‘What do rich people buy?’ NFL player’s unexpected reaction to his $100 million contract is priceless

September 09, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice may be dominating the news coverage, but there are men of strong character with good heads on their shoulders in the NFL. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt recently agreed to a six-year $100 million contract extension – making him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. When asked by a reporter what he plans to do with the mega payday, his answer was pretty remarkable.

"I Googled, 'What do rich people buy?' because I don't feel like a rich person, and I don't really try to act like a rich person, so I don't know what they buy," Watt said. "I didn’t really like the stuff I saw, so I'm gonna stick with my humble lifestyle and just keep working out."

Not being particularly sports savvy, Glenn asked Pat and Stu on radio this morning about Watt's backstory because a $100 million contract is pretty life changing.

“He's a pretty down-to-earth guy,” Pat said. “I've never met by him. But, by all accounts, just an excellent character kind of person that works really, really hard.”

“I'd like to know where you get this kind of character,” Glenn concluded. “Because if $100 million doesn't change you, that's remarkable.”

Palestine launches a record number of rockets into Israel

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Here's what you're about to hear from the media, multiple world leaders, and probably even the UN over the next few days. Are you ready? Here it goes: ISRAEL ATTACKS GAZA… THE IDF HAS LAUNCHED MULTIPLE AIRSTRIKES AIMED AT PALESTINIANS… WILL ISRAEL INVADE PALESTINE?!

It's the same old song and dance. And people actually have the balls to call ME an anti semite for criticizing George Soros?! These same media outlets, world leaders, etc. etc. will actually call Donald Trump an inciter of anti semitism… forget the fact that he moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and scuttled the Iran deal. They'll prop up people like President Obama for giving real anti semites - people like Ayatollah Khomeini - billions of dollars that have literally no other purpose for that money than to go kill Jews. Has the world gone absolutely insane? Totally a rhetorical question by the way… the world has definitely gone insane.

Now here's what's really going on right now in Israel. First, this is kind of long, but allow me to quote from the Hamas charter. I also want to point out that Hamas… is a terror organization:

The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine (Israel) is an Islamic Waqf (land) consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (land) consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day … Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

So in other words this is the "no justice no peace" declaration for Hamas. And "justice" for them is the destruction of Israel… and they will pursue that regardless of whether the international community tries to broker a peace deal. It will never stop! Hamas wants Israel destroyed simply for existing. They want Jews dead simply for being alive.

This is hurtling towards a much larger conflict.

Over the past 72 hours, over 400 rockets have been fired by Hamas into Israel. Rockets fired directly at Jewish civilians. It is the largest escalation of rocket fire Hamas has ever done. They shoot at Israeli civilians and then they hide behind Palestinian civilians. How does a terror organization get a pass by the global community with this behavior? Who but an actual anti-semite would justify the killing of Jews by terrorists?

This is hurtling towards a much larger conflict. The IDF is moving additional troops and armor to the border. A limited ground invasion is possible. Will Hezbollah join in the fight from Lebanon? Will Iranian troops that have been setting up shop in Syria join in as well? We have to stand with Israel because, if we don't, history has shown - time and time again - that no one else will.

LGBT people fleeing caravan due to harassment should have leftists rethinking their support

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Here's a story about rampant intolerance toward LGBT people, who were harassed, bullied and assaulted so much that they had to flee.

Those two sentences are the kind of scenarios that virtue-signaling leftists get worked up about. They hear words and phrases like that and, boy, they are ready to go and fight the Trump supporters who are bullying those LGBT people.

Only, the bullies I am talking about are not even Americans. In fact, by most leftist accounts, they are victims. Of course, it should not surprise us anymore that the left is siding with bullies, under the guise of fighting bullies, by the way.

I'm talking about the migrant caravan. About 76 LGBT people fled the main migrant caravan that is moving through Mexico. They faced constant verbal abuse from their fellow migrants for being LGBT. Homophobia. Not very tolerant. It's almost as if this caravan is not the doe-eyed group of angelic wanderers that the media would lead us to believe. Because that is some real intolerance.

Boy I hope they get sensitivity training before they get to California—maybe Starbucks will pay for it. I hope they're reading Michel Foucault while they're marching this way, prepping for the enlightened new world they're about to encounter.

The LGBT caravan members had plenty more to say about the living conditions of the caravan.

As if this whole tangle of events needed to get any more complicated: Here we are.

One of them told NBC, "Even to bathe was a big problem, and when we wanted to shower there was no water...same with food."

As if this whole tangle of events needed to get any more complicated: Here we are. The irrational left—despite its obsession with protecting disadvantaged and bullied people—is defending a horde of people who have elements of homophobia so strong that a contingent of its members had to flee for their safety.

10 survival lessons from the Great Depression

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As we've seen with the 2008 Great Recession and the stock market ups and downs the past few weeks, our society will never be immune to negative economic outcomes.

