing piece of the deficit disaster. Experts of both parties admit that there’s no way to stop the deficit from exploding out of control WITHOUT cutting Medicare.

If you’re going to depend on Medicare, this crisis is a direct threat. And if you’re an investor or trader, this crisis could be a powerful force that sparks global investors to dump U.S. bonds and the U.S. dollar.

SECOND: Your personal safety is now at greater risk in many areas of the country.
City after city and state after state are releasing prison inmates, gutting police, fire and emergency rescue services, shutting down entire departments.
Funding cuts for transplants has already resulted in patient deaths in Arizona and other states are likely not far behind.

Finally, I watched a re-run of the movie, The Right Stuff, about our early astronauts and space program. Putting a man on the moon, a vision of John F. Kennedy, became an immense source of pride to our nation…we could use a shot of that again.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all and to my own sweetheart…her personal ‘Valentino’ Poor Man! Go to our OldBookNook site as we’re running a sale off our low prices.http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Cell Phone Camera Photos Can Track You-Alert!

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. I can track & stalk you
2. Free financial boot camp
3. How to deal with cops-video interview
4. The Practice of shunning-using it on government types
5. Aquaponics-a solution for feeding everyone
6. The secret freedom fighter
7. Alternatives to expensive software

Crime does not pay-unless you get elected! –Galambos

The calm after the storm or is it the winter blahs?
Off and on during the past few weeks, much of America has been hit by paralyzing winter storms. Winter has reached many states which are rarely affected by cold and snow, leaving some scratching their head over the affects of global warming. Adults and children alike have enjoyed snow days unable to reach work or school.

My thinking was many more would be using their computer to visit eBay and Amazon, perhaps perking up sales for merchants. Wrong! In conversations with other online merchants I learned just the opposite is true…most have experienced the slowest sales they’ve seen in a long time.

The Poor Man even ran a sale which produced dismal results. In fact, all forms of online activity has slowed according to a report I read recently.

If you’re like me, you might be getting a bad case of cabin fever. I’m anxious to get outside and do some gardening, finish up our cabin and explore related projects. There is a lack of auctions, thrift store donations, and of course, garage sales to go treasure hunting (some might say, who cares, nothing is selling anyhow).

The Poor Man placed several ‘wanted’ ads on Freecycle.com and our area Craigslist and not one response. I even placed a help wanted ad for a freelance cartoonist to create several politically incorrect cartoons I came up with – again, no response. (if you’re cartoonist & need some work, let me know).

This has also been the slowest I’ve ever seen in response to our weekly bulletin. Normally, I get up to a dozen emails a week with suggestions to share or feedback on its content…this week, only one. That person wrote to say how much he and his wife enjoyed the newsletter and they were curious as to how I come up with ideas for content…(I read a lot of online and offline publications and glean what I feel might be useful). Without feedback it is difficult to come up with fresh ideas which is one of the reasons I vary the content. Got ideas? Please share!

Finally, as most know by now, the President of Egypt finally stepped down. Somewhat surprising, the crowds of protestors were, for the most part, well-behaved. The price of oil came down on world markets as a result…Our own president took a lot of hits in the international press for his wavering actions…even British newspapers lampooned him intimating how irrelevant he’s become.

If inflation wore a label, it would read “Manufactured in Washington DC

The Weekly Round-up

Financial Bootcamp-Get a Money-tune-upSince 2009, LearnVest has been providing sharp and seriously useful money advice for women. Now, the site has launched a series of email bootcamps to get readers ramped up financially. The investing unit costs $7.99, but the Cut Your Costs and Personal Finance Basics Bootcamps are free. You don’t have to be a personal finance dork (like me) to appreciate that.

http://www.learnvest.com/

I can stalk you-the danger of posting photos…GPS in cameras & phone now allow the government & anyone else to track you. This is not a joke!

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105

Reason.tv: How to Deal with Cops – Q&A with Steve Silverman of Flex Your Rights
“Asserting your Constitutional rights is not a trick in any way,” says Steve Silverman of the Flex Your Rights Foundation. “What the police officers do is a trick.” Silverman started Flex Your Rights in 2002 after spending years working with college students who lost scholarships because of minor drug busts. Since then the organization has produced two popular videos, Busted: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters and 10 Rules For Dealing with the Police, both of which have millions of views on YouTube and have been screened in classrooms and communities around the country.

http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/08/reasontv-how-to-deal-with-cops

Kidstuff is now offering distributorships…could prove good for go-getters
The Kidstuff Magazine™ is a free shopping resource guide for parents and grandparents. The magazine serves two purposes. It is designed to help families find products and services they need as their children grow. And, it is the perfect advertising medium for companies to let growing families know about their products and services. The information is presented in a full four-color format on glossy magazine paper for easy reading and to keep for a long lasting resource guide. It is digest size and a handy size to use for shopping.

http://www.kidstuffmag.com/

TRACKING NEIGHBORHOOD FELONS
Just type in a street name at the top of the form & your whole neighborhood map will pop up…check your neighbors.

Every place you see a red balloon or thumb tack is the home of a convicted felon.

Just place your mouse over an icon & not only will the name come up, but also the crime they were convicted of.

Share with your friends . . . Safety first.

http://www.felonspy.com/search.html

A 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide & vinegar will dissolve lead.

Aquaponics…viable solution for feeding everyone!

The information contained herein can help you get started in aquaponics and controlled environment agriculture. Information can be found here to help you from the early planning stages all the way through construction and marketing helping you get off to a profitable start whether it is a backyard operation or commercial venture. Just visit our forum to find information posted by individuals around the world who have experience with backyard, commercial and educational systems in around the world.

Using a controlled environment greenhouse or pond/tank greenhouse combination, large premium quality crops of vegetables and herbs can be grown on a year-round basis simultaneously producing large amounts of fresh fish. Using the knowledge to be found within the pages and the forum at “Do It Yourself Aquaponics” combined with proper planning, equipment and management, aquaponics can be used to supplement your food demands or in a commercial manner, turned into a profitable business.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/

http://diyaquaponics.com/

Find alternatives to expensive softwareThis site offers free or less expensive versions to many of today’s expensive software. Example: Instead of buying Adobe Photoshop, you can use GIMP, a free image-manipulation program that offers many of the same features.

http://AlternativeTo.net

Fix it Yourself-How to repair cameras, game consoles, toasters, iPods, etc. at:
www.IFixit.com

Another resource for private e-mail
Free service to encrypt messages, prevent forwarding & set a time for the message to self-destruct. Go to:
www.StealthMessage.com

Lower your chance of an IRS audit. Any time you have a questionable tax deduction & wish to avoid raising a red flag, use Form 8275. Ask your tax preparer. Download form from the IRS:
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8275.pdf or call 800-829-3676
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The End of the Dollar Being Proposed
New international currency proposed by International Monetary Fund
The IMF is trying to move the world away from the U.S. dollar and towards a global currency. In a new report entitled “Enhancing International Monetary Stability—A Role for the SDR”, the IMF details the “problems” with having the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the globe and the IMF discusses the potential for a larger role for SDRs (Special Drawing Rights). The IMF considers SDRs to be a transitional phase between what we have now and a new world currency. In this newly published report, the IMF makes this point very clearly: “In the even longer run, if there were political willingness to do so, these securities could constitute an embryo of global currency.”

CNN clearly understands what the IMF is trying to accomplish with this new report. The following is how CNN’s recent story about the new IMF report begins….
“The International Monetary Fund issued a report Thursday on a possible replacement for the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.”

This synthetic currency unit is made up of a basket of currencies. SDRs have actually been around for many years, but now they are being heavily promoted as an alternative to the dollar.

The SDR is a hybrid. SDRs are part U.S. dollar, part euro, part yen and part British pound. In particular, the following is how each SDR currently breaks down….
U.S. Dollar: 41.9%
Euro: 37.4%
Yen: 9.4%
British Pound: 11.3%

In January, the Obama administration said that it fully supports the eventual inclusion of the yuan in the SDR.

Keep a few extra containers of GoJo, the waterless cleaner, on hand should you lose your water supply. It’s also good for cleaning antique wood such as picture frames.

The Secret Freedom Fighter The Parting shot…
Do you remember the Bill of Rights?

I remember studying the Bill of Rights when I was in fifth grade. I found it odd that the founding fathers had written laws to protect us from our government. In the naivete of my 11-year-old world, it never occurred to me that the government would invade my home, arrest me without cause, or act unjustly toward any of its citizens. Sadly, I see the wisdom of the founding fathers being undermined by the government.

Freedom today requires a lot more creativity given the penchant of politicians to take it away. There is a certain futility in conventional activism…

Here are a couple of non-violent ways to fight back against imperious government agents be they from the IRS, ATF, FBI, or local bureaucrat…

Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from an individual or group. It is a sanction against association often associated with religious groups and other tightly-knit organizations and communities. Shunning has a long history as a means of organizational influence and control.

>don’t do business with them
>do not speak to them
>do not invite them to social events
>do not buy cookies or other fundraisers from their children

We could continue with examples but you get the idea. Perhaps impractical except from a local community perspective. It might be a useful way to send a message that as a citizen you are not happy with our lost rights and its heavy handed approach to screwing citizens.

There’s little doubt the nature of our country has changed much in the past 30 years. Whereas I grew up with neighborhood merchants, the butcher, the shoemaker, the appliance repairman…now everything has become big box stores, few mothers at home and neighbors who often do not know each other. We’ve lost a lot in terms of sense of community and a government out of touch with the common person. All of this has affected our personal freedoms to one degree or another and has given rise to police powers…after all, we’re no longer expected to be self reliant or to even take care of neighborhood bullies…we must let the nanny state intervene now.

What happens when they steal your freedom and you’re too fat to run for the hills?
It can happen here.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/655922/posts

That’s it for this issue from your fat boy, the Poor Man…be sure to share this with friends!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

States to Dump Dollar? Pros n Cons of Loyalty Cards

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Start your own barter fair
2. Worst-Case-PC-Survival kit
3. Pros & cons of shopper loyalty cards
4. Uncommon tips for storing/revitalizing food
5. Free tech help 24/7
6. Raised bed gardening plans
7. States consider replacing the dollar-so does France

Sometimes you get the peanut and sometimes you get the shell…
The story of my life! –the Poor Man

My new best friend…could be yours too!
A new study shows more and more Americans are growing vegetable gardens
A recent survey by the Garden Writers of America also shows an increase in young people (under 40) starting to garden.
The survey of 1,000 people nationwide found that 38 percent of Americans had a vegetable garden in 2009. Of those planning to a garden in 2010, 37 percent plan to expand.

Now is the time to start thinking about your spring garden…soil prep, organic additives to enhance your soil, crop rotation, or just letting a section lie fallow for the year.
These dreary winter days when you can’t go outside is an excellent time to layout your garden and decide what you’re going to plant for the coming year.

The Poor Man already ordered a variety of seed and is laying out plans for a productive garden which will start with a soil test. We have some fruit trees which will need tending but we are interested in what we can raise that might also prove to be a viable cash crop. With only a few acres we’re not looking to plant a lot of corn or soy beans, which seems to be the main cash crops locally.

My new best friend is the guy who runs our local County Extension office. He specializes in small acreage farming (he owns two small plots of his own) and has invited the Poor Man to visit his small farm next month…can’t wait.

As much as I dislike most aspects of government, county extension offices are the exception to the rule. They truly provide valuable services and their staff practices what they preach. You can find a lot of free information at this service including sample farm business plans, crop productivity history, common pests and diseases and plenty more.

The Poor Man’s wife is investigating what house plants she can grow to resell at the local flea market. She and a buddy are making plans to become financial foliage tycoons this summer!

Here is a site you can use to easily locate an extension office near you. There’s even a section which walks you through applying for a grant. You’ll also find many universities offer boatloads of free and useful information – yours for the asking!

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

Spray mower blades with some non-stick cooking spray – less grass will adhere, making for smoother mowing. Protect orchard trees from pests by wrapping the trunks with old-fashioned fly paper strips.

This Weeks Useful Resources
Your Worst-Case-Scenario PC Survival Kit Whether you’re in a safe house, on the lam, or weathering the End of the World as We Know It, you’ll want to check out this collection of worst-case-scenario tips, apps, and downloads for your PC and smartphone.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/219447/your_worstcasescenario_pc_survival_kit.html?tk=nl_wbx_h_crawl2

Uncommon Tips to Revive and Store Produce, Groceries
Save money and trips to the market with these tips and tricks from Rebecca DiLiberto’s Penny Saving Household Helper. You’ll be surprised how simple it is to keep food at its best.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/14-ways-to-save-money-on-groceries-2447559/

More Free Online Calendars
Calendar.Google.com and Yahoo both provide useful calendars which tie into your email accounts…here’s a new one that will tie into your Google email account too.
www.Rememberthemilk.com

Neighborhood Disaster Tabletop Exercises for CERTs, Neighborhood Watch Programs and Neighborhood Associations and others
A team of national, regional and state organizations invites Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and Neighborhood Watch programs along with Neighborhood Associations to participate in one of the scheduled disaster tabletop exercises being facilitated via the internet.
These exercises have been designed specifically for organizations that work to support the disaster caused needs of community and neighborhood residents during and following a disaster.
By participating in one or several of these exercises you will be able to assess your organizations existing disaster response capabilities.
There is NO CHARGE for participation in any of the exercises.
Six distinctive exercise scenarios are available.
Earthquake
Flood
Hurricane
Influenza Pandemic
Tornado
Wildfire
For additional information and registration please access the following web site:
www.drc-group.com/project/footprint.html

Barter 101-Why not start your own barter club or barter fair?
Busted-flat? As Janet Joplin sang, “it ain’t nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free.” You can get what you want without paying a nickel if you know how to barter. We should know: the website you’re looking at is partly the result of bartering. Barter isn’t about making some kind of shady deal: it’s a legitimate form of commerce that has been going on since the beginning of time, and is making a strong comeback in the downturn. Do you need a new backyard fence? Tech support? Babysitting? Chances are, there is someone who can provide these services in exchange for something you can offer.

http://www.recessionwire.com/2009/04/30/barter-101/

http://www.barterfair.org/

Find out how much your old electronics are worth before selling them
The site provides pricing also for sports equipment, boats & apparel.
www.WorthMonkey.com

Free sample preparedness foods

http://www.preparethenshare.com/Home/FreeSample

Wide selection of free samples-mainly grocery items>requires sign up

http://freestuffhq.net/

http://dealseekingmom.com/become-weekender-free-sample-kit/

Get Free Repairs-you might deserve them
Use this site to learn if your auto had a problem due to a recall & qualify for a free repair.
www.SaferCar.gov

Free Tech Help-24/7
You’ve experienced a tech problem…yeah right! Costco or Sam’s Club could prove a real money saver. Costco offers a “concierge service on its products. Contact: 866-861-0450. Sam’s Club Tech Experts provide free assistance-even if you didn’t buy the electronics there…available 24/7 at: 877-758-4346

Zipper stuck? Use lip balm as a quick lubricant.
Raised garden beds, also called garden planters, are great for small plots of veggies and flowers. They keep pathway weeds from your garden soil, prevent soil compaction, provide good drainage and serve as a barrier to pests such as slugs and snails.

By raising the soil level, raised beds also reduce back strain when bending over to tend the bed. Raised beds and garden planters are available in a variety of different materials, or they can be made with relative ease

Creating Your Own Plan
You can create your own plan for a raised bed garden. You’ll need graph paper, a ruler, and colored pencils.

Draw existing elements on the graph paper, such as houses, sheds, garages, and walkways.
Color in the elements using colored pencils.
Mark off the raised beds and pathways.

More at these sites:

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Raised_Bed_Garden_Plan

http://eartheasy.com/grow_raised_beds.htm

Loyalty Club or Frequent Shopper Cards-pros & cons…
There are many who dislike using loyalty cards issued by gas stations, supermarkets, etc. for fear of privacy intrusions. There is some merit to this thought. However, on the other hand, you can also reap substantial rewards. For example, I have a Kroger card and it saves me 10 cents a gallon on fuel and that, to me, is a big plus. Kroger also sends me personalized coupons in the mail (based on purchase history). Just recently, I received coupons for FREE butter, free juice, free snacks along with discounts for other products.

Supermarket chains say their loyalty cards reward faithful shoppers. Privacy advocates say they’re no bargain at all…some reports indicate you’re paying anywhere from 24-74% more at these stores.

When you’re stacking up grocery items at the checkout line, you’re probably not worried about whether your supermarket chain is compiling a profile of you based on what you buy, and storing that information for its own use. After all, who cares if you buy one brand of tissues over another, or favor name-brand microwave pizzas over store brands?
Supermarket chains care. So does CVS. So much so that they use discount cards (referred to as “membership” or “loyalty” cards) to offer you what seem like great bargains. They use the cards to keep tabs on what you purchase, how often you shop, and what your buying preferences are.
And, just as data brokers like ChoicePoint collect personal data and use it to build an aggregate “profile” of individual consumers, supermarket chains use their stored data to target buyers with “special” offers and “preferred” advertisements from their marketing partners.

http://couponing.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=couponing&cdn=money&tm=18&gps=544_564_1276_754&f=10&su=p284.9.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/loyalty_cards.html

Studies show paying cash at the supermarket help to reduce impulse buys…
Save an average of $140 a month!
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Showing your AAA card can save an average of 15% on purchases at hotels and various retailers, florist services, restaurants and more-memberships begin at just $66 annually.

A South Carolina state politician wants the state to develop its own gold and silver-based currency in case the collapses and hyper-inflation ensues.
“If folks lose faith in the dollar, we need to have some kind of backup,” State Sen. Lee Bright told the Spartanburg Herald Journal’s Stephen Largen. His bill asks a committee to look into the development of a state currency, citing the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents to prove the bill’s legality.
Slate’s Annie Lowrey tracks down similar bills in Georgia and Virginia, and points out that the legislation reflects a larger trend of state politicians wading into monetary policy. A bill in Georgia would require all debts to the state be paid in pre-1965 gold and silver coins. The Virginia proposal would let the state print its own money. Meanwhile, one politician in Utah wants to cut out the middleman entirely and allow the state’s residents to run their very own mints.

Sidebar: France Wants to Ditch Dollar as World Currency
France, as current head of the Group of 20 countries, will help the transition to a global financial system based on “several international currencies,” French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Monday. Hey, Germany now owns our stock exchange, so who knows?

A healthy distrust of government is the best sign of patriotism

How the Patriot Act is destroying freedoms in America

The Entitlement Bomb
Lots of talk among politicians for reducing the national budget, mostly fodder for the corporate press and the ill-informed. Our two biggest budget busters are the Medicare and Social Security programs. As the Economist magazine noted about the so-called standoff on the budget and taxes…”The Republicans and the Democrats merely agreed to each other’s giveaways.”

Rather than confront the deficit problem, the political agenda remains to artificially inflate the economy as opposed to hard choices involving raising taxes, drastically cutting government programs/departments and other entitlement programs.

Although the Poor Man will be long gone, it’s estimated that by 2080, about 86% of all tax revenues will be used to pay for just three programs: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

If you listen to Washington, one comes away with the impression many politicians think there is a lot of time left to fix these problems. Politicians are rarely proactive, but almost always reactive…just look what happened in Ireland and Greece.

Unfunded liabilities among states, especially for pension funds, will further fuel financial angst in America. All of these probably means gold and silver prices (and thus other commodities) will see even higher prices in the decades to come.

To see more of our unfunded liabilities, check out www.usdebtclock.org

Finally, a bit more fun which leans on the educational side…
Your Life According To The GovernmentCute overview of how we’re expected to live and its costs…the reality.

http://crushthestreet.com/

That’s it for this issue…yours for preparedness, the Poor Man!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Home School Resources, Your Bestseller, As the World Churns

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Write your own book-make money or get famous
2. Creating a new country at sea-Seasteading.org
3. More swap sites
4. Home Schooling Resources
5. As the world churns-public sector employees get a taste of reality
6. Banks profiting from welfare AND shipping jobs overseas
7. Privacy-RIP

Secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream of.
–Bill Moyers

Home Schooling – is it right for your family?
I was fortunate in that my grandmother taught me to read and write before kindergarten. That way I could read the TV guide and I knew when my parent’s lied to me about a show I want to watch not being aired that night. It also fostered a life-long love of reading and the fundamental skills necessary to research any topic I needed to learn.

I also was lucky to attend a school in a wonderful school district, all of it geared toward college-prep. It wasn’t until I attended ASU that I began to realize just how dismal some school systems were. Today’s children (along with many adults) don’t enjoy reading…it’s too much work. They all want visual tools or they’re too preoccupied with video games, cell phone nonsense and non-learning activities and it shows.

Currently, there are more than two million students being home schooled, more than double since 1999.

My own boys attended a private Montessori school (which cost more than my college tuition) and I believe it was a mistake. Despite their efforts and our own at interesting my boys in reading, they never developed that interest. In retrospect, I think they needed a more structured teaching environment, such as a military academy!

The education lobby is very powerful and many consider it counterproductive to true educational reform. Here in MI, most teachers make a pretty good salary while only contributing 5% to their medical insurance, and like other teachers, they work only part of the year. (Personally, I do not have the patience to teach youngsters, which is why I taught college level students part time for so many years).

There are many pros and cons to home schooling, much dependent on the parent who teaches and the amount of discipline they use along with the curriculum they choose. Another factor to consider is the amount of time a parent has available to devote to the teaching process. Thanks to taxes and the high cost of living, many families require both parent’s work outside the home. [Some argue it’s cheaper to stay at home than to work outside the home when you factor in commuting costs, clothing requirements, daily lunch costs, the amount of actual take-home pay you net, etc.]

Here are a few resources to consider should you wish to investigate this avenue of learning for your children.

Free-Home Schooling Resources for Parents & Students: 800-538-3742
www.Homeschool-Helpers.info

http://www.freehomeschoolresources.info/

http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/

It’s been colder than a banker’s handshake & here’s why…
Credit card interest rates now average 14.72%, closing in on all time highs
As banks seek to recover what they lost to new rules…Congress didn’t cap % rates!

Weekly Resources Update

More sites to use for swapping stuff
Trade books, movies, video games-create two lists when you join: Wants & Haves
www.Swap.com

This site mostly swaps DVDs-you pay $2 to ship & get a credit DVD back
www.Swapadvd.com

One of our favorite concepts…swapping your time, as little as one hour…pet sitting, baby sitting, etc. Over 100 communities now have one. Check it out.
www.Timebanks.org

New York Library-Public Images GalleryHere you’ll find access to over 700,000 images that have been digitized and placed online in this database so people can browse them easily. You’ll find maps, posters, prints, manuscripts, and more for your viewing pleasure.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm

New Coupon sites - without any work
Let the coupon queens do the work for you with these coupon-sharing sites.
www.LiveFabuless.com
www.TheKrazyCouponLady.com

Learn the basics of making cheese & yogurt at home-free

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm

Conventional light bulbs will be phased out in 2012-yet 13% of Americans say they are stocking up on 100-watt bulbs to use after the ban.

When you send your mail through the Postal Service, chemical sprays and x-ray-type machinery make it possible for governments and sophisticated crooks to read the contents of mail without ever opening the envelope. Mail snoops can simply take a spray can of Freon gas they bought at a spy shop and spray the outside of an envelope, causing it to temporarily turn transparent.
To prevent your outgoing mail from being surreptitiously read while inside the envelope, wrap the contents in a piece of dark paper. Construction paper that kids use for art projects is good, because it is nice and thick.

The price of silver jumped this week to over $31 per troy ounce.

Medical costs remain out of control. Today Charles B. Inlander, founding president of the nonprofit People’s Medical Society and author of Take This Book to the Hospital with You: A Consumer’s Guide to Surviving Your Hospital Stay, reveals three strategies for negotiating a better medical deal on everything from eyeglasses to surgery — yes, surgery!

<<>>

Resources for publishing your own book-get famous!
Whether to fulfill a dream or to make some extra money or to become a best selling author, many have a desire and there is a book inside all of us. The use of ebooks has made the process even simpler. The best attended seminar programs I conducted in pre-internet days were on self-publishing.

Well known author Robert J Ringer’s first book “Winning through Intimidation,” was initially self published. He was unable to secure a mainstream publisher or to persuade book stores to sell his book. After he ran a full page ad in the New York Times promoting his book…and telling readers they could find the book at national chains…they started selling his book when crowds of buyers showed up.

Obviously, Ringer was one heck of a copywriter. If his ad had flopped, he would have been in big trouble with a lot of people!

Although I owned my own publishing company, we primarily published business-oriented newspapers and newsletters. However, I did write and publish my own best seller devoted to small business marketing on the cheap (long before Guerilla Marketing came out & pre-internet days) called Mercenary Marketing: How to promote your business for less than $1000. It also led to many lucrative seminar and speaking fees. It sold well over 35,000 copies but the internet sort of ended it. Below you will find some useful resources.

What I’m usually asked most is how to publish a book on a shoestring budget.
Most people don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to write, publish, and market a book, so they’re looking for the best and cheapest way to do all three. Use these sites to get started:

http://www.writeandpublishyourbook.com.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/publishing/how-to-publish-a-book-on-a-shoestring-budget.html

Preparing a book for publication

Promoting your self published work on a shoestring budget

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1381358/promoting_your_selfpublished_book_on.html

<<>>

We’ll keep our guns thank you…the Swiss overwhelming rejected stricter gun control.
‘we’re not sheep like Americans’ A vote keeps automatic weapons in each home.

Interest Threatens to Swallow Federal Budget
“Interest payments on the national debt will quadruple in the next decade and every man, woman and child in the United States will be paying more than $2,500 a year to cover for the nation’s past profligacy, according to figures in President Obama’s new budget plan. Starting in 2014, net interest payments will surpass the amount spent on education, transportation, energy and all other discretionary programs outside defense.” (Washington Post)
Is default in our future? Keep in mind, most multi-national firms now make their profit in overseas markets now that they’ve essentially dumped the American worker.

Washington will spend $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job.

JP Morgan profiting off hungry Americans
The deepest recession since the great depression cost Americans more than 8-million jobs and 787 billion dollars in tax-payer funds for Wall Street.
JP Morgan Chase -a bail out recipient – has recovered well and the fact that that most Americans have not, has become a big bucks opportunity for the investment bank.

2010-US worker productivity rose 4%, corporate profits rose 30%,
Workers average wage grew only 2%

Privacy RIP
As reporter Mike Miliard points out in “You are Being Watched,” most recently published by the Sacramento News & Review, those vested in online privacy have been “drawn to a battle between two conflicting notions—and the winner of that battle may determine what kind of Internet we end up with.”

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Politics/Death-Of-Privacy.aspx#ixzz1EK9AitzX

Welcome AboardSomeone finally did it…planning a new country-at sea on platforms!

http://seasteading.org/

Parting thoughts…
Turmoil Everywhere! As the world churns. Did Tea Party members betray us?

Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the value of the U.S. dollar has declined by over 95 percent. One of the reasons given for the existence of the Federal Reserve is that the Fed helps control inflation. But that is a huge lie. The truth is that the United States never had consistently rampant inflation until the Federal Reserve took control. In particular, once the U.S. totally went off the gold standard in the 1970s inflation really started escalating out of control….

The price of food, water and oil coupled with political unrest throughout the world is creating escalating prices and headaches everywhere.

*The price of corn has doubled over the last six months and recently hit a new all-time high.
*The price of wheat has more than doubled over the past year and hit a 30-month high on Monday.
*The price of soybeans is up about 50% since last June.
*The price of cotton has more than doubled over the past year.
*The commodity price of orange juice has doubled since 2009.
*The price of sugar is the highest it has been in 30 years.

If prices continue to go up like this we are going to see a lot more food riots all over the globe. Citizens in most 3rd world countries get by on an average of $2 a day. While kings and rulers make billions, their populations suffer. Little wonder to me why there is so much political upheaval.

As the Poor Man began writing more than a year ago, once states and cities figured out they were going broke because of gold plated benefits to public sector employees, they’d have no choice but to make cuts AND now, we’re seeing those employees in a very unhappy light as they mount protests in WI, OH, MI, NJ and elsewhere. Where do these workers think the money is going to come from? Perhaps they should have their pensions eliminated and replaced with voluntary 401(k) plans like the private sector.

The Fed has really screwed things up here at home. Although many Americans can accommodate the spike in food and fuel prices, the picture here isn’t pretty either.

America is rapidly turning into a horrible Big Brother police state and most of our politicians are fully supporting this transformation. In fact, the U.S. House of Representatives gave us quite a Valentine’s Day gift the other day when it voted to once again extend provisions of the Patriot Act that allow for domestic surveillance of American citizens, wire tapping of American citizens and warrantless searches of the homes of American citizens.
What was perhaps most disappointing was that a large number of “Tea Party politicians” cast votes in favor of renewing the Patriot Act provisions.

The majority of Americans were absolutely disgusted when the Bush administration instituted the Patriot Act and many other police state measures and they voted for Obama hoping for something different.

Many Americans voted for Tea Party candidates during the last election hoping that they would be willing to stand up for liberty and freedom.
Well, it turns out that many of them caved when it came time to vote on the extension of Patriot Act provisions.

The truth is that this is not a conservative issue and it is not a liberal issue.
This is an American issue.
But doesn’t the Patriot Act keep us safe from terrorism?
No.
Just the other day Dr. Vahid Majidi, the FBI’s assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, admitted that even with all of our “security measures” the chance that the U.S. will be hit a weapon of mass destruction is 100 percent….

Who are YOU relying on to secure your future – your financial advisor? An employer? A family member? The government? The fact is there’s really no one left you can or should rely on… except yourself.
With traditional methods of protecting your wealth, your privacy, and your future all evaporating very quickly, becoming more self-reliant on all fronts – health, finances, and freedom – has never been more critical…are you sharing your skills with family members and like=minded friends…are you sharing this bulletin and the PM web site?

Prepping before the SHTF Video…another perspective

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/02/prepping-before-shtf.html

That’s it for this issue…as we “head to the hills,” the Poor Man!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Quirky Recovery Signs, Survive Civil Disorder

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Green jobs, using twitter to find a job
2. Save 96% on home made laundry detergent
3. Free tobacco at-home cultivation guide
4. Quirky signs the economy is recovering
5. Cheap DIY home food dehydrator plans
6. Subscriber contributions-New Survivalist, Scholarships
7. Police State Grows in Chicago

I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t learn something from him. – Galileo Galilei

Signs the economy is improving-Some Quirky Signs
Is it just a blip on the screen or is the economy truly on the mend?

Applications for credit cards, even for those high priced cards for the terminally D credit-rated folks, has risen. According to some job posting sites, the number of new job listings has increased. Local train traffic has almost doubled this month, GM, Ford and others report increased sales…the stock market is doing well.

So what’s going on? Frankly, I think much of it is illusion. Smoke and mirrors. Banks still don’t lend. Wall Street is making most of its profit from overseas investments and our jobless rate remains around 10%.

Analysts always tell us jobs lag behind in a recovery. Then why is the price of silver and gold reaching new heights nearly every week? Why are there so many ‘newly homeless, mortgage defaults, a rising welfare state, long lines at the food banks, etc.?

State budgets are still broke with no easy cure in sight. Are the ‘new’ jobs primarily low wage, non-middle class jobs?

So, yes, you can look to the stock market — a classic leading economic indicator, nearing a 100% gain over two years — for reassurance about tomorrow. But you can also read the economic tea leaves on golf greens and in underwear sales…sales of latte, and other quirky signs.

I lost track of how many resumes I’ve sent out during the past several months. My neighbors think I’m trying to win the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes or something (yeah, that would help too! Ha!)
Maybe I should go back to school and become an RLP (Rejection Letter Professional)–post on recent blog

Read Kiplingers list of offbeat signs the economy is picking up and tell me what you think?

Finally, be sure to check the New Survivalist site mentioned below…top notch info & good videos (I’m jealous about the video part as it’s something we’ve been planning for some time but still lack a few things like brainpower).

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112150/signs-economy-is-on-the-upswing

When you adjust wages for inflation, middle class workers in the United States make less money today than they did back in 1971. Yet…According to the New York Post, Barack Obama enjoyed a total of 10 separate vacations that stretched over a total of 90 vacation days during the years of 2009 and 2010…costing taxpayers millions!

Use mayonnaise to remove bumper stickers on cars. Rub over entire surface, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it off. The substance will dissolve the glue.

Useful Resources

Use Social Network Sites to Land a Job
More Americans now spend more time on social network sites than they do emailing and many employers now use Twitter to look for job applicants. Try one of the new Twitter search engines to find opportunities…enter your desired job & they’ll search for you.
www.TweetMyJobs.com
www.TwitJobSearch.com
NOTE: When mailing or bringing a paper copy of your resume, add a touch color such as light red or blue. Experts say HR will linger over your resume longer!

Learn how to repair and boost your credit scorehttp://buildandrepaircredit.blogspot.com/

Check out FreeAdvice.com if you have a legal question and aren’t quite ready for an attorney.
Whether your question deals with an auto accident, bankruptcy, real estate or wills, you’ll find solid, road-tested information there

Cooking With Bacon Grease
I once read a story about a restaurant in GA which has been using the same fry grease for over 50 years to grill their food…they strain it every night and patrons rave about it!
I always save the grease from bacon to use for cooking and baking (even my teenagers and husband will save it!). Put the fresh hot liquid grease into a glass jar (a plastic containers will melt) and place a lid on it and stick it in your fridge

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf793201.tip.html

With food prices expected to increase by 3% to 5% this year, grocery stores are going to be forced to pass some of the extra cost on to shoppers
Clothing prices expected to climb 10%-

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/02/18/biggest-grocery-store-markups/

Stop a crack in your windshield by applying a clear coat of finger nail polish.
Work in the shade an apply to both sides of the crack, fill it well-will buy some time!

Women’s Scholarship ResourceI have worked on a resource that I think your readers might be interested in. It is a list of the best women’s scholarships published on Guide to Online Schools, http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/financial-aid/scholarships/women. The general knowledge is to apply for as many scholarships as possible and list of great opportunities goes a long ways towards getting applications sent out.
I’m proud to say our article has helped a many women. 85,253 people have viewed it since we published…glad to assist!

Good resources from subscriber Jason – we all thank you!
Good section on ‘how am I going to afford all this stuff!”…In depth how to guide!
thenewsurvivalist.com very practical survival site your readers need to know about. covers all aspects of survival in many situations. also covers the birth of money and our dollar and how and why we are being led to economic ruin by big banks and big gov. very informative….Complete with videos.
Constitutionbooklet.com Free US constitutions for the masses. even has youtube instructions on how to assemble.

Keep deer out of your garden by placing human hair in an old pair of nylons.
Tie the ends & hang around areas deer like to snoop-works with dog hair too.

Kovels.com adds Thousands of Prices to Free Online Price Guide
Useful if you sell antiques & collectibles online or offline…
Kovels.com added more than 90,00 new prices and thousands of
images to its price guide, available at no charge on Kovels.com.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m02/i18/s02

Cheap Home Made Food Dehydrator Plans
Drying of food as a means of preservation has been around for a long time. Populations in suitably dry climates all around the globe have dried meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables in times of plenty as a way to provide for the leaner months of the year

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/sanders63.html

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/dehydratorstryder.htm

Home made laundry detergent-save 96%

http://www.fox8.com/lifestyle/do-it-yourself/kfsm-save-significant-by-making-your-own-liquid-laundry-detergent-20110217,0,620256.story

In a pinch, common table salt can be used to put out fry pan fires on a stove.
<<>>

Our Wonderful Government News

The government rakes in $125,000,000 ( that’s $125 Million Dollars) a day in taxes on cigarettes alone – and that is figuring that the average smoker only smokes one pack a day.

http://www.cultivatorshandbook.com/cultivators/Free_Guide.html

States Ponder Amending the Constitution…fed has no idea where the money is.
A promising plan for the states to amend the U.S Constitution and halt Washington’s borrowing frenzy is the subject of rumors about a ‘runaway convention’ that would scrap the whole constitution. We have an article and a list of ten reasons explaining why this isn’t so.

http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/14587

Thomas Jefferson desperately tried to warn us about central banks. He believed that for the government to borrow money in one generation which must be paid back by future generations is equivalent to stealing….
And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.

On a related note…watch the Fed Inspector General’s response to Congressional questions from Congress about where the trillions have gone…dismal.

http://dailybail.com/home/there-are-no-words-to-describe-the-following-part-ii.html

TOP SECRET ARMY VIDEO THE PENTAGON WONT RELEASE
“Military Men are dumb , stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy ” Henry Kissinger…Scary stuff-Warning: graphic images & language:

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/02/top-secret-army-video-pentagon-wont.html

Police State via Camera Grows in Chicago…Mayor Daley I want one on every corner

http://reason.com/archives/2011/02/21/police-cameras-and-crime

This year the U.S. government is going to go 1.645 trillion more dollars into debt. How can one possibly accurately convey just how large that amount of money really is? If you went out today and started spending one dollar every single second, it would take you over 31,000 years to spend one trillion dollars.

When bad stuff happens…where do you want to be?
Seems no matter where civil unrest takes place, it is usually in big cities. That’s where people, police and governments are most concentrated. This is also where most food and water shortages occur.

During periods of civil unrest police will sometimes abandon their post, leaving gangs and thugs to rule the streets. If a complete breakdown does take place, these gangs and others will begin migrating to rural areas. Why? Because most often that is where the food is. Small farms could be targeted, as they were during the world wars, by soldiers and civilians seeking food.

The public service worker protests in WI had some calling for a revolution in this country…little do they seem to know.

According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.5 million Americans, comprising 17% of the entire workforce, now work for the government. The average government employee makes $47,000 per year, while private sector workers pull down an average of $45,000. The average public sector employee pays $3,600 for healthcare. Construction workers, for comparison, pay an average of $4,100. Those in the services and retail industry pay $4,200. Only 20% of workers in the private sector have what are known as “traditional” retirement plans, compared with 79% in the public sector. And, while most private employees don’t get health insured benefits in retirement, 87% of public workers do.

Nobel laureate Robert Mundell of Columbia University, the world’s top currency expert, told The Wall Street Journal in October that we are teetering on the edge of an unprecedented global financial debt crisis, asserting…

“We’ve never been in this unstable position in
the entire currency history of 3,000 years.”

In our country, the government would declare martial law through Executive Order and FEMA and other government agencies would confiscate food and water supplies (and your guns) for redistribution. Straggling civilian groups would find themselves corralled into government camps to prevent rioting and the breakout of disease and civil order.

When folks get hungry enough, there is no law. Government agencies have been doing practice runs to deal with such a breakdown for years, but…

Sometimes even governments can be stressed beyond their breaking-points. A good example is the chaos that ensued in New Orleans in the absence of action from the local government or a timely effective federal response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In such troubled times, people are forced to fend for themselves and their families, by any means necessary. The following tips will help you and your loved ones survive a breakdown of the social order until such time that help can arrive, or, if help does not come, prepare you towards the long-term goal of rebuilding society in the aftermath.

Read the 10 Tips for surviving civil disorder here:

http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Breakdown-of-the-Social-Order

<<>>

That’s it for this issue…a big thank you to those who took the time to send in resources.
And now for a bit of humor…hilarious SNL Tribute to Government Workers-Public Service Employee of the Year:

http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/pubs/mcc/videos.aspx

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

2012 Predictions-Myth or Mayhem?

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. 2012 Predictions-Myth or Mayhem?
2. Small scale trout & fish farming
3. DIY Resources-knife making, tax prep, discounts, more
4. The dumbest thing ever said about our drug war by Ms. Clinton
5. Are we in danger of losing our democracy?

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.
–Oliver Wendell Holmes

Are we in danger of losing our democracy?
As revolutions take place in the middle east and government workers mount protests against having their benefits cut in this country, it makes me wonder what has happened to our own democracy.

We go through the motions of a democracy here. The reality, however, is many of our politicians are clearly bought and paid for. Special interests still rule Washington, not the people. Your vote (in my opinion) does not matter. Laws, rules and regulations are passed without regard to their cost and consequences, all too frequently by unelected bureaucrats. The cost to this country has been staggering and one of the major reasons why we have such high unemployment.

We also have too many government workers sucking the lifeblood from state budgets without any concern as to where the money will come to continue their gold plated benefits…wow, just think how nice it would be to have to pay only 5% of your medical premiums!

“At the union protests in Wisconsin, several doctors were on hand to write fake excuse notes for teachers who called in sick to attend the rallies. Wonder if this is some of that medical waste, fraud, & abuse that Obamacare was supposed to fix?” –former Senator Fred Thompson

During the past 30 years the government has passed so many anti-citizen laws, no one can keep up. The worst of the worst is the unPatriot Act which violates so much of the Constitution that our founders are no doubt gagging in their graves. What the People want does not seem to matter.

Each of our so-called parties swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and to serve the people. Each have failed and the courts seem to have exiled that document. The government sticks its nose into so many aspects of our lives, all of which fall outside Constitutional boundaries, that the Bill of Rights is now a joke.

Our founders and the original colonies were organized under a very libertarian document called the Articles of Confederation. The central government was only supposed to handle our national defense (not offense) and it was not able to collect taxes from individuals.

Our Constitution has been in grave danger since the early 1900s while our rights and liberties have been eroded. It’s my opinion this truly began with the income tax and the creation of the non-governmental group known as the Fed, the worldwide cartel of bankers. Once we gave up issuing our own money, we collectively began to ‘smell a rat.’

If we want real change in this country, perhaps we should consider what has taken place in Egypt. I for one am making a suggestion for a new amendment to the Constitution…a separation of state and bank!

Use old grocery carts for rabbit hutches.

Weekly Roundup of Useful Goodies

ROUNDUP: Online Tax Prep Services
Unless you’re sure you’ve got a fat tax return coming, you probably don’t look forward to doing your taxes. But these five online tax prep services can make the chore quick and easy.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2359077,00.asp

ROUNDUP: The Best Free Online Project Management Software
You can get your business organized, if you’ve got help. These services can give you that help–and they’re all free.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380448,00.asp

Couple of good sites for DIY knife making…kind of an art that might come in handy though we always keep a couple of good hunting & folding knives handy!

http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60777

Here you can learn to make one from a railroad spike…

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/01/13/diy-make-a-knife/

Eight of the ten top trending now topics were celebrity gossip
This week on Yahoo’s most viewed pages.

Many people forward jokes and stories via email but fail to remove those >>>marks. Here’s a free program that quickly removes those symbols.

http://download.cnet.com/EmailStripper/3000-2367_4-197096.html?tag=mncol;10

Keep gold & silver chains tangle free by running it through a straw & clasp ends.

Trout Farming For Hobby Farmers
My father-in-law should have his own fishing show-brook trout is his specialty!
A few issues back we reported on raising frogs…this is a follow up to that.
Five to ten acre hobby near urban centers have become very popular in the last twenty years. A rare few make enough income for the farmer to cover his overhead. Others, even more rare, turn a modest profit.
Many hobby farms are regarded more as an investment in land rather than a potential working operation. If a working operation may be part of the agenda, combined, say, with only moderate capital outlay, and minimum work, trout farming offers a good prospect for income. Read more here:

http://www.essortment.com/trout-farming-hobby-farmers-34937.html

Do It Yourself Aquaculture Amateur Fish Farming Made Possible On A Small Scale

http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/Fish-Farming.html

<>

The United States ranks dead last in the world for the amount of maternity leave given to mothers and fathers. –Source: ABC News

Coupawz will offer a variety of daily discounts on products and
services for US pet owners. It also aims to add a selection of local
deals. Group buying should ensure savings of as much as 50%.
www.coupawz.com

Credit Problems can hurt your health
Debt related stress is hurting the emotional health of many, mainly lack of sleep and depression. Of course, this can lead to physical ailments as well. Use a recommended credit counselor to help.
Association of Independent Credit Counseling Agencies
866-703-8787
www.aicca.org
www.credit.com

>>>

Here you go Jen & thanks for sharing!
My name is Jen Miller – I work for KindCoupons.org
I noticed on your Penny Pinchers page at
http://poormansurvival.com/PennyPinchers.aspx that you list several sites
that offer coupons and/or money-saving tips, but you didn’t seem to
reference any resources that help consumers AND charities at the same
time.

Make your own herbal seasoning salt
Blend the following and place in shaker w/ large openings

-5 tablespoons of salt
-2 teaspoons each of:
Onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, parsley flakes PLUS
One teaspoon of (each) of: dried basil, marjoram, thyme, oregano
Makes a nice home made gift too!

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In Canada, 117 out of every 100,000 people are in prison. In Japan, 59 out of every 100,000 people are in prison. In the United States, 743 out of every 100,000 people are in prison which is the highest rate by far in the world.

Government Follies

Gold and silver continue to be safe havens…silver at 30 year high!

Oil prices go above $100 a barrel-could get worse, if…
The PM warned last year fuel prices could go over $5 a gallon in ‘11
Things are likely to get far worse if the “day of rage” planned for Saudi Arabia next month turns into a full-blown revolution. Up to this point, the revolutions that have been sweeping the Middle East have been organized largely on Facebook, and now there are calls all over Facebook for the “Saudi revolution” to start on March 20th

With budget constraints in place, what’s the government worried about-solar flares? The RFP vanished from their site soon after it was posted-hmmmm?
FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) put out a Request for Proposal, or RFP, for even more dehydrated food. The RFP called for a 10-day supply of meals – for 14 million people. That’s 420 million meals. Typically, FEMA maintains a stockpile of about 6 million meals. Why the sudden need to increase the stockpile by 420 million more?

The CredAbility Consumer Distress Index, which measures the average financial condition of U.S. households, declined in every single quarter in 2010.

http://www.credability.org/en/about-credability/media-center/Consumer-Distress-Index/default.aspx

Faced with massive state budget cuts, the Wisconsin teachers union protests seem to be increasing public awareness of the high wages and benefits paid to public union members, which is further galvanizing public support for Gov. Scott Walker.

Lots of talk about a government shutdown next week…many agencies preparing, making contingency plans. One good thing about a shut down – no new anti-citizen laws will be passed!

Stop musty basement odor by soaking a paper towel in Pinesol. Place in small container like a film canister. Punch hole in top. The bigger the hole, the stronger the scent.

The first rule of being successful is you have to look like you know what you’re doing, so you failed,” he said, joking with the reporters.
–House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)

2012 Survival Plans-Mayhem or Myth…are they necessary?
My wife and I had a discussion this week about all of the disasters, both man made and natural, that have been occurring during the past year or more. NASA’s recent announcement about solar flares and the potential for electronics disruptions had us really wondering.

Adding fuel to our speculation was our viewing of a History Channel documentary about 2012 and the popular movie starring John Cusack. No one can question the fact that there has been a huge spate of natural disasters throughout the world. Coincidence?

What’s really going to happen on December 21, 2012?

Some of the predictions for 2012 are pretty crazy (UFOs, black holes, etc). Predictions range from complete disaster for mankind and the end of life as we know it to simple climate changes which will impact the earth, but not devastate civilization.

We do know the axis of the earth has shifted and that climate change has taken place on a fairly regular basis over the centuries (one of the reasons we had the Dark Ages was because of an abnormal cold spell which lasted nearly 200 years, preventing mankind from growing crops in abundance).

A severe solar storm has the potential to take down telecommunications and , and the country needs to work on being better prepared, said NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lubchenco is also the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

Why is NASA saying Solar Flares could intensify (starting this year) knocking out communications and even power grid transformers…

- Why has nearly every religion been predicting something big to happen on Dec 21, 2012; for literally thousands of years?
- The Mayan Calendar (the most accurate in history) just abruptly ends on Dec 21, 2012.
- There is proof that most all large governments have 2012 survival plans. Do you?

I guess only time will tell for certain, but it’s difficult not to feel some kind of apprehension over what has been occurring…our advice, as always, be prepared, not surprised. Here are a few sites you might want to review, then form your own opinion.

Free 2012 Survival report & information at these sites

http://www.2012predictions-hq.com/surviving-2012/

http://www.december212012.org/

http://surviving-2012.info/

Now for the dumbest thing ever said about the drug war-Hillary Clinton

And that’s wrap from the digital fortress of the Poor Man!

Check our Resourceshttp://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Gross Universal Cash Heist, Surviving Globalism

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. What are you willing to do to survive globalization?
2. Gross universal cash heist
3. DIY salves, liqueurs, herbal remedies
4. 10 hot selling items in our recession
5. Using online petitions safely

How do you annoy a liberal? get a job.
How do you annoy a conservative? defend the Constitution.

Our Society is deteriorating-Does Anyone Care?
Has Madison Ave Hucksterism led us into a nation of bad behavior?

I’ve been a muckraker since the 9th grade when I wrote a school paper exposing the dirty tricks the IRS uses to grab money from people. My teachers were impressed, my mother was worried. (I had been paying income tax since age 11).

I frequently use the ‘magic’ number of 30 to describe the beginning of the slide of this country and the infestation of government into our daily lives. Give or take a few years, that’s when it seems to me our society began to deteriorate.

As I indicated in the last issue, according to Yahoo Trends, eight out of ten popular searches were related to celebrity gossip. Many Americans are obsessed with celebrity nonsense. Many live their lives vicariously through celebrities. That got its start with soap operas.

We’ve become a nation of zombies. Going through the motions of living, trying to achieve what had been the American Dream of ever bigger cars, bigger homes and more things…most of which only brought fleeting happiness. We’ve even coined the term ‘shopaholic’ to describe this pop culture phenomenon.

As a born again marketer, for decades I helped foster that culture. My ads and copywriting skills enabled hundreds of merchants to sell their products, often useless and trite.

We’re long past the days of June Cleaver. Stupidity, schlock and rude behavior is the norm today as witnessed by the crap fed to us by network television. With the lack of quality programming aired today (there are a few exceptions), it’s no wonder networks are losing audience share. The norm today is represented by an unshaven, tattooed, poorly dressed (can you say overweight, with a thong sticking out of their jeans) guy or gal with a cell phone permanently affixed to their head.

I guess I am getting old. When I was young and you saw someone with multiple tattoos, earrings and unshaven, you thought the circus was in town or pirates had escaped.

In the 1980s and early 90s I flew somewhere every week and my fellow business travelers often commented on how poorly dressed many were…we all thought they were going to a basketball game. We’ve seen the same thing among church attendees. Relaxing the dress code in schools seemed to have the same effect on student behavior.

The deterioration of our society is mirrored by the increase in sleaze among our ruling class in Washington where immoral behavior has become the norm exemplified by “I didn’t have sex with that woman,” Bill Clinton.

It would be a challenge to turn back the clock, but it would be nice to see a return to some kind of decorum and civility again. What do you think?

I invite you to view this interesting, short video to get another perspective.

Inspiring video about self sufficiency & non-compliance

Treat minor cuts with ground black pepper to stop bleeding-doesn’t sting!
<<>>
Weekly Resources & Tips

Preserving Fruit Flavors in Alcohol: Homemade Liqueurs
When we discuss food preservation, we are usually talking about canning, dehydrating, freezing or fermenting. But did you know that you can also preserve fruit in alcohol, such as brandy or vodka? It is a way of preserving the flavor or essence of the fruit for later use.
This method consists of steeping fresh or frozen fruit in alcohol for several weeks. In the end, you end up with some “drunken fruit” (good as a dessert topping) and a flavorful alcohol that can be used to make dazzling cocktails, punch, deserts or sauces. But if you take it a step further and add a little sugar syrup to the mix , you now have delicious homemade liqueur! WOW…get going with recipes at:

http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/preserving-fruit-flavors-in-alcohol-homemade-liqueurs/

Homemade Drawing Salve
Once upon a time, a homemade drawing salve formed the cornerstone of a family’s first aid chest. Everyone kept drawing salve for use on humans and animals alike.
Homemade drawing salve consists of various healing herbs mixed into a beeswax and oil base. A recipe for black drawing salve contains the instructions and ingredients necessary to make one of the most common drawing salves used worldwide.
Find the basic recipe at this wonderful site:

http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Homemade_Drawing_Salve

Make your own herbal remedies
Learn how to make your own herbal remedies

http://www.natuurlijkerwijs.com/english/remedies.htm

This site contains many, home related DIY reference points.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/herbalhow

Online Petitions…to sign or not to sign?
It’s likely you’ve been asked to sign online petitions over the years. Petitions can make a difference in stopping stupid legislation or in helping a charity, but what about privacy concerns? There’s a free service that hosts online petitions and can help with privacy. Also, useful if you’d like to start your own petition (recall in the last issue I thought about a separation of state and bank drive)…use this resource:
www.PetitionOnline.com

Better Online Job Searches
Visit the company website. Try the following sites which lead to a company website.
www.Linkup.com
www.InternetInc.com

For burns, immediately apply ice wrapped in damp cloth. Will take awhile for relief.

Gross Universal Cash Heist or Grunch (of Giants) by Buckminster Fuller

Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist.
Fuller published more than 30 books, inventing and popularizing terms such as “Spaceship Earth”, ephemeralization, and synergetics. He also developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, the best known of which is the geodesic dome.
One very bright guy we could use more of…read a little here about his theory of the Grunch…another eye-opener.
In order to understand how the Grunch works, Fuller says you must first study their history and development. In beginning his explanation, Fuller quotes one of his friends, who he called a giant.

“Bucky, I’m very fond of you, so I am sorry to have to tell you that you will never be a success. You go around explaining in simple terms that which people have not been comprehending, when the first law of success is, ‘Never make things simple when you can make them complicated.’”

One of the first things Fuller had to do was make a decision: Did he want to try to make money, or make sense, as the two things are mutually exclusive. So Fuller decided to make sense and he used his books to explain how the world works.

The book is not what you think it’s about but definitely an eye opener about the FACT that the basic cost of things is coming down due to manufacturing cost but prices continue to go up – through the artificially created ‘inflation’ designed to keep cash flowing from regular people to the Rich corporations! The only function of a corporation is to make money for it’s shareholders – it is soul-less, so the greater good of changing human life for the better is not relevant.

“Gross Universe Cash Heist (Grunch)” is the theory that large corporations use the government to enforce their economic suppression of the rest of society and steal resources and assets from around the world whenever and wherever they want.
You can read or download a copy here or find one on Amazon

http://bobby-gill.blogspot.com/2010/06/grunch-of-giants-by-r-buckminster.html

New Hypnosis Course
They’re giving away a hypnosis course with email and audio sessions, pdf worksheets, and a trance script. Check this out while it’s still available.
Details here…

http://www.increasebrainpower.com/a47.html

Looks like Arizona may name ‘Colt” the state gun!

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The green parts of potatoes are poisonous-cut all of them off prior to cooking.

10 Hot Selling Items in a Recession

-Gold, Silver and other precious metals – gold just made new highs in 5 currencies
-Guns, ammo and gun training – fear is driving need for personal protection
-Large home safe – for storing cash, guns and valuables
-Everything on the McDonalds dollar menu – restaurant food is no longer affordable
-Job search tools and services – unemployment is raising very fast
-Do it yourself healthcare products – healthcare is still a necessity
-E-Commerce continues to grow – Amazon.com just posted a 30% gain over last year, which can probably be attributed to increasing gas prices, costing consumers more to actually drive to the shore to make a purchase
-Solar energy products – high oil prices have pushed home energy costs to the limits
-Information products – ‘how to’ products related to living in a recession
-Cheap entertainment – to help people laugh and forget the reality of financial hardship
Check out Curtis’s PennyJob site…always interesting stuff.

http://www.pennyjobs.com/pp/public/Articles.aspx?aid=215

When sharpening a dull tool, stroke it across the stone 3 times as long as you think you should

Parting thoughts-Can you survive globalization?

