changing world

[MurphyGuy]

Lol. You brag about having a flip phone. My smart phone means I never get lost, I get gas as cheap as I can with the gas buddy app. I save time because I can check store inventory when I go to the store for anything. When I meet people I send a pin to our meeting place so theres no confusion.

Lets not pretend smart phones dont have value in business, convenience, etc. Arguing we are all stupid money squandering fools because we lack your 1995 flip phone is an argument that wont win you much of an audience in 2022.

I have an $1100 phone, thank you, but was $400 and change with a lucrative trade in policy. Because of it I dont need a TV or DVDs or cable.

You need a smart phone to prevent yourself from getting lost? LOL. Dude, sometimes its best to just remain silent on some things.

I had a friend who would travel 20 miles to the cheapest gas station, then fill up with $30 in gas, then drive 20 miles back. He thought it was saving him $5 on his tank of gas, but he didn't include the 40 miles of driving, wear and tear on his vehicle, or his time.

Some people just aren't playing with a full deck of cards.

And you have every tool known to man, surely that extravagance was more than $400.

Way more than $400. And I buy most of my tools at fire sale prices, and if I ever sell them, I almost always get more than what I originally paid.

For example, I've been doing a lot of concrete work around the house, so I bought a Brute electric jack hammer. It looks like it's almost brand new, but somehow, the part where the power cord enters was busted up and the wires were exposed. No one wants a jack hammer like that so I got it for $100. I spent another $60 fixing it by ordering the part and replacing it. It now has a resell value of about $600 to $800, and every other month when I need to bust up some concrete, I don't have to rent it for $100 per day.

I bought a concrete saw (demolition saw), that can cut wood, metal, concrete, steel, etc. Just have to change blades. Again, it was in very good condition but sat on a shelf because it wouldn't start. Just needed an ignition coil. $175 for the saw, $30 for the coil on ebay, and now its worth probably north of $800 if I want to sell it.

I buy all my big expensive tools this way.. and I didn't need a smart phone even once.. or fancy shoes, or a new $60,000 truck, or anything else that would "win me an audience" or project an image.

And I'm not the one complaining about food or gas going up in price..

Its kind of strange.. You're so busy and so important that you need an $1100 smart phone so you don't get lost, so you can instantly check inventory, because your time is sooooo valuable.. and yet you're complaining because food and gas went up a little? LOL.

Okay what biden policies.

Start with this.

Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis | The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. Our Nation has an abiding commitment to empower our workers and communities; promote and protect our public health and the...

www.whitehouse.gov

LOL. Nice try.. big fail. I realize you don't want to explain how you think his policies are causing inflation. I don't think you're even capable of explaining it.

But I'm going to hold you to it. I don't want links, I want YOU to tell me what specific Biden policy is causing inflation and why. Any idiot can post a link and say "start with this" without elaborating on what specifically they are talking about. Try that BS on someone else.
If you are not capable of explaining it, then you're full of crap.

If you drink the blue koolaid might sound like rainbows and unicorns.

It drove petroleum prices on a climb since he took office.

Biden, and leftists, wanted $6 a gallon gas and higher. Your claim that you dont mind suggests you share their destructive beliefs. This contradicts your claims of frugality..

LOL. Its obvious you have no clue what your talking about, which is why you've resorted to meaningless statements.

I'll ask again. What specific Biden policy(s) do you think are causing inflation, and why?
I think we both know you're not capable of answering that question. You're going to get mad, throw insults, make meaningless statements, and post useless links.. Why? Because you don't know.

Here, let me help with an example to get you going.. (we both know you need the help)
Donald Trump borrowed more money and put this nation further into debt in his four years, than any other president in history. Now what happens when a nation borrows or prints money? Come on now, they cover this stuff in grade school, you did go to grade school right?
Before Donald Trump, Obama was the current record holder for the deepening national debt, and before Obama, Bush was the current record holder.
Each president borrows more money (a lot more money, not just a few bucks) than the president before him, and each president sets a new record for putting this nation further into debt. More debt equals more interest equals more debt equals more interest. The last president to actually balance the budget was.... wait for it.. Bill f'ing Clinton.. of all people.

When Trump took office, our debt was about 20 Trillion, when he left office, it was almost 30 Trillion. One president, in just four years, is responsible for almost 30% of our nation's debt load. And you can't seem to figure out what's causing inflation? WTF?.

