Hard Scrabble Times

The other day I was exploring the web site http://www.homestead.org/ and came across an article by John Molloy entitled The “Swiss Army Knife” of Homestead Tractors. The following paragraphs caught my attention:

What used to be pretty well accepted as “normal” life is likely where we're all headed – tougher times.

Most people deluded themselves into believing that the last several decades of post-modern decadence would last forever. It was the “easy life” characterized by a second mortgage-credit card existence securely tucked in an endless immigrant-groomed suburbia and required little more than showing up for some completely unproductive and over-paid 9 to 5 job. The denizens produced absolutely nothing of tangible value, and that era is crashing to a close.

High five and six-figure salaries are vaporizing like the morning fog off river bottoms, as the harsh light of economic reality burns the hazy illusions away. When you have off-shored the manufacturing of products that have true and measurable value, and the Corporatists have turned our formerly productive economy into one based on nothing but “service”, well, we can only wash each other's clothes for so long before the money runs out. The multiplier effect is dead, particularly once you have to import the soap.

“Hard Scrabble Times” alright, maybe even the “Real McCoy” of economic depression is probably what awaits.

The last President who ascended to power after the wheels had come off the economy once said, “Nothing happens in politics that isn't planned.” Economics and politics are pretty well all intertwined these days, just as they were back in 1933. Who am I - a lowly occasional scribe and creature of the land - to argue with such a respected intellect and connected man as F.D.R., therefore I shall simply agree with his premise.

Men with plans perhaps nefarious, best laid, now coming to a devastating
fruition.

Wow! Do you suppose that is true? I think it probably is. No, I am not wanting to "dog pile" on former president G.W. Bush. A debacle like we are experiencing and are about to experience has taken more than the last eight years to develop let alone plan. If it was planned, it was certainly not planned by one single person or political party. Many entities and persons are complicit in this mess. One thing we can count on is that many of the same people involved in getting our country to this point are ready and waiting with a great deal of enthusiasm to jump in and "fix" the problem by redesigning and redirecting the role of government through this crisis.

What concerns me more now is what can I do, what can you do, to deal with the situation.

Three things come to mind: pray, plan, and prepare.

Pray for wisdom and guidance after praying for forgiveness.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

Plan because right thinking leads to right actions. How will you stay warm in cold weather or provide a cooling breeze in hot weather if the power goes down? What will you eat if the factory food production and delivery system is disrupted? How will you get to work (if you still have a job) if the public transportation you depend in is disrupted or it becomes too expensive or dangerous to drive? What will you use to barter if "real money" becomes scarce or worthless? Where will you go if civil unrest overtakes your town or city?

Prepare now. One of my greatest struggles right now is putting into action the plans that I have made. Some how, taking the first steps toward preparedness seems to make the probability, the reality, of the coming storm more real. Can you relate to that?

I have received most of the garden seeds that I ordered for planting this spring. But there are canning supplies to lay in, food stuffs like flour, sugar, salt, etc to buy and store. The hog pens are not yet ready nor the feeder pigs purchased. I still need to complete some fencing projects when the weather permits. Chicks and rabbits are still to be acquired. Provisions need to be made to pump and store water from the well if the power grid fails, a catch water system installed and myriad other tasks.

In the midst of all this planning and preparing, I think it is very important to plan and prepare so as to be able to share with others, beginning with our extended family.

One thing I won't do, and I encourage you not to do it either: I will not look to the government to provide for me and mine.

Beware the government big enough to give you everything.