11 Ways the Government "Helps" You (and Why You Should Decline Its Help)

Here's 11 ways the government purports to "help" you:

1. It gives you 99 weeks of unemployment "benefits". This ensures that you will have been out of the workforce so long as to be obsolete.
2. It gives you a 'food pyramid' that if followed, will nearly guarantee that you will end up fat and with a handful of chronic illnesses.
3. It gives you welfare programs that encourage generational welfare dependence and thus whole generations of families that can't take care of themselves and can't teach their children to take care of themselves either.
4. It gives you "mandatory education" that teaches you how to follow the rules and be a subservient citizen.
5. It gives you low priced (subsidized) wheat, corn, and dairy. How about some subsidized fruit and vegetables?
6. It gave you the TSA ('thousands standing around', as one writer put it) which gives you a false sense of security and an even worse than before airline experience (if that's even possible).
7. It gave you war after war that it won't allow us to win. The last war we won was World War II. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, the 'war on drugs, the 'war on terrorism'...all wars that led to plenty of money to fill the coffers of the government-industrial complex. And plenty of deaths to the young men and women of our country.
8. It gave us THE largest prison population in the WORLD.
9. It gave us "stimulus plans" and "bailouts" which have done nothing to improve the economy but rather made it limp along on life support for an extended period of time. If it would have let failing businesses, um, fail, then the economy would have been able to rebuild itself. Quickly.
10. It's given more support to a myriad of foreign countries (and their infrastructures) than to our power grid, highway system, and bridges are teetering on the brink of failure. Did I mention they did this with YOUR tax money? Did you know that roads in our country are being de-paved because they can't be maintained?
11. It gave you a Social Security system which you are mandated to pay into...with no guarantee that there will be there when you retire. (hint: it probably won't if you are 40 or younger).

The bottom line. If you see the government coming at you with a "we are here to help you" opportunity, decline. And take care of yourself. You will be much better off in the long run.

Review: Invisible Money

The 'Invisible Money' ebook from JJ Luna has been sitting in my documents file, staring at me everyday, wondering when I will get around to writing a review about it. Since it has been waiting--for about two months due to my recently very hectic schedule--I figured I better get to it. Actually, I have read the book twice, once when it first arrived in my inbox (I love ebooks for just that reason...so convenient), then again a month later when I had a four hour airport layover. Since I am already a fan of JJ Luna's, I kind of knew what to expect and wasn't disappointed as his books tend to include equal parts old time wisdom, clever tips, and interesting facts.

While I don't want to give away all of the great information in the book, here's my favorite parts:

• A section on how to transport large sums of money without getting caught. How his wife smuggled money in her hair was something I had never thought of.
• A section on sending money to yourself. Why drug dealers and the like (I'm not encouraging such behavior, just making an observation) would risk carrying tens of thousands of dollars in their car when they are cruising up I 95 is beyond me. But then again, like me, I bet they never though of using a variety of services that are listed in the book to literally bring the money to them instead of taking the risk of carrying the money themselves. Duh.
• He asks the question "if your home is searched right now, what would law enforcement/burglars find?" Excellent question and a good way to look at the situation when you are considering safeguarding your valuables and other things.
• Another interesting modification that I will be adding to my home this summer is his plan for hiding a storage area between the studs of an interior wall--of course disguised when you look at it--which, best of all, can be opened from either room.
• He explains the benefits of using small state banks instead of the monolithic national chain banks.
• The section on invisible investments would require you to determine the feasibility of the suggestions on your own. Since I don't trust anyone, especially with my money, many of the options listed would not work for me. They may work for you.
• The appendix sections all touch on different issues that are more or less related to money such as Canadian and European banking, how to deal with the police under a variety of scenarios, and other safety and security topics that are often overlooked in our day to day lives. Good info!

Overall, another good read. There are definitely some things I learned that I will be putting into affect for my own security and privacy.

