Friday, October 5, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
7 Reasons to Start Prepping
From friends and family members that truly believe the government will save them during a time of crisis, to those that have been brainwashed into believing that preppers are all tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs, prepping can often be a touchy or even taboo subject to talk about.
Here are 7 reasons that might help convince your friends and family that it’s time to become a prepper.
1. Unemployment
According to the most recent numbers, the actual unemployment rate in this country is close to 22%. The average time it takes to find employment is at a record high of 39.2 weeks. Even those that see little value in prepping for a SHTF situation should understand the need to prep for the possibility of being hit by unemployment.Prepping isn’t always about preparing for an end of the world scenario. It’s also about being prepared for those small scale events in life that can feel cataclysmic if we’re not prepared
2. Economic Problems
You don’t have to buy into the possibility of a total economic collapse, but you should at least realize that our country is in big financial trouble. With over 16 trillion dollars in debt, and unfunded obligations that make the actual debt number about $120 trillion, it doesn’t take an economist to see that we are in for some major trouble in the months and years ahead.
3. Natural Disasters
A number of people woke up real quick after seeing what happened during Hurricane Katrina. In under 24 hours, the city of New Orleans became a prime example of how quickly civilization could break down. Before our eyes we got a glimpse of what would happen during a full scale collapse; as people took to the streets to loot, riot, rape and even murder their fellow citizens.
4. It’s just like buying Insurance
Some people find the subject of prepping to be a little bit out there. When I come across these people, I often ask them if they have health or vehicle insurance. In my opinion, having a dedicated section in your budget for prepping is no different than buying vehicle insurance or a health insurance policy.
5. Shooters, Lunatics and the Extreme Fringe of Society
While active shooter situations and terrorist attacks are still pretty rare, it’s a phenomenon that does seem to be increasing in regularity. From the recent mass shootings to the growing number of terrorist attacks around the globe, these events do happen and they are something that we need to be prepared for.
6. The Cyber Threat
Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on cyber technologies; but according to Cyber Security expert Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of the Kaspersky Lab, that dependence has left us extremely vulnerable. In fact, he is warning that emerging cyber threats could spell “the end of the world as we know it”. The threat is real, and the threat has the ability to set the world back 200 years in a matter of days.
7. The Pandemic Threat
According to Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and coordinator for two research centers at the University of Ottawa, the Emerging Pathogens Research Centre (EPRC) and the Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology (CREM), “the world is becoming increasingly more likely to see a major (pandemic) event.”When that happens, it will affect our infrastructure severely. By not having the human resources to work, protect and maintain our antiquated infrastructure, things will begin to rapidly deteriorate and leave us even more vulnerable to attack.
Source:
http://offgridsurvival.com/reasontostartprepping/
ObamaCare fines for hospitals begin 10-1-2012
One of the key provisions of the ObamaCare law that could result in drastic cuts to hospitals for treating the elderly and the poor will kick in today. In an attempt to rein in the costs of medical care which many critics say will hurt the elderly and the poor the most, the ObamaCare law will now mandate as of Oct. 1, 2012 that patients who need to return to the hospital for follow-up admissions within 30 days of discharge may not get the level of care they have come to expect.
The new provision will place fines on hospitals for treating returning patients who are readmitted within 30 days after discharge. Critics say that this will lead to serious declines in both the level and quality of care rendered to patients.
Critics further state that those hospitals that cater to the elderly and the poor, such as large teaching hospitals that are affiliated with universities, will be negatively impacted the most.
When the Democrat-controlled Congress of 2009 voted in secret after midnight to approve ObamaCare, it did so with the knowledge that citizens would be introduced to its provisions incrementally over a period of several years. This gradual implementation has had the effect of lessening the impact of the new law and gradually acclimating citizens to a new way of delivering healthcare in America, particularly with regard to strikingly large tax hikes, rationing of care, and reductions in care to seniors.
With popular opposition to the healthcare law still running consistently high in national polls, observers are anxious to see how the new provision will play out among the citizens who are most effected by the reductions in care, particularly the chronically severely ill who often need readmission to the hospital after initial treatment, and the nation's growing senior adult population.
Some observers believe that the new provision will place an enormous amount of added pressure on these populations, given that patients cannot be certain that their treatment will be up to par in the event of the need for readmission to the hospital after discharge. And hospitals that are already feeling the squeeze financially due to cutbacks in reimbursements from the government may be forced to limit the level of care given during readmission, resulting in patients being discharged long before they are ready.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have stated that they intend to repeal the ObamaCare law if elected, replacing it with common sense solutions that address specific areas of the healthcare delivery system without tax increases and reductions in the level and quality of care.
The Republican plan includes provisions such as tort reform that limits the amount juries can award litigants in healthcare lawsuits, allowing health insurance companies to market and sell their coverage across state lines, which will increase healthy competition and reduce the cost of premiums, allowing small business owners and individuals to purchase low-cost group insurance coverage, and implementing tax credits to low income persons who buy health insurance plans.
Conservatives have long maintained that these provisions will result in health insurance coverage for as many if not more of the uninsured than the ObamaCare plan, given that many citizens will choose to pay the IRS fine for not having insurance rather than pay costly premiums that are far more expensive than the fines.
Source:
http://www.examiner.com/article/obamacare-fines-for-hospitals-begin-today
Critics further state that those hospitals that cater to the elderly and the poor, such as large teaching hospitals that are affiliated with universities, will be negatively impacted the most.
When the Democrat-controlled Congress of 2009 voted in secret after midnight to approve ObamaCare, it did so with the knowledge that citizens would be introduced to its provisions incrementally over a period of several years. This gradual implementation has had the effect of lessening the impact of the new law and gradually acclimating citizens to a new way of delivering healthcare in America, particularly with regard to strikingly large tax hikes, rationing of care, and reductions in care to seniors.
With popular opposition to the healthcare law still running consistently high in national polls, observers are anxious to see how the new provision will play out among the citizens who are most effected by the reductions in care, particularly the chronically severely ill who often need readmission to the hospital after initial treatment, and the nation's growing senior adult population.
Some observers believe that the new provision will place an enormous amount of added pressure on these populations, given that patients cannot be certain that their treatment will be up to par in the event of the need for readmission to the hospital after discharge. And hospitals that are already feeling the squeeze financially due to cutbacks in reimbursements from the government may be forced to limit the level of care given during readmission, resulting in patients being discharged long before they are ready.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have stated that they intend to repeal the ObamaCare law if elected, replacing it with common sense solutions that address specific areas of the healthcare delivery system without tax increases and reductions in the level and quality of care.
The Republican plan includes provisions such as tort reform that limits the amount juries can award litigants in healthcare lawsuits, allowing health insurance companies to market and sell their coverage across state lines, which will increase healthy competition and reduce the cost of premiums, allowing small business owners and individuals to purchase low-cost group insurance coverage, and implementing tax credits to low income persons who buy health insurance plans.
Conservatives have long maintained that these provisions will result in health insurance coverage for as many if not more of the uninsured than the ObamaCare plan, given that many citizens will choose to pay the IRS fine for not having insurance rather than pay costly premiums that are far more expensive than the fines.
Source:
http://www.examiner.com/article/obamacare-fines-for-hospitals-begin-today
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