A bleak World Future

[Pat]

I viewed a video from "endofamerica15.com" from what seems to be a reputable financial personality.

His assessment of our future is bleak indeed. He speaks very creditably but it's not a story we haven't heard before. It's just he has put all the pieces in one video.

I tend to believe him but before I jump off the roof I will wait a while and see if financial America is going to collaspe.

Check it out. Some family financial decisions may have to be made real soon.

Regards,

[SpartaPerformance]

I didn't watch the video but I have an idea of what it is! America the way is going is dying. No manufacturing and HUGE Government making us into depended sissy's! Hard work and lifting yourself up is no more. No pride in being an AMERICAN, we're all Greek-American, Italian-American, Mexican-American etc... but many put more emphasis on our heritage instead of America! No family values etc... I could go on and on and on.

[Taemian]

It's a shame to see how your country is going. Our dollar is worth more that yours again (?!?!) and while our generally socialist-leaning policies are well-know, they at least keep us from running to either extremes.

America is past it's prime and due to become a second rate nation and this scares the bejeezus outta me. When capitalism is weakened by "banks/industries" too big to fail, you get such cross-contamination of ideologies that directly oppose each other. No wonder things are messed up.

I have faith in the American idealism and strong work ethic, but the USA needs to pull the borders shut and pull up it's socks! There are many amazingly talented and hard-working friends of mine that live in the USA, but none of them are in positions of power to make effective governmental changes. They are also in the minority. Following Rome's example of it's complete demise, America is on a virtual mirror-image path. I hate to be a "beans and bullets" proponant, but rebellion (peaceful or otherwise) must happen or the same fate will be shared. It's one more of those history lessons we've forgotten about.

A fave quote of mine "If we learn anything from history, it's that we never learn anything from history."

[sailsmen]

Look at what those before us survived. Civil War, Great Depression and World War.

I have seen what appeared to be the end of the World, complete Anarchy after Katrina. I had to go through check points manned by teen agers with shot guns. People driving by on Harleys with shotguns strapped to their backs. The police used the grocery stores as a base and to protect them from looting. The army and National Guard patrolled in humvees with their M-16 while black hawks flew over head. We then experienced Rita, Ike and Gustav.

I saw the best in people and the worst.

There are steps you can take to mitigate the impact of various events on your family.

[Vortex]

Aww to hell with the naysayers. I remember my Mom telling me she remembered back in early 1942 when there was a possibility the US would lose WWII. Our economy is still the best in the world, we have the strongest military in the world and we have the most motivated free society in the world. Most of the doom and gloom on the news is from the same folks who worry about Linsey Lohan or whatever.

[sailsmen]

We are not past the point of turning around.

[Mr. Man]

Hey gang, if you haven't orgied with Bacchus at an all-nite vomitorium you don't know what your missing.:puke::beer::banana:

[LIGHTNIN1]

I hear talk of seceding from the union and throwing in with Lichenstein.

[sailsmen]

A place I used to frequesnt;
Uptown businesses rebound from Katrina's chaos
By Richard A. Webster Staff Writer “City Business”
2005-10-01 5:54 PM CST

