Are you ready? I think this is gonna be a rough couple years.

[old tex]

No one needs a low paying deadbeat job. Better to starve than work to die.

Bull!!!! I joined the military back when they paid NOTHING. It taught me how to get by living on nothing. And I did that for between 8 to 12 of my military career. The 2 things that I learned that were invaluable were 1. How to live cheap & 2 How I DIDN'T want to live for the rest of my life. It's not how much pay you make, at first is how you spend it & later it's how use what's left. Now your statement is right in that a lot of people feel that way & that's why we support welfare (which should have a time limit btw). And a lot of people will never amount to anything & continue living payday to payday & never having a pot to piss in. Life is hard for lazy & stupid people & it should be. I know a lot of people that could have $20,000 handed to them on a golden platter & one year later they would have nothing to show for it & owe more money than they owed the year before. Sorry but my "give a damn" for those people is broke.

To be a success in America you just have to keep working, not make dumb choices & save /invest over time. I'm living proof of that. I'm no brain & I didn't make any spectacular decisions that got me where I am today. I got here by not doing any big mistakes (like buying a house I couldn't afford) or a new car every year. We shop sales even today, when we don't have too. If we were able to do it, anyone can!!!!!!

 

[SLADE]

The Don has a plan, he always has a plan.

Yes. I just told you the plan and we can pretend to know what it means.

 

[SLADE]

Bull!!!! I joined the military back when they paid NOTHING. It taught me how to get by living on nothing. And I did that for between 8 to 12 of my military career. The 2 things that I learned that were invaluable were 1. How to live cheap & 2 How I DIDN'T want to live for the rest of my life. It's not how much pay you make, at first is how you spend it & later it's how use what's left. Now your statement is right in that a lot of people feel that way & that's why we support welfare (which should have a time limit btw). And a lot of people will never amount to anything & continue living payday to payday & never having a pot to piss in. Life is hard for lazy & stupid people & it should be. I know a lot of people that could have $20,000 handed to them on a golden platter & one year later they would have nothing to show for it & owe more money than they owed the year before. Sorry but my "give a damn" for those people is broke.

To be a success in America you just have to keep working, not make dumb choices & save /invest over time. I'm living proof of that. I'm no brain & I didn't make any spectacular decisions that got me where I am today. I got here by not doing any big mistakes (like buying a house I couldn't afford) or a new car every year. We shop sales even today, when we don't have too. If we were able to do it, anyone can!!!!!!

I don't believe your life can be repeated in today's world with low paying jobs.
I lived life similar to you. I'm very frugal maybe cheap. In today's world it's not enough.

 

[old tex]

Now as far as the future (next 4 years). A low level moron who didn't hate America could NOT do a worse job of being President that what we went through the last 4 years. The socialist were in charge during those years & everything they did was to bring American to it's knees while they made money off of spending taxpayers money.

 

[SLADE]

Now as far as the future (next 4 years). A low level moron who didn't hate America could NOT do a worse job of being President that what we went through the last 4 years. The socialist were in charge during those years & everything they did was to bring American to it's knees while they made money off of spending taxpayers money.

We'll see. It's not looking good

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Trump may be a businessman but he has zero talent in international diplomacy.
And the American citizens will pay for this.

The scariest thing is Musk in control of the day to day operations of the Treasury.

 

[old tex]

We'll see. It's not looking good

It looks good to me because any change is better than what we had.

 

[RJ2019]

I think the long-term strategy is good, but it's gonna hurt for awhile before improvement happens. I also question whether we can see the type of improvement we need in just 4 years.

 

[Snowman]

I agree ...

We depend on debt, and we depend on foreign economies to keep producing for us so we can keep spending what we don't have. This creates a population that cannot produce enough for itself to maintain its own affluent lifestyle and is in effect not self reliant- the workforce ain't there and the cost of living is now seriously passing the level where buisness owners can maintain enough profit to make local manufacturing worthwhile, while affording to pay their workers a decent wage. Both the worker and the owner are not incnetivised.

It's not about being forced to consume so much- it's about policy that enables the whole Shitshow.

The politicians DO...!!!

