09:09 – It was 60.9F (16C) when I took Colin out at 0650 this morning, gray, drizzling, and windy. We’ve had another 0.4″ (1 cm) of rain since yesterday evening. Up here, April showers bring May showers. Of course, we live in a rain forest, almost literally. If we head half an hour or so down the road towards Boone, we’re literally in a temperate rain forest. Sparta averages something like 56 inches (1.4+ meters) of rainfall per year. Another 4 inches or so and we’d qualify as a literal rain forest.
Barbara is off to the gym this morning, followed by various volunteer stuff. She’ll return home sometime this afternoon. As soon as I post this, I’ll make up a pot of white rice. We’re having beef fried rice for dinner tonight.
Frances and Al left Winston early yesterday to head up here, arriving about 0900. They spent most of the day working in the garden with Barbara. Al re-tilled the garden patch with our rototiller and then ran over it again with his small cultivator. They planted a lot of different stuff, including green beans, tomatoes, peas, a couple kinds of squash, cantelopes, a row of potatoes. and so on.
What they didn’t plant was some of the stuff we’d tried last year and found didn’t do very well in the garden. Our broccoli grew last year, but something ate it. So this year Barbara is planting broccoli, lettuce, and several other things in pots and grow bags up on our back deck to keep them away from the deer and other vegetable-ivorous fauna that munched them last year.
I got an interesting email yesterday from a long-time reader who tells me that I’ve been wrong all these years about Mormon food storage recommendations. The LDS Church recommends only 3 months’ food storage, says he, and he offers a Wikipedia link as evidence.
Wikipedia is wrong, as it so often is. Until the late 19th or early 20th century, the LDS Church recommended its members store seven years’ worth of food and other supplies. In the early 20th century, they reduced that to two years, and by the mid-20th century they reduced it to one. In the last decade or two, they started explicitly recommending members keep a 3-month supply of the foods they ate regularly, supplemented by additional LTS foods such as wheat, beans, honey or sugar, oil, and so on.
Without doing an exhaustive check of LDS literature, I’m not entirely sure of how much of that LTS food they recommend, but my impression is that they leave that decision to members. The main issue is that the LDS Church operates world-wide, and in some countries it’s illegal to “hoard” food.
I think that although the LDS Church is no longer explicit about how much food to store, members in the US who store food generally go with the one-year recommendation. That, incidentally, is only maybe 6% to 10% of LDS members in the US; despite the popular impression, most LDS members, particularly those who live outside Utah and the rest of the majority-LDS areas, do not follow Church recommendations on food storage. The average LDS member probably keeps a lot more food on hand than the average non-LDS member, but probably not even three months’ worth let alone a year’s worth or more.
I correspond with a lot of Mormons, and they probably average a year’s worth or more, but my correspondents are self-selecting so of course they skew more prepperish than the average LDS member. In fact, more than a few of them keep two years’ worth or more on hand because that’s what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did.
Chilly this am, but now it’s showing 76F and only 36%RH. I get one more day of cool weather to do some outdoor work.
Perhaps I should get busy with that…
nick
(or maybe I’ll work on “what you can do with radios, and why you might want some for prepping” which seems to be something people rarely discuss, just assuming that you need “comms” )
“EveryJoe” is moving on:
http://www.everyjoe.com/2017/05/01/politics/lines-of-departure-tom-kratman-final-column/
His posts will, unfortunately, be relevant for a long time, hopefully not forever.
Happy “May Day” or as I consider it MAYDAY! (There is a difference, most of you will get it). Now go kick a commie, et. al.
Didn’t know Tom was writing a column.
Slogged my way thru all his Carrera books. Found some good ideas there.
I think his State of Disobedience is a fine blue print for secession, and Caliphate is prescient.
n
or maybe I’ll stay in and watch some rioting
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-01/clashes-break-out-paris-between-riot-police-and-demonstrators-live-feed
n
“or maybe I’ll stay in and watch some rioting”
Grab your Moxi and pretzels 😉
Not sure what the smoke grenades are supposed to accomplish….
n
No one’s burning anything yet, but the day is young.
ah, only 40 minutes later the molotovs come out….
n
No one’s burning anything yet, but the day is young.
Gotta wait until shift change at Starbucks. At least that was the way it was when I worked in Downtown Seattle — nothing gets rocking until late afternoon.
“Say, hon, that masked protestor on the news looks a lot like my favorite ‘black apron’ barista. Hope she doesn’t get gassed too severely — she’s the only one that gets my drink order right.”
