Thoughts on the Pending Currency Crisis

Well I'm done trying to get something for nothing on Ebay. Maybe I can find my gold by prospecting for it. It'll be a couple of years before I can give that a shot.
 To get back to title of this posting, I do think that the debt ceiling crisis will be a major event. I expect the currency to take a bad hit because of it. That means gold and silver should go up. Since the stock market will be collapsing, metals might go down a bit in the short term. If they do I'll take that as an opportunity to buy more.
 I bought a lifetime supply of ammo as well as an air rifle, so my prepping buying is pretty much over. I still need camping gear, and of course you can't have too much silver. But I feel that my buying for the collapse is over for now.
 Something I was thinking about today was to go on a primitive camping expedition. I could ask Jim if he would mind if I camped out on his land for a weekend. I could get a tent that attached to my van. I could test out my cooking and sleeping tools. I could also use his place to sight in my rifles and such. Maybe even shoot a rabbit and eat it. I would feel a lot more independent from "the matrix" if I can provide for myself.
 I got another pre-approved loan application for $6000. I think I'll wait for the currency collapse and invest that in silver. I'm tempted to contact Kitco.com and see if I can buy gold or silver on margin. It would be risky but the risk/reward ratio looks good to me. I could also buy gold through Etrade on margin. I hate seeing things happen and not be able to do anything about it.
 Of course, buying on margin is what got me into the hole that I find myself in. It's also why the world's economy took a hit in 2007. It might not be the thing to do.
This is a picture I got off of the internet a couple of years ago. I never get tired of it.

 Later

I can't Seem to Win

It turned out that my hopes of making a lot of money on Ebay, buying gold coins cheaply, was a delusion. Two of the coins I bought were replicas of gold coins, and one was a large, cheap, bronze copy. Apparently it is common to photograph coins next to other, small things to make them look larger. They also reflect gold-colored light off of them to make them look like they are gold. There are even copies of gold coins that look legit on one side; the other side has the word (copy) on it. Sellers are playing on buyer's greed and delusions to get them to spend money that they shouldn't. Today I was bidding on two small coins that I thought would be worth $300 for the pair. It wasn't until I checked the date on them that I realized that they were copies of a gold coin. Fortunately someone else was a bigger fool than I was. The bidding didn't stop until they were over $200. I'm just glad that I wasn't stuck with it. I still have a ring with an apparent gold coin set in it. I have to test the gold on the coin. It might be real but I doubt it since the ring itself is magnetic. I bought a gold and silver testing kit so I'll test it myself. I may be a bit bitter but I feel that the real lesson is that there is no way for a poor person to get ahead in life. The system is just set up to keep us in poverty. I'm really feeling anxious because of the pending currency collapse. I want to be living "off the grid" as much as possible before that happens. The way things are working out, it will take me at least 2 years to get ready.
Of course, nobody is ever really ready for something as major as that. That reminds me, they shut down the government, today. I'm afraid that I might lose my job since it is a grant from the government. I'll send out some Emails tomorrow and try to find out how secure my job is. I might apply for a job at Wal-Mart if it looks bad. On the 17th the government will run into a debt limit. That might trigger the collapse that I've been anticipating. I think Social Security will be alright. At least I live in a cheap apartment; and I found out that I qualify to live there for a while longer. Pretty soon, I'll be shoveling snow for extra income.
I wrote the first part of this post a couple of days ago. Things have only gotten worse, since then.
I found myself bidding on things that I shouldn't have. One auction had a couple of small coins that looked like they were gold. It turned out that they were copies made in 1938. Back then someone made small gold-plated buffalo nickles. Later, in the early 2000's the mint came out with buffalo gold coins. They were identical with the gold plated coins, except for the date. I quit bidding when I saw that they were dated 1938. Someone else paid over $200 for garbage. 
Today, something similar happened. I was bidding on a junk drawer that had a gold coin. This one was a large buffalo. If it was real it would be worth over $1300. There were copies made and sold on television. The only difference was that on one side there was the word "copy". When I saw it I contacted the seller and asked him if the word "copy" was on the other side. He claimed that he didn't know. He had packaged them up for shipment and he wouldn't be able to unwrap it. I quit bidding at $250. Someone else got up to $260 and bought it. later the seller sent me a message saying that the word "copy" was on it. That almost cost me $250. The other stuff was worth about $60.
It turns out that the fraudsters are ahead of the honest people, once again. It reminds me of Wall Street; where the crooks get all the advantages.
One good thing is that I still have a job. I spent 2 hrs. yesterday trying to reach someone at Experience Works. That's the name of the agency that I work for. It's a government grant, and I was worried that it might be shut down. I finally found someone. She said that there is nothing to worry about. We would be notified by mail if there is a shutdown. On the other hand, the place where I actually do the work might shut down. But that is another story.
That's enough rambling for now.
Later

