Rage Against the Machine

[bullfrog]

Wait what? Regular people like us? That ain't right!

 

[Ballenxj]

My six month exploratory period on the road is over. The results are mixed - there were times when it was the closest thing to Nirvana that I've experienced and times when I wondered if if I was out of my mind for doing it.
<-------->
 I'm pretty much done with trying to fit into this society and the end wont come soon enough.

WOW Ian! that's a pretty Heart wrenching story, but fairly typical of how society is structured.
The elite own the banks, and want everyone of us to be in debt up to our eyeballs to them. It is indeed a form of slavery, they just designed the system to favor them, leaving normal folk very little choice in how we choose to live. Meanwhile, the henchmen for this system all seem to get Golden Parachutes.

 

[jonsun]

WOW Ian! that's a pretty Heart wrenching story, but fairly typical of how society is structured.
The elite own the banks, and want everyone of us to be in debt up to our eyeballs to them. It is indeed a form of slavery, they just designed the system to favor them, leaving normal folk very little choice in how we choose to live. Meanwhile, the henchmen for this system all seem to get Golden Parachutes.

when you're in debt you have to work. A population that is dependent on a job due to debt drives labor prices down. as labor prices go down or stagnate, debt goes up. This hand-to-mouth paradigm creates a sense of constant, impending economic and societal instability. It's.why people want to go homestead.....except it cost a fortune to buy the land for that.

I guess we've always had that. living off the land and a drought comes or a tribe invades. But the thing is we have the means for real stability for the first time in history but now they've intentionally setup a system against it.

 

[GEAUX- PRIUS Cowboy]

Sir I too agree with you to a degree. I have paid off all my debts but we still use our CC for nearly every purchase so we can keep building our credit . Never know when you need credit. If my car takes a dive I have the credit to buy the one owner low mileage ride. 

Right now that would be a 2013 Prius V with 60K miles I can get 40 mpg and the stereo in that car is so choice. White too nice cool color. WE know we are living in wicket times I will explain my building up to my first apartment. My first real to live apartment was Houston Tx. I arrived in that town with a promise of a place to sleep and a job. Well my good old baddie got me the job bless him for that. But his dad said he aint staying here? 

Enter the phone on the C store at stop n go where I slept homeless with my back to the wall for 2 weeks. My friend that I met in church had no care or consideration for what I was going through . I could have been prepared for this if I had stayed in scouting I could have gotten me a tent and lived it up I could have been a van man back in the 80s. But I was washed like the rest of the people and sought the first room I could rent. Sadly that was with a coke dealer very strange paranoid people. I stayed there until I could find a room that happened to be with an alcoholic (moving up?) at least I was not terrified of somebody busting in the door due to their illicit activity ? 

Finally I got my first apartment $175 a month for a studio apartment that looked brand new. YES right next to the pool too I never took advantage of worked all the time to pay the rent C stores pay very weak but it is an honest living. A walk in closet a dish washer I never used a dish washer, I loved that place. 

What is nuts is what I pay in sewer and garbage pickup today nearly cost what I paid for that apartment they charge me $40 before I get a drop of water $40 for sewer how in the HELL can you justify that ? Went to a movie last night $10 can you believe that ? If you keep up with the Jones you will be shoveling cash out your ass as fast or faster than you can make it. 

But if you  have the nerve to go off grid well you can have quite the live snaring animals to eat and enjoying the quality sound makers and TV products you enjoy off the power of the sun. Or you could live the life buying $5 chickens from Sams club?

 

[TrainChaser]

People have been trained for a LOOOOOONG time to think of Want and Need as the same thing, and they're not. Anyone who can't tell the difference is looking for trouble.

What you need to do is play their game by your rules. Being able to think things through is a big plus.

People should take a look at all the 'stuff' in their homes that they haven't used since the week after they bought them. My brother's girlfriend is the Poster Girl for this problem. She buys multiples of things that she can only use one at a time. She has a HUGE collection of audio books, but she never listens to one a second time. Why couldn't she just borrow them from the library?

Some people need to learn about Pavlov's Reaction. Just because govt and big business ring a bell, you don't HAVE to start drooling.

 

[highdesertranger]

BTW I deleted a bunch of posts from this thread. please stay on the subject. highdesertranger

 

[SternWake]

Pavlov's dogs figured out how to make Pavlov write in his little book, all they had to do was start drooling.

From day one we are told we have to do this and do that so we can have this and that, as if this and that contains all the secrets to happiness and fulfillment as told to us by miserable people.

I once asked 'what if I don't want this or that?' My parents turned their heads sideways like confused dogs do.

Having this and that seemed to me, to make people miserable, stressed, and fight with each other.

No credit, no debt.

Dangle that carrott if you want, your wasting your energy, I don't like carrots.

The system does not want me?
Guess what.
Its mutual.

 

[Dgorila1]

The System, The Man, Big Brother, The New World Order....whatever name you call it all want the same thing. As Ian said they want everyone to be bound by the slavery of debt, materialism and obligations. I'm working on eliminating the debt and preparing for when my kid leaves the nest. I'm committed to giving them a stable home environment until they are done with school and started in their life. That's the reason I put up with paying the monthly payments to the mortgage company and the various utility barons.  After that all bets are off.  I don't think my wife realizes how serious I am about living on the road full time once  the time comes. 
   Don't get me wrong, having a comfortable house to relax in every day/night is great, but being indebted to The System causes constant stress. I'm slowly trying to purge unneeded things from my life so I'm ready to make the move when the time comes. I want to travel and see this beautiful continent while I'm still young enough and healthy enough to do so. 
   Ian, if the salary you're being offered is much greater than what your cost to live will be then it might be worth it to add some more $$$$ to your retirement fund. If not and you can afford to keep living the style you are comfortable with I would think about passing. No reason to "Live to work" and add unneeded stress to your life when there is no end prize. Good luck!

