Another Red Flag

[Silent Earth]

I keep silver not gold as its simply more user friendly, I don't foresee any sort of Wall Street Crash as the electronic controls now in place prevent cascade failures, the system simply stops when things are starting to insane. BUT I could easily envisage an even worse fiscal snafu in the form of the Chinese, Russians and many Arab nations suddenly agreeing to refuse to accept DOLLARS, That would bring down the entire western world in an hour.

I can also easily envisage those socialist inspired left wing bastards in Brussels doing to the entire EUs 29 member states banks what they did to poor little Cyprus. (The EU simply closed all of the Cypriots banks then helped themselves to 40% of all peoples deposits, yes that is right 40% they simply TOOK out of all the bank accounts).

So imagine a future Federal US government finally deciding to start addressing Americas insane levels of debt by simply keeping the banks closed one Monday morn and dipping into everyone's accounts and grabbing 40% of YOUR money??. And at the time there is sweet Fanny Adams you could do about it even with 300 million privately own guns, you could protest, rally, riot, go to court but if the Fed simply copied what the EU has already done and is likely to do again there is little or nothing you can do about it. So don't leave your money in a bank, don't have large debts secured on your home, etc.

Its 2014, its the age of instant online banking and banking account transfers, your bank, my bank and our government agencies are all instantly linked.

At the whim of a British PM, European Burocrat or American President they could use the current anti terror laws, or Patriot acts, or criminal proceeds acts etc to simply press a button and instantly tax you any percentage they so chose.

 

[Hippophibia]

Agreed paper money devalues very rapidly and gold will hold its value and even increase in value till the very end when only bartering and direct exchange of goods is all that is left.

 

[Silent Earth]

Agreed Paper currency loses value due to inflation / deflation bloody quick, but government grabs of your wages and savings can be even quicker if THEY simply decide to hit us all with a one off instant tax on all current accounts.

 

[Graynomad]

That Cyprus thing was unbelievable. I guess they can confiscate gold as well and if you're lucky maybe pay you "market value" (where that's any figure they pull out of their arses), it happened before in the US eh? At least with gold/silver/etc they have to physically come and get it, and it's also possible (I believe) to buy it under the counter so there's no record.

 

[Hippophibia]

Yeah mate I have no delusion that when QE and interest rate manipulations no longer work and desperation sets in to cling to power the government will do the unthinkable. Likely to start when US dollar looses value and reserve currency status.
The people in the US are not as timid as those in Cyprus and are the most well armed and 'organised' citizens in the world the rotten pawpaw would definitely hit the fan. The Fed would have to be real desperate - by then it is likely too late to save your money anyway as US dollar would devalue so quickly.

The US is also one of the most aggressive countries in the world the Hurricane Katrina incident where the guys just take up arms and shoot law enforcement that are there to rescue people - shows that things can fall apart overnight.

In Australia it would take a good few week/months for the people to go crazy and very few have guns or access to weapons in an incident like Katrina they would just get in help each other. But I have noticed an upswing in violent incidents have almost doubled in Australia recently.

 

[Maverick]

Sometimes Martin makes since..
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...ivil-unrest-rising-everywhere-wont-end-pretty

 

[QuietH3art]

Sometimes Martin makes since..
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...ivil-unrest-rising-everywhere-wont-end-pretty

Nothing will happen until something drastic happens, like what Northern Raider posted above, the government taking money directly from people's bank accounts. A majority of people must be directly harmed by the government before you can get more than a small minority to rebel. Right now, too many people have their heads in the sand because what is going on does not affect them.

 

[DrHenley]

The US is also one of the most aggressive countries in the world the Hurricane Katrina incident where the guys just take up arms and shoot law enforcement that are there to rescue people - shows that things can fall apart overnight.

The news stories you heard about Katrina all involved the New Orleans area. I don't know what you know about NO, but it NOT exactly representative of Middle America. LOL! New Orleans doesn't represent anything other than New Orleans. The "Big Easy" is quite unique, and Katrina just exposed the seedy underbelly that's always been there.

If you want to see a response more representative of Middle America, look at what happened on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was devastated far worse than New Orleans. Oh yeah, that's right, you didn't get THOSE new stories did you? That's because everybody worked together: LEOs, ordinary citizens, National Guard, and government officials all the way up to the Governor. They all quietly did their part and got everyone away from the path of destruction. It didn't make the news because it wasn't "sensational".

 

[Graynomad]

In Australia...very few have guns

This may actually be one advantage to our strict gun laws that will give those of us that do have access to guns an advantage. Ok we (mostly) don't have semi-autos but what we have is a 1000% better than what most other people have, ie nothing.

