This will give you an example of how out of touch with reality our governing system has become.
There is a homeless man who wanders through our neighborhood. He is an elderly man in his 60’s. Harmless in almost every sense of the word. He uses a cane to help him walk. A few months ago, he had come up with some money and while walking through our neighborhood he noticed I had my van up for sale. He expressed an interest in purchasing the van. Knowing the problems with the van, I tried to talk him out of it because I knew there was no way for him to be able to afford the repairs which it needed. He insisted on purchasing the van anyway. I then told him how much I was asking for the vehicle thinking this would put him off of wanting it. Rather than putting him off, instead he began to haggle with me and we settled on a price considerably less than what I was asking. Again, I thought it would be irrelevant as I did not know he had enough money to make the purchase.
He offered me half down right then and told me he could have the other half in two weeks. I accepted his money thinking to myself that he would not be able to come up with the remainder of the payment and I would just refund his money to him later. Again, he surprised me by making the payment exactly on schedule. So, being a man of my word, I signed over the title to him. A few weeks later, I noticed a man working on the van and inquired as to what he was doing to my friend’s van. He told me he had been hired to repair the van. So, I just let him continue about his business.
Soon, the van was repaired and running. Over the course of the next few weeks I noticed Vincent, my friend’s name, was slowly filling up his van with stuff. After a while everything Vincent owned was in that van. To this day, the van still sits there with all of his worldly possessions in it. Why he hasn’t taken the van somewhere I don’t know. It isn’t any of my business, so I don’t pry.
Vincent, though homeless, is always doing something to help another person out. He is not capable of helping much as he is old and somewhat feeble, but he certainly tries his best. He has a good reputation with most of the people in our neighborhood and most just leave him alone to do as he wishes. When one neighbor suddenly came up missing a cherished picture of Jesus that had belonged to his mother and his mother’s mother, people in the neighborhood began to consider whether or not Vincent had stolen the picture. I personally don’t believe he did so. That is not the kind of man Vincent is. But there are those who are convinced that because he is homeless, he is to blame for the missing painting. Now, Vincent can prove he did not take the painting and he explained to me why he could not have been the person to take it. However, I cannot share that information with my neighbors because Vincent shared that with me in confidence.
I noticed lately that I had not seen Vincent around for about a month. I was becoming concerned about him. Today, though, I saw him at his van putting a crucifix he found in the garbage into his van. He plans to repaint it and maybe sell it. When I went out to talk with him he related this story to me.
It seems the reason we haven’t seen Vincent lately is that he has been in jail awaiting trial. His alleged crime: custodial interference of an adult. Ok, you should all understand what that means about the person against whom Vincent is accused of interfering with. As it turns out, Vincent came across this man on the streets a little over a month ago. The man appeared to be delusional and was very unkempt. Vincent took the man to a barber and got his hair cut. Then he took the man to the Mission downtown and got him a shower and some clean clothes. The person at the mission asked Vincent about the man he was helping. Vincent explained the situation to the mission worker. The worker then went about his business and Vincent thought that was the end of things. While he waited for the man to come out of the shower, as he intended to take the man to the Salvation Army for a meal, the police came in and arrested Vincent. Apparently, the man whom he was helping was a ward of the State and had certain mental disorders. There is apparently a law in this state that one cannot offer assistance to an adult who is a ward of the state unless you are part of an organization such as Goodwill or Salvation Army or the likes. So, Vincent has been sitting in jail awaiting trial for custodial interference. He faces a minimum sentence of one year in prison and up to five years if found guilty. The only reason he was released from jail today is because they were overcrowded and they had to release some people to make room for incoming people. If it weren’t for that, I may never have known about this situation.
Vincent must appear in court on Thursday, April 18, 2013. He expects that he will be found guilty (apparently his lawyer feels he is doing Vincent a favor by allowing him to go to prison) and to spend at least the next year in jail. To make matters worse, someone in our neighborhood has complained to the city about Vincent’s van. The city is going to tow the van sometime this week. Everything he owns is in that van and it is about to be stripped away from him. And for what? Because he dared to help people while homeless.
This is what our society has become. So, when people tell you that it is a bad thing that our country is failing and will soon fall apart, tell them it is a good thing. We deserve it for the way we treat people like Vincent.

UPDATE:  July 03.  I saw Vincent today.  He was, indeed, found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison and five years parole after his release.  He was granted early release from prison due to overcrowding issues and the low severity of his "crime."  He has lost his van.  The state confiscated it while he was in prison.  He now walks around or rides a bicycle whenever he needs to go somewhere.  This is a travesty.  But, Vincent is in good spirits.  He has a new lady friend and lives with her in her home.  He still wanders the neighborhood and tries to help people, though and I expect this hardened criminal to be returned to prison for violating the terms of his parole. 

Knowing how to survive is one thing. But for those of us in an urban setting, if the SHTF, say a tornado or earthquake or some other natural disaster that cuts off the food supply, we have to prepare differently. Urban lots tend to be small to the point of being microscopic. So one has to maximize the use of that land as best as possible. One of the things we do is raise rabbits for meat and chickens for eggs. They require little space and a smart urban homesteader will quickly learn how to feed them off the land rather than rely on store purchased feed.
But, one has to have the stomach for it, though. For example, today I am slaughtering rabbits. They are a source of food for us during these very lean times when we cannot afford beef or pork and sometimes even chicken is priced out of our range. If I was squeemish, then raising food rabbits would serve me no purpose. Sure I could take them to a butcher or a slaughterhouse and have the work done for me. But, what if we experienced a large earthquake here and I could not make it to the butcher or slaughterhouse? How would my family eat? Knowing how to slaughter and butcher feed animals is a skill that will serve one well in times of emergency. Man up, guys, and get in touch with your inner caveman!

