Four Ways to Stage an Economic Revolution in Today's World

Question: What do you get when you combine frugal with self-sufficiency?

Answer: A philosophy the government and corporations will hate.

I am convinced that the United States politicians shudder every time they hear the words self-sufficiency. Do you doubt it? Self-sufficiency calls for citizens to stop useless and senseless spending. Self-sufficiency says to abandon over-spending and meaningless consumerism. Self-sufficiency says to do for yourself and stop perpetuating the economy based on Big Brother and the Omnipotent Corporation. Self-sufficiency is, in fact, the antithesis of all that is embraced by modern society, and as such will be looked on with skepticism by those who lead us and who profit from that leadership.

I say it is about time we quit playing the game. I say we pick up our marbles and go home, and once there we start fending for ourselves the way our forefathers did.

In other words, I say we overthrow the economic system and start over again.

I not only tell you that it is not too drastic; I tell you that it is our responsibility as citizens of the United States to do so.

We, the people, have lost control of this country. Please, you must see this by now. I pray that you see this truth by now. This country is an oligarchy pure and simple. Democracy caught the last train out of town the day we allowed special interest groups to make politicians rich men. Congressional votes are bought and paid for by huge corporations, and that is the reality in the year 2014. The poor are getting poorer, the middle class is disappearing and the rich get richer….and it’s all about economics my friends, and who do you think feeds the economic machine that is eating you alive?

That’s right….you feed it.

Nearly 70% of the American economy is consumer-based.

Munch on that fact for a moment.

It is our need….our over-spending…..our greed…..that perpetuates the current economic system that purchases votes in Congress and makes the rich richer.

Can we count on the rich to gain a conscience soon? No! Can we count on our political leaders to gain a conscience soon? No! That only leaves us with one choice: we must change our spending habits and wrestle control of the economy away from the power-brokers.

Here are a few suggestions on how to do that.

ELIMINATE CREDIT

Stop buying on credit. Cut up your credit cards. Pay cash for everything that you purchase. Buy according to the principle of “need vs want” and lean heavily in the direction of needs. I don’t care if they promise you zero APR for the next two years on that big screen television….don’t buy it.

Some of the richest corporations in the world are financial institutions, and how do you suppose they make the majority of their funds? Stop paying them money for money. It is madness and it needs to end, or soon enough we will see the CEO of Citicorp sitting in the White House behind the Oval Desk.

GO FRUGAL AND SELF-SUFFICIENT

I will repeat because this is vital for financial freedom: you need to buy according to need rather than according to want. You need to buy used and recycled. You need to learn how to make things for yourself rather than buy them, and you need to learn to repair things rather than pay someone to repair them.

Grow a garden….grow fruit trees….learn to can food….buy from local organic farmers…..learn to barter for goods and services…..form a co-op…..start a community garden…..force your local governments to pass laws that benefit the local hard-working stiff rather than the absentee landowner.

The less you spend on consumer goods the less money corporations will have, and the less money they have the less power they will have.

IMPROVE HEALTH

Has anyone noticed the high cost of health care lately? How about the high cost of drugs? Extended care?

Do you know how to lower that cost? Simply by not needing it.

If 100 million Americans made a commitment to improve their health by more exercise and better eating habits, the cost of health care would go down. It’s called Supply and Demand and it controls the price of everything in our lives, including the cost of staying alive.

KICK OIL DEPENDENCY TO THE CURB

Oh I can hear the whining already on this one, but the day will come when people are going to be forced by abject poverty to do what I am suggesting now. Stop paying the oil conglomerates to pump oil for you.

If you absolutely cannot live without a vehicle then go green or at least get rid of the gas guzzler and go economy. If you can, get rid of the second car. Walk more….bike more…make fewer trips for errands….demand that even greater EPA ratings be attained by car manufacturers….buy recycled parts and learn car maintenance.

And I say good! Frugal self-sufficient people will do quite nicely in a new economy. Heck, maybe they can teach self-sufficiency classes to the former corporation executives who suddenly find themselves without their yearly bonus.

No it won’t kill the economy; it will simply force the economy to adjust to the changes. These sorts of changes have occurred for hundreds of years around the world, and they will continue for hundreds of years in the future. Change happens and we adjust to it….but at least in the scenario that I suggest, we are forcing the change to happen and we will be prepared for it.

If you could lower your grocery costs by 20%, what would your life look like?

If you had no debt, what would your life look like?

If you spent 20% less on car maintenance and fuel, what would your life look like?

If your health care costs dropped by 20%, what would your life look like?

If you did not have to pay repairmen and other service industries to get your home up and running, what would your life look like?

If you lowered your housing costs by 20%, what would your life look like?

If your government was actually your government, and bills were passed for the common good, what would your life look like?

If your answer to most of those questions was a smile and the words “pretty damn good” then you might just want to consider some of the things I have mentioned in this article.

And therein is one huge problem in today’s society: most people are reactionary. Something happens and they are forced to react to it….but there is another way to live. You can try being proactive. Act before you are forced to act. Be prepared for the worst. Protect yourself and dictate what your life will look like in twenty years rather than having corporations and the government dictate it for you.

Admit it, you have always secretly wanted to lead a revolution, right? Well now is the time. Pick up your protest sign and start marching with the visionaries rather than being trampled by the reactionaries. The view really is much better from the head of the pack.

2014 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)