You see, no president wants to be in the big chair when the country collapses, so they keep kicking the can down the road. They're doing what's politically beneficial at the expense of the nation's economic and financial health. The problem is, most American's are so stupid, they don't get it. Why? because a lot of American's do the same thing. They use their credit card and home equity debt to purchase things they can't afford, then make the minimum payment due and kick the can down the road to the next month.

There you go. Now you explain which Biden policy is causing inflation or high gas/food prices, and do so in your own words. I'm not interested in your links unless you need to reference some factoid or statistic you don't think I'll believe.

By the way, if you need me to post a link to how much each president has borrowed, I'll be happy to, but it doesn't take 5 second to use google to find it.

 

[Great NW WI]

A 5 second google says the debt was 18 Trillion when Trump took office and 22 Trillion when he left, fiscal year Oct 2015 to Oct 2019 so skewed by three months each end. Today's debt is 30 Trillion. So maybe that tells us something about your claims.

One president in less than two years is responsible for over 25% of the nations debt, that being the current guy.

 

[MurphyGuy]

A 5 second google says the debt was 18 Trillion when Trump took office and 22 Trillion when he left, fiscal year Oct 2015 to Oct 2019 so skewed by three months each end. Today's debt is 30 Trillion. So maybe that tells us something about your claims.

One president in less than two years is responsible for over 25% of the nations debt, that being the current guy.

More likely it says something about your claims as being fake. I noticed you didn't post any links to the facts, and that's because you're probably getting your information from FakeNews dot com.

22 Trillion when he left? Say NO to drugs..

Here genius.. its not hard to find.. 3rd link in a google search.

Federal Debt Trends Over Time | U.S. Treasury Data Lab

This visualization allows you to view the debt trend and ratio of debt to GDP over time.

datalab.usaspending.gov

Here's another one.. straight from the horse's mouth:

Government - Historical Debt Outstanding - Annual 2000 - 2021

And another one:

Debt to the Penny | U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data

Debt to the Penny is the total debt of the U.S. government and is reported daily. It is made up of intragovernmental holdings and debt held by the public.

fiscaldata.treasury.gov

Apparently, you are not capable of looking up even the most basic of information, which would explain a lot of things.
Presidents enter office in January after their Nov election date, and leave the same way.

 

[Great NW WI]

I got the dates wrong but it was a 5 second google search.

But yeah, you can can it with the genius stuff etc.

 

[MurphyGuy]

I got the dates wrong but it was a 5 second google search.

But yeah, you can can it with the genius stuff etc.

Your dates are wrong, your numbers are wrong. Your first post in this forum was fake information and I noticed you didn't post any links to your source = fake news trolling.
Presidents take power on Jan 20 and leave the same day. Go look at the treasury graphs I posted. Trump started Jan 20 2017 and left on Jan 20 2021.
You want to know why presidents keep kicking the can down the road? Its because American's are utterly dumb. American's wont understand the actions of a president who does what's best for this country because the opposing party will lie about it. Doesn't matter if a democrat or republican is in charge, the other side will lie to the public. And the public is too stupid to know how to find the information themselves.

 

[Great NW WI]

No it is not from fake news trolling, my numbers are wrong because my dates are wrong. There is no other way it could work. That is what happens when you do 5 seconds of homework as you suggested. What I was trying to point out is that you exaggerated on the Trump data but you already know that so no point in expanding on it.

My numbers are right on for the fiscal years I picked and they exactly match what you linked to, I didn't think you needed the link since you provided similar.

Not Fake News

 

[MurphyGuy]

No it is not from fake news trolling, my numbers are wrong because my dates are wrong. There is no other way it could work. That is what happens when you do 5 seconds of homework as you suggested. What I was trying to point out is that you exaggerated on the Trump data but you already know that so no point in expanding on it.

My numbers are right on for the fiscal years I picked and they exactly match what you linked to, I didn't think you needed the link since you provided similar.

Not Fake News

Your first post in the forum and you can't even get the dates correct for a presidential election? I suspect you're a Russian troll because no one could be that ignorant, except maybe a foreigner not familiar with our campaigns, elections, and the transfer of power.

Either that or you're just incompetent.

 

[Great NW WI]

Your first post in the forum and you can't even get the dates correct for a presidential election? I suspect you're a Russian troll because no one could be that ignorant, except maybe a foreigner not familiar with our campaigns, elections, and the transfer of power.