I watched a couple of movies this week which got me to thinking about what folks will do to survive the economic crash, now, not some future date. I’m talking about those folks who have lost their job and are about to lose their home, facing a life on the streets. A horrible scenario many now face in this country.

Wall Street has squeezed their suppliers and their employees to do more with less, one of the reason our ‘productivity’ has risen.

In the one movie, a young couple with children, faced this situation, becoming unemployed and their home was due to foreclose.

The woman accepts a job at a ‘massage parlor,’ not fully knowing what she is really expected to do. (do I have to spell it out?) Within a month, their foreclosure and money problems are solved…until, as you might guess, the establishment is busted and the whole little Texas town is abuzz with scandal and gossip.

American workers now must directly compete for jobs with millions upon millions of workers on the other side of the world that toil away for 15 hours a day at slave labor wages. This is causing jobs to leave the United States at an almost unbelievable rate, and it is putting tremendous downward pressure on the wages of millions of jobs that are still in the United States.

So when you hear terms such as “globalization” and “the global economy”, it is important to keep in mind that those are code words for the emerging one world economic system that is systematically wiping out the U.S. middle class.

Back in 1970, 25 percent of all jobs in the United States were manufacturing jobs. Today, only 9 percent of the jobs in the United States are manufacturing jobs. As I’ve reported previously…When you adjust wages for inflation, middle class workers in the United States make less money today than they did back in 1971.

Now, NAFTA and GAT have killed millions of US jobs. ABC News is profiling a family this week whereby they’re removing all of the goods made in other countries – the house is virtually empty. It’s simple folks, no jobs, no tax revenues for government. Personally, I place a pox on politicians like Clinton and Bush for foisting these globalist trade policies which have decimated our country.

So I ask you. What would you do to survive? Would you rob a bank, sell your body, sell all your belongings for whatever you could get? Our economy is being gutted and what happened in WI is most likely just a taste of things to come. Where I live they talk about Detroit making a comeback. Fat chance. Tough choices to make in a very tough world.

Be sure to read our next issue which will feature 50 Ways to Make Money in the Underground Economy.

Yours for self sufficiency and non-compliance, the Poor Man!

Check our Resourceshttp://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Escape the Rat Race-50 Ways in Underground Economy

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. 50 Ways to make $ in the underground economy
2. Banks consider limiting daily debit card purchases
3. Who owns the USA
4. National ID rearing its head again
5. Recycling cat litter
6. Legitimate at-home jobs from AARP & Rat Race Rebellion

Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the hidden confiscation of wealth.”
– Alan Greenspan
(1926- ) Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (1987-2006)

This n that…
The quality of education, home schooling and the like sparked a bit of a discussion on our face book page. The consensus, the US is unfairly skewed in world statistics. Yes, there are big problems as exemplified by Detroit schools but there are shining spots as shown on this past week’s Jeopardy Teen Challenge…some very bright young people!

Something else that came up…the deluge of non-profits and charities devoted to children’s causes. It’s difficult not to run into different groups asking for donations at supermarket entry ways to street corners.

A thought…would it make more sense to combine some of these charities and pool their fund raising resources? Every week a new charity is created for worthy causes. America is a very giving country, even during dire times.

Got a note from a reader this week…”what sets your information apart from others is you are willing to promote competitive sites and your information is highly practical for us ‘ubanites.’ Your predictions have so far, proven mightily true and your advice has saved us a lot of money this past year. Thanks!”
Our goal is to provide a variety or resources which will save or make money, help lower your taxes, fight government nonsense as well as prepper information!

This week’s issue is a bit lengthy, so I’ll keep this portion a bit brief!

Weekly Resources & Updates

Modular Workbench
This is a workbench for a small space. It features a fold-out work table, a roll-out table saw stand, a miter box table and lots of storage—cabinets, drawers, pegboard and shelves. It’s inexpensive, easy to build and ideal for a garage or workshop with limited space. Build this workbench and organize your shop. »

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Woodworking/Workbenches/modular-workbench?pmcode=ILBDZ01Z&_mid=1163032&_rid=1163032.708400.280152

Interesting ideas on recycling cat litter
How can I recycle cat litter waste? Right now, my bags of it end up in trash disposal. I know someone who directly created a slope of it over a cliff, over time! In the past, I’ve used it to fill holes in my property. The point is, it’s not supposed to be used in compost (except for flower beds).
Some clever cat owners have reported using cat litter to fill holes in an asphalt driveway. They have also reported using cat litter to fill other holes on their property. Others have used it to kill poison ivy.
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/30575.aspx#ixzz1FFip0TGf

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18244887.tip.html

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Reusable_20cat_20litter_20system

Accounts and Budget Free 6.0.1
Need to balance your home budget? If you have ever searched for software to assist you with this, you already know how expensive these programs can be. Now who has the money for this, if we need to budget every dollar we spend? Well I have located a good program to assist you with this problem. It is a simple program named Accounts and Budget 6.0 and it is completely free!

http://download.cnet.com/Accounts-and-Budget-Free/3000-2057_4-10535752.html

Enter contests to win scholarships. Find sources at:
www.FinAid.org

Shadow Economics-Underground Economy…Or no visible means of support!

As you can well imagine, governments despise those who work off the books. It makes it more difficult for them to extract money from and it reduces their chances of tracking you in its various databases. If you work for someone, you automatically get placed into the governments ‘New Hire Database.” Supposedly, this is to reduce the hiring of illegal immigrants. In reality, it’s a means of tracking a parent who is delinquent on child support or someone who owes taxes or student loans.

According to the IRS, they were able to collect taxes on everyone from the underground economy, it would eliminate the national debt. At one point corporations shouldered the majority of the tax burden but starting in the 1960s, the government shifted that burden to the middle class.

Since the majority of jobs pay crap wages AND that wage is further reduced by taxes, it’s no wonder the world has seen a growth in the underground economy. Our theory has always been to not tax individuals on the first $25,000 of income…at least give them a fighting chance. Even a babysitter who earns more than $600 is supposed to pay taxes. I started paying taxes at age eleven (hey, the Poor Man was an early starter).

In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a big push in this country for everyone to use debit cards for purchases and to use direct deposit as a means of getting their paycheck. This too makes it easier for government tracking and it is another reason why off-the-books money making is an all cash transaction.

A factory worker has a second job driving an unlicensed taxi at night; a plumber fixes a broken water pipe for a client, gets paid in cash but doesn’t declare his earnings to the tax collector; a drug dealer brokers a sale with a prospective customer on a street corner. These are all examples of the underground or shadow economy—activities, both legal and illegal, that add up to trillions of dollars a year that take place “off the books,” out of the gaze of taxmen and government statisticians.

It’s not just illegal immigrants fueling the growth of the underground economy. It’s also corporate downsizing, which has forced many workers to go out on their own. “We have had an 85% taxpayer compliance rate,” says Nina Olson, the IRS’s taxpayer advocate. “I expect the number to decline,” because the portion of employees who have taxes withheld from regular paychecks is falling. Such employees are 99% compliant with tax laws, she says, but in today’s economy, “more people are being treated as independent contractors. We are losing people from the withholding environment.”

The major driving forces behind the size and growth of the shadow economy appear to be an increasing burden of taxation and social security payments, combined with more pervasive state regulatory activities

The underground or “black” economy is rapidly rising, and the fault is mainly due to government policies.

Here is more proof.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said last week that 7.7 percent of U.S. households, containing at least 17 million adults, are unbanked (i.e. those who do not have bank accounts), and an “estimated 17.9 percent of U.S. households, roughly 21 million, are underbanked” (i.e., those who rely heavily on nonbank institutions, such as check cashing and money transmitting services. No surprise here given the hoops one must jump through to open a bank account, not to mention the violation of privacy and fees associated with a conventional bank account.

50 Ways to earn cash under the table
Men pay $600 for James Norton’s tips on picking up women. You’ll find this list and other useful ideas and resources at our site:

http://poormansurvival.com/BootStrapBiz.aspx

Be sure to check Steve’s new money making site…he’s always got interesting and useful ideas and resources. I thought I was busy, but this guy has me beat!

http://www.everywaytomakemoney.com/money-making-ideas.html

Learn about how employment laws might adversely affect you
Thanks Stacia for submitting this useful information.

http://www.employmentlawtraining.org/Top_10_Employment_Law_Mistakes_Made_by_Business_477.doc

Legitimate, work-at-home sources from AARPhttp://www.aarp.org/work/working-after-retirement/info-01-2011/great-work-at-home-jobs-for-retirees.4.html

Rat Race Rebellion-more useful at-home job resources

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/index.htm

5 Ways to Generate a 7 Figure Income
It’s safe to say that everyone would love to make $1 million. But is it really possible?
“Absolutely,” says Christine Clifford, CSP, CEO and president of Christine Clifford Enterprises, a speaker and entrepreneur. Clifford owns five businesses and is the author of You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself. She says any average Joe can hit the jackpot if they follow these five simple rules. Read the full store at:

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/money/article/5-ways-to-generate-a-7-figure-income-katie-morell?cid=em-smartbrief

Americans should brace for a “disastrous” 25 percent decline in the standard of living if the U.S. dollar’s reign as the global reserve currency ever ends.

More Consumer News…
Banks contemplate limiting use of debit cards to $50-$100
Chafing under new financial regulations, some of the nation’s biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America, are mulling limits on the size of debit-card purchases, The Post has learned.
Such a move would cap the amount of money — banks are weighing between $50 and $100 — consumers could shell out on individual transactions using their debit card
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/banks_swipe_snipe_O56uv3oJMDaK5JS4nra2RP#ixzz1FGEF7uqS

Who Owns the U.S.?
While most of the country’s $14 trillion debt is held by private banks in the U.S., the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board estimate that, as of December, about $4.4 trillion of it was held by foreign governments that purchase our treasury securities much as an investor buys shares in a company and comes to own his or her little chunk of the organization.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112189/who-owns-the-us?mod=bb-debtmanagement

Experian to add rental history to your credit fileRenters who need to build their credit histories are getting a leg up from a major consumer credit-reporting firm.
Experian is incorporating rental payment data from its recently acquired RentBureau unit into its traditional credit file, which the company says will make it easier for college students, recent graduates and immigrants who pay their rent on time to boost their credit scores.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rent-credit-20110223,0,4979481.story

A recent Rasmussen poll found that a whopping 67 percent of Americans do not want the U.S. to get more involved in the unrest going on in Arab countries and only 17 percent of Americans do want the U.S. to get more directly involved.
But the American people don’t get to decide whether we go to war or not. Our leaders in Washington D.C. do.

Your government hard at work-more ways to infringe on citizens

When the Police Question Your Child Know your rights.
“If they had known that their son’s cooperation would be used as evidence against him,” reports Julie Hayden, “they would have hired a lawyer at the beginning and exercised their right to remain silent.” Read more at:

http://www.thefreemanonline.org/headline/police-question-child/

>>>

National ID Rears its unConstitutional Head again-damned government…
The PM has railed against this for years-contact your Congress critter and tell them NO WAY!
A Fox News article from a couple weeks ago confirmed that “national ID cards” will be required to board airplanes and enter federal buildings….
States must be in compliance by May with the regulations laid out in the 2005 REAL ID Act. The law, a recommendation of the Sept. 11 commission that investigated the 2001 terror attacks, creates a national security standard for state-issued identification cards to be used for purposes like boarding airplanes and entering federal buildings.

U.S. Representative Bob Barr wrote the following about how not having one of these new national ID cards will automatically strip us of some of our most fundamental rights….
“A person not possessing a Real ID Act-compliant identification card could not enter any federal building, or an office of his or her congressman or senator or the U.S. Capitol. This effectively denies that person their fundamental rights to assembly and to petition the government as guaranteed in the First Amendment.”
We do not need a national ID card to have a nation that is safe and secure.
Please contact your representatives in Washington D.C. and let them know that you want the Real ID Act repealed once and for all.
Related Note: Homeland Security is shifting its focus from terrorists to ‘domestic extremists’…what’s next-those who speak out against the government?

Many local colleges now offer partnership, apprentice-like programs with industry. Usually free of charge…check with your school to see what’s available.

Continuing signs of turmoil-Civil Unrest, rants & rumblings
In a discussion with friends over the weekend, we all wondered about the civil unrest in the middle east and here. How will it all play out? Is America going to see the same kinds of events unfold here? There are many indicators that it could. Of course, all fortune telling has variables which are subject to change.

If you’re like most of us, you can sense something isn’t right and that dramatic change could take place…perhaps without warning.

Think a minute about all the upheaval we’re seeing. Though minor by some standards they still give rise to speculation. Consider:

No one has had a real raise in 20 years (except Congress)

This is the 2nd year no COLA raise is being given to seniors

The cost of everything is skyrocketing, especially food & fuel

Middle class jobs are not returning

The housing market still sucks & more will be foreclosed upon

Both parties still spend the country into oblivion

Even state and local budgets are being hammered and government workers are beginning to squeal at the thought of living like the rest of the country.

Despite some holiday blips, retail sales are not good and many have gone bankrupt
Washington has no more money to bailout anyone-including states.

A significant number of Americans will completely exhaust their unemployment funds this year, this will further hurt local retailers.

From the many to the few…the gap between the rich & the poor has never been higher…and the inequalities will worsen.

Most college degrees are over priced and few good jobs exist for grads

Record numbers of Americans are on public assistance

I could go on but you get the idea. We have all the signs, especially a very frustrated public. The dismal numbers are in many ways, worse than during the Great Depression as our country has been financially raped by Wall Street. The Depression saw a strong rise in socialist and communist parties in this country. More than 54% now say they think we should become more socialist – redistribute that wealth! And unlike the past, American no longer produces anything.

As a group, we’ve guesstimated an 18 month to two year time frame. A revolution may not erupt as an armed conflict as it did with our Civil War, but major upheavals are more than likely. After all, how long can we as a nation continue while our government continues to violate our liberties and denigrate our national treasury?

Who knows…the big change could even take place as a complete takeover of the United States, a la martial law by the White House? There are many who believe our economic collapse has been engineered purposely.

The biggest variable…we’re also a nation made up primarily of sheep who don’t know when to bleat! I am an optimist by nature and historically, our nation has been able to always pull itself back up by its bootstraps…perhaps I am overly concerned and perhaps there are a still a few miracles which can be pulled from the hat!

That’s it for this week, please share with friends…the Poor Man

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

A Shallow Planet Production

Why your relatives don’t support you, Make 1st Million

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. America’s ‘Motel Generation’
2. The real poop on inflation-the burning platform stats
3. Asset protection resources
4. The Venus Project-Resource based economy
5. Make your first million-Video interview

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” — H.L. Mencken, “Women as Outlaws”

Why your relatives don’t support you…
A reader recently asked me why his family and relatives won’t support him on his new business venture. Without knowing this individual personally, or his family. I wasn’t able to comment. I’ve touched on this a bit last year when I wrote about the Mormon and the Jewish culture…and why as a group, they are successful.

I’ve been fortunate in that my parents were very supportive in my ventures, and much of my inspiration for the Poor Man was derived from my mother.

Where I grew up there was a large Jewish population and they lived by a motto of ‘sell to anyone, but buy from your fellow Jew.” The Jewish population is very supportive of their young in terms of education and getting a start in either a good profession or the family business.

Mormons are very similar in their philosophy. They also live by a creed of self sufficiency, storing food and helping each other out during good times and bad times. Need a job? They’ll find one for you. Need help with groceries and rent? They’ll provide. Need help starting a business, they’ll help you to flourish.

I can’t speak for other groups, but this seems to be the key to success in life – a built in support group such as a church or other like minded group. In business we often preach one should develop a mentor relationship with someone to guide you along. Family, friends and relatives can provide moral support but usually little else.

Having the moral support of your spouse is also important. I essentially gave up my publishing business due to a spouse who did more to frustrate our efforts as opposed to helping.

This also applies to your efforts at becoming self sufficient, food storage and the like. Many will deride your efforts, thinking you’re a nut case or extremist. Don’t let this ‘Henny Penny’ syndrome affect your efforts whether in business or in becoming self sufficient!

Get yourself a bit of luck and pluck, perhaps you’ll make your first million. Watch:

http://kiyosaki-blog.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-i-made-my-millions.html

When making home made pancakes, waffles and French toast…make more & freeze the leftovers. They’ll heat up in a toaster & it is cheaper than buying those bland store brands.

Our weekly roundup

FREE Online disaster preparedness training courseshttp://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/training.htm

Open forum (registration required) on survivalism, lots of gun related info

http://www.survivalistboards.com/

Kellene offers one heck of a directory of tools for survival

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/kellenes-blogs/#prepnets

An emergency water supply storage we came up with. Get a waterbed mattress and fill it with water adding a few ounces of bleach. Build a platform if you like to create a viable flow.

A Few other takes on the major changes predicted…
What you need to do to prepare (wish we could find land this cheap)

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/economic-collapse-what-you-need-to.html

Core Survival essentials-practical! Part of a series, including weapons

A recent report on CNN noted the following….
The speculative fervor is so remarkable that the big trading firms now have nearly twice as many long contracts open as they did in 2008, when oil spiked to $147 in the summer, a development that either foreshadowed or caused the global economic meltdown, depending on how you look at it.

Resource Based Economy – Venus Project Quote from the Venus Project FAQ :”Distribution of goods and services without the use of money or tokens would be accomplished by establishing distribution centers. These centers would be similar to expositions, where the advantages of new products are explained and demonstrated. Exhibition centers will display what is new and available

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/resource-based-economy-rbe-venus.html

“I asked a NJ turnpike toll collector what he makes after hearing the waste of money in this state and was told very proudly that he makes $76,000! That [job] is no better than a cashier and that’s not including benefits he receives. No wonder that the Christi administration is looking to privatize it.”

The Economic Divide in America expanding
US economic divide ever expanding : The divide between the haves and have-nots in America continues to grow and it appears there is no end in sight. A big factor of this gap is the continued price increases in basic commodities. Staff writer for the Washington Post Ylan Mui says one thing to consider as commodities continue to increase in price, there will be less money a family can spend on discretionary items, one thing that drives the economy.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/economic-divide-in-america-expanding.html

Hey PM…loved your last issue. You’re right. Low wages in this country make many of us feel like we’re working on the plantation. Your underground resources sparked some good ideas.RJ-Ark

The real poop on inflation…
From the end of 2000 through the end of 2010, the ridiculous Consumer Price Index shows prices have risen 29.9% for an average annual increase of about 2.99%.
The fact is inflation is not running at 3%. Nor is it even 5%.
Look at housing. Combined, the typical cost of homeowner’s insurance and real estate taxes, two basic unavoidable costs of owning a home and putting a roof over your head — have increased an average of 92.5%!
The cost of energy, averaging the price gains for heating oil, natural gas, and electricity — has soared 87.67%.
The cost of a gallon of gas for your car has jumped 118%!
Medicare Part B premiums have rocketed 143% higher!
And, some of the very basic food items we buy on a regular basis — potatoes, eggs, beef, bread — they too have soared, rising more than 64% in the same period. Read more at:

http://www.theburningplatform.com/

We get more useful information in your free newsletter than I do from others that I pay for!–Al & Jeanne

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Asset Protection Strategies
In the mid 1990s I wrote a popular how-to manual on protecting your assets from greedy lawyers, ex-spouses and government agents…things have changed and with the rise of the lawsuit industry in the USA…it might be prudent to take steps to protect yourself.

When I owned my publishing firm, we found that ‘errors and omissions’ insurance cost big bucks. Therefore, I first got my home out of my name and obtained a million dollar excess liability (aka: umbrella policy) insurance rider for added protection. If you have substantial personal or business assets to protect, it’s prudent to consult with an attorney who specializes in such matters. Laws vary from state to state…

There are many strategies to take the necessary steps in order to protect your hard earned assets. Unfortunately, there is not a simple solution for every situation. Each person will choose a different method. It is important that the method chosen will be the most beneficial in protecting all of your assets.

Asset Protection Trusts

Asset protection trusts are great tools to protect assets. There are many states that allow these trusts. Before, it was required for wealthy people to have offshore trusts. While this did protect their assets, it became very expensive and time consuming due to additional . Some states that now support asset protection trusts include Rhode Island, Alaska, Delaware and Nevada. The great thing about these trusts is that you do not need to be a resident of the state to buy into one. These trusts work to protect your assets by placing a portion of your assets in the hands of a trustee. The assets that are placed in the irrevocable trust will not be able to be touched by creditors.

Below you will find additional useful resources to consider.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/asset-protection-strategies-1192318.html#ixzz1EtENw9SC

http://www.businesscreditblogger.com/2010/12/13/asset-protection-strategies/

Trucking firms are preparing to impose their largest rate increase since 2005, with an increase of 5 percent or more-thanks to increased regulation and fuel prices. Result: higher prices!

America’s Motel Generation
The Disturbing Growth of the Poor in America

“25% growth of US children now live in poverty and are homeless.”

When I was a kid and you didn’t eat your dinner, mother chided us to “think of the starving kids in China.” Today, it’s Chinese mothers who tell their children to “think of the starving kids in America.”

Not since the Great Depression has America seen the gap between the haves and have nots so great. Nearly 47 million Americans are now on some kind of public assistance. Homeless shelters have a waiting list while free food programs at schools, food banks and soup kitchens are stretched to their limit.

While charitable foundations such as the one operated by billionaire Bill Gates are laudable, they simply ignore much of the United States.

America has a lot of charities and our citizens have shown they are generous even during the worst of times. Many of us feel however, government foreign aid programs should be redirected to our own domestic needs…where along with our infrastructure, middle class families are crumbling.

Last month, the Census Bureau released what is arguably one of the most alarming statistics of the year: In 2009, the number of Americans living in poverty reached its highest level in 51 years. The poverty rate was 14.3%, up from 13.2% in 2008, much – if not all – of that increase attributed to the recession.

If you can help, please do. Don’t let poverty and joblessness become the shame of America…the shattered dream. A donation of clothing, volunteering at a local food bank or Habitat for Humanity or find a volunteer opening through our link to AARP.

We have too many children living in one room motels. We have too many parents living in a state of despair, unable to find work suitable to maintain an adequate lifestyle.
Watch the recently aired CBS 60 Minutes segment:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358670n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Find additional information, resources and ideas which will enable to you help:

http://poormansurvival.com/CopingStrategies.aspx

That’s it for this issue from Hollywood…The Poor Man! Reminder-turn your clocks ahead this Sunday.

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

A Mercenary for the IRS

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. A mercenary for the IRS
2. Hurricane & Tornado emergency prep
3. Soil testing, composting, garden how-tos
4. Commodities data, economics
5. Tools to Survive & thrive
6. Ripples from the Zambezi

Who is successful in America today?
It is the big boys. Everyone else is being crushed.

We sure have Japan in our prayers this week…sure reinforces what I wrote last week about all of the natural disasters and its potential tie-in to 12-21-12!

I was a mercenary for the IRS…
It’s that time of the year again. The annual torture of hours spent hunting for receipts and deductions. When the Internal Revenue Service and income tax on individuals was created, the public was promised the tax “would never affect anyone other than the top one percent of income earners.” We all know how long that lasted.

Under the Obama administration, the staffing levels of the IRS are budgeted to grow by more than 5,000 new agents whose primary role will be to secure more revenue for the government, primarily from small business owners (another dwindling US resource).

I’ve been through several IRS audits and though time-consuming, I came out ahead each time. When notified of a fourth audit, my CPA sent them a letter politely declining the invitation as by then, it amounted to harassment.

In past years in my role as appraiser and property liquidator, I have worked with the IRS, the US Marshals Service, local police agencies and bankruptcy courts. One of my friends at the time called me a ’mercenary,’ no better than those who collect a reward from the IRS when they snitch on fraudulent taxpayer (yes, there is such a program and the compensation is limited to 10% of what the IRS collects). On the whole, most of the personnel I’ve worked with were nice people. But all seemed to have developed self-protective detachment or indifference to the plight of the family or business they had gone after.

One newspaper which had been family owned for generations was hit with a three million dollar tax bill when the father died. Unable to come up with the cash, the business was liquidated, putting 35 employees on the unemployment line. Does this make sense?

–The average family pays over 38% of their total to the IRS, which is more than the average family spends on food, clothing, and shelter combined.

–The IRS has a whistleblowers program designed to help catch tax evaders. In 2005 they paid over $27 million to informants that resulted in nearly $350 million in revenue.

– The federal government spends about $10 billion per year to pay the IRS’s 114,000 employees.

It’s being reported the IRS is actually an agency of the IMF and is the collection arm of the Federal Reserve. I have no way of establishing those ideas as facts. With respect to the Federal Reserve System, it is a deliberate mystery. It was deliberately designed in 1910 to deceive the public, who were opposed the idea of a central bank. The conspirators who met on Jekyll Island in November 1910 knew this. Many believe the fed bears the sole responsibility for our endless cycle of recessions, inflation and the devaluation of the dollar.

In an essay about his youth, sociologist Robert Nisbet remarked that in the year he was born, 1913, the only contact that most Americans had with the Federal government was the Post Office. Later that year, the Federal Reserve Act was passed in a late session, just before Christmas break. Also in that year, the income tax came into effect. The expansion of the Federal government has been relentless ever since.

My best advice is to always use a qualified tax preparer such as an Enrolled Agent, who has undergone some training. For anything other than a simple return, I would avoid those free preparation services and software.

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/agents/article/0,,id=100710,00.html

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/taxes-articles/15-interesting-facts-about-the-irs-363017.html#ixzz1G6rX7Ljw

Finally…there is now a SmartPhone app for taxpayers, called IRS2Go. It allows you to track the status of your refund and more. You can download it via Apple’s App Store or Android Marketplace!

Syracuse professor of psychology Michael Carey received $219,000 in federal stimulus money for a study that examines the sex patterns of college women…now there’s a job the PM would enjoy!

Useful Resources for the Week

For anyone interested in economics, this site is a wealth of information. Looking at the Commodities Data section made my head spin – all the information that they had! And they have a neat application on the right side of the page that lets you help them keep track of commodity data.
I found Country Facts to be an interesting section too!

http://www.indexmundi.com/

The Homeowners GuideInformation about dealing with disasters and home care
A big thank you to Ms. Harris for sending this…she shares the PM site with students!

http://www.homeownersinsurance.org/

Tools to Survive & Prosper
21 Tools and resources in areas of internet privacy, medical, precious metals, banking and more. Free to those who have purchased any of our Poor Man products. Send me an email with ‘tools’ in the subject line and you’ll be sent this report as an attachment. Send request to: PoorManSurvivor@yahoo.com

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According to TrimTabs Investment Research, government handouts have reached a level that is equivalent to 35 percent of all wages and salaries in the United States. Considering the fact that this figure was only 21 percent back in the year 2000 and only 10 percent back in 1960.

Free Gardening Resources-from our friends at the County Extension Office
How to Take a Soil Test

http://www.css.msu.edu/SPNL/

Compost your yard waste – You Tube Videos by Bob Tritten, District Fruit Educator on how to compost

http://www.migarden.msu.edu/migarden/news/item/compost_your_yard_waste

MSU Fruit Resources

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/

MSU Vegetable Team Website

http://vegetable.msue.msu.edu//

MSU Poultry Team Website

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/poultry

It’s also time to start thinking about all of the vegetables, herbs, berries and fruit that you can grow yourself.
If you are new to food gardening, it’s easy to learn how to grow and enjoy healthy and delicious vegetables in your backyard. You can save a fortune on food costs and protect yourself and your loved ones from dangerous chemicals and production methods used on store-bought produce. And, you can have vegetables and fruit that tastes better than anything you can buy.
Here’s a list of free downloadable how-to-garden books that I found for you:
Download your Free Kitchen Garden Guide Books >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/learn-gardening-vegetables.html )

Substitute club soda for the liquid called for in pancake batter to get fluffier cakes.
Club soda is also good to use instead of tap water for your indoor plants-more minerals.

Government Roundup

“No Way Out” of Debt Trap, Gross Says: U.S. Living Standards Doomed to Fail…PM has been stating this for years!
Debt, debt and more mounting debt is plaguing countries around the globe.
In this U.S., states across the country face a collective $125 billion shortfall for fiscal 2012, while Congress is facing a budget gap nearly 10 times that size.
PIMCO founder Bill Gross — one of the world’s largest mutual funds managers, who focuses mostly on bonds — has previously said that if the United States were a corporation, no one in their right mind would lend us money. For the last decade, we’ve been “relying on the kindness of strangers” to help cover our debts, he tells Aaron Task in the accompanying clip. More at:

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/%E2%80%9Cno-way-out%E2%80%9D-of-debt-trap-gross-says-u.s.-living-standards-doomed-to-fall-536001.html

Oil Price Shocks and the Recession of 2011?: Ten of the last 11 recessions were preceded by oil price hikes
Ten of the last 11 recessions were preceded by oil price shocks. The price of crude is up about 30 percent over last year. Reason Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey delves into the economic literature in an effort to see if a 2011 recession is likely.

Reason.tv: Cutting Government Spending-An Interview with Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño
Since coming into power in 2009, Gov. Luis Fortuño (R-Puerto Rico) has cut government spending by 20 percent, lowered taxes and raised the territory’s bond status to its highest rating in 35 years – all during a punishing economic climate. Gov. Fortuño sat down with Reason Magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch to discuss Puerto Rico’s turnaround, federal immigration policy, the drug war, education reform, his support of statehood and a possible future in mainland politics.

http://reason.com/blog/2011/03/08/cutting-government-spending-an

Obama is considering releasing some of national oil reserves to ease recent fuel price hikes…why not simply place a hold in the fuel taxes paid at the pump? About 18 cents at the federal level…if states kicked in, that would drop the price about 50 cents a gallon.

Unrepentant Unlicensed Taxi Driver: “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with what I do,” by Damon W. Root
In his book The Right to Earn a Living , public interest attorney Timothy Sandefur explains how taxi licensing laws are just one of the many arbitrary and unnecessary types of regulation that restrict economic liberty while enriching special interests. Writing today at the Pacific Legal Foundation’s Liberty Blog, Sandefur highlights an extraordinary story from Aspen, Colorado where a man named Phil Sullivan just spent over a week in jail for operating an unlicensed taxi. And as Sullivan told The Aspen Times, he refuses to accept the idea that he did anything wrong.

Start seeds in eggshells. Place halves into the egg carton and fill with soil, press seeds inside.
Seeds will draw nutrients from the shells. Once about 3” high, remove and replant. Crush the eggshells and add to your compost pile or garden.

Make Play Clay for Kids
Add together 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar, 1 cup salt, 4 cups plain flour, 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil. Stir well with wooden spoon, then slowly stir while adding 4 cups of water. Cook the mixture on medium in a saucepan until it thickens (stir occasionally). It’s ready when it forms a ball that isn’t sticky. If desired, work in food coloring. Let cool, store in tight container such as an empty coffee can in the fridge.

Parting thoughts…Ripples from the Zambezi

I’ve always been on the anti-authoritarian side of life. (what a surprise). It’s never made sense to me that our schools and society teach freedom and respect for others (diversity) while at the same time dictating every little thing we do, how we behave…control over our lives in the pursuit of happiness.

Our politicians always talk about job creation, then go about setting all imaginable roadblocks. This problem has festered in America for 30 years and it happens elsewhere too such as in Australia.

Mauri Green, an experienced fish processor, was unemployed in his town Esperance and set about doing what he knew best…processing fish. He set up a smoke oven in his garage, smoke fish and began to sell it. His former friend, the health inspector tasted the fish and liked it very much. Then the inspector proceeded to confiscate the equipment on the grounds that Mauri’s garage did not comply with health regulations.”

Not having the money to move his oven to an approved building and was unable to secure the blessing of the local development bureaucrats, he went on the public dole.

This example is from a book called Ripples from the Zambezi by Ernesto Sirolli. If you have a passion for something, you should be successful. Sirolli has set up local economic development programs that actually work, with a minimum of government interference and cost.

If you aspire to create or start a venture to provide yourself with a livelihood, I recommend it…should be required reading for bureaucrats. By the way, this book was a gift from our friend at the County Extension Office, Hal Hudson-Thanks!

The concept is pretty easy. Match aspiring entrepreneurs with those already succeeding in much like an apprenticeship program. We have one here and it’s worth a look at and be sure to look at the Sirolli Inst. Link here: http://www.tuscolaenterprise.com/sirolli.html

Get a copy of the book on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_24?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ripples+from+the+zambezi&sprefix=ripples+from+the+zambezi

That’s our issue for today…from your fellow entrepreneur, the Poor Man!

“Principio Obstate (Resist from the beginning).”
– Latin Proverb

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Secrets of OZ, Madness of Society, Security on Shoestring

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for usable urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Secrets of the Wizard of OZ-Is our destruction by design?
2. Gutting our rights, spying on citizens-21 Ways to Protect Yourself
3. How one family became self sufficient on 1/10th of an acre
4. PC security on a shoestring
5. Teach teens about handling money-Family Mint
6. How to know when you’re too frugal

After there is great trouble among mankind, a greater one is prepared. The great mover of the universe will renew time, rain, blood, thirst, famine, steel weapons and disease. In the heavens, a fire seen.” Nostradamus

How the government spies on its citizens
Step out of line, the man come and take you away.-Buffalo Springfield

The Poor Man has written extensively on how our government monitors every financial move you make. From the New Hire Database, your medical files, your financial records, etc. The government has setup a large network of institutions which spy on you…the post office, the bank and more. The government maintains roughly 44 files on every adult in the US, effectively gutting the Bill of Rights.

Nothing is private anymore, as a vast spying system, known as Echelon, can intercept everything from your most confidential financial transactions to communications between senators and congressmen to cables between foreign officials.

Technologies and techniques honed for use on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan have migrated into the hands of law enforcement agencies in America writes the Washington Post in its continuing series, “Top Secret America.”

The Post reports:
“Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.

The US Department of Justice this week released slides from a presentation deck titled Obtaining and Using Evidence from Social Networking Sites. The document was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

For over fifteen years, the CIA, with assistance from numerous government agencies, conducted a massive illegal domestic covert operation called Operation CHAOS. It was one of the largest and most pervasive domestic surveillance programs in the history of this country. Throughout the duration of CHAOS, the CIA spied on thousands of U.S. citizens. The CIA went to great lengths to conceal this operation from the public while every president from Eisenhower to Nixon exploited CHAOS for his own political ends.”

One example is the Defense Department’s Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA)
Consider this from William M. Arkin of the Washington Post:

“CIFA already has these authorities, has its own agents, and collects information on common American citizens under the guise of “sabotage” and “force protection” threats to the military. Since 9/11, functions that were previously intended to protect U.S. forces overseas from terrorism and protect U.S. secrets from spies have been combined in one super-intelligence function that constitutes the greatest threat to U.S. civil liberties since the domestic spying days of the 1970′s.”

“On May 2, 2003, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz signed a memorandum directing the military to collect and report “non-validated threat information” relating to U.S. military forces, installations or missions. His memorandum followed from the establishment of the Domestic Threat Working Group after 9/11, the intent of which was to create a mechanism to share low-level domestic “threat information” between the military and intelligence agencies.”

Then we have the “Total Information Awareness” program whereby “Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and e-mail you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book and every event you attend — all these transactions and communications will go into what the Defense Department describes as “a virtual, centralized grand database.”

Under PATRIOT, civil liberties, especially privacy rights, have taken a severe blow:

The law dramatically expands the ability of states and the Federal Government to conduct surveillance of American citizens. The Government can monitor an individual’s web surfing records, use roving wiretaps to monitor phone calls made by individuals “proximate” to the primary person being tapped, access Internet Service Provider records, and monitor the private records of people involved in legitimate protests.

PATRIOT is not limited to terrorism. The Government can add samples to DNA databases for individuals convicted of “any crime of violence.” Government spying on suspected computer trespassers (not just terrorist suspects) requires no court order. Wiretaps are now allowed for any suspected violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, offering possibilities for Government spying on any computer user.
Foreign and domestic intelligence agencies can more easily spy on Americans. Powers under the existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) have been broadened to allow for increased surveillance opportunities. FISA standards are lower than the constitutional standard applied by the courts in regular investigations. PATRIOT partially repeals legislation enacted in the 1970s that prohibited pervasive surveillance of Americans.

PATRIOT eliminates Government accountability. While PATRIOT freely eliminates privacy rights for individual Americans, it creates more secrecy for Government activities, making it extremely difficult to know about actions the Government is taking.

PATRIOT authorizes the use of “sneak and peek” search warrants in connection with any federal crime, including misdemeanors. A “sneak and peek” warrant authorizes law enforcement officers to enter private premises without the occupant’s permission or knowledge and without informing the occupant that such a search was conducted.

It’s terrifying to watch as so many traitorous politicians and government officials at all levels work so hard at gutting our freedoms.
Compiled from various resources. Get 21 Strategies for Protecting Your Privacy at:

http://cid-d757a63a02992903.office.live.com/self.aspx/Office%20Live%20Documents/21%5E_Cutting%5E_Edge%5E_Strategies.pdf

Watch this related video:

A quick note to say thanks for your great issues. We appreciate hearing about the biggest consumer con-Uncle Scam & his myriad ways of screwing citizens. We also appreciate the many freebies you include. P.S. We follow you on face book, but I think face book is a waste of time and just another scam for people who have nothing meaningful to do.–Roger n Mary, MI

<<>>

How one family is preparing-becoming self-sufficient
One family is actually producing 6000 pounds of produce on just 1/10th of an acre right in the middle of Pasadena, California. One of the main reasons why so many of us are trying to warn people about what is coming is so that they will wake up and take action to become self-sufficient.

If you are not already growing your own food, now is a great time to get started. According to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the global price of food rose 2.2% during the month of February to a new all-time record high. In fact, this was the third month in a row that the global price of food has set a new record.
2.2% may not sound like a lot, but if the global price of food were to increase by that amount every single month during 2011 by the end of the year the global price of food will have gone up by 26.4%.

26.4% food inflation is something that is very, very serious – especially in those areas of the world where millions are already teetering on the brink of starvation. The world is on the verge of a major food crisis. The price of corn has increased by 33 percent just since December, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. corn reserves will drop to a 15 year low by the end of 2011. Many other agricultural commodities are also in short supply and are experiencing significant increases in price.

In fact, some cities have already started to turn toilet water into tap water. Fortunately this is not a widespread thing in the United States yet, but a number of localities are now seriously considering going to such a system.

Would you want to drink your own recycled toilet water in the future?
If not, perhaps now would be a great time to learn how to become more self-sufficient when it comes to water.

Even now, most localities are dumping massive amounts of fluoride and other toxic chemicals into our drinking water. That is what one family in Pasadena, California is doing. As mentioned above, they are producing a whopping 6,000 pounds of produce each year on just 1/10th of an acre….
Visit this top notch prepper site for many good resources:

http://suburbanprepper.wordpress.com/

EBay’s 2011 updated changes now include final selling fees on your shipping costs too!

More Useful Resources
Security on a Shoestring for your PCs
The right mix of open-source tools can help-without breaking the budget
Get this too:
FreeOTFE – stands for “Free On The Fly Encryption”– “On The Fly Encryption” refers to the encrypting/decrypting of data as it is written to or read from your hard disk. The data is stored in an encrypted form, and FreeOTFE handles all read and write…

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/221562/article.html#tk.nl_wbx_h_topstory

>>>
Free home improvement workshops from Home Depot

http://www.homeimproverclub.com/workshops.aspx?Type=3

Use snopes.comand/or truthorfiction.com for determining whether information received via email is just that: true/false or fact/fiction. Both are excellent sites.

Email petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress of any other organization – i.e. social security, etc. To be acceptable, petitions must have a “signed signature” and full address of the person signing the petition, so this is a waste of time and you are just helping the email trackers.

Another coupon site worth a look see-will deliver coupons to your inbox

http://www.couponcabin.com/

Teach your teens about money-
free and paid version
www.FamilyMint.com

10 Things Health Insurers Won’t Tell You
Continuing its series of dirty little secrets of various industries and professions, Smart Money now checks up on health insurance companies. Among the “secrets”: individuals pay through the nose, insurers back down when denials are appealed, there are ways to get out-of-network services covered in full, and more.

How to know when you’re too frugal
WalletPop has written plenty about offbeat ways that people are frugal, including a family that rented out their house and moved into an apartment so they could save $150 a month. Sometimes, the savings isn’t worth the effort. More at:

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/03/09/you-know-youre-too-frugal-when/

Where to put your cash now-useful information

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703409904576174682276988862.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_personalFinance

The Madness of a Lost Society
Useful site-watch the videos…recaps what the PM has been saying about some of the idiocy of Americans who ignore what is going on.

http://survivalguy.org/

If you use mobile banking, keep your account safe on your cell phone app by setting your password security feature up so it blocks access to your account after three failed logins.

Parting thoughts…

By Design, default, greed, stupidity or from all? Collapse of America.
More and more economists and theorists are predicting the collapse of America and it’s increasingly difficult to refute the thoughts of people such as Brian Kraft, Naomi Wolfe, Lindsey Williams, Gerald Celente, Charles Nenner and a wide range of others who are better connected than the Poor Man.

Being an optimist at heart, I’ve always tended to downplay some of the hype, but it’s remarkable at how many of their predictions have come true…the rise in oil prices, the rise in gold, cost of living spikes, the government’s eternal quest for control over every element of our lives and the dilution of the Bill of Rights and so on.

No one can refute the government is burying us alive with nonsensical rules and regulations which threaten jobs and national security…almost as if by design.

According to a 12/2010 interview with minister Lindsey Williams on PrisonPlanet.com, he says when the Euro collapses (some time within the next year or two), the US dollar will follow within weeks. We’re seeing signs of that already with the problems in Ireland, Greece and elsewhere.

Theorists tell us the New World Order group wants to see the American worker downgraded to the same status as 3rd world countries in terms of income AND that seems to be happening.

Perhaps I am naïve, but what is the purpose of that goal? If fewer people can afford products produced by multi-national firms, how will that do anyone any good? Another theory about the NWO holds the purpose of this is to create a one world government, supposedly for the betterment of all mankind.

Whether by some grand design, greed, stupidity or all of the above, we may never know. But it should be obvious to all our country is not headed in a good direction and that our rights are being trampled.

The goal of the Poor Man has always been to help foster a more self sufficient, self reliant population, one which is prepared for the worst, while still hoping for the best. Developing self sufficient life skills, creating your own work and helping others has always been the target theme of our work. You may find the following interesting and
enlightening.

Secret of the Wizard of OZ-thought-provoking (lengthy) film on causes of our national problems in terms of economics

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/secret-wizard-of-oz-by-bill-still.html

That’s this week’s gospel according to your humble servant, the Poor Man-please share with friends!

Below you will find charities you can donate to help the people in Japan!
Salvation Army

Donations: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
Donations Address:
Send your check, marked “Japan earthquake relief” to
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-072800

Red Cross

Donations: 1-800-RED-CROSS
Donations address:
PO Box 37243, Washington DC 20013

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

Self Reliance Expo, Feebay Follies, Garden Tips

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. 3 Easy steps to a no dig garden
2. Keys to a successful garage sale
3. Self Reliance Expo in Denver/April
4. Tech Care for Parents, help for older Americans
5. EBay blows it again
6. Noteworthy government stupidity-big cost to citizens

There is no expedient to which the average person will not go to avoid the
hard work of thinking.”– Thomas A. Edison

Plenty of Praise for the People of Japan
Unlike the US experience with Hurricane Katrina where looting took place, police left their post and some did some looting, and the government fell down on the job…the Japanese have remained civil.

I’m told the Japanese are taught since childhood to be prepared. They keep a bug-out kit handy near the door, they know escape routes, they regularly hold disaster drills and so on.

It would be challenging not to panic under such chaos and devastation. Needless to say, their store shelves are now empty with citizens seeking food and supplies. Even here in America, supplies of iodine are running low as west coast residents stock up ‘just in case.”
Despite the Japanese stock market reopening quickly and their government pumped billions into an already hard hit economy, the financial repercussions will be felt there and here for a decade.

World financial markets are certainly not expressing a lot of confidence right now. This week alone, $300 billion in U.S. stock values have been wiped out. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 2 percent of its total value on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 stock index has lost about 10 percent of its total value since the beginning of this crisis.

Barack Obama is acting as if all of this stuff going on in Japan is no big deal. In fact, as Keith Koffler recently observed, Obama seems to be really enjoying himself in the midst of this crisis….
This morning, as Japan’s nuclear crisis enters a potentially catastrophic phase, we are told that Obama is videotaping his NCAA tournament picks and that we’ll be able to tune into ESPN Wednesday to find out who he likes.
Saturday, he made his 61st outing to the golf course as president, and got back to the White House with just enough time for a quick shower before heading out to party with Washington’s elite journalists at the annual Gridiron Dinner.

Meanwhile, Obama is also going on another ‘working’ vacation this week to Brazil…In the United States, even a minor snowstorm can cause a run on the supermarkets in many areas. If a major league disaster or emergency ever hit the food in the stores would be gone really quickly. Are you prepared?

No society has ever made it past the 40-year mark once they decoupled their money from gold. The last time U.S. currency was backed by gold was 1971 … 40 years ago. And look where we are today.

Three Easy Steps-No Dig Garden
With food prices skyrocketing, many of us are opting to grow something edible, a sort of Victory Garden. Even those with little gardening experience are experimenting with yard garden. Hey, why mow when you can eat?

For a no dig garden, choose a spot in your yard and mark it off. Your spot should get 6-8 hours of sunlight and not be subject to frequent high wind.

Prepare the area with thick layers of overlapping wet newspaper. Cover the paper with a thick layer of each of peat moss, compost, grass clippings, chipped leaves, humus, spoiled hay or whatever is handy.

Next, pull a section of the layers back, down to the paper. Place your plant on the paper and move the organic material around to the roots and press the soil to remove excess air and water. Use one part nitrogen rich material, such as grass clippings, compost or manure to four parts carbon rich material such as peat moss, straw, chopped leaves, etc.

These materials are generally free-save those grass clippings in other words. Replace ornamental plants in yard with dwarf fruit trees or other edible plants. Remember, all gardens require:

–light –nutrient-rich soil –food/water

If you irrigate, systems work best and conserve water. Try to use about three inches of mulch which reduces weeds and provides nutrients and reduces moisture evaporation.
>>>
Head off weeds naturally by mixing equal parts lemon juice and vinegar in a spray bottle. Thoroughly spritz the weeds, avoiding desirable plants-you’ll save over costly weed killer

Grow your Own Food in your backyard
It’s about not being so dependent on grocery stores. If for some reason the grocery stores closed in your area for an extended period of time, where would you get your food? I would be getting mine from my garden.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/grow-your-own-food-in-your-bakyard.html

Online Gardening Community, many interested in sustainability

http://www.blotanical.com/

Green thumb wisdom…No clue which plants to keep, and which to toss?
Simple-pull them all and if It comes back, it’s a weed.

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Soothe poison ivy rash with by applying lemon juice full strength to affected areas.

Keys to a successful garage sale
As I write this, it hit will near 60 degrees and spring might finally be on its way and with it (even my cat is beginning to shed), the start of garage sale season. In many parts of the nation, garage sales have become more sophisticated even down to handing out bags so folks can haul off their treasures.

Our community holds a city wide sale weekend and for $5, you can include your home on their sales map. It does seem a community sale brings out a lot of folks and last year we made almost $1000. Here are some keys to holding a profitable sale.

>>make legible signs (and be sure to remove them once the sale is over) with hours and location.
>>Price your stuff…we hate those ‘guess-the-price’ sales.
>>have enough change, singles especially (it does amaze me at how many visit sales expecting folks to ‘break a $100)
>>be willing to dicker or save the high priced stuff for online sales
>>have some decent stuff, few of want or need more junk
>>if appropriate, place ads in local, community newspapers, online at Craigslist, etc.
>>consider offering refreshments or homemade goodies for sale. If you have children, this could be their project. Last year, I had a crockpot of hot dogs, cookies and a variety of soda (ours was a 3-day sale) available at cost.
>>try to have adequate parking available. Park your car(s) on the next street if need be.
>>Pricing-use even amounts and offer package deals on multiple purchases.

Best days to have sale vary from city to city. In AZ, sales began early in the morning while it’s still cool out and as early as Wednesday, but as a rule, Fri, Sat and Sun are good times.

Seems no matter where you go, many sales primarily offer only children’s stuff…fine if that is what you need, but the rest of us have no interest and if that’s your sole reason for having a sale, say so in the ad.

It’s nice to have a few special items included in your ad that will draw people such as antiques, books (as opposed to DVD only), guns, knives, tools, etc. Items such as clothing, sell better when displayed on a rack as opposed to being dumped out on the ground tarp, use tables for the rest and place big pieces such as furniture or lawn equipment toward the street where it will attract the attention of drive-by’s.

Finally, beware of your city government. It’s absolutely astonishing, but some towns now require a permit or limit the number of sales one can hold (some even have outright bans on sales and/or signs).

Mint coin sets have little intrinsic value since they’re made from base metals. The exception might be silver mint sets…we think you’re better off with bullion or pre-1965 US coins.

Weekly roundup of resources…

Self Reliance Expo-Denver April 8th and 9th
Perhaps more than ever before, people are seeking ways to become more self reliant and create a more sustainable living area. It’s great for the environment, and it’s great for the pocketbook. This is the lifestyle that teaches great family values and protects your family during economic downturns. This is the only Expo where you can gain knowledge about every aspect of self reliant living!

http://www.selfrelianceexpo.com/

Simpler CPR-a very useful skill to save a life-Get a how-to online
www.handsonlycpr.org

Feebay raises fees, again
Yes, eBay is now charging fees on what is categorized by your bookkeeper as a business expense. (The IRS doesn’t tax businesses on expenses.)

http://announcements.ebay.com/2011/03/2011-spring-seller-update/

Use this chart to see how the new fees will impact you…

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m03/i15/s01

11.7% increase in the number of households with more than one family
Living in it since the recession started

Help for Struggling Older Americans
Older Americans are facing serious financial problems, forced by circumstances not of their own making to skip meals or cut prescription medicines in half — or not even take them at all. Many are also dealing with the loss of their spouse, their friends and even their purpose in life.
AARP Foundation recognizes that there will be people who fall through the safety net and will struggle to meet their most basic needs. We work to fill this gap. Get help now.

http://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/

Related Resource: Tech Care Package for Mom and Dad (Grandparents too)
How to site created by Google. Offers 50+ 2-minute videos with step-by-step instructions on everything from how to cut and paste, to creating a blog.
www.TeachParentsTech.org

Mother was right. Cut away green spots on a potato before cooking or eating. Causes illness.
A Modern Missouri Homestead
If you’re trying to simplify your life and become more self-reliant, check out this new blog from Sherry Leverich Tucker, a homesteader and market farmer in Missouri. Sherry has been blogging about springtime animal births, soap making, and so much more! Stay tuned for even more advice on self-reliant living, and how she learned to grow and process sorghum into a sweet syrup. Full story at:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=2147484316&newsletter=1&utm_content=3.16.2011+SLCS&utm_campaign=SLCS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

Food prices went up nearly 2% this month, overall higher by 37% from a year ago…
They are predicted to move even higher while the stock market lost 240% this month.

Noteworthy nonsense…Stuff you won’t see on your nightly news! Congressional pork cost taxpayers an average of $17 billion annually! How can we get in on the ’free lunch wagon?”
Americans have 86,000 governments to contend with-each with their hand in your pocket.

Ohio Town Sees Public Job as Only Route to Middle Class
“Wages at the bottom of the labor market have stagnated since 1970, with inflation gobbling up gains made over the years. The federal minimum wage buys a lot less today; it represented just 38 percent of the average hourly wage for private, nonsupervisory workers in 2010, down from 47 percent in 1970, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . .
Dim prospects push young people here toward another government solution. Brynna Frazier, 30, said the most popular choice among her friends was the military, which, at $1,600 a month with health insurance, was the best job around. Ms. Frazier, a waitress, has not had health insurance in any job she has ever worked, including Wal-Mart, Taco Bell and a telemarketing firm.” (New York Times)

Government employees help themselves to taxpayer money via government issued credit cards under a program called SmartPay. Millions of dollars in unauthorized spending, according to the GAO, take place by government employees to buy everything from breast implants and expensive vacations to casino trips, $500 designer brief cases and laptops. Seldom is any disciplinary action taken and Congress increased the spending limit on the cards once they learned of the abuse…no wonder everyone wants to work for Uncle Scam! The GAO estimates the looting of such cards by government thieves at more than $300 Million annually. Few of these thieves ever get more than a slap on the wrist-if caught.

The government owns 30% of all the land in the US. It put a two year halt on solar energy projects in Arizona so it could study the potential environmental harm such development might cause. Government owned land in the Rocky Mountain area holds a world record amount of easily mined shale oil-more than 800 billion barrels, more than Saudi Arabia, but Congress continues to vote against its development.

More waste-stupid duplication. Despite states having passed medical pot laws, idiots at all levels of government continue to arrest and harass such clinics. The feds have 342 different programs all doing the same thing – economic development (in addition to state agencies)…there are 72 agencies which check for water quality, again, in addition to state and local government entities…the feds have over 50 departments involved with drug crime, again, duplicating what states already do! Where will the waste ever end?

The duplication of ‘services’ provided by government agencies is often duplicated and investigators found that in 38% of cases, programs failed to show any positive impact, but Congress still feeds their budget every year!

A dollar from 1950 is worth about 7 cents today. The average family in 1950
Had an effective net tax rate of about 7%…a new car in 1950 cost $1395.00

Parting thoughts…Feebay & a new strategy
EBay tells sellers to simply raise their fees! With razor thin margins & a down market>it makes no sense.
Once again feebay strikes. During a lousy economy when most sellers are trying to make even a small profit, eBay is now going to take another piece of an already razor-thin pie…one that any CPA will tell you doesn’t make sense. (See link above). More announcements are pending, no doubt ones which will erode margins further.

This week I got any email from a buyer who said his book order never arrived and wanted a full refund. The odd thing is I had Delivery Confirmation on this package, which indeed recorded the item as delivered. Tough, I had to make the refund and I strongly suspect, I was scammed…what good does it do to pay extra for the service when it won’t hold water? It was suggested I either pay for a signed confirmation or insurance. On a $10 item, this makes little sense since that’s another $1.85 cost!

Many of my fellow sellers have either abandoned using eBay due to its cost and/or are thinking about it. Most of these folks complain “no one can make any money there anymore.” I know of several drop-off eBay stores which have stopped accepting goods!

Some of who have read this newsletter for any length know I recently began using Amazon too and I am happy as I sell more, (I’ve experimented using the same listing, same price on both sites and Amazon ALWAYS sells faster) and it’s quicker to list and their customer service is excellent.

I am ramping down listings on eBay, moving all new books to Amazon while using eBay only for antiquarian books and antiques. Another example, I had a NIB WiFi modem which sat on eBay for three months, it sold in 12 hours on Amazon!