I am currently doing some work in the Outback NSW so it is not too hard

You should be able to get a class A/B (bolt or lever action, < 10 round mag I think) easily, maybe even a class C (semi-auto) if you can convince them you have a real big vermin problem.

Graynomad I do enjoy your comments.

Thanks mate, I've often been told I should be on the stage...the first one out of town that is. I hope you like being on Oz.

 

[DrHenley]

It makes me nervous as hell that "money in the bank" is nothing more than a bunch of electronic Ones and Zeros that can be erased in the blink of an eye.

And because I work in IT, I know exactly how easy it is for that to happen. Even though there are redundancies upon redundancies, things go PFFFT! in the most peculiar ways. Just ask the IRS!

 

[Graynomad]

The whole system is collection of promises held in a house of cards built on a foundation of air, waiting for the winds of change.

I too work in IT and the last thing I want controlling stuff is a computer. Heck I won't even buy a car with both electric windows and central locking in case it won't let me out one day.

 

[alabaster]

Nothing will happen until something drastic happens, like what Northern Raider posted above, the government taking money directly from people's bank accounts. A majority of people must be directly harmed by the government before you can get more than a small minority to rebel. Right now, too many people have their heads in the sand because what is going on does not affect them.

I believe no matter how bad things get, it will always be a minority who stand up against tyranny. It's the III% that do all the work.

 

[alabaster]

Yeah mate... The people in the US are not as timid as those in Cyprus and are the most well armed and 'organised' citizens in the world the rotten pawpaw would definitely hit the fan. The Fed would have to be real desperate - by then it is likely too late to save your money anyway as US dollar would devalue so quickly.

The US is also one of the most aggressive countries in the world the Hurricane Katrina incident where the guys just take up arms and shoot law enforcement that are there to rescue people - shows that things can fall apart overnight.

In Australia it would take a good few week/months for the people to go crazy and very few have guns or access to weapons in an incident like Katrina they would just get in help each other. But I have noticed an upswing in violent incidents have almost doubled in Australia recently.

"America" isn't really that aggressive. It is our government(Over the last few decades especially) and a minority of people who cause most of our violence. Katrina hit New Orleans, which is notorious for it's high levels of violent crime. During Katrina, there were also people who were victimized by the government. Some were forced to hand over their guns, even 70 year old women were forced to be defenseless because the government told them they had to hand over their guns. There were definitely some small groups who wanted to keep outsiders out, though. They wanted to loot, pillage, rape, and virtually take over the area. Once it was back up and running, gangs had infested the area with drugs & violence. It took a long time to even begin to weed them out.

Also, during Katrina there were A LOT of folks who helped out those in need. The news doesn't like to show that part, though. Sex & violence sells. People who are giving up everything to go and help those who lost everything get no credit. Same went for Sandy. When Sandy hit NY & NJ, the news was going on and on about the scandals of people claiming govt funds & scooping up generators claiming they were taking them to people without power. They didn't cover the folks who stood up for their neighborhoods and didn't let anyone get hurt. Even the "Conservative" media here did little to no reporting on anything that the good people of America did to help. They talked about all the hatred, violence, and trouble that the "Poor police" had to deal with.

I really feel like those 3 storms were a litmus test for us. It's not hard to imagine 2 storms of that magnitude hitting our Country at once. If that happens, it will truly test our mettle and the government will have it's hands full. I don't believe in martial law or in vigilante justice, but if I do believe that we can govern ourselves in times of need(Which is what America is supposed to be doing anyway). That is a large part of why DPF and prepping general is growing. People saw those incidents and want to handle things. We don't want a government to come in and tell us how things are going to be. The government is supposed to listen to US. We have a president and a congress now who mostly want to rule OVER us but I have faith that we are getting a dose of reality and are opening our eyes. The success of the Tea Party and the inroads the Libertarians are making are definitely signs of things to come.

 

[QuietH3art]

I believe no matter how bad things get, it will always be a minority who stand up against tyranny. It's the III% that do all the work.