Take Care of Your Health in Ten Easy Steps

The foundation of preparedness is making sure that you yourself are prepared (meaning your body, your mind, your health, your attitude, etc). Here's ten easy steps to get in top shape:

1. Have a complete annual physical to make sure you are well and/or to give you a baseline for improvement.
2. Make sure all of your vaccinations are up to date.
3. Have a complete dental exam and fix any problems found.
4. Exercise daily and eat right (simple but effective advice).
5. Take care of chronic health problems (ie: if you have diabetes, take your medication or insulin but exercise as well to bring down your blood sugar numbers).
6. Check out your environment and remove any hazards (this could be everything from home safety hazards to hazardous friends to bad health/wellness habits).
7. De stress. Stress causes any number of health problems. If you know how to de stress you will reduce the possibility of these problems.
8. Have health and wellness goals to aim for, whether it is running a marathon or being able to walk around the block. Keep raising the bar as you meet your goals.
9. Try new things that will help you get in better shape AND teach you something useful. Learning to kayak is a good way to exercise. Knowing how to kayak if you become stranded on a desert island, even more beneficial.
10. Encourage others to get healthy. If your life depends on your friends or family in a SHTF situation, don't you want them to be as able as possible to come to your aid?

When it comes to preparedness, many people focus on the big exciting things such as firearms, a cool bug out vehicle, or having enough camping equipment to shelter an entire platoon. The fact is, when it comes to a disaster, you may only have yourself to rely on so you need to be in tip top shape to be able to respond accordingly. Now go out and get active.

10 Cuts You Can Make In Order to Bulk Up Your Emergency Fund

If you don't have an emergency fund, you need one. If you "just can't find any spare money to put into your emergency fund", here's ten cuts you can make that will allow you to build up your emergency fund in record time:

1. Stop eating out. A $50 restaurant meal is a high price to pay when that same $50 could buy you food for a week.
2. Cut cable. If you have every cable station know to man, consider cutting cable all together, a $10 NetFlix subscription or watching TV shows online can save many hundreds of dollars per year. If you really can't part with your cable TV, consider cutting back to the most basic plan available.
3. Stop shopping. Unless you need a very specific item (ie: toilet paper, shampoo, or something else you absolutely can't do without) don't go shopping. You won't be tempted to spend your money and you can bank it instead.
4. Cut your cell phone bill. Virgin Mobile has a $25 per month plan which includes unlimited text messages, unlimited web, and 300 minutes a month. p.s. An iPhone is NOT a necessity. Either is a $100+ per month calling plan.
5. Cut your transportation costs in half. That might mean driving half as much as you do now, buying a monthly pass and taking public transportation, car pooling, riding your bike to work, or a mix of all of these.
6. Cut out (or cut down) a vice. Whenever I look at the price of cigarettes, I am thankful I don't smoke. I also don't drink which saves not only the cost of alcohol, but the cost of DUIs, marriage counseling, rehab, etc.
7. Don't do things that cause added expense (ie: take out a PayDay loan which has outrageous fees, use credit cards which charge interest, break the law which causes fines and court fees, etc).
8. Don't buy stuff you don't need. A jet ski is nice, a big emergency fund is nicer. An H & K 45 Compact is nice (really nice), but a big emergency fund is nicer. You get the idea...
9. Sell a car. This could save you thousands in a matter of month. A family only usually needs one good car. The second car can be a cheap beater until you get the emergency fund bulked up AND you have saved enough to pay cash for a better secondary car.
10. Spend like a maniac on your kids. The kids won't suffer permanent psychological damage if you decide that they won't get ANYTHING from you (besides food, shampoo, etc) until the emergency fund is completed. They may, however, be motivated to help you bulk up the fund via garage sales, eBaying stuff, etc. if they realize that the Bank of Mom and Dad will reopen sooner that way.

Bottom line, you need an emergency fund because, even though I don't know you personally, I do know that you will be facing an emergency of some sort in the future. It's a very nice feeling to have the cash on hand to deal with these random emergencies.

Link Round-up: Radical Self Improvement Edition

I like self-improvement in its many forms. I like radical self improvement more.

• Why Barbara Winter is Unemployable (basically the same reasons I am too).
• Karol's Productivity System (which is my system too, you get a remarkable amount of things done when you just do them instead of plan to do them).
• Why you need to imagine your ideal reality (this actually works!)
• The Minimalist Guide to Saving Money (if you want to be able to actually afford your future, do this stuff).
• You Should Get What You Want...Sometimes (too true).
• Mistakes to Avoid When Pursuing Your Dreams.
• Finally, 25 All Around Life Lessons.

