By John Galt
November 3, 2007
As my wife and I entered the flea market, we understood the risks we took that day. Shopping for goods outside of the “registered” stores had become a Class 1 Misdemeanor for a first offense and the worst part was that you would be forced to take chip implantation if convicted as part of your sentence. This tracking chip served as your rationing card, probation officer, and national identification all rolled into one. The conversion to the new currency was not going well as illustrated by the Amarillo food riots last month and the tension since that incident was noticeable in every state. As we approached the entrance we uttered the password of the day which cost me exactly two junk quarters, but was well worth it. After paying the guard at the entrance, we entered into the dank, old abandoned warehouse and were shocked to see the number of people inside. The hyperinflationary destruction of America was almost complete, as the rationing program had forced many legitimate businessmen into underground situations like this. Never in my life did I imagine that saving all those old coins and silver bars would mean anything. Then again, never in my life did I think that food and water would be rationed in America.
As we walked up to a farmer’s table I noticed the sign with prices prominently displayed, along with the Bushmaster slung over his shoulder and another man with a 12 gauge nearby. The prices were split into silver and barter and to no surprise, he had “specials” just like the old days of capitalism. There was a third price list in the old US Dollars and the exchange rate was published prominently: USD to Amero 75:1. This figure of course was thievery but he had everyone who didn’t convert two years ago by the throat, as it was not illegal to own dollars unless you were a licensed retailer. I asked him if he would barter tobacco or alcohol for his goods, and he said “of course” and we commenced our grocery shopping. It was a steal trading a fifth of whiskey for a ham and two frozen chickens, and that would keep us in fresh meat for a while. I thanked the gentleman and he mentioned that ammunition was good for barter also and would fetch more farm goods. With that my wife got nervous and just had to ask “why, have you been using a lot of it?” The farmer sheepishly looked down, and said “sadly, yes” and I knew what has been going on. This guy was about to become the wealthiest soul in our part of the state until the Department of Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Group (DAREG) sends their goons out to his place. Or have they already, and that’s why he’s needing more ammo? Sometimes, it’s just better no to know. And sometimes, what you know can get you sent to the new Freedom Camps.
Yes, I know, I have a flair for over dramatizing the obvious. Is this scenario possible in America? I honestly believe something similar will happen within five years and it might even be worse. Imagine going to the grocery store and you’re limited to the calorie intake and goods allowed in your household based on totally arbitrary limits set by bureaucrats a thousand miles from your home. Think about a new currency which fluctuates day to day where one day a dollar buys you one twenty ounce bottle of water and the next day it takes two dollars and so on. Imagine the impact of a transportation network, so bottled up, so convoluted by hijackings, military requisitions, and government intervention that small towns would starve to keep the big cities alive and well. And think about random declarations of martial law in regions throughout the nation, to enforce daily regulatory edicts to force towns to “conform” to the new order established to insure continuity and stability after an economic crash. If this sounds far-fetched to you, the God Bless you. I love optimism. But I won’t gamble with my family’s future.
The idea of a casino currency is what we are witnessing now in our markets. The dollar is no longer a standard bearer despite the efforts of other nations to prop up our currency by imploding their own economies. The new reality is that after the 2008 elections, the inflationary spikes we will see can no longer be contained with statistical mirages which dot our current and past landscape. The hyperinflationary debacle that many have written and spoken about is about to launch in the next twelve months. We will no longer enjoy the average 10-11% annualized inflation rates. As we bail the banking system out, we will deflate the assets that you and I own, you know Mr. and Mrs. Main Street, and turn around and hyperinflate the goods and services we require to exist. If you look at medical care, insurance, tuition and energy, we’ve already seen 25 to 30% increases this year alone in many regions of the nation. That is the type of inflation I expect to see on all goods and services by the end of 2008 and as the election approaches, the secret will be let out of the bag, especially as the dollar index rolls over below the 72 mark and heads into irrelevancy worldwide.
So why should you worry about a casino currency? Re-read the italicized fictional story above. If you do not have stable, fixed barter goods and precious metals that others will recognize as fixed stores of value, then you enslave yourself to whatever designs a government bureaucrat envisions for you and your family. If you think I’m joking about work camps to perform infrastructure improvements within our borders (and probably within the Mexican border also), then please quit reading now. This was enacted under the WPA and although the talkie movies of the time displayed happy to work souls who thanked the Marxist President of that time for the work, it was nothing more than a test run for something a Stalinist would be proud of. These people were put to work on projects for the government not private industry, not innovation, and not something that would end the Great Depression. When the next depression starts, many more people will clamor for this type of nonsense.
Do not enslave your family. Do not become a subject to the coming catastrophe. Plan on setting aside anything you can for small amounts (meaning what you can budget and afford) of precious metals and using any other disposable income to start setting aside food for the future. The next five years are the proverbial final chapters of the great book known as the United States of America. Plan accordingly.
Follow JohnGaltFLA
Read all my posts, updates, Tweets, etc.