There is no doubt America is on the brink of total economic collapse, with a national debt of over 12,650,513,428,160.95 (march 18) and increasing by an average of $4.o4 billion per day.
Couple that with inflation, unemployment, bankruptcy, defaults on mortgages, poverty and a dying currency, it should be obvious to anyone that we are falling down the pit of collapse. But what will America look like when we hit bottom?
A common misconception among many people, is that an economic collapse means a collapse of the federal government, law and any consequence for their actions.
They see themselves walking into town AK-47 in hand shooting down anyone who dares look their way. It’s an armchair survivalist fantasy, yet logic and history paint a different picture.
Let’s take a look at recent history as examples of life after economic collapse and hyperinflation:
- Argentine economic crisis
- Russian economic collapse
- Zimbabwe economic collapse
- Germany after the first World War
- The Great Depression (1929-1939)
What have we learned from the examples above? That’s right – economic collapse doesn’t mean a collapse of the government. Those in power will not only stay in power, but likely gain more control while becoming more oppressive and vindictive…
And to make matters worse, they will do it with the majority support of the population. In times of crisis, people look to government for help and will do anything they are told in hopes of getting things back to normal.
Once again we can look to history for an example. The economic state and desperation of the German populace played a key role in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.
No the federal government won’t go away after an economic collapse and economic collapse doesn’t guarantee the end of government. I know it’s difficult – reality often is. I think we will end up with something much worse.
So what will American look like after an economic collapse? I think, we will see unemployment, poverty, hyperinflation, and homelessness surpassing anything we’ve ever seen before.
Look for a loss of social security for retirees and the disabled and a huge reduction or complete loss of government services such as homeless shelters and aid, road construction and repair, etc., in most areas.
As more companies go bankrupt look for the federal government to take a controlling interest through government bailouts and other practices eventually directly controlling most industry, utilities and media.
Look for a huge increase in property crime and home invasion as people become more desperate. Criminal groups will form with the purpose of orchestrating and carrying out such attacks.
Black markets and barter trading will dominate the new economy, with the federal government moving quickly in an attempt to regulate private trade and the barter economy.
It is likely that at some point, America will see Martial Law declared. With the military taking over most police functions including arrests.
Like I said before; the federal government will not go away because of economic collapse, they will take advantage of the situation to take even more control – while shoving the rod of federal dictatorial power deeper into our everyday lives.
What do you think? What would America look like after an economic collapse?
{ 31 comments }
Obama and the Dems are pushing as hard as they can to make the collapse happen. More financial chaos = more assets they can seize, so they gain more control, on and on and on. This is not looking good for any one but the statists. It’s time for the CSA to rise again.
It depends upon whether electrical power and transportation fuels remain available. If electricity (and nat. gas / propane) and transport fuels remain available — even at higher costs — those who can afford fuels and power will do what they can to make up for the shortfalls of government services.
Churches and charitable organisations will do whatever they can, focusing on the utmost basic services of food, clothing, and shelter when they can provide it.
A shut down of government services may be the best thing to happen for many people, and not just criminals. It is government regulations which hold ordinary people back from doing a lot of things to help themselves and others, which they would otherwise be doing.
Of course if power, gas, and fuels are shut down, everything goes to hell quickly — like Katrina except without hope of eventual relief by federal agencies. The best bet for survivalists caught in the city under such circumstances would be to band together with like-minded others.
We really need something like a “church of survival” that would be training people right now for such an eventuality, and would form the focus for the restoration of order and limited services — to make up for what the government could no longer do.
That’s a pretty complex scenario to envision.
If I had to guess:
We will have massive inflation, social programs will stay intact but will be worthless because they can’t keep up with inflation. The ripple effect will cause other countries to fail and there may be a temporary debt amnesty for governments until a new currency can be put into place. Don’t count on debt forgiveness for private citizens. There could be wars between countries as we all struggle to maintain our “rightful position” globally.
Locally I think crime/rioting will soar which will trigger temporary martial law at least in the major cities, probably nationwide. A black market economy will emerge, but it will probably take a few months to get well established as all major resources will be under government control.