The company I worked for had offices in the Bank of America building. Everyone was sent home at 3 PM on May 1 that year.
looks like they brought their own hammers to smash up tiles into fist sized pieces
paris is what, 6? 7? hours ahead of us?
Granted it’s early on the west coast, but any action out that way??
n
Trash fire!
won’t be long until the first vehicle fire now….
n
“Granted it’s early on the west coast, but any action out that way??”
Week-old nooz but:
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/BART-takeover-robbery-50-to-60-teens-swarm-11094745.php
You know, “teens” and “youths.” Just skylarking, y’all. Dress rehearsal for May Day?
Probably not. Just the ongoing background noise.
Drudge reporting nothing special yet on May Day rioting here in CONUS.
But the day is young; as someone else mentioned, the nighttime is the right time.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/04/30/thousands-expected-for-may-day-protests/101132580/
Alright, here’s the sort of thing I find while in ‘work avoidance mode.’
From another blog:
“my wife and I have been taking nickels out of our pocket change each day and setting them aside. It has been an easy and painless way to simultaneously set aside some cash, hedge against inflation, and invest in industrial metals. Over the last couple of years, we have accumulated over $150 in nickels. I’m wondering now, at this point in time, whether it would be wiser to take the cash value from those nickels and use it to purchase pre-1965 “junk” silver coins, or retain the nickels as a store of copper and nickel as a hedge against inflation. Very interested in your opinions on this matter. Thanks, SB in CA.”
Note that this is on the advice of JW,R https://survivalblog.com/nickels/
This is the exact kind of nonsense that preppers can get sidetracked into.
THEY THINK they’re hedging against inflation! Stockpiling industrial metals! and in a couple of YEARS managed to save $150. Oh lordy.
There is so much fail here I can’t stop shaking my head.
DON”T DO STUFF LIKE THIS. This uses the appeal of ‘secret knowledge’ and a ‘no fail system’ and a couple of other tricks to be appealing, and was and is a complete waste of time and energy. Granted the effort was small, but they thought they were actually accomplishing something.
If you are going to stockpile, pile up something you can use, or something widely exchangeable. It helps if the something has intrinsic value.
If you are going to stockpile, pile up QUANTITY. That’s kinda the definition of “stockpile”.
If you want to save money, don’t piss around, save it. Cut out drinking, or smoking, or restaurants, or sell a car, downsize you home, stop your subscriptions. In a couple of years without netflix, hulu, smokes or/and a bottle of wine a day, and you’ll have real money socked away. OR save DOLLARS. I’ve had a couple of friends that couldn’t manage money save in non-traditional ways. One turned all his leftover pocket cash into dollar coins every week and filled a water bottle. One simply put ALL his change in a jar. Another pulled out and saved every $5 bill he received.
Anyway, my point is that a lot of prepping could fall into the same bucket as this. They followed an expert’s advice, threw a couple of nickels a week into a jar and thought they were effectively prepping for a particular event. That the event was unlikely and largely irrelevant went unquestioned, as did the extent of the particular prep. Even if they somehow sold their horde for double, they would only have made $150. That’s not gonna keep the repo man from your door.
nick
(I’d add that at the time they were pissing away their effort on this, old cast aluminum BBQ grills were bringing over $20 (almost $40 in some cases) in scrap value. You could easily find them on the curb on trash day. THAT would have been a better use of their effort even if they just found one a month.)
While we have been busy watching the “left” hand, the “right” hand has been betraying us. The party is over, tRump (yes he is now an ass now AFAIAC). The budget that has come out of congress is an abomination. The “left” has won while the “right” has been jerking their cocks.
Yes, I have given up all hope. K Street is in charge and we are the ones being fucked.
Only a COMPLETE change of ALL people now involved in ALL gooberment offices, federal and local, will correct things. Elections are no longer of value. Maybe a “draft” or “lottery” of all confirmed citizens is the way to go.
It’ll never happen in my lifetime. All I can do is try and see that my Kids’ are prepared to go back to before the stone age, or at least die with dignity.
I forgot to mention one of the things Barbara planted yesterday.
Turnips.
So now I’m calling her Baldrick.
It has been an easy and painless way to simultaneously set aside some cash, hedge against inflation, and invest in industrial metals.