 

[SOAH]

-I want to add that I'm not trying to be argumentive, in my own experience there has always been issues-

How were you able to commute without having a gap in between parents being home?

There's only 2 locations have 3 shifts within an hour of us, so one parent would have to leave a minimum of 35 minutes before the other got home in order to get to work on time. With small children, a sitter would *still* be needed. We have tried this solution in the past but it ended up going very badly when my overnight shift would give us mandatory overtime with no notice ( or no one would show up for relief and I wasn't able to leave- healthcare) and my husband couldn't leave for work because there was no one to watch the baby. He nearly lost his job, which is the higher paying and the one we relied on the most. This is really only feasible if you have backup help.

For us at least, this would also require purchasing another vehicle. One that doesn't constantly have issues is several thousand $ up front, a huge expense that is going to take at least a year of work to be worth the purchase.

I work Saturdays when he's home and pick up contract work during the week that my kids can come along to, only possible because he gets a company vehicle for his commute. Many are not so fortunate.

Most of the time we altered our shifts a bit . Most employers will work with a good employee and if you’re willing to go in early or on odd times it’s never been an issue. Some of that means you aren’t going get the option to take bunches of days off. Sometimes it meant doing jobs that weren’t the most desirable. But, it worked and it can be done. Things eased a bit as they got older since they could be home for half an hour if needed. Things can be difficult but at the same time you learn a lot and have the benefit of spending the time with them. I understand this may not be an option for some but having children takes planning much like any of life’s major decisions.

 

[elkhound]

rambling ahead....you been warned

Past few weeks i been watching a building project..actually a remodel project.Theres a church not been in use for a very long time,not sure if it sold long ago or recently as its just sat for years.Its an odd shaped place sitting on about an acre with a small building on its side...its all cinder block...its now being turned into small little apartments type living places...each has a little porch and single door entry...so far i can count 7 entries counting the little building but i think thers a few more on back side i can see to count.They are small...very small.....i cant wait to see it finished and cost to rent these and who rents them...we have a housing crisis all over this country.

we might see rise in prices to build if tariffs block or raise lumber from canada and other places...we got plenty of lumber...but it take a bit to fire things back up...local mills been shutting down in various areas. @Hooch can talk about that some...plus what i posted in past about it.we can have industrial forests and natural protected forest too...and not destroy the very planet we live on.

 

[Magpie]

Trump may be a businessman but he has zero talent in international diplomacy.
And the American citizens will pay for this.

The scariest thing is Musk in control of the day to day operations of the Treasury.

See that Musk has been given access to social welfare payments etc- is this linked with his new role?

 

[Peanut]

And it's about to get worse under the new guy.
It's hard to believe.

Most of us are preppers because decades ago we saw the direction of country was not sustainable. Our nation was a slow motion train wreck, it was inevitable... unless drastic measures were taken. I saw this clearly as did most of the people I know. We’ve discussed it ad nauseam in thread after thread, forums died so we created new ones and discussed it some more.

To now sit and wring out hands in fear is silly. To sit and whine about the guy trying to right the ship is even worse. Of course it’s gonna hurt! How thick do you have to be to blame the guy trying to fix what we all saw coming? Any path we took was gonna be painful… At least someone is trying! That’s more than we had 30 days ago!!!!

 

[angie_nrs]

And the other choice would have done what? Really think about what taxing unrealized gains would have looked like under the Harris regime. This would have affected anyone who prepped for the future. Do you own your home? Do you have an IRA? Do you own vehicles or equipment? Do you have stocks? Did any of it gain value the past year? Yeah....Harris wanted to tax you for that!

She would have been a nightmare for middle class Americans that made good decisions so that they could pass something on to their children. SHE wanted it all. That said, I do not worship Trump. However, I did vote for him and thus far I'm happy with what he accomplished in such a short period of time. Change is hard. But, we've had change since 2012.....Hope and Change. Yeah, that's not worked out well for the average American now has it? Certainly not for me!

I'll give Trump the benefit of the doubt. I don't trust any politician, so i'll be keeping my eyes open and continue to do the best I can in my own life. I pray that the Lord has his hand on Trump and his plans as HE is the only one who can defeat the evil we are dealing with.