Also if you look at the political tension we have in this country and the 50/50 split we already have in our elected officials we could have another civil war or some attempt at government upheaval.
Too many things could happen, the exact course of events will only become apparent at zero hour. It’s best to hunker down and stay out of sight until things stabilize a bit.
It seems lately that we must think of this stuff even more than ever before. The snowball is definitely rolling.
I think the biggest problems will be the rioting/looting. There are far to many people out there that simply are not ready for being self reliant for more than a day. Then there are the predators who will use this as opportunity. Add to that the people who wish to demonstrate against the government and we have one big riot. These riots will probably be centered mainly in the urban areas, but the looting will be wide spread.
The major cities already have black market systems well in place. However, most law abiding citizens don’t know of them, or where to connect with them. This will most definitely change as most people will become reliant on them. This in turn will add to the looting, and many of the looters will probably be people who never thought they would do such things.
The government will have no choice but for martial law, cause the cops won’t have a chance in the urban/suburb areas. This law will probably be mostly limited to the urban/suburb areas, but could spread depending on situations.
Prepared ND hit it right…hunker down. If you are prepped, then you have no worries until the looting comes to your street. In the mean time, try to make your property look like it’s already been looted. Rig up some beer can alarms or motion sensors. Or if you really want to get evil on them, dig a series of small/shallow pungi pits leading up to the entrances of your home. A spike in the foot/shin may cause them to move on.
Good luck to you all………..
I think it’s going to be the worst thing you can think of and then some. A third world dictatorship is what our muslim Uncle Sugar wants and he is going to let nothing stand in his way. We are going to be lucky to be alive. He will come with U.N. forces with armor and those that fight instead of becoming slaves will likely be killed. A few of us that take to the hills will be hunted like animals. Anyone that believes there will be any delay after it starts is naive. Fema camps will be run by gangs and will make civil war prison camps look like kindergarten. This current government will never go away, they’re just waiting for the right time.
So I have a couple of concerns/thoughts. First of all, this is not a matter of if, but when. Mathamatically speaking, we are steadily approaching the point at which we can no longer continue. The word here is unsustainable. But the thing that concerns me is the makeup of this country. Never in the history of the planet has there been a place that had more people who were absolutely and completely unable to take care of themselves. At least during the depression, the country was filled with people who were able to provide for themselves to a certain extent. Our much smaller population was far more in tune with what it takes to survive. Most people had gardens, knew how to fish, hunt, etc…. People today don’t even make the correlation between the cheeseburger from McDonalds and the fact that it actually came from a living animal. Our upcomming generation is filled with narcissistic little twits that would sooner die than go without their Starbucks and iphones. As a country we are screwed. Many, many people will perish and thats inevetible.
My other concern is that such a large part of this country is dependent upon the government. The government employees so many people both directly and indirectly. There is a huge number of people who’s jobs depend on medicare/medicaid. It seems like every other person is dependant on food stamps, social security, or some other form of government assistance. What happens when all this dries up at once? What happens to the prisons when there is no tax revenue to pay to keep them open? What happens to the military when we can’t afford to maintain/transport/pay for it? Nobody knows whats going to happen for sure, but its not going to be good. What could really be scary is if the government in power when this happens tries to solidify its control by making “deals” with other coutries. Trading military/monetary support of the government for natural resources.
I feel more and more like a nutjob conspiracy theorist everyday but I just don’t see how else this can end. We know its gonna fall. We know things are going to get really screwed up. The thing that is yet to be seen is how far the government is willing to go to keep control or “maintain law and order”. But after watching things unfold over the last couple of years, I wouldn’t put anything past them.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels more fringe all the time.
Yours is the most cogent reply I’ve read and I agree fully with your assesment, unfortunately. I have been grieving for my country since November 4, 2008.
