Does Anyone Realize How Little Influence We Have?

[68Camaro]

You think you're joking... and your jibe IS funny ... BUT... in a few years when we're sitting pretty after an exponential price rise... and the gov't decides it wants to get it's grimy little hands on our hoards... you can be sure there will be protests against "hoarders" and those who hold precious metals in their physical state will be demonized as extremists... with radical outlooks (and guns)... and you know where that leads. We could be designated tear a wrists.

You paint what I fear is a frighteningly accurate picture.

Yep - a major concern in the worst-case scenarios. Thus the OP, and a great cause for concern. If we fail to get enough people on board for prepping, regardless of how they do it, then many of us can't survive even if we did prep. I can survive if there are 40, 30, 20% of the people able to join with me. But if I'm a 1%-er, then I'm in the diner but not to eat - I'm on the menu. Even with Opsec, if something bad goes on long enough it will become evident over time that I have while others have not, and while I plan to be charitable, there are limits to effective charity.

Rather than 1%, I would say there are more like 10% of people with some form of prepping, but it is not uniformly distributed. In rural and western communities it might be more like 20-30%, while in urban/suburban communities it might be well under 1%.

[rexmerdinus]

In rural and western communities it might be more like 20-30%, while in urban/suburban communities it might be well under 1%.

It won't matter in the cities, unless the prep someone makes is prep to get the hell out. The 'burbs will be easier to get out of, but still pretty crowded. Where prepping matters is in the country and small towns--and it's not just about hoarding food and ammo, although that is important. A big part of hard-times prepping that everyone seems to forget is getting to know your neighbors, becoming active and respected in your community, and carving a niche by becoming the go-to guy for some function essential in a hard-times scenario. Anthropologists have it right--communities of primitive people survived and thrived because of division and diversification of labor. All these doomsday-prep idiots on TV have seen way too many movies about hermits in mountain bunkers and compounds surviving the apocalypse. Sure, some of those people will survive and thrive for a while, but what if the difficulties go on for decades? Generations? Lots of inbreeding would have to happen in those little enclaves. Ultimately, those people will die alone, surrounded by empty food cans, boxes of ammo, and little piles of gold and silver coins they never got to spend.

[Treetop]

Yep - a major concern in the worst-case scenarios. Thus the OP, and a great cause for concern. If we fail to get enough people on board for prepping, regardless of how they do it, then many of us can't survive even if we did prep. I can survive if there are 40, 30, 20% of the people able to join with me. But if I'm a 1%-er, then I'm in the diner but not to eat - I'm on the menu. Even with Opsec, if something bad goes on long enough it will become evident over time that I have while others have not, and while I plan to be charitable, there are limits to effective charity.

Rather than 1%, I would say there are more like 10% of people with some form of prepping, but it is not uniformly distributed. In rural and western communities it might be more like 20-30%, while in urban/suburban communities it might be well under 1%.

this is why Im poised to be able to grow enough to feed everyone who lives in this mountain canyon with me...

[lance]

How would the government find out your a hoarder and have a large pm stash?

[lance]

Also when you guys talk about the gov taking our stash can they legally do it because they are american coins? Couldnt we just melt them down?

[Verbane]

Also when you guys talk about the gov taking our stash can they legally do it because they are american coins? Couldnt we just melt them down?

As far as taking out PMs legally, it will be legal because they will pass a law to make it so, wether it be U.S. Coinage, Bullion, Jewelry or Ferengi Gold-Pressed Latinum. With the GOV'T don't believe anything is out of the relm of possibility.

[creshka46]

With the GOV'T don't believe anything is out of the relm of possibility.

Except maybe true benevolence, respect for personal liberties, and a desire to serve rather than accumulate power

[dannan14]

With the GOV'T don't believe anything is out of the relm of possibility.

Except maybe true benevolence, respect for personal liberties, and a desire to serve rather than accumulate power

Did you ever see the 80s tech geek movie "Sneakers"? All-star cast; Robert Redford, James Earl Jones, Sydney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Ben Kingsley. In one of the final scenes, JEJ, a SS agent, is exchanging promises for the device the guys stole from the mob. While most of them asked for money or trips to Tahiti, one of them just wanted "Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Man". JEJ replies, "We're the United States Government, we don't do that sort of thing". So there's a couple more things that seem to be out of the realm of possibility.

[rsk1963]

I realize that we ultimately have little influence over people. That being said a few words of encouragement...

Over the last 6 months my mom has started to buy small amounts of silver here and there. Today she was at a bank and found herself asking if they had any half dollars. After they said no, rather than being like "oh ok and walking away" she instead asked if she could buy 10 face in pennies. when she got home she hand sorted them while waiting for dinner to get ready. We have had many discussions about getting silver from banks here and there, & pennies (about how they're paying more in a return than 10 years of compound interesst rates at the current levels).

Needless to say my point is that although the majority of people are not paying attention to these things, our discussions are making an impact regardless of how "large" or "small."

Chin up slowly we'll make more people realize one at a time, they will come around.

[tractorman]

With the GOV'T don't believe anything is out of the relm of possibility.

Except maybe true benevolence, respect for personal liberties, and a desire to serve rather than accumulate power

Did you ever see the 80s tech geek movie "Sneakers"? All-star cast; Robert Redford, James Earl Jones, Sydney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Ben Kingsley. In one of the final scenes, JEJ, a SS agent, is exchanging promises for the device the guys stole from the mob. While most of them asked for money or trips to Tahiti, one of them just wanted "Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Man". JEJ replies, "We're the United States Government, we don't do that sort of thing". So there's a couple more things that seem to be out of the realm of possibility.

I liked that movie. Didn't River Phoenix' character just ask for the hawt agent's phone number? Smooth move.

[tractorman]

Funny stuff ...

River Phoenix: "The young lady with the uzi ... is she single?"

Robert Redford: "Come on, the FBI would give him twins."

The scene is like a minute into this ... its great!

OK, I can't embed it ... here is the link ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQK9Aemawog

[theo]

The fact is, no matter what we do success is far from guaranteed. In a worst case scenario our efforts are likely to be over-taken by a wave of oppression and darkness. However, even with this knowledge we still have to try in the hopes that some of what we do (and even say) might somehow make a difference. I know there has been some contraversy about discussing religion on this forum, but I think faith plays a big role here.

[jasmatk]

Its like the old ants and the grasshoppers parable.we are the ants preparing for the winter while the grasshoppers party it up.