Check Back

Please check back tomorrow.  I have been working on a post since Sunday regarding the book of Hosea and have just been trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row as they say.  It will be worth the wait.  It will cover the normal Sunday and Wednesday topics.

Starting Down the Path to Being Prepared

I think it was over two years ago that I began thinking about the what if's and whether or not I was prepared for any of them.  It seems having a baby on the way triggered the protection instinct within me.  Since then I have learned a ton, and prepared for some of what life might have in store for my family and myself.  By no means am I there yet, but I have started down the path and would like to share my journey with you as I go.

The first topic on this subject (our normal Friday subject), will be on why we should consider this path a worthy undertaking.  I have had several people ask me why I want to "be prepared" as though trouble is around the corner.  To which I reply, "Why not?" 

Seriously, lets examine that answer in a bit more detail.  How many of us have life insurance, health insurance, car insurance, liability insurance.... Get the point already?  We have all of these insurances and yet pray that we never have to use them.  How much do these insurances cost us a year?

Now, lets look at prepping.  If you spend 10% more at the grocery store, but concentrate on staples (beans, rice, tuna, soups, pasta, canned veggies), at the end of one year you will have several months worth of food.  Was that so difficult?  Then you just cycle through the food you bought replacing what you use with new purchases and so on and so forth.  It isn't rocket science, but it is peace of mind.  As long as you buy foods you would normally eat, you haven't wasted a thing.  You have at least started to see to the needs of your family in a disaster situation.

After all, isn't that your responsibility as a father, mother, husband or wife?  Shouldn't we take care of our own with out relying on the "Government" to take care of us?  What does God say about this?  Its called responsibility!  We do it with some many other aspects.  After all, what is more important, saving for college (a very worthy goal) or feeding your family during a disaster, man made or natural?

Did you realize that there is only an estimated 2-3 days worth of food on the grocery store shelves in America?  The thought of what would happen if there was a major disruption of fuel or trucking in this country is pretty scary if you are not prepared.  Never mind the concepts of hyper-inflation, large scale terrorist attack, natural disaster, or God forbid an EMP event.

It is time to use some common sense and begin protecting your family.  Next Friday we will discuss security for the prepper.  After all, its common sense.  We can't go outside when its raining......

Back Just In Time

Sorry for the lack of posts Friday and Sunday.  That is just a product of being sick and totally zapped of energy.  The first cold of the year just kicked my butt.  Anyway, on to the posting.

I have noticed recently that formerly being a marxist, communist, socialist, or any other kind of radical seems to be in vogue.  It is kind of scary that we have some many folks that seem to think that system will actually work.  I spent some time in Ukraine in the late 90's and the effects of that system were still painful.  I can tell you that the populace their would tell you that it certainly didn't work.

There were some funny parts and some to sad to be funny.  First, they had a store for everything.  Problem is that the stores never had any of what they were supposed to have.  Imagine Wal-Mart with nothing on the shelves.  That was kind of the funny part.  The sad part was the folks there all had gardens in what would have been our yards.  And everyone carried a plastic sack in case they did find something.  But the sacks were almost always empty.  It was a pretty stark picture and a sad one that I will never forget.

Fact is that the communist/socialist system does not work.  It kills the ambition and vision of the people.  And as the Bible says, "Where there is no vision the people perish."

Anyway, since when did the pasts of these people become no big deal?  As soon as it becomes clear that these people had a past like that, they should be immediately eliminated from potential office.  Problem is that we have way too many young folks that do not remember communism.  Too many idiots that refuse to hear anything but the rosy parts of communism that will supposedly make everyone equal.  They fail to realize that communism equalizes on the low side.  It brings everyone down.

Of course, common sense would tell anyone that has half a brain that communism fails.  But half these people would play in the rain too.  And as we all know, "We can't go outside when its raining!"

Republican Party or Established Republican Party

Just a simple heads up, since I am sick today this will be short, sweet and pretty grumpy.  But I can't think of anything right now about our political process that I am more irritated with than the Republican party.  And I am a Republican! 

Seems to me that is someone wins your primary, even if you never expected them to, you back them.  You should also tell the Loser to show some class, endorse the winner, and get out of the way!  Ronald Reagan would be screaming right now.  What is the deal with all the losers wanting to run as independents, write in candidates, or whatever?  The leadership (and I use that term loosely) should be castigating these idiots.  This theory that the candidates have to be established politicians is joke.  We NEED some non-politicians holding office.  We need people to go to Washington to do something instead of going there to be somebody!

I don't know what it is about politicians since the whole Al Gore debacle in Florida in 2000?  Did they forget how to lose?  Do we need to send them all back to Kindergarten?   If you lose, show some dignity, give a nice congratulatory speech and shut the hell up!

Sorry for the rant, but when your sick, the patience level drops pretty low.  See you Friday.

