Why I am a Prepper

Prepper. The word conjures up a number of thoughts and images. A hermit living off the land, anti social, a bit crazy. Someone off of the show Doomsday Preppers that might be a bit crazier then the hermit living off the land. Or it might give one thoughts of some white, anti-government, hoarder, unrealistic people. With so many thoughts about what Preppers are I want to try and bring this to attention of the mainstream of Conservative Minorities about what a Prepper is and give it some clarity.

I am a Prepper.

No shock there. I mean if you have read my profile on Facebook, Twitter, or had a conversation with me this is common knowledge. I believe in preparedness. I believe it is better to have two of something just in case one breaks. I believe that if someone says that the chances of something happening are nonexistent it will probably happen within a week if not sooner.

Now people are Preppers for a number of various reasons. Some believe that there will be some cataclysmic climate event. Others believe there will be some fashion of marital law coming down. Others still believe there will be some sort of civil unrest. Then there are natural disasters. The point is there are hundreds of reasons of why an individual might be a Prepper and all of them have validity to them.

Over the period of my life I have live in areas where being a Prepper was a necessity. I have live in Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Southern California, Hawaii, and Guam. The times I spent living in these places was awesome for the most part. However, as with any beautiful place there is a down side. Blizzards, Extreme Cold, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Earthquakes, Power Outages. All of these things my family and I had to deal with in one form or fashion. To be stocked up on canned good, Sterno on hand, and alternate methods of keeping food fresh in the event there was no power. To have reserve caches of water in the event that water is not potable (drinkable). All of this knowledge and activity was important to ensuring the safety and security of my family and it continues to this day.

Another reason that I am a Prepper is that I have a fear of an Economic Collapse of the US Dollar. All one needs to do is look at the news and see things like Quantitative Easing (Link NSFW, Language), the Devaluation of the US Dollar, or better yet look at your grocery bill. I like to gauge an economy on a can of Pringles, yeah silly I know but effective. I recall a couple years ago your typical large can of Pringles was a dollar at Walmart. Today this same can of Pringles is $1.50 for the same sized item. You don't complain much about it because it is only a fifty cent difference but add that up with other items and it is a cut in to any extra funds that you may have.

Now I am sure there are a lot of people that think or say that something like that could not possibly happen in the US, an economic collapse. Again, I ask you to review the current day news. We hear how unemployment numbers are going down but look at your major metropolitan areas or look up the U6 Unemployment numbers. And if history is any lesson we can always look back to the Weimar Republic to see the effect of hyperinflation.

And to add one more reason, I have chosen to be a Prepper is that our ancestors were and they were self-sufficient. Think about it. Our grandparents and their forefathers before them were people that knew how to get things done because if they didn't do it no one else was going to do it for them. They knew how to grow food, can that food, make the most out of what they had. They could do the must basic of things such as knots, fire starting, or building a shelter. Whereas today if every grocery store in the nation shut down we would all be up the creek without a paddle in less then a few weeks as those stores would go dry.

It is for three primary reasons that I am a Prepper. The first being that of Natural Disasters. I have been through enough of them to know that there is no such thing as being over prepared. Then there is the issue of the economy and a desire to become more self-sufficient. .

When we really think about it all of us are Preppers in one way or another. Otherwise, why else would you have insurance, bank with an FDIC insured bank, have a "rainy day" savings account or plan for your retirement?

Ultimately, whether one is planning for retirement or the Zombie Apocalypse (yeah I'm a huge Walking Dead fan) it is better to be several years too early then it is to be one day too late.