Ready Yourself for a Turbulent 2021 and Beyond
James Wesley Rawles November 13, 2020
The year 2020 will be remembered as an exceptionally turbulent year, marked by multiple worldwide crises and massive urban protests and riots. It has been a year of significant drama and trauma. I do not expect that 2021 will mark a “return to normality.” If anything, 2021 will be just as jarring to our collective psyche. Parenthetically, I should mention that I created a meme for that.
In this essay, I’m posting my recommendations for SurvivalBlog readers on how to ready yourself and your family for any of the following in 2021:
Economic Turmoil
Sociopolitical Upheaval
Global Military and Terrorism Threats
Supply Chain Disruptions
Renewed Pandemic Lockdowns
Anti-Second Amendment Legislation
Urban Outmigration
A Resurgence of Inflation
I don’t claim to be any sort of prophet. I simply extrapolate from current events, trends, and my study of history.
Economic Turmoil
The massive debts that many governments have racked up since the outbreak of COVID-19 are staggering. In just the past 11 months nearly $2 Trillion Dollars has been added to our national debt. Federal debt, as a share of the economy, hit 98 percent in the 2020 fiscal year. To put the mountain of new debt in perspective: It took about 200 years for the Federal Government to build up its first $1 trillion in debt. (That threshold was reached circa 1976.) The debt is now north of $28 trillion, and climbing. And that figure does not include out-year obligations such as Federal pensions. So, I realistically, think of it as a $50+ trillion debt!
Specific Recommendations:
Because we can expect layoffs, develop a second income stream from a home-based business.
Reduce your consumer debt as much as possible.
Invest in anticipation of both a weaker U.S. Dollar on the Forexand much higher currency inflation. (More on that, later in this article.)
Sociopolitical Upheaval
The Antifa and BLM rioting of 2020 may carry over into 2021, even if Sleepy-Creepy Joe Biden is sworn in as President. And if the Federal courts intervene to throw out any tainted (late-arriving and back-dated) ballots and hence DJT gets a second term, then we can expect the leftist rioters to come absolutely unglued. The riots will be even more severe and protracted. Plan accordingly.
Specific Recommendations:
The late Ol’ Remus said it best: Avoid crowds.
Avoid visiting urban areas unless absolutely necessary. If you must, then carry body armor and full battle rattle in the trunk of your car.
Never travel unarmed!
Avoid targeting yourself. If you live in a liberal city or suburb then go “Gray Man”. Part of that is displaying no political or firearms-related bumper stickers or yard signs.
Global Military and Terrorism Threats
Or planet is not a very safe place. The state of “Peace” is the exception, and peaceful locales are also exceptions. Warfare, tyranny, brutal policing, and coercive taxation are the norm.
Some hotspots and issues to watch:
South China Sea
Taiwan Straits (Invasion of Taiwan unlikely in the Trump era, but more likely, with Biden in charge)
China/India Border
Continuation or expansion of the Nagorno-Karabakh war
Expansion of the Syrian Civil War into a regional war or world war.
A new wave of Islamic terrorism
Specific Recommendations:
Avoid international travel in contested regions.
Mitigate the risks of interruption of commerce with contested regions. Try to minimize your purchases of goods that are made in mainland China. Stock up on items that would be in short supply if any of these conflicts “go hot” in 2021.
Don’t live in a locale that is a likely terrorist target.
Supply Chain Disruptions
The shortages that we witnessed in the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic (February though May, 2020) illustrated how vulnerable the nation’s supply chains are. This includes not just the import and manufacturing supply chains but also the consumer level supply chain. Even local Farmers’ Markets were shut down by the Wuhan Flu pandemic.
Specific Recommendations:
Stock up early on items that are likely to be in short supply, such as gardening seeds, canning jars, plenty of canning jar lids, cleaning supplies, bleach, and paper products.
Finding replacement car parts may become problematic. If you drive a foreign-made car, then consider selling it and replacing it with an American-made car. One exception would be a pre-2018 Toyota Camry. It is a best-selling import car, so the car dismantling yards are full of parts for those.
Renewed Pandemic Lockdowns
Assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we can expect to see State-level lockdowns reinstated. And if Biden takes office, then there might be a Federal (nationwide) lockdown, as well. There also might be Federally-mandated coronavirus vaccinations and/or travel restrictions.
