Episode-862- The Modern Homesteading Mindset
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Some folks wonder why I spend so much effort on homesteading type topics. Simply put because modern survivalism is about a better quality of life, not just prepping for total systems failure. In fact I feel in many ways that systems have already failed or are actively failing.
Understand the role of society and government is supposed to be to make sure people have individual rights and the ability to pursue happiness. While it may be the case that these words are part of our foundational documents I view them as universal natural law.
Join Me Today As I Discuss…
- How well are “the systems” working for the average person
- Homesteading as a mindset vs. tasks and stuff
- What were the goals of the original homesteaders
- Typical modern homestead lifestyles
- Urban Homesteading
- Suburban Homesteading
- Rural Homesteading
- Off Grid Homesteading
- How the six needs of survival relate to homesteading
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
- Energy
- Security
- Sanitation
- The importance of community for homesteaders
- The concept of a true “homesteaders community”
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- ShelfReliance.com – (sponsor of the day)
- The Berkey Guy – (sponsor of the day)
- Woman Sued Over Flowers
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Once again – you are ‘right on” …. most excellent outline and presentation. I do believe you are getting better and better every pod-cast. I cut and paste your outline and expand it in a printed format from most episodes and then use this to follow along closely – you cover so much in each topic I need to write it down as if I am really attending a seminar when I was in school. Thanks again for all you do – keep-on-keeping-on!
Texas has to be the worst for HOAs, I can’t wait to leave this hood. My new president now wants us to turn in our neighbors, not just when we have a problem.
Interested in earning $10,000 an hour?
If you see somebody making any exterior modifications in Meyerland
make a note of the address, type of work being done and the time and date. IMMEDIATELY phone or email the MCIA office so the approval can be verified. This intervention could save your fellow Meyerlander a lot of money. The 15 minutes it takes to do this could easily save the Association $2,500 or more in costs. After all, it’s your money.
http://www.meyerland.net/en/us/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=129&Itemid=74
The closest thing to a compound that worked was in the 1800s and early 1900s where 4 families would put their houses and barns in the common corner of 4 – 40 acers parcels. You can see this in the rural midwest easy by a flyover if you look long enough!
Jack I almost fell off the couch when you said that stuff about the people in this neighborhood are allowed to have cows they go moo if you don’t like it don’t come here….hahaha…but for this exact reason is why I want out of the city…I have neighbours that are so nuts…I have a dog it barks when it sees someone coming near the property line LIVE with it…that a good thing…that’s what dogs do this is the city if you can’t handle a dog barking occasionally beep off! Send me an invite to Libertopia.
I’ve had my land day dreams turned on their head over the last week. For the longest time my plan was going to Northern Maine. The land is dirt cheap, beautiful and the local atmosphere is one of almost total freedom. It would prob need to be off grid for the most part.
Then I heard the Jack Dody interview and as awesome as the total off grid place sounds it probably would not work out for me, and def not the wife. I would love to grab a plot up there at some point but it will be a secondary location for sure.
Then I was talking to a guy today who lives in Western MA. He’s got 2 arces, but is surrounded by 30 of state land. This way he only pays property tax on 2 but has access to 30. Not full access but enough. MA has it’s issues but Western MA is pretty tolerant of homesteading and country living. This seemed like a good option. Def a chance of nosey neighbor problems.
Today’s podcast has me thinking even more about what the best way to go is.
Just curious, but if that corner of our country why would you not move to New Hampshire?
@Darby don’t mean to speak for the gentleman but when I was at FSPs Forum many of the people there were from Maine and property tax was the big barrier. A 150K house even outside of suburbs had taxes of 4200 or more. This is the biggest place FSP has to work on. My view is the way to do so is to focus first on cutting programs and expenses. They seem to be moving in that direction. Remember their goal is 20,000 so far they have about 1,000. My personal belief is it will take about 5,000 to really get them into critical mass.
Another problem is the surburbanite massholes keep moving up to NH because they are tired of Mass then the first thing they do is want to turn southern NH into northern Boston.
Another great show and an interesting idea on the collective living. I have an idea about that.
Instead of 40-2 acre plots on a 100 acre stand, what about only 20? That way those in the collective could do pasture-based livestock ala Joel Salatin and Darby Simpson. Some who live in the collective could use this as a source of income while still giving some back to the collective. Also, having 2 acre plots allows some of them to use their area the way Shalali Infanti does and those people could pasture some of the beef/pork/chicken stock part of the time with the collective livestock.
I also believe that a collective like this with its own farm market would bring in a lot of business from as far as two hours away. The Mennonites in southern Ohio do something similar and people drive from as far away as Columbus and Cincinnati to purchase produce, cheese and meat.
Also, I would think that a farming collective where 51%+ of the land is dedicated to farming would have less government interference. At least I know it has where the Mennonites have settled.
Just a thought…
@JD
2 acres was more of a minimum lot size rather then a maximum. So a person in said environment could by 5 lots or 10 to get to your 20 and going onto something more like 400-800 acre tract would be even a better way to go.
