Dangerous Mindsets

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The Partisan News problem is growing. It’s hard enough to figure out the Future – even when you have a good and reliable set of facts at hand.

But the evolving problem in the world now – in addition to the liberal disease of “talking-past the other party” – is that “clean sourcing” is becoming more difficult.

So we begin the weekend with some ponders of what’s ahead.

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37 thoughts on “Dangerous Mindsets”

  1. Thank you for your efforts to tell a mere layperson about #7. I remember buying some sea buckthorn long ago.

    From Hal Turner this morning:

    Russia President Vladimir Putin has issued a very unusual, late-night statement:

    At approximately 3:30 AM Moscow, Russia time, the Russian President said:

    “The world is facing a fatal and irreversible turning point!”

    Nothing else was said and no explanation was offered.

  2. Thank you, I as most here are old enough to remember good old fashioned reporting. Granted there was always bias, but not the packaged info-mercials that it has become today. Couple that with reporters now telling “their view” instead of facts. Leave us here in a desert of facts while in an oasis of BS

    • There was an episode of “The Jetsons” where George Jetson was ranting about not being able to get by on $2000 per month anymore. At the time, we thought that was crazy.

    • Read the first part of an article yesterday – got a little disgusted and clicked-out.
      This couple in Vermont bought their dream retirement home in the country – small, two-bedroom cottage style house. Got a great deal on it…, however – they are now finding that it is nearly impossible to live on their pensions and Social Security – which totals just over $230,000 a year.

        • If you can’t live on a quarter of a million per year in RETIREMENT … then your lifestyle is OUT OF CONTROL.

      • I can see that in today’s cost of living environment it sure doesn’t surprise me at all.. right here in the wastelands where we should have a lower cost of living low income housing is losing tenants because their low income wages are not enough to pay for the rent.. a building that cost fifteen thousand twenty years ago at an auction is now worth 375 thousand.
        The daughters best friend and her husband just bought a house..no kids but the payments and taxes and insurance … not counting the rest of it..will 40 – 60 grand more than they make..she’s a high school teacher and he’s an across country driver..
        our taxes and insurance for home and auto is Half of what we get per month..
        so..the thought of someone with what use to be a very good income discovering the wheels of inflated charges because of a government that loves to toss money every where but the USA is not to unbelievable at all.. in San Fran food stamp level is just shy that..and renting a bunk bed is what a couple grand a month..it totally depends on where your living and what your living in.heaven help us if they get taxes of unrealized gains..

    • A person who owns their own home cash can still live decently on $3K a month, and maintain insurance. Capital expenditures are a problem at that income level. It is tough to handle new roofs and major appliance change-outs, or trendy wheels at that income level. It is even tougher to make a go of it in a rental.
      Insurance is your first line of defense against calamity, with preps and savings to fill in the gaps, which help out with circumstance for which there is no insurance policy. That doesn’t really get adequate emphasis by prepper authors.
      At 36K per year, you should get about 2/3 break on Obamacare. Not as cheap as Medicare, but it is good medical insurance, if you are careful to use in-network medicals.
      Home and auto insurance has sky-rocketed in the last 5 years, and there aren’t a lot of breaks. Smaller homes and lower cost vehicles can help.
      If I had it to do over, I would have installed a couple of mini-split heat pumps, instead of the bottomless black cash pit central heat pump. I expect that would have save both capital money and energy cost. I am considering putting a single mini-split in as a back-up, then add a second when the central compressor dies on me in a few years. The main thing that is stopping that now is whether or not I will be at this location for the duration.
      I spend more on vehicles than I should. I was priced out of the pick-up market more than a decade ago. I maintain a small trailer instead. `I can tow that trailer with anything that has a 1500 lb towing capacity. This may be the last SUV I purchase. When you can get decent new ride with a 1500 lb towing capacity for less than 20K, that becomes an easy lifestyle downsizing measure, and I am moving toward additional downsizing. No point in trying to maintain a lifestyle that I will never be able to physically handle again, that no one feels the need to help with.
      I haven’t heard from the developers in some time, but I am expecting them to come out of hibernation when the new middle school adjacent to the new high school comes on line. Everyone has their price, especially politicos and judges, but that is a different topic for another session.