If you’re starting out and can stand all of the new rules, such as witholding your payments, inability to leave proper feedback for idiots who don’t pay, high fees, IRS Reporting, and the like, it’s still a good place to get your feet wet in online selling, without a lot of upfront cost or expertise.

That’s all folks for this issue from the Poor Man!

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

New-PMs Suggestion Box-Get Rewarded

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. The Case for Gold by Ron Paul=free download
2. Poor Man subscriber Suggestion Box-win stuff
3. Emergency Preparedness for apartment dwellers
4. Food Shock-Marjory Wildcraft video
5. Why you should fear the government

I need a job to support my habit – (living)
–Response to HR Hiring Mgr.

Ladies & Gentlemen, place your bets…
Inflation is only 2% according to ‘official’ government numbers, but as we already know, government figures lie. They fail to account for food and fuel thus painting an inaccurate picture.

It also fails to account for wages which are pretty much stagnant. It fails to include that no COLA raises for Social Security have been given for two years. As I’ve reported previously, most Americans haven’t had a real raise since the early 1970s. Bank CDs were paying as much as 16% then. Now, you need a magnifying glass to see the interest on those or money market funds.

As we all know too, home values have declined and no longer provide the piggy bank many Americans counted on to live ‘the good life,’ or as part of their retirement plan.

The retail industry has been squeezed to eke out a profit and fuel prices are hurting nearly every small business and the fast food industry. There are a few ‘bright spots’ such as the gun industry, gold and silver sellers, long-term food storage providers and so on. The US auto industry seems to be rebounding (foreign sales seem to be driving that business) and young people still flock to buy overpriced cell phones and related gadgets (I wonder where they’re getting the money)?

Stupid, onerous government red tape and regulation continue to cost Americans dearly in terms of national security and job growth, but I suppose Washington will never recover from its Messiah Complex.

I certainly don’t envy the younger generation, those born after 1970, 1980. Most college degrees are worth about as much as a FRN (federal reserve note) which is one reason why so many recent grads move back in with mom and dad. Polls indicate they no longer believe Social Security will be around for them…many are angry at our generation for ‘screwing things up.’

America is digging its grave in terms of debt and no matter how rosy the picture might be this week for the economy, long term ’bookies’ aren’t holding their breath. The disaster in Japan creates an even more ominous outlook.

Japan is the second largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt. Japan currently holds about $882 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds and they are likely going to have to liquidate much of that in order to fund the rebuilding of their nation. So needless to say they won’t be accumulating any more U.S. government debt. But the U.S. government still needs to borrow a trillion and a half dollars from someone every single year. So where in the world are they going to get it?

On a positive note…US households cut their debt load to its lowest point of the past six years…Washington could take a lesson from this!

Obesity is now the number one health problem in western societies. It leads to many costly ailments such as diabetes, stroke, etc. and the risk is especially high among American youth.
Useful Resource Roundup
A Quick Start Guide to Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Dwellers
From: Bernie Carr
If you live in an apartment and want to prepare for a disaster, you may initially feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done, and the feeling worsens when you realize a disaster can happen at any time and you don’t have any supplies at all.
Get more from their site at:
Website: http://apartmentprepper.com/

The average American just doesn’t get it, they are the Silent Sheep. They may grouse about government waste, how their government is bought & paid for, intrusive laws, bureaucratic stupidity…but they do nothing. This is why they are so easy to control. -M Gross

“Food Shock: Why 2011 Could Be the Single Most Important Year in American History to Grow a Family Garden”, please do so now. It could be the single most important thing you read this year. You can download this free 33-page report

http://www.offthegridnews.com/otgNCurrent/

How to survive the coming Food Shortage and Hyperinflation-14 Minute Video
Will your food prices double or more in 2011?

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-survive-coming-food-shortage-and.html

Take a peak at Marjory’s site-plenty of useful how-to

http://backyardfoodproduction.com/

“Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Explorer 9 to be released Tuesday will be the first major Web browser to include a do-not-track tool that helps people keep their online habits from being monitored.

PDF Escape
PDFs are a great way to share documents on the web. They’re fast, easy, and lightweight. The only problem is that PDFs are on complete lockdown! Unless the creator makes a PDF a form, you cannot edit or annotate a PDF file at all. It’s time to liberate your PDFs – give them the freedom they deserve! The good news is: you don’t even need to download an application to do it. PDFescape is an all in one PDF editor, annotator, and manager completely located on the web

http://www.pdfescape.com/

Do you like to watch documentaries? What about watching them for free?
What’s Hot, where you can browse by what is Most Popular, Top Rated, Most Discussed or Newest.

http://www.snagfilms.com/

Before you replace your mattress, consider getting a memory foam (2” recommended) mattress cover…we got one on eBay for less than $50 delivered, they cost up to $100 at the store.

The Case for Gold by Ron Paul
The book covers the history of gold in the United States, explains that its breakdown was caused by governments, and explains the merit of having sound money: prices reflect market realities, government stays in check, and the people retain their freedom. It still holds up as an excellent blueprint for moving beyond paper money and into the age of sound money. In particular, Ron favors complete monetary freedom to use any commodity as money, to make contracts in any money, and an end to the monopolization and printing power of the Federal Reserve. Download a copy at:

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/details.php?ebook=2109

Here’s one basic human right that more people should be fighting for
Your privacy…
Gary LosHuertos parked himself in a New York City cafe last fall and fired up a new tool for snooping on people as they use free wireless. Within minutes, he had managed to spy on more than a dozen people as they used Facebook. It was just an experiment by the Web expert, but he wanted to make a point — so he used the victims’ own Facebook accounts to send them each an unnerving warning message. He told them he’d hacked their accounts, and he knew where they were. More at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41995926/ns/technology_and_science/

Enzyme Fuel Treatment
Star Tron fuel treatment uses enzyme technology to improve overall engine performance while curing and preventing problems, especially for those problems found in engines using ethanol based gasoline. Ideal for onsite fuel tanks and for long-term fuel storage. Can be used on a variety 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines and more. Learn more at their site: www.startron.com

Walk through ranching history-Free
Located in Lubbock, TX, the National Ranching Center offers a colorful look at cabins and ranch homes from Revolutionary-era to about 1900…also has historic windmills, schoolhouse, bunkhouse, barns, corrals and more-FREE
806-742-0498 or visit their site at:
www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/

Beware: Sugar-Free Products Toxic to Dogs

Why we fear our government…To paraphrase Mark Twain, the three kinds of lies are lies, damn lies, and government statistics.

>>According to a Department of Justice internal document, citizens who have “instructed themselves on topics ranging from first aid to childbirth to edible plants” are to be considered potential terrorists and extremists. They are to be subjected to enhanced scrutiny by criminal investigators, who are directed “to obtain as much information as possible” about such citizens.

>>State and federal bureaucrats are taking steps to track who is buying ammunition in the U.S. Stay off Uncle Sam’s radar screen –
Use the Internet to get involved in local farming co-ops. It’s a great way to meet like-minded friends and have a “PLAN B” for access to food in times of national turmoil.

>>Government policies encourage US firms NOT to hire Americans
The US does not levy taxes on US firms overseas earnings, plus the IRS allows them to deduct costs of closing their US plants when transferring them to overseas locations. General (Government Electric) Electric started this process of off shoring US jobs in the late 1970s. The Apple Corp makes all of their iPods & phones overseas…Fortune 500 firms derive 47% of their profits overseas and plan on continuing their policy of deforestation of US jobs.

>>The United States Department of Justice delivered a very clear and unfortunate message more horse hockey-sound bit crap) on Friday:

“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism. While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country.”

These remarks were released by the US Attorney’s office in the western district of North Carolina following the conviction of one Bernard von NotHaus, the creator of the ill-fated Liberty Dollar. (Poor Man wrote about this on 2010…the government is famous for stretching the definition of ‘crime.’-talk about a stretch-our own gov’t has undermined the dollar)!

>>The cost of living in the United States is as high as ever, even worse than before the financial meltdown during the past few years.

A Labor Department index measuring the actual cost of living, known as the chained consumer price index, hit 127.4 in February, beating a previous record high 126.9 in July 2008, just as the housing crisis began to tighten its grip, CNBC reports.
That’s bad news for most Americans, especially considering the record comes at a time of weak economic activity and high unemployment rates.

>>The rapidly rising price of oil, the horrific crisis in Japan and instability in the Middle East all threaten to plunge the world into another major economic downturn. That is really bad news for the real estate industry. Already there are not nearly enough jobs for everyone in the United States and without good jobs American workers simply cannot buy homes.

If AT&T buys T Mobile, 70% of US cell phone accounts will be held by two companies.

<<>>

Constructive Criticism Suggestion Box for Subscribers Only
Another April 15th deadline…oh no!

Although I have made several improvements to the Poor Man site, there is always room for improvement. It will shock no one that I am a novice at web design. Our YahooGroups bulletin is limited in what we can do as well…cannot insert photos, for instance.

Content for both the site and the bulletin are usually rated high. It’s been our goal all along to provide a ‘good bang for the buck,’ and I thank those who’ve taken the time in the past to send me their suggestions and resources to share with fellow readers.

A strong attempt is made to vary the content in each bulletin. Not every resource and DIY story will appeal to everyone, that’s the nature of life. Your input makes a difference! Think of it like an ‘employee suggestion box.’

I’m continually learning and always strive to improve, THEREFORE, the Poor Man is featuring a subscriber Suggestion Box whereby subscribers can earn some nice awards.

First Prize

-A 2005 American Silver Eagle with presentation case-1 oz Pure Silver

Second Prize

-One of our Poor Man Mini-Bug-Out Kits, contains many useful tools

Third Prize

-DVD-How Do I Series-Disaster Preparedness w/ 46 Projects & easy instructions

Fourth Prize

-DVD-The End of America, professionally produced, useful info from Naomi Wolf

I’ve placed a tab on the site where you can see photos of the prizes, Click on the Suggestion Box tab.

Here’s what you need to do to win…

Send me your best tip(s) on ways to improve the site and/or newsletter or the best low-cost or no-cost means of promoting them. I may or may not use your idea, but if it’s good, you might get a prize anyhow!

This round ends on Friday, April 15th at 8pm. If you win, I will contact you to get your mailing address. Winners will be announced in our April 17th issue. You must be a subscriber to this newsletter to enter. Place the word ‘Suggestion’ in the subject line and send to: PoorManSurvivor@yahoo.com

http://poormansurvival.com/SuggestionBox.aspx

Thank you for your support and for sharing our newsletter!
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

Finally, the Poor Man revs up his tractor-the Pennsylvania Panzer!

ALSO-see our latest mini-movie-the PM goes Star Wars!

http://vipidme.com/watch/14251a360757fbc03e2ecf4ce04c04cfb8581/

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

A Shallow Planet Production

YOUR FREE FOOD 2 GO: Site to be ready April 9th
Sign up now to become a distributor & get your sample pack
www.4051.freefood2go.com

Supermarket Sticker Shock Solutions

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources!

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Stretching your food budget, let me count the ways
2. Hunting & trapping-you might qualify for a free permit
3. If one Congress Critter gets his way, you may not legally own a gun
4. Property taxes reach breaking point for many
5. Purina’s 60-day farm animal challenge-coupons
6. Some extreme urban survival tips-video

“The tax that was supposed to soak the rich has instead soaked America. The
beneficiary of the income tax has not been the poor, but big government. The
income tax has given us a government bureaucracy that outnumbers the
manufacturing work force.”– Paul Craig Roberts

Supermarket Sticker Shock-Obama’s Solution-eat out less!
My primary purpose these days in visiting a supermarket is to pick up fresh items such as milk, fruits and vegetables. Even the Poor Man was unprepared at how much prices jumped on so many items.

My spinach doubled in price, a special condiment I enjoy went up 55 cents (and that was for the house brand), other items I got went up as well. Frankly, I don’t know how families with lots of children do it. With fewer folks getting decent raises and the lack of good jobs, it’s a tough world.

During this economic downturn, employee compensation in the United States has been the lowest that it has been relative to gross domestic product in over 50 years. That hasn’t held true for those at the top, where Wall Street bonuses this past year averaged $128,000!

Sales of private jumbo jets are so strong that Airbus and Boeing now have special sales forces devoted to potentates and the hyper-rich.

Our checkout cashier found herself apologizing for the prices! She reported a lot of folks were experiencing sticker shock and that prices were expected to rise further. The sad fact is, 47 million families are now getting food stamps in this country.

It’s no wonder then that gardening is the fastest growing hobby in America.

Check out EatWild.com and Local Harvest for food producer listings in your area. You can also get more leads through the Weston A. Price Foundation local chapter directory. Contact your local foundation chapter leader and get hooked up with natural food buying clubs and farmers close to you. Many farmers, especially Amish or small operations, don’t have websites and you might not otherwise know they’re doing business right near you.

Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke keep touting an “economic recovery”, but the truth is that the only ones that seem to be benefiting from this recovery are those at the very top of the economic food chain. Beside, Obama is too busy playing golf and vacationing to worry about mainstream America. His cure for America – ‘eat out less.’

Across most of the country, now is the time to start your spring garden. A few months from now … when food prices have skyrocketed another 20%, 30% or more … will you be kicking yourself that you didn’t get a garden in?

Marx was wrong. Give Americans a shopping cart or ‘reality TV’ and they’ll forget about liberty, equality, freedom…they’ll cease to care who governs them or how.–The Poor Man

Stretch Your Meat Dollar
Resources to learn how to stretch your meat budget.
Stretching Your Meat Dollar offers practical tips that consumers can use to stretch their meat dollar in a time of rising food prices. The brochure features six recipes that use “value cuts” – meat cuts that offer a big protein return for the cost-free download.

http://www.meatmattersinfo.org/ht/d/sp/i/37365/pid/37365

http://www.frugalvillage.com/2009/06/17/tips-for-stretching-meat/

http://www.homeeverafter.com/how-to-stretch-ground-meat-frugal-fillers/

Planning your food budget is one of the most important things you can do to save money. With a food budget you are less likely to run out of food. Go here to find steps:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fcd/nutrition/ewfl/module3/budget1.html

Let Mr. Food Show you how to stretch that food budget…good videos

http://www.ktvl.com/video/?videoId=791297653001&play=now

Also, check out these food stretchers

http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/food-budget.html

The Frugal Chef shows you how to save some dough!

How to Shop the dollar stores

Meat Substitutes
Many families have a meatless night (or two). Here are some sites which rate meatless products, how-to, ideas, etc.

http://www.sustainlane.com/green-products/meat-substitute

http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-choose-a-meat-substitute-for-your-recipe-a104293

http://www.organichealthyeating.com/meat-substitutes.html

Many companies provide the ability to print Grocery Coupons for their customers. With food costs increasing every day and the economy in a recession, consumers feel they need to use all available tools to reduce their food cost. We proudly recommend grocery coupon to print to save you some money.

http://www.printcouponsonline.net/index.html

Hunting, Fishing, Trapping…more ways to save
Getting wild game isn’t for everyone. Although I’m a good shot, I’ve never hunted (it’s the skinning and gutting that challenges me). At our previous farm, we had an abundance of wildlife that would visit our yard, turkey, deer, even mink and an occasional bear. We could’ve taken an easy shot from our backyard deck. Of course, that would’ve been poaching in the eyes of the government. Like the days of Robin Hood, all wild game belong to the government which heavily regulates all hunting and fishing.

Still, if the crap hit’s the fan, I wouldn’t hesitate (a 1 or 2-litre pop bottle makes for a good instant silencer).
There are tons of rules one must follow in order to legally hunt…how many, which kind, seasons, type of weapon, etc. and many of these rules will vary depending on which county you hunt or live in.
Some states do offer discounts for seniors and veterans and some states offer outright free hunting permits if you’re over a certain age.

I learned to shoot in the Boy Scouts and in the military. Among our original Poor Man group we had a husband and wife team who trained people in shooting safety and advanced shooting (under duress situations). All of us, including my teenage boys, took this class at our backyard shooting range.

Of course, you could do what a relative of mine does…grab road kill off the side of the road. Supposedly, he’s an amateur taxidermist, but I wonder. Just for fun, here’s a link a to prepare raccoon road kill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOufQ2-GvSs

In any event, it’s a good idea to learn how to hunt and use a weapon. The NRA offers a variety of safety courses and some gun and ammo shops post fliers as to local courses. Personally, it might be a good idea to team up with an experienced hunter your first time or two out in the field. Search for instructors in your area at the NRA site:
http://nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx Or…see this video

Get Coupons from Purina for your livestock feed-60-day challenge
Sign up required in order to get coupons-Save $5 to $15

http://www.purinadifference.com/

The Pocket Fisherman
Last year sometime…I wrote about an interview I once did with Ron Popeil, the inventor and TV huckster. Well, his Ronco Pocket Fisherman is a product which has been around a long time and still gets excellent reviews. This handy device is portable and it works. Good to have one around, perhaps as a part of your bug-out kit.
Most listings on eBay are overpriced. Most Walgreen’s carry it for $19.95. The least expensive source for this from Walmart.com online. At only $17 it’s a bargain and there is free shipping to a Walmart location near you (or you can pay the 94 cents shipping charge to get it at home).

About Growing Healthy
Growing Healthy is the business run by Bev and Geoff Buckley. We are small-acre farmers and founders of the “Green Shed”, a not-for profit community market that was set up in 2001 to give Tamborine Mountain growers a place to sell real food. We were winners of the Queensland Small Business Award for Fresh Food in 2007 and the only small-scale horticulture business to be one of four finalists in the Australian Vegetable Grower of the Year Award in 2008.
Our business is food.
We grow nutrient-rich, organic food. We sell organic food. We buy organic food and we teach others how to grow the most nutritious, chemical free food that it is possible to grow. Our goal is to help you grow real food for yourself, because we can’t grow enough to meet demand.
We work with clients in four ways:
We provide on-line training programmes.
Go to: http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com

More goodies for the week…

Want to find out if an IRS representative has a reputation for being dishonest and abusive – or perhaps (against all odds) friendly and charitable? There’s a web site for that! Point your browser to: http://www.irsdoghouse.com/

Magix FunPix Maker
Have you ever looked at edited pictures posted on the internet and wondered, “How did they do that”?, or thinking,”Hey, I want to be able to do that!” Well you could turn to a program such as Photoshop to similarly edit your own images. But you basically have to be a master (with a wheelbarrow full of money) to create some of those images. On the other hand, you could take a look into this really easy-to-use photo editing program called Magix FunPix Maker. The best part is that it is completely FREE!

http://www.magixphotowidgets.com/

Join a Free Support Group
Want to kick a habit, lose weight, get over a phobia? Find a free support group at:
www.SupportGroups.com

Buy spices in bulk at health food stores and save money-up to 85% over supermarket prices.

Super Simple File Sharing-FreeA very minimal site that offers free online file sharing.
www.Min.us

Using lithium batteries in your cameras, etc. initially cost more, but they last longer…or, opt for rechargeable batteries…that’s what we use.

Government Ramblings
Big Brother is Reading your Emails – Whistle blower tells all…
the government is tapping your phone calls, reading your emails . the NSA copying everything on the internet – your emails, web traffic, VOIP phone calls? Yep – check out this story:
“AT&T whistleblower: I was forced to connect ‘big brother machine’
“A former technician at AT&T, who alleges that the telecom forwards virtually all of its internet traffic into a “secret room” to facilitate government spying, says the whole operation reminds him of something out of Orwell’s 1984.

What your identity is worth in the underground economy to thieves-$6-$80, your Facebook user ID and password=$300; credit card with personal info=$80

2011 Economic Freedom Rankings-US has fallen to 9th place. View them here:

http://www.heritage.org/index/Ranking

Left Wing Sen. Charles Schumer propose law to ban gun ownership even if you weren’t convicted of a drug crime
Get collared years ago on a bogus drug charge because the oregano in your back pocket looked like was a bag of weed? Or maybe a judge back in 2006 dropped those charges because you were able to provide proof for that Adderall prescription? Under proposed legislation, it will not matter if you were innocent all along or even proven innocent by a court of law.
Either way, you can forget about buying a gun.
The Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 would greatly expand the definition of those legally prohibited from owning firearms to include anyone who’s ever been arrested — even if never convicted or found guilty — for drug possession within a five-year period.

Prominent housing analyst Gary Shilling is warning that U.S. housing prices are likely to drop another 20 percent.

Property Taxes Reach the Breaking Point
It really costs to own a home these days. Not only have home values fallen, leaving nearly one-quarter of residential mortgages under water, but also, local governments around the country have increased property taxes to make up for declining revenue from other sources. Some experts now say, home ownership is no longer worth it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20110323/bs_bw/mar2011bw20110318558174;_ylt=AileIgi2LTt6bAYF_7WTQJxH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTM5cnA3MG1jBGFzc2V0A2J3LzIwMTEwMzIzL21hcjIwMTFidzIwMTEwMzE4NTU4MTc0BGNjb2RlA2dtcHJkbmJlBGNwb3MDMgRwb3MDMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA3Byb3BlcnR5dGF4ZQ–

Lower your monthly auto mileage and many insurers will lower your premium. Some insurers now offer a lower rate in exchange for putting a device on your car which measures how fast you drive, how many miles you put on, etc. Check with your carrier (if you want to).

Parting Wisdom-the folly of job training programs
Dave, a friend of ours who does odd jobs for us, including work on our cabin, recently got laid off from his factory job. Now Dave is an excellent carpenter and has good plumbing and some electrical skills.

As a part of his unemployment process, he qualified for free government job training and was enrolled in a computer programming course at a local college. While in school he can still collect his unemployment benefits, not a bad deal.

Unfortunately, by the time he graduates, those skills will most likely be outdated and corporate America is continuing to send such jobs to India. In fact, a recent report I read suggests there are 47 different job training programs offered by the government and a study by the GAO says they are mostly a waste of time and taxpayer money because few of these people ever find meaningful work as a result of the training.

Sixty-five million Americans—or one in four adults—have a criminal record. But employers—including major companies like Bank of America, Omni Hotel, and Domino’s Pizza—routinely post job ads on Craigslist that explicitly exclude such applicants, according to a new report conducted by the National Employment Law Center (NELP), a labor-affiliated advocacy group.

Personally, I feel he should be given more training in either becoming a full fledged electrician or plumber. Those skills will be needed in any kind of economy and cannot be sent overseas!

On another note…Mother Nature fooled a lot of us this week with another blast of icy cold and snow, due to last another week. It knocked down 5 limbs from a tree in the yard…Ouch and darn-had hoped to begin outdoor projects this week!

REMINDER: Don’t overlook our Suggestion Box program for subscribers. We’re awarding several useful items including a 2005 Silver Bullion Eagle. To enter and view the other prizes, go to: www.PoorManSurvival.com/suggestionbox.aspx

I leave you with some extreme urban survival ‘grocery’ tips-using rat traps for…

Check our Resourceshttp://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

YOUR FREE FOOD 2 GO: Site to be ready April 9th
Sign up now to become a distributor & get your sample pack
www.4051.freefood2go.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Yes Suh Massah!- Life on the Plantation

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Save on medical costs-pay cash, use concierge service
2. “yes suh massah” – Life on the plantation
3. Earth Day-April 22nd
4. Help the Honey Bees
5. Charity Gardens-feed the poor
6. Girl Scouts banned from selling cookies from home

Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.”– Thomas Sowell
(1930- ) Writer and economist

Beating the Cartels-why we urge you to support local farmers and businesses!

Most American consumers today only have the illusion of choice thanks to consolidation efforts of multi-national conglomerates and virtually no government oversight.

Readers already know that I frequently rail against the Washington-Wall Street Cartel as they have virtually eliminated competition and small business in this country. Over the years our government leaders have virtually eliminated usury laws, monopolies on media ownership and anti-trust laws.

Before Ronald Reagan was in office, the government was targeting A&P grocery stores with its anti-trust laws. Now, Wal-Mart dwarfs A&P several times over and no one in Congress says a thing about it. Nearly 80% of the household goods, toiletries and the like sold in this country, are from this mega-giant retailer.

The government, bought and paid for, has allowed a handful of multi-national firms to rule just about everything we view, buy and consume. As these multi-national monopolies gobbled up more companies, they became more powerful as to how many politicians they could buy off, quietly rigging the vote and circumventing any laws which might protect consumers.

You may recall the pet food scare of a few years ago where tainted foods, coming from China, poisoned or outright killed family pets. These foods, marketed under more than 150 brand names through Wal-Mart, Kroger and others were found to contain ALL essentially the same crap…even those so-called high priced or gourmet pet food brands costing two or three times as much.

Hate to tell you, but this essentially holds true for the beer you drink (even Budweiser is owned by a foreign firm and still tastes like carbonated dishwater), the cosmetics and toiletries you use, and even canned soup. These cartels hold virtual monopolies on just about everything we consume. Further, their only goal is more profit, even if it is at the expense of American jobs.

There is no such thing, any longer, as the free market system and Obama (he’s busy in Brazil promoting oil drilling; something he won’t here) and Congress haven’t seen fit to exercise our anti-trust laws on anyone…because they’re bought and for by the cartels. I’ll bet you a pizza, the FTC turns a blind eye to the coming cell phone merger that I reported on in the last issue!

Most Americans are now essentially sharecroppers. Entrepreneurship is discouraged with bankers and the SBA only willing to look at those interested in a franchised style business. Small business ownership is going the way of the dinosaur and the US is now the 2nd lowest of 22 rich nations in its percentage of workers that are self-employed. This wasn’t always the case, but small businesses have been squeezed out.

As a worker, you’re a numbered consumption machine. Multi-national firms have long wanted our government to initiate a national health care plan so they wouldn’t need to fund anything like that for employees. These employers were happy to stop offering pensions and convert employees to their own 401(k) plan as corporations do not need contribute or guarantee any portion of those retirement plans.

Know of any other newsletters or publishing concerns the Poor Man can take over?

A good sized garden for a beginner in a backyard is a 4′x12.5′ bed that amounts to 50 square feet. Even a smaller 4′x4′ bed is good. If you live in an apartment, start with a few potted plants perhaps on a balcony or near a window with good light. Each season you can expand as your experience and interest grows.

Help the honeybees…help the planet
Honeybees are critical for pollinating crops, this helps plants to produce seeds. You may have seen reports about the demise in the bee population in this country.

Three-quarters of all flowering plants — and more than one-third of food crops — depend on bees, butterflies and other pollinators for fertilization. Yet in just the past few years, the population of honeybees bred for use in commercial agriculture has dropped dramatically. Wild bees, butterflies and some pollinating bird species also are in decline.

Possible causes for the decline include parasites, disease and pesticides, but there’s no doubt that one major cause is loss of habitat — the plants that pollinators use for food, mating and nesting.

You can help restore their numbers by assisting them to find food quickly and easily. When planning your spring garden, consider planting striped varieties of snapdragons, petunias and lilies.
The stripes act as landing lights, leading bees to the nectar of the flower and pollen, this is what they thrive on. Bees also like roses, zinnias and hibiscus.

To learn about native plants in your region, visit the Web site of the Pollinator Partnership (www.Pollinator.org). Or contact your regional native plant society — the North American Native Plant Society lists state and regional groups at www.nanps.org (click on “Resources,” then “Native Plant Societies”). Your nearby cooperative extension office, which provides free agricultural education and information (www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension), also can help. Or you can talk to docents at your local arboretum.

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_14857229

Sidebar: The Pentagon has been is experimenting using bees to sniff out bombs and explosives. Using sugar water as a reward, they can be trained in two hours and are remarkably accurate. They located explosives in 99% of tests!

Community Supported Agriculture-Free resources to help you
Includes national database to find them in your area.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

Charity Gardens-helping the needyWith 50 million Americans at risk for hunger, many people need help long-term. Even a 6X6 foot garden plot can feed a lot of people. Get more information on you might help at: www.feedingamerica.org

Use petroleum jelly to line the bottom of candle holders. The candle drippings will slide out afterward.

Resources you can use…

HAVE you ever thought of being a court house researcher as a part time, independent means of making money? It can be lucrative. EXAMPLE: When I owned my chain of business newspapers, I contracted with a fellow to obtain all of the new businesses in the counties we served so we could publish them (it was a tremendous boost for our papers and increased our circulation as everyone else was charging for those names at the time). Check these sources at our friends from the Rat Race Rebellion.

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/jobs-courthouse.html

Audio Books For Free – http://www.audiobooks4free.com

Americans spend more time fighting government stupidity than any other single element of their lives…traffic tickets, marijuana laws, tax laws, red tape on everything from building codes to school rules…wasting billions of dollars annually! In reality, we no longer have Americans running this country…they’re Socialists! Thanks for your insightful newsletter. –RonJay, MN

IRS Casts a Wide Net With New 1099-K Reporting Rules
As online sellers prepare for the next federal tax cycle, they
can look forward to much closer scrutiny of their transactional
information. Kenneth Corbin takes a look at how PayPal, Google
Checkout and Amazon are handling this new IRS reporting requirement.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m03/i25/s01

According to Kent Holtorf, M.D., founder of The Holtorf Medical Group and a board examiner for the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine, “We have found that, almost without exception, laboratories, doctors and other services will happily take 70% less if paid in cash at the time of service. Their costs are increased by that much if they have to bill insurance companies and incur other expenses – plus the risk of denial – in an effort to obtain payment which, if approved, generally arrives 30 to 300 days after initial billing… The cost savings are not in the care but rather the system.”
Another way to save…use a medical concierge services…learn more at:

http://www.mdvip.com

Schedule Free Donation Pickups
Want to donate your used furniture or other unwanted items but lack the time or kind of vehicle required? Find a non-profit willing to come to you…simply type in your zip code and choose from the list to schedule a pickup.
www.DonationTown.org

Clean paint brushes fast by filling a bucket with two gallons of warm water and a fabric softener sheet. Note: don’t use dish detergent as it will gum up the bristles.

How to Create Yeast for Baking
Yeast allows bread to rise and gain air during the baking process. This guide allows you to create a yeast starter of your own.

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Yeast-for-Baking

Earth Day-April 22nd
Consumers are taking a harder look at companies, but they’re not impressed. The notion of green business is starting to be eclipsed by the larger notion of sustainable or responsible business, which encompasses social and environmental issues, as well as overall ethical behavior.
As they scan the marketplace, consumers seem underwhelmed. According to the Cone Shared Responsibility Study, three-quarters of Americans assign companies a “C,” “D,” or “F” grade on how well they are engaging consumers around critical social and environmental issues.
Sustainability seems to be growing as a concept, even though not everyone groks the term. According to the Hartman Group, 15 percent more consumers are now aware of the term “sustainability” compared to three years ago (69 percent in 2010 vs. 54 percent in 2007), though only 21 percent can identify a sustainable product and even fewer, 12 percent, can name specific companies as “sustainable.”
That’s worth repeating: About four out of five consumers can’t identify a sustainable product and nearly nine in ten can’t name a sustainable company.
Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/03/28/earth-day-and-polling-america-2011#ixzz1HtnXpeYJ

http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

Make your fridge door gaskets last longer by giving it a thin coat of petroleum jelly routinely

Ideas, giveaways, extra income resources and more

http://www.afrugalfriend.net/

US Automakers are reporting shortages of certain paint pigments, and parts due to the problems in Japan…if they had kept some plants in the USA, this problem wouldn’t exist.

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Although we very seldom use our dishwasher, we hear you can make it last longer by pouring 1 cup of white vinegar every month into to the bottom of your washer (not the soap cup) and run an empty load…gets rid of soap scum and hard water build up. Works on washing machine too.

Girl Scouts banned from selling cookies on front lawnIn Missouri of all places, two young girls named Abigail and Caitlin Mills were recently taught a lesson on how to be good citizens in the emerging totalitarian control grid going up all over the United States. After a complaint from a neighbor, the city of Hazelwood cracked down on the two girls and told them that they must shut down the girl scout cookie stand that they had been operating in their front yard.
So were the girls doing anything wrong? No. There are very few things that are more “American” than selling girl scout cookies. In fact, they had been operating the stand during this time of the year for the past 6 years. It had become a community tradition. But according to the city of Hazelwood, the girls were violating a city ordinance that bans “the sale of commodities” from a home.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the average family’s real disposable income is plunging while inflation is rising at the fastest rate in 2½ years.

The Parting Shot…Life on the plantation, just say ‘yes suh, massah!”
please don’ hits me. massah. i goina be good from naw on…

The Middle Class — Merely plantation slaves, sharecroppers on the Kings Land
We can’t say it too often — the U.S. middle class faces daunting challenges, and must change the way it works, thinks, and plans. Income has stagnated for decades (see this recent CNN piece, among many others), while educational and medical costs surge by the year. Job security is a distant memory.

But that’s old news. More jarringly, the very concept of “employment” is being redefined as we speak. Every worker — not just temps and freelancers — is becoming “contingent,” if not in name, in function. A company may call you an “employee,” but with diminishing benefits and nothing to count on, your job is like 12-step sobriety — you have it one day at a time.

Multinational corporations have become incredibly skilled at avoiding taxes. It has become routine for big companies to shift profitable operations to divisions in other countries where tax rates are lower. It has also become routine for big companies to set up “sham headquarters” in tax havens around the world. Many U.S. corporations have even renounced their status as American companies in order to avoid paying taxes.

According to Forbes, the United States has lost an average of 50,000 manufacturing jobs per month since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

We’ve become a nation of sharecroppers. Plantation slaves. We never truly ever own anything, our government does. Don’t pay your property tax and the states takes away your home. Fall behind on child support and the state will take away your licenses, home or other property or your freedom. Forget to renew any government issued permits in regard to your automobile, the state will impound your vehicle. Hunt a deer without a permit, the King will fine you. Don’t pay your annual tribute, face fines and/or imprisonment.

In the US you can longer do what you want on ‘your property’ without permission from the overseer! Whether Americans want to admit it or not, it’s the single greatest fear in their lives: fear of the government. Americans who don’t obey are coerced at the end of a gun barrel. The US has the most armed agents in the world.

Who really controls our country…

Free markets do not set interest rates in this country – the Federal Reserve does.

In addition, the Federal Reserve has a tremendous amount of regulatory power over U.S. banks and the entire financial system. Most Americans simply do not realize how much power the Federal Reserve has over our banks. Just last year Federal Reserve officials walked into one bank in Oklahoma and demanded that they take down all the Bible verses and the Christmas buttons that the bank had been displaying.
Like the communist Chinese, the Federal Reserve is not elected and it is essentially accountable to no one.

Our politicians and our business leaders have pursued economic policies that are so self-destructive that it defies explanation. We have no free trade policies left in this country.
According to the Federal Reserve, more than two-thirds of Americans have seen their net worth decline during this economic downturn. In fact, the Fed says that between 2007 and 2009, the wealth of the average American family declined by 23%.

Perhaps it is time for Americans to read…

Animal Farm by George Orwell-worth re-reading…
How a revolutionary government could be worse than its monarchist predecessor, but it also could apply to many political organizations, labor unions, and the like. The key lesson is that the organization’s bosses often manipulate the organization for their own benefit, and end up being as bad, if not worse, than the real or imaginary evils from which they are protecting their followers. The sheep will only bleat!

Yours from the plantation, the Poor Man!
Don’t forget to share your ideas with us in order to win some cool prizes including Silver!

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

YOUR FREE FOOD 2 GO: Site to be ready April 9th
Sign up now to become a distributor & get your sample pack
www.4051.freefood2go.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Free Garden Layout Software, Humble Pile Project

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. DIY backyard smoker
2. Humble Pile project-human waste compost
3. Free garden layout software, one in 3-D
4. The only fuel/mileage enhancer that works
5. Farm Bill Help Line-Free
6. DIY Solar Kettle

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The path of least resistance, picking the low-hanging fruit
The path of least resistance is used to describe certain human behaviors, although with much less specificity than in the strict physical sense. In these cases, resistance is often used as a metaphor for personal effort or confrontation; a person taking the path of least resistance avoids these.

This is how many of go about our life especially when it comes to being frugal, prepared or self-sufficient. Too many of us want life insurance after we’re dead.

When I interviewed potential employees at my business publishing company, I would always pose the question “if you had no money worries, enough money to last a lifetime without problem, what is it you would do with your life?”

Sometimes this posed a challenge for some. They had never thought about it in this fashion before. Others answered immediately, already knowing what their true vocation in life was.

Many surveys done over the years show most of us are not satisfied with their current job, often hanging onto the job until something better comes along. Few will devote the energy or study needed to become what they truly desire,instead choosing the path of least resistance.

I’m fortunate. I am pretty much living my passion, that of researching and writing about government waste, helping fellow citizens to become more self-sufficient and so on. It doesn’t always earn much money, but it is satisfying.

The Poor Man projects aren’t without its share of frustration. For example, I experiment with many ideas, such as our Suggestion Box promotion. The response has been tepid at best. That sometimes leads me to believe I’m just spinning my wheels, that I should go back to the corporate or non-profit world. I’ve had some tempting offers (I don’t feel like driving every day to either Detroit or Lansing and/or living the cubicle life) and if the right non-profit venture came along, I might take it.

My auto mechanic feels the same way – frustrated. He’s reliable and has served the community for nearly 20 years. Last year he ran a coupon good for a free oil change and NOT one person redeemed the coupon! No one seems to know what motivates people. Any longer.

Life in the business world was certainly more profitable for me, but I enjoy this. Doing this has also forced me to learn many new skills such as social networking and some website construction.

The bottom line: what is your passion? What inspires or motivates you? Are you performing the tasks necessary to accomplishing those ideals in your life?

<<>>

Approximately half of all American workers make $25,000 a year or less.
During this most recent economic downturn, employee compensation in the United States has been the lowest that it has been relative to gross domestic product in over 50 years!

Resources worth checking out…
This site is worth bookmarking in order to find the best deals when you’re shopping online! Check it out today!

http://www.retailmenot.com/

Craig Ballantyne is one of the most sought-after experts in the fitness industry, Craig also runs a 7-figure business, entirely online. It generates significant wealth, and also provides him the freedom to live and work anywhere in the world.

http://internetindependence.com/100k-in-12-months-part-1

Useful tool to safeguard your privacy-Evidence Eliminator
There is no need for you to continue to take risks with your job, family, car, property or everything else that could be negatively impacted by someone snooping or stealing from your personal computer. Evidence Eliminator can protect you from the dangers of the Internet. It will transform your computer into a safe, clean and faster machine. If you have a business, protect your workplace and computers with Evidence Eliminator. Don’t get investigated, instead get protection with Evidence Eliminator.

http://evidenceeliminator.org/

A recent job fair in Massachusetts was shut down because of a lack of jobs.
In fact, with jobs so scarce these days, more Americans than ever are willing to work for free.
<<>>

More thoughts on self-protection (Thanks Jim for sharing this)
On the heels of a break-in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he’s suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, “This is better than anything I can teach them.”

WASP SPRAY…Spray the culprit in the eyes!

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn’t attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.

“That’s going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out.”

Maybe even save a life. A few more tips on self protection…

Put your car keys beside your bed at night.

Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.’s office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.

If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick around.

After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want
that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. Watch this cute ‘self-defense’ spoof.

http://www.lowtechcombat.com/2009/02/self-defense-against-mugger-funny-video.html

<<>>

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Build Your Own Backyard Smoker-You can print out the plans
Since I was a kid I always loved Popular Mechanics-it’s a whole lot better now-some samplings

Real barbecue involves cooking tougher, fattier cuts of meat like pork butt and beef brisket over a duration of 4 to 6 hours or longer at temperatures near the boiling point of water. The payoff: tough meat becomes flavorful and succulent, fat is rendered out and the low, smoky fire leaves the aroma of smoke permeating the meat. A good cook can make good BBQ in anything. I decided after years of working with a small water smoker–and recently acquiring a vacation house–to build one of my own. This project involves a lot of welding, but several wire-feed welders are sold at The Home Depot and Sears, and you can learn to do simple welding with only an hour or two of practice. Salvaged materials will be fine for your smoker’s frame.

You can use old water pipe, rebar or even electrical conduit.
Read more: Build Your Own Backyard Smoker – Popular Mechanics
Also…read their story on the King of Handguns, the Smith & Wesson, 10 best wind turbine plans and more.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/recreation/1277336?click=pop_more

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/solar-wind/4324331?click=pop_more

Cheap n easy tin can survival stove-video

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-tin-can-survival-cook-stove-169431/

Avoid fuel additives promising better mileage-
…the only ones that work are fuel injector cleaners AND better driving habits (avoid the jackrabbit starts and speeding, keep your tires inflated properly and so on). This according the Green Car Journal

http://www.greencar.com/

Free Garden Planning software/downloads
Use software to plan, re-plan your garden layout

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/nature-lovers/welcome-to-plan-a-garden/

This one is a free download from Google…3-D layouts

http://sketchup.google.com/download/gsu.html

http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KitchenGardenDesigner

Add coffee filters to bug out or emergency kit for initially filter water prior to purification

Humble Pile: Human Waste Composting Project
Turning brown green with human waste…Early last year, the Poor Man wrote about composting toilets, including money-saving DIY plans…here’s an update.

Poop. Everybody does it.
That adds up to a lot of waste – waste that could potentially build soil and fertilize gardens. But most of us don’t want to think about it. We just want to flush it and forget it.
Enter the Humble Pile. An enterprising gardener in Chicago wants to green the city with that waste, and right now, it’s strictly guerilla-style, as it’s an ‘unspeakable’ subject, and against the city’s ordinances.
43-year-old Nance Klehm, an urban grower, started the do-it-yourself human waste composting project, turning brown into green, one bucket at a time. Read the full story:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/human-waste-compost-chicago.html?campaign=daylife-article

Other suggestions for preparedness when there is no electric: hand grinder, one for meat & one for grain, old fashioned coffee maker, lidded cast iron Dutch oven & fry pans.

Get Farm Bill Questions Answered…Often a confusing maze of forms & information overload at many of the USDA sites. Here’s a resource from the Center for Rural Affairs in NE.
www.cfra.org/sustainable-options-hotline
Or give them a call at: 402-687-2100 As for the Farm Bill Hotline

Solar Vacuum Glass Tubes: The Econ-Eco Friendly Method
Hitherto, boiling water takes time, effort and uses up scarce fuel resources.
However, with the advent of the that delivers free solar energy generated boiling water within two hours without costing an arm or a leg. The solution to end unnecessary suffering and death from drinking microbes contaminated water is perhaps now upon us. You can even cook food!

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Solar_Kettle-Thermos_Flask

DIY resource: http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Hot-Water-Kettle-From-Plastic-Bottles-and-G/

http://solarexergy.com/

Your last issue was incredible. I liked the sharecropper analogy…the difference however, in the old days a sharecropper paid rent after the crops were harvested. Nowadays, everyone (bankers, landlords, franchisors, etc.) want their money now!
I own a small farm & would like to pass it on to my kids, however the mountain of taxes, regulations, cost of diesel fuel and the price of feed have me rather doubtful. Our government is like a cancer, destroying all in its path…unless you’re one of the big boys.–Dizzy Dee, FL

Political Poop…
Reason.tv: Nanny of the Month (March 2011) – Drug Warrior-in-Chief Barack Obama!
Last month, Reason.tv recognized Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) as our nation’s most irritating scold after he busted out a sneak attack on the the world’s oldest profession. This time top dishonors go to the Drug Warrior-in-Chief Barack Obama, whose DEA banned fake pot, thwarted a scientist’s decade-long campaign to study marijuana, and raided dispensaries in Montana and California-all in one month!

The Unconcealed Truth About Carrying Guns:
What the gun control lobby doesn’t want you to know
Gun control advocates are alarmed that the Illinois legislature may vote to let licensed individuals carry concealed handguns. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence calls the measure “dangerous.” Kristen Rand of the Violence Policy Center says that it would lead to Tucson-style mass shootings as well as the killing of police. But as Steve Chapman explains, concealed-carry, as it is known, is not a radical notion in most of the country. Thirty-seven “shall-issue” states grant permits to carry to anyone meeting certain requirements, and 48 allow citizens to carry guns under some circumstances. Moreover, Chapman notes, the record of the past two decades demonstrates that you can strengthen the right of law-abiding adults to protect themselves against crime without making the world more dangerous

http://reason.com/archives/2011/03/31/the-unconcealed-truth-about-ca

The Parting Shot…it takes some cajones
You may have read about the independent Radio Shack dealer in Montana who is giving away a new gun and background check to anyone who purchases a two-year Dish Network contract from his store.

Radio Shack is howling, Dish Network doesn’t have an opinion one way or the other. I love it…it’s tough to standout in the crowd of small business and this certainly has helped promote his store.

I believe that’s what it might take to succeed today in America. Most of my colleagues believe you can longer make a living in America by coming up with a product or service which is better, faster, cheaper. The big guys will squash you like a bug and make every attempt to undercut your prices if you appear to be succeeding.

Another fellow we know feels the same way. He invented a syringe that won’t accidentally poke a nurse or doctor, but is having a dickens of a time selling it as the entire US market is dominated by one play who sells disposable syringes with fixed needles…making them dangerous in terms of accidents and disease and prone to misuse. Of course, it all goes back to the focus of the last issue, almost every industry in America is run by a monopoly.

That’s my two-cents for this issue-the Poor Man!

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

Cultivate your mind-new books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

YOUR FREE FOOD 2 GO: Site to be ready April 9th
Sign up now to become a distributor & get your sample pack
www.4051.freefood2go.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Debt Man’s Curve, Restore Your Credit

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Debt Man’s Curve-how corporations screw America
2. How to get a credit card, even with marginal credit
3. Whole House Surge suppressor resources
4. How to erase yourself from the web
5. How to find a job in America today
6. Donald Trump upsets the hosts of the View-video

Our government has no common sense, only mindless policies by insensitive bureaucracies that defy fairness and common sense. Stupidity of regulation at the federal and state level cost each American family more than $20,000. –Randall Fitzgerald, writer for Reader’s Digest & author of Mugged by the State.

Debt Man’s Curve…how corporations screw America
Virtually every major agricultural commodity has soared in price over the past 6 months to a year.
During a recent meeting with USA TODAY’s editorial board, Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon said that rising inflation in the United States is “going to be serious” and that Wal-Mart is “seeing cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate.” But Wal-Mart is not the only major corporation that says that inflation is coming. Hershey has just announced price increases of about 10 percent on their entire line of products.

Meanwhile, the average American continues to live in ‘la-la-land’.

The following is how many Americans actually plan their week….
Monday: Watch Dancing With The Stars
Tuesday: Watch The Dancing With The Stars Results Show
Wednesday: Watch American Idol
Thursday: Watch The American Idol Results Show

At this point, most people in this country cannot even intelligently discuss the pressing issues of our day. The quality of US TV continues to erode, appealing to a 7th grade level rather than offer any hard-hitting documentaries or informational programming.
In fact, 63 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 cannot find Iraq on a map and 90 percent of Americans in that same age group cannot find Afghanistan on a map.

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher recently said the following….
“If we continue down on the path on which the fiscal authorities put us, we will become insolvent, the question is when.”

The IMF (Int’l Monetary Fund) head is telling the President we need to double the amount of taxes Americans pay in order to stave off collapse!

According to Gallup, the number of Americans that are either unemployed or working part-time but desiring full-time work actually rose from 19.8 percent in February to 20.3 percent in March…you should know by now you cannot trust government numbers!

Meanwhile, as we’ve reported as far back as three years ago, corporations like GE (Government Electric) paid no taxes, indeed, they got a $3.2 billion refund as they have the best tax law firm in the business working for them. The US share of corporate taxes has plunged to 6.6 percent from its high of 30 percent in 1950. Citizens have had to pick up the slack.

Corporations had near record earnings last year – $1.68 Trillion in pre-tax profits! They did this by laying off workers and making those who remained, work harder…plus the generous tax breaks they got from Congress due to stupid loopholes.

Virtually every major investor is dumping dollar assets and as I warned a year ago, (even Rush Limbaugh is talking about it now) your 401(k) IRA is in danger of being nationalized-with the Fed buying most of the debt (no one else is buying US long term debt) and our national ponzi scheme beginning to crumble, it doesn’t bode well.

Given that we’re in debt to the tune of 44 Trillion dollars with current and future unfunded liabilities, we’ll never pay this off, even if we taxed all Americans at 100% of their earnings. It’s mathematically impossible. Perhaps we should create a new TV show – The Ostrich Family!
Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2011/04/debt-more-dire-than-anyone-thinks/#ixzz1IM9qj2Dw

According to the Economic Policy Institute, almost 25 percent of U.S. households now have zero net worth or negative net worth. Back in 2007, that number was just 18.6 percent.

Weekly Resources

GiftBasketReviews.net I provide a place for readers to learn how to make gift baskets,

http://www.giftbasketreviews.net/about-me

Download link for WordPress for DumbDumbs
Here’s the link-it’s free :

http://track.optinme.com/click/wd14l3xvj9

New organization promotes use of ‘honest money’ use-UT already signed into law!
Economic security. Political stability. Opportunity. Honor. Liberty. Integrity. These are hallmarks of what America stands for…thanks Fred for sharing this!

http://honestmoneycenter.org/

According to a recent article posted on the website of the American Institute of Economic Research, the purchasing power of a U.S. dollar declined from $1.00 in 1913 to 4.6 cents in 2009.

New Online Colleges website, http://www.onlinecolleges.org
Good compiled, unbiased and updated list of every school
that offers an Online College degree in the US.

Houseplants help remove chemicals released into the air by paints, cleaners, glues and other products. The plants’ physiological processes help remove some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the day, and tiny organisms in the soil remove VOCs when the plant is not as active at night.
Plants that remove the most VOCs: Purple waffle plant, wax plant, asparagus fern, English ivy and the purple heart plant.

Outdoor Survival Supplies & Kits
www.outtac.com

Instant oatmeal is as healthy as slow-cooked oatmeal-both lower cholesterol

Create a Personal Web Profile…
Without having to know all about the complexities of web site construction. Create a free account here and use the site to tell folks about your interests, career and link it to your social networks if you life – no charge. Useful for creating an online business card.
http://BusinessCard2.com or http://chi.mp

Better Gardening-learn more about spring annuals, bulbs, lawns & more.
From Cornell University
www.Gardening.Cornell.edu

Is your credit rating marginal?
Having at least one credit card is often a necessity in today’s society. It’s tough to rent a car, get a hotel room, etc. without one. Of course, using a pre-paid ’green dot’ debit card will usually do the trick…even for opening a PayPal or eBay account. The number of Americans with low credit card scores continues to rise. If your credit score is middling and you want to rebuild a credit score, consider these cards:

>>Capital One Standard Platinum. They usually accommodate folks with scores in the 690-720 range. You’ll find a prequalification tool in its site so you can gauge which card you’re likely to qualify for and there fees aren’t crazy (some like First Premier asks an incredible 59.9%). Call 800-99-7070 or visit there site at:
www.CapitalOne.com

>>Citi Secured Mastercard. A secured card are available to those even with very low credit card scores but they require a cash deposit (savings account)…their annual fee is $29 and has been offering a 18.24% interest rate. Your deposit can also be invested in interest bearing CDS. Call 800-726-2109 or visit their site at:
www.CitiCards.com

The last I heard, Bank of America also offers a secured credit card program too. It doesn’t hurt to check with banks in your local area too, perhaps some credit unions might work with you as well. Here’s a link to the GreenDot site-get $10 added to your account with a direct deposit plan.

https://www.greendotonline.com/greendot/

Whole House Suppressor can protect electronic devices-save money
It’s not just laptops, computers, and TVs which can get zapped by power surges, electrical storms and the like, your fridge, ranges and dishwashers that can be damaged from a surge. Although it’s recommended you have this device installed by an electrician, many are not difficult to add on beneath a circuit breaker panel as a DIY project. Here are a few resources:

www.eaton.com
www.emersonnetworkpower.com
www.metertreater.com

Make yourself a batch of all-purpose cleaner-Fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar and use to clean almost anything.

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Erase Yourself From the Web
Drunken party pictures from college haunting you? Fed up with Facebook? Victim of Internet overwhelm? Here’s how to protect yourself by wiping your data off the Web…run an online background search on yourself and more.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/223682/erase_yourself_from_the_web.html#tk.nl_wbx_h_crawl1

Related story-Resource: Protect your ID for free
Fighting identity theft? It doesn’t have to cost -http://www.detnews.com/article/20110328/BIZ01/103280310/1010/biz01

Remember to store foot powder & keep a supply of moleskin on hand to help with blisters.

Top 25 Business at home ideas

http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/home-based-business/3315-1.html

Whole Foods & the Greenest Grocery Store in the World
Showcase facilities are a powerful learning tool for companies that are implementing sustainable business practices, as illustrated by the new Whole Foods store
Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/04/01/whole-foods-greenest-grocery-store-world#ixzz1IYeYex6Y

DIY Air Freshener-avoid ‘all-natural’ products containing phthalates (causes hormonal imbalances). In a spray bottle, combine 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 2 cups water and spritz as needed-saves about $48 a year on store-bought brands!

The Truth About Deficits and the Debt: America needs to cut spending now.
Poll after poll reveal that deficits and the debt have become defining issues in American politics. But while these issues are indeed important and the American people are justifiably concerned about the level of debt our nation is racking up, they are only symptoms of the real problem: overspending. America is living beyond its means and is projected to continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

Moreover, deficits have reached a level that economists haven’t really studied before. Current circumstances remind Kling of “a guy jumping out of a building from the 10th floor, passing the third floor, and saying, ‘It’s all fine so far.’” Deficits do not matter up to a certain level. But at what level do we hit the ground with a resounding splat?

Reason columnist and Mercatus Center economist Veronique de Rugy explains why America must cut spending now.

http://reason.com/archives/2011/04/01/the-truth-about-deficits-and-t

The Parting Rant

How to find a job in America today…

After completing some consulting work for a California based publisher several years ago, they offered me a job paying $25,000 a year plus bonuses. No one can live on that income today and I politely refused. Beside, at the time, I was still generating that much on eBay! Ironically, they had already paid me that much for a couple months of work!

I had started on eBay earlier to sell my personal library of nearly 10,000 books I had accumulated over the years, some from publishers who sent me copies to review in my weekly column. I started at a time when people still read books. With few exceptions, the book business has dwindled as more Americans choose DVDs over reading. This had always been a proven sideline for me, something I enjoy as I’ve always had a passion for books. (I also donated thousands of books over the years to prisons, libraries and charities).

American workers need to adapt or die. Good jobs aren’t coming back and the world is changing, not for the better as far as America is concerned. I spent nearly a year on the road preaching to newspaper publishers about the importance of adding websites to their operation as another profit center…many listened, many did not. Of course, that industry is now in a severe decline.

It was ironic that a few years prior to this I had coined the phrase (in a weekly business column I wrote at the time) that burger flippers can’t afford $40K cars. At the time, US corporations were in full swing of shipping US jobs overseas, and that’s never let up thanks to stupid government policies which actually encourage these actions.

It would seem the ‘in-demand’ jobs today revolve around being a greeter at WalMart, waiting tables, or assisting the elderly.