Gold Coins Out of a Fish's Mouth

I feel that I have finally found out how to pull coins out of a fish's mouth. I'm speaking figuratively, of course. I'm doing something on Ebay that is, apparently, making me a lot of money. I can't talk much about it because others could be doing it as well and that would drive my profits down. Right now, I'm doing great.
 Of course it might be delusions that are setting me up for a fall. I'll know by the end of the week when I get what I've been buying. I'll let you know how it goes, next week.
 On a different topic; George4Title is back on Youtube. Apparently, somebody complained when he showed a video of a meth addict acting strange. He actually does videos of the homeless and addicted that are so common in California, now.
It was good to see him back. It seems that he makes most of his income from youtube videos. I always look forward to his videos; but I think he hangs out with overly negative people. I may be wrong and they are setting up FEMA camps to round up the homeless. Maybe I'm too optimistic because I live in Iowa. Things are going pretty well, here. I'm going to give up stashing ammunition. I need the money for my Ebay thing.
I just don't have the money to do everything. I've got enough guns and ammo for now. After all, I live in Iowa, we should be far away from the riots and craziness that will overtake the large population centers. I think I'll turn my attention to storing food and water. I think the water should be ample during a currency crisis but food might be hard to find, even in Iowa. I should befriend a farmer.
I hope to make enough money to buy Jim's land next year. Of course, I would still have to drill a well and install a septic system. That would cost as much as the land. I also need a trailer to live in. The trailer will come first. I could park it on Jim's land and have a place to "bug out" to.
 Before I get the trailer I have to get a trailer hitch on my van. The hitch is coming together (I'll get one for free from Nick) but the wiring is liable to cost $200. I hope to get that done before the winter. It would be great to just go to a mechanic and pay him to install both the hitch and the wiring, but that isn't happening.
 Well, I've got to hit the books, today. I've got two tests on Monday. One is a vocabulary test for Spanish, and the other has something to do with the unemployment people.
Later, thanks for visiting my blog.
Craig

George4ttitle was removed from YouTube

One of my favorite sites on YouTube was taken down, today. It was the George4title. He had a stream-of-consciousness blog on the decline of Southern California. I don't know why YouTube removed him as I don't remember any nudity or profanity in his post. Maybe he was telling the truth and the controlled media couldn't handle it. Anyway, I'll miss him.
I've been watching a lot of YouTube, lately. One of my favorites is Peter Schiff. He talks about the end of the dollar and buying gold and silver. I watch Iraqveteran8888 for information on the Mosin-Nagant rifle. He is an expert on modifying those.
The Maineprepper is also interesting. He and the Patriotnurse give advice on getting ready for the coming collapse.
I also like Max Keiser on RT television. That's a Russian station. It's getting to be very popular because people are tiring of the controlled press in the U.S.
Today, Max talked in length about the way the Fed is destroying our currency. I was beginning to think that he just made disparaging remarks about bankers; but he really understands what is going on.
On a slightly different topic, I think I'll talk about how my preparations for the collapse are going.  My big problem is the lack of money. I keep spending what money I have on gold and silver so I don't have much to work with.
My plans involve getting a trailer and prospecting for gold in the West of the U.S.
Getting the trailer is coming along. I'm talking to Nick about installing one of his hitches on my van. I'm concerned about how much weight it can handle. The largest trailer that my van is rated for is about 16 ft. It has to have a tongue weight of less than 350 lb. and a hauling weight of under 3500 lbs. That leaves me with a small trailer. That would work for me. I've lived in a 26 ft. trailer, before. All I need is a place to cook, shower and go to the bathroom. I'll also need a place to sleep.
Being male, I've spent too much on guns and ammo. I do need a rifle for bears if I go prospecting but maybe I don't need that much ammo. After all one of the main advantages of going west is to avoid crowds. I should be able to stay away from large  cities, where society is breaking down.
That reminds me, I was going to speculate on why there have been so many shootings lately. Maybe society is already breaking down and this is just a symptom of that. Maybe poverty is triggering psychosis. That, combined with violent video games might be the underlying cause of the increase in mass shooting. Of course, Chicago has always been violent so that shooting is simply accepted as the norm.
I think I'll sign off for now.
Later

At least the colonscopy went well.