      • (“Insurance is your first line of defense against calamity, “)

        agreed.. we need insurance .. we pay out a total of 700 a month for insurances and 300 for taxes..
        health insurances Medicare and supplements between the both of us is a tad over 700 a month and we still have co-pays.. mine is 50 for pa and lab etc. and 275 for a doctor or specialist..
        still fighting with one of the supplements that won’t even send me an eat shit and die letter that refuses to pay on two years worth of claims..
        I don’t care so much that they haven’t paid dime number one .. I just want the go to hell you worthless sucker letter..
        But get caught without it once..
        in the end they take it all..Heck when my father passed on a bill came from everyone for a consultation ..now why does a man need a gynecologist and proctologist and podiatrist consult on somebody that has died.. its the business model.
        A friend and I worked in cabinet manufacturing plant..one day we were sitting on a bunk of ply and he was telling me about his brother and his decisions on building assisted living centers .. I worked in a medical facility part time and he said come join us..I said no. A few years later he called me and said they are throwing farms at me.. come with us..they went bankrupt a couple years later .. the support to run it comes from the residents.. where a government facility has its expenses distributed among everyone a for profit cannot do it and still hand out million dollar wages to executives and keep staff on the floor..somebody has to go.. that is exactly why I can still view face prints of myself at 34 years old..

    • dam it still is Joe……
      I remember when I could buy groceries for a family of four for a month for seventy five dollars.. during the early 2000’s I could buy a loaf of bread.. the same brand and same kind I buy today for sixty five cents a loaf.. ( they use less wheat flour in it) and today its almost four dollars a loaf..
      in 1992 nurses made under five dollars an hour.. we made 3.75as a comparison.. today just to be able to afford low income housing with govt assistance.. you have to clear twenty dollars an hour plus the cost of living.. for a nursing home service.. per person you have to clear a quarter million per year.. back in the nineties it was under fifty thousand.. times are changing like a big tree or a building coming down.. it looks like it is really slow motion but in reality its changing faster.. each day.. the cost of dog food alone from last month went up went up aproximately two percent.. in one month..

  4. “But I wanted to mention that there is a very good overview of this “working the telomeres investigative work” to slow (and reverse aging)”

    Wow. Now that is a deep dive!

    • As life extension progress was really noticeable and longevity became a government bean counters nightmare.. they started to pass laws to expedite the process.. so the drop and flop laws were put in place.. things around here if your in managed care.. you cannot have the safety equipment because every man woman and child has the right to kill themselves using any means they want to..

    • I’m trying to understand why Israel, killing at most 1/400,000 of all the Muslims on the planet is a “genocide,” yet Hamas, flat-out murdering at least 1/5000 of all the Jews on the planet, is not…

  6. Telomeres were once explained to me as like the tips on shoelaces. With each (some number?) of DNA replications, some of the “end-of-chain” telomeres broke off, and the tips were shortened. When enough broke off, the chain could no longer be terninated with proper “stop bits,” and would not unzip and replicate again.

    Doesn’t sound unreasonable. (Doesn’t mean it’s right, either, of course.)

    • That jives with my understanding perfectly. And it’s disappointing when you can’t ‘unzip’.

  8. Frankness…$10,000 a year used to be big money.

    Medicare increases rarely cover the increases in medical premiums. And never match actual inflation.

    • A hard rain is going to fall, and we serve our best interests by preparing for the coming storm.

      The core skill going forward–frugality–is largely a forgotten skillset. Time to get busy while we still have time.
      – – Charles Hugh Smith

  9. re: cola
    feat: when the levy breaks

    Folks,

    Here’s a real thing. A Ukrainian legislator announced on the (banned) Telegram platform this past Thursday of the passing of Draft Law #11416d according to the “Kyiv Post”. Military personnel will continue to have 1.5% of total income deducted for the military levy. All others will see an increase to 5% retroactive to October 1st.

    • re: Milton’s business model
      feat: M is for Magic

      Folks,
      I perused the report from Stu referenced by George about his extended sojourn in the Milton inundation without an Ark. It was an eye-opening read to say the least.

      “Business Insider” published a report Thursday from an anecdotal conversation with an Arizona business woman shepherding her extended family of 6 at a Magic Kingdom property through the height of the hurricane. An extra night stay in two rooms was purportedly discounted 40% from the $1000 rack rate per room per night. The visitors were thrilled too that breakfast was on promo for half price! Wow.