Whether it be a stock market crash or a foreign attack on our banking systems, there are a variety of potential situations that could negatively impact our financial well-being as individuals and as a country.

Fortunately, there's a lot we can learn about preparation for economic worst-case scenarios simply by looking at the recent past—the Great Depression, for example.

The Great Depression started when the stock market crashed in 1929 and lasted until 1939. By its lowest point in 1933, roughly 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country's banks had failed.

Thanks to human resilience and creativity, many people were able to survive this tough time in U.S. history.

That's why today I'm sharing ten concrete survival tips we can glean from the Great Depression. Understanding what people did to survive during this tough economic period helps us to prepare in advance for similar situations.

With tightening monetary policies and geopolitical risks, Morgan Stanley analysts have determined that 2018 is on track to be the most volatile since the financial crisis.

There's no better time to read this list and prepare yourself and your loved ones.

And with that, here they are...

#1 Grow your own food

During periods of economic hardship, the last thing you want to do is rely on external systems for your own food sources.

During the Great Depression, the United States' industrial production dropped by half.

Farmers couldn't afford to harvest their crops, and bread lines, soup kitchens, and rising numbers of homeless people became fairly common in America's towns and cities.

About 20 percent of the population lived on farms. Fortunately, many city dwellers still had gardening knowledge from their country days. If your family had a cow and a garden, you were considered rich.

Today, with a growing urban population, it's less common to possess basic gardening knowledge. We've lost that skill overall in our culture.

But in the case that grocery stores become too expensive or simply run out of food during a financial meltdown, it will be essential to know how to grow your own food.

Take the time now to learn how to plant and harvest foods—whether in your house, backyard, or on your rooftop.

At My Patriot Supply, we have a product called the Survival Seed Vault by Patriot Seeds, which are perfect for gardens like those grown during the depression.

Containing 21 varieties of USDA Certified Organic Heirloom Seeds, they can last 5+ years in proper storage.

#2 Learn to hunt, fish and forage

Like learning to garden, it's equally important to learn to find and hunt your own animal protein sources...before disaster strikes.

If you have a family member or friend who's experienced, there's no better time than now to ask for a lesson in the basics. Who knows? Maybe you'll discover a new hobby along the way.

During the Great Depression, foraging for edible plants helped many people sustain themselves.

For example, nuts and wild asparagus were common findings for families that would go out foraging for the day. Identify the areas in your local community where you can find and harvest additional food. Keeping a deck of Edible Wild Foods Playing Cards nearby would be of help as well.

#3 Turn to a barter system if banking systems shut down

In the years and decades before the Great Depression, banks were revered. No one ever considered the idea that they could fail and that their money would simply disappear. When many of the banks closed down as a result of the crisis, the only cash people had was whatever they had on hand or stored up at home. This was unfortunate, because the banks would close down with virtually no warning—leaving no time to go make cash withdrawals from accounts. And people were forced to rely on other forms of value exchange.

Bartering is an age-old practice that human civilizations have used for generations—even before banks were created.

During the Depression, payment was often made with eggs, fresh milk or produce. Bartering was also beneficial because it meant that families could add different types of food to their meals—expanding the variety of produce they could consume.

Bartering makes an additional case for learning to grow, hunt and forage for food—it gives you more of a base to use in negotiations and trades. Bear in mind that food isn't the only valuable item—during the Depression, things like wood could be collected, split and exchanged as firewood.

In our modern-day context, everything from additional fuel for camp stoves to ammunition for weapons can be valuable barter items. See our recent Survival Scout article on the Top 15 Items That Disappear When Disasters Strike for more valuable barter items.

#4 Be as resourceful as possible

If you have a grandparent or parent that lived through the Great Depression, you've likely heard or seen them express values of resourcefulness and frugality. They were our last, truly self-reliant generation.

For example, they might tell stories about how they used...

Pieces of rubber tires as replacement soles when shoes were worn through.
Anything and everything you might find in the kitchen or that was donated by others to make what became known as "Depression Soup."
Flour-sacks to make dresses.
Newspapers to wrap presents.

Knowing how to reuse and recycle everything was the name of the game in those days—and something we can all benefit from.

Challenge yourself to see everything as multifunctional, and get creative with what various items can be used for, in the event that your resources are depleted.

#5 Sleep outside during heat waves

Air conditioning is a luxury many of us take for granted. In the case that it becomes too much to afford or your unit breaks and replacement parts cost you a small fortune, you'll need to find ways to beat the heat.

During the summer months of the Great Depression, it wasn't uncommon to see whole families sleeping on their front lawns or in local parks.

Additionally, they would use other cool-down tactics such as hanging wet sheets over doorways. Hot air was slightly cooled as it passed through the wet fabric.

#6 Strengthen family and community bonds

During the Great Depression, it wasn't uncommon to have grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins living in the same house or vehicle. With so many displaced, it was critical to rely on extended family for help.

