Founders Read Online Free Page A

volunteered to do most of the restoration work himself, at cost, he insisted that each group member be there and assist him during the most important phases of the work. This way, Ken reasoned, every group member would know how their vehicles were put together, how they worked, and, hopefully, how to handle most minor repairs.
    The vehicle restoration process that Ken insisted on turned out to be relatively expensive and time-consuming. He started by pulling the engine and transmission from each vehicle and farming them out to other shops to be completely rebuilt. Next he would make minor body repairs, sand out the bodies, and put on a flat paint finish, usually in an earth tone. They used standard glossy car paint with a special flattener added. This gave much better rust protection than regular flat paint. At roughly the same time, he would either rebuild or replace the carburetor. Next, when the engine and transmission came back, he would reinstall them, replacing all of their auxiliary equipment, aside from carburetors,with brand-new components. This included radiators, starters, alternators, fuel pumps, water pumps, batteries, voltage regulators, starter solenoids, hoses, and belts.
    Next, Ken would rework the vehicle’s suspension, usually modifying it for tougher off-road use, and do an alignment and brake job, sometimes involving replacing the master cylinder. In most cases, the vehicle’s existing wiring harnesses did not need to be replaced. By the time he was done, Ken had in effect built a whole new vehicle that would be good for at least ten years of strenuous use.

2
Getting Out of Dodge
    “These derivatives are the root of the credit crunch. Why? Unlike all other property paper, derivatives are not required by law to be recorded, continually tracked and tied to the assets they represent. Nobody knows precisely how many there are, where they are, and who is finally accountable for them. Thus, there is widespread fear that potential borrowers and recipients of capital with too many nonperforming derivatives will be unable to repay their loans. As trust in property paper breaks down it sets off a chain reaction, paralyzing credit and investment, which shrinks transactions and leads to a catastrophic drop in employment and in the value of everyone’s property.”
    —Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto Polar
Chicago, Illinois
October, the First Year
    Packing up was a nightmare. Even though Ken and Terry had prepositioned the majority of their storage food and field gear in Idaho, fitting everything that they wanted to bring in their Bronco and the Mustang was impossible. This cost them valuable time in prioritizing and repacking.
    Their goal was to get to Todd and Mary Gray’s ranch in Idaho as soon as possible. But Ken and Terry still spent too much time in front of the television, transfixed by the news updates on the unfolding economic collapse.
    Terry shook her head and said, “I sure hope the government will take some steps—some measures that’ll work. They’ve got to be able to put things back in order.”
    Ken shook his head. “I really doubt that. The inflation is totally out of control, and the economy is cratering. It’s like what happened in Zimbabwe, only worse. The only way out of this is to hit the reset button and start from scratch, with a new currency. It’s game over.”
    Terry frowned, and then Ken continued: “Look, we did our best to warn our families. We promised all the members of the group that we’d get out there to Todd’s ranch in a disaster. And they were nice enough to let us store our extra food and gear there. We’re committed. If we stick around here our life expectancy is going to drop to nil. So let’s go , without any regrets.”
    Terry blinked twice, and then nodded in assent.
    After the power went out, they spent the rest of the day packing up their Bronco and Mustang. But after they’d loaded the heaviest items, Ken noticed that the rear end of the Bronco was