Venezuela: Putting the Perspective in Your Preps

Venezuela is in bad trouble, and the MSM isn't wasting a lot of time mentioning it.

A few years ago Venezuela was a veritable South American Paradise, a near-Utopia. They had a very high standard of living, almost unlimited resources, and more oil on tap than Saudi Arabia.

Life should have been swell forever.

Then the socialist politicians moved in and flushed the economy straight down the toilet.

They screwed things up so badly that Venezuela can't even pump their own oil at a profit--so now they have to import oil.

Venezuela is well on its way to becoming another Zimbabwe. Unemployment is rampant, power outages are incessant, and the only thing they have plenty of is shortages.

No food--meat, milk, bread, fresh vegetables, and canned goods of every kind have vanished from the store shelves. Now food is tightly rationed, and on your designated Stand In Line Day, you can (wait for it!)....stand in line for six to ten hours before you are allowed to purchase your meager ration of food.

What they will let you have, not what you want or need.

However much you get wont be enough to hold you until you are allowed to shop again, so every form of wildlife has become fair game. Including the wildlife in zoos.

Anything and everything a person needs to survive in a civilized society has run out--including medicines, toilet paper, matches, and soap.

Their inflation rate is approaching 1,600%. The pennies in the jar won't go far.

With more population than the available land can carry, the choices are very limited: Stand in line until you get what you can, then go get everything else you can (however and wherever you can), or die.

The Venezuelan crisis has been going on for at least two years (in a major way), and their problems are not going to go away anytime soon.

Which leads to the substance of this post:

It's all very well and good to have a year's supply of food stored away. But what happens when the second year rolls around? And how many barter items will it take to provide the second, third, and fourth year's supply of food? And how much storage space can be devoted to barter goods in the first place, to say nothing of the cost?

What happens when the crisis just doesn't go away?

Before you run out of preps--your very own personal Grace Time--you should have a Crisis Industry to fall back on. Something that will produce or draw in the resources you need on a continuing basis.

Got a boat? Go fish! (But not everyone has a boat.)

Got some know-how? Make tools and weapons for people that need them. Or fire starters. Or water filters. Or soap. Or any needful thing that Johnny Next-Door can't make cheaper than you.

Got connections? Start that illegal import/export business you've always wanted to run. You can get good money for guns, booze, drugs, food, cosmetics, spices, precious metals, and Getaway Cruises for the Whole Family.

Got nothing but desperation? Consider prostitution. My looks have begun to fade, but a lot of working ladies will certainly be needing the services of good pimp, come the dark of the night. Protection, a safe place to work, and medical care. It's not just about beating up the ladies or rolling the johns--that's just the hallmark of a bad pimp. A good pimp looks after the ladies (and often their families) and is worth his (or her) weight in gold, anywhere, anytime.

Always remember that there is no time when Value Added Services are worth more than when the distance between life and death is very short.

Total Societal Collapse: What the Media Isn't Telling You About Venezuela

 

I got my pimp hat feathered up and ready to go.

 

Self reliance is the only answer. Grow it, raise it, make it, store it and thrive. AND YOU HAVE TO DEFEND IT.

 

Venezuela has been a good lesson for me. I have been watching the collapse and have decided that the slow decline, the slow strangling is probably worse. Venezuela is not done I do not think they have hit the bottom yet, thus they cannot rebuild yet. The politicians there are still thinking they can solve the problem yet they are the issue.

The slow decline consists of losing jobs or reduction in hours.Each month puts one further in to debt so one would start to tap into their preps to help supplement. What one would do after a year, year and half? One would need a garden and if in the city, a worm farm for protein.

As for what t do when the crisis is a long time event? Take in sewing, washing, hire out as a cleaner. Garbage pick looking for stuff that can be traded and reused.

 

They're a disarmed population, so they're serfs not citizens. I don't really see any way out other than revolution or coup. And who knows if even that will provide a new start?

 

Also have what amounts to a dictator ship installed and it would turn out much like the middle east ( especially with the middle east influencing things like they are) so there is no real hope. Mass exodus can only help a few. The other Dog in this race is China! With controlling interest in the Panama canal, fixed oil pricing negotiated in China's favor, these poor soles have no way out! Then there is trade relations with the U.S. and other first and second world nation states, again, none of it favors helping them! All this coming to a Country near you in the not so distant future!

 

Their neighbors are not welcoming the Venezuelans.

Venezuelans storm Colombia border city in search of food and basic goods

500 woman taking the border............. do not mess with a woman. If her kids are going hungry, watch out!

 

corruption in government is the real problem.

 

you see it every day it is on it's way here this government is leading us down the same path and most are to stupid to see it, God help us.

 

I'm gonna go with more of an Al Swearengen look myself..

 

Back before I lost my Sweet Girlish Figure, I could make $200.00 a night selling my body down in Miami.

Unfortunately, I couldn't live off $400.00 a month.

 

It may be possible that the powers that be are fallowing agenda 21 to prove it works .

 

We can survive Social Democrats, that is what you see in many Scandinavian countries. There will always be a chance to reform however difficult. Democratic Socialism is another animal and requires complete collapse for the people to get another shot at freedom.

I live in a hotbed of Democratic Socialists. The most active ones, the ones who go the community organizer route, know fully well what will happen but they all believe that they will be elevated to positions of power and don't care what happens to the masses. They sing the sweet songs now, but will hold every aspect of your life in their hands later, and can't wait for that day.

I grew up with some of them I know who they are on the inside. They are also, interestingly, people who seem to have little or no emotional or personal growth since High School. Nice and friendly but think they have all the answers and just chomping at the bit to be in charge of us "little people".

If we fall to Democratic Socialists we will be Venezuela in short order beginning with the most populated areas, but the rural areas will all be controlled for food production until things eventually break down. We have far more resources than Venezuela, but we also have a far larger population to support.

Your best survival strategy might be to bail to elsewhere while the initial party is in full swing and we haven't run out of plunder. When things get bad it will be far more difficult to leave. At a minimum have a plan in place. Unlike the US you just can't enter most countries on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. You need wealth, steady income, or desired skill, otherwise it's "Have a nice vacation and you WILL leave when your visa expires". I'd suggest at least three places you can flee to and a strategy to get there. It might include crossing into Canada or Mexico as a start.

Canada can and will only take so many, so if your bail out strategy is there you need to be among the first.

Relocation/exile is not in my future, but on this topic exit strategies need to be on most people's list.

 

How To Get EU Citizenship, Country By Country

In case you are wondering....

 

here :