Further lockdowns will undoubtedly hamstring the U.S. economy. That could very well tip us over into another recession.
Specific Recommendations:
Be prepared to telecommute for an extended period of time.
If you have a job that would require “getting the jab” and you refuse to do so, then prepare to be fired from your job, or laid off under some other pretense. You might consider proactively taking a different job from a small, private employer where you are less likely to be required to be vaccinated.
Try to transition your work situation to be as “recession-proof” as possible.
Anti-Second Amendment Legislation
If Joe Biden takes office but yet a republican majority is maintained in the U.S. Senates, then chances are that not much gun legislation will be enacted at the Federal level. In that sense, legislative gridlock is a good thing. But regardless, the Biden/Harris administration is likely to attempt to legislate on its own via Executive Orders. For firearms, that will very likely be restrictions on the importation of guns, ammunition, gun parts, and magazines. For that reason, buying extra magazines for all of the imported guns that you own should be your top priority. Joe Biden is also likely to direct the ATF to reclassify various guns and gun parts–most notably shotguns with detachable magazines, pistol arm braces, and binary triggers.
While we can’t escape Federal legislation, we can avoid bad state-level legislation by living in the right state. I’ve long been a proponent of voting with your feet. Here are 20 states that in my estimation are the least likely to enact any new anti-gun laws:
Wyoming
Idaho
Montana
Utah
North Dakota
South Dakota
Missouri
Alaska
Arkansas
South Carolina
Kentucky
Tennessee
Mississippi
Kansas
Alabama
Oklahoma
West Virginia
Indiana
Louisiana
Ohio
Specific Recommendations:
Remain active in gun politics. We need to hound our elected representatives at all levels of government. Tell them bluntly: No more gun laws!
Seriously consider moving to a low-tax, low-population density, and gun-friendly state. Be wary of Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. Those are all “destination states” for liberal California refugees. They are bringing their leftist politics with them.
Round out your gun collection soon, preferably via private party purchases of used guns. That is legal in +/- 37 of the 50 States.
Stock up on 11+ round magazines
Stock up on ammunition and reloading components
Hedge into a few pre-1899 cartridge guns. (Because you may have to make the rest of our collection disappear!)
There might also be new restrictions on the civilian ownership of night vision gear and body armor. (Most likely with Grandfather Clauses.) So stock up!
Urban Outmigration
The current trend toward migration from cities to the hinterlands will accelerate, especially in the spring and summer of 2021.
Specific Recommendations:
Again: Seriously consider moving to a low-tax, low-population density, and gun-friendly state.
If you live in a rural region, then anticipate that everyone in the building trades will be fully booked for several years. One consequence of a shortage of contractors that is that manufactured houses (read: double-wides) will soon be sold out, whether they are new or used.
With so many people relocating to the hinterboonies there will be shortages of major appliances — especially chest freezers.
And with umpteen newbies wanting to become self-sufficient there will probably be shortages of prefabricated greenhouses, small tractors, and power equipment such as chainsaws, rototillers, and utility ATVs. So If you have been needing any of those and delaying making such a purchase, then stop delaying. Buy it ASAP!
A Resurgence of Inflation
The inflation of the U.S. Dollar has been low for more than a decade. This has been attributed to artificially depressed interest rates, orchestrated by the Federal reserve banking cartel. But given the gross overspending by the Federal government, we can expect inflation to re-emerge in the 2020s.
Specific Recommendations:
Keep a close eye on both the prime interest rate and the US Dollar Index (USDI). If interest rates spike by 1 percent of more, or the USDI dips below 90, then watch out! General price inflation will follow, soon after.
As I’ve already mentioned: Invest in anticipation of both a weaker U.S. Dollar and much higher currency inflation.
Avoid making any new investments that are U.S. Dollar denominated.
Become more self-sufficient with vegetable gardening and small livestock, so that you won’t face as much “Sticker Shock”, when buying groceries.
Reduce your U.S. Dollar exposure, by:
A.) Hedging into practical, barterable tangible items. (Guns, tools, et cetera.)
B.) Hedging into silver, platinum, and gold.
C.) Hedging into Swiss Franc currency.
D.) If you are age 50, buying a Swiss Franc-denominated annuity.
Conclusion
I summary, we need to be prepared for a turbulent or downright tumultuous 2021. The Drama Quotient for the remainder of the 2020s may resemble the 1930s more than the 2010s. – JWR