      Apparently an only hiccup to the peaceful curfew and guest movement restrictions on Wednesday was the matter of a fire alarm sounding at 9:30 pm. However resort staff allegedly worked magic. Would you believe emergency services responded promptly! A “short circuit” was resolved and guests could quickly return to rest in their rooms disturbed only by the sounds of wind and rain lashing at the windows.

      Amidst the dystopian reality of the outside real world, the report came close to suggesting Floridians and others seeking respite from future ravages of Mother Nature could be well-served in a kingdom.

      (Of course, what’s in your wallet?)

      Yesterday evening I tuned in late to a broadcasting of the “2012” movie released in 2009. A Black US scientist was appealing to the White White House Chief of Staff to open the gates of the assembled Arks facing an imminent flood catastrophe. This would permit boarding by a massed group of ordinary otherwise doomed to perish in the minutes-away approaching wall of water.

      Adios!

  10. I’ve never been a fan of insurance. Especially after being denied claims and having to threaten lawsuits(through a lawyer) to even get their attention. If each of us were to figure out how much we’ve paid in premiums vs how much losses(or medical costs) we’ve recovered financially, I wonder how many win vs lose. If we all won, then the insurance companies would go broke.

    Another important thought is how many claims – especially medical, are due to wanting to get your money’s worth from the insurance? Self-insurance requires discipline, and you’re automatically incentivized to minimize costs, consistent with the result you wish to achieve. Insurance has a profit motive to instill fear and enhance the perceived risk, while minimizing actual risk. Additionally, sweetheart deals between the insurance companies and medical providers let those companies pay much less than an individual for a given procedure.

    In short, I prefer to be my own insurance company as much as is practical in this society.

    Regarding living well on 2K a month, it’s quite possible today. I’m referring to after tax money, of course. I often live on far less than that, but my desires require time and other attributes that can’t be bought with money. Living each day, enjoying each breath, and appreciating each moment really do matter!

    I am annoyed at having to pay car insurance for each vehicle whether I drive it or not. I can only drive one at a time, and one might sit for weeks without being driven. For my lifestyle, it’s essential to have at least one heavy hauler. A van in my case, though I’d put the pickup on the road also as a backup but for the insurance thing. I also need an economical daily driver. Living alone in a rural area means a minimum of two legal vehicles just to be sure of mobility! Of course a couple could get by with the same two vehicles, but less than two is a non-starter.

    • Javen’t had a claim in 40 years and at a comparable to $1000 per year – not counting interest – and that’s on vehicles – double and you’re close to the house/liability coverage…sheesh

    • The problem with self-insurance is that hospitals charge somewhere between 3x and 10x for services to an uninsured patient as what they charge at insurance contract price.
      My first taste of that was about 20 years ago after fairly major orthopedic surgery and 3 days of hospitalization with metering pump. The hospital billed ghastly amounts of money, which the insurance carrier simply rejected out of hand and told them what they would pay according to contract, and the hospital took it. I went back later and added it all up, and the hospital was billing 7X contract price.
      It is possible to negotiate cash prices with doctor’s offices and test outfits, but you get wheeled into an emergency room unconscious, you are looking at a post-op bankruptcy. I view the insurance as more a defense against involuntary servitude extortion by hospital admins as anything. Again, the insurance is defense against calamity. And yes, you may have to turn it over to a lawyer to get paid your due.

      • To me, it’s illegitimate and should be illegal to charge more than the lowest rate to cash customers of the medical system. I don’t see how they can justify it at all. Even in an emergency, if you’re conscious, I believe you have a right to refuse any intervention unless you’re made aware of the price in advance and agree with it. If you’re not conscious, any DNR or other medical ID tag should be complied with, including “Do Not Intervene” or “Do Not Touch”. Unfortunately, first responders and ER folks are taught otherwise.

        Sometimes, remaining alive just costs too much money already allocated for family and friends.

        Good luck collecting! I’ve never gone to a hospital as an adult patient, and God willing, I never will. Dying is guaranteed, and sometimes it’s best not to prolong the agony. There are better things to do with money than give it to an institution that I don’t respect, nor agree with.