I have a confession to make. In 2008 I was an Obama supporter.
WAIT! Don’t stop reading now. There is more to the story.
Like many Americans in 2008, I was ready to elect a black man to the Office of the Presidency. Like many, I had hoped that by doing so, it would finally put an end to racism in this country. I know that racism is a dying concept in this country, but I was anxious to see it come to an end in my lifetime. I did not realize at the time his election would only fuel racism to levels I had never seen in my lifetime. Granted, it is reverse racism, but it is racism none-the-less.
I was raised in a multi-racial family. So, to me, racism is not something I can truly comprehend. I have an intellectual understanding of it but I just cannot seem to wrap my mind around it. It just doesn't make sense. What it comes down to is this; we are all shades of brown. I am a very light shade of brown commonly referred to as white. In my family we have many shades of brown ranging from my shade to the shade referred to as yellow, to the one called red, to the one named black. But in the end, they are all just varying shades of brown. And that is how I have always seen it. We are all brown.
I have personally experienced the result of racism due to the make up of my family. There are those who like me just fine but cannot accept my darker cousins. There are those who like my mother just fine but cannot abide by her choice to marry my step-father who is closer to the shade we call yellow. My nephews, while white, are Jews by birth. But, even though their skin color is very close to mine, or even lighter in one case, there are people who just don't like them because they had the audacity to be born to a Jewish father.
So, yes, I know racism. I don't understand it, but I am intimately aware of its effects on my family. I believe these experiences are probably why I really wanted to believe that Barack Hussein Obama would finally put an end to racism in this country.
I got caught up in it. Our country's first black President. What an achievement that would be! I even joked with a black friend of mine that when Obama was elected we would have to repaint the White House and call it the Black House.
One evening, that was all to come to an end for me. You see, above all, I am a patriot. I love America more than almost anything else. I was raised “God, Family, Country,” in that order. I truly believe in Admiral Steven Decatur’s statement, “My country. May she ever be right, but right or wrong, my country!” I still recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day with my hand over my heart. America is the greatest empire the world has ever seen or is likely to see again anytime soon. I would die for my country with a smile on my face. Of course, I would rather make some other sap die for his country, but I am willing to make that sacrifice, too.
But, on this night, the spell Obama had over me was to be disbursed to the four winds. I was watching a debate between Obama and McCain. I knew I could not support McCain, though I have tremendous respect for him. But I knew he was corrupt and he wasn't what I really wanted in a President. But, then Obama had to open his mouth during a time in which I was really and truly listening to what he had to say. He said he believed our country needed to “redistribute the wealth” so others could have a larger piece of the pie.
“Wait a minute,” I thought to myself. “Did I just hear him correctly?” He had just told America that he was going to steal wealth from those who had earned it and give it to those who didn't deserve it. And he did it on national television! My heart sank. The Chosen One was a Communist! The very thing I detested most in the world! As the debate progressed I realized that I was supporting a person who would bring about the absolute ruination of our great country!
I was never again to offer my support of Obama. My older sister, after the debate, called me up to ask me what I thought about the debate. I told her I was hugely disappointed. She then said, “Yeah, but I know you are supporting Obama.” I surprised her and told her, “No. I can’t.” When she asked why I simply said, “Because he is a communist.” This did not go over too well with her as she was, and still is, an Obama supporter.
That was the end of my brief foray into the dark side (no pun intended). I decided that since I could not support either candidate as they were both corrupt politicians, I would have to figure something else out. I was already a member of the Libertarian Party because I could not support Bush in his bid for the Presidency in ’04. So I supported Congressman Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party. I like the Libertarian party because they are not too conservative and they are not too liberal. They believe in personal responsibility and the Constitution but at the same time they believe marijuana should be legalized and a person has the right to love whomever they choose regardless of gender identity. There are many other stands the Libertarian Party takes on social and economic issues, but my point is they are a very middle of the road party. This is very attractive to a Buddhist like me. After all, Buddhism is all about the Middle Way.
The fact is, both political parties have become so corrupted and bloated with self-importance and power they have forgotten about the people who make up their parties. The Libertarian party, has not forgotten what the Constitution is and has not forgotten about individual liberties. Liberals are only interested in trying to create a Socialist Utopia that can never work. Conservatives are only interested in doing things the way they have always been done, leaving no room for growth. These two ideas are no longer compatible with the Constitution or with American culture.
It is time to put aside our loyalties to parties that no longer concern themselves with what their constituents want. It is time to send those parties to the children's table where they belong. There, they can bicker and fight amongst themselves while the adults sit down and work out practical solutions to real world problems.
I encourage everyone to look at the Libertarian Party platform and decide for yourselves if it is the party of the future as I believe it to be. See for yourselves if it is the Adult party where people can advance meaningful solutions to our problems rather than engage in school yard politics. Obama was right in one thing. It is time for Change.