According to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project, higher wage industries accounted for 40 percent of the job losses over the past 12 months but only 14 percent of the job growth. Lower wage industries accounted for just 23 percent of the job losses over the past 12 months and a whopping 49 percent of the job growth

We continue to lose jobs to illegal aliens and offshore sweat shops and countries like India. The dynamics of economics continues to escape most people, they are only interested in the kind of job they might find and if it will cover their monthly obligations. Increasingly, that is difficult to do as we see from another rise in foreclosures and the anemic job market.

There will be no recovery until we recover decent paying jobs, period. As politicians continue to waffle on our domestic problems, the decimation of America will continue.

Finally, although I’m not overly concerned about Obama’s birth certificate, Donald
Trump is and he upset those gals on the View in this regard-watch it here.

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=donald+trump+on+the+view

That’s all folks, until we meet again, Happy Trails, The Poor Man!

Check our Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

Cultivate your mind-new books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

Go Green-save money!

http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?poorman11/mlesko

YOUR FREE FOOD 2 GO: Site to be ready April 9th
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A Shallow Planet Production

Useful Free Resources, Fiscal Meltdown Timetable

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

In This Issue:

1. Fiscal meltdown in spitting distance-when money dies
2. Woman lives in 90 sq ft apartment
3. More free building plans & other free goodies
4. Asset Forfeiture laws just an excuse to enrich police
5. Free Earth Day Workshops
6. Top 10 Best Freebie forums
7. The Power of Words-short film that will make you smile

“The ruling class has the schools and press under its thumb.
This enables it to sway the emotions of the masses.”
– Albert Einstein

Mandatory federal spending is going to surpass total federal revenue for the first time ever in this fiscal year. That was not supposed to happen until 50 years from now

Laurence Kotlikoff: Fiscal Meltdown in Spitting Distance

During the past year several readers asked me when the crap will hit the fan and my response was – an average of 18 months. According to Kotlikoff, that time-frame may come sooner.

(Laurence Kotlikoff is professor of economics at Boston University, president of Economic Security Planning Inc., and author of “The Healthcare Fix.” The opinions expressed are his own.)

The two parties are having a heated debate over the Republican plan to slice $61 billion off Uncle Sam’s projected $3.6 trillion budget. If the Republicans get their way, the deficit will fall from 9.5 percent of gross domestic product to 9.1 percent. If they don’t, they’ll probably shut the government for a couple of days. Then they’ll compromise on, say, a $40 billion budget cut, having proved they gave it their best shot.

Arguing over lowering our deficit by just 0.4 percent of GDP when we need to run massive surpluses to deal with the baby boomers’ impending retirement is, pick your metaphor — rearranging the Titanic’s furniture, Nero’s fiddling, Custer’s Last Stand.

Is this malign fiscal neglect, or has Congress somehow missed what its own Congressional Budget Office is indicating? CBO’s baseline budget updates suggest the date for reaching what Carmen Reinhart, Kenneth Rogoff and other prominent economists believe is a critical insolvency threshold — a 90 percent ratio of federal debt held by the public to gross domestic product — has moved four years closer, in just nine months
Read more: Laurence Kotlikoff: Fiscal Meltdown in Spitting Distance

Related Sidebar:

Food prices are up 57% since Obama took office.

Only you can prevent government abuse…
Consider the analysis and conclusion of South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvany, a newer member of Congress who’s been looking at Uncle Sam’s cooked books and is fessing up to his constituents: “It’s much, much worse than I expected.” Rep. Mulvany’s analysis does better than most to explain our situation as a country. His apt conclusion as noted in The Wall Street Journal:
“Picture a family of four with an income of $46,000, annual costs of $78,000 and a credit card debt of $281,000… these figures are roughly proportionate to federal government revenue, annual outlays, and accumulated national debt.”

If you eliminate all national defense spending, make no payments on the national debt and eliminate all spending on education, infrastructure, agriculture, and housing, Congress would still be staring at annual $700 billion deficits as far as the eye can see.

Some $65 trillion in unfunded spending for entitlement programs are NOT based on some future estimate of spending; that back-breaking number represents the discounted net present value of the current spending curve. And all this assumes virtually zero inflation.
Gross notes that Uncle Sam’s unrecorded debt burden is close to 500% of GDP – a net negative national worth of some $35-40 trillion!

For an interesting look at what happens to people and nation when money dies, read this 1975 classic-it’s free at this link.

http://university.unitedstatesliberty.org/654/textbooks/adam-fergusson-when-money-dies-nightmare-of-the-weimar-collapse/

One of the best tools I own is an electric bench grinder. My axe split through downed tree limbs like butter this week…I put on a nice edge on my machete and on an old hunting knife I found!

Resource Roundup for the week…

Talk about frugal living space! And we thought the Poor Man’s cabin was small.
Woman lives in 90 sq ft apartment in NYC-View her video

Related: Living in a Cobb Home-interesting and cheap!

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Recovery Resources
Geared mainly toward small government and community agencies, but useful

http://nnlm.gov/sea/services/emergency/disasterrelief.html

More great free DIY building plans-storage barns and more.
At 10 x 16 ft., this handsome building is large enough for most backyard needs. It has an interior partition so it serves double duty as a storage shed and an all-weather multi-purpose room. Double doors on the side and gable end make it easy to access the space.
A free illustrated step-by-step building guide, by Joseph Turini of Popular Mechanics Magazine, includes an isometric drawing showing all building details.

This project is planned to be easy for do-it-yourself builder.
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-popularmechanics-free-backyard-barn-plans.html )
Click here to find more free plans…
( http://www.todaysplans.net/find-free-shed-plans.html )
Click here to find hundreds of inexpensive small DIY barn blueprints, prefabs and building kits >>>
( http://www.backroadhome.net/barns-small-diy.html )

Free Earth Day Workshops at Home Depot

http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/join-us-for-free-earth-day-weekend-workshops/

Get a Free Copy of the Complete Survivalist Magazine (just pay postage)

http://survivalist.com/free/

Webstore.com likes to call themselves “The Robin Hood of online marketplaces,” and there may be some truth to that.
The Webstore platform is much like eBay in the early days -except it’s free! Buyers and sellers can come together and trade just about anything without membership fees, bidding fees, or selling fees. Low fees allow sellers to sell for lower prices and this attracts bargain hunters. The way Webstore works with no fees, is that they place advertising on the site and earn all of their revenue from that.

Free books, recordings and other goodies…share this one with friends…
Thousands of titles in the public domain that you can copy and download. It’s not just books, the website includes photos, videos and recordings too. The site is called The Internet Archive.

http://www.archive.org/details/texts

The Top 10 Forums to Find the Best Free Stuff and Freebies

http://poormansurvival.com/Freebies.aspx

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair.

Recycle ink jet cartridges OR get a check from www.advantagecartidge.com

Recycle electronics at www.yourenew.com, which donates to renewable energy initiatives or plants a tree for every device you donate.

Buy Second Hand to save money & reduce waste at these outlets:
These sites also sell, so you can some bucks here too!
www.secondipity.com
www.refurbdepot.com

Free-Cooking with kids site, offers easy recipes

http://www.childrensrecipes.com/

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Events that affect our lives…

OPEC Ministers: We Can’t Keep Oil Below $120

OPEC ministers on Wednesday brushed aside worries that inflated fuel prices will slow economic growth, saying there was little more they can do to rein in $120-a-barrel crude…that means you’ll be paying more – for EVERYTHING!

The IEA and OPEC remain at odds on the root causes of soaring crude prices. The agency points to roaring demand from Asia and a reviving West.
“The price began rising in the fourth quarter of 2010 because demand exceeded supply by 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd). At that point stocks were falling and companies were willing to pay more for oil,” Jones said.
OPEC sees a market divorced from the realities of supply and demand, driven by political unrest and its worst fears.
Prices are being stoked by speculators rather than any shortage of supply.

>>>

New Dollar Coin Rumored to no longer have ‘In God We Trust’
Although it took Canadians quite awhile to accept the ‘loon’ as a replacement for the paper dollar, many Americans are reluctant to use coins (as are retailers) and the attempt at replacing paper dollars has not done well.

The government’s assumptions and values used in this study are fascinating. Here are a few:
Because coins circulate more slowly than bills, 1.5 coins will be needed for every 1 bill (note).
Dollar bills have a lifespan of 40 months while coins have a lifespan of 34 years.
A dollar bill costs 2.7 cents to produce while a dollar coin costs 15 cents each.
There are 9.5 billion dollar bills in circulation today.
There are 3 billion dollar coins in circulation today, with an additional billion in Federal Reserve vaults

According to Snopes.com, “In God We Trust” will now be on the rim of the new coins.

<<>>

While the Constitution has been largely ignored over the last 80 years, the document is very real, and its purpose is clear: to limit greatly the powers of the federal government.

Parting Thoughts-Obnoxious, Anti-Citizen-Asset Forfeiture laws!
It ‘ain’t just for the drug war, it’s a means of keeping cops in cash

Civil forfeiture laws represent one of the most serious assaults on private property rights in the nation today. Under civil forfeiture, police and prosecutors can seize your car or other property, sell it and use the proceeds to fund agency budgets—all without so much as charging you with a crime. Unlike criminal forfeiture, where property is taken after its owner has been found guilty in a court of law, with civil forfeiture, owners need not be charged with or convicted of a crime to lose homes, cars, cash or other property.

Five days before Christmas, Cheryl Sanders of CA was pulled over for speeding in Sulphur, LA. Instead of giving her a ticket, they asked to search her car. Inside the trunk they claimed they found a hidden compartment and despite not being able to find drugs, they arrested her anyway and she was taken to jail for a body cavity search which turned up nothing nor did she have a criminal history. She was freed, but they kept her car because the car was suspected of being involved with drugs!

It’s more profitable for law enforcement to go after the ‘little fish’ because they don’t have the resources to fight back; it’s legalized bounty hunting. In NJ, police agencies used $500,000 in forfeited funds for entertainment purposes. –Carol Thomas, former Sheriff

This is just one of 100s of examples of this happening to honest Americans who have done nothing wrong. According to Steven Kessler, former attorney with of New York’s asset forfeiture unit, “the focus is no longer on combating crime, it’s on fundraising.”

You may recall a 60 Minutes piece where police in CA broke into a man’s home in the middle of the night, shooting him dead while his horrified wife looked on. Police told her they suspected her husband of growing pot on his huge ranch. Turns out this was a lie, they simply wanted to seize his property for its multi-million dollar value. Eventually, the police had to settle a lawsuit in the millions for their lies.

Americans are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but civil forfeiture turns that principle on its head. With civil forfeiture, your property is guilty until you prove it innocent. These laws may have started out, as they so often do, with good intent, that of targeting drug kingpins, but law enforcement can go after everyone, on a whim.

Asset forfeiture – definition & outcomes-Administrative forfeiture is the process by which property may be forfeited to the United States without judicial involvement. Federal seizing agencies perform administrative forfeitures. Seizures must be based on probable cause. The authority for a seizing agency to start an administrative forfeiture action is found in 19 U.S.C. § 1607.
Administrative forfeiture can be used to seize and forfeit the following:

• any amount of currency;
• personal property valued at $500,000 or less, including cars, guns, and boats;
• hauling conveyances of unlimited value.

Law enforcement officers seizing cash and other assets under the pretext of forfeiture and then just keeping them without reporting the seizure is just wrong and these criminals need to meet some justice!
Suggested reading: Mugged by the State by Randall Fitzgerald

This will make you smile. Watch this short, touching film about the use of words…AND share it with friends.

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A Shallow Planet Production

Best Free Tech Downloads, Stopping Electronic Thieves

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Cash in on your Quirky invention
2. Poor Man’s Diabolical Plot to…
3. Stop throwing away $-Take advantage of the freebies
4. The Penny Revolution-helping others
5. Free DIY garden & landscape plans, leather working
6. Insiders Report-gov’t growth continues despite deficit
7. How to stop an electronic pickpocket

“To preserve independence…we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and Liberty, or profusion and servitude. … The fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follow that, and in its turn wretchedness and oppression.” –Thomas Jefferson

Inflation wreaking havoc…follow up on government seizure laws

I did another one of my informal surveys among local business owners about how inflation is wreaking havoc on their suppliers (ultimately, you and I, the consumer). They all report there are some items they no longer buy due to increased cost.

The local Kroger manager told me folks are still spending as much, but getting less due to more money going into the gas tank, and fewer people are getting fill ups, mostly putting in what they can get by with in order to get to work.

And, as we all know by now, government statistics lie. Inflation affects all of us.

Finally, in regard to the piece we did on our insane asset seizure laws, a few wrote telling us they weren’t aware the situation was so bad. It’s bad and it’s one of the reasons why red tape and stupid regulation hamper this country.

Another form of government abuse (another agency) happened to an associate of mine, Russell Vernon, who owned the West Point Market in Akron, OH. Russ and I had both earned Entrepreneur of the Year and a Presidential Citation for our business efforts. He for his market, me for the business shows and business newspapers I owned (the first for Akron). We got a nice write up from its sponsor, Venture Magazine.

A few years later, Vernon got hit with a lawsuit by the EEOC (Equal Opportunity Commission) alleging he discriminated against Blacks. Vernon’s market, at the time, employed 100 people and his applications never asked what race a person was.

After spending $67,000 on legal fees, he was able to reach a ’settlement’ despite the fact he had never discriminated and no one ever filed a complaint. The EEOC, like so many other government agencies, were simply looking for another scalp to help justify its existence.

Just last week, a teen in Peoria, AZ got a bill from the city for $2000 for bleeding on the sidewalk after cutting himself. According to city officials, the bill was for the biohazard crew sent to clean up the blood droplets from the sidewalk. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound!

The police even realize what is going on. Just consider the following quote from from Police Chief Michael Reaves of Utica, Michigan….
“When I first started in this job 30 years ago, police work was never about revenue enhancement, but if you’re a chief now, you have to look at whether your department produces revenues.”

Government officials and bureaucrats could use a little compassion and common sense when it comes to dealing with the people they ‘serve.

“Anyone who is not reading your newsletter, is throwing money away. It always has good ideas that save our household money each issue.” –CarolynT

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Resources-Use to your advantage…

Preparing Citizens at Home-government related PDF files on bio-hazards, community preparedness, medical and more…free

http://www.counterterrorismtraining.gov/pubs/cp.html

Cash in on Quirky Inventions
Each week this site introduces two new inventions, such as a kickstand for your iPod. Have an idea? Submit it at this site ($10 fee) & if your idea is chosen, it will be created and marketed.
www.Quirky.com

Hate it when you love a song heard on TV but no idea who did it?
Odds are you’ll find that tune and who created or sang it here.
www.HeardOnTV.com

Penny Revolution is a series that shows how a small amount of money can transform the lives of the more than one billion people who live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 a day…interesting program. Watch online or via cable TV. Get more at:

http://halogentv.com/shows/pennyrevolution/

Tandy Leather still offers a variety of free patterns, supplies, books, etc.
Leather working fulfills a variety of needs from hobby to repairing saddles and tack.
Get their catalog and review their site.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/home.aspx

Go here to view a variety of how-to videos for working with leather
www.ehow.com/videos-on_5034_basic-leather-working.html

Free Do It Yourself Garden and Landscape Project Plans and Guide Books…nice variety to choose from.

http://www.todaysplans.net/find-free-garden-projects-guides.html

DIY Deck and Porch cleaner: Combine 1qt. Bleach, ½ cup powdered laundry detergent into 2gals. Of hot water. Scrub with stiff brush-works on any wood structure.

Free Software-good alternatives to Microsoft
1. Evernote – FREE ($5 a month if you upload more than 60MB of data)
Compare to: Microsoft OneNote ($79)
Evernote is like a super organized digital scrapbook. As you go through your daily tasks on the computer, you can toss just about anything in it — pictures, web clippings, and PDF documents. Evernote even lets you search for text inside images, so you can snap a picture of a product or recipe and then find it without digging.
You can create notebooks around projects, folders of web clippings, and notes to organize lists. Then Evernote syncs your notes to the web so you can access them from your Windows PC or Mac, and even via an app for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android and Palm phones. You can also capture new pictures and notes on your smartphone while you’re out, and those sync back to your main computer.

2. LibreOffice – FREE
Compare to: Microsoft Office ($249)
LibreOffice looks and feels much like Microsoft Office, and the resemblance isn’t just skin deep! It lets you import files from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and work on them and share them just as if you were using Office. You can even create new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in Office’s file formats, and your friends won’t know the difference.

LibreOffice is open-source software, which is created by volunteers and by employees at corporations which use it. They don’t mind sharing, so you’re welcome to download it for your Mac or your Windows or Linux PC. More at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110406/ts_yblog_technews/upgrade-your-life-amazing-free-software

10 Must-Have Free Downloads
Some downloadable software is so good that you just have to grab it. Unfortunately, often you have to pay for it after you try it out. But every once in a while, a must-have program is totally free. Such indispensable, no-cost programs are the hardest kind to find.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/221971/article.html#tk.nl_pvx_h_crawl

BRAND NEW Free YouTube Download! The program will work up to ten times faster now and you can get videos from YouTube on the fly!

http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-YouTube-Download.htm

Stop an electronic pickpocket from stealing the RFID from your credit or debit card (thieves use an RFID reader they can buy on eBay)-having multiple cards in your wallet or purse produces conflicting transmissions…or, shield your wallet with aluminum foil (really).

Sprinkle baking soda on your rugs and let sit overnight, then vacuum. Removes odors and leaves a fresh scent.

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Tapping free energy from artificial leaves
On the near horizon, a silicon ‘leaf’ what mimics photosynthesis…could make every home energy self -sufficient. MIT researchers report that a single leaf & a gallon of water could produce enough electricity to power a home for a day. Researcher, Daniel Nocera in Wired Magazine. http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Main_Page -Interesting DIY section too!

The Insider Report
According to a recent Associated Press-GfK poll, approximately two-thirds of the American people believe that rising gasoline prices will cause significant hardship for their families over the next six months. Coincides with the rising price of oil, gold and silver.

Inflation of food and fuel has absorbed any tax cuts that Congress voted on least year. Indeed, it wouldn’t surprise me if domestic mayhem revolves around these inflated costs and the fact government benefits will vanish!

Just this week, the dollar plunged to new, multi-year lows against the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, and the New Zealand dollar.
And now, the ENTIRE U.S. Dollar Index — representing the dollar’s value against ALL of the world’s six major currencies — is a meager five points away from its lowest level in history!
>>>
U.S. Government now employs cash-sniffing dogs at most international airports. If you are carrying more than $10,000 in cash and don’t declare it to the Government when coming in or out of the U.S., your cash will be seized. $3.2 million has been seized at Logan Airport in 2010.
>>>
In the past two years, the Education Department increased its budget 41%, Dept. of Labor – 194%. Do you see now why we need to control spending and get rid of needless bureaucracy? Learn more about regulation we need to eliminate now at:
www.Heritage.org/EnterpriseandFreeMarkets
>>>
The Nanny State is thriving in Chicago where several districts now dictate what parents may or may not put into their child’s lunch box.

Let the microwave clean itself-fill a bowl with water and a squeeze of lemon, then microwave on high for a minute, let sit still for 3 minutes, then wipe it away.

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Parting thought – Poor Man’s Diabolic Truth Exposed! My quest for world domination.

Q. There are boatloads of “prepper” sites and blogs out there. How does your differ?

A. Yes, there are many, many to choose from, each offering various insights and resources. I believe what sets ours apart is our broader approach. Not only do we offer a variety of researched political perspectives, but we include a large gateway of consumer resources which allow folks to save money, make money, fight consumer ripoffs, find a job and more.

When I started my first business newspaper in Akron, OH, we interviewed 100s of area businesses to find out firsthand what they might expect from such a publication. This shaped our editorial policy and proved highly successful. I didn’t have that luxury with this newsletter. We essentially started with a small core of supporters who felt the need for such a site given the downward slide of the economy and government encroachment.

Years and years ago, I made friends with John Shuttleworth, the founder of Mother Earth News. The influence he made on my life has stayed with me. Not long after that we had our own 38-acre farm and grew a lot of goodies. Once a month we had a large group of like-minded folks who met there and shared resources and food. This too left a lasting impact on how we’ve developed. That experience taught me the value of sharing and community.

This is one of the reasons we implemented our Suggestion Box plan. The goal was to encourage input from readers. The result has been marginal (our winner will be announced in the next issue). We do know many read this letter simply to take advantage of the useful freebies we announce in each issue. Others enjoy the political insights.

A year ago we tried hosting a free workshop offering ‘prepper’ information. It was a bust. Not even the local papers would carry our news release about the event. We may try offering one in the fall at our little Poor Man cabin and hide-away. We’ll see.

Along the way we have discovered many Americans are ‘asleep at the wheel.’ Our “leaders” are running the greatest economic scam in the history of the world, but unfortunately most Americans have no idea what is happening.
Why are Americans so clueless?
Well, the truth is that over time we have been turned into a nation of idiots.

We’re always seeking new ideas and resources to share with our readers. The tough part – getting folks to actually read the content! We strive to provide a variety of useful ideas and news in each issue…The Poor Man always needs direction and often relies on GPS (God Provided Sense). Part II in the next issue!

Suggestion Box Round Two Coming…We’ll be announcing our winner in the next issue and our new round with new prizes which will include a Pocket Fisherman.

Yours for world domination, the Poor Man!

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A Shallow Planet Production

Homestead DIY Resources, Fixing our Tax System

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. How to get things done around the homestead
2. A simpler, fairer tax system-47 Ways-Immature stuff…
3. DIY Garden Tips & Formulas, Prepper survival garden
4. DIY Solar batch heater
5. A nationwide garage sale in Australia
6. Cut your electric bill by comparison shopping

Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to
get rid of it.”– Mark Twain

Odds are you did not win…but you might in the next round!
Do you have an interesting story to share?

Jim of AZ was our grand prize winner and Jason of MI took second place in our Suggestion Box promotion. Also, Dave R of Cleveland, OH gets a DVD for his wonderful sharing of our newsletter and website. These fellows won because of the content and other suggestions they have consistently made during the past few months.

Apparently, there was little interest among you for the un-circulated Silver Eagle ounce of silver, now going for more than $40 on eBay and elsewhere.

It’s a bit of challenge knowing what content to include in each issue. We’ve tried including recipes, household pet coupons and DIY vet care tips, bootstrap business ideas, a wide range of freebies and more…but without feedback, we haven’t a clue of other subjects we should cover.

Not to fret. Round two begins with this issue. The other prizes we have, including DVDs and a mini-bugout kit will continue to be given out while supplies last. NEW prizes include a new Ronco Pocket Fisherman, a pair of Emerson 7X50 binoculars with UV Optics, accessory kit and carrying pouch and a 35 PC First Aid pouch with carrying case.

Do you have an interesting story to share? Perhaps an unusual experience in becoming more self-reliant, a sideline or fulltime business that would interest other readers, an experience with livestock or farming, a particular government gripe or run-in with the law in which you triumphed…we’d like to profile such experiences. Send them to the same email address below. If we use your piece, you’ll be in the running for the next award.

For details (pay attention new subscribers) go to:

http://poormansurvival.com/SuggestionBox.aspx

The Poor Man will hold its Suggestion Box program each month, lasting 30 days…so share your ideas, content, resources and more with us by sending them to:
Poormansurvivor@yahoo.com — In the subject line, place the word ‘Suggestion.’

.
<<>>

Have a sinkful of dirty dishes and no dish detergent, use shampoo (make sure it’s the non-conditioning kind) to clean them. If you have oily hair and use shampoo specifically formulated for it, all the better. It will cut right through the oily pots and pans and greasy dishes.

Many freshly picked foods begin to lose vitamins immediately upon harvesting. Nearly half the vitamins may be lost within a few days unless some measure is taken to cool or preserve the vegetables. Within one to two weeks, even refrigerated foods have lost half their vitamin content.
Some fresh foods have less vitamins and nutrients available than do canned foods in fact. For example, canned tomatoes are higher in lycopene (an antioxidant) than their fresh counterparts. Because protein is not lost during the canning process, meats and vegetables high in protein remain so after canning.

Here are some low-cost DIY things you can do for your garden:

>Cure tomato blossom rot. Calcium is the cure. Crush two Tums tablets per plant and add to the plant whenever you water it.

>For perkier annuals, bulbs & perennials. Mix 1 cup of sugar, 3 cups bone meal and 1 cup of Epsom salts in a bucket. Sprinkle a pinch into the bottom of each hole as you plant them.

>Use leftover liquid-free fertilizer. Save your bathwater, water you boil vegetables and potatoes in, leftover beer, juice, coffee, wine or milk, water from when you change your fish tank…feed those liquids to your plants and vegetables.

>Use these common ingredients to jump start your compost pile. Mix flat beer and cola and sprinkle it over your compost periodically. It will accelerate the process.
Prepper Survival Gardening video you’ll find interesting-Living History School

Learn new and valuable computer skills free of charge – visit your library to see what is offered

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How to get things done (around the homestead, not Washington)
Quite frankly, most people need help figuring out how to get things done. That’s where Hipp’s Help comes in. On this website, you’ll find the information you’ll need to do what you need to do. Hipp’s Help includes tutorials on home improvement, basic and intermediate gardening, cooking and other topics to help you live life

http://www.hippshelp.com/

Cut your electric bill
Research your area to find competing utilities. Prices can vary by 20%. Check:
www.WhiteFence.com

DIY Project – The solar batch heater is made with a steel drum.
Since a standard 55-gallon drum cannot withstand city
water pressure, but some pressure is needed to push
water through the system, gravity flow is often used.
This involves a second 55-gallon drum, filled with cold
water and elevated above the batch heater drum. Gravity
provides enough pressure to move water from the
elevated drum (cold-water source) to the batch heater
drum and finally to the hot water faucet in a sink,
shower or other outlet….

Materials Needed
55-gallon drum (Be sure the drum has not contained any toxic materials.)
Flat-black paint (made to adhere to metal surfaces)
75 (approx.) concrete blocks for frame
Foil-faced insulation, 2 – 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheets (Do notuse polystyrene sheets — they will melt. Use Thermax, Rmax or another isocyanurate insulation.)
Reinforced garden hose or automotive heater hose, 3 sections (1/2-in. inside diameter)
Hose clamps, 3
3/4-inch fitting, copper or CPVC (3/4-in. thread x 1/2-in. sweat x 1/2-in. sweatPipe, copper or CPVC
Pipe, copper or CPVC (1 ft., 1/2-in. outside diameter)

http://diysolarhotwaterheater.com/

Get a free resume writer, save up to $500. Go to: www.ResumeCompanion.com

Useful & Interesting News

Make a little extra scratch by signing up to provide your tips. Multi-category, no fee to sign up and create an account. Example:
Start a new gratitude box tradition
Take a shoe box and let your kids decorate it. Use lots of glitter, stickers, etc. Cut a hole in the top. Then, whenever you (or the kids) see someone doing something that you are grateful for write it down and put it in the box. At Thanksgiving read all of the notes. It makes for a really neat way to celebrate Thanksgiving!

http://www.daytipper.com/Default.aspx

In exchange for mortgage payments, consumers’ homes painted with ads
If consumers are willing to accept advertising on their cars, in their personal lives and on their social web pages, then why not their homes as well? That, indeed, is essentially the premise behind a new initiative from California-based mobile ad startup Adzookie, which just this week launched an effort to turn homes into giant advertising billboards

National garage sale encourages community spirit
Nice idea from the ‘Down Under’
Following on from the first event, set up last year in Bondi by Darryl Nichols, this year’s sale has already seen over 1500 sellers sign up across Australia. Listing a sale on the site is free, with the location and description of each registered sale appearing on the Trail’s map and in local newspapers. Participants are encouraged to come up with unique and kooky titles for their sales as part of the sense of fun and community spirit the day hopes to foster, and the Garage Sale Trail website also offers these vendors tips — including advice on how to “keep your sale green”. Members of the public taking part in this year’s event will also be able to use the Trail’s smart phone app, which lists the registered garage sales and can direct buyers towards them with voice-guided navigation.

Iceland Declares Independence from International Banks
It would be nice to see Americans exercise the same fierce independence!
Iceland is free. And it will remain so, so long as her people wish to remain autonomous of the foreign domination of her would-be masters — in this case, international bankers.
Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2011/04/iceland-declares-independence-from-international-banks/#ixzz1JIpKRP8g

Nearly all revolutions, riots and panics are preceded by major food shortages, high taxes and high unemployment. View the video…

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/04/collapse-of-america-urban-chaos-food.html

<<>>

TIP-got an email for the IRS? Never open it as they never send emails-it’s a scam!

Complex Inferiority
A simpler tax code would be fairer, more efficient, less intrusive, and less infuriating.

How to fix our tax system
The main page of the Poor Man cites the need for a fairer, more simple tax system…one which doesn’t reward so many of the Fortune 1000. Here are few more ideas.

Keep it short. The Baltic countries are a great example of this– the entire Estonian tax code is about 70 pages, roughly 1/1000th the size of the US tax code (which is still prone to so much interpretation). It takes about 15 minutes to fill out an Estonian return, and you can do it online.

Simplify it. When you have a tax code that’s so complex it has given rise to a multi-billion dollar preparation industry, you have a problem. There are dozens of different forms at the IRS, and over 20 versions for the 1099 alone! This is a system that is prone to massive error and frustration.

Hong Kong is a great example of a simple system. Taxes are levied at a flat rate of 15% based on the “territorial principal” that only income derived from Hong Kong is taxed. There is no capital gains tax, no VAT, no estate tax, etc. And yet, the biggest problem the Hong Kong government faces regarding taxes is how to give away their massive surplus.

Keep it low. When you make it easy and painless for people to pay taxes, it removes most of the incentives for them to cheat. In Singapore, tax rates are among the lowest in the world with a maximum rate of 20%. The capital gains rate is zero. The corporate rate varies from 0% to 17%.

The federal tax code, which in 1913 could be published as a single 400-page book, today occupies some 72,000 pages. In the last 10 years alone, reports National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson (your designated friend at the IRS), “there have been approximately 4,428 changes to the tax code.” The instructions for filling out Form 1040, which took up two pages 75 years ago, are 179 pages long this year. Compiled from various sources.

http://reason.com/archives/2011/04/13/complex-inferiority

WARNING: Immature Subject Matter. Viewer discretion is advised.

http://reason.com/blog/2011/04/14/47-ways-to-say-irs-what-do-tho

The problem in the US-too many special interests who buy political favor! The odds of a simpler tax system happening in my lifetime – probably zero.

Newly planted trees require frequent watering. Perforate small used pails at the bottom and set by each tree and fill with water. Water will trickle out slowly and soak into the soil.

Parting thought-a concern from a reader>>restoring our country-Part II

Swarms of government locusts have consumed the nation

Q. I find your newsletter and site loaded with much needed information. Government agencies and bureaucrats at all levels have overwhelmed America with laws which have undermined the rights of the people. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are becoming a distant memory. How would you restore the country? –Frightened Mom

A. It will be tough. Our country may already be too far gone. It took politicians (of both parties) about 30 years to bankrupt our nation, strangle its people in red tape, destroy jobs and small business. The bureaucrats have too much authority to create rules, regulations and fines which have decimated our country. They’re the swarms of cancerous locusts which have choked the land. People have begun to awaken to these facts and few are happy with our political system, which is in danger of becoming a socialist state.

I do not ever advocate a violent overthrow of the government (it may come to that of its own accord). Here are some suggestions:

>Get involved. Join the Tea Party, support foundations which fight government abuse, write letters to your representatives, newspapers, meet with likeminded groups and work together, stage recalls of local politicians who are anti-citizen, file court challenges, withdraw financial support of government wherever possible.

>Stop supporting anti-citizen corporations. Corporations, such as GE (government electric) pay no taxes, ship US jobs overseas and buy off a lot of politicians using the record profits they make using sweatshop labor. Washington policies encourage this.

>Become more selective in your TV viewing. Most network television is crap and so are their nightly newscasts. Honestly, how many more “reality” shows can our nation stomach as a diversion to the corruption of our nation? I get more real news from the BBC than from the major networks in this country. When is the last time any of them created a hard hitting documentary? Programs such as Dateline, have become canned ‘murder mysteries’ of the week. Since John Stossel left 20/20, the show has become anemic. Occasionally, 60 Minutes will live up to what made it famous.

>Become more self sufficient. Become self employed, learn homesteading skills, get off-the-grid, share newsletters and websites such as ours with others.

Watch this video by Gerald Celente, famed trend watcher to get more answers.

http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot.com/2011/04/gerald-celente-we-dont-have.html

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A Shallow Planet Production

College vs. Apprenticeships-Analysis, Cops Spy on Cell Phones

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. College vs. Apprenticeship, a cost analysis
2. Cell phone technology allows police to snoop data
3. Small Business start up grants-do they exist?
4. Free-5qts bio-based oil, free cat litter, more
5. Greensburg, KS-Portrait of success for a ‘can do’ attitude

“Give me four years to teach the children and
the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
– Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Getting a grant for your small biz startup

Got an early morning call from a woman in MO this week. She had been looking at the Poor Man site’s free money section in order to learn about startup grants for her high end landscaping business.

I had to remind her that most grants, government or foundation, are usually given to non-profit groups, not individuals. The one exception are government grants underwritten for the endowment of arts.

As we point out on the site, most grant seekers team up with a local charity or other non-profit group to obtain grant money and arrange for some kind of split. The majority of government grants are very specific and require a lot of paperwork and follow-up. High on government priorities are funding for medical/technical research, job creation/training programs, studies related in a variety of areas to Native American studies, etc.

The SBA does not offer any grants that I am aware of, only low cost loans and there are many hoops to jump through.

Her best bet was to secure financing as most startups do, through family and friends, home equity (if she had any), vendor financing, and credit card financing (not a recommended). Another method some use to get needed capital is through factoring of receivables, but that applies to already established businesses with a customer base. Factoring, in essence, is selling your outstanding invoices at a discount.

One enterprising gal we know of once sold raffle tickets to raise money. She had won an all expense paid trip to another country (which was transferable) and raised somewhere near $15,000 for her business. Warning: depending on how this is structured, it can be illegal or require registration if being offered to the public. In her case, she only offered tickets to family, friends, associates and relatives.

There some private foundations which make micro-loans and grants and those can be found in the Foundation Directory. Some states now offer related programs to women and minorities (see your state’s Economic Development department). Also recommended is Matthew Lesko, the Money Guy. You’ll find a link to his site at the end of this week’s bulletin. The Foundation can be accessed online, but there is a subscription fee (free at your library). http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/

I enjoyed your article(s) on bureaucratic laws run amok…NY officials just backed down from banning wiffle ball from summer park programs (they already ban dodge ball) while in parts of OH, officials want to rename East Egg Hunt to ‘spring egg hunt.’ Seems to be the real domestic terrorists in this Nanny State are the crooked politicians and bureaucrats who have sunk our country with stupid laws and tax policies which continue to encourage Wall St. to ship US jobs overseas…they should be tarred and feathered or worse – they are the black plague on our great country! Our family fears these diseased political pirates more than terrorists.
–Donna Lee of OH

Apprenticeships vs. College
Most college degrees today cost more and are worth less in the real world

Jobs are scarce, real incomes have fallen, and soaring college costs have produced a scenario for kids with no chance for jobs…

An article in a newspaper analyzed the payback of a college degree – Does It Pay to Go to College? Scott Burns did a cost-benefit analysis. Take a close look at the economic value of a degree in today’s world. This is particularly important for the home schooled as they consider their high school plans.

Many are convinced their kids must attend college and spend a lot of time preparing transcripts and effectively letting the college admissions officer establish their high school curriculum. Certainly, a rarely challenged cultural assumption in modern America is that “you must go to college” or be forever lost as a second class citizen trapped in life long poverty. Let’s put a pencil to this assumption. References and links are appended in this article.

Living Below Your Means…Suze Orman weighs in.
PBS McNeil-Lehr broadcast of The Declining American Dream among the middle class…no more upward mobility-a good education is no longer a guarantee of a middle class lifestyle (even with a masters degree)

NOTE: Many community colleges today offer apprentice programs, especially for useful trades such as being an electrician or plumber. Read more here:

http://www.everygoodpath.net/Economics101_CollegeVsApprenticeship

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A Portrait of a ‘Can Do” American success story
A couple of years ago, Greensburg, KS, a small farming community, was devastated by hurricanes which leveled nearly the entire town. Many thought about leaving for good, most of their youth automatically left town upon graduation.
A group of residents got together and decided to rebuild their town, turning into what is now known as an off-the-grid ‘greenest community’ in the nation. Profiled in Reader’s Digest, they become a show case for communities to share their knowledge of going green. Learn more about what the American spirit can really do at:
www.greentowns.com

Reader Comment: Jeanne-Ark
For emergencies, we have an RV which is well stocked with provisions, solar power, guns, extra fuel & extra generator. We’ve mapped out various escape routes in the event of an emergency.

Useful Resources Roundup

World’s Best Cat Litter-Free after rebate
www.BuytheBestTrial.com

Free-5 qts of bio-based oil for your car-good thru April 30th

http://www.getg.com/campaigns/printMIR.php?cID=cad110407

In case you get an IRS audit-here’s how to win your case

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-tips-for-how-to-talk-so-the-irs-will-listen-2011-04-08

Dropbox – Online backup, file sync, and …
Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and, share files online. There’s no complicated interface to learn. Dropbox works seamlessly with your operating system…share with friends who use their system and get another 250mb free!

http://www.dropbox.com/

Remove coffee and tea stains from coffee cups, china, etc
Fill a stained cup with warm water, drop in a denture-cleaning tablet and let it stay overnight. The next morning, wash, rinse and dry as usual-or try a non-gel toothpaste.

Keep Your Houseplants Healthy While You’re Away
If you’re traveling for vacation or a business trip, you don’t want to worry—or even think about—your plants withering away at home. Here is a way to keep them alive and well while you’re out of town (works for up to about two weeks)…
Place plastic trash bags on the floor of your bathtub. Put big towels on top of the bags and pour water on the towels until they’re completely wet. Check each plant to make sure it has a drainage hole at the bottom of its pot, and bring it into the bathroom—then set it on top of the towel.
Right before you leave the house, give the plants a thorough watering.

DIY Battery charger plans and video

http://greendiyenergy.com/battcharger.php

Law Enforcement Agencies now snooping your private cell phone data without your knowledge or consent…Big Brother continues to violate the 4th Amendment.

Automated Extraction Tools (free)
Law enforcement’s use of sophisticated cellular tracking techniques to observe suspects before arrest and to build cases against them in criminal cases is building all across the country, and is raising major concern over civil liberties and privacy rights. Existing law is outdated and does not give set guidelines on the use of cellular tracking techniques.

State Police in Michigan are stealing cell phone data from cell phones without the knowledge of the owner, usually during a traffic stop (an officer will ask to look at your phone). So far, FOIA attempts by the ACLU to obtain information on how and why this information is being gathered have proven fruitless as police are making the request unreasonably expensive and what information that is released, has been sketchy and piecemeal.

The ACLU filed a suit against the TSA for using similar technology on privately owned laptop computers at airports. That suit is pending.

There are sites on the web that offer free tools for an investigator to use to perform cell forensics. Many times, these tools are limited and focused a small set of phones – but can be useful nonetheless. One tool is Bitpim. BitPim is a program that allows you to view and manipulate data on many CDMA phones from LG, Samsung, Sanyo and other manufacturers.

Another free tool focused on Blackberry devices can be found BlackBerry.com. The user can download the Blackberry Device Manager and back-up any Blackberry device. The back-up file is in a proprietary format (IPD) and extracts some very useful forensic data including call records, SMS, emails (including all content) and calendar events. An IPD file can be converted to a useable format by using another tool – ABC Amber Blackberry Converter. It is not free, but only costs $19.95 for the tool.

If a fungal infection has left you with thick, unsightly toenails, skip expensive drugstore treatments. Mix 50% classic Listerine and 50% white vinegar. You can dab onto toes or soak twice a week. Can take a year to work depending on how bad the infection is.

<<>>

The Parting Shot…

S&P Cuts US Ratings Outlook to Negative
Standard & Poor’s put a “negative” outlook on the U.S. AAA credit rating, citing rising budget deficits and debt.

An unrecognizable America – Bill of Rights Defense Committee

The Poor Man has written extensively about corruption in politics and the ever growing need for bureaucrats to control every aspect of our lives – it’s an addiction which is destroying our country.

Previously I’ve recounted such recent incidents as Girl Scouts being banned from selling cookies from their front yard, a six-year old banned from selling lemonade in a public park, TSA groping pat downs of a six year old girl at the airport, a Chicago ban on bringing lunches to school and much more…

In Cleveland, authorities haves announced plans to have “trash supervisors” go snooping through trash cans to ensure that people are actually recycling according to city guidelines

Author Naomi Wolf (the DVD on the End of America we give away was produced by her) sent me the following email which might be of interest to readers…

Dear Bruce,
Since 2007, the American Freedom Campaign (AFC) has been fighting to protect our constitutional liberties, rein in the expansion and abuse of executive power, and restore our system of checks and balances. Your involvement and support was critical to our success in injecting these concerns into the 2008 presidential campaign.

At the time, the results of that campaign suggested a consensus in our favor. We all celebrated the chance to see our government once again uphold the rule of law. Yet since the enthusiasm of that moment, the White House under President Obama has continued many of the same excesses committed by the Bush administration. Your continued concern about limits on executive power is just as important today as it was then.
While AFC is no longer able to do this important work on our own, we have folded into the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) to continue our crucial advocacy moving forward. BORDC was formed in 2001, shortly after the passage of the PATRIOT Act.

BORDC is best known for spearheading a nationwide effort opposing government surveillance in which more than 400 cities and towns across the country, as well as eight states, passed local resolutions opposing the USA PATRIOT Act. Today, BORDC is once again mobilizing Americans from all walks of life—and in all parts of the country—to protect civil liberties at the local level. Learn more at:

http://bordc.org/

Be sure to view their stand on local efforts at restoring your rights here:

http://www.constitutioncampaign.org/ordinances/lawenforcement/

Your fellow contrarian, the Poor Man!

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.

http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics

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http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman

Free Money assistance for women, businesses, more.

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A Shallow Planet Production

10 Free Trees for Arbor Day, Farming at the School

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. The coming debt tsunami-Economic Overdose
2. The myth of the American Dream-the new reality
3. Backyard cottages-new wave of rental properties
4. Avoid ‘smishing’ of your cell phone
5. Urban farming comes to the schoolyard
6. Support the ADF and get 10 free trees

Socialism is workable only in Heaven where it isn’t needed, and in Hell where they’ve got it.– Cecil Palmer

Ahhh, spring, will it ever arrive?

We wish each of you a pleasant & peaceful Easter Weekend!

The Poor Man was voted three times by Yahoo readers to have the best political insight and reasoning! Yahoo’s tech team contacted me to say they’ve fixed the glitch but this format will continue for now.

Speaking of comments, here’s one regarding our story on funding for small entrepreneurs.

“In reference to your lady from Mo, looking for start up money. She might look into Peer-to-peer lending. It has been around a while. Two of the best are Prosper.com which I think is a offshoot of paypal. It is the oldest. And an up and comer is Lendingclub.com. Basically, you are by passing the bank with money being put up by individual investors. You will have to go through credit check. The better the credit check the better interest rate you get. Just an FYI: one of the top trades to learn at the present time is welding. I have a friend in Ill that is constantly getting calls to come back to work as a welder – HE IS 77!”

Also, try getting an investor at: www.NASBIC.org and it never hurts to check the SBA.gov site for state-sponsored grants.

It’s the third week of April and we got more cold and snow today, showers expected tomorrow. Wonderful! I was just about ready to put my gloves and scarf away and begin soil testing and plumbing work on the old homestead. Foiled again.

We did manage to order a very cute 12×12 barn-style shed that includes four windows, shutters and cupola (see the picture on the Cheap Housing tab at our site). The cost was $900 less than a pre-built one at our favorite lumber yard…in fact, their prices skyrocketed since I initially looked at them last fall and they couldn’t come close to what we paid.

This will rest next to the cabin and act as storage and a laundry room. The electrical supplies we’ll need ran another $67.

We also ordered a set of six dwarf fruit trees for $50 delivered from Burgess Nurseries. I couldn’t find anything local that matched this price. In addition to the fruit trees we already have on the property, this will give us a postage stamp orchard and will include apples, peaches, pear, cherry and a nectarine tree.

If you’re a new subscriber or reader, the Poor Man has been working on an off-grid cabin and acreage we obtained this past fall. Much of the work we’re doing ourselves along with a couple of handyman friends. Demonic bureaucratic blundering has put us behind schedule and over budget…can you believe that?

If you’re thinking about potential income properties, you may want to take another look at your backyard. Backyard cottages – sometimes referred to as accessory dwelling units, laneway housing, or granny flats – have been cropping up all over the Pacific Northwest, and cities across the nation have started updating zoning rules to allow for dwellings where your swing set used to stand. Seattle, considered a pioneer of the movement, now welcomes Portland, Miami, Berkeley, Denver and Burlington, VT, to the backyard cottage club.

New home prices are 29% higher than used and buyers today are favoring smaller, more manageable homes and are shopping closer to cities which tend to offer lower priced homes. Ironically, 46% of rural counties in America lost population over the past decade.

Karen Chapple, a city planning professor at the University of California, Berkeley, says she was intrigued by the burgeoning trend and built her own backyard cottage this year – as a class project, no less – to see the feasibility of backyard cottages as affordable housing options in the Bay Area. Her 420 square feet cottage – small by comparison to those in Portland and Seattle where the maximum size tops out at 800 square feet.
Read the full story here:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2065209,00.html?xid=rss-fullnation-yahoo

The magnitude of the housing crash caused permanent changes in the way some people view home ownership,” said Michael Lea, a finance professor at San Diego State University. “Even as the economy improves, there are some who will never buy a home because their confidence in real estate is gone.

<<>>

Urban farming expands onto school grounds
Community-supported agriculture is not an unfamiliar concept for regular readers, nor are the often-associated add-ons of bicycle-based produce delivery and compost services. Canadian Fresh Roots Urban Farm offers all of these; what sets it apart, however, is a series of partnerships it’s formed with local schools in the Vancouver area to create urban farms on school land.

Fresh Roots produces and distributes organically grown food through a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program as well as pocket markets and restaurant sales in the Vancouver area. Much of the produce for that program is grown by local urban farmers and in participating neighborhood gardens, but of particular interest are the organization’s new partnerships with local schools to use school land. At Queen Alexandra Elementary, for example, the relationship began last year when the Vancouver School Board bought a share from Fresh Roots’ CSA for its cafeteria salad bar program. More at:

http://freshroots.ca/

Celebrate Arbor Day on April 29th by going green & get free trees
If you become a member of the Arbor Day Foundation ($10), they’ll send you 10 free flowering trees, and plant 10 more in your honor. Use the ADF to send someone a card ($5.95 donation) -they offer an email card too- and they’ll plant a tree in honor of the recipient.
www.ArborDay.org

Welcome to Spatulatta, an amazing cooking resource for kids online. They offer 350 step-by-step video recipes that will make it very easy for your kids to learn how to cook!

http://www.spatulatta.com/

More good uses for coffee grounds

>>Get rid of ants – Sprinkle loose grounds on the outside perimeter of you home. The scent will repel ants and ingesting will kill them.
>>Sprinkle dried grounds on garage floors and other outdoor areas to sweep clean-cheaper than sweeping compound.
>>Add grounds to your compost pile and/or use as a ‘treat’ for indoor plants by sprinkling your pot soil around the base of the plant.
>>Sop up oil spills from garage floors and driveways-great for cleanups after working on a lawnmower or rototiller. Cover the spot with dry grounds, let sit 15 minutes or so, then sweep.
>>Work a thin layer into your outdoor acid-loving plants using 1-2 cups for every 8 bushes. Repeat weekly. Will also deter slugs and snails.

PC World reports spammers & scammers create about 10% of all online dating accounts.
Avoid providing financial & certain private data early on – goes for face book too!

Smishing is almost exclusively a threat for smart phone users. Here are some tips to help protect yourself:

#1: Get a reliable anti-virus program. Look for ones that have great reviews and solid recommendations. Smart phones are like hand-held computers, and if you have a Windows Phone 7 or an Android phone, you have a handheld computer with a real operating system. And what is the first thing you do after you have installed Windows, Linux, or Apple on your computer? Why, put on an anti-virus program, of course.
#2: Don’t click on it! And don’t call the number! I can’t state this enough. If there’s a link included and you don’t know who it is – and now, apparently, even if you think you know who it is – don’t click on it! Don’t call the number they instruct you to call – don’t do anything but delete it.
#3: Try not to have any really personal information stored on your phone. Notice I say to try not to do that. What I want to say is don’t do it no matter what but I realize that it might be impossible to not have some information on your phone. Just try to keep the real personal stuff to a minimum.
#4: Make sure that you have strong passwords for your financial accounts. If you do have to (or like to) do your banking, etc. on your phone, make sure you use a strong password. If you don’t know how strong a password should be, just Google “how to make a strong password” or something like that and you’ll get results that will help.

Clove oil is a well known remedy for teething babies. Use powdered clove to heal cuts and help kill dangerous bacteria. Acts as an antiseptic and effective painkiller.

<<>>

Trickery, dickory dock, which political party put us into hock?
Hickory dickory dock, which one should be shot?–Anonymous

The Myth of the American Dream-the New Reality

Banks now own more of “our homes” than we do. During the most recent recession, the total amount of U.S. home equity owned by the banks surpassed the total amount of U.S. home equity owned by the rest of us for the first time ever.

The Crumbling of America
America’s Crumbling Infrastructure : Across America, the list keeps growing of examples of America’s infrastructure crumbling. From Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to the recent pipeline explosion in San Bruno, CA, it’s becoming clear that the problem of aging infrastructure is not going away anytime soon. Meanwhile America is spending trillions of dollars in meaningless wars abroad instead of spending that money home trying to fix the country…

The entire system is designed to take what you have away from you. There are many ways that this is accomplished – taxation, inflation, debt, interest, fines, fees, tickets, government seizures and good old-fashioned corporate greed.

The Coming Debt Tsunami
The entire wealth of USA is less than $60 Trillion. Please remember the Constitution. Governments are not allowed to take assets without just compensation
Municipal Debt: The Coming Crisis? According to the simple interest calculation, no amount of taxation or asset confiscation can solve this problem…view more at:

The average American now spends approximately 23 percent of his or her income on food and gas.

Related Story-video
Overdose : The Next Financial Crisis
Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis a Nice and simple documentary for even the clueless to follow. GET A FARM TO GROW YOUR OWN FOOD. GET GOLD AND SILVER. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ECi6WJpbzE&feature=player_embedded

Sage advice for preparing…watch this informative video interview.

Gerald Celente, the director of the Trends Research Institute, speaks about unemployment, recession, bank robbery and Wall Street hijacking Washington , unless banks take a hit for their mistakes, the uproar will only increase across the Atlantic, a financial bailout in Europe has been launched flooding banks with government money. But it comes amid a lowering of wages, a reduction in social spending and an increase in taxes. This has sparked protests which are spreading across the continent , “When people lose everything, and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it! As people keep losing it, the government will crack down even tighter.” Gerald Celente says , the American Empire is collapsing and the banks have committed the greatest bank robbery in the history of the world.

That’s it for this issue…I had promised a short one this week due to the holiday!
Peace be with you.
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A Shallow Planet Production

What Would MacGyver Do?

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. What would MacGyver Do?
2. Get free samples for children, women and more
3. Sheriff Mack-Law Enforcement against the feds
4. 10 alternative uses for charcoal
5. Increase your brainpower
6. 15 Surprising uses for aspirin
7. Get Prepared Expo-May 14th in MO

It has been discovered that the best way
to insure implicit obedience is to
commence tyranny in the nursery.”– Benjamin Disraeli

What would MacGyver Do?
Also, a bankers take on the economy-now that Moody & Poor’s downgraded the US rating.

Our Easter family feast was fulfilling (pun intended) with my cousin Jeff bringing along a batch of home made sausage (he promises to share the recipe with our readers) that was outstanding!

My cousin Cheryl works for a large bank and shared her take on the economy. For the most part, few at the bank talk about the economy, possibly out of denial or fear. There’s no doubt it doesn’t look good though. She too feels if it collapses, it will be a gradual thing and it may come to our government defaulting on its obligations and eventually issuing a new currency, making current financial accounts nearly worthless.

She also noted something I’ve discussed with other preppers…buying rolls of half dollars to search through them for silver coins. One fellow, she says, buys $1000 worth each month and apparently, he finds enough silver coins to justify the work. She also finds that some people exchanging coins, probably from piggy banks, often contain pre-1964 silver coins. Of course, I told her we’d buy those from her!

Spot silver surged more than 5 percent to above $49 ounce on Monday, buoyed by a weak dollar and strong physical demand in Asia that also propelled gold to a record high for a seventh consecutive session.
Spot gold hit a record high of $1,518.10 an ounce, before easing to $1,517.80, up nearly 1 percent. No surprise since the IMF just announced the US will lose first place among world economies in 2016, to China, of course.

On another note…What would MacGyver do?

Most of us probably recall the MacGyver TV show which aired about 15 years ago. He was the elite of emergency engineers and could always get himself out of a jam with a paper clip, duct tape and his pocket knife.

Most of us have had a MacGyver moment. To MacGyver something is to fix a problem a problem in a resourceful, crafty, improvisational manner – to save the day by rigging or fixing something. In an age where fewer people know how to do anything other than their own specialty, we all appreciate the jack of all trades.

We could use a few more men and women like MacGyver in this country. Over the years we have a fostered a climate of incompetence. For us guys, for example, it’s a real challenge to change our oil or tune up an engine; it’s now a specialized task.

If you’ve had a MacGyver moment, share it with us. This will qualify for our “Suggestion Box” contribution and could win you a prize.

There used to be a site devoted to MacGyver moments but I couldn’t find it. However, there is an interesting site which was the inspiration for the book “What Would MacGyver Do?” by Brendan Vaughan (available on eBay and Amazon). The site can be found at:

http://www.readymade.com/

<<>>

I have 200 gallons of water in my garage and a good water filter plus stockpiles of wheat and rice. In case we need to leave town in a hurry, we have hidden lakehouse and if it’s really bad, we head west to my brothers farm. We’ve also stockpiled vitamins and MREs. –Beth in TX

The Weekly Roundup

USAPrepares Expo on May 14th & 15th in Springfield, MO
Get a free ticket with signup – use this link for more information.

http://www.usaprepares.com/

Guerilla Gardening Day – May 1st. Interesting site. The global hub for those who cultivate land as guerrilla gardeners. Let’s fight the filth with forks and flowers.