It seems that a few folks who read the recent guest post were pretty fast to discount the U.N. / Multi-National military (yes including the USA’s) backed New World Order. However, I think some of you who have posted here to this topic “may” just be waking up. President Barry Saetero and his progressive communist/marxist / liberal minions will do everything that they can to contribute and facilitate the economic collapse of the USA, and with it, creating a worldwide domino effect economic collapse.
Here is a link to read a good article that will discuss a very related topic when (not “if”) martial law IS instituted. This is what you can expect from our (and others) miltary forces:
http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-to-shoot-colonels.html
The above listed article is written by Tom Baugh, and Ex-Marine. His new book can be found here:
http://www.starvingthemonkeys.com/index.html
Before you decide to buy it, read his website and then check out the book reviews on amazon.com
FEMA CAMPS, refugees, looters, armed gangs and the “sheeple” will be the new norm. Yes, “hunkering down is an option, however the miliitary can – and will – easily hunt us down with drones and satellites and kill anyone with a gun – including yours. There will be no Constitution or “2nd Amendment Rights” or “civilian militias” or “just the average law abiding citizen gun owner protecting themself or thier families” — only enemies of the state!
The Census was used (it is a FACT) by the military during WWII to help round up the US/Japanaes citizens. Ever wonder what would hapen if you did no fill it out, or not open the door when the census taker knocks? NOTHING! Census is just a way of gathering information about you so that when the govt wants to institute the gun garb they know exactly where you are now to compare it with the fast check and gun papers info they have on you.
Now there is “talk” once again on Capital Hill about a “National I.D.” card being tauted as “bipartisan support for immigratin reform” by that shit-stain “Schmuck” Schumer and his progressive Republican a-hole buddy Lindsay Graham. It will have everything they need to know (and more) about the bearer on it, including if you ever owned any guns. It will be the new standard for when the police and armed soldiers at military roadblocks ask “Let me ZEE your Papers”, or when you want to buy or sell anything. The bible mentions about “666″. Notice that it is a “digital” sign??? What makes computers or digital storage chip operate? Numerical Digits! They know where you are right now if you have a cell phone.
It is a helluva lot closer than we can “imagine.” I for one will go down with Charleton Heston’s famous NRA gun mantra on my mind. and my dying lips. The best prep you can have besides all the stuff we know is AMMO!
In that past that was generally true, but in contemporary times our systems are so interdependent and rely so much on “just in time” type services, I think it is false. Failures in one system can cause cascade failures that spread, and ultimately cause collapse.
My guess is an economic collapse would be part of a Kunstler-type slow collapse scenario that would trigger an absolute collapse. Government would re-emerge, but it might take awhile, anywhere from months to years.
http://suburbansurvivalist.wordpress.com/why-survivalism/
If government continues it will have to do it on foot or horseback. A financial collapse wiil trigger a series of events that will bring the electrical grid down. No electricity, no petroleum processing, ultimately no transport fuel. It will become impossible to govern from a centralized location. That is not to say there will be no government. Local governments will seize the opportunity to increase their power. Gangs will compete for power as well. Local police forces will try to impose and increase their power.
The die off will be swift at first, through social strife and the mismanaged government attempts to control it, lack of purified water, lack of medical services and pharmaceuticals, lack of food. The pace of dieoff will continue at a slower pace but go on for years until we reach a level of sustainability.
We’re in for a nasty time, but we allowed it to happen.
Wordherder
All major resources will be under government control – unfortunately if anyone is going to survive it will be the federal government.
Our military, with the benefit of adequate financing, fuel and a functioning supply chain, has been trying to impose control in Afganistan and Iraq for years with little success against adversaries equipped only with arms they can carry on their backs or improvised devices. This in areas the size of a large state or two here.
If the dollar becomes worthless, the grid goes down, the supply chain fails, I just don’t see the feds being able to control a country this size.
Here in the south a lot of us are well armed, fiercely independent, and many of us are willing to die to fight oppression. That is not to say that they won’t try.
Very much enjoy your blog. I learn from it every day.
Thanks
Hey Wordherder are you an idiot? We stomped the shit out of the foreign fighters and everyone esle who came to party in Iraq. Why do you think all majorunits pulled out of the citys and let the IAs and IPs takeover?
