When I read this about Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett saying that people should leave the cities and move out to the country because -

“There are a number of events that could create a situation in our cities where civil unrest could be a very high probability,” Bartlett said in the film. “And I think that those who can and those who understand need to take advantage of this opportunity when the winds of strife are not blowing to move their families out of the city.”

“It’s just plain fun when you’re looking at the challenge of what do I have to do so that I’m independent of the system,” he added.

I wonder if he really knows what he is suggesting. Most probably some nice gated community or up-scale suburban setting no doubt.   I do not think this guy is thinking about self sufficiency or farming. He really does not look the type.  This got me thinking of a series that ran on PBS a while back called Frontier House.

.....three family groups (brothers, sisters, cousins, and individuals were all welcome to apply) traveled back in time to the days of the Wild West, living as settlers did in on the frontier back in the 1880s. No one could pretend it was be easy, but their story gave us a vivid picture of how far we have come, maybe even a little of what we have lost along the way.

In other words three different families would attempt to live out on the prairie like people did in the late 1800s.   From building their log cabin home stead to acquiring live stock to gather hey for the live stock to planting vegetables.  Pretty much the whole nine yards. At then end, which as in the fall, they were judged by experts and historians as to whether they would survive the coming winter.

The Brooks family consisted of a young couple who had just married. Both took the challenge very seriously and of course did the best job of being prepared for the upcoming winter. The did make some mistakes along the way but all in all they did var very good job.

The Glenn family consisted of the mother and father and Logan Patton and his sister Erinn Patton.  They were you typical middle class family with the father heading a dept. in a local Community College. They also took the challenge very seriously and though they were not a well prepared as the Brooks family, they did have determination.  In the follow up after the project ended, the father actually missed living on the frontier though the mother not so much.

Which brings us to the Clune family. Mother, father and two girls.  They were your typical upper crust professional family. Living in you typical million dollar house with pool and hot tub and all the trimmings. They also were the least serious about the project and cheated every chance they could get.  The hubris and self righteousness was something to behold.  In the follow up the father shows us the big freezer and fancy kitchen and remarks about how well he can provide for his family. Show us all the nifty toys he has, nearly all of which would become useless junk during a major economic down turn.

What I really got from this is how much in a surrealistic fantasy world people in this economic strata are and it really does not matter whether they are right or left or republican or democrat since they are interchangeable.  The left is convinced they can think there way through survival and the right believes they and prey and shot their way through. And neither one is willing to take an honest look at this counties situation because to do so would require them to see how unprepared they really are.

Both are horribly wrong of course. I lived in the out in country and knew people who actually lived and worked farms. I can tell you this that it is hard damn work and the only thing hubris will get you is dead quick.