Hi Mike; Well there is considerable uncertainty and debate about what form the restructuring will take but little argument that it is going to happen sooner or later. The best strategy is therefore also unknown but I think one can still plan for some general conditions which may be present in any scenario.
In times of hyper inflation things are valued more in terms of what they are and the potentialities that they represent in terms of basic needs than they are in our society in present times. Therefore anyone who can provide for themselves in areas of basic needs may be considered rich in some regards. The ability to provide for your own food requirements can be very important. The ability to obtain and render water safe for consumption ranks right up there if you are independant with it. The ability to produce some energy may be an extravagance depending on the severity of the situation or it may mean the difference between living totally hand to mouth and having some extra wealth which can be used for special needs that have to be obtained from some external source. Therefore converting cash to assets that have these intrinsic value now before the hyperinflation hits ( if that is what is going to happen) may be a very wise investment. It may be impossible to obtain these items during hard times due to radical changes in supply and demand. So land, water and energy figure pretty highly in my mind in any doomsday scenario. I remember in 1998 when a massive ice storm left my parents and a huge section of eastern Ontario and Quebec without electricity for 14 days in the cold of January just how things changed in surprising ways. I managed to buy the second last generator that was available to be bought in the eastern half of this country and it had to be shipped to me from Winnipeg Manitoba (probably 2000 km away). There was no electricity anywhere, and neighborhoods were eerily silent. There was no trafic since gas stations were down and gas could only be pumped by hand but cash registers weren't working so many places would not even sell anything. A running generator could be heard for blocks and some were stolen by thieves. In Walkerton Ontario when the municipal water supply became tainted with e. Coli there was a different form of pandemonium. Anyone who had a UV sterilizer and R.O. membrane like me didn't even have to bat an eye but some folks died and many suffer health problems ever since. Depending on how bad things get, having some valuable assets like these may mean a need to defend them as in the example of the generator. I am starting to sound like a whacko survivalist as you sometimes see depicted that way. I don't have a fallout shelter or anything like that but I am definitely working towards ideas that will be of value in situations where I have to be self reliant. I want to get a methane digester going and some passive solar as well as PV on the roof as soon as I can. I plan to do these things modestly just as I have with my BD setup. I don't aspire to be able to get off the grid with my current needs but to be able to have some small amount of power for special needs if the power goes out and for now it can just be a supplement to reduce my environmental footprint. This post is getting long so I am going to cut it off here. Best regards; Joe Cheers Joe M&K DuPree wrote: > Joe Street asks, Is there anything we at home can do to help speed this > process? :) > I suggest: Implore your Federal representatives to continue raising the > debt ceiling, to continue supporting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, to > start another war in Iran, etc etc. Or better, don't waste your time. > Instead, I ask you, Joe, and the List, how do you believe the average > "Joe" should prepare for the inevitable demise of the US dollar??? I'm > not trying to be facetious. I'm asking a real question, seeking a real > answer. Might not like the answer, but I'd like to hear. Also, Keith, > how will Japan be affected? Japan is one of the largest holders of US > Debt. Mike DuPree > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joe Street" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org <mailto:biofuel@sustainablelists.org>> > Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 8:29 AM > Subject: [SPAMPROB:51%] Re: [Biofuel] threat to U.S. dollar > > > Is there anything we at home can do to help speed this process? :) > > > > Joe > > > > AltEnergyNetwork wrote: snip > >> > >> But how long can this continue before the world loose > >> faith in the greenback, sending it crashing to > >> unimaginable levels. > >> _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
