A Periodic Round-up of Resources & News
40l(k)/IRA Nationalization Quietly Moves Forward
As the government's finances continue to deteriorate, the White House and a powerful network of left-wing think-tanks, Congressional activists, and the highly-influential Ford and Rockefeller Foundations are engineering a new regulatory and tax-incentive drive to herd and ultimately force Americans to convert their 40l(k)s and IRAs into government-directed retirement accounts.
The 40l(k)/IRA de-privatization plan is the brain-child of one of the left's rising stars, the bright and inventive academic Teresa Ghilarducci. While Ghilarducci insists 40l(k)s will still be "legal" under her plan, the thrust of her idea was revealed on a 2008 radio interview in which she said, "I'm just rearranging the tax breaks that are available now for 40l(k)s and spreading – spreading the wealth..."
Poor Man Launches Recycling Drop-off Center to Benefit Battered Women
Imlay City, MI--Area residents can drop off printer cartridges, old cell phones, digital cameras and laptops on Mon, Tues, and Wed between the hours of 9:30 and 5:30 pm at our office location at 151 N Blacks Corners Rd, Imlay City 48444.
This will help reduce ewaste and through a cooperative effort with EarthFirst and Verizon, it will also help battered women's shelters throughout the United States.
Snipes urges folks to signup
for the Poor Man Weekly Bulletin
Actor Wesley Snipes is fighting for a new trial in his tax evasion conviction. This new fight began after Kenneth Starr, Snipes' old financial advisor, was charged with securities fraud after allegedly stealing $59 million from celebrity clients
Energy Efficient Homes
USA TODAY reports that homes are increasingly being built in the United States to use little or no energy, a trend that could help reduce U.S. dependence on oil and gas, according to a new book.
Zero energy homes are becoming the new green,” says David Johnston, one of the nation’s leading experts on green building and co-author of Toward A Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide to Energy Self-Sufficiency at Home.
“The larger climate change becomes an issue, the faster zero energy homes will be demanded,” Johnston, founder of greenbuilding.com, tells Green House. He says buildings are responsible for 48% of U.S. carbon emissions, so making them more efficient could have a huge environmental impact.
These homes produce as much energy as they use on an annual basis. They typically include renewable energy features such as solar panels or wind turbines.
“Building a net zero house can get expensive, but it’s not necessarily so,” Johnston writes, noting how Habitat for Humanity built such a house near Denver for $116 a square foot.
The key, he says, is a well-designed, super-insulated home that takes advantage of passive solar gain and is so efficient it needs very little power. He recommends builders make houses airtight and then use mechanical ventilation to circulate air.
Excellent Resource for making your home more energy efficient & a solid way to save on your energy bill, go to:
http://www.GreenIrene.Com/PoorMan
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The shrinking American home
Homes are shrinking in America. After doubling in size during the last 50 years to over twice that of European homes, the national average house size dropped for the first time in nearly 15 years (by 9%, the size of one average room).
The smaller house movement afoot in the United States can take many forms, from houses the size of a walk-in closet to several thousand square-foot family houses.
On the far end of the spectrum are the so-called tiny houses. Also called wee homes, mini dwellings, or micro-homes, the definition is not exact, but they run as small as 65 square feet. And yes, people really live in them. Why? Reasons range from economic to environmental to psychological.
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecomii_healthy_living/74/the-shrinking-american-home.html
The Poor Man's Shrinking Home!
Garbage Moguls
Terracycle takes tons of garbage and turns it into usable products relieving landfills of tons of trash. The offer a terrific fundraising program for schools and non-profits and a National Geographic TV show is coming this fall …a hoot to check out and perhaps raise some cash while helping the planet.
I’ve included the NatGeo site as well so you can watch the show.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/garbage-moguls-4314/
http://www.terracycle.net/product_categories/8/products
SKILLS GAP IS WIDENING
Since the global recession has forced many employers to cut costs—including labor costs—one area may need a resurgence of investment: training.
U.S. employers continue to struggle with finding new hires who have not just the basic skills, but also higher-level critical thinking and creativity skills, according to a new report from The Conference Board. Since the education system is not supplying young workers with these skills, companies may have to devote more of their own resources to bringing workers up to their required skill levels.
Some options include providing internships and working more closely with community colleges. The goal should be to prepare workers before they go out into the job market.
"It is a losing strategy for employers to try to fill the workforce readiness gap on the job. They need to be involved much sooner to prepare new employees to succeed," according to Donna Klein of Corporate Voices for Working Families, which worked with The Conference Board on the report.
SOURCE: The Conference Board
Workplace futurist John A. Challenger noted that many of our concerns today, such as labor shortages, immigration, retirement, and globalization, are not new trends, but the recession has put them in a new context. For instance, when baby boomers saw their retirement savings disappear, many stayed in the workforce and thus helped alleviate labor shortages. The three big areas of future job growth, he said, are health care, energy, and global business. See his article, along with that of fellow conference speaker Edward Gordon, in the September-October 2009 FUTURIST. View an excerpt of Challenger's presentation
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Guide to free e-learning sites
It’s simply astonishing – the number of free online learning sites grows by leaps and bounds. You can take courses on everything from how to use Google to researching and stand-alone university sites such as MIT and Berkley. For a lengthy listing and link database, go to Open Culture or:
www.bulletin.aarp.org/freelearning
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A recent University of Arizona study suggests we waste a lot of food. Most people estimate they waste one percent while in reality, they waste closer to 15%!
