Letter Re: Long Term Public Employee Pension Obligations

Sir: Bob G. wrote on July 19th regarding pension obligations for retired government workers.  The implication seemed to be that they are excessively generous and should be cut.  I am a retired teacher and a taxpayer, so I have two dogs in this fight.  As a taxpayer, I want to hold the line on government spending.  As a retiree, I depend on the money I was promised for my livelihood. Pensions are a contractual obligation backed by the ‘full faith and credit’ of government.  If government had properly funded the liability in the first place, the money to pay pensions would be there today.  …


Economics and Investing:

Reader M.E.W. suggested: The Federal Reserve Is Not Going To Save Us From The Great Depression That Is Coming Default? U.S. Post Office Might Miss Retirees’ Payment. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s G.G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Psychopaths Caused The Financial Crisis…And They Will Do It Again And Again Unless They Are Removed From Power Beginning Sovereign Debt Crisis Endgame, Attack of the Zombie Banks and the New Religion of Europe These 12 Hellholes are Examples of What the Rest of America Will Look Like Soon Bad Economic Signs 2012s


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. sent us this piece from Virginia: Fowl Territory: Why Richmond should embrace backyard chickens.    o o o Join The Club, Your Honor: Trenton Mayor Tony Mack federal probe: FBI raids homes of mayor, brother, supporter. Any guesses on the illustrious “crime fighting” group that Mayor Mack belongs to? The folks over at the If It Hits The Fan blog just passed the milestone of 500 posts. Congrats.    o o o Yet another conference… This one is in Tucson, on August 11, 2012: The Arizona Survivalist Show. (Thanks to Randy in Arizona for the link.)    o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: [they were] judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Prepare to Share, by Mrs. T.J.

Growing up, we are taught to share.  Share our toys, share the chores, share our parents attention.  When we get to an age where we can earn some money, whether it be allowance for household jobs, or something like a paper route, our parents teach us to be sure to give God his 10%.  (Here is a little secret…it is ALL God’s, he just allows us to keep 90%, if only the government would be so generous).  Well, as we get even older, let us say, after high school or college, we get a ‘real’ job.  This is theoretically speaking …


Letter Re: Cinder Block Safety Concerns

JWR, First of all thank you for your blog.  I have been reading it every day for the last year. J.D. in Texas offers some good information regarding Concrete Masonry Units(CMUs), however I may be able to share some more details.  I have also been in the concrete masonry business for about 22 years.  The first thing to consider when using concrete masonry is to avoid breathing any dust from the units, such as when a unit is cut, split, or ground.  At the very least use a N95 or N99 dust mask.  If you are cutting a CMU then …


Economics and Investing:

The “well funded” Social Security myth: $20 trillion timebomb. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Reader AmEx sent an article by Paul Farrell: How Bernanke will cause the next crash before 2014 Over at Alt-Market: Bad Economic Signs 2012 Ol’ Remus of The Woodpile Report alerted me to an article wherein Karl Denninger summarizes the enormity of the LIBOR scandal: So I Need To “Be An Adult” About Fraud Eh? Here is a key quote: “There are hundreds of trillions of dollars of interest-rate derivatives linked to LIBOR, directly and indirectly. A 1% move would be something like $3 trillion …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned a new product: the Trucker’s Friend. (It is even American-made!)    o o o Yet another reason to avoid all social media: Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity. (Thanks to RBS for the link.)    o o o Sterile v. Clean In Survival Situations:  Doom & Bloom    o o o Some facts on firearms in the United States.    o o o Speaking of guns, read: Outrage After News Channel Helps Public Identify Gun Owners. In the warped minds of the gun grabbers, they perceive gun owners on a par …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“…if the study of the Bible is to be excluded from all state schools; if the inculcation of the principles of Christianity is to have no place in the daily program; if the worship of God is to form no part of the general exercises of these public elementary schools; then the good of the state would be better served by restoring all schools to church control.” – National Education Association (NEA), 1892


Notes from JWR:

Today is coincidentally the birthday of both Samuel Colt and Gaston Glock. (Born July 19, 1814, and July 19, 1929, respectively.) It has been rightly said: “God may have made men, but Samuel Colt made them equal.” As for Gaston Glock, I predict that his lasting legacy will be recognized following a war of resistance in the near future, when his ubiquitous mass-produced pistols will have the Geheime Staats Polizei or Policía Secreta, or Police Secrète quaking in their boots. In my estimation both Colt and Glock’s designs are significant contributions to human liberty and equality, all around the world. …


Fight or Flight Decision Points, by R.P.

This most basic decision should be reviewed daily “in a crisis” and weekly in preparation for a TSHTF scenario. In order to make the correct call you must understand the situation that you are in. One thing true for all situations: You must be prepared to defend what you have. Why? Because your life may depend on it (you and your loved ones). Whatever you have prepared can be lost in one single event. You may not get a second chance to do better next time. Another thing that is important to consider is “time”. You must understand how much …


Letter Re: Long Term Public Employee Pension Obligations

James: I just read Warren Buffett’s comments about municipal bankruptcies on the rise.  (See: Buffet Says Muni Bankruptcies are Set to Climb.) Much of the problem is the super generous retirement plans available to many state, federal and local government workers.  As always, a bit of common sense would help cushion the impact of this largess. After 30 years of service workers are allowed to retire with a full pension.  Many retiring workers are still in their early fifties.  In many cases pensions are being paid out for 10-15 years before the workers are eligible for SS.  To put this …


Letter Re: Procedures for a Tourist Bringing a Pistol to South Africa

Dear JWR: The family and I have a photo safari planned in South Africa this September. I have the paperwork to take my person carry pistol with me. This paperwork is from the South African Police force. I am wondering if anyone you know has done this before. I have friends who have taken the large caliber rifles with no problem. I have searched SurvivalBlog archives but the question of taking a pistol has not shown up. My main question is this. Do I need BATF or commerce department import/export paperwork/permission to take the pistol out of the US and …


Letter Re: Dying and Death in a Collapse Situation

James: I thought the article Dying and Death in a Collapse Situation, by Irish Eyes was a well written piece.  As a funeral director I thought I would add my thoughts. The article was very well written and had good working knowledge of the death and dying process. The point that I wanted to touch on is the fact that there is a stigma that dead bodies are extremely unsanitary. They may be and should be treated as such if you were to come upon a body that died of unknown causes. However, according to Ron Hast publisher Mortuary Management …