Beans & LegumesWhatever Happened to Japan? Is America Next?
With our own economic concerns staring us in the face it’s easy to forget what happened in Japan just 5 short months ago. Don’t remember? Let me jog your memory. Deadly earthquake/tsunami followed by a melt down of nuclear reactors.
So how is Japan handling the aftermath? Let me share with you a recent headline:
Fears of food riots strike Japan after rice trading is halted due to a 40% price spike triggered by massive hoarding of the remaining radiation free rice supply.
Is it too far fetched to think that this type of rioting and stocking up might occur here in the US? Not to me. The reality is, the US is on a slippery slope right now. While I haven’t personally seen a 40% increase in my grocery bill I have seen a good 4-5% increase and the amount of food in the packaging has gone down (by the way something we don’t do at The Ready Store).
Quantitative Easing, inflation, stimulus packages, debt ceilings, the non-existent housing market, the roller coaster ride we call the Dow (down 500 one minute, up 600 the next, and down 400 shortly after that). It seems to me the US could very well be on the cusp of dealing with an economic Tsunami that could financially bury most Americans. A 40% price increase isn’t just a problem for the Japanese but it’s a problem for you and me.
On the other hand maybe quantitative easing might work (third times the charm right?), inflation might suddenly become deflation, the economy might get stimulated, the unemployment rate will drop, home values will rebound strongly and the market will suddenly sky rocket.
Are things going to get better or worse? As a country will our politicians be able to right the ship and turn things around? I sure hope so, but I’m not going to bet my kids future on it. Are you?
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I believe the American dream is dead. There is something that helped the middle class, we had a house that gave us all a tax write off so it kept us a little above poverty. Without the write off the American people will stay in poverty. We are a third world country inside the one of the richest countries in the world. There will be a food shortage and I predict there will be blood in the streets in some places. It is going to be a nightmare for some people. All of us will be touched by the tradgedy. I pray I am wrong.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:34 pmI wouldn’t count on things getting better any time soon. I believe it will get MUCH worse for some time to come. I believe everyone needs to stock up on whatever food they can afford to do. Food prices WILL go up. If you can’t afford food now then you will starve later. I would go as far as to say sell off everything you don’t need and buy food. Have a yard sale, take your stuff to consignment shops or sell on e-bay or craigslist. Use that money for food.
August 14th, 2011 at 11:08 pmI do believe we the human family are in a transitional state
August 14th, 2011 at 11:18 pmright now ! Karma has come back to roost! It’ s time to renew your relationship with nature and if you can stop eating meat and Heal as much as possible! Blessings
Things will only get worse for the next decade. Prices will continue to rise and we will follow Japan and Germany post WWII. People will take home wheel barrows of cash and it will have no value. Those who are on welfare will be the new middle class as the morons in Washington continue to tax the workers to feed, clothe, house and give I phones, and MP3 players to illegal aliens, the lazy, and the criminal. I can see a day when we all cannot afford homes any more and will have to travel from place to place just to survive. Get rid of cars, trucks etc. get bicycles, and horses if you want to survive the next government induced tragedy. Do all work for cash only and barter.
August 15th, 2011 at 12:12 amThe government cannot be expected to handle everything possible that can go wrong. By demanding what is impossible we give up freedoms. But let us sane how we as family units approach the potential emergencies. Have stored water and simple water purification equipment, up to 6 months of food, independent heat and lighting sources, simple backup communications, and organize your neighborhood. And most importantly pray to God for this nation.
August 15th, 2011 at 12:14 amWhat a bunch of defeatists! As a kid who grew up in a poverty belt part of the country, lived through a tour in Vietnam, worked his way through college (and a masters), started his own small but 20 year healthy company I say take a deep breath, stop crying that the sky is falling, and get back to work. And smell the coffee, don’t horde it. You will just end up with bugs and no dreams.
August 15th, 2011 at 6:41 amFukushima is still spewing large amounts of radiation, which we’re not being told about. It affects the Northern Hemisphere. How much is getting into our food now? How does this affect the food being produced for storage? Will we ever know the truth? Can we know the truth?
August 15th, 2011 at 7:44 amBo, I don’t think anyone’s truly being a defeatist, more so a realist. And no one’s hoarding anything. Prior to the last 20-30 years, most folks had the common sense to fully stock a pantry in case of hardships. I’m younger than you, grew up in a small town, and weathered a couple rounds of my dad getting laid off from various jobs due to businesses moving to ‘greener pastures’. We made it through largely in part because my mother, listening to the wisdom of her Depression-era parents, had stocked away a full pantry of foods. We didn’t eat lavishly, but I went to bed with a full belly every night. That is why we stock up. We’re not hoarding, we’re wisely investing in an ‘emergency fund,’ its just in physical food goods(which are then inflation-proof) instead of, or in conjunction with, a monetary emergency fund (subject to value loss due to inflation).
No one (no sane person anyway) wants this kind of thing to happen. But that’s where the ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ slogan comes from.
August 15th, 2011 at 7:59 amLiving in the South during Hurricane Katrina, this is exactly what happened. Gas was rationed; essentials were wiped off the shelves (purchased, not destroyed, in huge quantities); and fear was rampant. Yet, those of us that were prepared, with a little in our kitchens, and pantries, were fine. It was a very scary time for many people. Food storage is essential. For all sorts of emergencies.
