Summer is moving season for millions of Americans, and many will end up relocating to an entirely different state. In the old days, such long distance moves were often prompted by an employment change or by a desire to be closer to family. But now political and ideological considerations are motivating many Americans to search for greener pastures.
Just about all of us can feel that something has gone horribly wrong in this country. All around us our society is literally coming apart at the seams, and it has become exceedingly clear that great chaos is coming. It has been said that birds of a feather tend to flock together, and that is especially true during challenging times. So now we are seeing an exodus of conservatives to red states and an exodus of liberals to blue states.
The following comes from an article that was recently posted by PBS entitled “Conservatives move to red states and liberals move to blue as the country grows more polarized”…
Americans are segregating by their politics at a rapid clip, helping fuel the greatest divide between the states in modern history.
One party controls the entire legislature in all but two states. In 28 states, the party in control has a supermajority in at least one legislative chamber — which means the majority party has so many lawmakers that they can override a governor’s veto. Not that that would be necessary in most cases, as only 10 states have governors of different parties than the one that controls the legislature.
This is really happening. But the article that I just quoted makes it sound like the migration to red and blue states that we are witnessing is roughly equal, and that is not true at all.
For example, hundreds of thousands of people have been leaving the state of California in recent years in search of a better life elsewhere…
More than 500,000 people left California altogether between April 2020 and July 2022.
Many of those ex-Californians have been relocating to Texas.
In fact, approximately 300 Californians moved to the state of Texas on a daily basis in 2021…
About 300 Californians moved to Texas each day in 2021 – a staggering 111,000 people, newly released data shows.
That is double the 63,000 that made the same move in 2012, according to a new report from Storage Café, which examined California-Texas migration patterns over nearly a decade.
And it turns out that lots of companies have been relocating from California to Texas too…
More than 100 companies have moved their headquarters to Texas since 2020, with 40 percent of them coming from California, the study found.
California should be one of the best places to live on the entire planet.
But just like so many other blue states, it has been transformed into a cesspool of crime, drugs, homelessness and violence.
Once upon a time, crime was primarily limited to the bad areas, but that is no longer true.
Let me give you an example. In one of the wealthiest areas of San Francisco, a gang of children “wielding baseball bats” has been ruthlessly assaulting nannies and young mothers in order to steal their phones…
Children wielding baseball bats are reportedly attacking and robbing helpless mothers and nannies in a wealthy San Francisco neighborhood known for its young families.
Noe Valley, which is also known locally as “stroller alley” because of the many families with young children who live there, experienced 11 phone robberies last week, which authorities believe are linked to a gang of youths who have also lately been assaulting women with bats while they pick up their kids from school, according to the Telegraph.
Two women were reportedly assaulted in the neighborhood last week by a youth who allegedly hit one of the women with a baseball bat and the other one in the face.
Of course San Francisco is definitely not alone.
At this point, we are seeing a rising tide of violence all over the nation.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, at least 150 Americans were gunned down, and that made headline news all over the country…
A bloody Fourth of July weekend ended with at least 150 people killed in more than 400 shootings that occurred across the country, according to data compiled throughout the weekend.
Homelessness is also a problem that has started to spiral completely out of control in blue states.
Los Angeles has spent millions upon millions of dollars to try to solve their homelessness crisis, but it just keeps getting worse…
Homelessness in Los Angeles skyrocketed over the last year, increasing by 10% in L.A. County and 9% in the city, leaving more than 75,000 people living on the streets of the county in an epic setback for local leaders.
With each passing day, even more Americans end up in the streets of our major cities. For much more on this, please see my previous article entitled “The Number Of Americans Living On The Streets ‘Has Broadly Risen This Year’”.
Lastly, I wanted to briefly discuss our national drug crisis. More Americans are addicted to legal and/or illegal drugs than ever before. And overdose deaths just keep setting a new all-time high year after year.
In major cities from coast to coast, addicts stagger around like zombies in the middle of our streets as they enjoy getting high, even though they clearly understand that it may be the last high they ever experience.
Things have gotten so bad that cocaine has even been discovered inside the White House for the very first time. Authorities are telling us that it is a “mystery” how it got there, but others are pointing out that there is one very obvious suspect in this case…
Our country is disintegrating right in front of our eyes. And as it falls to pieces, there will be great chaos, and this will especially be true in blue states and in major cities. If you are going to relocate, I would advise you to do it now.
Things may seem unstable now, but the truth is that they are only going to get crazier from here.
Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Article cross-posted from The Economic Collapse Blog.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