Kyle,
What’s with the personal attack?
Ask any of the four thousand families who lost their sons /husbands/ fathers if we stomped the shit out of the “insurgents”.
Our little project over there didn’t turn around until we started paying off the Sunnis to fight on our side.
I think this particular government will use any sort of collapse as an excuse to massively increase the power of the central government. I agree with Mechanic above that Obama’s desire is to destroy our freedom and the USA. He is, and always has been, a marxist with contempt for our way of life. Pelosi, Reid, etc, are power hungry socialist elitists that will gladly do his bidding.
Timing is big here. The November elections are key. If the collapse is sudden and occurs while the current crew is in power, we will have martial law, maybe not declared, but you can kiss more of your freedom goodbye. If the collapse happens after November 2010 and there is a huge turnover and the democrats lose big in November, then we have a slim chance of eventually pulling out of any collapse and maybe the sheeple will have learned something. (Maybe, but probably not.)
And Al fin makes a good point. If the power stays on and people can get gas for their car, people will hang on for a long time and submit to a lot of government control.
IT WOULD BE A BIG MESS ANY WAY IT TURNS OUT.OBAMA ISNT HELPING MUCH FROM MY POINT OF VIEW.LIKE MOST OF THE REGULARS WHO POST HERE SAY,YOU SHOULD PREPARE ALL YOU CAN WITHOUT DELAY.BUY ALL THE FOOD,AMMO,CLOTHING,FUEL,ETC YOU CAN.THE FIRST THING I ADVICE YOU ALL TO DO IS PRAY TO ‘GOD’ FOR THIS NOT TO HAPPEN-THE COLLAPSE.FROM JAY IN NC
greetings. if the worst happens then it seems to me that it would be the duty of every American citizen, born here or naturalized to defend the constitution. if that means killing everyone against it then that is what it means and what we are required to do to remain citizens of our once great nation. If the leaders are against us, so what? our duty is our duty to the nation and the constitution that gives it legal status. everyone else can do as they think best. I swore a oath on entering the U.S. Marines and I note there was no experation date mentioned on the oath. I intend to honor that oath. best of luck to you all.
I think that one thing that people are forgetting in all of this is that the American military are some of the most patriotic people in the country. If any sort of martial law is put into place, there would be a great number of military who would simply not abide by the rules. There would be some, sure, but I think that most would head home to take care of themselves and their families.
In countries like the USSR, Nazi Germany, etc. the people were brought up under an oppressive government, and the ones that joined the military knew what they were getting into, to an extent. Our soldiers are freedom loving and they know the constitution better than most Americans. Take a look at “Oath Keepers”, it is a movement that is gaining strength; they are all soldiers and LEO’s that have pledged to not follow any order that violates the constitution. If you watched Glenn Beck’s “war game” special last year, this topic was brought up with special forces officers, and they said in no uncertain terms that no American soldier would ever fire on an American citizen.
I am certain that we are headed for an economic armageddon and that the government will try to do all it can to capitalize by taking more control, but I don’t think that the military will just fall in line, lock-step.
I think Mechanic in Illinois is spot on.
In the event of an economic collaspe government will not go away. It will become bigger and more oppressive that anyone would or could believe. State and local governments will become part of a larger national government to provide us with a coordinated relief effort, but the local federal collectives will not go away.
Our goods, livestock, produce will be taken for the common good. Those who refuse will be intered. As disatisfaction rises the populus will protest enmass, and the bill of rights will be suspended inorder to protect us from the “few” dangerous disenters. Any form of media that provides information contrary to the party line will be nationalized and removed. Banks, credit unions, industry, and small businesses will be nationized for the common good. Travel will be limited, if people still have the means for travel. Everyone will need to turn to the federal government for food and shelter.
For those who decide they have had enough and take arms to protect thier property and family, will be hunted with every military assesst available and eliminated. Armed disent will be the excuse they need for matial law, FEMA camps, population relocation, and forced population reductions.
