Drop out? What could I be talking about now…? I saw this ‘Time Magazine’ article and it bares some post time on preppernation.com. Since it’s right in line with what I’ve been talking about here. We are all in a new world, I hesitate to call it a brave new world as we are fully inside the nanny state and bravery isn’t required or condoned. Take a few minutes to read it, it isn’t very long and when I read it I knew it wouldn’t wait until the next “What’s Up” post.

 

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1971133_1971110_1971126,00.html

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

   So, what did you think? Sound familiar? I’d say that this idea or concept being floated by a mainstream media magazine like TIME, could only mean that the .gov isn’t as clueless as they might first appear. My main question is with all of this new counter culture activity going on, how will they extract their pound of flesh? We know that they will not be cutting anything substantial from the federal or state budgets, so where will they get enough tax dollars to fund their machine?

 

   We can go round and round about what to expect from the .gov in the way of new taxes and increased fees, etc. but for today I wanted to rail at you all about what a great idea this movement is. I have a master plan to do this exact thing ASAP. However, like most of the rest of you, I have family and business commitments that are keeping me from diving into this head first.

 

   Unless my financial future hits the same brick wall at 100 mph that so many others in my economic sector has, my transition to a “Drop Out” will take a few more years. Some of you that are reading this right now have already hit the brick wall and might be feeling hopeless over the situation. STOP, be hopeful brothers, you’re not alone. As you can see, many of us will be joining you in this new lifestyle of aiming lower and a little closer to home.

 

   Is there anything wrong with this picture? I agree that we have all been trained and therefore have trained our children to stay inside the lines that society has drawn. I certainly wouldn’t encourage my daughter or anyone else to drop out of High School, actually I wouldn’t allow it if she did express the desire but that might very well be my own “OLD WAY” of thinking but I don’t see any benefit to not completing that section of her education in the traditional manner.

 

   As we’ve discussed previously, the almost obligatory stance of society that everyone that graduates high school should go on to college is one tradition that I won’t be helping to further. It’s the ability to earn a living and be independent that I will do my best to assist my daughter in achieving. The old ways of “follow this trail to success” are no longer functioning and we are at the beginning of a new frontier. I for one am excited to be living in such an interesting time, who wouldn’t want to be a settler in a new land that could very well hold opportunities that none of us have even dreamed of yet. While the last few decades have been spent seeing who could acquire the biggest house on the smallest lot, to house the fewest people. The next few decades will hold something different. What it’ll look like for sure, nobody knows.

 

   I was discussing retirement with a favorite Uncle of mine yesterday. He has been working for the same outfit for 25 years and is one of those guys that has a “good” retirement plan. His retirement is through the State of Washington. It’s the typical retirement plan that we’ve talked about before, work so many years and then when you turn 62-68 years old they give you roughly 60% of what you had been making when you stopped. While this isn’t a bad deal, by conventional standards, it seldom works out to be any retirement at all.

 

   I asked my Uncle how long he was planning to work before retirement? He promptly explained that he wasn’t going to retire! What? Yes, that was his plan, keeping working until he was to old to be able to do the job. Yep, this guy has a “good” retirement plan and this is what he has to look forward to. He explained that if he had his home paid off than he MIGHT be able to think about retiring but since he is on a 30 year mortgage with 20 some years remaining – no retirement! Him and my aunt get by well enough now but couldn’t even begin to pay for their life on 60% of what he brings in currently? So what’s a guy to do, other than work himself into the grave?

 

   This article is full of vague ideas, many of which I like! Do something different if you want something different! It is becoming more and more obvious that the traditional paths didn’t work or have ceased working any longer. If you have a lifestyle of WORK, why not be working on the things you choose, instead of punching a time clock? A theme of living off the grid or in non-traditional ways is coming and we have discussed this here but it is becoming more and more prevalent in the mainstream media. This leads me to believe we will see this come to fruition in a big way. It might just be possible that we preppers have been onto something. Relying on a failed bankrupt government has never been a good idea and the sooner we all collectively wake up to the realities of this cultural change the better.

 

   If you couldn’t tell, this is a subject that really gets me charged up. As “preppers” we are always seen as a fringe element but I propose for your consideration that we may be at the spear point of the changes on the horizon. Like the mountain men and trappers that went in to the West ahead of the settlers so many years ago, we may be the first pioneers of a new expansion that is just gaining momentum. The ride is just starting but it promises to be exciting!

 

 

Prepper