I awoke this morning to the usual, customary, and quite reasonable bits of e-mail... the AFA Daily Report (which I read in its entirety), the daily Townhall missive (which I largely ignore, save for the political cartoons), overnight comments on EIP posts, and the odd communication from friends and relatives (which is odd in the "once in a while" sense and is not a comment on the content). The latter which inspired a brief communication between YrHmblScrb and a long-time acquaintance, who noted today is the 43rd anniversary of his discharge from Uncle Sam's Air Force, which led to a brief communication wherein we exchanged views on aging and other such mundane things, the both of us bein' fully retired and lovin' it, for the most part.
My friend and I are sorta the same although very different. He, on the one hand, did one tour with the Air Force and embarked on a career in The Academy, albeit a career less involved with academics and more involved with research in the field of physics, which career we suspect was highly rewarding... in every sense of the word. I, as you know, Gentle Reader, chose a different path... in that I screwed around with a USAF career that mostly involved a lot o' beer and other mind-altering substances whilst traipsing around the world at a time when we were confronting an existential threat to our very way of life, or so we 're led to believe. Then I married well, got serious, and made my bones in a brief but exciting 16-year foray into the Info Technology world after that Air Force thang was done. All that is water under (or over) the dam, as it were.
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Today was an interesting blog-day. It seems like all my Daily Reads got prolific overnight, so much so that we divided our normal blog-reading into two sittings vice the UCR one, there being THAT much to read and comment upon. Just to cite one example... Blog-Bud Daphne asked a provocative question today, to wit:
I doubt I’m the only one feeling a low-level of anxiety about our economy, national debt, unbalanced budget, the Fed’s shenanigans, unemployment, rising prices on basic commodities, incompetent politicians, etc.
[...]
I rarely ask personal questions, but I’m intensely curious about this right now. I really want to know what you’re thinking and experiencing. Are you anxious, worried, at the end of your financial tether or feeling that everything is fine and this bit of government trouble will all blow over soon?What suggestions or advice do you have to share?
To which I replied...
Are you worried? What kind of preparations are you making if the country goes the way of Greece?About those whack jobs... I'm seein' a whole helluva lot of that "end o' days" rhetoric of late, which includes tales predicting an impending Mad-Max sorta fate for us all. I don't see any of that stuff happening, whether it's because I lived through the Carter presidency with its double-digit inflation, the "we're all gonna die" backyard bomb-shelter building epidemic of the Eisenhower years, and all that other stuff. Or mebbe I'm just overly optimistic about things in general. What's your take, Gentle Reader? Is the apocalypse at hand? Or is this just more bid'niz as usual? Enquiring Minds™ wanna know.
Worried? Slightly, the biggest worry being a Weimar-republic or 1970s South America bout of hyperinflation. Total collapse? Not so much. It could happen in an “anything is possible” way but I think the probability is quite low.
Preparations? Zero debt beyond monthly expenses. I AM considering turning a part of my 401k into gold… of the real, tangible, “hold it your hand” Krugerrand sort… as an inflationary hedge. Nothing much beyond that, though, aside from reading the end-o’-days whack jobs, who I find enormously entertaining. ;-)
I mostly agree that we'll come through this OK. We'll have some nicks and scars, and our standard of living may go down a click but not to Mad Max levels.
ReplyDeleteBut more and more muzzies are getting their hands on nukes. That's a wildcard I don't know how to account for.
I think we, and our way of life will weather this storm, liberals notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteI think if one spends life worried about "what might happen", one will be so paralyzed with fear as to have no life at all.
Fear God and do good. The rest will take care of itself. It has for ages - some good times and some pretty bad times. We will continue on or not.
ReplyDeleteDude. Max got JACKED UP.
ReplyDeleteCycles happen. This is just another one. Sure as you wait, things will change, and when things are at their worst, all they can do is get better.
ReplyDeleteInno, BR, Lou & Dan: We seem to be on the same page. But there sure is a LOT o' doom and gloom out there.
ReplyDeleteInno: re: Pacioretty. The hockey blogs are all over this. Chara WILL be suspended, the question is for how long? That was a bad hit, no question. Pacioretty is prolly lucky to be alive.
Mankind will survive. The US may not.
ReplyDeleteThe sky is falling talk has always been, and always will be. Our problem though is a very real one. We will more than likely be hit with some type of nuclear device...in fact, I think it's inevitable.
But, our dependence mentality has got us screwed. The fact that we've got unsustainable pensions (in both the private, and public sectors), welfare, medicaid, medicare, social security...you know...will sink us.
Believe you me, when the welfare checks start to bounce, no one with any means, or property will be safe. When States begin to default on pensions, or start laying off mass numbers of employees...there's gonna be a REAL uproar. What Wisconsin is seeing now will be like a Sunday School picnic.
People will take up arms, and we may well see armed battles.
I'm serious. The US (as we know it) will not survive. Well, you asked what people thought. That's what I think.
Still, I do not let that rule my comings and goings. I refuse to live in fear, or hopelessness. And, I refuse to pass along pessimism to my children, hoping like hell that I am wrong.
I hope you're wrong as well, Andy.
ReplyDeleteFear God and do good. The rest will take care of itself. It has for ages - some good times and some pretty bad times. We will continue on or not.
ReplyDeleteLou said it - perfectly.
I may have been a mere teenager during the Carter Years - and I remember them well. My dad was self-employed, owning his own business in roofing and flooring materials development and installation. Those were DARK times for our family.
And yet - we and the business survived to wage battle yet another day; my family lived to vacation again; my parents were able to continue to provide for all of us.
And so it goes.
Things are bad and will get progressively worse.
ReplyDeleteFood price acceleration will lead to riots, the unpayable debt will eventually lead to hyperinflation.
35% of Americans are on entitlement welfare and public union employees are sucking state revenues dry.
Look at Wisconsin as your example. They're protesting with every breath because (among other things) they have been asked to pay for a small portion of their benefits. What will happen when benefits all around the country are cut to the entitlement crowd?
Real unemployment is over 20%, debt (with SS and all) is over 100 trillion. Housing has collapsed, the stock market is jacked and money is being printed with no regard for outcome.
Prepare, that's all you can do.
As Jesus said, "No one knows when that day or hour will come - not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
ReplyDeleteAs was said above, more or less: Do good by others. Aside from that, there's not much we can control.
Kris: I'm thinkin' we might go through something quite like the 1930s in the near future but we will survive. The Carter years were tough on everyone, as you so aptly noted.
ReplyDeleteMayor: Noted on all counts. Things are about as bad as I've ever seen them in terms of intractable problems. We're prolly in the "calm before the storm" at the moment. But I think it won't be riots-in-the-streets kinda bad.
Jim: Yup.
Well, I'm jumping in here late...because I just worked 3 ten hour days in a row without any breaks during the day, so haven't had time to read blogs.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful to have a job, albeit one I usually hate. Hard-working friends and family have been laid off and can't find work. I'm tired of hearing complaining from those on entitlement programs(some of whom I personally know are capable of working). There's frustration all around.
I agree, in parts, with all the other comments. I fear for all of our children and grandchildren's future more than my own.
I fear for all of our children and grandchildren's future more than my own.
ReplyDeleteThat, above ALL else, is so very true, Red.
I think the end is nigh. Until then every day above ground is a good one.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to hear more on your "other mind-altering substances whilst traipsing around the world" if possible.