Those actually looking forward to TEOTWAWKI ....

[Old Dog]

I don't at all look forward to the end of the world, but in the event of say, a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) attack or maybe a huge CME event that caused the power grids to go down for a while, I'd enjoy the respite from television and social media. Think about it: folks would have to actually communicate in person, face to face again... Wouldn't that be a hoot? Maybe help us return to a true polite society. Either that, or a Mad Max/Road Warrior society.

 

[Angie]

We have two groups in this, though... Group One, the Masturbatory Fantasists aka Wannabe Purgers. These people are borderline psychopaths.

Group Two is more what I'd call Resigned Acceptance. They don't WANT this, but believe it's inevitable and would rather have it happen while stronger generations are still around to power through it and start the rebuilding in the hope that their children and grandchildren will be spared the worst of the suffering to come.

Exactly. I'm in group two.

 

[Angie]

I don't at all look forward to the end of the world, but in the event of say, a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) attack or maybe a huge CME event that caused the power grids to go down for a while, I'd enjoy the respite from television and social media. Think about it: folks would have to actually communicate in person, face to face again... Wouldn't that be a hoot? Maybe help us return to a true polite society. Either that, or a Mad Max/Road Warrior society.

Sure, the tv and social media/internet being down for an extended period would be nice. I totally agree. Unfortunately, it's all the other stuff that will inevitably go along with it, no access to cash, no EBT cards working, no delivery system, no automobiles, no gasoline, etc, that would cause a lot worse situation (complete anarchy/purge scenario) than people losing the skill of communication.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Sure, the tv and social media/internet being down for an extended period would be nice. I totally agree. Unfortunately, it's all the other stuff that will inevitably go along with it, no access to cash, no EBT cards working, no delivery system, no automobiles, no gasoline, etc, that would cause a lot worse situation (complete anarchy/purge scenario) than people losing the skill of communication.

Just an opinion here. If it all shuts down over night then what folks have in their possession is all they have. If they shut down is drug out over time then nobody will have anything.

 

[Diamondback]

Just an opinion here. If it all shuts down over night then what folks have in their possession is all they have. If they shut down is drug out over time then nobody will have anything.

That's the Great Reset game... "you will own nothing and you will LIKE it... OR ELSE."

 

[Longwalkhome]

That's the Great Reset game... "you will own nothing and you will LIKE it... OR ELSE."

The reset is real in my opinion and it's happening fast. I wake up everyday and see more changes.

 

[gmerkt]

I guess what I am trying to say is the crash has hit.

The reset is real in my opinion and it's happening fast. I wake up everyday and see more changes.

No question, the ruination of our currency has been in progress for some time. It's a long process, not a sudden TEOTW. The velocity has increased in the past three presidential administrations, and has really picked up lately. The list of once-great, now basically ruined Western countries is there for all to see. Spain, France, Britain, others. We are joining that list. Rather than a blg-blow-off, what we may experience is a steady, downward spiral, muddle-along. Or not, we haven't yet seen the full result of the rot that has been setting in for decades.

 

[monkeybutler]

Sure, the tv and social media/internet being down for an extended period would be nice. I totally agree. Unfortunately, it's all the other stuff that will inevitably go along with it, no access to cash, no EBT cards working, no delivery system, no automobiles, no gasoline, etc, that would cause a lot worse situation (complete anarchy/purge scenario) than people losing the skill of communication.

Well, at least it's not all bad.

 

[gmerkt]

Well, at least it's not all bad.

The part about "no delivery systems" would be very bad. In the US, 83 per cent of the population lives in urban or suburban concentrations. However, nearly all of the food supplies come from outside non-urban source areas. Loss of transportation of vital food supplies into the population concentrations would be highly disruptive, to put it mildly.

 

[gmerkt]

There is a difference between currency debasement (which you are describing) and inflation. They appear the same to the consumer, but the causes are fundamentally different.

Don't confuse the example of the US gov't removing silver from coinage with other forms of currency debasement. When silver went out of our coinage, it was because the commodity value of the metal started to exceed its value as a coin metal. Yet the rest of the economy was basically sound. But it didn't result in an expansion of the overall supply.

Another form of currency debasement is when the government doesn't have enough money and simply prints more to offset the deficiency. As Argentina has done several times. The US model at present is different, using the Federal Reserve and the banking system, they can obscure the process somewhat. The US Treasury prints bonds, and the Federal Reserve buys the bonds, then prints currency to pay for the purchase that goes back out to the Treasury or into the banking system as credit. But it's still an expansion of the money supply in the hands of the world.