 

[GreenAndSwirly]

Most of the time we altered our shifts a bit . Most employers will work with a good employee and if you’re willing to go in early or on odd times it’s never been an issue. Some of that means you aren’t going get the option to take bunches of days off. Sometimes it meant doing jobs that weren’t the most desirable. But, it worked and it can be done. Things eased a bit as they got older since they could be home for half an hour if needed. Things can be difficult but at the same time you learn a lot and have the benefit of spending the time with them. I understand this may not be an option for some but having children takes planning much like any of life’s major decisions

My employer at that time let us know when new management had taken over that there would be absolutely no alterations for our behalf, and that if we were told to be there, we needed to be there or we would be fired. That was a major reason there was a mass Exodus in my department a few months later. They are one of the biggest employers in the area though.

We had kids when we were stable enough with 1 income and no debt. 2 health emergencies requiring hospitalizations, a completely tanked economy and damage to our home changed circumstances. Sometimes the best laid plans don't work out.

 

[Magpie]

Yes. I just told you the plan and we can pretend to know what it means.

But does he have a plan B?

 

[elkhound]

But does he have a plan B?

all of europe is about to scream.....worse boat than the u.s. germany has gutted itself .....cheap lng and resulting power etc. is gone..but it might be restored depending on voters...danes are letting russian corp in to plug pipeline...german presidential canadate says if elected the pipe will be fixed and restored so to cut prices of basics and get manufacturers back working...the u.s. has treated europe like step children....we gotta mind our own bees wax over here.

 

[Tootsie]

rambling ahead....you been warned

Past few weeks i been watching a building project..actually a remodel project.Theres a church not been in use for a very long time,not sure if it sold long ago or recently as its just sat for years.Its an odd shaped place sitting on about an acre with a small building on its side...its all cinder block...its now being turned into small little apartments type living places...each has a little porch and single door entry...so far i can count 7 entries counting the little building but i think thers a few more on back side i can see to count.They are small...very small.....i cant wait to see it finished and cost to rent these and who rents them...we have a housing crisis all over this country.

we might see rise in prices to build if tariffs block or raise lumber from canada and other places...we got plenty of lumber...but it take a bit to fire things back up...local mills been shutting down in various areas. @Hooch can talk about that some...plus what i posted in past about it.we can have industrial forests and natural protected forest too...and not destroy the very planet we live on.

Air B and B, or whatever they’re called. Around here the same guy buys up churches and solid buildings, turns them into little apartments, and makes more for short term rentals than he could for regular rentals with less hassles. There is definitely a housing shortage, but a huge abundance of places where it costs big bucks for a weekend rental. Folks looking to sightsee or ski or visit the lakes. Not everyone is pinching pennies.

 

[Haertig]

There sure seems to be a lot of doom and gloom presented here. People are expecting to have to dig deeply into their preps to survive?

I see the return of the America I once knew, and a fantastic money making opportunity for all of us. I may buy Greenland myself. I'm grinning from ear to ear.

Different outlooks I guess.

 

[SLADE]

Most of us are preppers because decades ago we saw the direction of country was not sustainable. Our nation was a slow motion train wreck, it was inevitable... unless drastic measures were taken. I saw this clearly as did most of the people I know. We’ve discussed it ad nauseam in thread after thread, forums died so we created new ones and discussed it some more.

To now sit and wring out hands in fear is silly. To sit and whine about the guy trying to right the ship is even worse. Of course it’s gonna hurt! How thick do you have to be to blame the guy trying to fix what we all saw coming? Any path we took was gonna be painful… At least someone is trying! That’s more than we had 30 days ago!!!!

Putting my trust in a guy that's nothing short of a freak show would be sad.
What we are on is a slide not a path and it goes down hill.
Change. Yes.
What we see now is unamerican.

 

[Haertig]

Putting my trust in a guy that's nothing short of a freak show would be sad.

That guy got voted out in November.

What we are on is a slide not a path and it goes down hill.

It's not just an ordinary slide. It's one of those monster five story high curvy-flippy water slides where everyone shoots out the end of it with a big 'ol smile on their face yelling "Wheee!!!"

Change. Yes.

Thank God.

What we see now is unamerican.

