Homestead mailing list

[Lisa Perry <lkvp AT floydva.net>]

Gene GeRue wrote:

> > > The dollar is now down about 50% against the euro since October 2000 
> > > and recently hit its lowest level since 1995 against a basket of 
> > > foreign currencies.
> >
> > And the price of gold is at 16 year highs at around $450.
I've been watching gold since it was around $275...$315...$350...and 
dipped back to $375 from a high of $425 just this fall.  Hindsight is 
20/20.  We didn't have money to invest, but wish we would have scrounged 
some.  It's probably still a good bet, many analysts predict gold to go 
much higher. 

> Less hope after election
> Hey, here's an idea! Let's live the homestead life and be as insulated 
> as possible from the rest of the world's problems. (break) Which of 
> course brings us back to the need for reliable cash to pay those 
> unreasonable people who only take cash, check or credit card, like the 
> tax person, the car registration and insurance persons, the seller of 
> those many items we can't produce for ourselves, etc. I am still open 
> to new suggestions.

You guys are reading my mind, this is thread I wanted to see.  Let's 
throw in the threat of Iran (the U.S. probably wants to go to war with 
them--but can we afford it?), the housing bubble (to pop when interest 
rates rise and values drop), and Hubbert's Peak predicted for summer 
2005 (when we begin to run out of oil) to the mix.  Many variables.  
What's it spell?  Perhaps a  d-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-n?  Everything I've read 
says Greenspan doesn't have enough tricks left in his bag to prevent 
another recession from happening and this one would be worse than the 
last.  There are fewer analysts now who say we're going to have a 
terrific bull market and everything is hunky dory.

My husband told me last night and that my track record isn't very good.  
He was referring to y2k, because we were among those who prepared 
(something we don't admit in public).  I hope I'm way off and completely 
wrong again.

Homesteaders will be the best prepared--for whatever happens--but darn 
it, I'm not a real homesteader.  I haven't even grown grain yet.  

So what do you all think about the current situation of our country?