My parents were of the generation that lived through “The Great Depression.” They could recall when the times were tough and supplies were meager. Fortunately they both were reared on Northwest Ohio farms with little or no mortgage, so food was plentiful. My father often remarked about how his family sold hogs for 6 cents per pound and were happy to have the small amount of cash for purchasing shoes for their family of 12 (Mother, Father, nine children and Grandmother). It was a difficult period for all of them, but the times made them stronger and embedded a preference for frugality and thrift that they never abandoned.

In the late 1920’s and the 1930’s United States was a prosperous and hard-working nation. People worked long hours on the farm, in the mill or at the store. Fringe benefits were generally non-existent, and nearly everything including medical care was transacted on a cash basis. Money was rare. Expendable income was rarer. For the most part they muddled through trying circumstances. There were some, however, who could not survive the devastating economic tsunami. Those who had high mortgages on their farms or their homes could not sustain the payments after being laid off or experiencing crop failure. Historians and statisticians have estimated that unemployment was as high as 25% during the greatest depths of the Depression, but because most households had only one wage-earner the effects of the high figure were great and the impact was monumental.

Back in the 1930’s and during the time of shortages through World War II in the early 40’s people had gardens and basic skills that enhanced their potential for “getting by.” Even the smallest home lots or rental units had a tiny plot for growing vegetables and herbs. Canning and preserving were the types of skills that had not yet been lost to the descendants of the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th Century American pioneers. There were no distracting Ipods or Blackberry’s to interfere with the daily task to put food on the table. If one were fortunate enough to have a job, there was little discontent about working unpaid overtime. The people were hardy and their wills were strong. They emerged from the Depression and the war scarred but strong…worthy representatives of their ancestors’ pioneering spirit.

Today is different from those dreadful times of 70 or 80 years ago. We are not as strong, not as skilled and certainly not as safe as our parents and grandparents were then. Our “real” unemployment rate of 16-17% is comparable to roughly a 11% household effect of the Depression era. In other words, the negative impact on our citizens, our society and our economy is less than half of that of the early times. Why…because the predominant majority of households prior to the War had but one wage earner and each uptick in the unemployment rate meant that several thousand households had lost their only source for income. Today is somewhat different. Two-adult units generally finds both of them employed so that an increase in unemployment may still leave one worker in the household. On the other hand there are legions of one-parent households wherein a loss of income could have devastating consequences. Bottom line: times have changed and so must we.

If we consider the possibility of our electrical power grid being compromised either through sabotage or government mismanagement and rulemaking, we may face some serious problems in our day-to-day lives. Just gaze around your home and consider how reliant you are on a steady supply of electrical power. Refrigerators, freezers and coolers would be effective for a very short time because of their insulated structures, and whatever your fuel source may be for your heating and cooling, it still probably contains an electrical component for starting or distributing the air. An even scarier scenario would involve an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on our nation. Every aspect of our lives that includes an electronic component would be rendered inoperable. Cars wouldn’t start or run. Cell phones and computers would be worthless. The book, “One Second After,” by William R. Forstchen vividly describes the chaos that would envelope us if we faced something of this nature. While the book is a fictional account, it nonetheless relies on sound science to illustrate our vulnerability. One must also recognize that the nuclear capability for an EMP attack is available to a number of countries and groups throughout the globe, but the only constraint for them thus far is the launching capacity.

This piece wasn’t written to frighten you or to cause you to begin wearing tin-foil hats, but I do think that it is in our best interests to recapture some of the survival skills that our ancestors have developed. Without the basic infrastructure that we enjoy today we could find ourselves caught in a frenzy of anarchy which would make a very bad situation an intolerable one. Sound reasonable preparation need not be panic driven. It is prudent and sensible. If we do not learn the skills our grandparents practiced, we will be ill equipped to withstand disaster---whether natural or manmade. FEMA may not be sufficient or available. As an advocate of individual liberty, I fear that individual responsibility may be thrust upon us whether we desire it or not. The Scouts are right. Be prepared.

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