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

10 handy alternative uses of charcoal
In his ongoing but sporadic series Don’t Throw That Away!, the Green Cheapskate shows you how to repurpose just about anything, saving money and the environment in the process. Send him your repurposing ideas and challenges, but whatever you do, don’t throw that away…more at:

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/64/10-handy-alternative-uses-of-charcoal.html

15 Surprising Uses for Aspirin
Aspirin is known worldwide as a means for relieving headache, fever and inflammations. Since it is often a generic drug, many people take it for granted. Some fear taking aspirin because of the common notion that generic medicine has terrible side-effects and aspirin reportedly causes Reye’s Syndrome…read more at:

http://lifehackery.com/2008/11/06/various-14/

Free Samples for Women – Requires sign up

http://signup.womanfreebies.com/?nid=FBusSOI&aid=8043

Sign up to get Free Samples (food, children’s items, beauty, etc.) of name brand products, new products and more.

http://www.freeflys.com/register.php?noph=1

Answer a few questions about Orthodontics for children and get a free copy of
Mia Hamm’s book, Winners Never Quit.

http://www.scholastic.com/smiles/survey.asp

Wonderful collection (huge selection) of how-to books & more taken from a simpler time…Poor Man subscribers get 20% until the end of the year. Take a peek – well worth your time.

http://www.vintageliterature.ca/default.cfm?cpn=poormansurvival

Long time subscriber Steve has added new & useful information to his site(s)…always worth a look-see what this inventive and productive guy offers!

http://www.increasebrainpower.com

I also added them to these sites:

http://www.999ideas.com

http://www.metaphorology.com

Feel free to give me the “thumbs up,” and if you have a blog or website and want to help me out with a link, that will be appreciated too.

Remove wallpaper borders easily (thanks to the Poor Wife for this tip). Gently heat the area with a blowdryer, then pull the border off. If that doesn’t work, spray with warm water & let dry 10 minutes, then use a plastic scraper to remove.

Use an old pair of nylons into a garden helper. Snip off the end and put a bar of soap inside, tie it to a hook on your fence or tree near your garden hose. Wash dirty hands by lathering up from the hanging soap and rinse clean.

The Nanny State Update – Skewering citizens everywhere – because we can!

In a snub that’s raised some eyebrows in Britain, neither of the country’s two most recent former prime ministers received an invite to the Royal wedding. Also left out are President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Don’t feel bad, the Poor Man didn’t get one either!

Inflation figures and woes…

The price of silver has increased by more than 150% over the past 12 months. But the price of gold has only gone up about 30%.
If you invested $100 in the S&P 500 ten years ago it would be worth about $107.48 today.
If you invested $100 in gold ten years ago it would be worth about $569 today.
If you invested $100 in silver ten years ago it would be worth about $1037 today.

The National Inflation Association recently pointed out that the Federal Reserve is buying a whopping 70% of U.S. government debt. This is the most inflationary thing a country can do. But the U.S. feels forced to fill the void left by waning foreign purchases of U.S. debt, which have fallen from 50% of all debt issuance to 30%.

>Delaware, police and state government officials recently tore a basketball hoop right out of a family’s front yard and carted it away because it was “too close” to the street.

>One Mississippi state judge recently issued an order for state officials to gather and deliver to him the names of every single child that is being homeschooled in the state. The frightening thing is that the judge did this all on his own. Nobody requested this information and there is no case pending for which this information would be required.

>Would you like to have your face scanned and your ID recorded every time you attend a public event? Don’t laugh. The San Francisco Entertainment Commission is actually proposing a new rule which “would require all venues with an occupancy of over 100 people to record the faces of all patrons and employees and scan their ID’s for storage in a database which they must hand over to law enforcement on request.”

>California agencies lent millions to employees who never repaid-
Caltrans, Cal Fire and the CHP are among those investigated by state Controller John Chiang. Gov. Jerry Brown halts the practice of agencies offering salary and travel advances and says he’ll find out how much California is owed. Estimate: $13 Million!

Need more room in your bathroom? Hang a compartmentalized shower bag on the back of the door and use it place extra shampoo, brushes, makeup and the like.

The Parting Shot…

Sheriff Richard Mack – County Sheriff’s America’s Last Best Hope
The biggest threat to our freedoms, are elected officials!

I had the opportunity to listen to a partial interview with former AZ sheriff, Richard Mack. It’s always nice to know that members of law enforcement are highly concerned with how the federal government has overstepped its Constitutional authority and are leading us down a path of destruction. Personally, I could never be a member of law enforcement as there are too many laws which I don’t agree with and could not, in good conscience, enforce.

Sheriff Mack was one of several other law enforcement members who stood against the Brady Bill and its illegal mandates regarding several aspects of gun control. Indeed, they filed a lawsuit in federal court, defeating many its measures.

Like Arizonians and Texans, there are still a few states left where self reliance is the understood way of life and most of its residents are understandably upset over federal encroachments on our Bill of Rights and other freedoms.

On his site you’ll find many articles and extracts from books he’s written on many subjects related to maintaining our freedom as a people. He’s deeply committed to the belief that government should exist to protect the freedoms of the individuals whom it serves. We must return to those principles that our country was founded upon!

You’ll find a variety of resources and links on his site and if you work with a like-minded organization, he’s available as a speaker. Learn more at:

http://www.sheriffmack.com/

Yours for self reliance in crazy times, the Pooman!
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Open Letter to the President – No Hope, No Change

An Open Letter to the President and Congress…
No hope, no change and the destruction of America.

I am Independent and like all presidents, I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you were elected as President. You ran on the promise of hope and change. Well, like a lot of Americans, we’re losing hope and see almost no change. It’s politics as usual in Washington.

My college aged children ask, What’s happened to this country. Where are the jobs?”
They already know their degree is virtually worthless in the ‘new economy.’

When I was born, America was the most prosperous country on the planet, Now, we’re virtually bankrupt. So what happened?

The U.S. economy will very soon no longer be the biggest economy in the world. Ten years ago, the U.S. economy was three times as large as the Chinese economy, but now China will pass the United States and will become the largest economy in the world in 2016 according to the IMF.

Energy and gasoline prices are killing the budgets of most Americans. During the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970s Congress and the President promised we’d be energy independent. We’re still importing 70% of our oil and yet you deny drilling rights in our own country.

Millions of illegal immigrants get free medical care, free schooling, free food and housing subsidies. Yet millions of taxpaying citizens can no longer afford medical care or housing and many can barely afford to feed their family or fill their cars.

We have a cumbersome and unfair tax system in which the burden has shifted away from corporations onto the backs of the middle class. All the while, US tax policies still encourage the off-shoring of US jobs while GE pays no income tax and gets a tax credit to boot. Why is that?

At every level of government we have a bureaucracy which strangles citizens and businesses with ridiculous amounts of red tape and costs, severely limiting job creation. Why is that?

Since January 2001, neither America’s real GDP, nor its stock market, has registered any real gains. Oh…and neither has its workforce; there are no more people working today than there were 10 years ago; and they take home no more disposable income.

The Patriot Act, Asset Forfeiture, and other ‘laws’ have decimated the Bill of Rights while supposedly protecting us from terrorists. Most of us fear our government more!

Lifelong politicians have been busy feathering their nest while crapping in our nest.

Why is it the American people no longer seem to matter to you career politicians?

Nickeled and Dimed-Reducing financial plunder

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Silver coin converter site
2. Sites for sharing
3. Unusual uses for bleach
4. Cheap tool rental resource – your neighbor
5. Consider leasing solar panels
6. Urban Garden page added to the PM site

What’s Vice today may be virtue tomorrow.–Henry Fielding
Possibly in response to the fact that indoor marijuana
Cultivation consumes one percent of the nation’s electricity!

Feelings of being financially plundered – a struggle to just keep in place
Everyone is being nickeled and dimed!

Reader Anna from PA wrote to tell me of her struggle to keep up with the cost of living. “Every time I turn around, my monthly overhead goes up. You know gas prices are killing us and affecting food prices. I can barely feed my family, pay the car insurance and utilities. Your newsletter has given me lots of ideas for cutting costs but I’m at my wits end.”

Yes, most Americans, especially those on fixed incomes or with young children, are feeling the squeeze. More people than ever are seeking help from food banks and government food stamp programs. Where I live, the electric company just raised rates by 6%, the city run water company raised them by 10% (effectively negating the water-saving program we have in place…maybe it’s time to shower once a week) and we already pay the highest auto insurance rates in the nation.

It’s nearly impossible to stop rate hikes from government and quasi-governmental agencies. State Insurance and Utility regulators do virtually nothing to help citizens. College costs continue to rise as do medical costs. The only thing not rising (other than blood pressure) are the wages of most Americans.

There are no easy answers. Since our government has not initiated a reasonable energy policy during the past 30 years, we all suffer from their incompetence.

On the other hand, there are plenty of Americans with fat wallets. We see it all the time at auctions where folks overbid like crazy (this no longer holds true for eBay), take expensive cruises and vacations, buy new cars, etc.

As we’ve discussed in past postings, finding or creating secondary sources of income is helpful, but becoming increasingly difficult to do. My best advice is from Benjamin Franklin. “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Most of us, especially those with children, fritter away money on a daily basis. Instant gratification of a toy every time we shop, frequent meals at fast food places, a daily latte from Starbucks, all the extras kids want such as sports camps, high end electronics and the like will destroy a budget in no time.

I suggest for the next 30-days, keep a spending diary. Record every nickel you spend whether if for a fast food meal, a pack of gum, a newspaper. You might be shocked at the end of the month total. Use this diary to begin a program of fiscal restraint. Eliminate non-essential spending, look for ways to cut current overhead such as cable TV, cell phone expenses, planning car trips to eliminate needless driving. Learn to buy in bulk, if you smoke, either quit or learn to roll your own, stop buying bottled water, etc.

You can even save money by giving your kids and family members a haircut. Here’s a DIY video to get you started: http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=diy+hair+cut

You can eliminate most expensive, store-bought cleaners by using a few simple common ingredients such as vinegar, lemon-scented ammonia, water and bleach. I clean virtually all surfaces, glass and mirrors with a solution of either ammonia and water or vinegar and water…saves a ton of money annually.

You can live without many of these conveniences…just think at how little overhead your grandparents had because they did not own or pay for many of today’s “necessities.”

Growing a garden is an excellent way to save money on food. Even apartment dwellers can grow some things as we’ve reported previously. View our urban garden page at our PoorManSurvival.com site for some resources.

Finally, think about eliminating cleaning altogether. In the words of Domestic Goddess, Roseanne Barr – “The day I begin vacuuming is the day Sears invents the riding vacuum cleaner.”

<<>>

To eliminate static electricity from mini blinds wipe with used Bounce dryer sheets to keep dust from resettling.

Good uses for household bleach

Over the years, some have put out a call to ban bleach. Thankfully, no one has done this.
There are dozens of uses for this product, some you may not know of. Here are several:

>>Help purify and maintain water. We refill used food grade containers with water for storage and we add a couple of drops per gallon to help keep that supply free of algae and mold.

>>Use a disinfectant spray. Good as an all-purpose, around the house…Simply mix 1 tablespoon of bleach into a 1-gallon container of hot water. Use it to fill a spray bottle and use it on a paper towel for countertops, lawn furniture, etc. Don’t use it where you might be applying ammonia as it will cause toxic fumes (I found out the hard way).

>>Use undiluted bleach to kill weeds in the cracks of sidewalks and driveways. Just pour directly onto the weeds (avoiding your grassy area). After a day or so, pull the weeds and this will prevent weeds from returning.

>>Clean plastic lawn furniture. Wash with some mild detergent mixed with a ½ cup of bleach and a gallon of water. After scrubbing, rinse clean with your hose.

>>Get rid of mold and mildew from your trash cans, shower and bath, shower curtains and toilets. Use the above formula and spray.

>>Bleach is very useful for cleaning wood cutting boards and butcher block surfaces. Use a diluted mix of bleach and water (1 tablespoon to 2 quarts water). Avoid saturating the surface.
Remove grass stains from clothing by sprinkling a little meat tenderizer on the spot before tossing them into your washer.

This Week’s Useful Resources…

Find merchandising jobs at the:
National Association for Retail Marketing Services (NARMS) site, at http://www.narms.com.

Need a tool for the day? This site helps neighbors rent equipment. Cheaper than a rental center!
www.Zilok.com

World Net Daily unveils new, free job bank

http://www.wnd.com/job-bank

Find, enter and win contests fast with these websites
www.SweepsAdvantage.com
www.OnlineSweepstakes.com

Are you new to the neighborhood, or just want to find area garage sales quickly?
www.WeekendTreasures.com
www.YardSaleSearch.com

Stop getting unwanted credit card offers by filling out a form at this site-Free:
www.OptOutPrescreen.com

Sites for sharing
Sure, you’ve heard of Craigslist and eBay. But new entrants are taking collaborative consumption into new territories, providing fresh opportunities for consumers to be frugal. As with anything, it’s smart to use reputable operators whether you’re borrowing or lending.

Here are four leaders in the emerging collaborative consumption field.
Lending Club: Debuting in 2007 as a Facebook application, Lending Club owes its life to social media. Lending Club is a pioneer of peer-to-peer lending. Members looking for a loan post what they’re seeking. Members looking to invest money finance the loans. Lending Club, based in Redwood City, Calif., says both sides win, with above-average returns for investors and lower-than-average rates for borrowers. However, it only accepts lower credit risks; roughly 90 percent of prospective borrowers are rejected.
Read more: Borrow, barter or share to save http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/consumers-who-share-are-sharing-in-savings-1.aspx#ixzz1KkW87vtZ

Silver coin converter site
It converts silver coins to current silver price. Pretty neat just put in what you have like 10 Roosevelt dimes click link it tells you 36.75.based on siler price at that time.Also gives current ebay prices for that coin. That site is www.coinflation.com

Adobe Photoshop is an expensive program and most of us don’t need all of its features. Here’s a FREE, nifty and powerful photo editor…
www.Paint.net

Want solar but find the cost prohibitive? Consider a lease

http://www.spheralsolar.com/ContractorFinder.php

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Remove stains from your skin when soap and water won’t cut it by washing the area with vinegar and warm water, then rinse.

The Nanny State updates…

“A society that robs an individual of the product of his effort, or enslaves him, or attempts to limit the freedom of his mind, or compels him to act against his own rational judgment … is not, strictly speaking, a society, but a mob held together by institutionalized gang-rule.”– Ayn Rand

A date has been set for the end of the “Age of America,” — i.e., when China’s economy will overtake the United States. The news comes by way of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that shows China’s economy surpassing America’s by 2016

A federal judge has ordered the city of Ecorse, Michigan, to pay Michael and Tammy Phelps $215,000. The two sued the city after police officers burst into their home, threw them to the floor and put a gun to Michael’s face. The police had a valid search warrant, but it was for the house next door.

Shane Rhooms spent three weeks in jail after New York City police offices identified him as the man who shot at them when they spotted him smoking marijuana in Brooklyn. Fortunately for Rhooms, security video and cell phone records showed he was attending a concert in Manhattan at the time of the shooting. Police officials say they stand by the officers and still think Rhooms is guilty. But the New York Daily News reports that one of those officers, Lt. Robert Henderson, has been named in eight federal lawsuits over the past decade that have cost the city more than $500,000.

City officials in Thornton, CO outlawed spinning barbershop poles, a tradition dating back to medieval times saying it poses a threat to public safety…’we don’t want the signs to be a distraction.’ We’d like to give those officials a close shave – on the house!

Technology vs. privacy protections

The High Court | The Obama administration wants overturn a federal appeals court decision last year that said police must get a warrant before they begin a long-term surveillance using a global positioning device attached to the suspect’s car.
More at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/court-asked-to-balance-information-age-advances-with-constitutional-protections/2011/04/22/AF2Q9IdE_story.html?wpisrc=nl_fedinsider

Deter online trackers in IE9-click on the settings icon (the cog in the right corner of your browser) and select ‘Safety Tracking Protection.’ Another window pops up where you can activate the feature which will automatically start blocking sites from monitoring you.

The Parting Shot…America isn’t too big to fail

As I wrote after the recent elections, nothing will really change in Washington. It’ll be politics, posturing and bickering as usual, especially when it comes to our massive deficit. Regardless of which party BS you swallow, our country is on the edge of a default, turning world markets against the dollar.

We’re the only debt-saddled country in the world without a plan to rein in out-of-control spending, eliminate wasteful government agencies and programs or real leadership from either party. The US is not too big to fail and the ego-challenged folks in Washington don’t give a damn.

Spending is still out of control and many Americans will not make it…

Dependence on Government Hits All-Time High
“Americans depended more on government assistance in 2010 than at any other time in the nation’s history, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds. The trend shows few signs of easing, even though the economic recovery is nearly 2 years old. A record 18.3% of the nation’s total personal income was a payment from the government for Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, unemployment benefits and other programs in 2010. Wages accounted for the lowest share of income — 51.0% — since the government began keeping track in 1929.” (USA Today)

All of this makes me wonder about Donald Trump – is he really going to run for office…does he stand a chance of winning? Obama has been caught flat-footed on just about every issue ranging from the middle east to fostering a climate of job growth in the United States.

Yours for enjoying a bit of paradise, the Poor Man

Total Collapse – The Build up to World War III – Powerful video

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Consider making a donation to the Red Cross or Salvation Army to help the victims of the past week’s tornado and storm catastrophe…go to our site and click on the Motel Familes tab to donate.

A Shallow Planet Production

Free Steak for Mom-Guy Stuff Too!

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Mother’s Day Free Stuff
2. Two unusual ways to make money
3. Seed swaps, quick mower tune-up guide, stop tools from rusting
4. What are you willing to pay for?
5. US Inflation-Perspective from Coin World
6. How to catch a snapping turtle-funny stuff

“It was self-serving politicians who convinced recent generations of Americans that we could all stand in a circle with our hands in each other’s pockets and somehow get rich.”
– Paul Harvey

Lots of Mother’s Day Freebies-and some for guys too!

Spring may finally be here…an unusual way of making money

Spring weather so far for much of the country has been awful. Thankfully, we missed last week’s tornado warnings but we sure are getting a lot of rain.

In another week, our community is holding its annual summer city-wide garage sale days. We had a lot of fun setting up last year and actually made some money. We live in a large compound of sorts and this allows us to have others set up here too. Very useful for those who live in apartments or don’t want the traffic at home.

Since it is a three day event, we rent a port-a-potty and offer hot dogs and drinks each day…donuts and coffee in the morning.

Spring is also the time the Poor Man plans to become the ‘thin n fit’ man again. Too much winter and Frito Lay’s have packed on the pounds. A few weeks ago I picked up a mountain bike in like new condition which I plan to begin riding soon. I’ve never had a mountain bike, only a 10-speed which was fine by me. Once or twice a week I used to ride it to my office to keep in shape – 19 miles each way will do that!

Finally, topping the list for unusual and controversial ways to make money. A recent story told about a 91-year-old CA woman who sells suicide kits. The kit consists of helium, a plastic bag and other materials. Of course, some government officials are racing to make this a Class C felony because as we all know, YOU do not own your life, the government does. The woman sells the kits online for $60 and reportedly sold more than 1800 of them, yet hadn’t cashed a check in three months!

Here’s another, little known way to earn some bucks. Become an Amazon Turk. Ask workers to complete HITs – Human Intelligence Tasks – and get results using Mechanical Turk.

https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome

Any young tree that you’re going to plant will need all the help it can get. Start by lining the hole that’s been dug for the tree with baking potatoes. They will help provide moisture for the young plant. As the potatoes decompose, the tree will benefit from their nutrients.

Weekly Free Resources…Stuff for guys and gals!

Comprehensive sewing guide and a listing of free projects…Free Stuff for all!

Get free patterns under the heading Free Projects. Each link is to a category of free patterns. The categories are: Baby & Toddler, Bridal, Charitable, Doll & Toys & Games, Fashion, Fun, Home Décor, Jewelry, Kids, Men, Pets, Pillow, Purses & Bags & Totes, Quilt, and Teen. Clicking into any of the categories will give you a plethora of free patterns to choose from.

http://sewing.org/

Mother’s Day Gifts that won’t break your bank account…It’s that time of year to pay homage to that magnificent woman, you know, the one who wipes snotty noses, patches up skinned knees and often, still, sets dinner on the table – aka your mother and the mother of your children. With little more than a week to go before Mother’s Day on May 8, here’s a sample of some top gift ideas and how to get there without breaking the bank. More at:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/29/top-gift-ideas-for-mothers-day-without-breaking-the-bank/

Suggestions for gifts under $10 children can buy for Mother’s Day

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2011/04/29/10-mothers-day-gifts-children-buy-10/

More free stuff for Mother’s Day

On May 8th TCBY is giving Mom’s a free cone or cup of fat-free yoghurt. Go to:
www.TCBY.com

Get a free steak dinner at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse – go to:
www.FlemingsSteakhouse.com

Michael’s Craft Store – May 3 thru 7; get free lessons for mom’s & families
www.Michaels.com

On May 7th, kids get a free comic book at participating stores. Find one at:
www.FreeComicBookDay.com

Myth: Microwaving Your Food Decreases Nutrients
If the choice is to eat something raw or microwave it, then you might lose some vitamins with the microwave. But vs. other cooking methods, the microwave may be the best for preserving nutrients.

Tune-up your mower-Quick Start Guide
The Poor Man changed the oil, battery, drive belt & plug on his lawn tractor already…
Years ago, I had a Cub Cadet which spent more time in the shop than it did on the acreage so follow these tips to save some cash in the long run.

>>Before beginning, disconnect the spark plug wire.
>>Clean the underside of grass and other debris with a putty knife.
>>Unplug any vents and channels.
>>Remove the spark plug and replace with a new one. Tighten gently.
>>Remove the engine cover and brush away debris.
>>Drain & replace the old oil. Check your manual to get the right oil.
>>Remove and replace the air filter. Clean filter area with brush.

Find parts for your mower at local hardware and yard stores and eliminate a repair shop’s high markup replacement parts.

Keep your tools from rusting…

I forgot what its like to have a “Michigan basement,” prone to water seepage or flooding and with the boatloads of rain we’ve had recently, well, you guessed it…thank goodness we have a wet ‘n dry vac!

That moist air will get into your tool box and corrode your tools. Keep the air dry in your tool drawer or box by dropping a few of those silica gel packets (sold at hardware and crafts stores or they’re often free inside the packing material of items that have been shipped to you).
Once the packets become saturated, renew them by placing them near a 60-watt light bulb for about 15 minutes. You can also use mothballs to achieve the same effect.

Fuel saving tip. Fill up in early morning hours or later in the evening. Gasoline becomes denser when temps are coop. Fuel pumps only measure the volume of gas.

Making Use of Seed Swaps
One great way to save and find seeds is through formally organized seed libraries. But, there’s another way to save hard-to-find heirloom seeds that has been around forever — seed swapping.

Traditionally, a seed swap is an informal event where a group of gardeners/community members meet, usually in late winter or early spring to prepare for the upcoming growing season. Gardeners bring seeds saved from the previous season or even several seasons and any extra seeds that they can’t use for the upcoming season to trade with other gardeners.

Like seed libraries, seed swapping is a way to preserve the genetic and cultural diversity of heritage seeds and introduces us to new vegetables or flowers.
For many people, it’s an important way to pass down their cultural food traditions and to continue to grow food that comes from their home culture and that often have great significance to them. It is also a way to share heirloom food that has been grown in families for generations and is a way to preserve that family heritage. Get the full story at:

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/220/swap-seeds-to-save-money.html

Another useful site for small space gardening – many how-to videos

http://www.gardenguides.com/small-space-gardens/

Save on produce by hitting farmers markets late in the day. Faced with the prospect of having to haul their goods home, they’ll wheel and deal more.

The Nanny State Update…

U.S. Economy — The Big Picture…from Coin News, no surprises here!

There are few signs of any significant lane changing ahead. We have seen a serious slide in the American standard of living over the past [...]
Summarizing The Big Picture
The U.S. and European standard of living will fall in the coming years, and perhaps for two decades. We are only three years into the decline. Government officials will try to slow the decline by depreciating their currencies to improve exports. This is already causing oil, gold, and foreign investments to rise in U.S. dollar terms and these trends will continue.

Here and in Europe, government bonds will be harder to sell. The search for revenues and a desire to shrink deficits will prod governments into cutting defense and social expenditures, as well as raise taxes. In the U.S., earners in the top 10 percent (those with incomes of about $113,000 and up) will bear the brunt of the increases. The top 3 percent of U.S. earners currently pays more than half of U.S. individual income taxes. This situation will eventually cause many high-income earners to leave the U.S. and seek to earn or invest their money abroad, thereby further decreasing the tax base of the country.
The wealth of the nation will fall. Investors should protect themselves. It is not too late.

With So Much Economic “Slack,” Where is Inflation Coming From?
It’s a combination of key factors:
● U.S. money supply growth
● Money supply and credit growth in Europe, Japan, Russia, China, India, Brazil, and

http://www.coinnews.tv/u-s-economy-the-big-picture/

<<>>
When roasting or baking a whole chicken, bake with the breast side down. Most cookbooks instruct you to bake breast up, but the bird will remain moister when done this way.

What are you willing to pay for? The Parting Question…

Each issue of our newsletter brings a variety of useful tips and resources to either make money, save money or get something free. So that brings me to the question what would you pay for?

Aside from your normal overhead, things such as food and fuel, mortgage and daycare, clothing, etc., what kinds of specialized information would you be willing to pay for? Admittedly, the internet offers a tremendous range of free information and entertainment venues. Of course, we all know there are many illicit things some will pay for too…

Specialized knowledge is considered a key to financial success (read any of the Think & Grow Rich books). You already pay for specialized knowledge in the areas of medicine and dentistry. I pay for web related knowledge and some plumbing related matters. Over the years, many have paid me for my specialized knowledge in the area of publishing.

Most successful entrepreneurs had specialized knowledge they either acquired personally over the years or they ‘hired’ it. There is a famous story about Henry Ford once sued a fellow for accusing him of not being very smart. The prosecutor asked him a question to which Ford didn’t know the answer. However, he was quick to reply he didn’t need to know the answer personally, he surrounded himself with top graduates in every area of business who did know the answer!

There’s a young man in the Philippines who is making a fortune and he’s only 32 and his company will soon be on the stock exchange. What does he sell? All kinds of supplies related to farming…livestock feed, rural supplies, gardening related goods and the like.

What does this tell you? People always need food and there has been a worldwide spurt in gardening, community gardening and smaller urban farms. Like those who sold picks, shovels and whiskey to the California gold miners, they were the only ones who got rich.

Frankly, it makes wonder why I didn’t get into such a business. Stores like Cumberland Gap and Lehman’s in Ohio are doing quite well not only selling to locals, but online and through catalog sales.

http://www9.mailordercentral.com/cumberlandgeneral/

www.Lehmans.com

–If you have an idea for developing some product or service using these concepts, let me know!

I leave you with a little fun stuff! Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

How to catch snapping turtles with your bare hands-cute!

http://www.wimp.com/snappingturtles/

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Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

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To Serve Man, 9 Uses for Beer, More

Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. To serve man, tax campaign contributions
2. Making Money or Saving Money?
3. How to resolve customer disputes-greasing the squeaky wheel
4. 9 Unusual uses for beer
5. Frugal resources site, more cool free garden resources
6. Finding a used bomb shelter

“We used to be a free people. Now we are hedged in by millions of laws. Harassed by a plague of opportunistic lawyers. Harmed by regulations meant for our protection. Unnecessarily taxed to pay for a suffocating bureaucracy. Drowning in petty paperwork. Stifled by “rights” that rarely benefit anyone.”
– Joan Beck, Columnist

The Squeaky wheel gets the grease

Most of us have reason to complain from time to time. Defective products, poor service, or items which never arrive seem to top the list. Auto repair and online rip-offs always rank among the most complaints received at the Better Business Bureau.

Over the past few months we’ve experienced a ton of outages from our ISP. I have their customer hotline on speed dial. The reps who answer (all based in America) have all been pleasant and helpful. In fact, they’ve provided nearly two weeks worth of credits to us and they just sent me a freebie, six months worth of Showtime without cost or obligation. (in the past we avoided cable TV but reception is poor here and our digital antenna was destroyed by a careless worker).

Here are a few suggestions for voicing complaints which result in action.

>Complain by phone first; ask to speak with a supervisor if necessary. Keep a diary of all the actions you have taken and who you spoke with and the date.

>If that doesn’t work, write a formal letter, addressing it to the top person whenever possible.

>If you don’t get action within three weeks, call again. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, contact the Better Business Bureau and/or your local newspaper or TV consumer affairs reporter.

>The last action to consider is contacting the office of the Attorney General in the state where you live. They have a process for filing a formal complaint which can be found on their website. You’ll find a link to nearly all of the 50 states at the PoorManSurvival.com site – click on the Consumer Help tab.

For further help and insights, check these sites which offer advice and samples of complaint letters:
www.PlanetFeedback.com or www.My3Cents.com

Get rid of gum your kids stuck to the carpet or chair by spraying WD-40 over the spot. Wait 10 minutes and then wipe it away with a clean cloth. This handy stuff will also get rid of scuff marks on floors!

Poor Man’s “Betty Shocker” Compendium of Useful Stuff

Lower Cost DIY Solar Energy projects
Here’s a very inexpensive way to capture free solar energy and save on your gas or electric bills.
Some time back, I wrote about a program called Earth 4 Energy. It’s a downloadable, do-it-yourself guide with plans for building inexpensive solar panels and wind turbines to capture free electricity
SimpleHeaters.com claims that you can build your own solar hot water system for as little as $70. That’s for what they call a “batch heater” built with an old oil drum.

http://www.todaysplans.net/find-free-solar-green-home-plans.html

Need to measure something & don’t have a ruler? Use a dollar bill. It measures 6 inches.

Learn more about genetically modified foods – not pretty
Inst. For Responsible Technology – www.responsibletechnology.org

Welcome to Tipnut, an online guide that offers creative DIY tips, how-to’s, and projects for homemakers.

http://tipnut.com/

Nine surprising uses for beer
Beer. It refreshes and relaxes, it fuels sociability and cools the burn of spicy food. It is the most-widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, and the third most common beverage overall. It is the oldest alcoholic beverage produced — and in fact, the oldest known code of laws (the Code of Hammurabi ca 1750 B.C.) called for the death penalty for drinking-house proprietors found guilty of watering down their beer. (Those Babylonians took their suds seriously.) But aside from the numero uno use for beer-Read more at:

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/358/nine-surprising-uses-for-beer.html

Hey guys, here’s a freebie site just for you!
www.Free4Him.com

Sat, May 14th is Stamp Out Hunger Day – leave a bag of canned goods out for your postal worker to pick up.

How to Create a Home First Aid Kit
While there are a number of first aid kits available for purchase, they often lack some supplies you need or have extras you do not need. Instead of buying the prepackaged version, you can save money and ensure that your kit includes everything you need by creating your own.…keep reading

http://www.ehow.com/how_3391767_create-home-first-aid-kit.html

New Website from our friend Steve – you might make some dough with this!
For years I’ve been selling a ebook on renting rooms – room rentals paid off my first mortgage almost twenty years ago. You may have seen it advertised here. Now I’ve stopped selling it and put all the pages on a new website where you can read through it at your leisure. The site is…

http://www.howtorentrooms.com

Frugal Living Resources
With the results of recession hitting everyone’s life badly, frugal living has been the need of the hour and people look for all means to save those few extra dollars that they can in every small way. There are still thousands of people who are yet to recover from the after effects of recession. This has led people to reconsider the ways of buying and also the things that they buy. Add this frugal living resource to your collection.

http://www.frugalmeaning.com/index.html

More Free Garden Helpers…Design your garden in minutes – www.GardenPuzzle.com and www.SmallBluePrinter.com
Get a personalized growing calendar at: www.SproutRobot.com
Fend off pests & find the solution by using the free Pest & Disease Detective app at:
www.Gardeners.com

Spray your lawn and deck floor with Listerine to get rid of bugs.

Don’t spray directly on a wood
door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window
frames, and even inside the dog house.

Old time septic tank revitalizer. Into a quart of water, mix 1 lb. of brown sugar and one envelope of dried yeast. Pour down your toilet and flush. Promotes anerobic bacteria action – works!

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Guest post…

Making money or saving money – Which should get more importance

With the economy in the dumper and bleak job market, many people are facing problems with their finances. Only saving money too is not serving the whole purpose. Thus, it is better to both make and save money. Both of these will help you in debt reduction and better money management. However, it is also important for you to be a responsible person if you want to make and save money.

Making extra money
As the job market is still not looking up, many people are without jobs and even those who are earning are unable to earn good money in comparison to the time before the recession. So, the ways in which you can make extra money are:

Selling things online or offline – You can sell some items both offline or online. If you have a tendency to make new things like food items or craft materials, you can sell them in your neighborhood or online. With time, your popularity will increase and thus your earnings will increase too.

Tutoring – You can also offer tutoring online or offline for the students. Online tutorials have become very much popular nowadays and so if you have a knack to teach, you can submit your questions and answers for the help of the students. For this, you will get paid.

Freelancing or blogging – You can also make money through freelancing or blogging. If you think that you have a unique writing style and if you are original, if you have a flair for writing then both freelancing and blogging are great ways to make money.

Try investing money – Another great way to generate extra income is investing your money in the different investment vehicles. There are various such investment vehicles through which you may be able to earn some extra money. For example, stock investment, forex investment, gold investment, real estate investment and so on. You will have to invest your money in any of these options, the one that you think is more comfortable for you.
Participate in market research surveys – If you think that you have some opinion on the things that are happening, you can get paid for voicing it. There are many such companies who pay you for voicing your ideas. So, this is an option to make good money. Different companies depending on the services, offer maximum or minimum payments. So, you need to find out the payment details before starting with a company.

Saving money
Some of the ways in which you can save money are:

Lowering cell phone bills – In order to save money you will have to try and lower your cell phone bills. In addition, you can even try to lower your electricity bills. Lots of dollars get wasted on high electricity and phone bills.

Lowering usage of credit cards – You will also have to lower the usage of credit cards in order to save more money and work towards debt reduction. Credit cards are mainly for emergency purposes and so it is better to keep your plastic money for that purpose. In order to lower usage of credit cards you will have to try and lower your expenditures and use cash that you have in your hands to make your everyday expenses.

Budgeting – Budgeting helps you to lower your expenditures. So, you will have to prepare a budget and if required you can use an online budgeting tool.

Using discount coupons – Another way to save money is using discount coupons in order to buy the items that you need the most and that too in large amount.

Other than the above, you should also open a a savings account and put money into it each month. Both, earning more money and saving more money will help you in debt reduction in times of financial stress. So, you will have to do both at the same time.
Contributed by debtcc community.

Want to buy a used doomsday bunker–nicely appointed?
In the opening scene of a Twilight Zone episode called “The Shelter” a suburban doctor tells his neighbors he’s been constructing a fallout shelter in his basement. He’s greeted with laughter and raised eyebrows. “They all thought he was crazy,” says Robert Vicino, 57, a California property developer who features the episode on his website. “Then they heard sirens go off and heard news of an imminent nuclear attack.” Soon the skeptical neighbors are begging to be saved.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/focus-doomsday-bunker-robert-vicino-real-estate-apocalypse-sale.html

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The Nanny State Updates:

Amish Milk: The Latest Target of the Obama Regulatory State

Milk might do a body good, but if it’s unpasteurized milk sold by an Amish farmer across state lines, it’s a whole other story… or at least according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Washington Times reports:
A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband to willing customers in the Washington area.

The product in question: unpasteurized milk.
It’s a battle that’s been going on behind the scenes for years, with natural foods advocates arguing that raw milk, as it’s also known, is healthier than the pasteurized product, while the Food and Drug Administration says raw milk can carry harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli

Hotels, restaurants, airlines and other businesses open to the public need to make some adjustments soon. The federal government says they must accommodate the animals that help the blind and others with disabilities.

Dogs? No, miniature horses.

This may sound like a joke, but it isn’t. According to new guidelines issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses have to modify their “policies, practices or procedures” so that the pygmy ponies can be used as service animals.

Interesting news site addressing folly of Congress – destruction of economy

http://economyincrisis.org/

Find the cheapest products without skimping on quality at:
www.Cheapism.com

Parting thoughts…To Serve Man

The recent capture and killing of Osama certainly elevated the public mood and helped the stock market. However, it seems to me the public has developed a sense of detachment to our economy, other than fuel and grocery woes, no one seems much concerned about the downward economic spiral our country is taking.

I do believe it might be a case of Americans losing faith in their political system, but it’s tempered with a why worry, there’s nothing I can do about it, attitude.

The federal government continues its policies of eroding our Bill of Rights and the Constitution, but few seem to care. Apparently, as long as the Nanny State continues to hand out ‘benefits,’ we’re all cool and choose to ignore our plight. It reminds of an old Twilight Zone episode – To Serve Man.

The Kanamits, a race of nine-foot-tall aliens, land on Earth. One of them addresses the United Nations, vowing that his race’s motive in coming to Earth is solely to be helpful to humanity. Initially wary of the intentions of an alien race who came “quite uninvited,” even skeptical international leaders begin to be persuaded of the aliens’ benevolence when the Kanamits share their advanced technology, quickly putting an end to many of Earth’s greatest woes, including hunger; energy becomes very cheap; nuclear weapons are rendered harmless. The aliens even morph deserts into big, blooming fields. Trust in the Kanamits seems to be justified when Patty, one of a staff of US government cryptographers led by Mr. Chambers, cracks the title of a Kanamit book the spokesman left behind at the UN. Its title, she reveals, is To Serve Man.

If you’ve seen the episode, you already know it’s a cookbook (how to cook humans).

When it finally dawns on mainstream America that the dependability of our dollar and economy is an illusion, that our economy is actually worse than Portugal’s, what will we do?

Many of us feel the same way about Washington…Hello, I’m from the government and I’m here to help you!

Finally, here’s a good idea I heard on talk radio this week. We should begin taxing the campaign contributions politicians receive! My how that might change the campaign picture…less ads, perhaps less corruption. What do you think?

Fear. Panic. Famine. Uprising. Or the pain of just putting gas in your car these days.

The world’s a complex place. It ain’t getting any easier out there, either!

Here to serve…the Poor Man Survivor!

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Cash back on fuel,Free animal care library, More

Flint Farm Market

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Vendio offers free multi-channel storefront
2. Civilian Investigators save cities money-potential for you
3. Free animal care PDF library
4. Avoiding Craigslist scams
5. Cash back on your fuel purchases
6. Is your phone being tapped? How to find out.

I am optimistic about the future because it’s clear the federal government’s days as an ever-expanding bubble are numbered…the Fed, however, could artificially prolong and expand the bubble and because desperate governments are historically prone to extremism.
–Lee Bellinger

Farmer’s Market Adventure

Despite being billed as one of America’s most dangerous cities, we ventured out this weekend to the Flint Farmer’s Market. It was a beautiful day and we were greeted by vendors selling home made food items, vegetables, live plants, and handcrafted jewelry.

Survival Heirlooms, owned by the McCarthy’s, were offering heirloom seeds which can be purchased both wholesale and retail. They offered samples of homemade bread made from seed stock they sell – yummy! Learn more or place an order via their site at: SurvivalHeirlooms.com.

Jennifer Barnes of Upper Crust Candles was there. She’s teamed up with the talented Chef Douglas St. Souver of Artisans in Culinary, a wonder of art created entirely from food. Chef Souver is a Food Network Challenge Champion and is the host of ‘thefoodinsider.com.’ A good example of locally made food ‘art.’ View his site at: Click Here for ArtisanCulinary

Although early in the season, we found a nice selection of locally grown hot house grown vegetables. Still somewhat pricy, we filled a bag with a nice variety (we threw in some home made fudge too). There were several vendors selling fresh fish and locally raised meat. The fish was very reasonable, the meat was a bit costly but the home made sausages smelled wonderful and brought back memories of the West Side Market in Cleveland, OH that I used to visit. The West Side Market still gets my top vote as being the best local market in the midwest.

The greater Cleveland area always offered the best independently owned, ethnic restaurants in my opinion. The Tic-Toc Tavern on Cleveland’s near west side had the best ribs and Gus, its owner was featured in Playboy Magazine a couple of times. Whenever I visted the west side, I always made a stop at the now defunct, Smiling Dog Saloon, where I made friends with one of its frequent entertainers, Herbie Hancock. The Poor Man likes his jazz!

It’s always a good idea to support your local farmers and merchants. The food quality is healthier and it’s a nice way to give your local economy a boost. With spring finally here, it’s time for the Poor Man to get cracking on his spring planting!

Prune broken branches before the spring growing season starts.

Poor Man’s ‘Betty Shocker’ – Compendium of useful stuff

Mesa civilian investigators save money, create rapport with public
Arizona city explores a cheaper way to report, respond and investigate crime while lowering their cost. This innovation could be a job opportunity for you while serving your community. Read the article and if interested, approach your local police department and/or city hall. Grants are available to cities who implement such programs and the training isn’t lengthy or very difficult.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/07/19/20100719mesa-civilian-police-investigators0717.html#ixzz1LVXWPiIr

Home improvement & DIY resources
HGTV’s The Fix. www.hometips.com.

Find a whole bunch of animal care reports here…chickens, goats, deer, etc. – free!

http://www.feeddealer.com/publications/LOL_PMI/Better_Animals/Better_Animals_Archive.htm

Get Cash Back on fuel fill ups

During a conversation about fuel prices it’s been suggested Americans are being conditioned over time to accept higher prices. Analysts are saying prices will come down 50 cents a gallon, still significantly higher than last year.
Here’s a credit card that gives rewards now and offers cash rebates on gas…The Discover Open Road card (2% back, up to $250 per billing cycle). Find this & other cards at: Click here for PumpandSave

A duck egg can be used for anything a chicken egg would, but take size differences into account for recipes. Aside from being larger, they have thicker whites & larger yokes & have higher protein content.

Avoid Craigslist Scams

I posted some items on Craigslist for a friend of mine and we were both amazed at the scam artists flew from the woodwork; scams I thought had faded away. In particular, the old “let me have my agent bring a bank check over, it’s for $500 more than your price but if you cash it, I’ll let you have the half of that.”

If you get such an offer, delete immediately. Here are a few more tips:

>Deal locally and if they want to meet, choose a neutral ground if possible, not your home.
>Take cash only, no checks, period!

>If possible, check out your buyer first by looking them up in the white pages of the phone directory. If they are listed, that’s a good sign they are genuine.

>Do not wire money or email credit card numbers – almost always a sure sign of a scam.
Do not put smoke alarms in laundry rooms, kitchens or garages…fumes and steam will cause them to go off.

Vendio offers multi-channel storefronts to sell from – free
Vendio is a multi-channel automation platform that allows you to sell on both eBay and Amazon from one central inventory controlled space. For the past few months, Vendio has been making an incredible offer of a Free Vendio Store when you sign up for any of Vendio’s services. A Vendio Store is a full-featured e-commerce website. It comes with a shopping cart built in and is set up so users can find you in Google searches.

As part of the deal, Vendio has committed to the store always being free. Once you sign up there are no set-up fees, no hosting charges and no listing or selling fees – here is a list some of what you’ll receive with the free Vendio store.
Sell products from your own free online store and pay no hosting fees, listing fees, or transaction fees!

See that last item about Vendio Applications? Well one of Vendio’s newest applications is a built-in utility that will list all of the products in your Vendio Store on Facebook.

http://www.vendio.com/

Get a web presence without a site
Websites can be expensive to host and maintain, not everyone wants take such a project on, especially if budgets are tight. Aside from Twitter, LinkedIn and face book, there are other avenues you can use to create a web presence without the expense or a lot of time.

To build an online presence consider such free blog hosting sites as: blogger.com. WordPress.com or Tumblr.com
>Place a free business card listing at: DooID.com
>Networking site for entrepreneurs-free basic listing at: Manta.com
>Online site for handmade and vintage goods – Etsy.com

You might also consider a low-cost basic storefront site on eBay or Overstock.com

>>>

Protect brain cells by skipping fast food. Brittish researchers found diets containing high fructose corn syrup, saturated fats are associated with memory loss in as little as nine days!

How to know if your phone is being tapped…

A few years ago when cordless phones started to become popular, it was pretty easy for anyone to buy a scanner from Radio Shack and sit in a car near your home and eavesdrop on your conversation.

Listening devices have become more sophisticated in that police and other busybodies can use parabolic devices to listen from a distance…or they can tap a telephone pole connection. If you believe you are the target of eavesdropping, here are some signs to look for:

*Strange sounds coming from the phone (static, squealing or scratching noise, volume changes or other odd sounds).

*Interference on your home or car radio.

*A phone repairman shows up – even though you didn’t call one.

*Friends or associates suddenly know things you didn’t tell them.

Search for transmitters by removing the battery, hearing or speaking component from phones. Remove or disable GPS from your cell phone. Use an air siren, like the kind boaters use, to blast the speaking piece every so often. Here are some additional useful resources to use:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/telephone-tapping-devices-how-to-tap-a-telephone.html

Resource for tools which can detect if your phone is being tapped…

http://eyespysupply.com/super-tap-buster—telephone-tap-detector.html

http://www.advanced-intelligence.com/telephone.html

The Nanny State Updates

Obama’s Anti-Energy Policies Are Bankrupting America
Randall Stilley has witnessed firsthand the Obama administration’s job-killing agenda. As the president and chief executive of Seahawk Drilling, he had to lay off 632 employees before filing for bankruptcy — a direct result of President Barack Obama’s anti-energy policies.

Stilley’s company owned and operated 20 shallow-water rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The lack of energy production — a consequence of Obama’s drilling moratorium and subsequent “permitorium” — led to Seahawk’s demise. Now he’s speaking out, sharing Seahawk’s story in a new video from Heritage and the Institute for Energy Research. (Click to watch.)

http://www.youtube.com/heritagefoundation?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

>A six-year-old boy from WI has been charged with first-degree sexual assault for “playing doctor” with a 5-year-old girl. Prosecutors state that it’s all about ‘making sure he gets the help he needs.’ Good thing the PM isn’t six anymore!

>Heard on the street…If bin Laden’s death spurs the US to exit the war in Afghanistan, the result would boost confidence in the US dollar and send commodity prices south. Sugar, cotton and silver prices have already gone down, will oil be next?

Plan being circulated by White House to tax you on the number of miles you drive!
A vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax could be tracked by installing electronic equipment on each car to determine how many miles were driven; payment could take place electronically at filling stations. Read the bill:

http://thehill.com/images/stories/blogs/flooraction/Jan2011/draftdot.pdf

Need to fix driveway cracks after a tough winter? Wait for a warm day. Most sealants fail when temps are below 50 or if it rains before they set. Always a quality sealant such as Quikrete.

How the fed violates the Constitution-the parting thought

The power to declare war is vested with Congress, but that body has forsaken that responsibility. In fact, we’ve not had an official declaration of war since the second world war. Presidents have gotten away with dozens of unofficial wars ever since all in violation of the Constitution.

Politicians at every level ranging from Congress and the office of the President to state and local officials have been violating the Bill of Rights and Constitution for decades.
Much of this got its start with the ‘the general welfare’ clause which Congress has taken to mean they have the power to do whatever they want; often supported by judges who seem ignorant of the law.

No, our Constitution is not some flexible document meant to be molded to left wing politics.

Jefferson and James Madison vehemently warned against the potential for unbridled power in a central government. That’s why we supposedly have checks and balances. The feds routinely trample states rights and people’s rights in direct violation of several amendments, but especially the 9th Amendment.

The enumeration of the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

James Madison promoted this view (against the ‘general welfare’ clause and its mis-use by Congress and the courts)…

“If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers, they may take into their own hands the education of children establishing in like manner schools throughout the United States, they may assume the provision for the poor, they may undertake the regulation of all roads; in short, everything, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress.”

Clearly, Congress has overstepped its Constitutional boundaries with the welfare system, our federal highway system and now with the mandatory health care system. Are these not impeachable offenses? Is it any wonder this nation is bankrupt?

How optimistic are you as to how much longer the government spending bubble will last? They seem to artificially prolong and expand spending but as we history tells us, desperate governments are prone to extremism. Is your financial lifeboat ready?

Yours for cautious confusion, the Poor Man

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Government Attic-Cool Declassified Files

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. America’s deepening crisis AND a plan to fix it
2. US Uncut-program declares war on corporate tax cheats
3. The government attic – cool declassified documents
4. EcoBold – an opportunity to sell your green products
5. Find missing manuals – fast and free

“Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.”– John Adams
(1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President

Robber barons and Washington

It’s easy to become an anti-capitalist given what they teach in school and how Wall Street (with government assistance) managed to topple our economy. On one hand we learned in school how the ‘robber barons’ managed to build huge business empires using underhanded methods to trample their competitors (think of oil baron John Rockefeller)…much of this is simply not true.

Otherwise sensible people fall for this sham but I suggest any of them should read Ludwig von Mises’ book The Anti-Capitalist Mentality.

There is little question Wall Street barons have often entered into all too cozy relationships with Washington. Going back to the Clinton years and ever since, most Presidents have surrounded themselves with guys who have gotten wealthy by manipulating the tax laws in their favor, while ignoring workers.

Farm and oil subsidies are two that come to mind easily. Is there any reason we should be giving out billions in tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies?

Entrepreneurs like Rockefeller and Carnegie actually did more for their country than Washington with their funding of libraries, museums, symphonies and more. Professor Burton Folsom once did a study on the titans of American business and found there are two kinds of business people. One he calls ‘market entrepreneurs,’ those who grew wealthy because they improved people’s standards of living and supplied them with goods more inexpensively than their competitors.

The others he calls ‘political entrepreneurs.’ Those who amassed their fortunes due to their influence on government and gain of privilege or who they paid off in Washington to look the other way. That pretty much summarizes how those who packaged derivatives, shoddy mortgages and the like, managed to get rich while bankrupting their firms and duping the American public. One example I like to think of is the junk bond king, Michael Milken, who milked profitable companies dry while getting rid of employees.

Despite also being the head of a non-profit family charity, it was Wall Street pirates like Milken who gave capitalism a bad name. Learn more about Folsom at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Folsom

Any toothpaste will do according to the ADA so long as it has fluoride-No need for high priced brands

Poor Man’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of useful information

At BuildItSolar.com, engineer, invent or and author Gary Reysa presents do-it-yourself projects, experiments, downloadable books, articles and guides, passive solar home designs, and enjoyable, educational projects that you can do with your kids. You can learn how to do hundreds of energy saving projects – from changing a light bulb to building a solar home. You can join an experimental section for backyard inventors. And, you can see some Frugal Energy Saving Projects – a collection of ninety do-it-yourself projects that cost little and save a lot.

Cheap Eats
A Web site that helps you find restaurants to eat at. This one specializes in restaurants you can eat at for under $10.

All you do is type in your city, state or the zip code of where you want to eat. Then click on the Search button. It will search the database and generate a listing of restaurants where you can eat a meal for under $10!
This Web site is a handy tool whether you’re a local looking for a cheap meal or a tourist visiting a new city.

http://www.ueatcheap.com/

Find electronic copies of hundreds of interesting Federal Government documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Fascinating historical documents, reports on items in the news, oddities and fun stuff and government bloopers, they’re all here at:

http://governmentattic.org/

Find missing manuals fast – Your first option is to head to the manufacturers website to do a search. If unsuccessful with this approach, you might find the manual you need at:
www.SafeManual.com
>>>
Find your missing pet with these helpful, free sites:
www.PetFinder.com
For a small fee you can register your pet at:
www.PetAmberAlert.com or LostMyDoggie.com

New subscriber Mike has a useful site and offers this deal to fellow subscribers…
I have May Day 3600 food bars for sale. I have 10 cases left of my last shipment. Free delivery in Wexford, Missaukee, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse and Antrim Counties for a case or more of the 3600 bars. May be a gas charge beyond these counties.
Go To: www.northernfort.com
Email: northernfort@charter.net
Mike V
Northern Fort

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Reader Comment:

I enjoy many of your insights, especially taxing politicians on their campaign contributions – very novel. Personally, I’d cut their pensions and make them contribute to their health care costs too. What the hell, most of them are wealthy. If we wanted to cut the deficit we should eliminate our current tax system and implement a flat rate for everyone, including corporations (no more free rides). I also like your idea of eliminating taxes to individuals on the first $25,000 of income. Our leaders have proven themselves insane as they trample our rights and spend us into bankruptcy. I know it’s easy to be a critic rather than offer constructive ideas for fixing our country – but YOU do. A second American Revolution should be initiated by the states who now cow tow to all federal demands. They have the power and people would support an effort of this nature. –Jeffrey D of Atlanta

The trend toward and eco-friendly lifestyle is always growing. People are beginning to care a little more about what is in their food, the ingredients in their moisturizer, and just how earth-friendly the products they buy really are. Individual sellers are popping up everywhere to help fill those needs, and Ecobold is giving them a place to sell those products.

Ecobold is a lot like a store. Although they do not sell any products of their own making, they help connect a variety of eco, natural, and organic sellers with people who are looking for those types of products. They also cut out the costs of a physical store by selling solely online. Anyone can surf in and find the products they need, and they help introduce customers to new products by featuring a daily discount.

http://www.ecobold.com/

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Get free gardening advice by joining a gardening club. Add crushed eggshells to your compost. They make a good fertilizer and they keep snails, slugs and cutworms away.

The Nanny State Update…

According to the latest report on consumer prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
–A pound of sliced bacon now costs 10.5% more than it did just last year …
–A pound of salted butter will run you 17.8% more …
–And a pound of field-grown tomatoes are up a whopping 23.7% vs. last year!
In fact, the BLS says all six major categories of grocery items rose during just the last month … with fresh veggies gaining 4.7% hot on the heels of a 6.7% jump in the prior month!

A lot of talk about what to cut in government budgets. Perhaps if corporations like GE paid their fair share, or anything for that matter, out national debt might not be in such bad shape. In England there is a group called UK Uncut, which is protesting austerity measures against the poor and elderly. If such a policy were implemented here, we’d gain another $100 Billion annually. There is now such a movement here. Learn more at: www.usuncut.org

Frugal gardeners are finding bags of potting soil, pots and more Free at their city dump

The Parting Shot

“America’s Middle Class Crisis: The Sobering Facts” -Associated Press

Is financial Armageddon upon us? See end for a real plan to save America.

There are 8.5 million people receiving unemployment insurance and over 40 million receiving food stamps.

>At the current pace of job creation, the economy won’t return to full employment until 2018.

>Middle-income jobs are disappearing from the economy. The share of middle-income jobs in the United States has fallen from 52% in 1980 to 42% in 2010.

>Middle-income jobs have been replaced by low-income jobs, which now make up 41% of total employment.

>17 million Americans with college degrees are doing jobs that require less than the skill levels associated with a bachelor’s degree.

>Over the past year, nominal wages grew only 1.7% while all consumer prices, including food and energy, increased by 2.7%.

>Wages and salaries have fallen from 60% of personal income in 1980 to 51% in 2010. Government transfers have risen from 11.7% of personal income in 1980 to 18.4% in 2010, a post-war high.

Housing prices are predicted to fall another 8 percent in 2011. And the percentage of homeowners in negative-equity positions — with a home worth less than its mortgage — has rocketed to 28%, a new crisis high.
Zillow, a real estate analyst firm, now predicts prices will fall about 8% this year and says it no longer expects the market to bottom before 2012

These stats always make me wonder – Is the U.S. really likely to default on its debt? Or is it more likely that global investors will simply crash the treasury market first – or will what’s left of the middle class simply vanish!

The documentary film The Economics of Happiness takes a look at how the rise of consumerism since the 1950s has coincided with Americans’ general loss of satisfaction with our lives. Watch the trailer at:

http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity – finally, someone other than the Poor Man with a viable plan!

