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[bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

This is from James Wesley Rawles on his site today.  It plays into some of 
the recent conversations on this list.  Rawles is a definite "survivalist", 
but he is also a homesteader and a farmer.  Some of his apocalyptic concerns 
are way 'out there' for me, but he is a very bright , accomplished man, and 
in general, is sensible and reasonable....

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" Inflation, Taxes, and Self-Sufficiency

I recently received an e-mail from T.F. in Utah, who quipped: "They tell us 
that inflation is now non-existent. Well, how many years of deflation will it 
take to get prices back to where they once were? It is noteworthy that the 
average annual property tax on a house on a city lot now exceeds the entire 
land purchase price and construction cost of a comparable square footage 
house, in 1890." Inflation is indeed insidious. And its has implications that 
are far-reaching. For example, consider the following:

Creeping tax increases one of the reasons that it is now nearly impossible 
for someone to "live off the land" on small acreage. Even if you own your 
house and land free and clear, property taxes are inescapable. Thus, in 
"self-sufficient" mode, although you can feed yourself, you still need a 
cash-earning job, just to pay the taxes. I pray that at the far end of the 
coming depression, our debt money system--which is the root of 
inflation--will be replaced by a system of sound currency that is redeemable 
in specie. That is the only sure, long term solution to creeping inflation, 
and corresponding creeping taxation.

I've mentioned this tale of woe before: Back in the 1930s, my great 
grandparents lost a considerable portion of their 5,000+ acre sheep ranch in 
northern California to back taxes. At the beginning of the Great Depression 
they were land rich but cash poor. But by the end of the Depression, that had 
neither much money or land. (By 1942, the county had taken most of the ranch 
for back taxes.) Although the chances of a long-lasting deflationary 
depression are fairly small (since I think Helicopter Ben will try to inflate 
his way out of this mess), it is prudent to do your best to maintain a cash 
income to supplement "the fat of the land", from your self-sufficient 
retreat. See the SurvivalBlog Archives for some suggestions on building up 
home-based businesses."