Libertarians, what am I supposed to do in American Austerity?

I mean, I'm kind of poor. If it's anything like in Europe, you're going to have a lot of people losing their jobs, so jobs are going to be hard to come by. I don't own property, and I can't make the money to buy it magically appear out of my butt so that I can buy some. I don't have the option of letting things like electricity or plumbing go because of health regulations and lease conditions.

I'm coming at this from a realistic perspective, and things like get a/another/better job aren't realistic because there is already a massive employment problem in this country that is only going to get worse. I mean, are people supposed to grow vegetable in their living rooms or something? Are tent cities going to become okay with a lot of you people?

So, realistically, what are people supposed to do? I mean, if you want to say that building shelter in the woods from scrap metal is an option, that's fine. I'm just genuinely looking for what you folks think that people are supposed to do in a situation of high unemployment and high poverty.

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck


If I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be a couple months away from homelessness.

Iv'e been looking for jobs for a LONG time now.
Not even good jobs either, Just any job that has more than 15 hours per week, and atleast $8.00 an hour.

So yea... I have no clue, I'm just hoping to find enough money (somehow) to move...

I'm only still here because I saved a bunch of money from the Army, and from a managing job at Food Lion..

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck

Find an unoccupied piece of land with nothing around it and water source, preferably in the southern mountain area of Texas. Somehow get a few shipping containers together and bury them in the side of the mountain, so there is only one face of your "house" that has thermal loss. Go to this thread and read up on this method of heating and supplying electricity since it is easy to maintain and low tech. Grow your own food and keep a few domestic animals like chickens, turkeys, a breeding pair of pigs, cows and horses. Find a good woman (the most difficult task on earth).

What more do you need?

Cheers - Dave

reply to post by bobs_uruncle


That right there is good advice
But .......
Hasn't the US already made moves towards the restriction/control of water and veg/livestock ? Even ' home grown'
Pls correct me if I'm wrong

reply to post by bobs_uruncle


Nice plan & all, but i think you must have missed the part where he said he was poor. It's right there in the 1st sentence. That leads me to believe he does not have the many thousands of dollars needed to implement your ideas...

Redneck, your best option (i think) is to make plans to shack up with family or good friends either when or right before the SHTF; basically bugging out.

Additionally (or alternately) get to know your neighbors/community. Chances are, if they are awake, they are in the same situation. You can't do it alone unless you have a ton of cash & a BIG family. Make a list of what you can offer the (for lack of a better word) prep'ers in your community & then get out there & offer them in trade. Even pick up a new skill if you can. Neighborhood bartering will be coming back into fashion again. Best to get a head start.

Originally posted by Neocrusader
reply to post by bobs_uruncle

 

That right there is good advice
But .......
Hasn't the US already made moves towards the restriction/control of water and veg/livestock ? Even ' home grown'
Pls correct me if I'm wrong

Yeah, the US has, but in a collapsing scenario, the ability to monitor should decrease considerably as it becomes harder to pay those who would do the monitoring. It leaves a short window open in which to act.

We're a little better off in Canada, I can travel about 20 miles and end up on what is called "Crown Land" in a hilly area where I can build with fresh water and waterfalls to generate moderate amounts of electricity. I can disappear in a hurry.

Cheers - Dave

Originally posted by mal1970
reply to post by bobs_uruncle

 

Nice plan & all, but i think you must have missed the part where he said he was poor. It's right there in the 1st sentence. That leads me to believe he does not have the many thousands of dollars needed to implement your ideas...

Redneck, your best option (i think) is to make plans to shack up with family or good friends either when or right before the SHTF; basically bugging out.

Additionally (or alternately) get to know your neighbors/community. Chances are, if they are awake, they are in the same situation. You can't do it alone unless you have a ton of cash & a BIG family. Make a list of what you can offer the (for lack of a better word) prep'ers in your community & then get out there & offer them in trade. Even pick up a new skill if you can. Neighborhood bartering will be coming back into fashion again. Best to get a head start.

Yes, I saw that. Storage containers however are cheap. I got offered 6 of them recently for $50 each because they are so hard to move. So for about $300 plus the shipping costs and a welding torch I can make a location. I would have to rent a backhoe for two days to excavate so I could bury it in the side of a hill. Obviously have to put in plumbing and some kind of buried outbuilding for electrical generators. If I use the friction method, I can build that for a 5kw output for probably less than $500 using parts from wreckers and used equipment locations. So altogether, my hard costs are less than say about $5,000, the rest is hard work, but if you want to be able to survive you better not be afraid of hard work.

Obviously an important part of all of this is being able to hide that you are even there. Sound insulation using layers of moss, bark and dirt. Using tubing underground to diffuse and bleed off any out-gasing. Lowering your thermal signature in the building's only face so that it can't be picked up on thermal's (TIC's) and IR's. Lot's of planning, but then, I have a number of years developing strategy for the military and I am an engineer ;-)

A six storage container building is about 2000 square feet (320sqft/unit). It could easily support 2 families of 4 people (more in a pinch, up to double that), so, two families have to come up with $2500 each. I'd say that's a pretty good deal to get started. That's where knowing your neighbors is a good idea, everyone who wants out can pitch in to get out. Selection is important as well, strong healthy people with usable skills and like mindsets. Doctors, Dentists are always handy, but you need an engineering type as well for maintenance and construction. It is possible to find all these people in two or three families.

Obviously as things get progressively worse, you'll need extra water filtration equipment and a method of developing an enclosed greenhouse to grow non-contaminated food), but that can be accomplished as well. When things deteriorate, foraging for equipment, tools and supplies would be necessary and I am quite sure they would be available. If not, locate mirrors and grow the food where you live by piping in light.

There is a solution to every problem, it just requires a little critical thinking and common sense.

Cheers - Dave