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Category: Money

Posts about being frugal, getting out of debt, staying out of debt, spending practically and splurging joyfully. This category may also contain posts about hard money and what the government is doing to all that “soft money” it creates.

Midweek links, too

It’s here: the 3D-printed revolver. The hoplophobic panic will surely not be far behind. (H/T S) It’s also here: the first private space race. I doubt the Bezos vs Musk is quite as theatrically adversarial as the media would have us think. What a good thing, though, eh? May the best man win. Better yet, may both men win. Over at The Zelman Partisans Nicki turns to DC police chief Lanier and asks, “Take ’em out with what?” and I ask if the Jewish leaders of Europe have no sense of history or just no sense. Carl-Bear Bussjaeger also has…

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Amazon Gift Guide #3

Funny how it works with these holiday Amazon listies. I might do five or six of them in a season and only one person will buy a single listed item.

But orders do increase and quite often the purchases are similar to the listings … but a different model. Or brand. Or color. Sometimes a mention of one type of gear will spark a little flurry of orders for related items. A link to a rifle scope will bring bipods, holsters, and books on reloading.

This post may do the same. I’m going to link to specific products, but it’s not the specific product that matters; this is a list of things everybody swears by. Some I’d regard as absolute necessities for every prepared person. Others are just those things that make you go, “Oh, I wish I’d had one of those five years earlier!”

And they may get the same reaction from people on your gift list.

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Midweek links

When it finally dawns on the social-justice pecksniffs just how many things in every culture are “appropriated” from some other culture, they’re gonna be in a world of hurt. Randall Munroe gives Time an interview as only the creator of xkcd could give it. (H/T jed in comments) “Who turned my blue state red?” Talk about blowback. That’s blowback. Odd couple: Black Lives Matter and Bloomberg. Half of me hopes he takes those officious overreacting officials for every dime — and thinks it’s too bad any judgment won’t come out of their own pockets. The other half of me is…

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Tragedy for Kent “DullHawk” McManigal

I just learned that Kent McManigal — longtime freedomista, Commentariat member, and creator of the “Time’s Up” DullHawk Flag lost his 24-year-old daughter last week. Worse, she was killed by a drug-addled driver. Worse yet, she left behind two little sons, 5-1/2 and 4 years old. Kent’s ex-wife will raise the boys, but they could sure use help. Here are photos of Cheyenne Rose McManigal and family. This link will take you to the address of her memorial fund and a link to a gofundme page. Please help if you can.

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It’s so odd to live in a class-obsessed time

I grew up in a classless world. (Not classless as in “Donald Trump ain’t got no class,” but as in “Anyone can grow up to be president.”)

Maybe this was less true for some people of my generation, but I simply don’t remember ever caring two hoots about somebody’s economic class or status or anyone else caring about mine.

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Guest post: Truth in Government, Part II

And here’s the second and final part of the guest post by Sandy Sandfort. Part I is here

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TRUTH IN GOVERNMENT? YOU BETCHA! (Part II)
A Short Guide on How to Read Government “Tells”

By Sandy Sandfort

Before I give you two final financial examples, I will give one from my own family. On 5 April 1933, FDR signed Executive Order 6102 (just like Obama, he had a pen and a telephone) which required Americans to turn in their gold in exchange for paper money at $20.67 per ounce.

When my father read about the order in the newspaper, he immediately told my mother, “They’re going to devalue the dollar!” In other words, he skipped past all the order’s rhetoric and jumped to the “why.” When he figured out what and why the order was given (devaluation), he set about illegally amassing as many gold coins as he could. He was able to get rid of a lot of paper in exchange for a lot of gold. As he predicted, the dollar was devalued (40% to $35 per ounce. For decades, he and my mother paid for fun trips to Mexico with gold coins they sold in Mexico for the world price of $35 per ounce.

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Tuesday links

Wow. Somebody thinks federal employees aren’t paid enough when compared with people in “similar private-sector jobs.” The article never explains what private-sector jobs are similar to … oh, career money confiscator, thug who tells businesspeople how to run their businesses, or professional killer of nursing mothers. Integrity. Doctors Without Borders refuses Pentagon money to rebuild Pentagon-bombed hospital. There is a war on Christians. It’s being conducted in the Middle East and to a lesser extent in the regulations of western governments. Not at or by Starbucks. F*c*b**k: Now testing a new form of creepy. Yes, it appears (certain) black people…

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Saturday evening encounter with gloom and cigarette

Saturday evening just as it was turning dark, a young man came to my gate. He was as clean cut as a Mormon missionary (about the only other people prone to show up hereabouts at such an hour) and traveling on foot as they do. But he was solo. I had the vague feeling I’d seen him somewhere before. “I was here with Mike the other day,” he said by way of introduction. He gave no name. Mike — meaning Handyman Mike — has gone through a steady stream of minions or minion wannabes, all pretty much interchangable to me.…

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Monday links

In case you’ve wondered how a jury could watch a video of a cop executing a man in cold blood and still vote to acquit, it’s because authoritarian mind-warping is so very effective. Lisa Mearkle. Remember the name. Lisa Mearkle. Idaho deputies ask rancher to put down an injured bull. Before he can, they put down the rancher. The family tell their story. I wonder what the “official” story will be. In all the news about local cops getting away with murder, Jim Bovard reminds us that their federal brothers and sisters are still doing their share — and still…

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Amazon Christmas wishes

It’s been a decent year in life, but a tough one in the pocketbook (what with The Great Bathroom Project, more medical expenses than I’ve had in the last 25 years, and giving up my biggest client on one of those thorny, stubborn Issues of Principle). Pardon me for being blunt, but I need this Amazon Christmas season to be really, really big. So once a week between now and Chrismakwanzaahanukkahyule I’m going to feature a few cool Amazonian goodies. You faithful (and blessed) Amazon buyers know the drill. Enter Amazon through any of my Associate links and anything you…

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