And then things will get bad……..
No one is doubting that “our” military personnel are not the most patriotic. However, when we speak about thier “oath”, let’s not forget that Obuma wanted to change that so that they do not take an oath to defend the constitution, but rather an oath to support the President. In Germany, even those who were already in the military before Hitler got into power were made to take ANOTHER oath to HIM.
Once again, let’s just look at the “what if’s” of martial law, and again I point to this interesting article as a possibility to plan for. The article also mentions the Oathkeepers:
http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-to-shoot-colonels.html
As a US born citizen , and a veteran, I too will stand ready to defend our constitution. But if “The Schumer Hits The Fan” and food, resources and other nicetys become scare or rationed, the people in the military, like us, will think about their families well being first. If it means “I VAS ONLY OBEYING ZEE ORDERS”, then a vast majority will obey their commanders – even if it means getting rid of those in the military or Police such as the Oathkeepers.
Great Generals such as General George Patton, Eisenhower and MacArthur directly led the quelling of the Bonus Marchers in 1932 to destroy the Hoovervilles set up in D.C.. Then Major Patton later wrote that he was “disgusted” with the orders, but he obeyed them in any case. He also knew that “There is only one thing worse than a politician, and that is a liberal politician.”
Patton,
Well said.
Enlistees and draftees need to feed their family and keep a roof over their head, just like everyone else. As long as the federal government can control the resources (by whatever means necessary) they will control the majority of the military and the population.
Sure there will be some who will resist following orders, that they deem unconstitutional, but they will be quickly dealt with by the majority.
For Every patriot who resists there will be 10 more willing to take their place and allotment of the remaining resources.
So, what the hell? I have four kids. I have food set by, water catchment, meds, a few guns and ammo for each. I have seeds to set out. What on earth am I supposed to do? Stay in the suburbs and wait for the HOA to assume ownership of my preps because they notice my kids aren’t crying in hunger, and I have food in the back? Defend my property and go to internment? Move to more country area and be alone and easy to pick clean? Everything is all contradictory. Hunker down. Get out. Don’t draw attention. Prep up. Stay inside. Defend what’s yours. Get it taken or get rounded up. Turn over the preps and have a second cache.
There’s no point to any of this. Set aside food and pray. If God is in control of my children and my future, we’ll stick it out as best we can for as long as we can. Y’all are discouraging to those of us who just learned about prepping recently. But truthful, I know. I’m just getting a little freaked out. It’s taken me 6 weeks to get 3 months of food. What is that going to do for me when it’s a long-term SHTF situation?
mama4x, it sounds like you’re doing a great job. You have 3 months of food, meds, water catchment, seeds, protection in only 6 weeks of prepping – it took me a heck of a lot longer than that to reach that goal.
It’s easy to get freaked out when thinking of all the possible scenarios but there definetely is a point to all of this. By doing something ANYTHING to help your family in a survival situation you’re buying yourself time and options. We don’t know if our preps will be seized or not, so it’s best to prep and pray and hope for the best.
There is no one size fits all recommendation as to what you should do, just look around your neighborhood, identify your family needs and how you can meet them, and trust your gut instinct.
As far as long term scenario goes, you’ve got water taken care of with the catchment, you have protection and meds. Keep expanding your knowledge with this blog and others and plant those seeds you’ve set aside if practical. If you don’t have a whole lot of space look into square foot gardening, you can build a bed on a patio or any 4×4 section. Once that garden starts producing, you have your long term food needs partially met.
mama4x……….
Stay strong sister, just like Prepared ND said, there is no ultimate answer. All you can do is educate yourself as much as possible. Then, take that information and apply it to your personal situation.
When you read personal opinions from people from around the states, it’s only a given that there will be conflicting opinions, mainly due to circumstance. My plan for survival might not match with yours at all.