10 Ways to Avoid Trouble (At Work)

On the heels of my last post, I realized (due to an incident in the office today) that the last bit of advice I gave about staying out of trouble works for staying out of trouble in general, but at work, you need another list. Here it is:

1. If you have an issue with someone, take them aside in a private place and work it out. Seek a mediator if needed.
2. Don't gossip. It will get around and people will be leery about working with you if you are known as the company gossip. Famous last words..."don't tell anyone I told you this but..."
3. Put nice things in writing. If you have something not nice to say, say it to the person in private. The first thing I was handed today when I went into the office was a copy of an email, a not really nice email about someone, that was supposed to be a private rant and was subsequently forwarded to apparently half the people in the city. I'm surprised it wasn't posted on FaceBook. Not good.
4. Don't make threats. At the least, you may have to eat your words, and at the worst, they could be used against you in a court of law.
5. Keep your private life relatively private. It is hard not to share details of your life with your coworkers because you are often around them more than you are with your own family, however, you don't want your private life to become fodder for gossips.
6. Don't be a slacker. While there are some tips and tricks that will allow you to make your mid day tee time without people missing you at the office, many people just plain slack off (ie: come in late, leave early, miss project deadlines, need to be reminded about work they need to be doing, etc). Don't be that person.
7. Always take the high road and don't do anything that could even be perceived as shady. Many an embezzler has started out raiding the petty cash fund, intending to pay it back. Once you justify one lapse, it is easier to justify bigger, more illegal, things.
8. Always think safety and preparedness. I am amazed at how many people leave their iPhone, purse, wallet, etc. laying out on their desk in an office full of people where strangers came and go as well. That is just asking to be ripped off. Even though you are in your office as much (or more) than you are at your home, your office is not your home and you still need to exercise a good deal of safety and preparedness precautions.
9. Do not, under any circumstance, use your work computer/cell phone/etc. to access porn or other NSFW stuff. It will come back and bite you in the ass.
10. Don't stress yourself out at work. You can't avoid the occasional stressor, but if you are continually on the verge of a nervous breakdown at work, you either need to change your attitude or change your job. You don't want to give yourself an early heart attack or end up going postal. Bad stuff.

Staying out of trouble, no matter where you are, is really not that hard once you set a standard for yourself.

p.s. Set your standard fairly high.

10 Ways to Avoid Trouble

Our fair city has, unfortunately, a fair number of shootings. Some are domestic violence, some are gang-related, and some are officer involved shootings. Many of these events, however, have some common denominators that, should people have chosen to avoid trouble, could have been prevented. Here's some tips for avoiding trouble (and the violence that often accompanies trouble):

1. Stay far away from gangs, gang members, and gang involvement of any kind. These people seem to have an invisible "shoot me" target on their backs.
2. Stay away from the drug scene. Yes you can cruise the "drug areas" of town and probably score drugs with little incident but being in these areas ups your chances of being caught up in violence tremendously.
3. Nip domestic violence in the bud. Letting a domestic violence situation escalate ('awww he seems like such a nice guy most of the time and he apologized for hitting me') is nearly a guarantee that there will be further violence. Dating someone who has their own personal violent stalker ex will cause the same type of problems for you.
4. Leave the bars before closing time. As it gets later and people get drunker and more belligerent, there is an increased chance for violence.
5. If you are stopped by the police, comply. Immediately. You can always file a claim against the department later. Escalating violence with police officers is a no-win situation.
6. Look at yourself in a mirror and see if you could be an attractor of violence. Everything from wearing the wrong colors in known gang areas to the looks you give other people can lead to violence. Confidence but not arrogance is a good rule of thumb.
7. Stay away from trouble makers. You know who they are. The people who have a rap sheet as long as your arm, the people who always complain about being targeted by the cops, the people who actually like getting in fights...the list of trouble-making characteristics is long; if you note these attributes in the people you hang around with, decide to stay away from them.
8. Mediate and mitigate problems as soon as they occur. Whether it is an issue with a co-worker or an issue with a neighbor or friend, fixing the problem instead of escalating it because 'you know you are right' is a better option. Would you rather be right or be effective? Life is too short to be weighed down by drama.
9. Do the right thing. Most people have a pretty good moral compass, they just need to listen to it. Being involved in any kind of shady dealings whether it seems insignificant or not (ie: embezzling just a little bit of money from work, shoplifting a couple of small, inexpensive items, fencing items you think are probably stolen) can be a gateway to larger and more violent stuff.
10. Remain in control of yourself at all times. Being drunk, being on drugs, being so blinded by anger or revenge that you can't see straight are all situations when you are out of control. Being out of control usually doesn't have a good outcome.

Avoiding trouble is relatively easy if you take a minute to look at where trouble is and decide not to be anywhere near it.