Inflation can have many causes and not all of them may be traced to currency expansion (or debasement, if you will). And, there is a dynamism of population growth that demands some regular, measured, reasonable expansion of the currency. BUT: Excessive expansion beyond this dynamic is inflationary. When our government starts dealing in increments of Trillions, those are large numbers.

It's really pretty simple, creation of more currency beyond accepted levels makes every existing US Dollar less valuable. Which results in the need to spend ever more of them to obtain the same quantity of goods. That is an inflationary phenomenon.

The prices of housing. It's pretty clear those numbers involve more than actual inflation. Because actual inflation has created an expectation of continued inflation. Meaning, people are willing to pony up more money with the idea that by paying more now, they will save some in the future.

Just my own view, I don't claim to be an economist.

 

[Cavedweller]

I don't at all look forward to the end of the world, but in the event of say, a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) attack or maybe a huge CME event that caused the power grids to go down for a while, I'd enjoy the respite from television and social media.

Life would be tough without refrigeration. Probably one of the most important but least appreciated modern "conveniences." The daily quest for fresh food would consume a yuge chunk of one's time without it. And your wife or significant other would dearly miss her automatic washing machine. No single invention has done more to liberate women from drudgery than the washing machine..

Don't confuse the example of the US gov't removing silver from coinage with other forms of currency debasement. When silver went out of our coinage, it was because the commodity value of the metal started to exceed its value as a coin metal. Yet the rest of the economy was basically sound. But it didn't result in an expansion of the overall supply.

Another form of currency debasement is when the government doesn't have enough money and simply prints more to offset the deficiency. As Argentina has done several times. The US model at present is different, using the Federal Reserve and the banking system, they can obscure the process somewhat. The US Treasury prints bonds, and the Federal Reserve buys the bonds, then prints currency to pay for the purchase that goes back out to the Treasury or into the banking system as credit. But it's still an expansion of the money supply in the hands of the world.

Inflation can have many causes and not all of them may be traced to currency expansion (or debasement, if you will). And, there is a dynamism of population growth that demands some regular, measured, reasonable expansion of the currency. BUT: Excessive expansion beyond this dynamic is inflationary. When our government starts dealing in increments of Trillions, those are large numbers.

It's really pretty simple, creation of more currency beyond accepted levels makes every existing US Dollar less valuable. Which results in the need to spend ever more of them to obtain the same quantity of goods. That is an inflationary phenomenon.

The prices of housing. It's pretty clear those numbers involve more than actual inflation. Because actual inflation has created an expectation of continued inflation. Meaning, people are willing to pony up more money with the idea that by paying more now, they will save some in the future.

I don't think I'm confusing anything. My point, although perhaps poorly stated and badly oversimplified, was that there is a difference between currency debasement and inflation. They both appear the same to the consumer, because the cost of goods and services increase, but the are not the same.

As you correctly pointed out, currency debasement occurs when the government prints an excess of money. An increase in the money supply does not necessarily result in debasement of the currency when there is a corresponding increase in real wealth. For example, the government has more silver so it can mint more silver coins. But when it is based on nothing more than the expansion of government debt, as in your description of the US model, the printing of each new dollar reduces the value of each dollar in circulation. That is not inflation, although it is commonly called that because costs increase.

Inflation is a price phenomenon which occurs when there is an insufficient supply of some commodity or service to meet demand, so people are willing to pay more for it.

One of the main differences between the 2 processes is that while inflation increases costs, it does not reduce the value of savings. Currency debasement on the other hand, increases costs as well as reducing the value of savings. It is a hidden form of taxation.

 

[Old Dog]

Life would be tough without refrigeration. Probably one of the most important but least appreciated modern "conveniences." The daily quest for fresh food would consume a yuge chunk of one's time without it. And your wife or significant other would dearly miss her automatic washing machine. No single invention has done more to liberate women from drudgery than the washing machine..

I am quite fully aware of the impact of living with no electricity. Although the longest I've spent at one time "off the grid" with no power, modern appliances and indoor plumbing is a mere few weeks, doing so for an indeterminate period -- possibly the rest of one's life -- is certainly a daunting prospect, but not impossible.

Yes, the daily quest for food as you note would likely be the central focus of one's new life, but there's a reason folks have been "prepping." My wife, for one, would not be the family member in charge of doing the laundry, either. Part of responsible prepping is the sharing of the mundane chores (but also consider, in the new world, we'd not be changing our clothes out daily, nor putting on different clothing to go out for the evening); my spouse would be another hunter-gatherer, and we'd all share in the maintenance of our gardens/subsistence plots.