In a SHTF situation, the infrastructure to take advantage of “industrial metals” in a raw form will be offline for a very long time. Even if it remains operational, the infrastructure in most industrial societies is designed to work in bulk, and a jar of nickels is less than a rounding error.
The better alternative for hedging would be to find an equivalent weight in a low-tech finished non-perishable metal product such as decking screws. Stored carefully in a dry place, I imagine that those would appreciate more in value than the raw materials, but, if I’m wrong, you could always turn in the screws at the smelter.
I got an interesting email yesterday from a long-time reader who tells me that I’ve been wrong all these years about Mormon food storage recommendations. The LDS Church recommends only 3 months’ food storage, says he, and he offers a Wikipedia link as evidence.
Wikipedia is wrong, as it so often is.
I have edited several Wikipedia entries and created a couple of them. It is frighteningly easy to do. The wikibots do come after you though if they do not like your topic or your prose.
I wonder how often Wikipedia is archived. I donate $100 to it every year as I admire and appreciate the effort. Plus, I have my main business listed there and it is a form of “advertising” for us.
“EveryJoe” is moving on:
http://www.everyjoe.com/2017/05/01/politics/lines-of-departure-tom-kratman-final-column/
Thanks for reminding me of this. I need to go read his columns. And yes, I love his books as I have read all of them currently in MMPB. “Caliphate” is serious warning to Eurabia XXXXXX Europe that they are currently ignoring.
https://www.amazon.com/Caliphate-Tom-Kratman/dp/1439133425/
So now I’m calling her Baldrick.
Sadly, the studios no longer give Richard Curtis money to make his own movies.
The “Love Actually” mini sequel has some pretty good lines, made better by the performances, including Rowan Atkinson’s and, amazingly, Hugh Grant’s. It is worth the torrent if you are a fan of Curtis’ material.
And Wally (Dilbert) wins the internet today !
http://dilbert.com/strip/2017-05-01
Hugh Grant, whatever his personal issues, is a really good actor. Bruce Willis can be too, just watch 12 Monkeys (and Brad Pitt is great in that too.)
It would be great to get some more Richard Curtis.
IRL I did plant turnips, got a good crop too. They are good raw (like jicama), cubed and boiled, saute’d, or mashed. I din’t develop any cunning plans as a result though….
n
And by an amazing coincidence, I DON’T have a thingy shaped exactly like a turnip.
“In a SHTF situation, the infrastructure to take advantage of “industrial metals” in a raw form will be offline for a very long time”
yup. most disasters or long slides would have a large salvage component to the economy, and no one needs a couple pounds of nickel. It’s only good for anything in alloy and that ain’t happening.
Ammo would have been a better choice, not for trade goods, but because you can use it yourself, its value/ pound density is high, as is its value/cube volume.
Laundry soap, bar soap, motor oil, chain saw oil, thread and needles, seeds, almost anything is better than “industrial metals”. And if you really want to stockpile “industrial metals” then welding rods, welding wire, bar stock, or offcut billet aluminum are all better choices. I buy spools of copper wire whenever I see them at yardsales, not for the copper, but because WIRE is useful.
For that matter, most scrap dealers will sell you whatever they’ve taken in for double what they paid. I’ve bought coils of copper, copper wire, and other stuff for its melt value and then used it for its intended purpose. I guess I’m stockpiling industrial metals. Who knew?
nick
Hugh Grant, whatever his personal issues, is a really good actor. Bruce Willis can be too, just watch 12 Monkeys (and Brad Pitt is great in that too.)
Find “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” for a really good Grant performance which was sadly overlooked in the last decade. Don’t be put off by the animation — the script works on a kiddie level as well as a very sophisticated adult level.
I can’t recommend a recent Willis performance. For some reason, he’s done a lot of direct-to-video flicks lately.
It would be great to get some more Richard Curtis.
The studios still trust him with screenwriting chores. He currently has the “Little Mermaid” live action film for Disney. And the film that arguably ended his directing career is the relatively recent “About Time”.
In a couple of years without netflix, hulu, smokes or/and a bottle of wine a day, and you’ll have real money socked away.
What!? (clutches pearls)
“It’s only good for anything in alloy and that ain’t happening.”
Uhh, Raney nickel catalysts? Not to mention a few dozen other uses I can think of.
Hey, at least the antifa asswipes are honest about where they’re coming from:
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/859074804875378688
Excellent!
