tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post1677825712236952607..comments2024-03-28T12:29:39.525-04:00Comments on Eaton Rapids Joe: The Shrewd King 10.4: Sometimes, the hardest problems are at homeEaton Rapids Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-15463661299564180952019-09-26T16:14:02.749-04:002019-09-26T16:14:02.749-04:00I am beginning to get it. Bringing in goods you a...I am beginning to get it. Bringing in goods you already have for trade is not the same as making or growing or catching new goods. That is like using your savings to live on vs going out and earning new income. <br /><br />Your Shrewd King story is quite thought provoking.George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-42898625590533683452019-09-26T15:05:38.790-04:002019-09-26T15:05:38.790-04:00As a reader, you have far more pure information th...As a reader, you have far more pure information than any of the players living it.<br /><br />From Farmer Ken's standpoint, he does not live in a continuum. He gets one shot each season. If he delivered mail, for instance, then sub-standard performance could be measured several hundred times a shift. Ken does not have that luxury.<br /><br />Consider the difference between a howitzer and a machine-gun. The machinegunner can walk the rounds into the target. The howitzer relies on getting close and a big bang.<br /><br />Regarding people being busy: Busy is not the same as productive. A person might have six rabbits and think they are very productive but in fact be a net loss if they are feeding the rabbits 100% human quality food.<br /><br />At some point the economy needs to move from salvage to production.<br /><br />Economies are very messy. That is why central-planned economies are failures. They can balance the books as long as they have the freedom to charge $12,000 for the occasional hammer.<br /><br />During a societal reset, people playing out-of-position will be the rule rather than the exception. The successful and resilient communities will be the ones that tolerate episodes of chaos (musical chairs) as people/tasks realign.<br /><br />Regarding Benicio: Would you attack KS-PC now or wait until the harvest was in the barn? Just askin' And if you are struggling to manage the tasks on your plate you might decide to put "conquest of KS-PC" on the "C-pile" for the time being.<br /><br />Eaton Rapids Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102166969915526172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-49327901825450424952019-09-26T14:30:55.560-04:002019-09-26T14:30:55.560-04:00Another thought: Upon reflection, if Benicio the ...Another thought: Upon reflection, if Benicio the drug lord is smart, he may be realizing that he is better off leaving the people of Kate's Store and Pray Church alone. They are producing the food that he and his organization need for survival. He can still be the Top Dog now and into the future by being a food lord instead of a drug lord. George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-41062192626778190822019-09-26T14:24:07.909-04:002019-09-26T14:24:07.909-04:00Agreed. It would have been better to talk with t...Agreed. It would have been better to talk with the store owners and other close associates over coffee or adult beverage and explain their thoughts, concerns, and vision for the future, and hopefully get them on board with where things need to go. Springing it on them as a take it or leave it fait accompli does not seem very friendly or neighborly, and can easily create hard feelings and do great damage to the still fragile interdependence that is holding them all together. George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-80390788679365906462019-09-26T13:08:50.766-04:002019-09-26T13:08:50.766-04:00I agree with George, it appeared to me that most p...I agree with George, it appeared to me that most people were doing some sort of useful work. Some farmed, some supported farming, others provided security, so on and so forth. I don't see how a lot of the population were able to get by sitting on their butts. What did they have to trade at the store for food?<br /><br />Ken & Co. have screwed up. Their point could have been made without the level of risk they've created. The dude with the radio show-why not get on there and discuss the situation? Talk to Rick and Kate about the situation and get their thought. Talk to your neighbors, for Pete's sake. But diving off the deep end, absolutely sure that your plan is the only/best one, is the height of hubris.<br /><br />These guys may be great farmers, but they're rotten politicians.The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970975545475697571.post-44077618535692280792019-09-26T12:47:35.061-04:002019-09-26T12:47:35.061-04:00I did not realize that most people were just sitti...I did not realize that most people were just sitting around. From previous chapters, it seemed like people were busy scrounging useful stuff or making useful things to trade for food at the stores. I also did not realize that Kate and the other three store owners were selling corn and other food dirt cheap. It seemed like customers had to pony up significant resources representing many man hours of their time and work in order to buy the food.<br /><br />I am still disturbed that Benecio the drug lord is able to come and go at will and to bid for the corn. I understand that they do not realize (yet) who he is - the guy who sent 200 armed thugs in an attempt to wipe them all out, rape their women, and take all their food and useful possessions.<br /><br />The good and capable folks who are the protagonists in this story have some serious deficiencies in terms of security and intelligence gathering. In the aftermath of the failed attack on them, they should have captured and interrogated several of the numerous enemy wounded who were left to die. They also should have wounded and/or captured the kid on the bicycle, who was obviously their spotter. He would have probably told everything he knew. It would have been of critical importance to find out who sent them.<br /><br />They could also have reached out to the police chief in the city to see what he knew about the local gang hierarchies. They might have even been able to match up names with actual photographs in the police files. That way they would be able to recognize them on sight if and when they show up at the stores or anywhere else. <br /><br />The fact that a youngish hispanic man is able to readily come up with half a dozen state of the art commercial grade solar panels should raise several red flags. They should know instinctively that there is no way this guy could have them unless he stole them or looted them. And the only way he would be able to take them and not have someone else take them from him is if he was the top dog. <br /><br />The good people of KS and PC need to pull out all the stops to get some Intel on this guy and his organization. They cannot continue to allow any of these guys to just walk right in and reconnoiter them in preparation for the next attack.<br /><br />Do not take these comments as criticisms of the story. They are not. I am just fully invested in the story at this point - which is a great compliment to the writer. George Truehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352709031834067303noreply@blogger.com