I think a major point that's been made here (and being made) is that there are different sub-groups of those who may actually desire or look forward to TEOTWAWKI... many believe themselves to be prepared solely because they got a bunch of canned food and boxes of Wise in their pantries next to their stockpile of ammo, but have never actually hunted wild game for food (nor learned to fish) nor certainly lived for more than a day or two away from the convenience of an indoor toilet, hot running water and a microwave oven.

Some of us have practiced a lifestyle that involves no electricity, no indoor plumbing, learned to grow vegetables/fruit, hunt, fish and poop in an outhouse... But for sure, an investment in solar panels, batteries and learning how to not depend on a motor vehicle is key. It's not gonna be only about fending off zombies or roving bands of human marauders...

 

[albin25]

I don't think that generally, the "I can't wait for TEOTWAWKI" people, are remotely aware of the hard work required and the anti-boredom skills needed to survive in what is now a now much smaller world, where you've read all your books (several times) and are living work-sleep-eat-work-eat-sleep every day after day after day. And, anyone/thing "new" is first percieved as a threat.

 

[gmerkt]

Inflation is a price phenomenon which occurs when there is an insufficient supply of some commodity or service to meet demand, so people are willing to pay more for it.

My opinion, this definition of inflation is very theoretical and largely academic. Nearly everyone including economists see and use the wider definition that in contemporary times has a serious, root basis in money supply.

One of the main differences between the 2 processes is that while inflation increases costs, it does not reduce the value of savings. Currency debasement on the other hand, increases costs as well as reducing the value of savings. It is a hidden form of taxation.

Whatever you want to call it, the purchasing power of money in people's hands is being reduced.

I'm not so sure it's hidden taxation as it is legalized theft. The Fed (and therefore the US gov't as an institution) have an official, annual expectation of 2% inflation. That's up-front, public and no secret. A major (but underappreciated) admission that something is rotten. Even accounting for an increase in population of (average) a little under one percent per annum.

 

[Cavedweller]

My opinion, this definition of inflation is very theoretical and largely academic. Nearly everyone including economists see and use the wider definition that in contemporary times has a serious, root basis in money supply.


Whatever you want to call it, the purchasing power of money in people's hands is being reduced.

You're right. It's largely a matter of semantics.

 

[monkeybutler]

My opinion, this definition of inflation is very theoretical and largely academic. Nearly everyone including economists see and use the wider definition that in contemporary times has a serious, root basis in money supply.


Whatever you want to call it, the purchasing power of money in people's hands is being reduced.

I'm not so sure it's hidden taxation as it is legalized theft. The Fed (and therefore the US gov't as an institution) have an official, annual expectation of 2% inflation. That's up-front, public and no secret. A major (but underappreciated) admission that something is rotten. Even accounting for an increase in population of (average) a little under one percent per annum.

inflation is a market response.

 

[gmerkt]

inflation is a market response.

In the contemporary United States, market response is heavily influenced by government and central banking policy. Outsized expansion of M2 money supply can hardly be termed a market originated dynamic. Funny thing, M2 never seems to contract when recessions are "over."

Classical / theoretical economic priniciples have to some extent gone out the window in the past couple of decades. In their zeal to smooth out the rough spots, governments and central banks seem willing to try anything. Those in control who will not be affected by it prefer inflation over deflation or depression. It makes governing (and keeping your job) much easier.

 

[Olderguy]

Zombie movies have always been way way out for me, just monster movies of no such thing- HOWEVER due to the occasional reports of drug induced crimes where people are knocking on doors in the middle of the night claiming the house is theirs, etc, along with the recent reports of newer versions of some street drugs use resulting in severe psychotic episodes, I think we may see more and more "situations".

 

[Rkangel]

That's the Great Reset game... "you will own nothing and you will LIKE it... OR ELSE."

That's why "they" have become so bold and brazen about their plans. "They" think they can't lose. If the people give in, "they" think they win by gaining total control. If the people fight, "they" think they win through the conflict and loss of life.
The question people really need to start asking themselves is: Would you rather live in slavery or die in freedom? The question reveals their motivations. The answer reveals our convictions.

 

[Longwalkhome]

There are things I really miss since the great reset has started in 2020. Freedom is the big deal but what is freedom if you lose your ability to have real commerce. Things like a good dinner in a restaurant full of people, a ball game with a crowd cheering on the players. A really good movie in an indoor theater or a lunch at the Casino with some time at the gambling table.

Feeling robbed of my retirement .