Either that or you're just incompetent.

WOW. I made a mistake, I admitted I made a mistake but you just want to pile on. Yes I am one of those dumb Americans who are so stupid I need you to tell me how stupid I am. A Russian troll? You got issues dude.

You want to know what got me involved? You said debt when Trump left office was nearly 30 Trillion, but I knew it is 30 Trillion today so I started looking into your numbers. But you already knew you exaggerated didn't you?

 

[MurphyGuy]

WOW. I made a mistake, I admitted I made a mistake but you just want to pile on. Yes I am one of those dumb Americans who are so stupid I need you to tell me how stupid I am. A Russian troll? You got issues dude.

You want to know what got me involved? You said debt when Trump left office was nearly 30 Trillion, but I knew it is 30 Trillion today so I started looking into your numbers. But you already knew you exaggerated didn't you?

When Trump took office, it was 20 Trillion, when he left, it was 28.x Trillion. I took math in grade school and my math says he increase our national debt by 8.something trillion. Actually, 7.5 to 8.5 depending on how one reads the numbers. Budgets and spending bills passed by congress don't just evaporate when a new president takes over.

There is no exaggeration, just the math.. although, you can't even get dates correct so I can understand how complicated simple math must be for you.

 

[walkingonsunshine]

That is why everyone needs to get their ducks in a row and be as self sufficient as possible. Solar, generator, well, garden, raise meat like chickens, learn to hunt and learn how to protect yourself.

Here, here. We need the return of the Victory Gardens and combine the wisdom and knowledge of the old tech with the new in order to become self sufficient as each of us are able. We need more community *face to face hands on* teaching/sharing/learning as well as online.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Here, here. We need the return of the Victory Gardens and combine the wisdom and knowledge of the old tech with the new in order to become self sufficient as each of us are able. We need more community *face to face hands on* teaching/sharing/learning as well as online.

That's a good idea, unfortunately, it is also not feasible.

City folks have no capacity for a garden and city regulations sometimes even ban them. Then there are the folks who live a bit further out in the cookie cutter subdivisions. They're on postage stamp sized lots with no room for a garden, and for those who can find the room to grow a small garden, most of that type of construction, done by large corporations, stripped all the top soil off the area and left only enough for the grass to grow. The top soil was then sold for profit.

When I was younger, I had purchased a condo that was surrounded by corn and cows. Over the 20+ years of living there, the countryside disappeared and the city expanded outwards towards me. I watched subdivision after subdivision go up along with large chain shopping centers like Home Depot, Mcdonalds, Bed Bath Beyond, and all the other big ones.

The contractors would strip off all top soil and replace it with fill dirt if needed. They would then lay the sod right on top of the clay and dead subsoil that was devoid of organic matter.

Also, I don't know about other cities, I imagine they are the same to one degree or another, but when the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) did an audit of Detroit with Michigan State University(?) , they found the soil in Detroit was contaminated to a depth of over 250 feet.. WOW!
There are some "community gardens" in Detroit today and I find it astonishing they're even allowed to have them with how contaminated the soil is. Glad I don't live there.

The only people with the resources for a garden are those of us further out in the countryside.. and a lot of us already grow gardens every year.

I do agree 100% with your sentiment however.

 

[walkingonsunshine]

That's a good idea, unfortunately, it is also not feasible.

City folks have no capacity for a garden and city regulations sometimes even ban them. Then there are the folks who live a bit further out in the cookie cutter subdivisions. They're on postage stamp sized lots with no room for a garden, and for those who can find the room to grow a small garden, most of that type of construction, done by large corporations, stripped all the top soil off the area and left only enough for the grass to grow. The top soil was then sold for profit.

When I was younger, I had purchased a condo that was surrounded by corn and cows. Over the 20+ years of living there, the countryside disappeared and the city expanded outwards towards me. I watched subdivision after subdivision go up along with large chain shopping centers like Home Depot, Mcdonalds, Bed Bath Beyond, and all the other big ones.

The contractors would strip off all top soil and replace it with fill dirt if needed. They would then lay the sod right on top of the clay and dead subsoil that was devoid of organic matter.

Also, I don't know about other cities, I imagine they are the same to one degree or another, but when the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) did an audit of Detroit with Michigan State University(?) , they found the soil in Detroit was contaminated to a depth of over 250 feet.. WOW!
There are some "community gardens" in Detroit today and I find it astonishing they're even allowed to have them with how contaminated the soil is. Glad I don't live there.