The same was true of neighbors, and you'd see people donating meals and money whenever possible. Some communities even organized what they called "surprise parties." They would collect food and necessities (including cash), and then designate a particular family to receive the collection at each surprise party.

This spirit of generosity and community bonds is apparent in many stories from the Depression. The people who did well during this difficult time were often those who depended on family and friends and were able to be depended on by others.

Take the time to establish and strengthen these bonds, with neighbors and your local community, now—don't wait until an economic collapse makes everyone desperate.

#7 Be a jack-of-all-trades

When it came to finding work during the Depression, it helped to be a jack-of-all-trades. These people could often find work when others couldn't.

The following skills will come in handy during periods of hardship:

Sewing/knitting
Fixing plumbing
Home or car repairs
Gardening, canning/food preserving
Sharpening or making tools
Butchering and curing meat
Metal- or woodworking
Gunsmithing
Cheese or candle making
Recognizing wild edibles

In our knowledge-based economy today, handymen and jacks-of-all-trades are harder to come by. Develop a competitive advantage and learn these skills now. They will certainly come in handy (no pun intended) later.

#8 Stock up on supplies

During the Great Depression, housewives could be judged by how many jars they had "put up" during harvest season.

When things go awry, you can bet that items will be flying off the shelves at local stores. Don't wait until then to stock up on the essentials, or to start canning and jarring your own food. Make sure you have enough stored up to last you for several months, at the very least.

To get you started, at My Patriot Supply, we sell a Three-Month Emergency Food Supply that can provide you with a strong hedge against economic downturn. With a 25-year shelf life, this supply includes delicious meals that average 2,000+ calories per day for one person.

#9 Don't rely on credit cards or loans

Too many of us rely on credit cards and loans from the bank to make big-ticket purchases.

However, during the Depression, many people had to buy their first cars and homes in one lump sum since they couldn't rely on a bank to give them a loan. To do this, they would live with family members and save whatever cash they could as they worked.

Avoid taking out a loan and going into debt—and start saving a supply of cash now.

You should also make sure you have a supply of assets outside of cash or credit. Whether it be houses, land or precious metals, make wise investments into long-lasting items of value. As we've seen with the Great Depression, keeping the majority of your wealth and money stored at the bank isn't exactly the most secure solution.

#10 Remain positive

Aside from relying on barter systems, growing your own food, and learning to hunt and scavenge, there's a great deal of mental resilience needed to survive tough events like the Great Depression.

According to Murray Hunn, head of global research at Elliott Wave International, "We think the major economies are on the cusp of this turning into the worst recession we have seen in 10 years."

With predictions like this, there's cause for preparation.

And as one woman who survived the Great Depression shared, "Poppy always said the world turns and everything that has happened would happen again. I am sure if he were still with us today he would be warning us to start a garden and buy some chickens."

Take these lessons in stride, and learning from the past makes all the difference when life as we know it changes drastically.

This article originally appeared on MyPatriotSupply.com.

Betting on Beto

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If you're a Republican candidate and you lose a national election, it's pretty much curtains for you.

Not so if you're a Democrat! In fact, losing on the national stage is almost a prerequisite for becoming president. Take Hillary Clinton for an example, just off the top of my head. She had her coronation stolen in 2008 by some guy named Barack Obama. If she'd been a Republican she would've gone the way of, well, Sarah Palin. Instead, Hillary scrapped and clawed her way back to the nomination. Surely, surely her 2016 loss would be the final nail in the coffin of her presidential dreams. Except Democrats are so unsure of themselves, and so terrified of President Trump, that it would not be that surprising if they handed her the keys to the party machine for the third time in 2020.

Many Democrats would like to see Hillary's revenge in 2020, but a lot more dream of a world in which Barack and Michelle Obama rule as king and queen for life. Since a constitutional amendment to abolish term limits is unlikely, however, Democrats are ready to run with the next best thing – Hope & Change 2.0 himself, Beto O'Rourke. They're already spinning his loss to Ted Cruz in the Senate race as a huge positive because now he's freed up to focus on running for president! And by that, they really mean he's freed up to start raising boatloads of cash for the party.

Granted, if Bobby Frank had defeated Cruz, the Democratic primaries would already be over. His presidential nomination would've been a done deal. But Dems won't let a little Senate race loss deter destiny. Yesterday, one Democratic strategist said:

"I hate to say this because it would piss off a lot of Democrats but the fact is, we have so many people and we really have nobody that's thrilling, nobody that would send a thrill up Chris Matthews' leg except for Beto."

That pretty much sums up the left's presidential criteria – Chris Matthews' level of leg-thrill.

That pretty much sums up the left's presidential criteria – Chris Matthews' level of leg-thrill. That and universal health care.

Beto told MSNBC last week that he won't run for president in 2020. Playing hard to get is another Democratic prerequisite for a White House run. Beto-mania is just getting started.

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