And for you young whippersnappers out there, i.e., those under 50, say, our generation’s asswipes waved around NLF Viet Cong and Soviet flags during their demonstrations and riots, in which there was actual real bullets and bloodshed. On a mass scale nationwide. With buildings being bombed and fire-bombed. And people killed. This ain’t shit, so far.
Lot of destruction on Paris streets. I don’t understand.
“Lot of destruction on Paris streets. I don’t understand.”
What’s to understand, Mr. Eugen? These are mobs of mindless animalistic scum who do the bidding as useful idiots and minions for both communist and musloid instigators. Probably being paid by the arch-criminal scumbag, Soros.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/chaos-paris-annual-day-march-10334456
They’re setting police officers on fire. What I don’t understand is why the police have not responded to this with lethal defensive measures, i.e., opening fire on them.
“Uhh, Raney nickel catalysts”
???????????????????????????????
I rest my case 🙂
n
Who ever they are, why don’t the police breaks their legs? It should be there 1000 policemen arresting everyone throwing something or destroying property.
Apparently firebombing the police is the best way to show Justice, Decency, and to protest Racism and Hatred. Do they even listen to themselves?
“???????????????????????????????”
You’re obviously not an organic chemist.
“Who ever they are, why don’t the police breaks their legs?”
You’re obviously starting to get it.
“Climate of Complete Certainty”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/opinion/climate-of-complete-certainty.html?_r=1
” When someone is honestly 55 percent right, that’s very good and there’s no use wrangling. And if someone is 60 percent right, it’s wonderful, it’s great luck, and let him thank God.”
” But what’s to be said about 75 percent right? Wise people say this is suspicious. Well, and what about 100 percent right? Whoever says he’s 100 percent right is a fanatic, a thug, and the worst kind of rascal.”
” — An old Jew of Galicia “
If chemistry gives you the heebie-jeebies, Nick, consider the use of pure nickel strips for capacitor-welding cells together into a battery. Not that a bunch of old nickels (coins) would help much here, of course; better to stock up on the strips themselves. Oh, and make yourself a welder. (Main ingredients: big low-voltage capacitor and big SCR.)
_Buck Out_ by Ken Benton
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1514666979
A singular book, no prequel or sequel, about a financial apocalypse in the USA. I read the POD (print on demand) version in trade paperback with very nice paper and fonts. If there is a sequel published, I will purchase it for reading. In fact, if the author publishes anything else, I will purchase it.
Of all the apocalyptic scenarios facing the USA, I believe a financial apocalypse to be of the highest danger, going from a remote concern now in 2017 to an almost certainty in ten to twenty years. The current debt of the USA, 20 trillion dollars, is just about equivalent to the USA GDP. I believe that as the debt of the USA approaches twice the GDP, the financial stability of the USA will significantly weaken and be subject to attacks.
The scenario in the book is that China and Japan own 25% of the USA treasury bills. In a unspecified future date, China decides to sell all of their USA bonds and notifies Japan that they are going to do so. The Japanese follow the Chinese and the interest rates for the USA bonds rise from 3% to 23% over a period of six weeks as the bond markets are flooded and the bond prices drop precipitously. The Dollar, the effective reserve currency of the world, also drops significantly in value compared to other currencies. The stock markets in the USA drop by 85%. The rest of the story is about our protagonists getting out of New York City and to their retreat in West Virginia.
My rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (98 reviews)
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/hatespeech-21/comment-page-1/#comment-223434
We still rule the solar system but that could change any minute.
Like if some guy corners all the nickels in the world.
[snip] And if you really want to stockpile “industrial metals” then welding rods, welding wire, bar stock, or offcut billet aluminum are all better choices [snip]
Here along the coast, welding rods & etc. can and do go bad if you don’t have them well protected from the heat & humidity. Normal welding shops don’t have to worry about that, because they turn their inventory fairly quickly. A hobbyist with a nice Lincoln Electric set up has to consider this.
We still rule the solar system but that could change any minute.
Rayciss goon! Reparations and 50 with the noodle.
” When someone is honestly 55 percent right, that’s very good and there’s no use wrangling. And if someone is 60 percent right, it’s wonderful, it’s great luck, and let him thank God.”
Huh? If I quote Newton: “F=ma”, how am I not 100% right?
Well, as least as v almost at 0.
Start quoting Newton’s theology and we’ll have us some real fun.
” When someone is honestly 55 percent right, that’s very good and there’s no use wrangling. And if someone is 60 percent right, it’s wonderful, it’s great luck, and let him thank God.”