The only people with the resources for a garden are those of us further out in the countryside.. and a lot of us already grow gardens every year.

I do agree 100% with your sentiment however.

Yeah, my very first house I bought, before I got married, was new construction in a new development. I had no grass in back yard. It was new and just dirt. I tried and tried to grow grass. Bought pallets of it. Then found out thru a couple of neighbors who lived there longer, that the builders plowed leftover materials from the construction of the houses (mine was second to last to be sold) in my and my other neighbors yard with dirt.

Poor or contaminated soil is a problem. I use a work around...raised garden beds and bagged organic soil from Costco as it is less expensive than smaller bags at Lowes/Home Depot. Learning I do not have a green thumb though. I have seen some pretty cool garden towers on a display at a local energy conservation display as well as a homesteading type event. Hydroponics, potted plants and buying food in bulk, like you mentioned you do, are ways most of us could try to implement to find what works best. This is one reason why I am big on community involvement. My library, while tiny, has a seed exchange and plenty of DIY gardening books. We were having in person classes thru local USDA rural office extension. Books, in person, internet are all ways to learn. I believe a combination and the *attitude* to want to do it are key.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Yeah, my very first house I bought, before I got married, was new construction in a new development. I had no grass in back yard. It was new and just dirt. I tried and tried to grow grass. Bought pallets of it. Then found out thru a couple of neighbors who lived there longer, that the builders plowed leftover materials from the construction of the houses (mine was second to last to be sold) in my and my other neighbors yard with dirt.

Poor or contaminated soil is a problem. I use a work around...raised garden beds and bagged organic soil from Costco as it is less expensive than smaller bags at Lowes/Home Depot. Learning I do not have a green thumb though. I have seen some pretty cool garden towers on a display at a local energy conservation display as well as a homesteading type event. Hydroponics, potted plants and buying food in bulk, like you mentioned you do, are ways most of us could try to implement to find what works best. This is one reason why I am big on community involvement. My library, while tiny, has a seed exchange and plenty of DIY gardening books. We were having in person classes thru local USDA rural office extension. Books, in person, internet are all ways to learn. I believe a combination and the *attitude* to want to do it are key.

If you want to grow a garden for yourself, here's one of the most important things you can do.

Go find yourself a compost tumbler.. They look like horizontal drums mounted to A frames and they can rotate to tumble what's inside.

Save every scrap of food you get from your kitchen. No meats, but everything else should go into that compost tumbler. Everything from banana and orange peels to left over spaghetti, moldy bread, stale crackers, rotting vegetables you find in the fridge, etc. Look on craigslist for someone giving away sawdust from non-pressure treated wood. (lots of wood workers out there) Mix in the sawdust. You can throw in some pine needles and sticks and twigs as well. Let it build up all winter and spring, then use it to plant your vegetables in. Mix it with your soil half and half when you fill the hole back in around the plant.
Later, as the plant's growing, put a bunch of the compost in a 5 gallon bucket, fill with water (rain water is best), and use a 2x4 to mash it around, then pour the muddy water around your plants.
I would also suggest you get online and find a seed distributor that sells heirloom seeds. Purchase about $200 worth of them, place them in mylar, seal it up, then put in a plastic storage box at the bottom of your deep freezer and just forget about them forever. Until you need them.

For your regular garden, just buy whatever seeds and plants you want, heirloom or not. If you save the seeds from your hybrid plants, you can plant them one time and they will grow fine. But you won't be able to save the seeds from the second round as they won't grow right.

You should also purchase a $30 pH tester. Put your soil in a cup, add distilled water, mash it up, then check pH to see if anything is wacky.

Everything that is biodegradable from your home should end up in the garden. Dead animals are the best, brown cardboard without plastic tape or staples, grass clipping, sticks and twigs, all that stuff. In the town down the road from me, people put their yard clippings in paper bags for garbage day. We will frequently go around and collect a bunch in the fall to spread in the garden, we even let the bag rot over the winter.

Gardening is easy, you just put the plant in the ground with fertilizer and water and it grows. Weeds are the hard part. And if you know anyone who keeps bees, ask them if they would like to put a hive or two near your garden. I have a friend up the road who has like 50 hives and he keeps 3 of them at my place.