The Basics - We Should Go Back There

Okay, first a bit of housekeeping.  I will be updating the blog every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday that I am in town and some when I am traveling.  The basic premise will be that on Sundays, except this one, will be devoted to Faith and Community topics, Wednesdays will be devoted to Government, Politics, and my philosophies associated with these, and finally Fridays will be devoted to be self reliance, self defense and being prepared for what life might throw at us.  But enough of that.......

As for to today, let's talk more about the basic principles that guide me and what I hope to express more clearly for you going forward.  It has been my thought process for a couple of years now that we should go back to the basics by which the founders of our country and other generations past have lived.  My grandparents lived during the great depression, WWII, and the following decades with a self reliant, local community first, simpler lifestyle.  I dare say that had we followed their lead the last 25 years, we probably would not have seen the economic disaster we have the last two years.  They lived by a principle called living within their means.  What a concept!  So that said lets discuss the basics.

Lets start with the basic principle that government should not have an open checkbook for everything and anything that strikes the fancy of some congressman.  The government should not be the provider of last resort for everything from abortions to cell phones.  Give me a flippin break!  Who thinks it makes sense to pay for the health care, education, housing, etc of anyone who comes from anywhere, legally or illegally, for any reason?  Using that logic, if someone breaks into your home, you should feed them if they are hungry.  I realize people will say well they are just trying to make a better life or take care of their family.  Fine just, just don't ask me to pay the bill.  Simple as that!

Then you get to the subject of welfare.  I can give you true story after true story of multiple generations of the same family living in apartment complexes with their rent being paid by housing, getting utility allowances, SSI, free health care, food stamps, etc and so forth.  Are we helping them or dooming future generations to living off of the government hand outs?  What is their motivation to get to work and contribute anything to society?   Why are we asking the working people of America to continue to pay for someone else to live without any of the worries, stresses or responsibilities they have?  Simply put - this has to change.  We as a nation have to get tough and make tough decisions.  We have to tell these people enough is enough and we can't afford to give everyone a living anymore.  We have to limit welfare to a specified time period with staged step downs dependent on signs of progress with regards to going to work.  I would rather spend that money of helping pay for the daycare for these families when they go to work.  At least then, it is going to something productive and they are producing as well.

While I am on that note, when does 99 weeks of unemployment transition into being welfare and no longer being unemployment?  Really?  99 weeks?  At some point we need to encourage the unemployed to take something that produces instead of just consumes.  Go ahead and call me harsh.  Call me insensitive.  But I think its called realistic.  I understand taking six months to look for something that pays what you want and does what you want.  But at some point necessity kicks in and you have to go to work where you can.  That doesn't stop you from continuing to look for the perfect job.  Again, just don't as us to pay for it while you look!

Not lets talk about us as individuals.  Maybe its time we went on a collective spending, convenience, luxury, and just about anything else you can think of diet!  Think about it, do we really need TV with cable in every room of the house plus outside.  Especially if we are butt deep in debt?  It has always amazed me that my generation has always wanted everything our parents had after 30 years of work.  But we wanted it as soon as we left the nest.  So how did we do it?  Did we do like our grandparents?  Nope. We did it with credit card debt.

We failed to realize they did it through sacrifice.  They didn't eat out every day.  They didn't eat steak every day.  They planned out things and saved for them.  They shopped out of necessity not desire or convenience.  They certainly didn't say "Charge it Baby!"  They also would never expect the government to do a anything for them other than secure the national defense, build some roads, and provide a base level of security.

We need to go back to that.  We need to go back to being a faithful people who value community, neighbors, hard work, saving , personal responsibility, charity through your church/community, honesty, and humility.  We need to simplify, simplify, simplify!  Some will scoff and say that I am advocating going backwards.  Yes and No.  Go back to simplicity, but lets keep the medical advances, air conditioning, etc.

We just need some basic common sense and values.  Because as you know, "We Can't Go Outside In the Rain."

We Can't Go Outside When Its Raining

Seems to me that what we need in this world is a little common sense.  As I was thinking of this, and thinking of starting a blog, my inspiration arrived.  It was starting to rain where we live and my two year old daughter was in absolute fit mode due to having to come inside.  My Wife (who I consider an amazing mother) was dutifully trying to explain why "we can't go outside when its raining".  Bingo!

That little example of everyday life explains my whole philosophy as to our current political, economic and societal situations/dynamics.  We need to quit being the two year old and begin to be the adults saying "We Can't Go Outside When Its Raining".

Now, I realize it is a bit of a simplification.  But what, if just once, we as a nation, society etc, say enough is enough.  We can't have it all unless somebody pays the flippin bill!  I would love to care for the world.  I would love to ensure that every American child has a college degree.  I would love to make sure we all had enough of everything we can imagine.  Problem is, we can't pay for it.  It just isn't possible.

These are the kinds of things I will begin to discuss on this blog.  It will definitely be more detailed and sometimes a bit more passionate.  I will try to look at things through the current window of time and compare that to the common sense view and what I think those of our greatest generation would have thought.  I will do it as often as possible (at least twice a week) and keep it informing and entertaining.

Enjoy and I will have my first longer entry on Sunday night.