The key is cost. If raw land was use the land is only the first cost, then home construction, etc. I feel there is strength in numbers. I would rather have 100 like minded families in a community than 20. Hence my view of a larger then 100 acre tract. Now if someone wants to buy 20 acres sure that makes sense but I do even think we might consider a max lot size.
You could even do say 800 acres with 200 in pasture with a “share” program on live stock using the 200. The reality is you can do anything you want. The challenge is 100 homesteaders are going to have 1000 ideas about how it should be. What it would take is the initial investor saying, okay, I have heard the view of all the initial interested parties. We can’t please all, so this is the bare bones “community constitution”, either you like it or your don’t.
I know that seems harsh but that initial investor may be putting anything from 500,000 dollars or up 2-3 million dollars or more.
Really liked your show today. Just last year we moved out of California and up to the Great North… Alaska. We love it here. We live in the “warm” part of Alaska, in the southcentral part. Lots of like minded folks here. Great neighbors and the absolute BEST community! If someone’s house burns down or someone gets sick, everyone bands together to help and donate food, money, time, etc. People really look out for one another here. Some people here say that it must be a culture shock for me to move here from California. I tell them, yes, it’s nice to come to the REAL world.
Jack, it’s pretty clear your motives for liberty & I agree with you completely. That being said, how have you not relocated to a state with no income tax? Income tax is basically feudalism. I’ve crossed gun ownership libertarianism with lack of income tax, and you’re left with the following: Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska. Why haven’t you bugged out there? And the alleged “free state” project in New Hampshire – if they are so “free” why haven’t they repealed the income tax in their own state? Thanks.
@metaforge
We are in Arkansas mainly because it was the closest place to my wife’s family with low taxes and mountain lifestyle with reasonable rain fall. I am just not a flat lander and my options to keep the wife happy are limited by range.
Next please note that there are many ways to rebel against income taxes and few ways to rebel against property taxes. Income for an employee is cut an dry but I am not an employee. As a business owner I legally and fully above board convert much of what is income for an employee into an expense. I am saving over 4100 a year in property taxes and I focus on TOTAL TAX not what form said tax is in.
That said we are seriously considering moving back to Texas at some point as our primary residence where there is no state income tax. Though that is far from the primary driver and when we do we have no intention of selling this place. It will remain a great get away and BOL. We will also NOT be moving back to the city we are looking to some more remote areas of East Texas in between DFW and our current homestead.
Lastly you are very misinformed about NH, they have no income tax, they have only a tax on dividends and interest. Keep in mind that FSP so far only has about 1000 people in NH, for that low body count they have done remarkable things. You also left Texas off your list? Great gun laws, no income tax, so what gives there?
Again though let me close there are many reasons I encourage people to own a business. The income is only one of them. Most Americans earn, pay taxes, spend. Business owners earn, spend as much as they can, pay taxes on the rest, then reinvest, save and spend the remainder. Also even with the capital gains taxes in NH there are MANY ways to shelter those.
The requirement in fighting taxes isn’t just going to a state with a low or no income tax, you have to look at the total tax burden. Property, sales, capital gains, fees, permitting costs, etc. Then you have to look at your tax structure and see what fits best. Additionally as a business owner your corporation doesn’t have to be in the state you are in. Things are different when you play their game vs. letting them move you around the board as a pawn.
Hey Jack sorry if that sounded like I was coming down on you – I wasn’t – I was pissed off at being called “a subject” as you rightfully called me (and all of us). And at that point, I thought why stay in any state that viewed its citizens that way! Especially when you have a choice. I do NOT want to be a subject of any state or the federal government.
I’m sorry but Texas didn’t make the filter on MOST liberty gun rights, that was the issue. Maybe they don’t have open carry statewide? I dunno why exactly. But anyway I was mostly just pissed off at being called a subject which like I said you rightfully said.. and think we should all change that.
Granted we all have family here and there, and we’ve all got constraints, and what not but, I wanted to put forth the four most liberty minded states and I did. I think New Hampshire is somewhat of a sham – so they have income tax only on income & dividends – so again, only if you’re successful – I am not at all on board their “liberty train” yet until they change that. There is none of that in the four states I mentioned. In fact, it might be a good show topic to talk about the states with the most liberties. Thanks for your thoughts.
Always in liberty,
Metaforge
Just as a followup for docs… check this map for income tax:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
and this map:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OC-OpenCarry.svg
Well I just might owe an apology about Texas.
@metaforge nothing you said upset me in the least I just gave you an honest answer. I hate paying taxes but as a business owner vs. an employee I have other options then to just pay X rate. When I look at tax freedom I don’t really care which of Caesar’s minions get my tribute I care about the “total tribute unto Caesar”. Hence the fact that property taxes are much lower offsets the income tax. Not to mention state income tax creates a federal tax deduction. Again as a business owner you can structure yourself to use many things to your advantage that an employee can not, specifically if you never hire any employees and avoid the hell that comes with doing so.
