Living like a refugee.....

Great song. Heard it on the radio earlier today.
Got me to thinking about the refugee problem here in the good ol' USA.

"Refugee problem?" you say..."REFUGEE problem? What the hell are you talking about? "

Yep, we have refugees...lots of them.
ECONOMIC refugees.
People out of work and no way to pay the bills...they borrow enough money to get their car down the road a bit--to whatever area they *think* or have *heard* has jobs or cheaper housing or better handouts or anything to help them survive.
Refugee tent camps have sprung up outside of and in a lot of cities and areas. Florida, Texas, California and the American southwest are inundated with refugees.
Local social services in these areas are taxed beyond their capacity to help.
This issue will only get worse.
It is also happening more often in small towns. It used to be that small towns would get one, maybe two people a year *passing through* that needed help with gas and groceries to get them further down the road.
Not anymore. Most small towns are seeing a couple of dozen a month--depending on weather and how close the town is situated to the main routes of egress (interstates) that they travel towards their goal.
I have heard from friends that live in rural areas that they have had people stop and ask for work, ANY work..."It is like the Great Depression" some have exclaimed.
People are getting desperate.
Read that sentence again...out loud so you can imprint it into your brain.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING DESPERATE.
 Remember that.

People that are asking for work this week, may come back a week or month hence to carry off a chicken, grab a few melons out of your garden...or do some really bad things.
Be cautious. Very cautious.
I am not saying to not help people...just be real damn selective.
If you *prep* (and I hope everyone that reads this does!), be quiet about it. Now is not the time to brag down at the diner about the great deal you got on 100 #10 cans of wheat. Now is not the time to tell Bill down at the hardware store that you bought gold coins. Now is not the time to show off that new firearm to your buddies down at the Feed store.
Now is the time to *button it up*, guys.
Keep prepping...maybe now more than ever...but keep it quiet.

As for refugees...sigh...I don't know what is to be done. I wish I had all the answers.
If you are looking to buy property right now...check out the location carefully.
Think of the "refugee line of drift"...the routes people will take as they leave large cities or depressed areas.
For example, if loads of folks poured out of New York, the majority would head south in winter, but in late spring-early summer, they may head for Ct., Mass. or upstate New York and Vt and N.H.
City dwellers are NOT idiots. They know food comes from farms...and they will head towards farmland...for work (that probably isn't there) and for food.
If you live in a rural area, check maps carefully. Can your house be seen from the nearest interstate? If so, consider planting fast growing trees to block that view! Consider your fencing and other security around your property.

If you decide to help a refugee/refugee family by offering work, check them out carefully.
More about that next time...