Post Election

I started writing a blog post about the current election -compared it to being inside a horror movie. After a few paragraphs I became too depressed to continue.

Let's skip right to 2017. First of all, almost nobody is going to move to Canada. If Liberals didn't move there during the Bush administration and Conservatives didn't flee after Obama, it just ain't gonna happen. Besides, Canada is not a bolt hole. It's a real country with issues of their own. I do encourage people to visit, if for no other reason than to get a bit of perspective on what living in another country is like. Canada is the training wheels version of foreign travel.

The economy is going to present some serious challenges. Ignore what the stock market is doing. It's not a good indicator of the real economy. Look around and see what's happening in your city or state.

Everyone is focused on ISIS and terrorists. Get real. The odds of running into an ISIS terrorist in the US is vanishingly small. However, it does keep everyone in fear.

There are serious conflicts in motion that are not in the news. Africa is being totally ignored by the average person who has no idea what's happening on the ground. One day the US could be heavily involved in more countries the average American cannot find on a map.

Personally, I don't have a clear idea what 2017 is going to bring. In some ways it feels a lot like the years leading up to WWI. Not WWII, but WWI. If we do enter a depression do not be surprised if a major war is soon to follow. Civil rights around the world would be seriously curtained -all in the name of National Security.

World leaders, just like the leaders of WWI, don't know what the heck they are doing. (a short quick war where everyone is home for Christmas) Historically, things snowball.

Avoid living in fear, but don't let wishful thinking blind you to reality. Ignore what leaders say and watch what they do. Preps will be useful during the coming troubled times but having a clear and focused mind will be even more important.

-Sixbears

Rumblings in the distance

It's said you don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. You also don't need a crystal ball to see there's some potentially nasty stuff coming down the pike.

When the President and Vice President both meet with the Federal Reserve, something might be in the air. Even the questionable statistics from the government has been trending downward. While 2% economic growth was predicted, the number has been revised downward to almost nothing. Banks in Europe are in trouble.

It doesn't take much digging to find a multitude of troubling economic indicators.

The economy is not supposed to implode during an election year. Whoever is in charge at the time does everything possible to keep at least the appearance of a robust economy. If your party wins you have a few years to weather the storm before facing another election. If your party loses economic problems can be blamed on the other party.

Even more disturbing to me are the rumors of war. Historically, economic turmoil leads to military conflict. There are plenty to choose from right now. Things are heating up from the Middle East to Africa to parts of Asia. One bad move an any of those trouble areas could turn hot -WWIII hot.

As I see it, at the very least we are looking at some financial bubbles bursting. Look at the the connections between banks and a weakening fossil fuels sector. They could take each other down. That could be extremely disruptive.

Of course, I'm not a big fan of the banks or the fossil fuels industries. They won't be missed -in the long run. In the short run, however, expect to see some turmoil. Radical change always produces winners and loses. Let's do what we can to avoid being on the losing side.

Might be a good time to check out your preps. My lovely wife has been on my case to improve our food growing capability so that's one thing I'm doing to prepare. There are other things I'd like to improve but money and time are issues. Of course, I've been living at my bug out location for years.

With a high chance that things are about to get real, how's your situation?


-Sixbears