Only to the non-Americans.

 

[UserNameTaken]

What deadbeat job? these were high-paying machine operator jobs, some as much as 20$ an hour! Trucking industry, and yes, entry-level BS jobs too.

Dude, $20 an hour is NOT "high paying," anymore. You are stuck in the '90s. It is $40,000 a year, BEFORE taxes, maybe $30,000 after. Even a young single person can barely manage on $2,700 a month. A quarter million is the new minimum wage for a competent, college educated professional.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Even a young single person can barely manage on $2,700 a month. A quarter million is the new price for a competent, college educated professional.

And my wife and I plus our animals are forced to “make it” on even less than that.

That is all due to policy enacted by Obama and made even worse by Biden’s anti American policies.

 

[Pearl]

And my wife and I plus our animals are forced to “make it” on even less than that.

That is all due to policy enacted by Obama and made even worse by Biden’s anti American policies.

And if Obama was still ruling the world we would lose everything!!

 

[rice paddy daddy]

We still may lose everything with Musk diddling about trying to run the Treasury Department.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

That worries me!
Trump not so much. I still trust him.

 

[sonya123]

I agree with all of that- but I see all of those things as problems with our inherent self reliance. We rely on trade with the rest of the world and it's come to effect every financial facet of our lives. All of what you said and more.

Whether it's medicine, power transformers, computer chips or just everyday cheap goods that allow people to survive on government checks and continually waste money on useless non-equity building purchases that keep them on uncle Sam's teat perpetually.

Our housing economy is ******, our Healthcare is ******, our diets are ******, our state of welfare is ******, our border is ******... etc. Etc. Etc... it's a long list and it's built in on purpose to protect those that lobbied from meaningful competition.

All of this made possible because corporations can keep on outsourcing costs and charging US consumers endlessly as long as we keep racking up debt at every level. At some point there has to be some "medicine" where the avg. American gets cut off and is forced by natural limitations to be productive.

We depend on debt, and we depend on foreign economies to keep producing for us so we can keep spending what we don't have. This creates a population that cannot produce enough for itself to maintain its own affluent lifestyle and is in effect not self reliant- the workforce ain't there and the cost of living is now seriously passing the level where buisness owners can maintain enough profit to make local manufacturing worthwhile, while affording to pay their workers a decent wage. Both the worker and the owner are not incnetivised.

It's not about being forced to consume so much- it's about policy that enables the whole Shitshow.

I never thought I would read a thread from you that isn't word salad and I actually agree with...LOL
But yeah, that sums it up really well.

China produces cheap crap, we buy it cheap and use credit to pay for it. At least half the jobs in this country are unecessary and produce nothing . We pay China with fiat currency that we create at will and they except it
The whole house of cards is going to fall apart
And the ones that benefitted most from this system are the rich CEOs of large companies that paid off the politicians to make all of it possible

China is in trouble too. They have invested a lot in their real estate, that sits empty and nobody lives in. If the US goes down economically, so will China, but there, they at least have a society that works together since they are pretty much all Chinese and there is no minorities, or diversity crap, or illegals, or terrorists

 

[elkhound]

Dude, $20 an hour is NOT "high paying," anymore. You are stuck in the '90s. It is $40,000 a year, BEFORE taxes, maybe $30,000 after. Even a young single person can barely manage on $2,700 a month. A quarter million is the new minimum wage for a competent, college educated professional.

ha...ha..haaaaa...you live in a totally different reality than my region !

granted theres a few jobs higher...but average folks getting $20 is a deal....i know many making much less.

i know i know...dont be average....lol

 

[rice paddy daddy]

If the US goes down economically the whole world will go with it.
Just like 1929.

 

[Peanut]

That guy got voted out in November.

Exactly, the freak show is what got us here. That and short sighted people who only think about their wallet today! Sort of like a guy laying in a wrecked car at the bottom of cliff.. He gets mad at the paramedic that’s helping him because it’s painful. He’d rather lay there and bleed to death because that doesn’t hurt so much!

Trump didn’t cause the pain that’s coming. It was coming whether or not he was even born. What’s happening now is emergency surgery! And yes, it’s going to hurt, a lot!