 

[Gary68]

population of the u.s. 2017 326,474,013, with a vast majority of them well feed and housed,the machine is doing a good job
even if 10 million fall through the cracks the machine is doing a good job
if anyone has a better option i am listening,hunting and/or gathering will not feed 326 million people

if you haven't noticed a vast majority of people are just fine and dandy being worker bees just because you or i don't fit in doesn't make it bad
and just because the herd is going that way doesn't mean you or i have to follow

if you have the skills you have the power,call those companies and tell them you happy to work for them but need a place to park your setup or no go

i advise turning your trailer into a work shop and hit all the fairs,festivals,gatherings and such also have an online presence  

b.t.w my credit score is n.a. because i have never used credit,everyone says i am screwed but it seems i dont care
the way to win a no win situation is to simply not play their game,i'll make up my own


and of course
[video=youtube]
Rage against the Machine-killing in the name

 

[John61CT]

326,474,013

If that were the total **world** population we'd be much better off. Even just defining "we" as humanity, which is pretty parochial.

 

[Gary68]

If that were the total **world** population we'd be much better off. Even just defining "we" as humanity, which is pretty parochial.

i dont know,look at Canada,about the same size as the u.s.,equal natural resources but the total population of California and plenty of financial and housing issues??? :huh: they should be rollin in dough

 

[Ballenxj]

Here you guys go. Everybody needs one of these.  
4:54 long video.

 

[IanC]

population of the u.s. 2017 326,474,013, with a vast majority of them well feed and housed,the machine is doing a good job
even if 10 million fall through the cracks the machine is doing a good job
if anyone has a better option i am listening,hunting and/or gathering will not feed 326 million people

if you haven't noticed a vast majority of people are just fine and dandy being worker bees just because you or i don't fit in doesn't make it bad
and just because the herd is going that way doesn't mean you or i have to follow

Yes, you are correct.  The world has no obligation to cater to you or I. Yes the majority do seem to be doing fine in the orchestrated system. I look at the lives around me and I just don't relate and I can't seem to find the interest in trying to anymore. Maybe that's why I resent all the systems that we're expected to participate in.  Again, that's not the world's issue, it's mine.   I can't ever remembering wanting money for money's sake, and I guess that's a good thing because a good portion of my life I worked low paying jobs - no one's fault about that. I just never pursued anything that generated money, simple as that.   BUT I for the most part I was able to do pretty much what I wanted, so that is a tribute to the freedom we do have.


Looking at my present situation in the light of a new day - that I'm 60 and still have work options is amazing in itself. Perhaps I can pull this together and if I can hold out for a couple years more.   I'll have a better nest egg, and THEN i can cut these ties and hit the road again and use what I learned to do it better next time.  That's the plan as of tonight, anyway.

And if I pop up with any more rants, feel free to tell me to "SHADDAP", delete me or whatever.  There's a good chance is just (as Edgar Allen Poe called it) 'a dark night of the soul' - always passes.

 

[IanC]

Here you guys go. Everybody needs one of these.  
4:54 long video.

LOL isn't that something. I paid mine off about 12 years ago and I'm never falling into that trap again. The feeling of making the last payments and cutting them up was like the last day I drank alcohol, 25 years ago. like I escaped something that was going to get a hell of a lot worse if I didn't.

 

[Gary68]

rants are always welcome

i just spent my nest egg on my retirement plan so...
https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-The-Fat-Van-rides-again

the rest is fishing pole and menial labor so get your mobile leather shop going so i can press buttons for a day for some gas money

 

[TrainChaser]

Gary68: "population of the u.s. 2017 326,474,013, with a vast majority of them well feed and housed,the machine is doing a good job. even if 10 million fall through the cracks the machine is doing a good job"

35% of Americans are on some form of public assistance.
69% have less than $1,000 in their savings account.
7% have no bank accounts at all.
14 million jobs have been outsourced to foreign countries.
There are somewhere between 570,000 and 1.2 million homeless people.
As of April, there are an estimated 17 million vacant homes, with three-quarters of them owned by investors and banks.

I'm not an expert in economics, but if things don't improve, I would suspect that the current van dwellers are going to have a lot of new neighbors.

 

[akrvbob]

The gallop poll company has been doing a poll of job engagement (satisfaction) every year since 2000, and the results are consistently similar year after year, roughly ...

1) 31% of people are engaged at work: they like going to work.
2) 49% are not engaged, meaning they don't like their jobs, but they have to go so they do. They just barely tolerate it.
3) 20% are actively disengaged, meaning they hate their job and go to work and actively try to hurt their employer in any way they can get away with and not be fired.

Roughly 70% of Americans either dislike or hate their jobs. That's not what I would describe as a good life. But, we are all free to define for ourselves what a good life is.

See this: http://www.gallup.com/poll/181289/majority-employees-not-engaged-despite-gains-2014.aspx

 

[jonsun]

100% of all slaves were well fed and housed. that's better than "the machine."

I think what we can extrapolate from this data is that everyone makes way too much money. Why not work for free and have your home given to you?

 

[SternWake]

We that have wings, have the freedom to not take part in the system.

I appreciate that, and those who fought for that freedom which I don't quite appreciate as much as I should, as I know of NO people with more freedom.

In many cultures in human hisory, those of us thinking/living outside the norms, would have been culled, or enslaved, which is likely worse.

NO doubt my 'credit' rating is laughable.
I'll never know.

 

[jonsun]

shhh dont give them any ideas