The euro nations are drowning for one, very simple reason: They voluntarily surrendered the single most valuable asset any government can have: their Monetary Sovereignty. They are monetarily non-sovereign… They use the euro, which is not their sovereign currency, so they cannot control their money supply.
Unlike Monetarily Sovereign governements (U.S., UK, China, Canada, Japan, Australia et al), monetarily non-sovereign entities (you, me, Chicago, Florida, France, Greece et al) cannot create their sovereign currency, as they have none. So they literally can run out of money.
Those who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and montary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
[quote=robie robinson]How do you "go Galt"?
[/quote]
Reduce (or eliminate) the times money cycles through our system. Grow your own food, make your own adult beverages, reduce (or eliminate) your electric bill, heat with wood, become a handyman instead of hiring it out. The list is long, and following much of what PP advocates will get us closer.
Another step is to remove your expertise (or drive or work ethic) from a system that simply uses you as a 'tax donkey'. Chris Martenson dropped out of a very materialistic world that paid him well and transitioned to a lower paying yet much more fulfilling lifestyle. He wins!
It's a beautiful day here in California, so I'm back to my garden and pruning the trees.
I hope others chime in, because this is a worthwhile topic to pursue.
Nate
The Sloop "John Galt." It has a catchy ring to it.
If Land is a bit out of your range, you are in luck. Yachts are going a dime a dozen. Then you can catch your breakfast. Algae are good healthy eating. (My information is that there are no poisonous algae).
That person you took fishing or to the other side of the bay wasn't exactly a fare paying passenger. And that half a sheep was a gift wasn't it? Can't see anything wrong with that.
"You need to send a message to your nephew a thousand miles away but the lines are down? I can help, but my batteries are flat and need to be charged. Together we can make it happen."
"Is that Saffron you have there amongst the spices? A whole Kilo?"
Davos was posting outside the rules, and apparently that caused you to abandon our conversation. I promise to be polite, but I intend to render your concept of "Monetary Sovereignty" to its rightful place on the compost pile. Without confidence in the currency, monetary sovereignty is an utterly worthless concept.
Grover
PS I apologize for misusing the word "respect." Respect is earned, not given. So far, you've done nothing to earn my respect. Politeness is given and reflects on the bestower.
… Grow your own food, make your own adult beverages, reduce (or eliminate) your electric bill, heat with wood, become a handyman instead of hiring it out…
Another step is to remove your expertise (or drive or work ethic) from a system that simply uses you as a 'tax donkey'.
[/quote]
Grow your own food? Check.
Make your own adult beverages? Check.
Reduce electric bill? Check.
Heat with wood? Check.
Become a handyman? Check.(Always have been one)
Become agorist? Ahem…shshshshshsh
Hey! I've 'Gone Galt' and didn't even know it! Cool! But I'll one-up ya.
Produce your own water? Check! Recently drilled a well that produces 55 gallons per minute of liquid Gold. Woo-Hoo!!!
[quote=earthwise]Produce your own water? Check! Recently drilled a well that produces 55 gallons per minute of liquid Gold. Woo-Hoo!!!
[/quote]
I'm impressed! I'd love it if you shared some details on the well you drilled.
Nate
I'm impressed! I'd love it if you shared some details on the well you drilled.
Nate
[/quote]
This was definitely one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. Drilling is very expensive, $2,500 set-up costs and roughly $13 per foot of depth, with no assurance of success. None. Zero. You write a check then hope and pray that you find water. If after drilling a thousand or fifteen hundred feet (whatever your checkbook allows) and don't hit water you have to decide whether to call it quits or throw more money at the problem. I was fortunate; we hit water at 450 feet. I would have been satisfied with 20 to 25 gallons per minute of flow rate, but got 55 gpm.
This was crucial for us. Southern California is a desert (well, technically it's a semi-arid environment. In San Diego we average about 12 to 14 inches rainfall per year). Shortly after we started down the path of resiliency I realized that everything was contingent on water. All my gardens and livestock would wither and die in an acute crises where the utilities failed, and a 'slow burn' would make buying water prohibitively expensive (it almost is now). We looked at relocating out of state, but just couldn't pull the trigger. Water was/is the deciding factor.
If we would have drilled a duster, I would have attempted to dam up the gulley that runs through my land in order to make a pond that could be used to irrigate. Failing that would have forced us to move or take our chances when TSHTF.
Fortunatly we were spared that agonozing decision. All told we spent about $23,000 on the drilling and pump/tank system, but worth every penny ten times over considering how it's changing our lives.
This is one of the experiences that has elicited a humbling sense of gratitude for the simple things that most people take for granted, as I have for most of my life.
In my younger days, "going galt" was a necessity. I was poor and did everything myself, and I mean everything, wiring, plumbing, construction, car repair, appliance reapair, you name it. Now that I have busted my @#$ my whole life and have a few coins in the bank, I'm still gault just because I have gotten so pissed off at the "system". Though I did hire a company to install hot water panels recently. That was a strange experience, someone else working on my home, I guess wonders never cease.
In retrospect, being part of a community would have been a better way to go. I guess I've got a bit of the rambo John Wayne mentality, as much as I hate to admit it. Is that the standard disease of a typical american male? I have picked up a lot of skills along the way, but certainly paid the price. When we go it alone we refuse to be vulnerable and ask for help. When we do it ourselves we deprive other working stiffs the opportinity to make a living and limit the oportunity to make those community connetions in some way that build resilience. Just some thoughts about going it alone.
[quote=RodgerMitchell]The euro nations are drowning for one, very simple reason: They voluntarily surrendered the single most valuable asset any government can have: their Monetary Sovereignty. They are monetarily non-sovereign… They use the euro, which is not their sovereign currency, so they cannot control their money supply.
Unlike Monetarily Sovereign governements (U.S., UK, China, Canada, Japan, Australia et al), monetarily non-sovereign entities (you, me, Chicago, Florida, France, Greece et al) cannot create their sovereign currency, as they have none. So they literally can run out of money.
Those who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and montary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
[/quote]
Rodger,
I followed your link with some trepidation. As I clicked, I was wondering how many clicks it would take to get to a website promoting your books. Surprise, surprise! That is your website and you promote your books there. How convenient.
I'm going to alert the moderator that you have posted spam. It is a wee bit dressed up, but still it is spam. Your intent is to get clicks to your site, not to provide illumination for this audience. Were you to defend your suppositions on this site, I would accept your site as a resource. Since you occasionally flit over here and excrete such "useful" information, in my opinion, it is simply spam.
If Jason restricts your ability to post, send me PMs and I will post them in their entirety. You can bet that I'll have a response.
Perhaps with my help, you'll be able to see the errors of your ways.
Grover