I only had one polyp. I don't have to go back for  that for 5 years. I was worried about that since the last scan, I had 13 polyps.
The car broke on the way home. First, it conked out about 4 times. I got it started with starting fluid. Then the catalytic converter fell down. I tied it up with a rubber tie strap. I got it home even though it was louder than an diesel truck
I got it fixed at Dan's a couple of days later. I had to drive it to school and hope for the best. I even drove past a highway patrolman, but he didn't stop me. He was waiting at a stop sign as I drove past him. I may have been coasting at the time.
I wanted to mention some of the YouTube channels that I've been watching, lately.
The first one is George4title,or g4t. It's a stream-of-consciousness blog by a guy who lives in Southern California and he discusses the collapse of society, there. I really identify with him since I've been dealing with hopeleness and dispair for some time now. I think he might be bi-polar, but then, everyone seems to be getting that dianosis, anymore. Maybe his real problem is that society is collapsing and he has to deal with it. On a more cheerful note, I also watch Glendon Cameron. He advocates going out and hustling for a living. I'm not talking about selling drugs or anything like that; but going to storage locker auctions and selling the goods on EBay. He's making a ton of money at that and other means of making money. I should tell George to watch Glendon's videos. I think I will.
I've watched a lot of videos on fixing up the Mosin-Nagant. That's an old Russian rifle that I bought for the financial collapse. My favorite site is Iraqveteran8888. He has a lot of videos concerning modifying the Mosin.
The PatriotNurse gets into prepper stuff. I enjoy her videos, since I'm trying to prepare as well.
That leaves Peter Shiff. I watch him for his predictions about silver and the economy. That about covers what I'm doing on the Internet. I've also spent the day pricing small RVs. In California, we called them trailers, but here they are called campers. I'm thinking about getting one to live in whilst I go prospecting for gold, next year. It might take me 2 years.
Well, I've rambled on quite enough for now.
Later

                      

Maybe I'm Hallucinating Again

I went to the local VA office and talked with the people there about the letter I got from the Washington VA. They didn't remember me being there last month. I remembered seeing a guy named Jerry who hasn't worked there for years. Maybe I hallucinated that visit. If so, that could explain why the Washington VA is upset with me for not getting back to them.
It looks like everything will work out. I may have to claim a hardship case since I'm broke. I talked with the people who are going to give me a colonoscopy and it looks like I'll be able to get it done. I'm rather glad since I've been feeling something there, lately.
Anyway, things will continue as usual around here. I've been buying things for my guns, like ammunition. I've also been buying gold and silver; all in anticipation of the economic collapse.
I wasn't able to get to my money at the bank. They said that I had to pay down my debt before I could think about buying silver. That exasperated me. I really regret letting the social worker in Iowa City talking me into signing over control of my money to someone else. Never do that, no matter how good of an idea it sounds like.
It looks like I will have to pay my own way, next week to Iowa City. I called the local VA and they said that the amount I make puts me over the limit for getting paid mileage to Iowa City. That means that I'll have to fill up the van and it will cost me about $50 to go. I'll have to tell Randal that I won't be able to pay him for the trip. Oh well.
I'll post an image of an etching I'm trying to sell. This one is getting a lot of interest but no bidders, yet.

I'm asking $100 for it. The auction has about 5 days left.
Later,
Craig

They're Trying to take away my VA Benefits

I got a letter from someone in the VA last Friday. Apparently they are trying to take away my VA medical benefits. I'm afraid that I might have to start paying for Medicare and Obama care. They said that I hadn't replied to a letter I got last month. I remember calling the VA in Iowa City and telling them that the reason I had so much money in 2010 was that I sold my house.
Now they are bringing up some E-trade receipts and they are saying that I made too much money to be getting VA benefits. I'll go to the VA in town, here, and make some more calls, tomorrow.
I've been upset about this all weekend. I hope that I can get it straightened out. If I don't it will mess up my plans to go panning for gold, next year. It might set me back by a year or two.
 I told Gary about this yesterday. He said that I'm making too much out of it. I calmed down a lot when he said that. I was even feeling suicidal. I hate the idea of having another decade of poverty. I was just beginning to see a way out of it in spite of the fact that the US economy is collapsing.
On a brighter note, I went to Onalaska, today. I hung out at Barnes and Noble. For my Russian reader, that is a bookstore chain. I looked at books on homesteading and surfed the Internet. I had a coupon and a membership card so my sandwich didn't cost so much. I'm still buying parts for my Mosin-Nagant. That's a Russian rifle I bought for my gold panning expedition. I might need it for bears. If I'm near a large population center when the economy tanks, I might need it for cannibals. It might get that bad. If nobody takes the dollars, things could get really bad, really fast. Maybe I should ask my Russian reader how bad things got in the nineties. I saw something on YouTube about the collapse of Cuba; and things didn't seem to get that bad.
I'm sorry that I haven't been posting as often as I should. I'll post a picture of one of the etchings I' trying to sell on Ebay. If you think you might be interested in having one, they are on Ebay under Malcolm Childers. He's the artist.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes, tomorrow.
Craig