Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

There doesn’t seem to be any consensus in the media about what exactly is the state of the economy. Some say its getting better, some say its going to get worse…no one really seems to agree on anything except that, at this very moment, it’s “not good”…where it goes from here seems to be anyone’s guess. People trot out all sorts of numbers or stats to bolster their arguments but the other side pulls out equally convincing stats and figures. I figure the best thing to do is err on the side of caution – assume its going to get worse and plan accordingly.

I can look around me and see what the economy is doing..if I see new construction, new cars being sold, formerly vacant storefronts sprouting new business, then I think that maybe things are on an upswing. If I see a lot of ‘going out of business’ and ‘for lease’ signs on commercial properties, new car dealerships slashing their own throats to sell cars, people in the construction biz getting laid off, then I figure maybe things aren’t going so well. As of late I see more of the negative indicators than positive ones.

My completely uneducated and unsupportable opinion: we’re in a difficult time and while there will be an end to it, it isn’t in sight yet.
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I’ve been wanting to do some shooting lately but I have difficulty bringing myself to crack open a new brick of Federal .22 when I can’t get any more at the moment. Although I have thousands and thousands of rounds of the stuff squirreled away I don’t feel comfortable actually shooting it right now. The stuff we have stockpiled is put away for situations more prolonged and dire than the current ones and pulling a brick or two out of that stash just seems wasteful and dishonest. This isn’t an emergency, a prolonged crisis or similar scenario…its s temporary shortage, an inconvenience, really. Pulling ammo out of that stash would be like breaking into the long-term stored food because Domino’s was closed that evening.

Having said that, I am told that my local WallyWorld will have some ammo this evening and I plan on going down there and picking up a decent enough amount that I can earmark it specifically for recreational shooting. This way maybe I’ll be able to go enjoy myself at the range without feeling guilty.
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Speaking of the economy, I do pick up a little bit of precious metals from time to time. For the last year or so I’ve been getting them from a local source. I don’t get any sort of kickback for recommending them, but I’ll go ahead and do it anyway – www.montanararities.com . Unlike a lot of folks these days, they have the stuff on hand for immediate shipping. Make sure to mention that I sent you.