Huh? If I quote Newton: “F=ma”, how am I not 100% right?
Newton’s Laws are 100% correct, they have passed the test of time and remain inviolate. AGW is represented by many “scientists” as 100% correct and they want to raise it to a Law status. Instead, the author of the article is stating that there are many proven exceptions to AGW and that they are not a Law.
There are few Laws of nature. There are many hypotheses and theories. Few of those make it up the steep hill to becoming a Law.
Of all the apocalyptic scenarios facing the USA, I believe a financial apocalypse to be of the highest danger, going from a remote concern now in 2017 to an almost certainty in ten to twenty years.
Could be less. Auto debt bonds are getting ugly, and 7 year car loans currently keep the industry afloat.
That reminds me — Round Rock ISD has a three part $500 million bond issue on the ballot tomorrow. Gotta remember to go vote against the silly stuff. My property taxes are fast approaching $9000.
My property taxes are fast approaching $9000.
My home property taxes were almost $10,000 last year. Texas is no longer a low tax state. But the day that we get a state income tax, look out ! I see it on the distant horizon like a wildfire in the night.
And here I thought I stockpiled screws, bolts, nuts, and such for “projects and repairs”
and not for some socio-economic crisis!
You know why there are “7 colors in the rainbow”? Because 6 wasn’t a mystically significant number, so Newton jiggered the spectrum. I’ll give him credit for what he accomplished, but he let his beliefs color his observation as much as any warmenist “scientist” does.
Could be less. Auto debt bonds are getting ugly, and 7 year car loans currently keep the industry afloat.
60 year mortgages are catching on, too.
But the day that we get a state income tax, look out
And when that tax is installed none of your other taxes will be reduced. Oh, they may for a year or two, but will crawl back up to the current level.
TN just passed an increase in gas tax supposedly to fix the roads. In exchange the government reduced the taxes on groceries. They say the net result will be that no one will pay any more in tax.
The idea was to use the gas tax to fund road projects. Rather than shuffle the tax rate could they not have just diverted funds from the money collected on groceries towards road projects? If the net result to taxpayers is no increase, the government should also not see an increase in tax revenue. The concept is the people that don’t live in the state, as in traveling through that purchase fuel, will now be paying more while the people of TN will pay less for groceries.
I think there are some foul dealings going on. I fully expect the tax on groceries to slowly increase over the next few years and within 5 or 6 years will be back at their current level. Thus the TN government will effectively be stealing more money from our pockets.
“Start quoting Newton’s theology and we’ll have us some real fun.”
10-4! OTOH, I don’t think that he had much in the way of theology going for him.
IIRC, he was precluded from full professorship at the university because he refused to accept the theology of the day at the Church of England.
Outside of that, was Einstein buying into the full theology of the Jewish balderdash?
If we look back at that, the real scientists of that nature, found that religious beliefs did not successfully transit the Grand Method of Science.
Nor do I. In context, one failure to corroborate with a natural observation, and the hypothesis is discarded.
TN just passed an increase in gas tax supposedly to fix the roads. In exchange the government reduced the taxes on groceries. They say the net result will be that no one will pay any more in tax.
We don’t pay sales taxes on groceries or bottled water here in Texas. Yet.
What a novel idea that gasoline and diesel taxes would be used to pay for the roads and road repairs ! Until about 4 or 5 years ago, Texas was spending half of the gasoline and diesel tax money on the public school system.
If we look back at that, the real scientists of that nature, found that religious beliefs did not successfully transit the Grand Method of Science.
Nor do I. In context, one failure to corroborate with a natural observation, and the hypothesis is discarded.
I have never seen a true place where the Bible conflicts with science. I have seen many places where fools try to say so, but fools usually stand in swamps to argue. I believe that the “young earthers” have done more damage to the young growing up in the church than anything else.
No true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.
No true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.
Aye, he puts vanilla ice cream. Chocolate ice cream is ok if the vanilla ice cream already ran out.
[snip] Newton’s Laws are 100% correct, they have passed the test of time and remain inviolate. [snip]
My college physics (mechanics, other two quarters were e-mag & optics) remarked that Newton’s laws were okay for cannonball speeds, as that was more or less the fastest measured object in his world. It’s when you start approaching c that things go wonky.
My property taxes are fast approaching $9000.
OMG what kind of a mansion do you have?
The property taxes for my 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 3200 sq ft home in a wooded neighborhood with a lake view is less than $1000 yr here in Mississippi.