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2011/05/Saving-the-American-Dream-The-Heritage-Plan-to-Fix-the-Debt-Cut-Spending-and-Restore-Prosperity?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

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A Shallow Planet Production

Free stuff for illegals,Discounts, Free ID Theft Service

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:

1. Free stuff for illegals fact or fiction?
2. Save Money at the pump, discount pet goods
3. Free ID Theft Services
4. Being frugal tips
5. Pension fund grab – the parting thought

“The fatal attraction of government is that it allows busybodies to impose
decisions on others without paying any price themselves. That enables them to
act as if there were no price, even when there are ruinous prices — paid by
others.”
– Thomas Sowell

Free Stuff for Illegals – Fact or Fiction?

There is an email circulating the web indicating that students who are here illegally can get free housing, free PELL grants, gas cards and more while attending college. Hate to burst that balloon, but that information is false – but…

Access to welfare has been a principle of American domestic policy since colonial times. The federal law, established in 1882 and strengthened in the early twentieth century, was that immigration officials should refuse entry to any non-citizen who appeared likely to become a “public charge” and should deport those who did, although actual deportations of public charges have been rare.

Federal law does allow for dozens of benefits to those who are in America under a variety of programs but not ‘legal’ citizens. Being a refugee, temporary Visa status, asylum status, being a ’battered’ refugee and more are just some of conditions for getting free government benefits.

Since America is one of the few countries that grants automatic citizenship to children born here to illegals, this is the process most often used to get federal and state benefits such as ADC, WICK, housing subsidies, free schooling, free medical care and more. According to the Census Bureau, Hispanics reproduce at a rate three times higher than whites and account for a large percentage of welfare benefits.

In 1994, 58% of California voters approved a ballot proposition to ban welfare for illegal immigrants.

A Federal judge overturned this state law on 14th Amendment grounds by stating that it denied illegal immigrants the “equal protection” of the law. In 1994, California had an estimated 1.3 million illegal immigrants, which included approximately 308,000 illegal immigrant children.

One result was that more than 70 California hospitals closed during a 10-year time span as they could no longer afford to give away free health care.

It’s wrong to call people illegal aliens. The correct term is “Unregistered Democrats.”

As we’ve written before, Mexico is happy to have their citizens come to America as it relieves their country of the expense of caring for indigent citizens. At one time, the largest American export to Mexico were US dollars, sent home by immigrants working here illegally. Just before we moved out of AZ, the Arizona Republic carried a story of how the economic hardships hit illegals too…”Maria was unhappy because Juan could no longer send money home to finish the remodeling of our upstairs.”

Latino gangs have spread throughout the country and essentially rule many parts of LA. While living in AZ there was in increase in crime including cop killing, smuggling of guns, drugs and human traffickers. Few in AZ would argue that illegals have caused a growth in violent crime and few would deny the right for people to enter this country legally.

Most taxpayers are tired of paying for the health care and education of illegitimate children born to non-citizens. During an interview with one young mother of two out-of-wedlock children on welfare, she was asked why she didn’t use birth control. “Oh the Pope tells us not to use birth control.” Well, doesn’t the Pope also tell you not to have sex outside of marriage?

Quick Toothpaste Substitute
When you run out of your regular toothpaste, make a paste with baking soda and water—use about 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of water.
Brush extra gently at the gum line because the baking soda can be irritating.

Poor Man’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of Useful Stuff

Grand Re-Opening Coupon For My Friends and Customers
For our Energy Saving, Green Irene webstore…
Enter this in the coupon code section of the checkout page

mytreat10

to receive $10 off a purchase of at least $25
We have 100s of new products, a great new e commerce experience and NO SALES TAX
is charged on shipments (except to NY state). We have reduced our shipping charges
as well!

Note: HURRY ! Expires Monday 5/23/11 12:01 AM EST. Cannot be used with any other
coupon code. Can only be used once per customer. Subtotal in cart must equal $25.00
before shipping or tax for coupon to register.
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan

Credit or Debit?
When you have a Visa or Mastercard debit card you normally have a choice to use it as a debit or credit card. If you are at a grocery store and the screen asks for your PIN or security code, for example, hit “cancel” and it should go to the credit screen, which just requires your signature. In this way the charge is run through the Visa or Mastercard network and you have protection if you want to dispute a charge – which you normally do not have with a bank account debit. The money still comes from your checking or savings account.

Save money at the pump.
Rich Doble, founder of Savvy-Discounts.com and coauthor of Cheaper: Insiders’ Tips for Saving on Everything

*Replace your air filter regularly. A clogged air filter can reduce fuel efficiency by up to 10%. Filters typically last about 12 months or 12,000 miles, but inspect yours every three months. If you see significant amounts of grime on the filter, replace it. Check your air filter every one to two months if you do a lot of driving on dirt roads. Replacing an air filter is a simple job — the vehicle’s owner’s manual explains how. Replacement air filters typically cost less than $15.

*Check your tire pressure at least once every three months. Keeping tires inflated to the recommended pressure could improve your fuel efficiency by 10%. It also could extend the life of your tires and reduce the odds of a dangerous blowout. The proper tire pressure should be listed in the owner’s manual, inside the driver’s door of the vehicle or inside the glove compartment on a sticker.

*Use cruise control when driving on open roads. Cruise control keeps the vehicle’s speed much steadier than you could on your own. Even slight surges in speed result in noticeably lower fuel efficiency.
Exception: Turn off the cruise control when driving on mountainous terrain. Trying to hold to a specific speed on steep inclines and declines tends to use more gas, not less.

Free ID Theft Services Introduced
Two new services to help protect and warn you about ID theft have just been introduced. Some individual elements of these services may be valuable, while others are worth what you are paying — nothing. The first is AllClear ID Free. It keeps checking the Internet and reports of breaches to see if your information is found. It also helps if you are a victim of ID theft. ID Safe also does some online scanning, covers you for $50,000 of out of pocket costs, and gives you a free credit score monthly.

Daily Deals on Pet Products
Each day this site features a pet toy, blanket, treat or other goodie for your pet at 50 to 90 percent off its original price and free shipping – each deal lasts 24-hours.
www.BarkingDeals.com

Your meds can harm your pets. Keep all medications out of handbags and low shelves.

Consumers Can Use Unredeemed Gift Cards to Pay Bills
Plastic Jungle partnered with ChargeSmart, an online consumer
bill payment portal, to enable customers to use unredeemed gift
cards to make payments on utility, car and mortgage bills.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m05/i13/s04

No fuss seed planting. Dampen a length of string and dunk it into your pack of seeds. Then stretch the string out in your garden and cover with dirt. Provides an easy straight row!

Being frugal helps you to cut costs and stay away from debt

Being frugal helps you to cut down on your expenditures, save money and also stay away from debt. Being frugal doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to become cheap or a miser. There are various things through which you can become frugal and can still maintain the things that you want to use. Frugality involves cutting down on the costs of your living and so you are able to stay away from falling knee-deep into debts. This is a time of hard economic crisis. The country has still not been able to totally come out of the economic depression of the recession (2007-2009).

How can you be frugal?

Some of the interesting ways in which you can practice frugal living are:

1. Rent rather than buy – It is better to rent rather than buying a house. If you need a new accommodation consider renting good place rather than owning that home. Owning a home costs you a lot as it includes various costs starting from financing it, insuring the house, costs of repairing and maintaining the house as and when needed. All these costs are not involved with renting. So, this helps you to save lots of money.

2. Buy second hand car or small car – You can also buy a second hand car or a small car or may be a low profile car instead of the high profile ones or rather a new car. The second hand cars cost you less. On the other hand, if you buy a small car or a low profile car, you won’t be compromising on the quality of the car and the advantage is that you will have to pay smaller premiums against the insurance for your car. However, while buying a second hand car, try to be careful about the condition of the car as it can cost you lots if you need to repair it.

3. Give up on branded items – You can also be frugal if you give up on branded items in respect to clothes, perfumes, furnishings and even food. Local brands do not merely produce bad products. So, while you go for grocery shopping, try to find out items that are from local brands. These cost you much less. Similarly, while going to shop for clothes, for example jeans, try out some simple lesser known brands.

4. Use discount coupons – You can also be frugal through the usage of discount coupons. These help you to save lots of dollars without compromising on the quality or the quality of the product. You will be able to get these coupons from different magazines that you read and the newspapers. You can also get such coupons from different stores too and through little on-line research.

5. Make careful use of electricity – Use electricity carefully so that you don’t burn extra electricity. For example, remember to switch off the lights and the air cooler while leaving the room or your home for work. In addition, you can also put off the air conditioner after some time. And can also use a power saving strip that saves power by outing off electric appliances while not in use.

6. Cook food at home rather than eating out – You can also save money if you give up on eating out regularly. It is better to eat at home and this also helps you to maintain good health as foods cooked at home are healthier.

Another very important thing to be included in frugal living is stockpiling. Stockpiling is buying those items in stocks that you need the most. If you buy items in stocks, you may even get added discounts. In addition, you will also be able to save on gas as you won’t need to drive all over again in order to shop on the necessary items every two weeks. For more you may Visit : http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/

Put a large plastic bag in a big (5-gallon) plastic bucket. Then fill the bag (and the bucket) with your tools, gloves, bulbs, seeds, bottle of drinking water and cell phone, and take the bucket to the garden.
Once you’ve reached the patch of garden you plan on tending, empty the contents of the plastic bag onto the ground. Then turn the bucket over, have a seat and get to work.

The Nanny State Updates

Police Violence
Due to a variety of factors, police violence is increasingly common. Of course violence is part of the job at times, but I am referring to what in my mind amounts to police brutality and police misconduct in general. More specifically, the problem is the excessive use of force in making arrests and pursuing cases that involve minor crimes.

In reason magazine Radley Balko writes about the increasing police violence and rights-violations by officers and organizations around the country, and he never runs out of true stories to make his point. For example, in 2008 a SWAT team from the Prince Georges County, Maryland police raided the home of Cheye Calvo, mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland. A package of marijuana had been sent to that his address without his knowledge, one of several sent to random addresses and expected to be intercepted before delivery by a conspirator in the delivery service. Instead it was discovered by police who allowed the delivery and then broke down Calvo’s door and shot his two Labrador retrievers before holding him and his mother-in-law at gunpoint for hours.

Police eventually realized Calvo was innocent, but say to this day that if they had to do it over again they would do it the same way. This is despite the fact that…
Continues here…

http://www.thesecretinformationsite.com/police-violence.html

Will YOU be labeled an “enemy combatant”?
Don’t laugh. Janet Napolitano and her security council have classified what many would call “core” Americans as potential terrorists.

Do you believe in a right to life? Then you’re suspect…

Are you an American soldier returning from war? Oh gosh, we better get surveillance on you…

Do you sport a Ron Paul bumper sticker on your car? Maybe you should be detained…

Do you believe in the Constitution and have a copy of it? Well, you’re the biggest threat of all…

Senate Bill 3081 from the 111th Congress would allow the U.S. military to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens that were considered a terrorist threat, “without being charged with a crime, without being read a Miranda warning, without trial, without access to their 5th and 6th Amendment rights and without their rights under Article 3 Section 3 of the Constitution based on suspected activity.” (RedState.com)
Thanks to Solutions from Science!

Everything is free in America…free health care, food, schools, housing and more!
A substantial percentage of young illegal immigrants end up in gangs. U.S. authorities say that there are now over 1 million members of criminal gangs operating inside the United States. According to federal statistics, these 1 million gang members are responsible for up to 80% of the violent crimes committed in the U.S. each year. Latino gangs made up primarily of illegal aliens are responsible for much of this violence.
On the issue of the whether to raise the debt ceiling—allowing the government to borrow and spend even more money—President Barack Obama has resorted to dire predictions about what could happen if Congress does not take action. The Hill reports:

If investors around the world thought that the full faith and credit of the United States was not being backed up, if they thought that we might renege on our IOUs, it could unravel the entire financial system,” Obama said at a town hall meeting hosted by CBS last week but released Sunday.
“We could have a worse recession than we already had, a worse financial crisis than we already had.”
>>>
Governments are bureaucracies too, of course, whose core mission is to control and regulate – not liberate – the population. Enhancing individuality runs counter to “governing.”
Far from encouraging and nourishing entrepreneurship, our system, with all-too-rare exceptions, pathologizes it, drugs it, “disciplines” it, suffocates it in the cradle.

The Parting thought – Pension fund grab

The Poor Man has warned of this months ago…only a matter of time before they target your pensions and retirement accounts too!

The Obama administration will begin to tap federal retiree programs to help fund operations after the government loses its ability Monday to borrow more money from the public, adding urgency to efforts in Washington to fashion a compromise over the debt.

The maneuver buys Geithner only a few months of time. If Congress does not vote to raise the debt limit by Aug. 2, Geithner says the government is likely to default on some of its obligations, which he says would cause enormous economic harm and the suspension of government services including the mailing of Social Security checks.

But if you think the dollar is the only paper currency in the world losing its purchasing power, think again. VIRTUALLY EVERY CURRENCY ALIVE TODAY HAS BEEN LOSING PURCHASING POWER FOR DECADES.

Yours for disgusted in America, the Poor Man – Thanks for being a fanatical follower!

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A shallow Planet Production

DIY Beer Cannon, Thrifty Outlets, Adult Hostels

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. DIY ‘suds slugger’ beer cannon w/ free launcher app
2. Save money while traveling with adult hostels
3. New – Portable fuel cells you can use now
4. Frugal living with thrift store, bakery outlets, etc.

In politics stupidity is not a handicap–Napoleon Bonarparte

Prosperity in the 1920s vs 2011 – Politicians should do no harm

The stock market crash in 1929 brought an end to nearly a decade of prosperity in the United States. The crash, despite what some historians suggest, was brought about by the Federal Reserve. Historians have also suggested that President Hoover stood by and did nothing. Hoover should have learned a lesson from Warren Harding, the previous president. Harding tightened federal purse (1920-21) strings by cutting spending – the economy was hopping within a year.

Hoover actually did more than any other peacetime president; in fact virtually all of the New Deal program Roosevelt launched, were initiated by Hoover. In 1931, after three years of federal intervention, the economic situation deteriorated even more. Wage controls and meddling with the agriculture business helped ruin the economy even more. Indeed, during a time of mass hunger, Roosevelt ordered the slaughter of six million pigs and the destruction of 10 million acres of cotton to ‘help’ boost prices.
The passing of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff was supposed to protect American farmers and despite demands to rescind this bill, Hoover went ahead with it. It raised tariffs by an average of 59% on 25,000 items which American industry right between the eyes. Other countries retaliated with like minded taxes and the economy was further destroyed by the Revenue Act of 1932 which massively increased taxes and wiped out investment dollars which were sorely needed at the time.

When FDR took office, he directed the government to ‘increase prosperity’ through more central planning and control. Of course, that didn’t work. America did not truly see an end to the Great Depression until after WWII when we returned to free market standards again.

There’s more as to how Roosevelt did not help the economy, such as the creation of the Wagner Act in 1935. Great for unions, not so great for businesses and the economy in the long run. It actually made us poorer and as we’ve seen in WI and other states, we cannot afford higher than private sector wages and benefits for government union workers.

Politicians need to take the same oath as medical providers learn – First, do no harm! Second, they need to learn to stop blaming the public for their out-of-control spending for the past 35 years. As population, we need to stop their foolish policies or they’ll do even more harm to this country – if that is possible. Third, we should get rid of the fed and retake the minting of our own money.
What it boils down to – whenever the government comes to our ‘rescue’ with some hairbrained scheme, it almost always does more harm than good but no politician ever seems to learn from history (think Prohibition and the subsequent rise of organized crime and today’s war on drugs).

>>>

Get rid of gnats while gardening by tucking a few fabric softener sheets under your collar. The sheets contain linalool, a colorless alcohol which is toxic to insets.

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ compendium of useful stuff

Is your PC sluggish? Try this free program that scrubs away items associated with software you no longer use or have uninstalled.
TweakNow

Build your own ‘suds slugger’ beer can cannon
Over the past two years the Poor Man has brought you DIY plans for spud guns, electric bikes, wind turbine systems, composting toilets and more. Here’s a project to please the guys. Takes about two days to build and offers a free Iphone controller too! Brought to you from the good guys at Popular Science magazine. Search for the free App in the iTunes store – free download.
Popsci.com/beer cannon. Watch this cute video of a beer cannon in action.
Beer Can Cannon Videos…

New – Portable fuel cells to charge your gadgets
Hydrogen fuel cells are finally starting to make it into the marketplace – these charges can be stashed in a back pack and they’re environmentally friendly. Check out:
MyFC PowerTrekk at: powertrekk.com
Horizon MiniPak at: horizonfuelcell.com

Cheap Travel Resources…
Save a bundle in your travels using hostels.
When the PM was a younger man, he used hostels for my international travel stays. They’re not just for youth anymore. Here are some resources to locate hostels in America:

USHostels

http://www.usa.worldweb.com/WheretoStay/Hostels/

Top of your fuel tank on Wednesday. Stations raise their prices on weekends – thanks to GasBuddy.com!
If you’re a AAA member, you can save time and money on trips

>TripTik: Online tool and iPhone app that helps map your routes and gas prices. Before you head out, visit their Fuel Price Finder at:
AAA.com/FuelFinder

>Traffic & Construction mapping tool: Offers a real-time online traffic update. View live traffic cameras (not available in all areas) and find traffic delays.
AAA.com/Traffic

A dirty air filter will ruin your gas mileage. To save as much as 14% on fuel, replace it every 12 months or 12,000 miles. This small service can save about 50 cents a gallon!

New Job Resources…
HOME-BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT LEADS AT CONTRACTXCHANGE.COM
ContractXchange.com, which posts home-based customer service jobs, contacted us recently to let us know they’ve been uploading quite a few leads.

A sampling of jobs from them includes:
*Reliance Home Comfort, Accounts Receivable: Now Hiring 12 Home Office Contract Agents
*Pizza Pizza, Bilingual Order Entry: Now Hiring 25 Bilingual Contract Home Agents
*Direct Energy Inbound Sales: Now Hiring 36 Bilingual Contract Home Agents
For more, see http://www.contractxchange.com/
Thanks to RatRaceRebellion.com

It’s getting to be BBQ time again – tenderize a cheap cut of meat by generously salting and let it sit for an hour prior to grilling. The salt will draw out water and dissolve; then it will be reabsorbed and break down the meat. Wipe away excess salt water just before cooking.

JobVirtue.com, JobVirture a professional network created especially for job seekers to keep in touch with each other and to search for jobs, and for employers to post those jobs.

Our recent garage sale found a lot of leftover goods including many music Cds and movie DVDs.
CashforCDs.com to the rescue – gather six or more games, Cds or DVDs and earn cash and they pay for postage too!

Thrift stores offer path to frugal living

The economy has kicked a lot of budgets square in the teeth. A long time proven method of saving money is to shop at thrift stores. Despite rising prices at most non-profit stores such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill, judicious shopping will continue to reward you with good bargains.

Shop often as merchandise changes daily…best day in our opinion is Monday and Tues, right after garage sales end and folks donate their left over goods.

1. Goodwill Outlet Stores Now The Goodwill typically has some good deals if you are willing to do some digging.

2. Freecycle Why pay when you can get it for free? Freecycle is a network of individuals who are literally giving away things. You can sign up for your local listing. Anything from pets to children’s clothing can be found. There are over 7.5 million users to date.

3. ReStore thrift shops are an offshoot from Habitat for Humanity. You can find furniture, hardware, doors and more. Find a location at:

http://www.habitat.org/restores/default.aspx?tgs=NS8xNy8yMDExIDg6MjY6MDAgQU0%3d

4. The Salvation Army, which has been around for a long time. Find locations anywhere at: http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use.nsf/vw-text-dynamic-arrays/83B95A1CF19F4F4A8025734C0049A6FC

5. The St. Vincent de Paul Society. Although many consider them to be high priced, it never hurts to visit them. Find locations at:

http://stvincentdepaulthriftstore.com/

National Directory of Thrift Store Locations

http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Shop often as merchandise changes daily…best day in our opinion is Monday and Tues, right after garage sales end and folks donate their left over goods.

Bakery Outlets

Most bakery thrift stores are owned by a specific well-known commercial bakery, such as Pepperidge Farm. They generally don’t advertise their existence. You can find these thrift stores in the telephone book or by word of mouth. We found ours simply by driving around the area. Here are some tips to use before you go:

1. Find out when fresh goods are delivered. This could be every day or two or three times a week. Shopping on these days ensures that you get the very freshest selection.

2. Shop on sale days. You can get amazing deals on sale days, such as 12 cent loaves of bread, pies for a dollar or less, boxes of cookies and pastries for less than a dollar.

3. Stock up. Purchase as much as you can afford and carry. Baked goods freeze well, so it pays to stock up when you find the good deals. It’s helpful to a good home freezer. For bread, you need not take it out of the original wrapper. To defrost, just place on the counter for a few hours or wrap a couple of slices in a paper towel and microwave for a few seconds.

Look for discount days – many offer to seniors, students and military.

Find Aunt Millie’s Outlets

http://www.auntmillies.com/About/ThriftStores.aspx

This site will get you started in searching but your local Yellow Pages are a good resource.
http://www.hotfrog.com/Products/Bakery-Thrift-Store

Easy herb growing method – take a canvas over-the-door shoe organizer and poke a few holes in the bottom of each pocket for drainage. Fill the pouches with potting soil, leaving one inch of headspace, then plant a variety of herbs in each one.

The Nanny State Update:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner threw a bomb at America’s financial future last night, saying he is “certain” another financial catastrophe is on the way and that there is no way of reaching agreement on the debt ceiling without increasing taxes on the wealthy.

And he blamed a combination of timid politicians and credit card-debt-ridden Americans, rather than Wall Street and the big banks, for the financial woes that have beset the country over the past three years.

Geithner was speaking at a New York screening of the HBO adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s book “Too Big to Fail.” It came on the day that Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., pulled out of the “Gang of Six” trying to find a bi-partisan solution to the debt ceiling crisis.

Geithner said, “I’m certain we will” experience another crisis but not when or what kind.

That’s it from the Poor Man for this issue (I’m recovering from dental work).

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
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New self sufficiency books
OldBookNook

A Shallow Planet Production

.

Top Tech Ways to a Job, DIY Picnic Tables, Free Goodies

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Mom and Pop Teach You About Success
2. Top Tech ways to get a job
3. Free DIY picnic table plans
4. What happens when the US defaults?
5. More tricks for getting it free, NeighborGoods

“The trouble with most folks
isn’t so much their ignorance,
as knowing so many things
that ain’t so.”– Josh Billings

Electronic Reading vs. Book Reading

Groucho Marks said,
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
I read that Kindle reader sales have now overtaken book sales, or something to that effect. I know Amazon and others push this electronic reading format, but I’m not convinced. It’s been apparent for several years that younger people don’t read much, everything is delivered to them electronically.

Most of them cannot write either. This inability includes not being able to construct a proper sentence, poor grammar and misspelled words. A personally written note has gone the way of the typewriter for most folks.

The publishing conferences and trade magazines all focus on electronic publishing today and how they might make a profit from it. Sure, there are some advantages to using a Kindle such as the amount of books one can store (around 3200 I believe). However, if I lose a book, I’ve not lost $150 for the reader. Also, I don’t need batteries to operate a book!

On another note, the weather here finally broke long enough for me to start tilling the soil for our garden. We hope to begin planting this week; late spring equals late crops but I’m already looking forward to home grown veggies!

I also got our outdoor grill back up to snuff for the season – outdoor cooking sure beats heating up the house on those hot summer days!

Oh, and by the way, the world did not end in May as had been predicted.

Mowing Magic
Mow your lawn often—a couple of inches at a time and no more than 1/3 the total blade length—rather than waiting until the grass is as high as an elephant’s eye. It’s less stressful for the grass. Besides, the short, unseen, leftover clippings do not have to be bagged, and they will eventually decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil.

PM’s ‘Betty Schocker’ Compendium of useful resources

Best way to remove sensitive data from old computers-before you sell your computer.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/165771/article.html#tk.nl_pvx_h_crawl

Easy, online retail store site setup

http://goodsie.com

Top 10 Tech Ways to Get a Job – Great for new Grads
The top ten ways to find, apply for, and capture your dream job. Nine of ten are web-based. Nine of ten are free. And ten of ten deserve a click.

Some options we chose for their job boards. Everybody knows the standards. CareerBuilder. Monster. Indeed. We’re not discounting them; in fact, two related entries—Indeed Resume and Monster.com Interviews (for iPhone)—secured spots in the tally, but not for job searches alone. For job boards, we targeted industry-specific sites that cater to our readership: AdMonsters for advertising, Dice for technology, and mediabistro.com for media, journalism, and publishing.
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/264382/recent-grads-ten-ways-tech-can-help-you-find-a-job

JobVirtue.com (http://www.jobvirtue.com), a professional network created especially for job seekers to keep in touch with each other and to search for jobs, and for employers to post those jobs.

Fresh herbs will last longer if you place them in a dry paper towel and then in a plastic bag before refrigerating them.

ToolCrib.com searched the web to present all of the best DIY picnic table plans available. They came up with an amazing selection of thirty-two different designs and seperated them into different categories: Award Winning Picnic Table Designs; Hexagonal and Octagonal Picnic Table Plans; Classic Picnic Table Plans; Benches Separate from the Table; and Picnic Tables For Kids.

They also added DIY picnic table building videos, hints on what types of wood to use and information on exterior finishes for your table.

See all of the picnic table plans >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-toolcrib-free-picnic-table-project-plans.html )

Lowe’s offers free work shops, including just for kids

https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/Home.aspx

You should grill meat a few minutes on each side before basting to make sure you do not contaminate the brush with bacteria.

Mom and Pop Stores Can Teach us about Success

The secret to long-term success isn’t figuring out what works — it’s figuring out how to keep things working when conditions change, as they inevitably do.

Few understand the importance of responding to change better than the owners of small businesses. New competitors… changing consumer tastes… and the endless ups and downs of the economy can cause a small company’s profits to disappear almost overnight. Unlike General Motors, mom-and-pop companies can’t count on a government bailout when things go wrong.

Veteran business journalist and corporate historian Robert Spector took a close look at dozens of successful small businesses to find out how they continued to survive and even thrive in the face of potentially ruinous changes. He discovered that what works for small-business owners often can work more broadly in people’s professional lives — and even in their personal lives…

Team up with others. Bill Furst, owner of Furst the Florist in Dayton, faced a potentially ruinous change in the 1980s. Flower suppliers were increasingly ignoring his store’s needs in favor of larger clients. One Mother’s Day, Furst’s shop did not receive any shipments because larger clients bought up all of the distributors’ flowers.
Furst realized that if he was having trouble with his suppliers, other small flower shops must be having the same problem. He launched a wholesale flower distribution business to serve small florists and solve his own shop’s supply problem in the process. Furst’s wholesale division is now large enough to import flowers directly from South America, a sure sign of success in the flower industry.
Lesson: If you feel powerless to stop a change that’s working against you, either organize other victims of the change into a group… or, better yet, start a business to serve other victims’ needs. Together the group might be powerful enough to flex some muscle. If nothing else, speaking with others who share your problem can be a source of ideas and moral support.

Cultivate connections. It seems like a new coffeehouse opens every day in Seattle. Lora Lewis, owner of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, found a way to keep her customers loyal despite this competitive environment. Lewis’s employees are instructed to get to know as many customers as possible, then greet them by name each time they walk through the door. Their greetings are loud enough that other employees hear the customers’ names and learn them, too. Being known by name fosters a sense of belonging that customers cannot find at other coffeehouses.
Lesson: Build as large a circle of acquaintances as possible. This starts with remembering people’s names and greeting them as friends each time you meet. People who feel a personal bond with you are likely to remain loyal to you and support you.

Stand out from the crowd. A decade ago, it seemed that demographic and economic changes would doom Galco’s Old World Grocery, a century-old family business. Galco’s was a traditional Italian corner grocery store in a Los Angeles suburb that no longer had many Italians. The shop couldn’t compete with the low prices offered by supermarkets and big-box discounters that had moved into the area.

Galco’s owner, John Nese, realized that the only way to overcome this price disadvantage was to offer products that the supermarkets and discounters did not stock. If he could find a product so distinctive that it was not available anywhere else in the region, the demographic changes in his neighborhood wouldn’t matter — customers would go out of their way to find him.

Inspired by the success of microbrew beers, Nese began stocking a wide variety of sodas — more than 450 from small independent bottlers — and changed his store’s name to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. This distinctive product line led to strong customer loyalty and national media attention, and Galco’s soon returned to profitability.
Lesson: Following the pack is not the safe course when a change is working against the pack. Better to be known as the only one who does something special. This distinctive status provides a degree of immunity from change.

Reduce debts and expenses. Few businesses are more vulnerable to change than restaurants. Customers stop eating out whenever the economy lags. And today’s hot restaurant often becomes tomorrow’s old news.
Sanford Restaurant in Milwaukee has survived for two decades, in part because it has minimal debt and low fixed costs. Owners Sandy and Angie D’Amato opened the restaurant in a vacant building owned by their family, and they lived upstairs, so they had no rent or mortgage payments. In the early days, they ran the entire restaurant by themselves, when necessary, so they didn’t have to pay salaries on slow nights.
Lesson: Debts and expenses that seem affordable when times are good can become anchors that pull us under when our finances or the economy takes a turn for the worse. Those with little debt and low expenses find it much easier to stay afloat.

Develop a reputation for exceptional quality. London hatters James Lock & Co. have stayed in business since 1676 — quite a feat for a company in the fashion industry, where styles change every season. The family-owned business keeps up with the latest hat styles, but the key to its long-term success is something that hasn’t changed in more than 300 years — Lock’s reputation for providing top-quality head wear. A customer who couldn’t recall Lock’s name or address once mailed his order to “The best hatters in the world, London.” The postcard reached its destination. From Admiral Lord Nelson to hip-hop star André Benjamin, Lock’s customers patronize the store rather than trendier competitors because they can be confident that they are buying the best.
Lesson: No matter what changes, exceptional quality always is in demand.

Thanks to Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Robert Spector, a business historian and journalist based in Seattle. He is author of The Mom & Pop Store: How the Unsung Heroes of the American Economy Are Surviving and Thriving
www.RobertSpector.com

The Nanny State Updates…

Without Intent: How Congress Is Eroding the Criminal Intent Requirement in Federal Law…PDF outlining the criminalization of everything – must read.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/05/Without-Intent?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Overcriminalized%2BLegislative%20Update

President Ronald Reagan once famously said that a stack of $1,000 bills equivalent to the U.S. government’s debt would be about 67 miles high.
That was 1981. Since then, the national debt has climbed to $14.3 trillion. In $1,000 bills, it would now be more than 900 miles tall.

What will happen when the USA defaults? Here you will find some likely scenarios:

Treasury Secretary Geithner sent a letter to Congress earlier this month with some of the answers. In it, Geithner describes a scenario in which …

A broad range of government payments are stopped, limited, or delayed, including military salaries, Social Security, and Medicare payments, interest on debt, unemployment benefits, and tax refunds.
Interest rates and borrowing costs move sharply higher, home values decline, and retirement savings for Americans are reduced.

Geithner even warns of “a financial crisis more severe than the crisis from which we are only now starting to recover.” Read more here:

http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/will-the-u-s-default-is-it-really-possible-2-44797?FIELD9=1

A teen in North Dallas found $2000 in a parking lot and dutifully turned it into the police. City officials told her if it went unclaimed for 90 days, it was hers. After the time had elapsed, the city told her they decided to keep the money and put it into there general fund. Public outcry was such that one citizen donated $4000 to the teen and the negative PR made the city finally turn over the rest of the bounty.

A Massachusetts teacher refused to display a student’s American Flag drawing because it might offend a classmate who is a Jehovah’s Witness. The flag was drawn to honor his brother in the military…the flag is a form of idolatry for these folks – a pox on that teacher!

Police in North Carolina arrested a man and held him in jail for four days after police thought the 91 pounds of tortilla dough in his truck was cocaine. A cheese enzyme delivered a false-positive on a drug test. It took them four days to figure it out?

Instant potato flakes can be used to thicken gravies, chowders, soups and stews.

The Parting thought…More tricks to save money

Free and nearly free is a powerful concept for most of us. We all want it for nothing. We always suggest borrowing something vs. buying it whenever possible. We’ve thought long and hard about buying a used truck or van as we seem to have a perpetual need to haul stuff! Upon closer review, it’s kind of dumb for us to buy another vehicle.

The cost of insurance in MI is a killer and certainly provides roadblocks to the economy here. There used to be a time when you could find a ‘beater’ car or truck cheap as many would drive those during winter months. After the ‘cash for clunkers’ fiasco (most people did not buy a fuel efficient vehicle) the supply of cheap vehicles dried up, and remaining used vehicles went sky high in terms of price.

In the past, we rented a truck through Enterprise. Nice truck and good service, but it’s close the $300 for a weekend (don’t even waste you time and money with U-Haul). Few of our friends own trucks any longer as they opted for more fuel efficient vehicles. Still, the need for a truck arises as would happen this past weekend while attending an outdoor auction.

We’ve been searching for a small sofa bed for our cabin and got one for $1 – yeah, a buck and it is a name brand in excellent condition. We paid a fellow we met at the auction $10 to haul it to our home. Upon speaking with the fellow we learned he’s willing to haul our stuff for us – a lot cheaper than renting a truck and we made a new friend. He’s a part time meat processor nearby and has offered us deals on locally raised beef and game…what a deal.

As an aside, if you can’t get something cheap or free, consider buying a slightly damaged version of the item and you’ll usually save a lot more money. Don’t forget to look on Craigslist.org too as you can frequently find free stuff!

Finally, here’s another way to get the goods without breaking the bank (you can start your group too at this site)…Neighborgoods allows users to easily share their stuff. Visit:
http://www.neighborgoods.net/

Another very useful site (called eBay of swapping only better) for barter-trade is:
www.Swap.com

Yours for living better on less, the Poor Man

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A Shallow Planet Production

Win $15K – Your Biz Idea, Why US Needs Tort Reform

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. $15,000 Give-away
2. Traffic tickets cost us dearly
3. You can’t buy American
4. Why our country needs tort reform
5. Worldwide, Freedom and Privacy are eroding

The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars. — Dr. Ron Paul

Tort Reform…Why we need it!

Texas is testing the waters with “loser-pays” legislation in an effort to reduce frivolous lawsuits. Is this a good idea?

One of the reasons our country is in trouble is because we lack tort reform. Stupid lawsuits cost all of us, yet, there are times when a lawsuit is in order.

Technically, a tort is any civil wrong in which a damaged victim can seek legal redress from the individual who caused the harm. In its political context, “tort reform” generally refers to proposals to limit the prevalence of legal claims prosecuted with the assistance of personal injury lawyers which are perceived to unfairly burden insurance policy holders with exorbitant premiums. Tort law, like most of our legal system, is traditionally a matter of state “common law” and legislation.

In reality, the “tort system” is part of an overall system for compensating victims who suffer from accidental injuries. Accidents are a part of our human experience. Studies indicate that over the course of a year, approximately 20% of Americans suffer some type of accidental injury and most of these require a doctor’s attention. The vast majority of accidents causing economic loss are either work-related or automobile-related. Many of these accidents do not involve potential liability of a third party. The primary source of compensation for medical treatment of these injuries is the victim’s health insurance.

Facts About Tort Liability And Its Impact On Consumers:

Impact on our economy…
The cost of the U.S. tort system for 2003 was $246 billion, or $845 per citizen or $3,380 for a family of four.
U.S. tort costs increased 35.4 percent from 2000 to 2003.
The Growth of U.S. tort costs have exceeded the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2-3 percentage points in the past 50 years.
The U.S. tort system is inefficient; it returns less than 50 cents on the dollar and less than 22 cents for actual economic loss to claimants.

One (of many) of the failings of Obama’s health care strategy is because it failed to address tort reform as expensive lawsuits contribute to high medical malpractice premiums and that cost is passed onto the consumers.

(Another problem with the health care package is it also failed to drop the need for small businesses to carry workman’s comp – an expensive cost for businesses. If universal healthcare were to help small businesses, that must be addressed as well).

It makes the US less competitive in the global marketplace.

The American Bar Association and the Trial Lawyers Association are powerful lobbying groups, dead set against any kind of reform. A large percentage of our ‘lawmakers’ are lawyers who received campaign contributions from such groups…little wonder no reform has ever been considered.

Get the 2011 Tort Reform Report here: http://www.astra.org

Pretzel sticks make a nice alternative to toothpicks for spearing meatball appetizers.

Poor Man’s ‘Betty Schocker’ compendium of useful stuff

$15,000 GIVEAWAY FROM SETH GODIN / DOMINO PROJECT
Seth Godin, who gives great advice on marketing and self-actualization, and his Domino Project are giving away $15,000 in gift cards along with free eCopies of Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance.”

(While you’re there, you might sign up for Seth’s blog posts. Good stuff – Inspiring, original, and helps you stay focused and productive.)

For details, go to:
Sweepstakes,/a>

http://www.thedominoproject.com/ibex-tweet-sweepstakes

Free eRecipe Cookbooks…get their must have picnic recipes now
Our selection of free recipe eCookbooks is the ultimate resource for cooking. Each eCookbook includes a collection of recipes on a theme. Whether it’s eating on a budget, chicken casserole recipes, restaurant copycat recipes, or our favorite dessert recipes, RecipeLion.com has you covered. You can easily download and print out each eCookbook for easy reference while cooking.

http://www.recipelion.com/index.php/hct/Free-eCookbooks#

There is a new service called Yardsales.com where you type in your zip code and set a mileage number of how far to search. You can search just in your zip code or up to 50 miles away. The basic service is free. It’s free to post a yard sale and it’s free to look for one near you.

Adding a sheet of tinfoil under the napkin in your bread basket keeps the bread warm longer!

Got Iron? The Poor Man picked up an antique lidded cast iron dutch oven at an auction last week for $1 but it was mighty rusty. These are great for outdoor and survival cooking and retail online for $25 and up…I use that old standby for making this useful by using Naval Jelly. Good stuff and here are a few hints about its uses.

Naval Jelly Recommended For
Use on iron railings, barbeque grills, automobiles, patio furniture, tools, antiques, mailboxes, lawn mowers, bicycles & lamp posts
Removing rust from metal surfaces made of iron or steel
Not Recommended For…
Aluminum
Chrome
Fiberglass
Cement
Marble
Plastic

Create an Online Family History
Get a free account, then you and other family members can upload documents, text, photos, video, etc. making it easy to preserve family history.
www.GenerationStation.com

Give seedlings a boost if you start them in a window. Place a sheet of aluminum foil behind them with the shiny side facing the seedlings – it will reflect the light & illuminate the dark side so they will grow straighter and sturdier.

Start small…over planting is a common mistake. Think about which vegetable varieties you want, then pick the easiest to grow. Get more guidance at: www.NIFA.usda.gov/Estension/index.html

Ramp-up your Job Search Skills: The job search process can seem overwhelming, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can get up to speed if you spend just a few minutes each day learning the “how-to” of the search. One of my favorite resources for daily job search tips and strategies is the newsletter, Smart Brief on Your Career. It is a quick-read that provides links to five or six articles on the job search and other career related topics. Sign up at http://www.smartbrief.com/yourcareer/ to get updates delivered daily.
>>>
Use left over ice cube trays as a paint palette – great for kids!

The Nanny State Updates…

Traffic Violation Tickets Cost Plenty
Consumers may know that their bad driving record will raise their car insurance, but just how much will a single moving violation cost them?
Plenty, according to a new analysis from Insurance.com. The website looked at 32,000 of its auto insurance policies sold in 2010 and found that those with zero moving violations on their driving record can expect to pay, on average, $1,119 a year in premiums. However, as soon as a consumer had a moving violation on record, the quotes skyrocketed. Their analysis found that:

• One violation led to an average annual premium cost of $1,318, an 18% increase.
• Two violations lead to average annual premium cost of $1,497, a 34% increase.
• Three violations lead to an average annual premium cost of $1,713, a 53% increase.

http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/112802/speeding-tickets-insurance-cost-mainstreet

In the first quarter of 2010, the pay earned by private sector workers provided the smallest share of personal income, at 42%, in US history. Public sector pay continues to average higher than private sector…any wonder why local governments are bankrupt?

If the US sold all of the gold that it holds in Fort Knox and elsewhere, at today’s record high price of ~$1,500 an ounce, we would only get enough money to pay about one-third of THIS YEAR’S budget shortfall.
If ALL of the gold mined in the history of the world were ours to sell, we could pay off only about 60% of the U.S.A.’s national debt.
No amount of increased taxation can solve America’s problems. We have spent $14 trillion that we don’t have, and our governments at every level keep spending more.

Big Brother Is Watching You: Overreaching law enforcement puts privacy rights at risk.
In 1991, George Holliday filmed the LAPD’s arrest and beating of Rodney King. The videotape provoked national controversy. If a similar incident happened today, it might provoke something else: the arrest of George Holliday. And as A. Barton Hinkle observes, the war on cameras isn’t the only way overreaching law enforcement officials are now trampling individual rights. From warrantless searches to state-mandated cell phone alert systems, big brother is watching you…more at: http://reason.com/archives/2011/05/25/big-brother-is-watching-you

Global politicians will give speeches about liberty and freedom even as they undermine them at every turn. There are very, very few nations on the planet where liberty and freedom are increasing. Instead, almost everywhere you turn the “control grid” is getting tighter. Governments don’t want us gathering together and interacting with one another. Instead, they want us to work our tails off to support the system, they want us enslaved financially and constantly drowning in debt, and they want us addicted to television and other forms of entertainment. Read more at: PoorManSurvival.com/ArticlesII.aspx

Natural First Aid
for an Insect Bite
If you’re at a picnic and you get an insect bite or sting, apply mustard to the area to help relieve the pain, itch and redness. You can also use ice cubes or a paste made from table salt and water to bring down the swelling.

Parting Thoughts- You can’t buy American

The Poor Man has reported previously about groups who have set up web sites that point out American made products. As most of us know and according to a TV report on ABC News, virtually no one can buy made-strictly-in-America products. The TV show asked families to leave their home while a crew got rid of every item in their home which was not made in America.

Most came back to a nearly empty home. Even our autos are pieced out from manufacturers around the globe.

This means no iPods, computers, diamond rings, cell phones, stereos etc., would be gone. Still, as pointed out in the last issue about Depression era economics, adding higher tariffs to foreign made goods wouldn’t work either – if we ‘punish’ those countries, they would retaliate with higher prices on the goods they sell to us.

Further, it would probably cut off our own manufacturers who do business overseas such as Caterpillar and Boeing.

In either case, our economy, thanks to Washington, is in trouble no matter how the deck is cut. We’re headed for another debt ceiling and Washington continues its ‘sleight-of-hand’ accounting tricks to hide their stupidity. If we do default on our obligations, it could mean several things…a one world ‘basket-style’ currency tied into several national currencies, a complete loss of confidence in the US economic system (higher prices for all of us on EVERYTHING), or worse.

However Washington manages to prolong the situation or pull another rabbit out of the hat, it’s only a matter of time before our fiscal nova or Armageddon hits us between the eyes.
Your contrarian curmudgeon, the Poor Man.

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

Women’s Scholarships, Chinese fake US coins, Be a hacker

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

In This Issue:
1. Scholarships for women
2. You too can become a hacker
3. Mother Nature Network – Cool Site
4. Free Donuts, Dollar Store Nation
5. Free backyard playhouse plans
6. Warning: Chinese now counterfeiting US Morgan Coins

“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there’d be a shortage of sand.” ~ Milton Friedman

Women’s Scholarship…getting school money when unemployed

A friend of mine got laid off from his factory job not long ago and started collecting unemployment. He learned the government would pay for him to return to school to get training in a better field, so he chose computers.

After several weeks he dropped out due to a lack of math skills so now he has to repay the tuition from his unemployment funds…sad, but I have been after him for months to finish some construction projects he started for me but not completed. He’s got another job which pays under the table so he’s making a lot more money and I’m no longer a priority.

I didn’t realize how lucrative this program can be, especially for community colleges. Through Pell Grants and other federal programs one can get not only tuition, but a stipend to help with your living expenses as well (ask any college for details or your unemployment office).

There are many programs available to help with college costs. Here’s a terrific resource for finding scholarships for women. Women over 40 have even more opportunities for funding especially in areas of nursing and veterinary school.

AARP offers an annual scholarship grant to women over age 40 who want to improve their job skills through training at a technical or traditional school. Grants range from $500 to $5,000 and are calculated based on need and the cost of tuition. Preference is given to women who are raising grandchildren, women who do not have the opportunity to excel in their careers and women who have been out of the work force for an extended time. Application is made directly through the AARP Foundation.
AARP
601 E St. NW
Washington, DC 20049
888-687-2277 AARP.org

The AARP site offers many other programs and resources as well, especially for unemployed people under 50 and includes a database of featured employers.

Before calling an appliance repairman, unplug the device (or use your circuit breaker) and wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in. This is the first thing the repairman will do.

PM’s ‘Betty Schocker’ Compendium of useful stuff…

Grab a Free Donut on Fri-June 3rd
I’m not sure if this applies to law enforcement!
That Friday is National Donut Day, started by the Salvation Army during WWI to honor women who served in the military.
>Dunkin’ Donuts offers your choice when you buy a beverage.
>Krispy Kreme – Any donut is free, no purchase required!

ReplayGround
This site provides you practical, fun, and family friendly ways to recycle things that you might have in your house from everyday consumption (think pop bottles, mint tins, etc).
I’ve brought you here with the purpose of pointing you directly to the D-I-Y section! So what are you waiting for head right there! You’ll find a collection of fun projects to repurpose and thus recycle things that are just sitting around your house.

They even offer how-to videos, just scroll down to the bottom of the D-I-Y section to check them out. You’ll find four projects: record album portfolio, mint tin puzzle, glass bottle vase, and license plate memo board.

I think that this site offers a fun assortment of ways to recycle things that can really get your kids or grandkids interested in recycling

http://www.replayground.com

The mission of MOTHER NATURE NETWORK can be found at the top of every page on our site: “Improve Your World
MNN content is divided among 8 different channels—each offering in-depth news and information updated throughout the day: Earth Matters, Lifestyle, Green Tech, Eco-Biz, Transportation, Your Home, Food, and Family

http://www.mnn.com/about-us

3 secrets to growing the best tomatoes-watch the video here
http://

http://bit.ly/Tomato-Secrets-5-25-11

Shop America’s Biggest Yard Sale - from June 3-5
The Dixie Highway or North Georgia features a 90-mile long sale. More at:
DixieHighway.org

Seven traditional playhouse cottages and cabins. There are also five playground designs, four play forts and club houses, four treehouses, and a bunch of other fun woodworking projects. All of the plans and building guides are online or downloadable so you can start planning right away.

http://www.todaysplans.net/find-free-play-projects.html

http://www.backroadhome.net/backyard-play.html

Help for small plants with shallow roots…plant it in a larger pot by placing a smaller flower pot upside down inside the larger pot, fill with dirt and you’re set.

Dollar Store Nation: What the success of the dollar store says about the American economy
Nearly a century and a half after the first dollar store opened in New York City, the sense of wonder that attends to how many different ways a few cents worth of raw materials can be processed, packaged, shipped, and sold for a buck, still beguiles us. And as Greg Beato notes, the appeal is not just limited to so-called downscale shoppers. In fact, according to Time, Dollar General’s “fastest-growing customer segment is households making more than $70,000.” As Beato explains, it is now obvious that consumers shop at these stores not just for utilitarian reasons but also because of how shrewdly they cater to current lifestyles and sensibilities.
http://reason.com/archives/2011/05/26/dollar-store-nation

WARNING:
There are entire factories in China dedicated to producing fake versions of everything from designer purses to rare U.S. coins. “Made in China” U.S. Morgan silver dollars, for example, are being sold over the Internet and are even making their way into U.S. coin shops. They look authentic to the naked eye and are only revealed as fakes upon close inspection by people who know the tell-tale signs.

Place broken pieces of terracotta in your garden soil to make them thrive and to help with soild drainage…

The Nanny State Updates…

According to a recent analysis by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the biggest growth in private-sector job creation in the past year occurred in positions in the low-wage retail, administrative, and food service sectors of the economy. While 23% of the jobs lost in the Great Recession that followed the economic meltdown of 2008 were “low-wage” (those paying $9-$13 an hour), 49% of new jobs added in the sluggish “recovery” are in those same low-wage industries. On the other end of the spectrum, 40% of the jobs lost paid high wages ($19-$31 an hour), while a mere 14% of new jobs pay similarly high wages.
Tomdispatch.com…..

Why are so many Americans afraid to start businesses?
Maybe it is because the overregulation of business in this country has now reached extreme levels. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently slapped a fine of $90,000 on one family from Missouri because they sold more than $500 worth of rabbits in a single year. The $4,600 in rabbits that they sold ended up netting the family only $200 in profits.

North Carolina Restaurants are no longer allowed to serve medium-rare hamburgers. New state law states all ground beef must be cooked to an internal temp of 155 degrees…guess no more steak tartare
.
The IRS has assigned 35 agents full-time to Exxon-Mobile – they conduct a non-stop audit of their tax accounting. In 2009, Exxon paid no US income tax but did get a $156 million credit…Exxon paid $15.2 billion in taxes to for other countries!.
<<>>

The taxpayer: That’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take the civil service examination.

The Parting Shot…Avoiding hacker scams
You too can become a hacker and pick up some extra bucks. And, unfortunately, it isn’t even that hard. With just a little technical experience, a person can go online and find the necessary kits for hacking personal computers for fun and profit. Do you want to steal some sensitive government documents? There are kits for that, too.

Symantec, a top computer security company, released a report a few weeks ago, stating that attacks played a role in creating over 286 million varieties of malware last year, and HP, one of the leading computer hardware manufacturers, reports that because the kits are so easy to use and are so successful, they are extremely popular.

In addition, the quality of the online kits is getting better. “Attack kit developers are also improving the quality of their software”, says Mike Dausin, who manages advanced security intelligence for HP’s DVLabs division. “They put so much effort into streamlining it, just as a normal software development company might,” he says. “They’re very professional, very focused on making money.” It’s not an entirely unexpected development: last year, security researchers predicted the growth of the cybercrime service industry.
The latest versions of attack kits are traded online for anything from $500 to $4000 and sales have grown from two to seven percent of the criminal online economy.

1: Keep all of your patches up to date. A patch is a piece of code inserted – or patched – into an executable file, such as AVS.exe. It is there to fix a program bug. If your patches are old, it’s easier for an attacker to get in to your system; their kits probably aren’t new enough to penetrate a new patch. At least you hope not. However, when downloading or installing patches, you must be careful to ensure that they are, in fact, patches that are actually needed on your computer. If a pop-up tells you that an update or patch needs to be installed, it’s often best to go to the source and verify the truth of that assertion. For example, if you get a message that your security software needs to be updated, it might be best to open the program and check for updates there.

2: Don’t click on a link unless you are 100 percent sure you know who it is! I can’t stress this enough; I can’t tell you how important this is! Just an FYI: I don’t click on any links e-mail-wise anymore. Seriously. All of the new types of malware look so authentic; it’s just not worth it. If the link looks real, then I’ll go to the site that sent the e-mail and check out the sale or whatever it is that they sent me. Although I guess I am going to have to watch out for that too, thanks to these handy-dandy kits.

…Watch this funny video and share with friends, they’ll thank you!
If you own or love dogs, you’ll love this funny talking dog clip – our parting bit of humor!

Yours for empowerment, the Poor Man!

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A Shallow Planet Production

Make Your Own Money-Community Currency

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Start your own community currency-end state controlled money
2. The real scoop on your credit report
3. Money for your creative project
4. A glimmer of common sense on the ‘drug war’
5. More useful prepper downloads – free, Drones to spy on Americans

“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” –Unknown

Surly & Sour: the rise in rude and uncivil behavior

We’re More Rude Than Ever, Poll Finds… ‘It’s about the daily assault of selfish, inconsiderate behavior that gets under people’s skin on the highways, in the office, on TV, in stores and the myriad other settings where they encounter fellow Americans.’” (ABCNEWS.com)

In the study mentioned above, nearly eight in 10 respondents said lack of respect and courtesy is a serious national problem; 61% agreed that there was more rude behavior than in the past; people blamed parents for not instilling courtesy in their children, and popular culture for encouraging rude behavior

During the past 30 years we’ve all seen the weekly reports of rude behavior on air flights, among politicians and bureaucrats, among young children and youth, and adults alike – equal opportunity lunatics.

Our teacher friends, all report a rise in unruly, ill-mannered, boorish behavior among students. School bullying has become the target of national concern.

No matter who does the study, the results seem to be the same. Here, 79% feel people are ruder to each other now than just 10 years ago; 42% say they encounter rude behavior every day (Apr. 2002 Good Housekeeping)

What’s going on? We’re rude and we’re mean: there’s road rage, air rage, cellphone rage, checkout rage, bike rage, sports rage, parking rage, rail rage, bank rage, roller rage, boat rage, desk rage, car alarm rage, and drivers who even honk at people on crutches. And according to one expert, there’s also “funeral rage” – people actually flip the bird and cut off funeral processions (Dr. Frank Farley, former president, American Psychological Association)

Statistics prove that more than 8 in 10 of us, both with kids and without kids, agree that bad parenting — the failure to instill good behavior in kids — is the major cause of bad manners.

A new Census Bureau stat shows 47% of households are now made up of single parent families. I firmly believe this trend began after WWII and was pushed along by Hollywood celebrities who popularized having children out of wedlock. It takes a lot of work to raise children. The crap on TV is another handicap to social morals.

Teachers often speak of how rude and poorly behaved students have become over the years and the ‘Do-Gooders’ have made discipline virtually impossible. What do you think?

Tomatoes help prevent sunburn. People who eat 5 tbs daily are 33% less likely to get sunburn.

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of useful information…

The Real Scoop on your credit report
Even though there are ways to get estimated FICO scores and alternative credit scores for free, there are only two places to obtain your true FICO score, and neither is free…

Fair Isaac, which compiles the FICO score (800-319-4433, www.MyFICO.com. $19.95).
Equifax (866-493-9788, www.Equifax.com, select “Equifax Products,” click the “Single Use Products” tab, then select “Complete Report.” $39.95).

In May 2010, the US Senate approved an amendment to a financial industry overhaul bill that would give consumers a free look at their credit scores when they are rejected for a loan, credit card, insurance rate or apartment based on their scores.

Meanwhile, several free online credit score estimator tools can give you a reasonable idea where your score likely stands, including…
Bankrate.com (www.Bankrate.com/calculators.aspx, select “FICO Score Estimator” from the “Credit Card Calculators” section).
SmartCredit.com (www.SmartCredit.com, select “Smart Credit Report”).

Quizzle.com (www.Quizzle.com).

Be skeptical of “free credit score” offers. Many of these contain hidden costs… and the score provided is unlikely to be a FICO credit score. Each of us is entitled to receive a free copy of a credit report (which does not include a credit score but does give details of your credit history) each year from AnnualCreditReport.com. To protect yourself from identity theft and incorrect information, scan your report for listings that you don’t recognize or that don’t seem accurate.

