If it's ever true that you should put the government's intereests ahead of your own, it certainly isn't true today. If you were to donate everything you own to the government, it wouldn't solve a single problem. And if everyone in the nation did the same thing, it would only serve to make the nation improverished. If the government has used your money as unwisely in the past, subsidizing unpopular causes and foreign governments, why should it be trusted with your wealth in the future?

If there's ever to be a time to put yourself first, that time has arrived. You can't afford to be promiscuous with your wealth; you need it far too much for the protection of your own future. For without a future, what are you to anyone?

The governments have created their own problems. They'll have to deal with those problems themselves. Unfortunately, governments have no resources except those that they take from you--and that's where they'll turn as the propblems become more critical. Your duty now is to prevent further confiscation of your wealth.

Unfortunately, too, it appears that this time the government has gone so far that normality may never return. Whatever the future holds, it will be quite different from what we've known in the past.

Whether there will even be a U.S. government ten years from now is difficult to know. Certainly, the present system is dying from an overdose of government. How long it will be before it expires completely is another unknown. But this time the seeds of destruction have been planted and the signs are unmistakable.

And as the U.S. government goes under, so will the many governments it has supported. The great economic revivals of Europe and Japan have been financed with resources wrenched from the American taxpayers. The so-called benevolence of the American people toward their former enemies has never existed.

In the first place, the money wasn't given voluntarily by the American people. And in the second, the "aid" will have caused more destruction in Europe than the havoc caused by a thousand nuclear bombs. The U.S. government has provided the socialist governments of Western Europe with the means to create gigantic distortions in the marketplaces of their countries.

Unfortunately, the lesson hasn't been learned--in Europe or the United States--that governments can't create prosperity or security. And so most people continue to put their faith in the insecure institutions of governments--and suffer when their faith proves to be unfounded. "You can Profit from a Monetary Crisis," Harry Brown, 1974, pages 361-362

And here we are 25 years later and it still rings true.

-- Bardou (bardou@baloney.com), February 27, 1999

Answers

Klinton's Gub'mint stinks!

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 27, 1999.

And Hitlary's a damned witch who wants abortion clinics protected so that the innocent babies can be slaughtered without interference from those who want to protect the lives of the unborn!

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 27, 1999.

Bardou,

Holy Cow Batman! 1974?! I thought it was written today until I got to the bottom. Interesting post.

Thanks,

-- Deborah (info@war.y2k), February 27, 1999.

Harry Browne has written other books also, has been a successful investment advisor (maybe still is) and investor, and ran for President on the Libertarian Party ticket.

Consider the fact that the Libertarian Party gets about 1% to 2% of the vote (at least according to computerized government voting machine tabulations).

I think this tells us something about the intelligence of the average schmuck (sheeple). NOTHING (except sexual escapades or car chases) gets their attention until their noses are rubbed in it.

Be stalwart in your preparations, whatever you can. If you can last at least a couple of months, if TSHTF, you will see a greatly reduced population. (Without water, people will last only a few days; without food, will last only a few weeks).

Those remaining will have proved themselves to be good predators and/or good preparers. If the preparers are really prepared, most of the predators will be handled, also. Then, (optimism here), those same people who were preparers will probably be those with the ability to rebuild and carry on.

Spencer said: "To protect fools from the effects of their folly is to fill the world with fools."

-- a (A@AisA.com), February 28, 1999.

dinnasour, perhaps you didn't read the post; it was about money.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), February 28, 1999.

--a: And where does that leave you and me?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), March 01, 1999.

I care not to carry on because death is but a fleeting moment, a twinkle in ones eye. I am far better off dead than to face the agony and turmoil you will suffer in the future. How shall I do it, you have talked me into eternity?

-- ontheeddge (onthe edge@ready.com), March 01, 1999.

Bardou: Huh?

As with Y2K itself (no one can predict in advance how bad [or good} it might be), no one can predict the survival of any particular person or group. Evolution operates on groups. Any individual, no matter how smart, how strong, how healthy, how well prepared, can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All circumstances cannot be forseen. All you can say is that there will be a tendency for those who are smarter, stronger, healthier, better prepared to have a better percentage of survivors than those not so. So, you and me? Who knows? Chances are, whatever prep you can do, will help. But you may not make it and your DGI, a*hole, unprepared neighbor might. Life ain't necessarily "fair". Life just is. A is A.

-- a (A@AisA.com), March 01, 1999.

a,

> Life ain't necessarily "fair". Life just is

You are absolutely correct. However, one can cheat the system, stack the cards, rig the game, etc.