On NH though let me be frank about your claim that it is a “sham” and you’re statement “I am not at all on board their “liberty train” yet until they change that.” Frankly you are missing the entire point! FSP is not about waiting for a state to change it is about forcing a state to change. Clearly you have no idea the impact on gun freedom, knife freedom and speech freedom that has already been accomplished in NH. One woman, yes ONE WOMAN took NH from one of the most oppressive states on knife carry to the most free in less than 5 years. So much so that she stated, “I no longer have anything to do with this issue in NH”. Her work and book have become the blueprint for knife freedom and legislative action around the nation.
Again being FRANK I think you have your head up your ass on this. FSP is not about moving to a place that is “free” as no such states currently exist. CERTAINLY NOT THE ONES YOU MENTION, have you checked property taxes in them? What about permits and fees? Etc. It was about picking the state that would have the greatest opportunity to be set free. You sound like a guy calling the revolution a sham because “Washington is sitting on his ass in Valley Forge instead of shooting Red Coats”. Revolutions are not won in a day, peaceful ones are seldom won in less than several decades.
Urban Farming Guys are in Kansas City not St. Louis.
@Tom, thanks. That said if you have been to the bad parts of either there isn’t that much difference in how amazing it is to make the impact that they have.
I’m not the same Tom as above, I was wondering where to get this DVD you mentioned on the show? Is that part of the MSB benefits or is it http://backyardfoodproduction.com/#
Thanks!
Jack, I had a similar idea about building what in my mind would be called a prepper retreat. Taking acreage subdividing into 5 and 10 acre lots. Some would be leased out to “big city folk” who wanted a bug-out location the the remainder would be sold to full time residents and even others who just wanted a BO place. For lots to be leased thought of putting portable bldgs and not much else. Lease would be rather inexpensive but enough to help defray initial investment.
Just don’t have the capital
Hi,
was wondering if you considered having a URL available that just plays a loop of the current day’s program or perhaps of the last 5 days of programs? that way we could just add the URL to our little radio apps on the computer in the prepper category. Alex Jones does this for the same day’s program. its pretty cheap these days.
thanks.
@al the reality is I am not sure how to do that for you but.
1. All the shows are available on demand, just click the player and it plays.
2. We are on itunes so you can get us that way.
3. We are on stitcher radio too. That will always play the most recent episode.
Now if you can tell me a plugin or service that will let me do as you ask I will see if we can get it done.
Thanks for the response. I dont have smartphone so i think Stitcher is no go there. (iTunes is Windows only and my guess is only podcast there too)
i think these URL streams are the future – its like having your own Radio channel or station. In addition to Alex Jones, Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, Medved, Gallagher, etc all these have their own specific URL that just loops latest show 24 hrs a day.
How to do this in software i dont know but a computer tech should be able to automate the process. Maybe that Shoutcast or Icecast site hosts or TuneIN, idk. i saw this site and it looks pretty cheap but there should be plenty others too:
http://www.shoutcheap.com/
it says for $4.95/mo you can get 25 simultaneous x 32k streams.
i find 16k streams are good enough when i listen Alex Jones fwiw.
I just found your podcast…really good ideas…
I live by these…and I like the saying you quoted..
“It’s better to beg for forgiveness then ask for permission”
I live in Socialist Sweden and you would not believe the control…so I’m under the radar as much as I can! 🙂
“Cows go moo and they poop”…classic Jack.
1) Love the urban farming guys.
2) Love the “it should make you feel dirty” line.
3) I always talk with people about how survival is easier in communities than as a loner up in the mountains. Why do you think people started living together in the first place?
4) When you use phrases like “liberty”, “pursuit of happiness”, and “as long as it’s not infringing on other people’s rights”, you have to remember that all of these are WILDLY subjective. Everybody has different concepts of these principles. So general consensus is taken and then enacted into law. The whole idea of codes, HOA’s, and the “system” in general exists because they are the consensus of people’s interpretations of “liberty”, “pursuit of happiness” and “non-infringement.” They may not be yours and my interpretations, but they have passed consensus, or been enacted by somebody who did. You and I think it’s just plain stupid to limit the construction of a second story on a house or delivering home cooked meals to invalids, but people around us have seen it differently. The downside of democracy is that the stupidity in humans can become law, and even democracy itself can be voted away…
@Urbivalist Dan,
Don’t really agree with the last part in principle but it is how it is working in practice. What you are describing is democracy, rule by consensus of a simple majority.
We however, are supposed to be a republic where consensus should not infringe on my rights as an individual so long as my rights do no harm to another.
Now HOAs are private and entered into willingly, hence nothing is unconstitutional about them in my view. That said it is something I would advise anyone to NEVER enter into.
Yeah, I was mainly saying that what constitutes our “rights as an individual” and whether or not they are “doing harm to others” is something that is constantly in flux, subject to the whims and notions of others.
HOAs are garbage, and many of my local codes piss me off. I can’t have chickens in my zoning, and my dog that “appears to be part pit-bull” is illegal. Safety reasons, health reasons, BS reasons. But whatever reasons, by subjective interpretation (which become codes and laws) it’s become the reality of how I’m allowed to pursue my happiness…
preach on.