A Chemical-Free
Weed Killer
The following solution is a safe, environmentally friendly weed killer…
In a spray bottle, combine 1 quart of water and either 1 ounce of distilled white vinegar or 1 ounce of gin, plus 1 capful of baby shampoo. Spray the weeds until they’re soaking wet. After a day or so, the weeds will turn brown, shrivel up and then die.
CAUTION: When using any type of weed killer, be certain to spray only the weeds, not any of the plants you want to keep.

More useful prepper guides – free downloads

OPM – A Federal Employee’s Family Preparedness Guide http://www.opm.gov/emergency/pdf/NationalFamilyGuide.pdf
FEMA – Preparing Makes Sense. Get Ready Now

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/Ready_Brochure_Screen_EN_20040129.pdf

FEMA – Ready.gov

http://www.ready.gov/

FEMA – Are You Ready? http://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/areyouready_full.pdf

WANT TO FIND MONEY FOR YOUR CREATIVE PROJECT? KICKSTARTER HELPS
Kickstarter has an interesting idea of its own for funding creative projects: Post them to its site and let funders small or large decide who gets money.

“Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every month, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields,” its website says.

I haven’t tried it yet (I have no ideas; I just type), but check it out at http://www.kickstarter.com/ . With thanks to www.Sprouter.com for the tip.

Alternative or Community Currencies

The dollar is not just in decline – it’s a mess!

As the Poor Man has reported, several states are now accepting or in the process of accepting gold and silver rather than Federal Reserve Notes due to their inflation-prone status.

According to the US Treasury, the Coinage Act of 1965, there is no statute mandating a private business must accept currency or coins for payment of goods and service.

Currently, there are more than 150 alternative currencies being accepted around the country. In some states, retailers now have signs in place announcing they accept the Euro, the Loon or even the Peso.

In some foreign countries such as China, place a limit on the amount of US currency which can be exchanged. India has announced they will no longer accept US dollars and Amsterdam severely limits where one can exchange US dollars. Even the Chicago Mercantile Exchange now accepts gold to settle futures contracts.

The United Nations is warning that the U.S. dollar could collapse. The following is a brief excerpt from a recent news report put out by Reuters….

The United Nations warned on Wednesday of a possible crisis of confidence in, and even a “collapse” of, the U.S. dollar if its value against other currencies continued to decline.
In a mid-year review of the world economy, the UN economic division said such a development, stemming from the falling value of foreign dollar holdings, would imperil the global financial system.

BerkShares (www.berkshares.org) BerkShares are a local currency for the Berkshire region. Dubbed a “great economic experiment” by the New York Times, BerkShares are a tool for community empowerment, enabling merchants and consumers to plant the seeds for an alternative economic future for their communities. Launched in the fall of 2006, BerkShares had a robust initiation, with over one million BerkShares having been circulated in the first nine months and over two million to date. View television coverage of BerkShares by clicking here, and other international, national, and regional news coverage by clicking here.
http://www.berkshares.org/about/index.htm

Reason.tv: Bitcoin & the End of State-Controlled Money
Bitcoin is the world’s first fully decentralized, peer-to-peer (p2p) virtual currency. It allows users to make anonymous and untraceable cash transactions anywhere in the world without any sort of real-world intermediary. So unlike PayPal and other online services, it can’t be squeezed in the same way by governments or other control agents. Just how revolutionary is Bitcoin? Reason.tv sat down with Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito to learn how Bitcoin operates and what the implications are for traditional state-based fiat currencies. “Whether Bitcoin succeeds or fails is neither here nor there,” says Brito, who predicts that currencies in the future will almost certainly be deregulated and decentralized – with or without governments’ consent.

“Advocates of a small but fast-growing digital currency network called bitcoin think they’ve found the answer (or, at the very least, an answer). If it is successful, claim its adherents, this totally- decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) currency could supplant the world’s central bank-issued money, potentially providing savvy speculators with an opportunity to cash in on the greatest politically motivated market distortion of our time.”
http://youtu.be/yYTqvYqXRbY

For every $10 the typical household earns before taxes, almost a full dollar now goes toward gas, a 40 percent bigger bite than normal.
Households spent an average of $369 on gas last month. In April 2009, they spent just $201. —USA Today

The Nanny State Updates…Tyranny in America – why we need a revolution…

A rural MO fellow got fined $90,000 (by the US Dept of Agriculture) for selling rabbits without a license. His net profit was only $200. Utter nonsense. In the 1950s only one in twenty professions required a license, now it’s one in three! Red tape and government bullcrap is killing this country and defies common sense and proof to other countries (which are laughing at our stupidity) that we’re no longer a free people.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending huge amounts of money to install surveillance cameras in the cafeterias of public schools so that government control freaks can closely monitor what our children are eating.

The Florida State Department of Juvenile Justice has announced that it will begin using analysis software to predict crime by young delinquents and will place “potential offenders” in specific prevention and education programs.

17 year-old honor student in North Carolina named Ashley Smithwick accidentally took her father’s lunch with her to school. It contained a small paring knife which he would use to slice up apples. So what happened to this standout student when the school discovered this? The school suspended her for the rest of the year and the police charged her with a misdemeanor

Do you remember how much was made of the “Misery Index” during the presidency of Jimmy Carter? At that time, the “Misery Index” was constantly making headlines in newspapers all across the country. Well, according to John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics, if we calculated unemployment and inflation the same way that we did back during the Carter administration, then the Misery Index today would actually be higher than at any point during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Big Brother already has access to our permanent records, and soon he might literally be capable of looking over our shoulders…with unmanned drones.
The T-Hawk is a flying robot small enough to fit in your backpack and able to hover deftly, observe its surroundings, and pursue a target. The Draganflyer X6 is an ultraquiet miniature helicopter that weighs less than three pounds and can stealthily photograph subjects wherever they are—indoors or out. Unmanned

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Science-Technology/Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicles-Drones-Police-Surveillance.aspx#ixzz1ODZIRoDl

Most Americans don’t realize how much the U.S. dollar has been devalued over the years. An item that cost $20.00 in 1970 would cost you $115.93 today. An item that cost $20.00 in 1913 would cost you $454.36 today.

The Parting Shot…The Fed is scuttling America
The United Nations warned on Wednesday of a possible crisis of confidence in, and even a “collapse” of, the U.S. dollar if its value against other currencies continued to decline.

In a mid-year review of the world economy, the UN economic division said such a development, stemming from the falling value of foreign dollar holdings, would imperil the global financial system.

Recently, U.S. Representative Ron Paul gave a speech on “The Patriot Act” on the floor of the House of Representatives. The following is a brief except from that speech….

Our Presidents can now, on their own:

*Order assassinations, including American citizens,
*Operate secret military tribunals,
*Engage in torture,
*Enforce indefinite imprisonment without due process,
*Order searches and seizures without proper warrants, gutting the 4th Amendment,
*Ignore the 60 day rule for reporting to the Congress the nature of any military operations as required by the War Power Resolution,
*Continue the Patriot Act abuses without oversight,
*Wage war at will,
*Treat all Americans as suspected terrorists at airports with TSA groping and nude x-raying.

And the Federal Reserve accommodates by counterfeiting the funds needed and not paid for by taxation and borrowing, permitting runaway spending, endless debt, and special interest bail-outs.
Finally, perhaps a return to some common sense?!

A slew of big-name former politicians are endorsing a report that says the war on drugs is not working and that drug enforcement policy needs to fundamentally change. The Global Commission on Drug Policy will urge a “paradigm shift” that emphasizes public health over criminalization tomorrow at a meeting in New York City, The Guardian reports.

Those backing the report include former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and former Fed Chair Paul Volcker. Former elected leaders of Greece, Brazil and Colombia have also signed on.
Keep in mind, most government policies don’t work…

“The right to be let alone – the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.” – Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438 (1928)

That’s it from your ‘Guardian’ – the Poor Man

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Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Angry Americans, Seed Bank Library, Extreme Couponing

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1. Extreme Couponing
2. More on Seed Banks, Libraries
3. You don’t need as much ‘stuff’ – Micro Homes
4. Gowing anger in the US; Why America is losing its innovative edge
5. In Defense of Freedom – Parting Thought

“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert , in five years there’d be a shortage of sand.” ~ Milton Friedman

Growing Anger and Violence in America – a Portent of things to come?

As unemployment hits 9.1 percent (much higher in reality), Americans are losing their cool. A Newsweek/Daily Beast poll finds rising anger levels affecting everything from work to sex drive. Gas and grocery prices are soaring, the housing market is crashing to new lows, and yet another dismal jobs report has confirmed a stubbornly high unemployment rate, The Daily Beast’s Douglas Schoen reports.

Three-quarters of respondents think the country is on the wrong track. A majority say the anxiety wrought by this recession has caused relationship problems and sleep deficiency. Two-thirds even report being angry at God.

From the World Bank – a 174-pager called “Multipolarity: The New Economic Order.”
According to the report, by 2025 the dollar’s reign as the world’s reserve currency will be well and truly over.

Or as the economists at the World Bank put it (emphasis added):

The international monetary system is likely to cease being dominated by a single currency. Emerging-market countries [...] will become key players in financial markets. In short, a new world order with a more diffuse distribution of economic power is emerging.

CNBC aired an interesting program titled “Restoring the American Dream,” which showed why the US has lost its number one ranking in the world in terms of technological development, indeed, out of 40 countries, we rank 40 – the bottom of the barrel while China and India race far ahead of us.
Up until recently, we were always number one. China now graduates more Engineering and Math higher degrees than we do and our government has actually reduced funding for research to almost nothing. Often, private businesses develop the core innovation here but no one in the US will fund its development but they do in S. Korea, China and India.

Also pointed were the massive barriers government agencies have in place making development here cumbersome and expensive. Red tape and bureacracies are killing America.

The Big 3 Warehouse Club stores sold more than 128 million memberships last year – a 5.5% increase a year for the past five years. Half the income derived by Warehouse stores are from membership fees! NOTE: Save up to 35% on alcohol purchases at places like Costco…thanks to state laws, you don’t need to be a member (same goes for prescriptions at Costco).

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of Useful Stuff

Let’s face it: Most of us have more stuff than we need. (That is, unless, you’ve thrown your ballot in with the tiny house movement.) More clothes, more gizmos, more space, more tools, more junk. Accumulating life’s flotsam seems nearly inescapable these days—and that doesn’t even take into account all the stuff we instantly throw away. Chappell Ellison, a New York-based writer and design critic, is documenting her attempt to rid herself of unnecessary stuff on a photoblog called Everything Must Go (which is also her conduit for ditching expendable goods).

“In an attempt to learn how to live with less,” Ellison writes on the website,
I’m giving away my things, one by one. Sometimes the object will be accompanied by a personal narrative that might make you want the object more (or less). In letting go of these objects and their memories, I hope to understand more about the way in which we place meaning into the stuff that surrounds us.

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Everything-Must-Go-Give-Away-Chappell-Ellison.aspx#ixzz1ODZhZ7Jg

Homeowners can use red cedar chips and wood shavings to solve a variety of problems around the home and garden. Hang cedar chips in bags or scatter them in closets to repel insects, and use them as mulch around the bases of trees and shrubs. Cedar wood shavings are also a common, inexpensive pet bedding. However, the aromatic oils that give cedar wood its insect-repellent properties and pleasant smell can be dangerous to animals and some humans. For most people, cedar shavings are not dangerous, but it may be necessary to use them with caution, especially around small animals and people with existing allergies or sensitivities.

Seed libraries allow patrons to “check out” seeds and grow them on their own land. In exchange, the gardener or farmer is asked to donate seeds to the library at harvest time. These will be used by fellow library-goers in the next growing season. “Unlike a seed bank, the libraries are living collections that change every time a gardener returns seeds,” Organic Gardening writes.
The Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library, housed in the Richmond Public Library near Berkeley, California, celebrated its one-year anniversary this month and has nearly 400 users. Carefully cataloged by type—herb, flower, or edible—and degree of growing difficulty, the seeds are a small but powerful force in bringing fresh food to all members the community, says Mother Earth News. The free program “provid[es] access to fresh, healthy food in communities where it may not otherwise be available and teach[es] everyone how much fun growing your own food can be.”

In addition to the seed-lending libraries spreading up and down California—at Alameda Free Library and San Francisco Public Library’s Potrero branch, for example—they are beginning to sprout elsewhere, such as at the Fairfield Public Library’s Fairfield Woods branch in Connecticut, reports American Libraries.
To start a seed-lending library in your area, visit Richmond Grows for tips and resources.

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Environment/Seed-Lending-Libraries.aspx#ixzz1ODaPT1D6

World’s Best Cat Litter™ is celebrating the launch of our new all-natural Scented Multiple Cat Clumping Formula by hosting The Sensible Feline — a collection of several cat-care products that prove you don’t have to sacrifice performance to be eco-friendly.
Visit sensiblefeline.com to learn more. You can even win one of each in our Sensible Feline prize-pack!

How To Self-Publish a Book
This sounds easy. I created an account on Createspace.com. They are owned by Amazon. Great customer service. You have any question at all you hit a button that says “Call Me” and within 30 seconds they have a customer representative calling your phone. I downloaded a Microsoft Word template they provided.
Createspace.com.

Extreme Couponing, the popular TV show has made an…

“attitude adjustment in many of our friends and family. As a result, a resource sharing group has formed amongst us. We share work, ideas and tips on everything from budgeting to gardening. All of us have curtailed the “luxuries” like gym memberships, expensive clothing, latte’s and mochas from those expensive little stops on the way to work, dining at restaurants, first run movies at the theater, etc.
Our discovery of the world of couponing has shown us how to dramatically cut household and grocery expenses… look at TheKrazyCouponLady.com and read their book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey. I never understood how couponing could make a difference until I read this book. Our group now looks at coupons almost as a tax free source of income, because it is saving us hundreds of dollars a month…no exaggeration.”

The extreme couponing phenomenon will not be around forever. As thousands more pile on to the bandwagon, it is inevitable that food producers and retailers will start changing the rules. So take advantage of extreme couponing while you can.

Thankfully, there are some people out there that share their knowledge for free on the Internet. The following are some of the best extreme couponing sites around if you are interested in learning more….
*The Krazy Coupon Lady
*Tips From A Mom Of 3
*Coupon Geek
*Saving With Shellie
*Couponing 101
*Jill Cataldo
*My Frugal Adventures
*How To Shop For Free With Kathy Spencer
*Clippin’ With Carie
*Money Saving Mom

Oil Change — $9.99

Through June 14, Tire Kingdom, Merchants Tire, and NTB are offering a conventional oil change for only $9.99 with this printable coupon. Keep in mind that some competitors will match the offer if prefer going there
http://www.tirekingdom.com/Discounts-Coupons-Detail/12

Donate your old blankets and towels to animal shelters such as: HumaneSociety.org, ASPCA.org, or PetFinder.com

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” – Benjamin Franklin

The Nanny State Updates…

Presidential Executive Orders Sidestep a Democratic Nation

Take these executive orders, for instance:

Executive Order 10995: Seizure of all communications media – radio, television, newspapers, CB and Ham radio, telephones and the internet (in effect, suspension of the first amendment)
Executive Order 10997: Seizure of all electrical power and fossil fuels
Executive Order 10998: Seizure of all food sources, farms and farm equipment. Food will be rationed. Today some states have anti-hoarding laws on the books, stating that anything over a one week’s supply of food is considered hoarding and against the law.
Executive Order 10999: Seizure of all transportation and control of all highways, interstates and seaports. Any vehicle, public or private, can be taken.
Executive Order 11000: Seizure of all civilians for work under Federal supervision.
Executive Order 11003: Seizure of all airports and aircraft, public or private.
Executive Order 11004: Housing and Finance given authority for population relocation.
Executive Order 12919: Directs various Cabinet officials to be ready to take over virtually all aspects of the United States economy during a “state of national emergency” at the direction of the president.
Executive Order 13010: Directs FEMA to take control over all government agencies in times of emergency. FEMA is under the direct control of the executive (presidential) branch of government.
Executive Order 11490: Establishes presidential control over all United States citizens, businesses, and churches in times of “emergency

. … we are subject to a government that seeks at every turn to undermine our constitutional rights …

IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM…The Parting thought…

1. On September 11, 2001 thousands of people lost their lives in a brutal assault on the American people and the American form of government. We mourn the loss of these innocent lives and insist that those who perpetrated these acts be held accountable.

2. This tragedy requires all Americans to examine carefully the steps our country may now take to reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks.

3. We need to consider proposals calmly and deliberately with a determination not to erode the liberties and freedoms that are at the core of the American way of life.

4. We need to ensure that actions by our government uphold the principles of a democratic society, accountable government and international law, and that all decisions are taken in a manner consistent with the Constitution.

5. We can, as we have in the past, in times of war and of peace, reconcile the requirements of security with the demands of liberty.

6. We should resist the temptation to enact proposals in the mistaken belief that anything that may be called anti-terrorist will necessarily provide greater security.

7. We should resist efforts to target people because of their race, religion, ethnic background or appearance, including immigrants in general, Arab Americans and Muslims.

8. We affirm the right of peaceful dissent, protected by the First Amendment, now, when it is most at risk.

9. We should applaud our political leaders in the days ahead who have the courage to say that our freedoms should not be limited.

10. We must have faith in our democratic system and our Constitution, and in our ability to protect at the same time both the freedom and the security of all Americans.
– National Press Club
http://www.indefenseoffreedom.org

Yours for freedom in America, the Poor Man!

Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

China Opens Econ Zones in US, Dept of Ed Uses Swat to Collect Debt

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. China to launch economic zones in the USA
2. SWAT Teams collecting student loan debts
3. Sites to help your garden grow, finding legal help
4. 2nd Annual Home DIY Project Guide from Popular Mechanics
5. More ‘Work from Home’ Resources

“It is a policeman’s duty to protect men from criminals — criminals being those who seize wealth by force. It is a policeman’s duty to retrieve stolen property and return it to its owners. But when robbery becomes the purpose of the law, and the policeman’s duty becomes, not the protection, but the plunder of property — then it is an outlaw who has to become a policeman.”– Ayn Rand

Sugar Coating the Truth…

The economic outlook remains gloomy with even the mainstream press suggesting a double dip recession. Are you surprised?

A weakening job market. A debt ceiling crisis that the politicos in Washington show NO sign of resolving. A record high 888 banks on the troubled bank list. A plunge in major economic indicators like manufacturing. A double dip in the housing market…
So don’t be fooled by the pundits who want you to believe that everything is hunky-dory and our economy is on the mend. They’ve been spinning this fairytale of recovery since last year, and once again they are misleading you.

Over-regulation of private businesses and lack of strong leadership in Washington on key small business economic matters will continue to keep private sector hiring in the dumps.
We have elected the most gutless Executive and Legislative branches in the history of our country.

In reality, our country is run by special interest groups and bureaucrats.

Through progressively invasive socialistic engineering, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches have consolidated their independent agencies into one massive bloated central government that seeks to control every aspect of our lives, from where we can live, what we can drive, what food we can eat, even down to what light bulbs and toilets we can use in our homes.

A blindsiding example of this…

Since the founding of the Energy Department during the Carter Administration, political forces have increasingly constrained America’s most practical energy options. To the point that our dependence on foreign oil has soared from a mere 28% when the DOE was founded to make us more “more energy independent,” to a level of about 75% today.

The loss of jobs as a direct result of regulations by unnamed and unelected bureaucrats, who are backed up by threats of prosecution from the government. Our government is stifling job creation.

Want to check your bank out for its risk level…Invest $5 for each rating requested @ www.veribanc.com or by calling 800.442.2657 to check out the financial stability of your bank or credit union.

Unstuck a jammed window during humid months by holding a small block of wood against the top of the lower window frame and tap with a hammer all around – move the block to each part of the frame, then lubricate with bar soap or silicone spray.

Poor Man’s ‘Betty Schocker’ compendium of useful stuff

Sites that will help your garden grow…

Most of what the Poor Man planted got washed away during a week’s worth of heavy rain…so I replanted much of the garden again!
CompanionPlants.com - Find the unusual from culinary herbs and some of the basics.
JohnnysSeeds.com – Offers videos on planting, pest control and its calculator helps you work out how many seeds to buy depending on your garden size.
ReneesGarden.com - Its focus is on heirloom and hybrid seed varieties

Get Legal Help for a Steal…
Look at Shpoonkle.com where you post your legal needs and lawyers will bid on your project (it’s a private site so no one else sees your information).

Credit Unions just got better…
Unlike mainstream banks who over charge on many services, credit unions are now poised to compete by offering free checking, lower fees and many now include online and mobile banking and more. Go to:
NCUA.org

Two years ago, our friends at the Solar Living Institute built a solar Tumbleweed House. Having written the book solar living, they used recycled materials and modified it to meet their needs. Their Tumbleweed is open to public viewing in Hopland, CA. More at:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/build-it-yourself/a-tumbleweed-in-the-sun/?awt_l=DdfS_&awt_m=JK227R5hpauEBy

Waiting until your gas tank is almost empty before a fill up can be pricey, could be dangerous and downright inconvenient.
The gasoline acts like a coolant for the electric fuel-pump motor, so when you run very low, this allows the pump to suck in air, which creates heat and can cause the fuel pump to wear prematurely and potentially fail. The repair could end up costing a couple hundred dollars to fix—much more than the $4.00/gallon fill up.

Popular Mechanics – 2nd Annual Home DIY Guide - Free!

http://www.zinio.com/reader.jsp?issue=416170922&o=ext&RF=PopularMechanics_DIY2011

Eliminate Garbage Can Odor
Try Simple Human Charcoal Filters…ingenious product – Stick the strips inside the lid. Can be recharged by placing in sunlight. $3.99 for two at:
SimpleHuman.com

Eliminate refrigerator odor by soaking a cotton ball in vanilla extract and place in small bowl inside the fridge on the lowest shelf. Remove when dry.

The Nanny State Updates…

“The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville

Dept. of Education Use Swat Team to Collect Student Debt
http://RTR.org | A SWAT team broke into a home at the request of the US Department of Education to arrest and collect on a defaulted student loan. Kenneth Wright was dragged from his Stockton California home in his underwear while his children were in held police custody for several hours as they searched for his estranged wife. We bring you coverage of the unfolding story with remarks from Sheriff Richard Mack on the increased use of SWAT teams nationwide and Congressman Ron Paul’s remarks on the Department of Education.
http://rtr.org/videos/2/22909

China to Build Economic Zones in the US“Special economic zones” would be just south of Boise, Idaho and the Idaho government is eager to give it to them. China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach for short) plans to construct a “technology zone” south of Boise Airport which would ultimately be up to 50 square miles in size. The Chinese Communist Party is the majority owner of Sinomach, so the 10,000 to 30,000 acre “self-sustaining city” that is being planned would essentially belong to the Chinese government. The planned “self-sustaining city” in Idaho would include manufacturing facilities, warehouses, retail centers and large numbers of homes for Chinese workers. Basically it would be a slice of communist China dropped right into the middle of the United States.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the idea would be to build a self-contained city with all services included. It would be modeled after the “special economic zones” that currently exist in China.
On a related note about China…
It was supposed to be a floating casino in Macau. At least that is what China said when it purchased a decommissioned aircraft carrier from Ukraine for $20 million in 1998. Today, that rusting hulk is about to become China’s first aircraft carrier.
This is in addition to a undetermined but huge fleet of nuclear submarines that are secretly patrolling the Pacific and Indian Oceans and all areas in between. Plus, this is just the tip of China’s future military ambitions.

Obama: Economic recovery is ‘going to take time’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Saturday sought the public’s patience with a slowing economy and said training workers for manufacturing jobs despite declines in that sector will help put the economy on a path toward growth. He said the recession didn’t happen overnight and won’t end that way, either.

The Poor Man Answers…Mr. President. many Americans (and local and state governments) are running out of time. the economy should have been your first priority, not health care. Part of your economic fix should include getting rid of the horrendous amount of ludicrous red tape government agencies (at all levels) impose on businesses and the general population. Red tape and our overly complex tax system is strangling America with costs and threatens our national security as well as our international competitiveness…is it any wonder why so many corporations are setting up shop overseas to the detriment of hiring in this country?
Spend more time on our nation’s problems instead of so many vacations and golf outings.

Use coupon swapping sites to save money – folks are using such sites as CouponForum.com and ThriftyFun.com to exchange coupons

Parting thought…more tools to explore for income at home

Quite frequently I feature resources and ideas which allow folks to work from home to generate extra income. What follows are a number of resources to explore, ideal for either a man or woman.

Get started by visiting StartUpNation.com for easy instructions on becoming an at-home entrepreneur. This site includes tools for estimating start-up costs and choosing a business model to licensing an invention and creating a website.

If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge and are seeking salaried at-home jobs, check WorkatHomeJobs.org which features a database of 10,000 legitimate listings.

If you taken the road to self employment and have a home office, here’s another interesting resource, Home-Based Working Moms or HBWM.com for a free business directory of other work-at-home moms, message boards for exchanging ideas, marketing tips and support.

Finally, take a peek at the work-at-home resources provided at LinkedIn.com. It includes career advancement opportunities along with news and advice. I must admit, although I am a member of LinkedIn, I don’t take advantage of their resources very often. One site I get a real kick from (I’ve plugged them before) is Fiverr.com, where people sell many kinds of services for…$5.

I tried posting a couple of times but always seem to screw the listing up and it gets popped.

That all for today folks – the Poor Man Survivor!

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A Shallow Planet Production

Multi-Uses for Epsom Salts, Dad’s Day Deals

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. History of Father’s Day plus holiday freebies
2. The Many Uses for Epsom Salt
3. FBI Granted more Spying powers on citizens
4. Many states now restricting insurers use of your credit report
5. Government agences advise employees to “Prepare”

Keep it small, keep it in a confined area, and keep an eye on it!
Smokey the Bear’s words of caution about the government, a clear & present danger.

NASA Issues strong suggestion to employees – Get Prepared Now!

A major initiative has been placed on Family/Personal Preparedness for all NASA personnel. The NASA/Family Preparedness Program is designed to provide awareness, resources, and tools to the NASA Family (civil servants and contractors) to prepare for an emergency situation. The most important assets in the successful completion of NASA’s mission are our employees’ and their families. We are taking the steps to prepare our workforce, but it is your personal obligation to prepare yourself and your families for emergencies.

More and more of the mainstream press and government agencies are warning their people to get ready for emergencies…what does this suggest? Here a few links to documents agencies are suggesting:

Free 300+ page manual, It’s a Disaster, what are you gonna do about it.
Distributed by the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency / FEMA & DHS.
This is an excellent resource that should be in everyone that prepares library, the manual comes in .pdf format and can be downloaded here: http://newsroom.dc.gov/file.aspx/release/16957/dc_disaster_bk_4th_ed_2008.pdf

Listen to Administrator Bolden’s thoughts on why it’s important that we “know our stuff” and “be prepared”.
Administrator, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Video

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/hq/emergency/personalPreparedness/index.html

Finally, here’s an interesting site for women who want to become more prepared.
Interesting blog geared toward women and survivalism
http://www.survival4chicks.com/?p=3164

Garden Hose Care
Do not store a hose where the sun will shine down on it. The sun’s heat will dry it out. Also, keep a hose away from any kind of heating source, like a furnace or outdoor barbecue.
If the hose has sprung a little leak, instead of using glue or tape to repair it, try this fix—heat up the tip of an ice pick or Phillips-head screwdriver, and gently touch the rubber around the hole in the hose with the hot tip of the tool. It should seal the hole close.

Father’s Day – some history and Freebies

Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth.

She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday. Local religious leaders supported the idea, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the month of the birthday of Dodd’s father. Regardless of when the first true Father’s Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father.

The Associated Men’s Wear Retailers formed a National Father’s Day Committee in New York City in the 1930s, which was renamed in 1938 to National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day and incorporated several other trade groups. This council had the goals of legitimizing the holiday in the mind of the people and managing the holiday as a commercial event in a more systematic way, in order to boost the sales during the holiday. (Source: Wikipedia)

Holiday Freebies for Dad and the Family…
Get dad a free Casual Gingham Portrait Collage from Walmart’s Picture Me Portrait Studios. A $29.99 value for free, no purchase necessary. Coupon expires 6/30/11. Just print the coupon and schedule your session.

Spaghetti Warehouse is offering a free lasagne or spaghetti entree for dads on June 19th. No coupon is necessary! Offer details on their Facebook wall.

Get a free 5 oz cup or cone from TCBY on June 19th for dads. Offer on their Facebook wall.

Free Breakfast for dad at IKEA on June 19th before 11am. Breakfast includes: scrambled eggs served with a side of hash browns, scrumptious bacon plus a hot cup of coffee, all for FREE!

Kids can make a free tool box at Home Depot’s Kids Workshop on Saturday, 6/18. They also get a free orange apron. Call your local Home Depot to see if they are participating and if there is still space available in the class.

Lowes has a Build and Grow Clinic this Saturday to make a free Goofy Golf Kit for dad. You can register online for the clinic.

FreeWoodPlans.net
Does your Dad enjoy woodworking projects? FreeWoodPlans.net offers thousands of categorized woodworking plans that you can output from your printer. The site also offers tips, tricks, tutorials.

Enjoy Father’s Day Brunch at Fleming’s on June 19th and get dad a $25 gift card for use during a future visit. Reservations are required. Use this store locator to find a Flemings

Save money by using a crock pot – it uses less electricity than your oven and the food tastes great.

Mark your calendars! The Flathead Liberty Bell is sponsoring a Preparedness Expo on Saturday June, 18 from 10am – 8pm featuring Resources and Workshops to Help You Prepare for the Unexpected
Address:
Valley Victory Church (in the gym)
315 East Evergreen
Evergreen, Montana
Admission: $5.00
12 and under: FREE!

http://flatheadlibertybell.com/scheduled-events.shtml

Best Bet for Removing Bee Stingers
Focus on getting the stinger out quickly to reduce swelling and pain by 25%. Then dab skin with a paste of meat tenderizer and water to break down the venom. Avoid using tweezers since they tend to squeeze more venom into the skin…a credit card or your fingernail will work better.
<<>>
Many Uses for Epsom Salts – keep a good supply handy
Epsom Salt – Long known as a natural remedy for a number of ailments, Epsom salt has numerous health benefits as well as many beauty, household and gardening-related uses.

At the Epsom Salt Industry Council web site I learned that epsom salts—made of the mineral magnesium sulfate—are also a sedative for the nervous system.
When magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin, such as in a bath, it draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling, relaxes muscles, is a natural emollient, exfoliator, and much more.

Relaxing and sedative bath: Soak in warm water and 2 cups of Epsom salt.
Read more about the Amazing Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths…

Foot soak: Soothe aches, remove odors and soften rough skin with a foot soak. Add 1/2 cup of Epsom salt to a large pan of warm water. Soak feet for as long as it feels right. Rinse and dry. Or try an Epsom Salt Peppermint Foot Scrub.
Soak sprains and bruises: Epsom salt will reduce the swelling of sprains and bruises. Add 2 cups epsom salt to a warm bath, and soak

Athlete’s Foot - Soak feet in an Epsom salt bath to help relieve the symptoms of Athlete’s Foot.
Remove splinters - Soak affected skin area in an Epsom salt bath to draw out the splinter.
Treat toenail fungus - Soak your affected toes in hot water mixed with a handful of Epsom salt three times a day.
Soothe sprains and bruises – Add 2 cups Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak to reduce the pain and swelling of sprains and bruises

Home made plant fertilizer too…just add one tablespoon to a gallon of water and use on your plants…easy and cheap!

For more information, go to the council site at:

http://epsomsaltcouncil.org/

Let’s go back in time to a simpler America, to one before bloated bureaucracies, before insane rules and regulations that were created to micromanage your every move and thought.

PM’s Nanny State Updates…

The Cancer of Government Regulation: How occupational licensing laws hurt the poor
Politicians care about poor people. We know because they always say that. But then why do they make it so hard for the poor to escape poverty? As John Stossel explains in his latest column, by passing and supporting occupational licensing schemes for taxis, hair braiding, and other harmless professions, politicians keep poor people out of business.
http://reason.com/archives/2011/06/09/the-cancer-of-government-regul

Victim’s Advocate
Several people saw four men push 14-year-old Dafarus Coleman and take his jacket aboard a Metro bus in King County, Washington. But when some of them called 911 to report a crime in progress, dispatchers refused to send a deputy. “You cannot report a theft that did not occur to you. The person who the items were stolen from has to report this,” a dispatcher told one caller.

Several States Now Restrict How Insurers Can Use Your Credit Report
An insidious practice by auto and other insurance firms is to use your credit score against you so they can charge you higher premiums or deny coverage…Several states are now restricting this practice. Others, such as CA, HI, MD, MA, have full or partial bans on the practice. If your state doesn’t have a ban, use a broker to get coverage through an insurer that won’t penalize you for having a low credit score.

FBI Agents Given More Surveillance Powers “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention.” (New York Times)

Best Bet for Soothing Poison Ivy
Wash affected area with Dawn or Joy dish detergent, then dab with more detergent and let dry. These cleaners are so effective at breaking down urushiol (the substance that causes the problem) that they reduce itching and redness by 56%.

Parting Thought…Why the Recession Continues…Dick Morris Explains Why

The public and the markets seem to be running out of patience and history tells us when unemployment is as high as it is now, the incumbent US president doesn’t get re-elected. Obama has, in my opinion, run out of options for stimulating the economy as he continues to miss the true obstacles to reviving our country.

Namely:

>>High debt with neither party clear about stopping our spending spree
>>Our country is hobbled by costly bureaucratic rules, regulations and costs which discourage business and employment.
>>We’re involved in too many wars
>>Our tax system provides a stumbling block to all
>>Voters are feeling real pain and the housing market continues its slide south

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles – our lack of a viable energy policy which hampers consumer spending and small business profitability. As Washington continues to suck up most of the available credit to service its debt and spending, little is left over for small businesses, the growth engine which supports this country.

Watch Dick Morris’ explanation here:

Your for a brighter future…Happy Dad’s Day – the Poor Man

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

Win $1000 of Groceries, DIY Beer, Baking Mix and More

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. DIY Beer, Root Beer, Baking Mix, more
2. Nutritition on a shoestring budget
3. Win a $1000 Worth of Groceries, Get more Coupons to help
4. US Workers Underpaid, Rise in SWAT raids-targeting wrong home

If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
–Ronald Reagan

Share some sugar and shrink your bills, Offbeat News

Most everyone I know is looking to save a buck so they can afford to fill their fuel tank!
I ran across a few more sites which might help. Here’s another site you can use to borrow rather than buy stuff. The site encourages community sharing and you can create your own online community group with friends and neighbors, other parents and others. Go to ShareSomeSugar.com to learn more.

Here’s a site that will help you to shrink the bills you’ll likely not give up (cell phone, internet, cable). It will help you compare and snag the lowest price for these services by providing you with unbiased suggestions based on your usage. Go to: BillShrink.com

One more site to share which should prove useful (only wish it would apply to our local water rates). WhiteFence.com helps trim utility bills by giving you the average going rate in 20 cities, then offers free price quotes from competing vendors and let’s you switch immediately online with a best-price guarantee.

Finally, like most folks, I enjoy reading the tabloid headlines while waiting to checkout in the supermarket. I like the offbeat headlines but admit, I liked the old National Enquirer much better when it features such mind-candy as “Cub Scout Hacks off Leg with Scout Knife.”

When I taught marketing and copywriting, I often used the headlines from these magazines as examples of attention getting copy. Helen Gurley Brown, the publisher of Cosmo magazine always wrote all of the cover copy and those headlines sold thousands of magazines in the checkout line – she was a master at teaser copy. Too bad most of them now only offer up a garbage pail of celebrity nonsense. Whatever happened to the “Wacky World Weekly?”

Still, there are websites like NewsoftheWeird.com, Snopes.com (find the truth about online email stories) and BodyOdd.msnbc.msn.com which offer up a healthy dose of the weird and odd!
I read a lot of political works (what a surprise) so I need this bit of escape now and then!

Give children a small plot of land to grow a garden of their own. A sure-fire way to occupy their summer free time and to get them to eat vegetables.

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of Useful Stuff

Win $1000 in Groceries+Get Weekly Coupons+Learn to Stockpile
3rd annual All You Grocery Challenge show you how to spend $25 or less per family member per week at the supermarket.

http://www.allyou.com/sweepstakes/grocery-challenge-00411000072299/

Beermaking demystified!

You can make your own beer with little effort and a fraction of the cost of commercial beer. This simple method uses just one fermenting process, so only one brewing container is needed.

http://eartheasy.com/eat_homebrew.htm

Easy Home Made Root Beer
Here’s a quick and easy way to enjoy homemade root beer almost instantly. If you crave the old-fashioned version, made with yeast and fermented a few days, use the recipe at:

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Beverages/Easy-Homemade-Root-Beer.aspx

Keep Your Beer in the Dark Create your own ‘beer cellar’ by storing your suds in a cool, dark place where you won’t need to move those cases frequently…stays fresh for six months and stock up when there are sales.

Easy, at-home cheese making guide-Free

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm

Nutrition on a Shoestring Budget – Food isn’t cheap; will get more expensive.

http://www.canadianliving.com/health/mind_and_spirit/nutrition_on_a_shoestring.php

New Coupon Site-More features to save money
By using free coupon codes provided on the site, users can save up to 90% on their regular purchases while shopping online at their favorite stores. Coupon codes are added twice a day by the CouponSpace editorial team and at the moment, the site has over 17,000 active coupon codes
The most interesting is the coupon code sharing functionality. This allows any user to share coupon codes not found on CouponSpace with the CouponSpace consumer community. All shared coupons will appear alongside the editorially chosen coupons on the site.
http://www.couponspace.net/

DIY Maven – Lots of how-to you can take advantage of!
Menu categories include: Beading, Before & After, Christmas, Crochet, Décor, DIY, Gardening, General Crafts, Knitting, Loom Knitting, MavenTV, Paper Crafts, Sewing, Uncategorized, and Woodworking.

http://diymaven.com/

Clean and freshen your toilet by pouring a cup of distilled vinegar into the bowl and let sit overnight. Scrub well and flush.

Instead of buying Bisquick baking mix, make your own at home with a few simple ingredients.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
8 cups all-purpose flour (or 4 cups each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups dry nonfat milk
2 cups shortening

Preparation:
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, nonfat milk, and shortening together in large bowl (if you have a large mixer it is ideal to use for blending this mix but it can also be done quite adequately using a pastry blender to cut in shortening). Add shortening about a half cup at a time mixing well after each addition. Mixture will be mealy when mixed adequately.

Put in air-tight container and store either in refrigerator or at room temperature. Use within about 3 months.

For Biscuits:
Mix 2 cups of Baking Mix with 1/2 cup water. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.

For Muffins:
Mix 2 cups of Baking Mix with 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 beaten egg and 2/3 cup milk. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

For Pancakes:
Mix 2 cups of baking mix with 1 beaten egg and 1-1/3 cup milk.

For Waffles:
Mix 2 cups of Baking Mix with 1 beaten egg, 2 Tablespoons oil, and 1-1/3 cup milk
A good soaking for your vegetable garden is better than light sprinkling and watering in the morning or evening works best.

The Nanny State Updates…

US Workers Underpaid
Over the last decade, the share of U.S. national income taken home by workers has plummeted to a record low. Since the 1980s, income for the richest 1 percent of Americans has exploded, while hardly budging at all for everyone else.
Still, there’s little sense that either Obama administration or Congress plan to do much about this growing inequality. Indeed, any serious action to boost the economy and cut unemployment now seems to be off the table.

Police are armed to the teeth… and while their official marketing slogan may be to ‘keep people safe’, their real function is to be the protectors and enforcers for the political class, all while keeping the people in check so that the know who’s boss.

No Knock Raids-Using SWAT on Public Enemy #1 (Drugs) Often targeting the wrong home, 70,000 US raids annually, frequently killing innocent people, including children and old people usually of color.

Bethesda, Maryland. Just outside the gates of Congressional Country Club, the site of this year’s U.S. Open, some kids were selling lemonade to patrons with the intention of donating the profits to children’s charities.
Turns out there is something more American than that: government bureaucracy. Montgomery County inspectors repeatedly warned the children (and their parents) that they were violating a ban on vendors within county limits, and when the tots didn’t shut down their operation, the government shut it down for them, slapping their parents with a $500 fine

The US economy will never ever, ever, ever, ever recover until it returns manufacturing to its shores. Manufacturing in China is not making it, no matter how cheap the price and crummy the goods. The federal government has projected large deficits for the entire duration of its budget projection. now it wants to increase its debt without any demonstrative means to repay it. eventually, creditors will wise up and refuse to lend to these reckless fools. eventually, the federal government will go broke unless it learns to live within its means.
–Nouriel Roubini

The Parting Shot…As our country runs out of borrowed money, will it sink Obama?

In a few weeks our country will run out of ‘borrowed’ money and the Treasury Dept. has already begun issuing IOUs rather than bonds to many government pension funds. Unable to borrow $4 billion a day to pay its bills and with no compromise seen in Congress, we risk defaulting.

The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for U.S. economic growth on Friday and warned Washington and debt-ridden European countries that they are “playing with fire” unless they take immediate steps to reduce their budget deficits.

The Fed and many in the White House inner circle and even China warn default would mean disaster for our economy with higher interest rates and prices on everything and even an average loss of more than $8000 per person on their IRAs and 401(k) plans.

Some think tanks are also suggesting it would mean the loss of more than 640,000 jobs. As you may already know, America borrows 41 cents of each dollar it spends. It may even mean more layoffs for federal workers (what a shame) and delays in welfare payments.

As you’ve heard me say again and again, the blame lies with both parties. Each party has been dangerous and poor stewards of our resources.

I don’t believe any President has won re-election for a second term when the unemployment numbers were above eight percent. The odds of Obama getting re-elected, in my opinion, are less than 35%.

Although no president can truly ‘fix’ the economy and get companies hiring again…he can create a better economic environment by totally revamping our stupid tax system and bureaucratic system of red tape which is choking Americans at every level, rendering our country impotent against other countries. Further, he could foster a climate which fuels research and development and entrepreneurship in this country.

One thing in his favor at the moment, is that the Republicans do not have a particularly strong candidate to run against Obama. Another double-dip recession will almost certainly sink Obama’s second term aspirations. What do you think?

That’s it from your political analyst, the Poor Man!

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A Shallow Planet Production

Share with your friends!

3 Bored Guys Roast a Pig, Free Sample Products

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Three men with nothing to do show how to roast a pig
2. Get more free stuff by being a product tester
3. High bank fees push more to pre-pad debit cards
4. Brokers not allowed to sell gold to US citizens after July
5. The Fiscal Implosion is upon us unless Congress acts…

“Although we give lip service to the notion of freedom, we know that government is no longer the servant of the people but, at last, has become the people’s master. We have stood by like timid sheep while the wolf killed — first the weak, then the strays, then those on the outer edges of the flock, until at last the entire flock belonged to the wolf.”
– Gerry Spence
Lawyer and author

High bank fees driving more people to pre-paid debit cards…

Prepaid debit cards are growing in popularity, especially among those who no longer have a bank account (about one in five & growing). Despite new fee regulation, most banks have navigated ways around those restrictions and now have different fees which ding your balance.

Of course, pre-paid cards have few regulations and a maze of fees attached to their use and many are calling for new regulations when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launches in July. Still, for many, a pre-paid card is cheaper than a checking account and offers a convenient means of paying bills for many.

The amount of cash expected to be loaded to such cards is expected to reach $552 billion next year. It is the fastest growing method of paying bills. The IRS issued tax refunds on pre-paid cards to more than 600,000 households this year. GreenDot, the largest issuer of these cards has more than 4.3 million cards in use.

Not all prepaid cards are bad, but fees are common. You need to evaluate each offer to determine whether a prepaid card is right for you. For parents who want to monitor and control their children’s spending, while teaching their children how to responsibly handle money management, prepaid debit cards are some of the preferred tools. Here is a link to help you evaluate the best cards that are available:
http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/best-prepaid-debit-cards/

Degunk your BBQ grill by spraying a solution of half water and half vinegar to loosen burnt on foods from the surface and whisk away with a steel wire brush.

PM’s ‘Betty Schocker’ Compendium of resources

Deer Defense – Each year crops are ruined from deer. Fight back with free strategies at this site: www.Gardening.Cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef

Summer Jobs for Teens
Find short term positions at parks, hotels, etc. at:
www.SummerJobs.com

Get more for your money – Pricing and information on health care, home repairs, pet care and other services at:
www.CostHelper.com

Find discounts for seniors in your area
A new site offers seniors a means of finding discounts for goods and services in their own neighborhood. Search by zip code for discounts on everything from travel to pet services and unlike Groupon, there is no need to purchase coupons. Go to:
www.Sciddy.com

Tips to save money…
Save up to 60% on gift cards from your favorite merchants by visiting such sites as:

GiftCardGranny.com
ABCGiftCards.com
PlasticJungle.com

Don’t forget to sign up for your favorite retailer’s newsletter or face book site to learn of upcoming sales and special offers. Before spending your cash, do a Google search to find coupon codes or research a site like: RetailMeNot.com or check the grandma of all coupon sites at: Coupons.com where you can often find deals better than your Sunday newspaper.

Clean and freshen your toilet by pouring a cup of distilled vinegar into the bowl and let sit overnight. Scrub well and flush.

Work at home resources for women

http://www.webmomz.com/index2.shtml

Coupon Database, Stockpiling tips, frugal living ideas and more…

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/

Holiday garlic-bourbon grilling meat marinade: Blend ½ cup of bourbon, ¼ cup molasses, 1 Tbs each oil and balsamic vinegar and two tsp. of minced garlic – apply to your favorite steak!

Three Men With Nothing Better to do show you how to roast a whole pig!
A few years ago we held our annual family reunion at our farm and I roasted a whole pig using the pit method.

To build your own underground pit to roast a pig in, you’ll need a piece of clear ground. The clearing will need to measure approximately twenty feet by twenty feet square. In the middle of the square, you’ll need to dig a hole for the pit. (Place the dirt you dug out of the hole nearby because you’re going to need it later when you roast the pig.) The size of the hole will depend on the size of the pig you’re going to roast. A hole that measures three feet wide, is five feet long, and is a foot deep should fit the average-sized pig. If that’s too large or small for the pig you’re going to roast, then adjust the measurements as needed. You want the underground pit to just fit the pig and the rocks and leaves you’re going to use.

The next step in this project is to gather together plenty of dry kindling wood, firewood, and several round rocks. Ash and Birch trees make the best kindling and firewood, but other types of wood can be used as well. The rocks should be about four to five inches in diameter.

Then, line the middle of the underground pit with the kindling wood. Place several pieces of the dry firewood on top to cover the first layer. Place a thick layer of rocks on top of the firewood. Now that the three layers are in place, light the kindling wood. It will need to burn at least an hour and a half, maybe more.

As soon as the kindling starts to burn, it will ignite the dry firewood. The firewood, in turn, will heat the rocks and the underground pit. As the firewood burns down and turns to ashes, the rocks will drop to the bottom of the pit. Here are two links which provide the rest of the story on two variations of pit cooking a pig – enjoy!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33982/underground_imu_pit_the_hawaiian_way_pg2.html?cat=32

http://www.3men.com/spitroasting.htm

Got a small tear in your window or door screen? Fix it quick by coating the frayed area with clear nail polish to keep bugs out.

Alliance: In international politics, the union of two thieves
who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other’s pockets
that they cannot separately plunder a third.

The Nanny State Updates
Gold money was not private property in the 1930′s, it was an instrument of the state, and subject to the state’s disposal. That is not the case now.“
As a result of of the Dodd-Frank Act enacted by US Congress, a new regulation prohibiting US residents from trading over the counter precious metals, including gold and silver, will go into effect July 15, 2011,

Spot prices are exempt from this bill and its focus is on control and manipulation of gold/silver prices to ensure the ponzi scheme will survive. They must control the leverage and peer into the black market to truly assess their next steps. This talk about manipulating paper even more than it is now affects me ZERO. I hold natural physical. I will keep buying natures’ physical. The ponzi is falling apart, and if the 2 year rate is capped as rumors suggest, then this action is another reason to force big players to play by the big bankers rules in an effort to maintain price fixing going forward. They bought themselves another few months.

— Workers at a Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Tennessee have opted to trade a paid Labor Day holiday for the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
A 5-year contract approved by members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union at the Shelbyville, Tenn., plant last November includes the change to accommodate Muslim workers.
“The negotiating committee made the holiday a top priority in contract talks,” the union’s Alabama and Mid-South Council Representative Randy Hadley said in a statement issued in June. “And we were able to get management to commit to it.”
The change, which does not affect the company’s 118 other plants, exchanges Labor Day for the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The new contract, negotiated last fall, also gives Muslim workers a prayer room

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397645,00.html#ixzz1PoGA4wOT

Companies are spending, but not on payroll
Two years into the recession and firms are beefing up their equipment and software purchases, but not payroll. Since 2009 payrolls have grown only 2% while equipment expenditures have grown 26%…workers are getting more expensive while equipment is getting cheaper and the trend is unlikely to reverse. According to the Commerce Dept., the economy is producing as much as it was before the downturn; but with 7 million few jobs. –Source: New York Times

American consumers are in the early stages of an unprecedented retrenchment,” Roach writes in the Financial Times. In the 13 quarters since the beginning of 2008, inflation-adjusted annualized growth in consumption has averaged just 0.5 percent, he says. Economic Zombie Land!

Fiscal Implosion
There’s urgency in Washington to fix a problem that’s been a long time coming: America’s fast track to fiscal implosion. In The Heritage Foundation’s just-released, expanded 2011 Budget Chart Book, you can see just how bad the country’s spending problem is and how America racked up so much debt

But one need not peer into tomorrow to see the effects that rampant government spending can have on a nation’s economy. Greece is in the midst of a continuing fiscal crisis brought about by years of irresponsible spending—and its woes are impacting world markets among fears of the country’s possible default.
The United States, too, stands at the brink. And as the 2011 Budget Chart Book compellingly shows

Reader Comment
I have always been frugal and it has paid off for me. But when I read that people are butchering their own animals and growing their own crops it sounds like a third world country. Step back and look how far we’ve fallen. I fear for this country. We’ve gone from one extreme to the next. What everyone needs to understand is that when the middle class is gone the country falls. Look at South America-a huge underclass, no middle class and a few wealthy people who come to the United States for medical care and shopping. We are headed in that direction fast. –YeahBaby

Make a paste of equal parts of salt and vinegar to get rid of bathtub ring – rub area with the paste, let sit 10 minutes, then rinse.

The Parting Shot – Another way to get freebies; test products

A number of years ago we adopted Charlie, a lead pony from the Detroit Racetrack. He was pretty emaciated when we got him but what a friendly disposition. With lots of attention and pasture grass along with a special diet from Purina’s Equine Senior, he was back to his old self with a few months.

We sent photos of his progress to Purina and they responded with six coupons for free bags of their feed (at the time, a $100 value). Folks who email reviews of products to the manufacturer, whether good or bad, often get valuable coupons.

You can sign up to review products at such sites as: BzzAgent.com to get free samples. In exchange, they ask you to share your thoughts with friends on social networking sites. Another site, StartSampling.com will give you products and surveys for the items they send you.

If you entertain a lot, invite them to a product demonstration and get freebies for yourself and your guests. Sign up at these sites: HouseParty.com or MyGetTogetherPage.com – they’ll even help you plan your party.

Sample and test new products from major manufacturers by going to such sites as:
KraftFirstTaste.com or from General Mills at: Pssst.GeneralMills.com

Most likely, there are other product testing sites so do an internet search for your areas of interest.
Share our information with your friends, they’ll thank you!
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

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A Shallow Planet Production

More Ways to Score Discounts, China’s Rise, Our Demise

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. More useful ways to get online discounts
2. Make some cash selling domain names
3. How to use a compass while hiking
4. China’s Rise, our demise – Feeding the beast

“If you look at Washington, you see permanently camped on the banks of the Potomac spread around in concentric circles an army representing thousands of selfish interests. The sole purpose of their presence is to plunder, by hook or crook, the public treasury for the benefit of their particular people or corporations.”
– Charlie Reese

One easy way to cut government waste -
Despite promises to cut spending, Politicians have increase their ‘vacations’!

Mrs. Obama and children (and huge entourage) visited S. Africa this week. How nice. The Obama’s take more expensive vacation than just about any other President (except for perhaps Clinton who visited something like 52 countries). It cost a ton of taxpayer bucks to visit Africa, Spain, Europe, etc.

Indeed, all politicians spend a boatload of our money on fancy trips, often supposedly to “see first hand’ what the situation is in – You Name the Country.

What a load of horse manure. What the hell do we pay generals, and ambassadors for? Pick up the damned phone and call to find out what’s going on!

Politicians are driven around in limos, eat at nothing but first class restaurants, have the best health care and clubs and more…all at taxpayer expense. Talk about cutting waste, start with Washington.

Although the White House refuses to share the actual cost for a trip to HI, here’s a breakdown we found:

>Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii: $63,000 (White House Dossier)
>Obama’s round trip flight to Hawaii: $1 million (GAO estimates)
>Housing in beachfront homes for Secret Service and Seals in Kailua ($1,200 a day for 14 days): $16,800
>Costs for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel: $134,400 ($400 per day for 24 staff) – excluding meals and other room costs
>Police overtime: $250,000 (2009 costs reported by Honolulu Police Department)
>Ambulance: $10,000 (City Spokesperson)
TOTAL COST: $1,474,200

Then there are the unknown costs:

-Rental of office building in Kailua on canal
-Security upgrades and additional phone lines
-Costs for car rentals and fuel for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel (Secret Service imports most of the cars used here to escort the president)
-Surveillance before the president arrives
-Travel costs for Secret Service and White House staff traveling ahead of the President

Source: The Blaze.com

“This is an important issue for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that millions of dollars are spent on flying lawmakers all around the world,” says Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. “It is a form of influence peddling when sponsored by private entities. When the government pays for it, we need to know that tax dollars are being used wisely instead of funding junkets.”

Lawmakers can travel at taxpayers’ expense or accept free trips to symposiums paid for by academic institutions and think tanks. The latter often gets lawmakers and their family members to exotic destinations for a little food for thought and a whole lot of wining and dining. Each trip costs taxpayers an average of $220,000!

Our Washington ruling class cost a fortune. Tell them to take a bus!

Use Listerine to disinfect your home and get rid of mold. Spritz a solution of half water and half mouth wash on surfaces including grout. Let stand a couple of minutes and wipe clean.

PM’s Betty Shocker Compendium of Useful Stuff…

FEMA has an excellent booklet titled Risks and Hazards: A State by State Guide. It is a state by state guide covering tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, snow and extreme cold, tsunamis, nuclear power plants, and nuclear attack (the “Big One” not terrorists/small scale attacks). The booklet will give you an idea of the possibility of these threats for your state/region.

FEMA-196 Risks and Hazards: A State by State Guide

http://www.survivalring.org/FEMA196-free.pdf

Another Method of Making Some Extra Cash

The Poor Man probably owns close to 25 domain names. Although I’ve never attempted to sell them, there are plenty of folks making money by selling domain names, some with a website already attached to them (plenty of examples on eBay).