Most of us here are, what I would call, rigging the game. If Darwin even glances off for one split second, I'll bottom deal him so fast his head will spin. If not I've alreday done my best to use a stacked deck.

This is about cheating fate. Maybe "and cheat" could be added to the titile of this thread.

-- Greybear, where did I put that green eye shade?

- Got Dice?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), March 01, 1999.

a---

Of course life isn't fair, however, if I have prepared accordingly and my neighbor hasn't, I will have the cards stacked in my favor, and I would be willing to bet that I will be around longer than them.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), March 01, 1999.

Bardou and Greybear -- that's essentially -- in fewer words -- what I was trying to say.

-- a (A@AisA.com), March 01, 1999.

Hey I can say it in only 2 words: Murphy's Law

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), March 01, 1999.

Or, more poetically correct:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), March 01, 1999.

Somehow, I think there's more to it than all this.

I'm certainly an advocate of self interest. However, I also believe that it can only go so far, and then a mechanism to balance people's differing self interests is necessary. "Government" is the current method of doing this.

Granted, our "Government" has grown to become a monster that is out of control, eating its way through our lives and focused only on its own self interest. It's easy to bitch and moan about because it's so pervasive, it's harder to actually do anything about it. I think one thing to keep in mind when bitching about it, is that it really is a reflection of many of the aspects of the culture that supports it. (not just the US government, any government)

Y2K may prove to provide a series of events that slays this monster. But, if that happens, then what? how do we balance our self interests?

Nature provides one mechanism: the Law of the Jungle; kill or be killed. Do we want to live this way? Is there some other mechanism that we can develop that will work.

The ONLY thing that I can see that would provide a relief would be if EVERYBODY KNEW HOW TO THINK and if EVERYBODY KNEW HOW TO LISTEN to each other and make decisions together. Unfortunately, I don't think this is the case, or even possible. Since most people seem to want to ignore their responsibilities as a member of the human race, and leave it up to others to solve problems, it seem like we're stuck with either "Government" or the Law of the Jungle.

Unless there are other alternatives? Anybody? ...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), March 01, 1999.

I know it's been said before, I didn't invent it. But sinece it's my personal motto, I'll repeate it here for some of the unwashed:

Murphy Was An Optimist

As a matter of a fact I think he was the first of that group I loving refer to as the TO (Terminally Optimistic)

There is actually a reason here, not just (alleged) humor.

Murphys law states "If a thing can go wrong it will"

The Bears experience is that "Even if a thing can't go wrong it will". And therefore to only emphasize what can to wrong seems overly optimistic here at the Den.

I've had too many "fool proof" things turn Tango Uniform one me at the worst possible moment. These hard experiences have taught the Bear to have plans within plans within plans.

Overly simplistic example: We all have spare tires in our vehicles. The Bear has a rubber pluging kit and two cans of the instant fix-a-flat stuff. Nothin is quite a disheartning as having a flat and finding out the spare is flat also.

Plans within plans within plans.

-- Greybear, happy go luck ol Bear, yeah.

- Got Alternatives?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), March 01, 1999.

PShannon: You are right, we don't need the monster government that we have today, it exists because we the people keep feeding it, and the more we feed it the bigger it gets. And the monster starts to have babies and the babies get bigger and bigger and then they have babies, it's a never ending cycle. The only answer I have and perhaps it will eventually happen anyway, will be the falling of America like Rome. We can't keep going the way we are going, the balloon will eventually pop.

-- bardou (Bardou@baloney.com), March 01, 1999.

And of course, you musn't forget O'Shea, that close friend of O'Malley. "If it can go wrong, it will. and O'Shea replied 'aye, and at the worst possible time."

Their buddy, Mulligan, says," If you find eight ways for something to go wrong, count on a ninth and it will be a SOB to fix."

"OBTW, I didn't invite them to the party, but I'm sure they'll show up. Lobo

-- Lobo (Hiding@woods.com), March 02, 1999.

Or, "the race is not necessarily to the swift, but that's the way to bet."

BTW, "government" is not the enemy; IT'S ALL THE A*HOLES -- ACTUAL PEOPLE -- IN GOVERNMENT "SERVICE" WHO ARE YOUR ENEMIES

When private people realize that their "nice" neighbors, their sisters, their lodge brothers, etc., who are government employees, are their enemies, and treat them accordingly, then and only then, will this situation turn around.

-- a (A@AisA.com), March 02, 1999.