- Use up your leftovers by combining them (or freeze them) into soups and stews, omelets, etc.
- Use over ripe fruits in smoothies or freeze them…they taste fine.
- You can make a variety of stock and broth from leftover meat and vegetables – freeze or can them.
- Freeze leftover bread and rolls and use them for making stuffing, bread pudding, French toast, etc.
- Clean out your fridge weekly to use up leftovers (my wife never looks in the fridge)!
Save energy and cash by using tax credits…before investing in solar panels, solar hot water heaters, wind turbines, etc. double check the fine print as some states offer tax credits but have certain restrictions. Find out what’s available at the Database of State Incentives at:
www.dsireusa.com
Urban Sustainability on 1/5th of an acre
Amazing story of a couple from New Zealand who have become nearly self-sufficient on a small plot of land. Learn more about Jules Dervaes and his “One trowel revolution” by visiting his site at:
www.pathtofreedom.com
Years ago when I was a fledgling publisher, I had the opportunity to befriend John Shuttleworth, the founder of Mother Earth News, the grand daddy of self sufficiency magazines. A born tinker at heart, Shuttleworth sold his magazine and moved to CO. The magazine has seen its shares of ups n downs since John left. It has recently improved and offers many, many DIY information online now too. They’ve recently added an online search capability for Seed & Plant Finders, DIY blogs and other content worthy of your attention. Visit them at:
www.motherearthnews.com
Save money through government auctions.
Each year the government, at all levels, sells off surplus and seized property through auctions throughout the United States. The post office, the IRS, Department of Defense and down the line via local city and county governments. For example, our local police department sells (not an auction) abandoned or seized bikes several times a year; a local auction house sells off surplus and confiscated police agency property; our biggest University in the area has a ‘surplus’ store and you never what bargains you might find.
It may take a bit of digging (by phone or internet) to see what your area schools, police agencies and other local governments are selling and where…but it’s worth the effort.
See the link below as an example of what the feds sell off…Sorry, the days of buying a surplus PT Boat for $500 are long gone!
Welcome to DRMS (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service),
the place to obtain original US Government surplus property.
http://www.drms.dla.mil/index.html
Recycle old electronics…
E-waste is a growing problem worldwide. Too many so-called environmentally aware firms are simply sending junk electronics to 3rd world countries, causing health hazards.
Smart moves for truly recycling electronics include Dell Computers which allows you to recycle their goods free by simply dropping them off at your nearest Staples Office Supply store.
Cell phones can either be donated to local police agencies (which make them available to low income crime victims) or through www.greenphone.com which will buy them from you. Sony and Samsung will take back your old TV sets for free.
Tax Credits for Home Windmills
-American Wind Energy Association says you can get a new 30% tax credit from the Economic Stimululus Bill. Check their site for useful data at:
http://www.awea.org/
Citizen-Times | Federal authorities arrested an Asheville man in what they said was a scheme to undermine the U.S. currency system and defraud consumers with so-called Liberty Dollars.
William Kevin Innes marketed the “barter” currency in Western North Carolina and recruited merchants willing to accept it and give it as change for products bought with real money, according to an indictment unsealed this week.
“When groups seek to undermine the U.S. currency system, the government is compelled to act,” said acting U.S. Attorney Edward Ryan of the Western District of North Carolina.
NOTE: What in blazes do you think our government has done to our currency? It continues to lose value each year! PM reported on this several months ago.
More of the story at: http://justgetthere.us/blog/categories/Self-Sufficiency/171
Is this the new Amero Dollar? Designed to compete with the Euro?
Cool site with how-to videos (make garden table from a pallet, etc.)Urban Self Sufficiency site
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/003795.php
Updated every minute…newsfeed on self sufficient living world wide
http://www.karavans.com/newsfeed.html
Libertarian site calling for smaller government
http://www.smallgovtimes.com/2009/04/prepare-to-defend-your-liberty/
Live simple
by John December. Radical tactics to reduce the clutter, complexity, and costs of your life.
http://www.december.com/simple/live/
World's Premier eBook destination for Green Living, where you'll find all your favorite titles about the environment and environmentally-friendly living. All content on EcoBrain is in downloadable, digital format, so you can buy green with zero use of forest-pulping paper and only a minimal amount of expended energy.
http://www.ecobrain.com/index.php?affiliate_id=1891
3/50 Project…grassroots group promoting local support/shopping of merchants.
This will help stabilize local economies. According to its organizer, Cindy Baxter, if half of the employed population spent a mere $50 monthly among locally owned retailers, it would generate $42.6 billion in revenue.
http://www.the350project.net/home.html