You may recall stories of entrepreneurs who owned WalMart.com and other major names before such retailers decided to increase sales through a web presence. Imagine their surprise when they learned had already been taken (along with several variations)! Nearly all of the major retailers ponied up some big bucks to buy back their domain name and it was all perfectly legally.

Most domain names can be reserved for about $10. You can find such registrars by going to Google and typing in “domain names’ into the search engine. I use NameCheap.com and GoDaddy. You’ll often find specials for less than $2 as I did recently on GoDaddy. The ‘com’ domain names are becoming somewhat scarce and there are many others to use now such as ‘Biz,’ ‘US’, ‘Net,’ ‘Org,” ’Info,” etc.

Once you own the name and wish to sell it, you can use eBay or via sites such as:
SEDO.com or BuyDomains.com

If you have some basic website building skills, create a basic website to enhance the value. Many of the domain names I own are similar to PoorManSurvival.com and/or deal with frugal living. All of them use ‘redirects’ to steer folks to my main site as a traffic builder.

Clean your keyboard with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; use rubbing alcohol to clean TV and Computer monitors and other electronics too (we use it to clean DVDs too).

More Ways to Get Discounts

Bargain masters already use the internet and such sites as Groupon to grab great deals. More and more such sites seem to pop up each week. The ‘local deal’ has been a huge hit among the frugal living. Sites like Groupon and Restaurant.com negotiate special discount rates with merchants and then resell the vouchers to the public.

Back in the day, I did the same thing with newspaper publishers. I’d buy full page ads at deeply discounted rates (usually getting their best customer rate) because I’d pay cash upfront. I’d then resell blocks of those ads to other merchants at a discount. Made some nice cash in that fashion.

Consumers buy the vouchers online with a credit card and print it out and then use it at the local merchant. Even small cities are getting in on the act. Some of the newer sites include:

>>LivingSocial.com – which is now in 182 areas and offers the same kinds of deals as Groupon but with a twist…convince three of your friends to buy the same deal and you get your voucher free!

>>BuyWithMe.com – Although not widespread yet, their vouchers last a full seven days.

You’ll also want to check out some aggregator sites which monitor individual sites and consolidates their current offers into a single list.

Here are some aggregator sites to look at:
>DealNews.com >DealRadar.com >8Coupons.com >Yipit.com

Helpful note: be sure to use the voucher before they expire or try reselling them on a site such as: Lifesta.com

Use deodorant to stop the sting of an insect bite. The aluminum in it counteracts the pain and stops the swelling.

How to Use a Compass and Map

The Poor Man does not own or use GPS. I’m not sure how one would use it and the few times I’ve driven within someone using such a system, it was wrong as often as it was right.. You can be your own compass, which is better for backpacking and hiking, especially when there are no marked trails.

1. First, determine your relationship to true north by first finding your location on the map and placing the compass over it.

2. True your north by locating a visible landmark, such as a hill or stream which is shown on your map as being due north, south, east or west of you. Use the landmark to adjust for the difference between true north and magnetic north, which is what the compass needle indicates. In the US, magnetic north can vary by up to 20 degrees from true north.

3. Find midpoints – note the compass bearing of your desired destination. Choose an intermediate landmark located along the same line, and start hiking toward it.

Any Boy Scout handbook will provide a more in-depth course on using maps and compasses and more.

Polish your wood furniture with a few drops of baby oil. Apply to a clean cloth and wipe the surface – no toxic chemical residue and cheap! Use it on wood picture frames…On old frames, use GoJo to clean and revitalize the wood.

China’s Rise, Our Demise – The Parting Thought

Feeding the beast that destroys us…

Many Americans, except for celebrity gossip and sports, do not follow the news that matters to this country. Few realize the extent of our national debt due to out-of-control spending by Washington during the past thirty years.

Even fewer seem to be aware of how our educational system is failing us, despite massive amounts of public funds poured into public schools. America has fallen behind China in every meaningful category from education to spending on infrastructure. It’s being predicted that China will surpass America as the number one economy before 2020.

It’s been reported that China is now opening economic zones in the United States, beginning this year in Idaho. The Washington-Wall Street Cartel has squandered our national resources. Through an outdated tax system, bureaucratic red tape, the criminalization of almost all behavior and porous borders, Washington has rendered our country impotent.

State-owned Chinese energy giant CNOOC is buying a multibillion-dollar stake in 600,000 acres of South Texas oil and gas fields, potentially testing the political waters for further expansion into U.S. energy reserves.

With the announcement Monday that it would pay up to $2.2 billion for a one-third stake in Chesapeake Energy assets, CNOOC lays claim to a share of properties that eventually could produce up to half a million barrels a day of oil equivalent

China has recently surpassed Japan as the world’s number two economy and despite skepticism from some. Although internal scandals and a slowdown has hampered China, they have no national debt.

China’s rise to economic super power has dire consequences for the American way of life and will give rise to a new economic global order. It will alter the cultural, ethnic and political structure of this country.

What is truly ironic is how mainstream Americans have fed the beast that is destroying our jobs and way of life. A visit to any WalMart, Hobby Lobby or Harbor Freight Tools, for instance, will tell you we no longer make anything in this country. The manufacturing sector is what built our middle class, something I now call the ‘Whittled Class.” That too is being destroyed and any economics or political science professor will tell that when a country stops producing things, its destruction is assured.

It’s no secret that we have the best money government can buy and the industrial complex has been selling, leaking or losing technical information to the Chinese for years beginning with Nixon and Clinton. Special interests rule this country, not our elected representatives.

Some have suggested our demise has been planned as a part of the New World Order, under which American workers have been sacrificed to ‘compete’ with the global society. As I began writing in the mid-1980s when US corporations began to outsource US workers to those of sweat shop countries, “burger flipper cannot afford $40K cars.”

Fortune 500 firms such as General Electric pay no US income taxes and were at the forefront of shipping US jobs overseas. As our debt continues to climb, housing prices sink and few decent jobs are found, you might consider stocking up on Renminbi’s.

Yours for ‘living in America’, the Poor Man

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

Sites to Sell Used Baby Items, Is Class Warfare Inevitable?

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1. Sites to sell off used baby items
2. Economic Hell for American Families
3. Is class warfare inevitable – Revolt of the Have nots
4. More ‘Bargain Master’ sites to save money
5. Signs you got too much sun – a little summer humor

No Man is ever free, and he couldn’t stand it if he were – William Faulkner

The 4th Most Dangerous Organization Against Freedom of Choice

ABC reports that 60 million Americans have to abide by various homeowners’ association rules, which “decree everything from what color you can paint your house to how often your trash gets picked up and where you can park your car.”

Rarely does a week go by where we don’t hear of some control-freak homeowners association trampling freedom of choice. It fully escapes me as to why anyone would choose to live under such rules…we have enough dumb rules and regulations forced upon us by federal, state and local governments.

Most recently, a Macedonia, OH man is being skewered by an association for flying the American flag from a pole vs. his home. Twenty of his neighbors are sticking by this war veteran.

Oh, the most dangerous organization is the Fed, followed by Congress and local governments.
There’s little question our freedoms are eroding and few in Congress (or mainstream America) seems to give a damn.

On another note…

An entry-level salary often doesn’t go very far these days. According to a study by the Heldrich Center, the median starting salary for those who graduated from four-year degree programs in 2009 and 2010 was $27,000, down from $30,000 for those who graduated in 2006 to 2008, before the recession. (Try living on $27,000 a year — before taxes — in a city like New York, Washington or Chicago).

With that in mind, read the short piece below about Economic Hell in America.

Heal a blister with moisturizer. Even though I do it all the time, you’re not supposed to pop a blister; instead, apply moisturizer and cover with a bandage for faster healing.

PM’s Betty Shocker Compendium of Useful Resources

Sites for Selling Used Baby Goods

Kids grow quickly and are always in need of new clothing and other items. Here are a few online sites to sell off what you no longer need.

>Storkbrokers.com – Designed for parents who wish to trade or sell their baby related stuff without the headaches of eBay or Craigslist. Free registration and you can begin to buy and sell quickly.

>thredUp.com – Essentially an online clothing swap. To sell, members fill a medium postal service flat rate box and list the contents on the site. Buyers choose the box they want, then pay a service fee and shipping costs.

>SwapBabyGoods.com – You can sell or trade used baby gear through listings under its numerous categories to find items you’re interested in. Then contact the seller to arrange for either payment or a swap.
Source: Parenting.com

A Little Recipe to create a great holiday feast

LIME AND CHILI CHICKEN BREASTS
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2 teaspoons olive or canola oil

1 Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix chili powder, brown sugar, lime peel, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Rub both sides of chicken with oil, then with spice mixture. 2 Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

Signs you got too much sun
>To your husband’s delight, the only thing you can wear is a smile
>Your two-year-old keeps calling you Elmo
>Your friend is trying to match her lipstick to your arm

Run out of spackling? Use white toothpaste in its place using a spackling knife. Smooth and let dry and then repaint.

Conquer your debt
This site is highly acclaimed for its focus on money issues, providing a practical education in practical money matters.
GetRichSlowly.org

Money advice and news you can use
Comprehensive site featuring daily deal alerts, a variety of useful calculators, financial columns and more.
WalletPop.com

More ‘bargain master’ sites to use…

Inside deals on laptops, GPS devices and more
www.TechBargains.com

Have fun on a budget
Free to join, pay half price for sporting events, comedy shows and more.
Goldstar.com

Daily Deals and Online Bargains
Has an active consumer forum which you can use to share your finds and cash-back deals
FatWallet.com

Heading outdoors? Protect yourself from bugs by rubbing your body with dryer sheets – keeps biting bugs away!

The Nanny State Updates…

New Executive Order from Obama – White House Rural Council
Will create public-private partnership (aka: Fortune 500 contributors) to capitalize on rural assets…

Before the federal government “fixes” the problems of rural America, perhaps it should focus on “fixing” many of the other problems it has created first….

*Growing numbers of military veterans cannot find jobs once they leave the U.S. military. In fiscal 2008, the Pentagon spent $450 million on unemployment benefits for military vets. In fiscal 2010, the Pentagon spent almost twice as much – $882 million. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for military veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 is more than 30%.

According to a recent CNN poll, 48 percent of Americans believe that “another Great Depression” is likely within the next 12 months. Americans have been waiting for almost three years for a “recovery” to materialize, but instead there are all kinds of signs that the economy is about to get worse yet again. Inflation is rising but wages are not. There are millions of Americans that would do just about anything to get a decent job. The “misery index” is the highest it has been in almost 30 years. All of the recent polls show that the American people are more pessimistic about the economy than at any other time in recent memory.

Economic Hell For American Families
My husband lost his long-term job in 2009 due to budget cuts. Don’t worry, I said. I’m still working, and we have a year of our salary in savings. You’re smart, you’re educated, you’re a hard worker. You’ll find a job soon.

Two months later, my long-term job was sent to India.
I still wasn’t worried. I’m smart, I’m educated, and I’m a smart worker.

A year and a half later, I haven’t found new career yet. I’m 50. No one is going to hire me. I am working – at a Home Depot. At a 79% pay cut from my prior position. But it doesn’t pay for anything. My husband found a new position in his field – at a 62% pay cut from his prior position.

We lived off unemployment and our savings, until both ran out. We put our house and investment property on the market the day after I lost my job.
We haven’t had one offer.

We just had our Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged. Our foreclosure is still pending. No word yet when that will be done.

To add insult to injury, we owe Federal income taxes on the penalties we used to make withdrawals from our 401(k)’s to live off. My husband took a job in another state, and we were SHOCKED to learn that we owed NEW YORK STATE taxes on the income he earned in Mississippi – to New York state! Apparently there is some loophole that if you are a property owner in New York, but earn income in another state, you have to pay New York state income taxes on out of state earned income.

We’ve been told once our foreclosure is finalized, we may owe taxes on that as well.
What happened to our country

“Strictly speaking, it probably is not “necessary” for the federal government to tax anyone directly; it could simply print the money it needs. However, that would be too bold a stroke, for it would then be obvious to all what kind of counterfeiting operation the government is running. The present system combining taxation and inflation is akin to watering the milk; too much water and the people catch on.”
– Ron Paul

The Parting Shot – Is Class Warfare on the horizon? Revolt of the Have-nots

I’ve written extensively on the huge income inequality gap, the decimation of the middle class and our jobs, falling values of homes, inflationary ravages on our buying power and more.

The economic plight and frustrations of the middle class barely get a sound bite on the national news and even less discussion in Washington (they won’t bite the hand that feeds them). Corporate controlled media rarely even mentions the new wave of violence being perpetrated by gangs of young people who attack and rob stores and citizens in such cities as Chicago.

The failure of our political parties to address the true needs of the nation has soured almost everyone on our system of government. Politics is more about divisive cultural warfare than problem solving. All of that leaves most of us feeling disconnected and with a sense that the middle class has been shoved over a cliff, now the forgotten class.

Yet, during the past three years, all of the corporations below made a lot of money. Yet all of them paid net taxes that were below zero for those three years combined.

How is that possible? Well, it turns out that instead of paying in taxes to the federal government, they were actually getting money back.

A third of all the wealth in the world is held in “offshore” tax havens.
What U.S. corporations are able to get away with is absolutely amazing.
The following figures come directly out of a report by Citizens for Tax Justice. These are combined figures for the tax years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

So for these corporations, their rate of taxation was actually below zero.
If you have not seen these before, you are going to have a hard time believing some of these statistics…..

*Honeywell*
Profits: $4.9 billion
Taxes: -$34 million
*Fed Ex*
Profits: $3 billion
Taxes: -$23 million
*Wells Fargo*
Profits: $49.37 billion
Taxes: -$681 million
*Boeing*
Profits: $9.7 billion
Taxes: -$178 million
*Verizon*
Profits: $32.5 billion
Taxes: -$951 million
*Dupont*
Profits: $2.1 billion
Taxes -$72 million
*American Electric Power*
Profits: $5.89 billion
Taxes -$545 million
*General Electric*
Profits: $7.7 billion
Taxes: -$4.7 billion

Plainly, the Washington-Wall Street Cartel don’t give a damn about the country! Keep in mind the revolts in the middle east were started by a pissed off, unemployed younger population.

Yours for the ‘forgotten class’, the Poor Man

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

Homesteading on the Cheap, Privacy w/ PrePaid Phone Cards

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of urban survival resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1. Travel Trailer homesteading for $5000
2. More ways to protect privacy w/ pre-paid gift cards
3. Hunter Safety resource
4. UHT Milk – Stores for six months

At the start of this nation’s unique experiment with individual sovereignty and limited government, “Taxation without representation is tyranny” was the watchword of the American Revolution. For our Founding Fathers, a level of taxation of only a few cents on a dollar, siphoned off to a faraway and arrogant bureaucracy, was enough to ignite a revolution enough to grab the trusty musket off the wall. Today, in contrast, if we dare to startle the more panicky among us by buying a good rabbit gun, the government’s there at the cash register to check our papers and seize $46 on every $100.”– Ralph Reiland
Professor of Economics, Robert Morris College

Celebrating Independence Day How Much Freedom do we still have?

Like many others in this country, the Poor Man rags on our government and the train wreck course it has pursued over the past few decades. That doesn’t mean we don’t love our country or honor its founders, quite the opposite. We wish we could resurrect men like Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and others to see what became of their ideal.

Despite losing so much ground nationally and internationally, despite the plundering of our money system, despite a growing host of repressive, anti-citizen laws and lack of common sense and despite the fact we haven’t had any REAL leaders in Washington for decades…I am optimistic.

Congress has been full of charlatans who have prostituted themselves for money to the special interests on Wall Street and in recent years, other governments…all at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Most of us still believe in the ‘American Way” and the ideals of freedom, even if our leaders have forgotten. Most of us still help our neighbor when they’re down. Most of us still try to teach our children what is right.

One ingredient that made our country great was immigration. Our nation is a blend of cultures, most of which took one generation to assimilate. Many of today’s immigrants, both legal and illegal, do not seem to assimilate, keeping to themselves and often, not respecting the rest of America. Indeed, bashing America has become the favorite pastime of left wing liberals and many immigrant groups.

It may take another revolution to restore our country and return it to the Land of the Free and to its former prosperity. The nightly news recently made a big splash about immigrants who were newly sworn in as US citizens. Yes, we’re still a beacon to many but in recent years more people have left the country than have come here. America has lost its place in so many categories that matter…economics and innovation, quality of life, education, and so on.

Many of the freedoms fought for and guaranteed us under the Bill of Rights have come under attack in recent years, especially with the creation of the anti-citizen (un)Patriot Act. Your right to financial privacy and home invasion (the 4th Amendment) are now virtually meaningless.

With every new government program, law, and regulation that comes into being, our own personal sense of responsibility diminishes. The corollary of freedom is responsibility. And it’s moving out of vogue too.

Over the coming holiday, I invite you to think long and hard about what freedom means and how we can restore it. Start by reading a few books about our founders, especially Jefferson and Adams. I wish you a fruitful 4th of July.

Keep your air conditioner running smoothly by hosing it off. A/C constantly sucks in air and debris which makes it work harder and remember to change your in-house filters too.

PM’s Betty Shocker Compendium of Useful Resources

Travel Trailer Homesteading for Under $5000

As the Poor Man has discovered, even a little homestead and cabin can prove to be an expensive proposition. Although we did a fair amount of work ourselves, lumber and supplies are expensive. Local building inspection fees really added to the cost and delays.

We finally got our well and septic system hooked up but are experiencing some challenges with the water pressure. We called in a professional well guy and he installed a deep well pump which was twice the price I could have picked one up for; of course, he never contacted me first to see if I wanted the work done but that’s another story.

We put up a 10×12 shed in addition to our barn and what will be our rabbit hutch (we plan to have ducks and rabbits for our meat and egg supply). We had purchased a small mobile home for additional living quarters but the local inspector (Commissar) made us get rid of it because it was too old and too small…another big loss for our budget.

I suppose if you live far enough away from the communists who run many communities, you won’t have to worry about what you can or cannot place on your OWN property. We learned after-the-fact that if we had left the wheels on the mobile, there would have been nothing the inspector could have done.
If you’re tired of the rat race and paying either rent or a mortgage, this might prove a good way to go. In either case, despite the Great Recession, rural property prices are still high in many areas of the country.

In some cases, the foundation (if you choose that route) might be more expensive than the actual home. Your choice of utilities will be another big factor in costs.

In most rural areas of the country the cheapest, quickest means of a homestead is a used trailer. They are easy enough to transform into an off-grid homestead complete with solar and composting toilet. Building a “roof over the roof” with front porch addition can make it into a nice livable home. That’s what we had in AZ and never had a local bureaucrat bother us! Below you’ll find a link to a popular book which gives even more insight to creating a mobile homestead. You can find this on Amazon and elsewhere.

http://briankelling.wcpauthor.com/traveltrailerhomesteading.html

Related: DIY Underground Bunker at:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4898789_build-underground-bunker-shelter.html

Stop bee stings by covering your beverages when eating outdoors. They like the sweetness so keep the cups covered.
Hunter Education: Now’s the Time to Enroll
If you’re planning to hunt this fall and have never purchased a hunting license, you must pass a hunter education course before you’re able to acquire your license. This may also apply if you have not purchased a hunting license recently. Check with your state agency. Since hunter-ed classes fill up early, now is the time to enroll. You’ll learn about safety in the field, state hunting regulations and seasons and resources to make your day afield more successful. Convenient online hunter education courses are available for some states, too.
State Hunter Ed Info
State by State Regs
Find places to hunt
Online courses
http://www.huntinfo.org/

Enrich your garden soil by adding over ripe bananas or badly bruised apples or other inedible vegetables in the hole before you plant.

End Unwanted mail by going to this site – remove your name
www.DMAChoice.org

Did you know – UHT milk lasts six months! Usually found in single serve six-packs in the juice aisle. Good for longer term storage.

Reader Comment:
You’re so right about China (previous issue) and Americans are stupid to buy as much as they do from that country. We took my mother-in-law to Hobby Lobby where nothing is made in America (the manager confirmed this). People were in long lines shelling out money for over priced crap…

Clever Finds Launches Family-Friendly Daily Deal Website and Search for First Spokesfamily
Clever Finds (www.cleverfinds.com), a crowd-sourced family-friendly daily deal website, officially launched today. Clever Finds provides family-friendly deals from favorite neighborhood merchants and recommendations from local insiders. In addition to connecting local businesses and local customers, Clever Finds facilitates fundraising by donating ten percent of sales.

David Sturtz, CEO of RepairPal.com, an auto-repair information Web site, knows exactly what makes a top-notch repair shop. He tells how to spot one — and warns about three costly and unnecessary procedures that, if they are ever recommended by any shop, should make you head for the door!ales to community schools and organizations.

Insects splatter your windshield? Wipe them away using a moistened dryer sheet! Good for cleaning TV and computer monitor screens too.

The Nanny State Updates…Morning Bell: Pictures of America’s Fiscal Nightmare
By Mike Brownfield
There’s urgency in Washington to fix a problem that’s been a long time coming: America’s fast track to fiscal implosion. In The Heritage Foundation’s just-released, expanded 2011 Budget Chart Book, you can see just how bad the country’s spending problem is and how America racked up so much debt.

Congress is coming to grips with the need to enact reform, in part because there’s a new breed of Tea Party conservatives making their voices heard on Capitol Hill and also because the government has reached the legal limit on how much it can borrow. The Washington Post reports this morning that it’s crunch time in Washington, with legislators and the White House working to find a way to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget by 2021.

Police have classified a CA high school yearbook as pornographic
The Big Bear H.S. yearbook includes a photo taken at a dance, in which a 17-year-old boy can be seen groping a 15-year-old girl – even though it’s not the intended focus of the photo. Police say it depicts sexual activity by a minor and recalled all of the yearbooks with a warning that possession could lead to prosecution.

More stupid government stunts – in Portland, OR, the Water Bureau drained a reservoir of 7.8 million gallons of drinking water after a 21-year-old man urinated into it.

Another tip to lower your A/C bill…shower or do laundry in the early morning or late evening. Raising the humidity in your home during the hottest part of the day makes you’re A/C work harder as if the outside temps had gone up 10 degrees.

The Parting Shot – More Ways to protect yourself

Prepaid Calling Cards – Keep your calls and contacts private.

It’s rude to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. Unfortunately, bureaucrats feel it’s their obligation to protect everyone from everything and the best way to do it is listening to your telephone pillow talk with a loved one. Today, most calling-card traffic is run on separate digital networks outside the traditional telephone networks. The calls are also often encrypted, which gives you a level of privacy and helps ensure call quality.
But, you should be careful using PIN-less calling cards, or reusing or
recharging the same calling card over and over again.

Each calling card company has its own data collection and storage policies which could undermine your privacy. Also each calling card has a unique ID number associated with it. “As you made phone calls against that card, they’d get recorded in a database someplace,” says privacy expert Richard Ellis Smith. This information could be used to track both the phone number you’re calling from and the number you’re dialing.

To shrink your exposure and give you some distance from snoops and eavesdroppers, buy disposable prepaid calling cards with cash, or prepaid gift cards. This allows you to unlink your voice communications because new cards are bought to replace old ones when they run out of minutes and in the process different calls are placed through unique calling cards.

Buy prepaid Visa, MasterCard, and American Express GIFT Cards: Just like cash but more convenient for today’s digital world.

Using the “real” thing – a debit or credit card – creates a long paper (and electronic) trail that can be picked up and exploited by crooks and other busybodies. These little pieces of plastic act as small portals to your banking accounts. If compromised, it’s like throwing a steel nut into the gears of your fine-tuned financial machine.

To lessen this vulnerability and function outside the banking system without sacrificing your access to electronic commerce, the Visa, MasterCard, or American Express prepaid GIFT cards are extremely handy.

Pre-paid cards work just like store gift cards you may have used from Starbucks, Target, or Apple. These are, however, much more practical because they’re accepted anywhere Visa, MasterCard, or American Express are accepted – both in stores and online (but not ATMs).
These gift cards are NOT rechargeable. When you initially buy one, you choose the amount to put on the card – anywhere from $20 to $500. If you have an account with KeyBank, you can purchase a MasterCard Gift Card and put up to $2,500 on it.

The cards have expiration dates, but the remaining balance doesn’t expire. Before the expiration date, simply call the provider to issue a replacement gift card. Because it’s a gift card to give away, you can register the card in any name and address you want. Registration is not required, especially if you only plan to use it in person where you “swipe and sign.”

However, registering the card allows you to use it online (and perhaps gas stations) since many online merchants need to verify name and address to process the purchase. Also, if you want to replace the card due to loss or theft, it needs to be registered beforehand. The problem here is, registering the card eliminates some of the privacy advantage of using these cards
Source: Lee Bellinger’s Executive Bulletin Independentlivingnews.com website.

That’s all of the news you can use for this issue…happy sailing, The Poor Man

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A Shallow Planet Production

Help for Struggling Homeowners, Women for Hire, Control of the Masses

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In this Issue:
1. Nine Ways to Control the Masses
2. Women for Hire, other revenue enhancement sites
3. New Program to help struggling home owners
4. Amazon cuts affiliate programs in CA

“Wars in old times were made to get slaves.
The modern implement of imposing slavery is debt.”– Ezra Pound

Amazon cuts affiliate programs in CA…Other merchants follow suit

I’ve seen the needle
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie’s
like a settin’ sun.

–Neil Young

The State of California, like many other states, is broke. Nationally, our state indebtedness exceeds 22% of GDP – not a pretty picture. Excessively generous salaries, pensions, health care and other costs are bankrupting many which is why we see MN, IL and NJ (and others) all in danger of default.

The state of CA recently enacted tax policy whereby any merchant who does business there must pay a sales tax – even if they don’t have a physical presence there. That applied across the board to all Amazon affiliates so Amazon pulled the plug on their affiliate program in CA, effectively cutting off sales to CA residents from this lucrative seller.

Others, including small sellers are beginning to follow Amazon’s lead. Tax policies, at any level of government, usually wind up hurting consumers and rarely achieve the financial goals of government.

For a long time, smuggling tobacco products became lucrative and a revenue source for ‘terrorists’ due to excessive state and federal taxes. For awhile one could purchase such items online from Europe and from Native American tribes, especially among the Seneca nation tribes in New York State.

New York has attempted to violate the sovereignty of these nations by sending in law enforcement and through the courts. Since gambling and tobacco sales have proven a viable revenue source for these tribes (hey, the white man stole just about everything else they owned over the past century) and they’re mighty mad, often staging various protests.

In the end, everyone loses. The consumer loses by paying higher prices, the tribes lose revenue, and the taxpayer loses due to the legal resources used by state governments to control tribal income.

Government has proven itself poor stewards of resources and their spend-aholic ways constantly drives them to seek new revenue sources that they can squander. They always need more money to help “you name the cause.’ They remind me of drug addicts who always need another fix.

Overall, our entire tax system is antiquated and hurts everyone in the process…but don’t count on Congress or other legislators to repair the mess they’ve made.

Keep your fridge running cool by cleaning the rubber seal to remove grime then put a light coat of petroleum jelly on the seal to create a better connection.

PMs ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of useful stuff

A new federal program is offering aid with a sweet kicker: It doesn’t need to be repaid. New program to help homeowners struggling with a mortgage.

Rolled out by HUD and the nonprofit housing advocacy group NeighborWorks America, the program is making loans with far better terms than anything on offer at a local bank. The loans are interest-free. Payments go directly to the lender for a portion of the borrower’s monthly mortgage, including missed payments or past due charges. And when the assistance period — which runs for up to two years — ends, 20% of the loan is forgiven with each passing year. In other words, for qualified borrowers who stay in their home for at least five years after the assistance period and who don’t fall behind on their mortgage again, this money doesn’t have to be paid back.
To be eligible, homeowners must have lost income and be at risk of foreclosure due to involuntary job loss, underemployment or a medical or other economic condition; details on the application process are available online through NeighborWorks America

New Energy Entrepreneur
Starting your own profitable Green Business
Free ebook – Nice primer with useful resources.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/BKJSKBxPkmP1XQ

Keep floral bouquets longer by spraying a light layer of hairspray over the green leaves and baby’s breath – keeps them alive much longer.

Free newsletter featuring healthy, delicious recipes delivered daily

http://forums.webmd.com/3/food-and-cooking-exchange/forum/1459

A Free Online Website Service Has Been Announced By FreeCustomWebsite.com
Free online website services have the ability to stimulate small businesses locally and nationally. FreeCustomWebsite.com has announced a free online website service that is unlike any other on the market. This announcement will enable small businesses to have a website equipped with the potential to compete with large companies on large budgets.

WomenForHire.com
Head to the “Work from Home” tab at WomenForHire.com to access loads of advice and pointers from Tory Johnson, Good Morning America’s Workplace Contributor. She gives specific how-tos about a variety of different jobs that you can do from home, such as virtual customer service and creating your own product line, along with links to job boards that advertise work-from-home positions. She also highlights unexpected ways to make money, like paid online surveys and mystery shopping. Not quite sure if working from home is for you? Take her Work from Home Assessment Test and see how you score.

If your dryer is taking longer than normal to dry clothing, the problem may be your lint trap as a thin film from fabric softener can build up over time on the screen. Remove that residue by washing the lint screen every other month with dish soap & warm water.

The Nanny State Updates…

What’s happening in Greece will likely happen here…State & city governments are drowning in debt and laying off workers in record numbers.
From coast to coast we are seeing police, firefighters and teachers being laid off.
Some of the austerity measures that we are witnessing are quite stunning. According to the Wall Street Journal, the small town of Alto, Texas has laid off its entire police force for the next six months….
People here are bracing for a spike in crime after the city put its police force on furlough.
“Everybody’s talking about ‘bolt your doors, buy a gun,’ ” said Monty Collins, Alto’s mayor, who was against the measure.

The truth is that entire states are on the verge of financial meltdown.

TSA Workers Fear Body Scanners Are Causing Cancer-Justice Served?
The Electronic Privacy Information Center released documents claiming that full-body airport scanners caused “cancer clusters” among TSA workers who operated the machines in Atlanta and Boston.

According to the documents, emails sent to the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Transportation Security Administration employees at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were “falling victim to various forms of cancer, strokes and heart disease,” and that workers were “concerned about radiation levels [they were] being exposed to on a daily basis.”

Similarly, supervisors at Boston Logan International Airport in emails to DHS claimed that that a “growing number of transportation security officers have thus far been diagnosed with cancer.”

Outcry in America as Pregnant Women Who Lose Babies Face Murder Charges
Women’s rights campaigners see the creeping criminalization of pregnant women as a new front in the culture wars…

Gibbs became pregnant aged 15, but lost the baby in December 2006 in a stillbirth when she was 36 weeks into the pregnancy. When prosecutors discovered that she had a cocaine habit – though there is no evidence that drug abuse had anything to do with the baby’s death – they charged her with the “depraved-heart murder” of her child, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Gibbs is the first woman in Mississippi to be charged with murder relating to the loss of her unborn baby. But her case is by no means isolated. Across the US more and more prosecutions are being brought that seek to turn pregnant women into criminals.

If the government really wanted people to pay their “fair share” it would throw out the tax code and initiate a flat tax…no deductions, no confusion. It should be apparent to everyone by now the biggest threat to our financial well being and national security is our own government!. –The Poor Man

The Parting Shot…

Disappearing Middle Class Jobs – Nine Ways to Control the Masses

The American dream is dead for the majority of America,” financial guru Suze Orman told Forbes last year, speaking about her upcoming book “The Money Class.”

The dream she was referring to isn’t a Cinderella story. Rather, Orman believes the hope of someday owning a home, of working one job for life and retiring at 65 has been crushed by the financial crisis. “The middle class has disappeared,” she said. “Many of the millions of jobs lost I don’t think are coming back. I am really afraid for the majority of Americans today.”

The government answer is simple: We need more citizen control! We don’t want anyone to think for themselves so we provide government indoctrination centers (schools); we don’t want anyone to question anything we do so we provide the nightly news.

The easiest methods of controlling the masses fall into several broad fronts:

>Control the (meaningful) job supply – turn everyone into serfs dependent on government handouts.

>Control the food supply – pass laws making it illegal for hobby farmers to sell their produce, create hybrid seeds which cannot be reproduced by farmers, make prices of retail food stocks more and more expensive.

>Take away your guns or make gun ownership expensive and cumbersome and of course, gun owners are always suspect (as portrayed in the media).

>Use the court systems to freeze and seize personal assets; pass so many laws that everyone becomes a lawbreaker and then use ridiculous fines to get their cash.

>Control the media – they’re only five major media corporations left and they are beholden to the government for their licenses and tax breaks.

>Distract the masses through perpetual wars and other so-called crisis situations (like the war on drugs). A terrific way to divert valuable assets away from our own infrastructure and making us energy independent.

>Use non-elected bureaucratic agencies to create so much red tape no one, not even lawyers can decipher or comply with them; then fine the hell out of anyone or any business that fails to comply…thus driving businesses away.

>Create an incomprehensible, unfair tax system that discourages citizens and businesses alike.

>Fail to create a viable alternative energy policy or rational domestic drilling and exploration system to get us off our foreign oil addiction; driving up prices for everything.

As our gutless politicians continue to pass the buck in Washington, things will only get worse for mainstream Americans. We have entirely too much duplication and costs associated with government at all levels, too much red tape and other barriers to starting a business…those folks fiddle while Rome burns!

The failure of today’s economy to generate and sustain decent jobs can be traced to the breakdown in the post-World War II social contract that supported a tandem growth in productivity and wages. From 1945 to 1979 productivity and real wages both grew by approximately two to three percent per year…since then, productivity continued to grow steadily while real wages for high school men remained stagnant and the gaps between productivity growth and college graduates expanded, albeit at lower rates

Get out of debt, stash some cash, grow some food and prepare, prepare, prepare. You’ll find all kinds of useful tools at our site: www.PoorManSurvival.com

Yours for more than simple survival, the Poor Man

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

Work at Home Ideas, Privacy Tips, Recycling, More

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1. Interesting work-from-home resources
2. Local recycling centers
3. Get help with medical bills
4. Zero Utility bill homes
5. 7 ‘Best Practices’ for protecting privacy

Alexander Hamilton originated the put and take system in our national treasury: the taxpayers put it in, and the politicians take it out. — Will Rogers

The Renewed Focus of the Poor Man

After several phone conversations with subscribers last week, we’ve decided to renew our focus to feature more solution oriented resources which will help you survive the coming financial collapse.

It’s rather apparent we cannot rely on our ‘leaders’ to do the right thing as they are owned by special interests. Americans have always displayed a ‘can do’ attitude and with that in mind, we’re in the process of creating a how-to report or action plan you can use to become more self reliant, debt-free, develop sideline income sources and more.

At this stage, I’m not certain how this mini-course will be offered. We’re toying with offering it via seminar, selling it or by simply asking for a donation.

The Poor Man already gives a ton of useful information away and we need to make money too in order to pay for our continuing development…perhaps sponsorships might be a route to explore? Let us know what you think and/or if you wish to consider sponsoring our newest effort at restoring freedom and self sufficiency in America.

Beginning with this issue you’ll notice this emphasis at providing tools you can either make or save money from.

A reader wrote in with this suggestion: “We don’t have enough jobs in this country. How about a moratorium on all new immigration, unless they’re investing in a business here?’ What do you think?

Paper towels are ridiculously expensive. Many people have moved to cleaning with old washcloths or a sponge, and that is certainly a great alternative. However, I am one of those people who prefer to throw away things I have used to wipe the toilet. If you are like me, try using cheap coffee filters. They clean better than paper towels (especially mirrors), and are way cheaper.

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of useful resources

Find Local Recycling Services in your area with these sites:

1800Recycling.com
Earth9N.com

Keep up with recycling news and trends at:

Eco-Cycle.org
NRC-Recycle.org

Find Eco Friendly advice and products at:
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan

Two-thirds of all consumer bankruptcies are due to medical debt – even for those who are insured.
Get help with medical/hospital bill using a patient advocate service…
Apply here for free drug programs, resource assistance from state and federal sources, help with medical debt, charity cases, bill reduction and more.

www.PatientAdvocate.org

Save money on medical lab tests by visiting MyMedLab.com – it uses independent labs that cost 50-80% less than your doctor’s office or hospital. Log onto their site which features 2000 sources near you – results are posted to a private online site for you and your doctor to view.

Provide Customer Service – More Work from home resources

Many retailers are outsourcing their customer service operations to third-party companies like Alpine Access and Working Solutions, who in turn contract with home-based workers. The reps, who typically work 20 to 40 hours a week, take calls for large and small companies. The hourly rate is about $9, but agents can earn up to $13 with incentives and bonuses or up to $30 for special projects. Some companies offer benefits like health and dental insurance and a matching 401(k) plan.
LiveOps is similar, but service reps operate as independent contractors, typically invoicing LiveOps $10 to $15 per hour depending on the type of call and performance. And with LiveOps you can work as many hours as you want. The hiring process is rigorous: Expect a comprehensive written or online application, skills exam, phone interview and background check

Has anyone ever complimented you on your beautiful locks? If so, you might have some extra cash on your hands (and your head). Long “virgin” hair—meaning a mane that hasn’t been chemically treated—usually garners the most cash to be used for hair extensions and wigs. The record sale at hair brokering website TheHairTrader.com (which is currently under maintenance) was over $2,500. WorldofWigs.com will pay $3 to $5 per ounce of hair—provided it’s at least 12 inches long and meets the Industry Standard Qualifications.

A penny for your thoughts? Try between $25 and $200. Participate in a focus group and you could get paid just for giving your opinion. Companies that want to get feedback from consumers about products or services hold sessions where people are paid to answer questions about their products. FindFocusGroups.com, a site that lists focus groups across the country, includes a range of available sessions, which usually last anywhere from one to two hours.

Learn about the Work-at-Home Success Bible
http://networkedblogs.com/k1mF0

Outdoor activities like concerts or picnics can be less comfortable if you are sitting on a blanket in soggy grass. I like to keep a cheap shower curtain liner with my picnic blanket for these occasions. The liner keeps the blanket dry, and my family and I no longer have to worry about wet bottoms after our picnic

Zero Utility Bill Homes

How would you like a home that’s so energy efficient, there are no utility bills? It cost more to build, but so would adding on to a pre-built home.

Dow Chemical and Freeland Builders built such home in what they call the “InVision Zero” which features Dow’s new solar shingle and a geothermal system to produce heating and cooling. At $250,000 it’s about $12-34,000 higher in price than a conventional home but the utility savings average about $2500 annually and it reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30,000 pounds annually.

In addition to the Powerhouse Solar Roof Shingles, next-generation Styrofoam insulation is used along with other air sealing products and energy efficient appliances from Whirlpool and DowFrost GEO 20 heat transfer fluid, which extracts heat or coolness using geothermal coils 8 feet underground to take advantage of consistent underground temps. Learn more about when this will become available in your area at:
http://www.dowsolar.com/

DIY Smokehouse Plans
Someone on a homestead living blog asked me if I could find some historic plans for smokehouses. The Historic American Buildings survey has some.
Some of them are attractive little buildings. I guess that they might give you some design ideas if you’re planning a backyard shed or cabana. Or, you could build one and smoke your own meat.
In any case, if you’re at all interested, please take a look.
Old Smokehouse Designs from the Historic American Buildings Survey >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-habs-smokehouse-designs.html

The Nanny State Updates…

Some of the reasons why we’re headed toward default – few US Corporations pay taxes

(1) The financial maneuverings of a single hedge fund manager made him enough money in one year to give a $30,000 per year job to every one of the 168,000 unemployed people in Louisiana.
(2) One year of Bush tax cuts would pay ALL U.S. unemployment benefits.
(3) If the median household income had kept pace with the economy since 1970, it would now be nearly $92,000, not $50,000.
(4) The trillion EXTRA dollars a year taken by the richest 1% (by TRIPLING their cut of the income pie since 1980) would provide a $50,000 a year job for every college student in the United States.
(5) According to Citizens for Tax Justice, 12 of our largest corporations paid an effective tax rate of negative 1.5% on $171 Billion in Profits. The oil industry paid only 4% in U.S. federal income taxes over the past three years.

Debt ceiling watch and many useful perspectives on our unsustainable path
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
http://crfb.org/

Reason.tv: The Killing of Allen Kephart – How the Police Lost the Trust of a Law-and-Order Town
On May 10, 43-year old Allen Kephart died after being tased multiple times by three San Bernardino, California sheriff’s deputies during a routine traffic stop. Kephart, a quiet and well-liked member of the tight-knit mountain community around Lake Arrowhead, allegedly ran a stop sign and became “combative” during the stop. But local residents say this claim is wildly out of character for Kephart, who had no police record and no history of aggressive behavior or even temper. Kephart’s death has galvanized the local community around a problem they say is getting worse: aggressive policing and the souring of relations between civilians and local law enforcement

As recovery lags, corporations prosper–and lobby for more
Call it a tale of two economies. Across a range of measures, the current “recovery” is among the weakest since the government began keeping records. Meanwhile, American corporations, which already have been raking in massive profits, are poised to report strong second quarter profits. And despite that imbalance, one economic commentator notes that those same corporations are still lobbying for more tax breaks–concerns over the deficit be damned.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/recovery-lags-corporations-prosper-lobby-more-162514504.html

Simple ingredients like baking soda splashed with vinegar are terrific for cleaning showers and toilets, and they’re especially great at opening drains. If your bathtub drains are clogged with hair, replace the Drano with a few shakes of baking soda, a splash or three of vinegar, and a kettleful of boiling water

The Parting Shot – More ways to protect your privacy

Lawmaker Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont moved to amend the Privacy Act of 1986 to rein in warrantless search powers by law enforcement. Under the proposal, federal agents would need a search warrnat to access any archived electronic communications stored on a remote server, protecting 4th Amendment rights. This will include email, text messages, Facebook posts and more.

7 Privacy “Best Practices” for Your Family or Business:

Purchase a crosscut paper shredder: Shred important documents. If you’re not sure… shred it too. Mortgage, banking, dentist, doctor, school, addresses, account numbers, phone numbers, insurance… everything.

Secure your wireless router and keep your web/email use private: Set a security code to connect to your wireless network. The default setting for most wireless routers is “public,” which means anyone can link up to your Internet connection and use it as they please or possibly watch and record what you do online. Also, you can reduce your online profile by cleaning out needless “cookies.”

Consider a VPN: A Virtual Private Network service allows you to encrypt your email communication as well as keep your Internet browsing private – even from your ISP.

Buy a hard-metal and lockable mailbox: This makes it harder for crooks and nosy neighbors to reach in and take your personal and financial mail. Also, don’t let mail sit in the mailbox longer than it needs too. Pick it up immediately.

Use a ghost address: Avoid having mail sent to your physical address, where you and your family actually live. This can keep you safe from physical harm or from having uninvited company show up at your front door. Send mail to your office, a PO Box, or private mail accepting service, or an alternate address where you don’t physically live.

Talk on prepaid cell phones and prepaid calling cards: Keep your voice conversations private and avoid the nuisance of phone records. In 2007, the Inspector General found the FBI had improperly used “national security letters” to obtain people’s phone bills. An additional bonus to using these privacy tools is you don’t need to divulge your banking information or credit history to own a cell phone. Just buy it, add minutes to it, and talk.

Pay with cash or a prepaid Visa, MasterCard, or American Express GIFT card: As discussed in last week, buying these gift cards doesn’t require any personal or private information. Plus, you can use them anywhere Visa, MasterCard, or American Express are accepted. Keep your purchases and transactions private. Avoid the danger of exposing your credit card, debit card, or banking information with a long trail of receipts and statements.

That be it for this issue from your contrarian Poor Man!

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A Shallow Planet Production

Homesteading for Busy People, Find Missing $, Extreme Discounts

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Extreme discounts, get rebates, food saving
2. Homesteading for busy folks
3. Find missing money
4. If a garage sale isn’t worth it, use ItsDeductible

Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did. — Henny Youngman

The Realities of Recession – Not everyone is hurting

During the Great Recession about 25% of the population was out of work. Today, it’s roughly the same when you factor in those who have stopped looking or those who are working part time jobs. One area of the economy that thrived during the depression was the entertainment industry. Escapism, even if for a short while, was a best-selling commodity.

Attendance at movie theatres and theme parks set records in those years (of course the price of admission was a fraction of what it is today).

Entertainment and escapism are doing well today for the same reason. Illicit drug sales in this country are staggering. People always find extra cash for pleasure. Despite an estimated 10% reduction of today’s middle class numbers and record numbers of people on government assistance, there are still a large percentage of people with money in this country as witnessed by sales of high end vehicles, corporate airplanes and auction sales of celebrity and historical items.

Even our nation’s “poor” live well by most international standards. Few of the poor live without a cell phone, cable TV and other ‘necessities.’ If you’re genuinely poor you get free health and dental care, free cell phones, help with utilities, housing and more.

For many middle class families, that lifestyle has been significantly watered down, with many finding it difficult to keep up with such costs as skyrocketing health care, college tuition and ever increasing auto insurance rates (ours jumped by $400 despite having a clean driving record) along with deteriorating workplace benefits. Record numbers of young people, for instance, are moving back in with mom and dad. Despite this, most corporate profits are breaking records. For a large percentage of Americans, the sky is falling, but many still haven’t gotten the memo.

As always, I invite your thoughts…how can we all work together to restore the American Dream?

Use left- over zip loc baggies for shipping cushions…just blow them up like a balloon, seal and place into packages to protect them during transit.

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Compendium of Useful Resources

Sometimes a garage sale just isn’t worth the trouble…

You have an item marked a dollar. It originally retailed for $25. Someone comes along and asks “will you take a quarter for it?” You might be better off donating the item and taking a tax deduction. The SalvationArmy.org has an online calculator to determine IRS allowances for donated goods (you’ll be pleasantly surprised). You can also register at this site to get an estimate. Enter your filing status, items you’re donating along with their condition and the site will calculate their value and how much you might save on taxes. ItsDeductible.com

Don’t Miss Out on Rebates…Millions of product rebates go unclaimed primarily due to being sent in late or many folks simply forget about them. Use this free site to avoid that problem. Rebate-Tracker.com

Save 90% on Food
I reported on this topic several months ago…Extreme discount grocery stores. Stores such as Save-a-Lot, Bottom Dollar and Aldi, take dented or slightly damaged cans and sell them for up to 90% off (they’re safe to use). Now there’s a site you can use to locate these stores:
ExtremeBargains.net/store/Independent_Discount_and_Salvage_Grocery_Directory.html

If you’re like most Americans, you throw away up to 30% of your food

The newest trend in couponing helps resolve this problem by giving you recipes and a link to the best available coupons for each ingredient, free of charge. Go to: ReadySetEat.com

Another good food saving resource: www.SuperMarketGuru.com

MissingMoney.com is a national database established by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). MissingMoney.com enables owners to perform comprehensive searches for lost assets required by law to be turned over to the states. Just go to the site, type in your name and state, and see if there is any unclaimed property waiting to be returned to its rightful owner.

Damp, moldy basement or other area? Use PDZ, the same product used in horse stalls to absorb urine can be used to absorb basement moisture. Find it at Tractor Supply and other retailers.

Homesteading for the Busy People

Develop a new preparedness skill through small-scale urban farming…

Learn About Permaculture: One of the goals of permaculture is a garden that is efficient and self-reliant; needing little input from you, while producing maximum output. It takes its lead from natural ecology. For example, when was the last time you had to prune or water the trees in a forest? Healthy forests take care of themselves. Permaculture enthusiasts attempt to create edible gardens that are self-sufficient and “grow on their own.”

Container Gardening: You don’t need much space to start weaning yourself off the Big Ag distribution chain. There are a number of ready-made herb growing kits for your kitchen counter you can buy at garden centers or online. If you have access to a patio, sunny window, rooftop, or yard, your options open up even further.

Anything you grow and consume yourself adds to your self-reliance. Plus, you can use your excess production (or your knowledge) to trade with others. However, be cautious about selling your self-grown produce, because many city bureaucracies have ordinances that regulate, or even forbid, this kind of entrepreneurship! Make sure to check your town’s regulations.

Community Gardening: In many communities, urban and otherwise, municipalities and community service organizations offer small garden plots for nominal rent. This is a great way to meet like-minded individuals and pick up many insider tips on food security.

Edible Landscaping and Guerilla Landscaping:

In their book, The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City, authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen describe these two methods:

>Every inch of land is a potential location for growing food: Vacant lots, the center meridian on a road, or even a dirt path between apartment buildings.

If you don’t have land, work out a creative deal with a neighbor with a yard.

Get a good return on your landscaping dollar. Many edible plants, trees, and shrubs are very attractive and should be used in landscaping.

A directory of legal aid offices serving low-income individuals can be obtained through the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (202-452-0620; www.nlada.org).

Potatoes and onions last longer in your cabinet than in your fridge. Bananas and tomatoes last longer on your counter.

The Nanny State Updates…

A woman living in Oak Creek, Michigan in jail for 93 days for growing a garden in her front yard?

Rewarding failure is a fundamental precept of The Bureaucratic Code, which helps to explain why government’s regulatory powers grow in spite of its incompetence. Examples are legion, of course, including the recent case of the State Department and passport fraud. The General Accounting Office (GAO) has on several occasions investigated the department’s procedures for processing passport applications and found them dangerously wanting. In 2009, for example, the GAO “easily” obtained passports using counterfeit documents. A 2010 investigation also yielded passports despite numerous discrepancies and suspicious indicators within each application.

Every business must comply with a mind-boggling range of regulations, but the latest regulatory “guidance” on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be the last straw—literally. Hotels, restaurants, airlines and the like must now modify “policies, practices, or procedures” to accommodate miniature horses as service animals. The new guidelines, effective March 15, elevate the regulatory standing of the pygmy ponies over chimps, pigs, goats, iguanas, birds, and rats—all of which have been claimed as service animals by their owners but are not now formally recognized as such.

Reader Comment on our national debt…
Let’s see..cut military spending by 10%, eliminate secret service details for former presidents, no pension healthcare for politicians serving less than 16 years in office. 8% luxury tax on salaries and bonuses over $5 mil, 1% import tax, 1% fed excise tax on security trades, eliminate earn income credit, cut child tax credits, cap welfare so people quit having more kids to have more income. Cut agriculture and energy subsidies. And quit leading the fight in every battle around world…Yeah I think after all that we would again have a surplus to start fixing our @#$% problems here in the U.S.A

High humidity can ruin electronic products – save silica packets that come in shoeboxes and other containers and tuck one inside a zip baggie with your gadget.

The Parting (short) shot…

Americans are tired of a government that overburdens us…
Once again the White House and Democrat rhetoric engages in class warfare, deploring the idea of not raising taxes on “the wealthiest” of Americans. However, what we’ve seen from Democrats and this White House is that anyone with a heartbeat and a paycheck is considered wealthy (and the paycheck is not a mandatory criterion). The American people already pay out the nose in taxes, and for this government to refuse to cut its spending and instead saddle more of a burden on the backs of middle-class Americans is unconscionable.

Obama’s Quiet Gun Crackdown
While the debt-ceiling debate grips Washington, the president is discreetly beefing up gun regulations in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, going over the heads of powerful NRA lobbyists – http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/11/obama-s-new-gun-control-regulations-exclusive.html?om_rid=NlSRQu&om_mid=_BOG05LB8cSpV2K

Yours from the ‘fortress of solitude,’ the Poor Man

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Keep our services free, visit our sites…
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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

What You Might Know About Charitable Giving

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:
1. Things you might not know about charity donations
2. How others are doing good in their community
3. Legal assistance options
4. A Fix for US Jobs
5. Lots more free resources to help boost your life

Better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.
–Proverbs 21:19

Donating to charity – things you might not know

Last week’s issue brought a few questions from readers regarding “ItsDeductible” and the overall concept of donating to charity. Most of the questions centered on “why do these charities now charge so much for stuff they get free?”

If you’re a thrift store shopper you’ve no doubt noticed a significant uptick in prices charged on items at the Salvation Army, Goodwill and other non-profit stores, especially if you’re shopping for a used vehicle at what’s become another fundraising channel for many of these groups.

The reasons vary but it boils down to this. First and foremost, these groups are a business, a big business and they pay their CEOs accordingly. The CEO of the Arizona Goodwill, for instance, is reportedly paid more than $354,000 annually. The person running the Salvation Army makes a fraction of that.
Source:

http://old.mbconf.ca/mb/mbh3601/salary.htm

Like any other business they have expenses and overhead and given current market conditions, the charities are capitalizing on demand (higher the demand, the higher the prices). When it comes to auto sales, they charge as close to Blue Book value as possible to cover their towing and other costs while maximizing revenue.

If you shop thrift stores in order to find items worth reselling, your profit margins have been cut dramatically from these recent price hikes. It is ironic how often store managers will place a printout of what an item is selling for on eBay next to a ‘collectible’ piece and then price it at the same or slightly lower than featured on eBay. They seem to forget they’re quoting the asking price, not what the item actually sells for.

Goodwill and Salvation Army, for instance, often charge more for used clothing than what you can pay for new clothing, especially if you shop sales at many discount stores. Ironically, a huge profit center for these organizations is the bulk sales of used clothing to ‘rag’-vendors, who in turn, sell or donate them to third-world countries.

I’ve always maintained that Americans own enough clothing to outfit the entire planet, yet it is a common sight to see women, on sale days, with one or more shopping carts over flowing with clothing. In Arizona, this was especially common among Mexicans who send these garments back to relatives in Mexico.

How Do I Handle Deductions for Non-Cash Donations to a Charity?
There are rules for non-cash donations such as property or outdated clothing, household furnishings, or office equipment.

For property owned for more than a year, the deduction is usually equal to the property’s fair market value. Appreciated property can be deducted at the full fair value of the property, meaning that you are never taxed on the appreciated amount.

Donated goods must be in “good condition or better,” according to the IRS. You must have a receipt for the goods from the charity to claim a deduction. If you donate non-cash items with a total value of more than $500, you must file Form 8283 with your return. You may need a qualified appraisal if you donate an item or a group of items with a value of more than $5,000
Is it worth your while to shop thrift stores? I believe it is, as ultimately, you are helping charities, which in turn, help others who are in need. In this issue we’re going to point out how some Americans are helping fellow citizens through good works.

Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away. (Source: Martha’s Other Hints)

PM’s ‘Betty Shocker’ Emporium of useful stuff…

eBay to Require More Generous Return Policies in SR2 Announcement

eBay’s second round of changes for the year will roll out
beginning August 22 and will be the last seller update for 2011.
Sellers will get an extra 25 characters in their titles, and eBay
told sellers it would begin requiringmore generous return
policies early next year that include longer timeframes and
cash-back options.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y11/m07/i12/s00

Don’t throw out the water from the fish tank – pour it on your garden as a fertilizer.

Call overseas – free
Freephone2phone.com gives you 10-minutes of free talk to landlines in 50 countries – listen to a few short ads, then connect.

Cheap Textbooks
Cut the average $1,000 annual book bill for college kids by using these sites: Bartelby.com, Gutenberg.org or rent them at: Chegg.com or CampusBookRentals.com

Compare Costs –