Tag Archives: recession

Episode-819- Billy Joel’s Allentown – History Lesson, Prophecy or Both

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Modern Survival| 53 Comments
Episode-819- Billy Joel's Allentown - History Less, Prophecy or Both [ 55:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we are going to do something completely different and look at the old Billy Joel hit from 1982, “Allentown”.  My hope is after you hear today’s show you will fully understand what I mean when I say, “history, prophecy or both” in regard to the song.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • What “closing the factories down” was actually like
  • Why unemployment was a national problem but worse in the coal and steel regions
  • What the song means when talks about “weekends at the Jersey shore”
  • The “restlessness” that was handed down
  • “Graduations hang on the wall” today they are college degrees vs. high school diplomas
  • The multiple broken promises that generation experienced
  • What “filling out forms, standing in lines” means to us today
  • What “hard to stay” is really all about
  • The true nature of the WWII generation post war prosperity
  • How “one word plastics” from the movie “The Graduate” relates to this song
  • What “the threw and American flag in our face” was all about
  • How the “flag in the face” relates to today
  • How this song is really about one of the massive shifts in the world
  • How this generation got caught in this shift
  • Some of the other massive shifts on the past 200 years
  • The real nature of the current shift

Lyrics of the Song Allentown

Well we’re living here in Allentown
And they’re closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they’re killing time
Filling out forms, standing in line

Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance, danced with them slow
And we’re living here in Allentown
But the restlessness was handed down
And it’s getting very hard to stay

Well we’re waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard, if we behaved

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke, chromium steel
And we’re waiting here in Allentown
But they’ve taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
Something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face

Well, I’m living here in Allentown
And it’s hard to keep a good man down
But I won’t be getting up today

And it’s getting very hard to stay
And we’re living here in Allentown

 Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

→ 53 Comments

Posted in Podcasts

Tagged , , , ,

Episode-654- A Look Back to August of 2008

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Modern Survival| 7 Comments
Episode-654- A Look Back to August of 2008 [ 2:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So today I am on the road taking the RV up to Arkansas so there isn’t a new show but there is a rebroadcast of a show from August of 2008, I did this to expose new listeners to some of the early days.  It is also in response to a lot of recent questions about how I was able to call the 2008 crash.

The reality is the writing was clearly on the wall already. This again was in August a full month before the September fall off of the cliff.

Warning – While the introduction was recorded in the studio the majority of the episode is from the time I was doing the show in the car and BEFORE I sorted out the audio to a reasonable level.  In other words the audio quality sucks, try to focus on the content.

Tune in today to hear my thoughts in 2008 about…

  • A surplus of 5 years worth of ready to go residential lots and what that means to the economy
  • How the real estate bust is slamming into other industries like the Title Industry
  • How banks are building less new branches despite the very low cost of commercial construction right now
  • The stated and REAL reason many banks are ‘getting out of the student loan business’
  • The harsh reality every business must face when revenue and business declines
  • What the decisions of banks tell us about what’s coming next
  • Our responsibility for the clowns in government running our country today
  • The declining work ethic of the American worker
  • How everyone is actually “self employed”
  • The impact of our migration to a “service based economy”
  • Why you really need to prepare for hard times NOW
  • How we let our government officials keep their jobs with a 9% approval rating
  • Why storing food, saving money and protecting your wealth is a hell of a lot more important right now then “main battle rifle” or a “survival knife”
  • Thoughts on how Americans could use the economy as a weapon in a “bloodless by not painless revolution” (just a sneak peak more to come on this later)

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Podcasts

Tagged , ,

Episode-576- Seven Deadly Cracks in the U.S. Economy

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Modern Survival| 41 Comments
Episode-576- Seven Deadly Cracks in the U.S. Economy [ 1:15:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I authored an article yesterday you can read at The Real Truth About Money called “Seven Deadly Cracks and The False Recovery” (Link).  I didn’t want to do this episode today so close to Christmas but I can’t get this out of my head.

The things I will tell you today and the components of the article I will expand upon you really need to know about and be prepared for.

We are about to enter a very dangerous time, a period that will be lauded as recovery, I have been saying this was coming for over two years now.  Today I will show you the how and why behind it and the seven deadly cracks that will eventually allow the dam to break.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Reasons things seem to be getting better
  • How inflation creates the illusion of recovery
  • The real reasons behind the initial crash
  • The Seven Deadly Cracks
    • The collapse of the housing market is still in full swing
    • High unemployment that isn’t getting better
    • The majority of US States are near bankruptcy
    • Many cities and municipalities are near bankruptcy
    • The US is 13 Trillion dollars in debt and climbing
    • The deficit in 2010 was over 1.4 trillion dollars and it will be as bad in 2011
    • FAS 157 Voodoo Keeping Bankrupt Banks Appearing Profitable
  • What you can do about this
  • Protecting your wealth in the future
  • Why holding some cash is something you must do despite inflation
  • Debt must go NOW, here’s why
  • My outlook is positive as always, the wold is going on sale again!

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

Photo Credit Above to Wicky1 via Flickr

→ 41 Comments

Posted in Podcasts

Tagged , , , ,

Episode-410- The Death of the Neighborhood

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Modern Survival| 28 Comments
Episode-410- The Death of the Neighborhood [ 57:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yesterday we discussed dying cities, today we discuss dying neighborhoods and what the two have in common.  I believe that it is very important to pay close attention to your neighborhood so that you can react to the signs of death before it is too late.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • The death of an “exclusive neighborhood” in California
  • How neighborhoods, areas, towns actually die
  • Why many never recover
  • What do we learn by watching a construction worker by a 440K home
  • What are the stages of death in a neighborhood
  • How to you spot the cancer early
  • What other causes other than stupid lending can kill a neighboorhood
  • Will people “move back to the cities”
  • Will people move “out to the country”
  • Will people do both
  • The rules of monitoring your neighborhood
    • Stay flexible
    • Stay light
    • Pay attention
    • Always be “shopping” for a new place to live
  • What you can do to remain in control of your life

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

→ 28 Comments

Posted in Podcasts

Tagged , , , ,

Episode-230- Six Economic Impacts To Watch

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Modern Survival| 10 Comments
Episode-230- Six Economic Impacts To Watch [ 53:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we discuss six impacts to the economy that many people are either ignoring or not really paying attention to.  What will the economy do next?  No one can know for sure but the best course is to be ready for any outcome.

Tune in to hear me discuss…

  • Americans are saving more money then ever before, and this is a problem?
  • The seldom discussed aspects of the “Cap and Trade” bill and why it is really about sending jobs overseas not growing out economy.
  • The impact of coming food shortages and how they will combine with inflation
  • What are the real job losses for 2009, one source says 20 Million!
  • Should we “audit the Fed”, yep but we should know the potential impacts.  It might just be chemotherapy for a cancer patient.   Think about the side effects and be prepared for them.

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.

You also now can call in questions or comments for the host at 866-65-THINK, (866-658-4465) please read the suggestions for calling in before you do for the best chance of getting your comments on the air.

→ 10 Comments

Posted in Podcasts

Tagged , , , ,