Thanks Jack for a great show!

Anyway, just thought I should pass this on to you – I watched National Geographic channel over the weekend and saw a show on how the native indians of the Amazon grew food from the red and acidic soil in the jungle – they used ash from coal and fish to provide nutrients to the soil to make a soil called \"terra preta\" – it is the most fertile soil in the world and provides high yields – and still does today. It even showed how they have these large fruit orchard trees – hundreds of them sprouting fruit – year round. Pretty awesome! Anyway, just thought you would be interested in knowing that.

I am sick and tried of trying to discuss the price of food going out of control, and most people look at me like I am nuts.

I definitely appreciate Jack posting the FactCheck.org rebuttal of the 401k confiscation plan. However, I think people should be aware that FactCheck Annenberg Political Fact Check is the same foundation that brought the Chicago Annenberg Challenge founded by Bill “Just some guy who lived in Obama’s neighborhood” Ayers to “improve” Chicago public schools.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367.html

Now if you trust your government, you trust this administration, you trust your democrats, and you trust your republicans, you got nothing to worry about. As for the rest of us who have seen what has happened in the last 8 months from this administration made possible by the past 8 years of the last administration and see the bigger picture of the democrats and republicans pimping the system and gang raping us under the guise of divide and conquer populism, I say Caveat Freaking Emptor.

Hey Jack, wow, I’m honored to get a response from the man himself!

No doubt GSAs are SS 2.0 and should be opposed. I’m absolutely opposed to it. I didn’t think there was anything in my comment that indicated that I was in favor of them.

My point is the FactCheck rebuttal as explained in the b’cast is an attempt to try and show the other side of the story, which is appreciated. But my issue is that the FC story was published 2 years ago and is not a rebuttal of any kind to the Human Events article. And just because there isn’t legislation on the books, the fact that they’ve submitted an RFI for the mechanics of such a scheme give me pause for concern. Whether is a portion or all of my retirement plan, they have absolutely no claim to my savings.

And actually the death panels do exist. Its just called “rationing”. Its all semantics in a propaganda war but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Personally, I think it was just giving the healthcare bill republican cover b/c you’ll note people like Palin were throwing out “death squads” pretty much from day one. And then after the MSM railed and demonized the phrase “death squads” Newsweek, that bastion of liberal agenda has a cover story called “The Case for Killing Granny” which is all about rationing care.

Sure “seizing” your 401k assets may sound draconian but I would expect our dear leaders to say we can decide to opt in or out and then the old bait and switch will come as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow. (You can keep your current plan, No taxes on people making less than $250k, no lobbyists in my administration, healthcare bill posted online 72 hours before signing, earmark reform)

That said, I love your show Jack. I’m a HUGE fan of your economic analysis shows. Personally, I think prepping without understanding the big picture is operating in a vacuum. Its like prepping but not knowing why. Keep up the great work!

I would suggest to Eli that YOU become the “someone knowledgable about finances.” These “financial advisors” are supposed to be the experts and you can see how useless many of them are. No one is going to have a more vested interested in your well being than you. No one is going to understand your situation better than you. There’s SO MUCH info out there on any topic in the world available to you via the internet. Read up on the details of your investment vehicles, understand the commitment you make and liquidity you give up in retirement plans, figure out the wheat from the chaff in financial blogs. Financial prepping and self sufficiency is no different than “traditional” prepping IMO.

I feel honored to get two replies to my very first comment.

@ Political Atheist & Modern Survival – I think you may have misread my response.

I suggested … possibly begged Eli to find someone to give him a financial education, and I specifically stated that the person not be a financial advisor.

As for the rest, I should have clarified. The nature of Eli’s questions made me wonder if he may have a different form of retirement plan than a 401(k). I’m aware of at least one plan that when you stopped all contributions required you to wait for an open season to begin contributing again. That makes me wonder if there are other plans with similar disincentives like it.