NEW ORLEANS - After 32 chaotic days of desolation and darkness, clashes with armed gangs of looters and long hours spent repairing damage from the bruising blows of Hurricane Katrina, Art Depodesta reopened his restaurant at Cooter Brown’s on Thursday evening.
Paul Cosma, owner of the neighboring Uptown Auto Specialists, said despite New Orleans "ghost town" status business at Cooter Brown’s has been brisk.
"All the SWAT guys and cops from out of town are coming in," Cosma said. "Last night 30 of them came by in an hour. But who knows what’s going to happen in the long run. It’s the whole uncertainty of everything. None of us know what's going to happen."
Depodesta said all he can do is get his place up and running and hope for the best.
"The colleges are a big part of our business so without them it will definitely hurt," Depodesta said. "This was going to be a record year for us … but if we can hold out until after the first of the year business will pick up again."
Depodesta pays $30,000 a year for insurance and $5,500 a month in utilities, but he said it is the rising price of gas that has him most worried.
"Everything comes in by truck and if they have to pay more for gas the delivery prices go up which means I could have to jack the price of a burger up to $10 and if that happens no one gets paid," Depodesta said.
The structural damage to the Cooter Brown’s building was limited though the roof peeled off directly above Depodesta’s newly renovated second floor apartment. He and Cosma patched it up only to have Hurricane Rita undo all of their work.
The real damage occurred inside the restaurant’s freezers, Cosma said.
"Can you imagine $20,000 worth of oysters, roasts, pastramis, hams, burgers, chickens and every kind of food you have at a restaurant like that? Can you imagine freezers full of this kind of food gone bad? It was pretty rude."
Depodesta and Cosma sprayed the freezers with bleach using a pump sprayer, then pressure washed them. After all of that work, two of the freezers blew up when the electricity returned.
Due to the loss of his freezers and a limited staff, Cosma said Depodesta will offer a limited menu.
"He'll be doing a limited menu only because many of his workers don't even have a place to live so he can’t bring his whole crew in,” Cosma said. "I loaned him my truck so he can make food runs out to his suppliers in Harahan."
It has been hard work repairing and rebuilding his business but nothing compared to what took place in the aftermath of Katrina, said Depodesta.
Protecting the store
The trouble started almost immediately after Katrina passed, even before the first levee broke.
After the heaviest winds died to a breeze, Depodesta and Cosma drove to the St. Charles Tavern on St. Charles Avenue - armed with guns to defend themselves.
"Paul had his Sig and I had my .45," Depodesta said. "We're all strapped up and the guys in the Tavern are handing us beers through the window. They had their weapons out, too."
And that’s when Depodesta said he saw them — stolen cars tearing up and down St. Charles Avenue packed with masked men pointing guns at innocent people stumbling down sidewalks in search of information.
"Besides the flooding the biggest problem we had were these idiots after the storm," Depodesta said. "They were like animals. The cops are trying to rescue people and these idiots are going around shooting people. There aren’t enough cops to begin with and they don’t get paid anything anyway so they couldn’t help. The one thing I learned was don’t count on anyone but yourself. And never go to a shelter."
Depodesta and Cosma returned to their businesses and prepared for the worst. It wasn't long before gangs of thugs appeared on Carrollton Avenue.
"They started coming down the street and when they got close I let loose with a 12 gauge and they went running," Depodesta said. "One guy came back in a truck with a gun but we had the drop on him. I had a buddy here with an HK and I had my 12 gauge. When the guy in the truck saw that he decided he didn’t want to play anymore. Let’s just put it that way."
Things proceeded to get weirder, Depodesta said.
"They stole a damn forklift, drove it down to Rite Aid and lifted open the gates. Me and Paul went down there and cut all of the wires out of it. The last thing I want is a guy driving around here with a forklift."
A few days after the storm, Cosma grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from a suspected looter.
"First the kid said it was his uncle’s, then he said he was going to come back and shoot us," Depodesta said. "I said, 'Go ahead man. It’s like martial law. In fact there is no law so come on back here because I know damn well I’m a better shot than you and have better weapons.' I made it through the storm and had no flooding and then I got to watch some animals tear apart the place I built? I don’t think so."
When the military arrived four days after Katrina made landfall, Depodesta said they attempted to confiscate his weapons.
"I made it clear that wasn’t going to happen and they left me alone."
Return to normal?
Cosma re-opened Uptown Auto Specialists on Monday. There was a lot of debris to be cleaned up but no structural damage.
With the hundreds of broken down and waterlogged vehicles scattered around New Orleans, it would appear that auto repair shops are primed for a banner season, but Cosma said that may not be the case.
"It could be a total bust this time," he said. "All these cars have been sitting around in this (stuff) for so long. Typically when we have a storm cars are maybe two days in the water and you get them drug in and we take them apart immediately. But these cars have been sitting in the water or been wet for a month. A lot more cars are going to be totaled than in previous times."
Cosma, however, said his most pressing concern is providing financially for the 10 people he employs.
"As an employer you’re responsible for all of your employees so how would you feel as an employer if you couldn't provide to your employees what you promised when you hired them? I feel like (crap). I’m responsible for 10 people and there's only so much I can do.
"We're coming back and we'll see what happens but if there's no business I'll have to let them go. But I don't foresee that happening and I don't want to do that to happen because it's hard to get good employees. The toughest thing is I've been in business for over 20 years and I don't know what's going to happen."