Already food shortages are looming

[thx1138]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071119/ap_on_re_us/food_pantries_shortage_2 Number of "poor people" is ever increasing.

[Oli]

Number of "poor people" is ever increasing.

And this is a surprise to you? Americans spend more than they make...

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0131-03.htm

Carry a higher level of debt...

The number of U.S households receiving a credit card offer each month increased to 71% in 2004, up from 69% in 2003
The average savings rate in the U.S. was a negative 1% in 2005, the lowest level since the great depression
Total American consumer debt reached $2.2 trillion in 2005
Total American consumer debt first reached $1 trillion in 1994
Total revolving debt reached $876 billion in 2006
Total American household consumer debt averaged $11,840 in 2005
Total American consumer debt increased 41% between 1998 and 2004
The average American household had over $7,000 in revolving debt in 2005
Average household credit card debt has increased 167% between 1990 and 2004
The average balance per open credit card was $4,617 in 2004
American households spent $412 billion in credit card charges in 2004
Revolving debt has increased 31% between 1999 and 2004
The average American had over seven payment cards in their wallet including credit card, retail store cards and bank debit cards in 2005
The average interest rate paid on credit cards was approximately 14.54% in 2005
Average household interest payments were $1,164 in 2004
The rate of personal savings in the United States dipped below 0% for the first time since the great depression in 2005, hitting negative .5%
Over 60% of Americans revolved a balance on their credit cards in 2005
Approximately 51 million households carried consumer debt in 2005
Approximately 23 million households made only minimum payments in 2005
Approximately 40% of credit card users paid their balance in full each month in 2006
Approximately 96% of Americans will have to retire financially dependent on the government, family or charity, according to a 2003 study
In 2004 the consumer debt to net worth ratio was 21%, the highest rate in 55 years
The ratio of consumer minimum payments to disposable income was 13.10% in 2004
The average household had $30,000 in unused credit lines in 2004
The credit card industry default rate (percentage of cardholders who don’t pay back what they owe) averaged approximately 5% in 2004
A typical credit card purchase is 12%-18% more than if cash was used (as of 2004)
As of 2004, 23% of Americans admitted to maxing out a credit card
As of 2004, 13% of Americans had been 30 days late paying credit card bills at least once in the last 12 months
As of 2004, 76% of Americans had at least one credit card
2.39 million U.S. households filed for bankruptcy in 2005, a 12.8% increase over 2004
The average credit card balance in 2005 would require over 13 years to pay off if only making minimum payments of 4% at an average interest rate of 14%
5% of Americans used a credit card to make their tax payment in 2004
30 million Americans, (40% of homeowners) refinanced their mortgages during the 3 years prior to Q3 2005, with over half applying the proceeds to eliminate credit card debt
Among middle class households, the average amount of credit card debt paid off with home equity loans was $12,000 (Q3 2005).
Seven out of 10 low- and middle-income households reported using their credit cards as a financial safety net, i.e. to pay for car repairs, rent or housing repairs and medical expenses, rather than relying on savings in 2005
According to a national survey, the most significant predictor of financial stress is if households rely on using credit cards to cover non-discretionary living expenses like rent, groceries and medical expenses (Q3 2005)
As of 2004, the number one cause of divorce is financial stress

Wages haven't changed in 25 years...(see page 4)

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:jWTJ3-rHXs8J:www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/realer.pdf+real+wages+1975-2007&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&ie=UTF-8

When you live beyond your means, it will catch up to you eventually.

[thx1138]

No surprise at all. But I am surprised at how quickly everything is unraveling.

[hippifried]

The sky is falling! Duck & cover!

[Rogers]

No surprise at all. But I am surprised at how quickly everything is unraveling.
It's called the beginning of a slowdown or possibly a recession. Quinn will have more of an idea as to which it is rather than me.

[thx1138]

Is it a recession or a depression? A recession is when your neighbor is out of work. A depression is when YOU're out of work.

[thx1138]

Economist's warning: http://infowars.net/articles/november2007/201107Economic.htm

[hippifried]

Ok. It's my turn to play economist.
(Just picture pompous in your mind.)

I predict that market fluctuations, both domestic & global, will remain unstatic!

How's that? Think Alex Jones will want to interview me now, or do I need to buy a degree?
:lol:

[thx1138]

Jim Rogers on Dollar, Bernanke and Paulson: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=597238697&play=1

[q1a2z3]

Ways to avoid a food shortage:

1. Pay attention in school K-12.
2. Don't hang out with the inbred and drink and smoke in high school.
3. Learn to do something productive so you can at least work for someone else. Perhaps college might be a good thing, but plumbing is good too.
4. Start your own business.
5. Don,t let the government fuck you with ever increasing taxes to cover the idiots who didn't follow 1 through 4.
6. Be willing to go to war with assholes in other countries and take their stuff (e.g. oil, etc...)
7. Above all, don't be a pussy.

[trish]

5. Don,t let the government fuck you with ever increasing taxes to cover the idiots who didn't follow 1 through 4.
6. Be willing to go to war with assholes in other countries and take their stuff (e.g. oil, etc...)
7. Above all, don't be a pussy.

Of course taxes support the schools and the cost of education is rising every day. No tax increases, soon no schools. No schools, forget K-12.

And of course, its the government that gets you into those wars and pays for all the equipment you will need. A little patriotism when it comes to paying taxes might have got you better armour, you know, like the mercs have.

Enough with the don't be a pussy shit already....if you're so afraid of terrorists that you're willing to give up your freedom to homeland security, then you're a pussy.

[hippifried]

Ways to avoid a food shortage:

Go to the fucking grocery store.

[thx1138]

Yes, go to the grocery store before they are empty.

[hippifried]

Well after the sky falls & smashes Chicken Little into a pile of feathers, maybe I can glean a couple of drumsticks & chow down. In the meantime, somebody make sure to wake me up in time to get a good seat for watching the end of the world.

[thx1138]

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4508 when a society breaks down this articles shows what items will be most in demand. Countries don't collapse overnight. They just wind down over a period of time. Spot shortages slowly start popping up here and there gradually getting worse.

[hippifried]

YAWN!

I've been hearing doom & gloom stories all my life. Haven't seen any of it come to fruition.