Scary Article--Could He Be On The Mark Or A Wacko?

Wednesday,October 23, 2013 Dear Slavey, Wow, it’s really happening isn’t it? It feels like the whole world is about to crash down on us because of our dysfunctional Italian-style government and the ways of living we were used to for decades that led to well-paying jobs, a house, two kids and two cars not working anymore. Keep telling us more about what we can do to survive an economic collapse because all of a sudden it feels like it’s just days away! I’m freaking out!!! JoAnne in South Bend, IN Dear JoAnne, Don’t freak out, but definitely don’t sit in your chair and rock back and forth. It’s time to get moving and seriously prepare… As I write this column the US government has shut down and we are less than a week away from a time when for the first time in its history the ‘full faith and credit’ of the United States will be questioned – by its own government. [Editor’s note: Since averted, but at what cost? Only makes Slavey’s advice all the more important.] TDV has questioned it for years, but now the general public is starting to get a taste of what happens when our government starts to collapse and pulls the economy down with it and pushes the country over the edge into chaos. It’s amazing how much of the US economy depends on the government to fund it. Eight-hundred thousand workers are off the job and the domino effects are fanning out over all the feeder companies that do stuff for the government or depend on government funds to operate. If the US defaults on its debt, the dollar will collapse faster than you can smash a Coke can with a hammer and it will become very very tough for middle class people to continue on as they have. Now, I’m pretty sure they’ll pull things back from the brink, because it’s the brinksmanship itself the politicians enjoy, not legislating themselves out of a job, but this is a good reminder that not only has the United States officially become a Third World country but we’re one crisis away – self-manufactured or precipitated by lack of faith overseas – from the thin shred of stability we have falling completely apart. Now is the time to prepare – seriously – for what will eventually happen. Middle Class Americans, here are the key things to do NOW: 1) STOP using credit cards. And unless you already own your house outright, don’t even think of buying one. The prices are still horribly inflated and once the collapse comes, your equity will evaporate. The first things that will happen when the government defaults on its debt is a swift collapse of the dollar and a massive interest rate increase. Banks will be panicking and trying to survive. They’ll call in all their loans and attempt to get whatever they can from you if you have debt or a mortgage. Seriously, cut up your credit cards now and pay them off ASAP. Or if you can’t do that while continuing to eat and especially if you rent and have no assets, and your credit rating is already horrible, just stop paying them, especially if you owe $20,000 or less. By the time they start coming after you, so many people will be defaulting they won’t bother with the folks who don’t owe them substantial amounts of money and have nothing they can seize and sell. 2) STOP buying anything but food, water, precious metals, solar panels, gardening supplies, and the materials to build an outhouse in the backyard. Stock up on food and water, enough canned food and water to last your family two or three months. And if you live in a house, or have property, dig a deep hole, build an outhouse and buy the chemicals you need to keep it hygienic, because if the collapse comes there will be no utilities for a while. Convert to solar (they’re starting to sell solar panels at IKEA in Europe – hopefully here soon), and start growing your own food inside and outside your home. 3) STOP thinking any large corporation values your work and spend your free time working on developing your own small business if you’re in a typical 9-5 job. Obamacare has a hidden feature, it’s no longer viable for large employers to hire you full time because they’ll be forced to provide health benefits if they do. I have friends – a LOT of them – who used to make $70K plus with excellent educational backgrounds (useless pieces of paper these days) making $16 bucks an hour now doing the same jobs they used to be paid twice as much to do even five years ago who are fired every six months, then rehired by a different department in the same company two weeks later – or just let go – to keep them part time. Get out of the rat race as soon as you can and be your own boss. If this guy can start his own business, you have no excuse. 4) Maintain relationships with people you know will have your back and make a plan to take care of each other when the shit hits the fan. Look what happened in Acapulco when no government agency was there to do anything for them last month. Jeff Berwick and many others jumped in and kept people alive on their own. We have to be prepared in advance to have the resources to do that for ourselves as well. 5) Do things that make you happy to lower stress. Learn to play the guitar if you’ve always wanted to do that. Fly a kite. Hang out with a dog and experience unconditional love. Maintain your friendships. My goal in life is to look back at the end with as little regret as possible. Don’t let other people or things beyond your control ruin your spirit or drive to move forward in life. It’s true now that our world has gotten very tough to live in. Take up the challenge to do what you need to do to get through this. And survive! Slavey makes his middle class living on a contract basis in Southern California. He's not poor but definitely not rich - and plans to stay in California for the duration of the economic collapse. The opinions and advice in Dear Slavey should always be checked by your own experts, but has guerrilla style street-smart advice for middle class people on how to negotiate their way through the Police State of America. For more check out TDV Homegrown where Slavey is a regular contributor. Have a question for Dear Slavey? Email to tdv@dollarvigilante.com.