Do not plant melons within 100 to 200 feet of each other or near cucumbers, squash, or zucchini = bad juju. Nothing will grow right.

Also, if you put hot peppers next to regular bell peppers, you can expect a surprise from your bell peppers. (LoL, ask me how I know)

 

[walkingonsunshine]

If you want to grow a garden for yourself, here's one of the most important things you can do.

Go find yourself a compost tumbler.. They look like horizontal drums mounted to A frames and they can rotate to tumble what's inside.

Save every scrap of food you get from your kitchen. No meats, but everything else should go into that compost tumbler. Everything from banana and orange peels to left over spaghetti, moldy bread, stale crackers, rotting vegetables you find in the fridge, etc. Look on craigslist for someone giving away sawdust from non-pressure treated wood. (lots of wood workers out there) Mix in the sawdust. You can throw in some pine needles and sticks and twigs as well. Let it build up all winter and spring, then use it to plant your vegetables in. Mix it with your soil half and half when you fill the hole back in around the plant.
Later, as the plant's growing, put a bunch of the compost in a 5 gallon bucket, fill with water (rain water is best), and use a 2x4 to mash it around, then pour the muddy water around your plants.
I would also suggest you get online and find a seed distributor that sells heirloom seeds. Purchase about $200 worth of them, place them in mylar, seal it up, then put in a plastic storage box at the bottom of your deep freezer and just forget about them forever. Until you need them.

For your regular garden, just buy whatever seeds and plants you want, heirloom or not. If you save the seeds from your hybrid plants, you can plant them one time and they will grow fine. But you won't be able to save the seeds from the second round as they won't grow right.

You should also purchase a $30 pH tester. Put your soil in a cup, add distilled water, mash it up, then check pH to see if anything is wacky.

Everything that is biodegradable from your home should end up in the garden. Dead animals are the best, brown cardboard without plastic tape or staples, grass clipping, sticks and twigs, all that stuff. In the town down the road from me, people put their yard clippings in paper bags for garbage day. We will frequently go around and collect a bunch in the fall to spread in the garden, we even let the bag rot over the winter.

Gardening is easy, you just put the plant in the ground with fertilizer and water and it grows. Weeds are the hard part. And if you know anyone who keeps bees, ask them if they would like to put a hive or two near your garden. I have a friend up the road who has like 50 hives and he keeps 3 of them at my place.

Do not plant melons within 100 to 200 feet of each other or near cucumbers, squash, or zucchini = bad juju. Nothing will grow right.

Also, if you put hot peppers next to regular bell peppers, you can expect a surprise from your bell peppers. (LoL, ask me how I know)

Thank you for the wealth of information in such a consolidated post. I will print it out and study it. These are some cool ideas I saw.

 

[Traviss224]

@MurphyGuy I like your thinking.. everything now is made to be thrown away. Take care of your stuff and keep bills low..

Society want people to be in debt now. That's why they offer an 18 year old a credit card with who knows what the limit is bc they know they will run it up.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Thank you for the wealth of information in such a consolidated post. I will print it out and study it. These are some cool ideas I saw.

Don't fall for the dumb ideas in those pictures. The solar thing? Yeah, it looks cool, but if you add up the investment to build it, then add up the value of the food it produces, it would never pay for itself.
And those blue barrels? Elevated garden beds like that only work in cloudy cool environments. In every other location, the sun will bake those things dry and the plants will die. You'll need to water them every single day.

Lots of people out there try to reinvent the wheel with all kinds of silly ideas. Just put the plants in the ground like a farmer does. Line them up in rows, space appropriately, and keep the weeds pulled. Its the cheapest and most effective way.

 

[MurphyGuy]

@MurphyGuy I like your thinking.. everything now is made to be thrown away. Take care of your stuff and keep bills low..

Society want people to be in debt now. That's why they offer an 18 year old a credit card with who knows what the limit is bc they know they will run it up.

That's what happened to me. Got my first credit card at 18 and ran it up to about $8000 within three months. Ended up cutting it in half. Took me 2 full years of sacrifice to pay it off.
Didn't get another card until I was almost 30. Now, I run the card up with monthly expenditures and then pay it off in full every month. No interest, I get cash-points back from it, and it doubles my warranty on everything I buy. At the end of the year, I cash in all my points and usually end up with a $500 to $1000 Home Depot card.. for doing nothing. Free money baby!