    • When you get your first serious claim against you, or serious medical bills, then you are thankful for having insurance.

      In the medical arena I was on a high deductible plan ($5000) with NO Doctors coverage, NO vision, NO dental … but boy was I glad I had it when I was out skiing, had an injury and the cost was $124,000. (spread over two years so my out of pocket was $10,000 – health insurance company, BC/BS, took care of the rest)

      For my homeowners insurance I got back 20 years worth of premiums by what the insurance company paid to repair my house after a major storm.

      In my work arena have been sued once and threatened with a suit another time. One of those claims was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and the other was for over a million. Not a single penny was paid in either case (I did nothing wrong) but MY out of pocket expenses still ran to about $50,000, though anything above that for defending me was paid by my insurance company and they would have paid the claim too if I had been found liable. Since I had lots of insurance I could sleep at night and not worry about the ridiculous lawsuits for the two years each of them took to resolve.

      Personally I think people that go “BARE” are either ignorant about what things cost anymore or effectively broke anyway with no assets to protect, which is why I carry a million dollars of UNDERINSURED insurance in case someone without much insurance hurts ME in an auto accident – ie: MY insurance company will make up the difference between what I can collect on them and my $1 million in coverage.

      Seriously hurt just a firefighter or teacher in an auto accident? If they can’t work again the damages for their medical bills and lost wages alone these days will run to at least $2 million dollars. (I bet most of you do NOT carry enough insurance to cover that amount of damages – but that is what a middle income person will have in damages if they are seriously injured and can’t work again).

      If you have a spare couple of million around then it may pay to NOT have insurance. The point of insurance is to protect your assets so you can keep them in the event something bad happens and most of us are NOT rich enough to be able to afford to really self insure and still keep our assets in the event something bad happens.

        • Not sure how predators would know..?

          Around these parts the “advice” is you must have Major Medical Coverage .

          I see the broke = self coverage folks all over the expat community in Belize. Health care in Belize is basically free. Basics like broke bones, sutures, dehydration – sure they got that covered, anything beyond that, best to get on Plane and come back state side, medavac(used to pay AMEX for this ins.) or what I carry when out of CONUS nowadays – BIVY stick connected to Global Rescue. Those guys will pull You off the side of a mountain, or out the middle of a military coupe in some god forsaken hellhole if need be.

          * Dont leave home without it.. PS Personal Liability Umbrella Policy – for those scumbag mofo’s looking to slip and fall 2 get paid.
          ** Skate boarder tried to sue my Daughter after running into her Audi at a STOP sign. In the end, Dirtbag went to Prison for Insurance Fraud..Allstate warned him, FAFO, he found out the HARD wa.

      • Having been sued illegitimately for over 10 million(that I didn’t have), I realize that someone can always sue you for more than any policy will cover. The angst of living for years with this burden isn’t relieved by insurance even if it’s there. It’s better to live such that you’re not worth suing than endure that type of experience. In that respect, even the disgusting WEF is right. Own nothing and find ways to be happy. I have no idea how Elon carries the stress of his various enterprises!

        Some people enjoy a legal fight. Some of us don’t. Even winning leaves a foul taste in my mouth that never really goes away.

  11. Took the family on a vacation a couple of weeks ago to the south of the province, to Cypress Hills. (see vid)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pkUu7lQLFs
    The little red head living with us, is the main character in the video, as she is a contortionist with Circuses in the USA. Thought you might post it to give her and the place we went, some exposure. I’ll trade for your next cover design. LOL

    • Great video, but the background “music” has to go! It was really hard to hear the words without deafening myself with that sound. I eventually went to closed captions and muted it. She’s an interesting one and obviously very athletic. The layout and spacing of the trees is interesting – it was probably planned. I should probably try experiencing something similar here – there are plenty of choices in NM.

      BTW, the place in the video is currently closed for the season.

  12. “But the most dangerous part of all surfaced in Russian ambassador to US returns home.

    Here, our best/expert of military conditions asked “Now, that does not exactly mean Russia broke off diplomatic ties. Ambassadors do get recalled as a major signal, however. But what with Milton, not seeing much about this in MSM. Have you? ”

    Yes.

    As I posted a few days ago, the Ambassador was at the end of his duty cycle.

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