Well, I know one law, I’m gonna hurt tomorrow.
Took a load of scrap to the guy, went by Home Depot for soil admixture. Got 5 bags of raised bed, one bag of in ground, and 3 bags of manure compost. 2 cu ft bags. HEAVY bags.
Got the blueberry bushes in the ground.
Shovel and carrying bags has made me stiff and sore.
Still have some garden stuff to do, hope it’s not too hot tomorrow.
Now, to close my eyes for a few hours…..
n
OMG what kind of a mansion do you have?
The property taxes for my 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 3200 sq ft home in a wooded neighborhood with a lake view is less than $1000 yr here in Mississippi.
My house is one less bedroom than yours, about the same sq. footage. $8800 taxes this year.
The local school board pisses away money on performing arts centers nicer than many medium-size cities’ facilities and football stadiums designed by HOK, the company that architects many of the new pro and college stadiums.
Here in the Garden State, my property taxes are almost at $25,000. Due to money thrown at the school system and public pension generosity. Recently, a police chief retired and was able to collect over $500K for unused sick time in addition to his generous pension. Those of us who do not feed at the public trough cannot carry over sick or vacation time.
http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/beck/beck-property-taxpayers-on-hook-for-500k-sick-leave-payout-while-dems-continue-to-block-reform/32264
And so the Trump tax proposal of removing deductions for property tax and state income tax will cost me dearly.
Damn $25000.00 a year!!!!! Thar’s 10x what I pay I’m California for a 24,000 sqft house. When we bought in 1990 ist was just over $1,000. Thanks to Howard Jarvis and proposition 13 they tax eaters are limited in their efforts to steal our wages. Of course the look elsewhere as vehicle and gas taxes have just taken a big hit.
More taxpayers need to get fed up and pass voter legislation to stop these guys, or start throwing ropes over lamp posts.
“That’s 10x what I pay I’m California for a 24,000 sqft house.”
I assume you meant 2400 sqft. When I bought my house in 1984, the taxes were $4,000 per year. The town’s industrial base has declined over the years (mostly right after I bought the house) and more of the tax burden has shifted to private residences. We also have sharing arrangements with two nearby towns for our high school, and one of those was terminated around 15 years ago because they got a slightly better financial deal with another nearby town that had a higher-rated high school . When that ended, there was no significant reduction in school costs and hence taxes.
Yes 2.4K. Too early on left coast for thinking.
WRT to the tax robbery that’s been going on for A. Very. Long. Time:
If just 10% of the population simply stopped paying taxes, credit cards, banks, retirements, etc., that cut in the money flow to the State would shut them down and they’d panic in abject terror. Keep sending our jobs overseas, cutting deductions, hiring robots, etc., and that cut is very likely to take place at some point in the relatively near future.
You never own land in the FUSA. Don’t pay your tax, storm troopers arrive to kill you, take your shit, then kill your dog. Fukstiks!
Yo, how they gon do dat if 10% quit all at once?
Actually, so far, if your taxes have stopped arriving for whatever reason or even if it’s their mistake, they’ll simply lock your bank accounts and maybe seize properties. They will send the storm troopers to kill you and your dawg if you ADVOCATE not paying taxes in a big way to others, like running off pamphlets and newsletters or posting a series of suchlike on the innernet that goes viral.
I dunno, maybe if it goes viral enough, it’ll get too big for them to stop.
Yo, how you gon get 10% to stand up and not quietly knuckle under?
I’ve done my bit of trying to raise up some righteous indignation over government abuses. No success whatsoever. Lots of angry talk. Lots of vague threats. Lots of half-assed plans for lynching the bums. And not a single lifted finger when push came to shove. (Not that I was pushing for violent revolution or anything, but it shouldn’t be that hard to rally people against blatantly corrupt local police.)
To look on the bright side (against my policy, I acknowledge), it’s a good thing that it’s harder to get Americans off their ass to vote or attend a city meeting than it is to get residents of ((mumble mumble shithole country)) to rise up in revolution. We Americans have it good. Even when times are bad here, it’s better and easier and richer than almost anywhere else in the world.
@SteveF said:
And that is the problem, we are just too damn comfortable with the status quo. Nobody (most people here excluded, but it might be time for a self check) wants to even think of getting off their duff or stop using the opioid of sports and social media.
Sometime in the future the populace is going to get a rude awakening and reality check.