The fact that you realize that you have children to protect and provide for in a very uncertain future is enough to put you far ahead of others in your position. My small piece of advice would be to look into long term food storage of rice, dry beans, and wheat. You can store bulk capacity at a low cost, and it will last you at least 20+ years if done right.(buckets,mylar bags, O2 absorbers)
But back to my first line…….STAY STRONG……..I myself have an 11 yr old daughter, so I know how you feel when you think about the collapse coming to your doorstep. All this stuff can get confusing, so just let your brain filter out all the stuff that you don’t think you need. Make a learning experience out of the rest, and devise a plan that fits your particular situation.
Good luck to you girl……..
Its been encouraging to get personal feedback. I found wheat for $6/25 lb and O2 absorbers for $.25 each, beans and rice also cheap all at my local LDS food storage store, and you don’t have to be a member. Bakeries and such have 5-gallon buckets for the taking.
My kids are all under 9. I planted my first rows of seeds and my chicks are 6 weeks old. I just feel panicky when I need to purchase some things online and everyone is talking about crazy inflation and the crash of the electronic stuff. I want to move more to the country but then I read about how it’s easier to strip homes clean when there are no neighbors. But there are def. more people looking out their windows here in the ‘burbs.
I’m sticking in there… wish I had learned of all this 6 months ago.
mma4x,
Just being as prepared as you are at this level at this time should make you proud that you are doing more to protect your family than 98% of the population. Keep up the good work. I agree with your taking advantage of the LDS Storehouse. I recently discovered one about 80 miles from my home. I have picked up my wheat there, and will be borrowing a home canning machine from them next week. Ask them about it.
Dont worry. Get your food storage up to a one-year supply and rotate it by using it. Invest in a good manual operated wheat grinder and lmake flour and learn how to bake bread with wheat you pick up.
You are doing fine. Keep your chin up and make prepping fun and a family project. We are alll in this together, and we are all willing to offer advice if need be. Welcome to the blog.
Dont let any of the “this is how it will be” types discourage you. No one knows exactly what will happen and it will most likely be somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Its fairly safe to say there will be no wasteland where there is no government, and there will be no great concerted movement where all the pieces suddenly fall together and some super powerfull “Them” is rounding up people and doing house to house searches.
Probably it will be a break down in government services, little law and order, but instances of martial law temporarily where looting, anti-government demonstrations, and alternative government like groups get out of control. The government will not be able to occupy all areas at once.
Just use common sense, make your preps, try to conceal them as well as you can, and try to make as few enemy’s as possilbe. If chaos is around me, I will not look at as an opportunity to live out my survivalist or anti-government fantasies, it is the time to be even more carefull. Today I set aside my preps because i love my family. Tomorrow i may have to defend what i have, but defending what i have may also involve not showing it off and not openly defying powerful governments, police forces, or gangs.
Hopefully things wont ever get that bad, and your preps only end up helping you get by that one year you didn’t have a steady job.
Mama4x: Try to get out of suburbia if you can, by any means necessary. If you need some motivation, read this novel (with a triggering event of an EMP attack on North America):
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765317583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269047885&sr=8-1
All: One of the commenters mentioned the Bonus Army; please watch all three videos (from PBS via Youtube) here:
http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-of-bonus-army.html
If you don’t have any friends that you will die for and who would die for you, best to be getting some.
Fast.
My faith says that God helps those who help themselves, and that while He can intervene, that fact doesn’t mean that he will intervene.
I will pray tonight for all people of good will.
I know what im about to say is pure fantasy but think about it. What if every survivalsit, constitutionalist, and every other person who just loves absolute freedom where to move to one state.( it might have to be 2 states cause there probley is a couple million of us).
Even if we still had liberals in the citeis of this state they would be far outnumberd by us. We would win every election, every elected official would be an honest to god statesman who was in it for freedom and the people. With the population increase we would have more representaives and some legitament power in Washington.
Think if your mayor was a prepper or your sheriff encouraged open carry in town. Almost everyone would have a gun(do you think crime would go down). That would be one prepared state that could handle any catastrophie cause everyone would be packed to the gills with supplies and armed to boot. IF only we could agree on the state or states. Anyways that is my fantasy.
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