One of the most important lessons in life is straightforward: everything in moderation. If you eat too much, you’ll get fat. If you drink too much, you’ll lose your wits. If you play too much, no one will take you seriously. Temperance is a remarkably sound philosophy for living well.
Living with an eye toward moderation is about more than restraining from vice. Experience teaches that thoughtless excess undermines otherwise healthy activities. Reading books without taking the time to consider the meaning of their words can make a person educated but unwise. Almost everything in life is done best when done with earnest reflection and restraint.
You do not need to read through the correspondence of America’s Founding Fathers to appreciate their preference for moderate government. Philosophically, of course, they were the radicals of their age. They rejected the notion that an elite aristocracy should exercise power by divine right and fought a war for the revolutionary principle that “all men are created equal.” They defended liberty, property rights, and speech as essential elements of what it means to live. When it came time for them to design a government best equipped to protect these freedoms, however, moderation was the key!
The English Civil War of the previous century weighed heavily upon their minds. The fall of the Roman Republic two millennia earlier guided their thoughts, too. They understood the corrupting influences of power, but they also appreciated the carnage that corrupt governments wreak. Mercurial monarchs and political repression guarantee war and forestall peace.
The Founding Fathers’ spirit drove them to fight for freedom, but their temperance restrained their actions after achieving victory. It has been said that General George Washington could easily have made himself king, but he was a man of humility who sought to follow in the footsteps of Cincinnatus — the virtuous Roman statesman who relinquished power and returned to his farm. Similarly, had the Founding Fathers suffered from the same unchecked passions that seized Robespierre and the Jacobins during the French Revolution, America might have quickly ended in a Reign of Terror of its own. Instead, the Founders’ commitment to moderate forms of government nurtured civic peace.
Their first attempt at a national charter — the Articles of Confederation — was so moderate, in fact, that it did not last even ten years. So wary were the Founding Fathers of a strong central government and so concerned were they for the preservation of the states’ sovereign powers and Americans’ inherent rights that they required a second bite at the apple to get the U.S. Constitution right.
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Even then, the whole document is an exercise in slicing and dicing government power into discrete parts. The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches are coequal entities meant to keep one another in check. The Constitution restricts Congress’s authority to a short list of enumerated responsibilities, curtails the president’s unilateral decision-making power, and grants the Supreme Court limited jurisdiction over particularized controversies. The whole document screams, “These are the only things that the federal government is allowed to do. All other rights and powers belong to the individual states and their citizens.”
Then, just to make sure that future ethically challenged politicians didn’t get any immoderate thoughts of their own, the Founders stamped a Bill of Rights at the end that screams even more loudly, “Future federal government functionaries, you may never, ever do any of these things! Really, these rights are off-limits and cannot be infringed!” If only later government stewards had listened.
Just as moderation in life keeps us balanced, moderation in government keeps passions in check. Constitutional republics with robust democratic norms do not require a Deep State. If a citizen is not happy with something the government is doing, there are peaceful avenues for change. Contacting representatives, voting for new representatives, or running for office are simple ways to alter public policy without having to alter the form of government.
When government agents operate beyond the reach of citizens, however, they damage the essential mechanisms for self-government. When the only thing that matters is who is in charge, the contest for who controls the reins of government becomes a zero-sum game. Excessive power leads to immoderate behavior, and immoderate behavior threatens long-term civic peace. Government instability is the inevitable result.
If the American Republic one day falls, its cause of death could be rightly pinned on a lack of civic moderation. Corporations posing as political parties divide Americans against each other while doing what’s most lucrative for a small cabal of financial elites. A detached and unelected government bureaucracy furthers its own insular interests while disregarding the wishes of the public it pretends to serve.
A private central bank manipulates markets, causes unnecessary inflation, and steals from everyone with meager savings. The Pentagon stations troops all over the country, as if it is more concerned with safeguarding the federal government from citizens than with protecting the country from foreign enemies. The Department of Homeland Security aids and abets foreign nationals in the commission of immigration crimes that cause widespread harm to American communities. Dozens of covert agencies spy on the American people without warrants or even the pretense of probable cause.
The Department of Justice and its sister agencies censor, intimidate, and incarcerate any American who objects to the government’s excessively unconstitutional behavior. This thing we call the federal government is the walking, talking embodiment of immodesty.
We all got a good look at its immodesty when the Supreme Court broke rank last month and ruled that President Trump has broad immunity from criminal prosecution. This small expression of dissent from an otherwise ideologically homogenous government blob produced paroxysms of Deep State rage. Justice Department praetorians quickly condemned the Court for recognizing the president as the person constitutionally vested with executive power.
Senator Chuck Schumer and other legislative flamethrowers immediately set to work on a strategy for neutering both presidential immunity and the Court’s recognition of it. So much for coequal branches of government, right? Corporate news media erupted in such fits of schizophrenic paranoia that top-dollar “journalists” claimed presidents could now murder citizens without paying any price. Strangely enough, none of these hyperventilating nitwits seemed to mind when Barack Obama was using drones to execute Americans without any concern for due process or civil rights. But that was King Barack, and different standards apply!
Although the headlines were all about Donald Trump, the Deep State’s fury was about something else. For over a century, administrative departments and agencies have enjoyed relatively unchecked power. Although they are either legislative creations or quasi-constitutional outgrowths of the Executive Branch, they operate remarkably independently. This arrangement makes a mockery of the Constitution’s checks and balances.
The DOJ’s power exists only to the extent that the president lends constitutionally vested authority to institutions under his control, but the DOJ’s argument to the Court has been that it alone decides what the president can and cannot legally do. In this way, the DOJ and similarly powerful departments have placed themselves above the Constitution’s three branches of government in a kind of bureaucratic coup d’état.
By holding that executive power resides in the president alone, the Court directly threatens the illegitimate powers of all those government officials who operate beyond the Constitution’s constraints. Combined with the Court’s complementary decision to strike down Chevron deference, which gave administrative agencies broad discretion over the implementation of bureaucratic rules and regulations these last four decades, it seems as if a majority of justices are weary of the federal government’s growing intemperance.
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To no one’s surprise, the worst “extremists” all work near D.C. For any chance at future peace, Americans must force the government back into its constitutional cage. Without a little moderation, this Union cannot last.
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.