III% comes from the supposed fact that only 3 percent of colonists fought in the Revolutionary War against Great Britain over a 2% increase in the tea tax. Now, you have to think about why only 3%? Estimates state that 20% were Loyalists and another 25% were neutral. That still leaves 52% unaccounted for. With the lack of communications that existed at that time, one could assume that a significant amount of the population was simply unaware that there was a war going on since it did not encompass all of the states.
There were approximately 2.5 million colonists in 1770. During the years of the war, there were approximately 250,000 militia, but never more than 90,000 under arms at any given time. The death toll on the American side was estimated at 25,000.
Now come forward 238 years and use those same statistical numbers. If 20% are "Liberals," 25% are neutral and 52% lack the knowledge to feel outraged, that only leaves 10 million people to fight over much more than a 2% tax.
In this day and age, 10 million is only a start and is virtually nullified by the ammunition and abilities of our government. "Our" government. That is the key. They do not currently answer to anyone but themselves and see themselves as above the average citizen. Until this 3% is willing and able to get out and educate the 52% that are ignorant of what is going on, nothing will change. Another advantage of our times is the ability to communicate easily. We desperately need to spread the communications net to encompass those 52%.
I truly believe the numbers of the outraged are above 3% now but everyone is sitting back waiting for someone else to take the lead. I also believe that given the right movement, a revolution could be had without a shot ever being fired. Marching on the capital as they tried with OAS will not do it. Refusing to pay the government would. If enough people said "Enough, I am not paying taxes anymore!" the government would sit up and take notice. I guarantee you that if 1/3 of the population refused to pay taxes, there aren't nearly enough IRS agents to enforce it.
I could go into a lot more detail here about how something like that would work but the goat needs milking! (and don't we all come up with excuses to not take action?)

 

[Silent Earth]

I think you forgot about the rather large French contingent that played a mighty large part in that little war.

In 1780, Rochambeau was appointed commander of land forces as part of the project code named Expédition Particulière.[1] He was given the rank of Lieutenant General in command of some 7,000 French troops and sent to join the Continental Army, under George Washington in the American Revolutionary War Rochambeau commanded more troops than did Washington. Count Axel von Fersen the Younger served as Rochambeau's aide-de-camp and interpreter. The small size of the force at his disposal made him initially reluctant to lead the expedition.[2]

He landed at Newport, Rhode Island, on 10 July, but was held there inactive for a year, owing to his reluctance to abandon the French fleet blockaded by the British in Narragansett Bay. Brown University, then named the College in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, served as an encampment site for some of Rochambeau's troops, and the College Edifice, now known as University Hall, was converted into a military hospital.[3] In July 1781, Rochambeau's force left Rhode Island, marching across Connecticut to join Washington on the Hudson River in Mount Kisco, New York. From July 6 to August 18, 1781, the Odell farm served as Rochambeau's headquarters.[4] There then followed the celebrated march of the combined forces, the siege of Yorktown and the Battle of the Chesapeake. On 22 September, they combined with Marquis de Lafayette's troops and forced Lord Cornwallis to surrender on 19 October. In recognition of his services, the Congress of the Confederation presented him with two cannons taken from the British. These guns, with which Rochambeau returned to Vendôme, were requisitioned in 1792.

 

[Silent Earth]

The "other" problem if the American people decided to stop paying their taxes is the rest of the world to whom the US owes trillions of bucks would probably do something stupid to incite a counter proposal by millions of Americans employed by Foreign owned companies to fight back or lose their jobs ?? I think US civil war 2 would be a likely outcome and if that occurs there are no winners only a loss of many good American people.

 

[QuietH3art]

I think you forgot about the rather large French contingent that played a mighty large part in that little war.

No, I didn't forget. We can't count on any other country coming to our aid in a revolution now. We will definitely need more than 3% to make any change.

 

[QuietH3art]

The "other" problem if the American people decided to stop paying their taxes is the rest of the world to whom the US owes trillions of bucks would probably do something stupid to incite a counter proposal by millions of Americans employed by Foreign owned companies to fight back or lose their jobs ?? I think US civil war 2 would be a likely outcome and if that occurs there are no winners only a loss of many good American people.

Our government is 17 trillion dollars in debt and giving billions we don't have in aid to other countries that hate us. We give billions in aid to Americans and illegal aliens who think they deserve a handout in the form of food stamps and other "social" programs. Until our government establishes better priorities for the spending of our tax dollars, the only way to stop them from blowing it is to stop giving it to them.

 

[Silent Earth]

Problem with that of course is no tax = No Federal Government, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, USGS, FBI, NSA, CIA, Border Service, Forestry Service, Water Management, EPA, etc etc that's a lot of people many essential who are likely to be rather pissed off if they don't get paid.

We in the UK are in exactly the same mess as well but we have a much greater infestation of socialism to contend with plus the EUSSR only 20 miles away as well.

 

[realisticdude]

To illustrate a point, I have been carrying $300 worth of two different mediums of exchange hidden in a secret compartment in my wallet for months. Gold and Federal Reserve Notes.

Take whatever medium of exchange you believe to be superior to gold, and carry $300 worth around with you everywhere you go, better yet, hidden in your wallet. You will soon come to have a better appreciation for the inedible shiny yellow metal.

BTW, the gold takes up less space than the Federal Reserve Notes, so I can conceivably carry a lot more value in gold than $100 FRNs in my wallet.

WTSHTF.........................What will your Notes............be worth ?............... and WHO will dictate their worth ......... In the long run , gold , MAY preserve your wealth....................but in the immediate fallout ...............my guess........hard to barter.