You pollies keep coming up short in your arguments. Of course there are a few folks that went to the extreme in preps, but most could easily afford it.

Over the last year in preps I spent maybe $12,000.

Now, for home, health and car insurance I spent maybe $2,100.

OK now Ratsy, pay attention, here's the part where you gotta use your brain.

Did I have to use the $2100 for anything? Nope. No house fires, burglaries, car accidents or doctors visits. $2100 shot to hell, completely unrecoverable. Allstate and Healthsource are laughing all the way to the bank huh?

Now, of the $12,000 on preps, ALL of it was for material goods that can be consumed or used, or improvements to the property such as a greenhouse. Propane stores FOREVER. The batteries are good until JULY 2005. The canned food is good for 3-5 years. And I looked, but I couldn't find an expiration date on the Toilet Paper.

So let me ask you something dumbass, who looks like the bigger fool, me who spent 12K on preps and now has 12K worth of food and supplies, or you, who spent thousands unnecessarily on insurance and had ZIP to show for it? Maybe you should get with Hoff and write a nasty letter to Allstate, threatening to sue them because 'they misled' you. ROTFLMAO.

And you know what genius? Y2K has just started. I may need every bit of it.

-- Just another doomer (my house@my street.my city), January 07, 2000

Answers

You spent $12,000 dollars on this hoax!?!?! Holy cow - I can't believe you had the nerve to post that. I hope there isn't anyone who depends on you to help them with their quality of life. That $12k could really have helped them.

I spent my insurance money last year because there was a VIABLE and REAL chance of a situation which would result in a claim.

Read slowly - that's the difference.

-- H.H. (dontscrewme_2000@yahoo.com), January 07, 2000.

You know what, I spent close to $10K on this myself. It was done slowly and steadily, and it impacted our quality of life ZERO. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't buy it. If I didn't have it by 01-01- 00, then I would learn to do without. You, and/or others like you, on the other hand probably have $20K or more of credit card debt. I have no debt other that four more payments on my truck. I also have enough food and other supplies that it will be difficult to use it all up in the next couple years. Who's the FOOL?

Was it such a complete hoax that nearly every world government decided it had to spend billions on? Is the US Government THAT foolish? (they may be foolish, but not that bad!) To be taken in so completely that it felt it had to spend nearly a quarter TRILLION dollars? BullS...

-- Powder (Powder47keg@aol.com), January 07, 2000.

It would seem that the appropriate place in which to post a reply to a thread is in that thread.

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), January 07, 2000.

Foolish? No, try "Pre-Need Acquisition of Assets and Supplies".

Smart people have done this for a long time.

Saves time, saves money, saves your ass if you are ill or out of work.

Folks who do this are in a much better position to really 'help' those who *do* count on them...

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), January 07, 2000.

Poor house???! Hardly! Better house? For Sure! Because we were worried about Y2K, we made certain all minor repairs to the house & property were done. We got out of the procrastination mode and got the major projects not only started but finished! We thought of all sorts of things that we *should* have thought of before.......such as an emergency battery operated sump pump as backup to our electric one. We have a generator AND an electric panel to plug it into in case of power outages. Our garages are finally (amazingly!) organized with storage platforms built that had been on the "to do" list for over 5 yrs. We have the LUXURY of knowing that no matter what we want, we don't have to stop and run to the store for it. That includes hardware, food, spare parts, tools.....you name it!! Our vehicles, have never before been in such good repair. The *wonderful surprise* in this for me, aside from my almost delirious ecstacy of not having to face the future without electricity, is that is was SO EASY to do!! I'm horrified at myself for having lived all those years the *other way*! If ONLY I had had the sense to start off this way........how much time, effort, money, frustration I could have saved myself! Now....IF the economy will just exhibit the same miracle that the power did.....Hubby & I can happily face the next few years with lots of disposable income (since we allready have practically anything we'll need) lots of spare time to do whatever we WANT to do (since all the to-do items are done) and lots of new knowledge and confidence in our ability to *fend for ourselves*. The BEST thing that ever happened to me is that I prepared for Y2K!!!

-- Sheila (sross@bconnex.net), January 07, 2000.

Ratsy: Lots of good points above...I'm a single parent and could not afford to spend thousands, but, believe me I'm glad I took the time to store water and some food...California and many parts of the country are earthquake country. Also, all the food I stored I can eat (eventually). Not to mention getting rid of a lot of "junk" I don't need. If anyone is really "concerned" about the financial investment and have things they really will never need, then donate them! You can get a tax write-off by donating to the Salvation Army, or a world-wide mission or food pantry. What is wrong with being prepared? I would much rather spend my limited amount of money on my food pantry than on insurance!

-- Eileen (on God) (macenery@gte.net), January 07, 2000.

12,000$ at pre-inflation prices. These Items will cost more in the future. All the lumber I bought to build a garage and garage apartment to further secure my home cost me 3.79 a board (2by6's) and now costs 4.99 a board. Any preparations bought in early 1999 have risen in 2000 and will continue to do so. Pollies can rationalize their blind risk taking all they want. Given there is inflation there is no contest on preps vs. no preps. The other part of the arguement is the 4 outcomes theory. (1) prepare and there are no y2k problems = you eat and live. (2) prepare and there are severe y2k problems = you eat and live. (3) don't prepare and there are no y2k problems = you eat and live. (4) don't prepare and there are severe y2k problems = you don't eat and you were one starving, stupid fool who not only didn't beat inflation, you either died, you moooched off another considerate person and reduced their chances for survival, while a few months later did the same, etc., etc...... Under the (4) category, your karma and Virtue has gone to hell in a handbasket no matter how much you prey/pray! It is a logistical nitemare and all you had to do is buy extra food at reduced prices you fools. Think about this real hard and you always come out BIG TIME WRONG. IDIOTS!

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), January 07, 2000.

We also spent around 10K to get our preps together and worked our asses off getting everything taken care of before rollover. No regrets, absolutely NONE!

We are debt free, everything is organized and repaired, everyone including the pets have had all medical exams, there is food in the pantry and extra money in my hand.

God bless the child that's got his own...and I'm very blessed indeed!

-- Mabel Dodge (cynical@me.net), January 07, 2000.

yea i'd have to say we probably spent about 10k for all our preps too. BUT ... we still have our preps! and, they'll last [probably] forever.

soo .. we arent behind a dime. and i'd be willing to make a small wager to any polly who thinks this was unwarranted: i bet that, in the future, the cost of most of these items will go UP, past the point where the interest would be lost by putting that money into safe investments.

i've never read such idiotic statements by pollies as on this forum .. geeeessssh!

-- lou (lan@springmail.com), January 07, 2000.