Sunday, August 29, 2010

Economic or Societal Collapse!



By Reginald Kaigler

Societal Collapse is not just a failure of economics, it is a failure of all systems that hold a civilization together. Although, this is not the most likely scenario, it remains a very real possibility for America. I think a economic collapse is very likely to occur with 5 years in the United States. However, the scenario that I will describe is a total break down of the system. This includes the economic, political, social and moral systems of the society. Simply put, a societal break down is the total collapse of everything that most people depend on.

What could cause a societal collapse?

The United States has a debt monetary and economic system. It depends on foreigners giving Americans money, so that they can buy cheap junk that's made in China and prop up economic bubbles. We borrow money so that we can consume more than we produce. It's a fundamentally unsustainable system that is doomed to fail. Our monetary system consists on Americans working worker and worker to acquires a currency that is worth less and less every year. Essentially, the Federal Reserve system is a unconstitutional framework that allows private banks to control the money supply and in-debt the American workers.

The government borrows dollars from the Federal Reserve so it can spend more money than it collects from the taxpayers. This allows the government to over-expand itself in military conquests (e.g. there are over 700 U.S. military bases through the world and it is engaged in two unnecessary wars), entitlements (e.g. Social Security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps, welfare), physical size and power. The government's over-expansion has also allowed its citizens to over-expand in their lives. The Federal Reserve has directly contributed to this by creating artificially low interest rates and fueling the housing and credit bubble. This atmosphere of easy money made it easier for banks to engage in reckless lending practices, while encouraging citizens to buy homes that they could not afford.

The government's programs, also made it easier for people to produce children that they didn't have the means to feed. We have 40 million people on food stamps. That means that once the government is no longer function-able, we will have tens of millions of hunger people in a nation with over 200 million guns. This isn't an argument against gun ownership, because I am proud advocate of the 2nd Amendment. Nevertheless, when the checks and cards stop providing millions of people with support, we will have a lot of desperate people who have kids that they can not afford to feed. Some if the power grid fails (or people can't afford to heat their homes), there will be a lot of dangerous people with nothing to lose.

Many men in this country father many children by many different women. Do you think people are going to sit in their homes and watch their children starve? I highly doubt it. many of these people will first beg for food, then demand it and finally take it. Contrary to the self delusions of many narcissistic people, the human race isn't nearly as civilized as it pretends. When times get tough, people show their true colors. And if you read human history, you'll know that it isn't pretty.



What does a societal collapse look like?

The power grid fails, the price of gas skyrockets, the trucking industry locks up, the grocery stores don't get resupplied and food becomes scarce. These are the things you will see in an economic collapse. What makes a societal collapse different is how the people respond to the crises. If the country has an economic system that is highly localized, the people will adapt quickly. If most of the food is grown locally or within the region. The communities will find alternative transportation and adapt. If the nation has a lot of strong communities, people will ban together to provide security solutions after the local, state and federal government loses the ability to pay law enforcement. If the family structure is strong, the old and sick will be taken care of by family members. If the families are intact, the women will be protected by their husbands and brothers. If there's a strong culture of survivalism, the women will be able to protect themselves.

Simply put, a collapse can be a sinking ship. The titanic is a good example because it represented the end of a system. The response to the ship sinking will determine how severe the disaster will become. If the people are sensible, they will adapt and get organized. They will pack the life boats as soon as possible with people, regardless of sex. They will keep families together. Once the life boats are used up, they could create floating structures. However, if the response if irrational and foolish...well, you know what happens.

Leonardo DiCaprio dies and we're forced to hear Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' for
to 10 weeks.

So what happens after a collapse?

No more Justin Bieber. And it gets worse. Many people will be killed attempting to still from others, some will be killed because they had food and no means of protecting it. The chronically ill will die, because there will be no means of delivering medicine. law enforcement will be overwhelmed by the riots, escalating street crime and lack of resources. People will have to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, we will have to do what we should have been doing in the first place. We will have to get to know our neighbors, depend on family, have meaningful discussions with the people closest to us, organize security details with neighbors, create rain barrels, collect anti-biotics, learn how to produce food, barter, acquire repairing skills and basically create an actually community. A real community. Not a "you can't paint your house pink, these are the zoning laws, don't worry about knowing your neighbors" community.

In the early 2000s, we had a choice. Economic depression or Economic collapse. We chose the latter by kicking the can down the road. Now, we have another choice. Economic collapse or societal collapse. The good thing about an economic collapse is that it gives us an opportunity to build a new economic system. So it comes down to our ability to respond to the problem.

In a nutshell, the world will not come to an end. This doesn't have to be a nightmare. If we prepare for the worse, we will be prepared to do our best.

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