August 15th, 2011 at 8:01 amI can easily see the day when grocery store shelves are bare like in Japan & they were in Russia. There would be riots, gangs looting what is left. Then martial law takes over, soldiers come door to door to take away our food supplies to distribute to those who didn’t prepare. then according to household size, you are doled out a small bag of rice & beans every week while all the food you bought all these years is “redistributed” to the ones who thought the government would always be there to provide for them while they spent all day sleeping or wasting money on video games. This CAN happen in America.
August 15th, 2011 at 8:05 amI was talking to an accountant (CFO) for a national wood products group about…gold. He said, “You cannot eat gold.” Ben Bernanke, Chairmen of the Federal Reserve said last week when asked why gold used to be the standard in currency back-up, “Because it was tradition.” Having a pantry of food to eat,T.P, alternate cooking source, knowing how to sew,knit and re-purpose clothing,a network of friends with medical,nursing and dental skills and a friendly optimistic outlook (not necessarily for the ECONOMY) will help us all to live healthier emotional and physical lives
August 15th, 2011 at 10:25 amA large part of the population in the US either don’t know or have forgotten: 1) Northeast power outage 1965 & 2003, 2) gasoline rationing, 3) three mile island, 4) the depression, 5) two World Wars. Many people think: that’s history – won’t happen now or to me… We’ve become increasingly dependent on everything simply working. Electricity, gas, food, ATM’s and cell phones are all simply expected to be available without failure. What happens if they are not available? Are you prepared? Are you ready?
August 15th, 2011 at 10:38 amWe lived in a small town during the Cuba missle crisis. The shelves were bare. I lived in a town cut off by flooding. Nothing was added to the shelves for a couple of weeks. My father lost his job a couple of times. My father started a new business with some other men. Money was very short. Between what my mother canned and the neighbors who shared their food from hunting, things were very tight.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:59 amI store to help my family and neighbors. It is not hoarding. It is saving, just like a savings account.
I still believe that if you are smart and prepare(with food storage) your family has better than a fighting chance. In times of disaster no one cares about their bank acct. or jobs. They are concerned about one thing only, their next meal. That’s why it is critical to take every extra penny and stock up on food and ammo. I feel very much at peace no matter what comes. I also made the move to the countryside, safer!
August 15th, 2011 at 9:04 pmI am probably older than most of you that have written, but I grew up in a world where nothing was a sure thing and you worked hard for everything, were thankful for what you had and didn’t think you deserved more unless you worked hard for it. If we saw something we needed, we saved for it and didn’t buy it until we could pay cash for it. Credit was not an option. My mother and grandmother always canned/froze/dried food for our family. During a drought, we had our water turned off for half the day and my mother filled the bathtub, containers etc. to prepare. This is Biblical. We must trust in the Lord and as he has told us not to worry as we see the signs of the times take place. We look for his return–of which no one knows, but we can see things that tell us this is so. So, it is most important that you and your family has accepted the Lord as your Savior. He will comfort you and take away the fear.
August 15th, 2011 at 10:11 pmI am not sure what America’s economy is going to be like in the future. I have no idea whether politicians have what it takes to make the decisions that are right for our country, especially when they allow things to get so tight. I also know they aren’t the only factors for all the crap raining down on the United States. So these are the reasons I am preparing now. NOBODY else I know is preparing so I am doing it for them. A few hundred pounds of dry food in my reserve, and a few thousand to go. I haven’t bought PS3, Xbox, and things like that because I believe the sooner the better for life preparations, but they are needed for these situations too. When I reach the one ton mark I will start to slow down and go play.
August 16th, 2011 at 10:53 amThe writing is on the wall if you are listening to the warning signs. If we go into a recession/depression, it will be the same as the 1930′s and 1860′s (defeated Confederacy). History has told us what happened. Many displaced people wandered all over this country. Many were just looking for work, but many were just up to plain no good. They robbed, stole, even murdered for food and other valuable items. People are correct to store food and have ammunition to protect it. Yes, the Lord helps those who help themselves.
August 17th, 2011 at 3:16 amI will tell you now that it not good time not to be telling everyone you know that you have stocked up on food and water.I no longer talk about it with friends or family.I have kids and a wife to feed and keep alive.I don’t need friends or family banging on my door for food and water when I don’t have enough to spare.No one thinks of these things.But I do!What would you do?Something bad hits your town.You are all set,but the stores have no more food,and the news tells you,you can’t drink the water.Now you have to put your plan at work.You get your family inside and lock the doors and board up the windows.Now 10 of your friends show up at your door.You couldn’t shoot them.But if you let them in you will kill you and your family.The food would go quick.Your water would be all gone.What will you do?
August 17th, 2011 at 2:09 pm@Dave; Glad to read how you are thinking… and hopefully your comment will get at least one more doing the same. The more people we can persuade to become more “independent” the safer we all will be. My (new) way of thinking:
And never stop learning…
October 17th, 2011 at 11:55 amTrust God to guide you, your gut feeling about others, your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open
You have your priorities straight… God bless and keep you!