Sharp as a Marble - This is where I’m at

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This is where I’m at

Politics , Views

Like alan, I believe we’re headed for a major collapse. Just like alan, I also don’t believe it will be TEOTWAWKI. Not by far.

Just yesterday, someone posted a picture of London after being bombed during WWII. This isn’t the same picture, but it carries the same message

London Bombing

Even after a bombing run that level the vast majority of a major city, Londoners still got up and got to the business of rebuilding. No, it wasn’t pleasant, and yes many people died, but even after something as devastating as the blitz, people managed to get their lives back in order.

This is what’s going to happen to the US economically. We’re going to crash. But I believe what is going to take the brunt of the pain will be the government and all the leeches fused on, sucking for dear life.

There will be some financial hardships to be sure, born by those of us who have been working hard, saving our money, and living within our means. But life won’t end. And I believe those who have lived their lives valuing hard work will make it through. Quoting alan

Money is not wealth. Goods, knowledge and skills are wealth. When the US Government goes bankrupt, and it will, the buildings, houses, cars, ships, airplanes and various items we surround ourselves with will still be here. The people and all their knowledge and skills will still be here.

Keeping that in mind, we’re going to make it through this. Hopefully there will be creative destruction rather than just plain old destruction. I see the federal government buckling first, leaving the states to ‘fend for themselves’, which is something I’m ok with. Time will tell.

posted @ 3/24/2011 11:38:16 AM

Incoming Links

SayUncle » And I feel fine on 3/25/2011 8:52:14 AM

Comments

Free-range Oyster says:

on 3/24/2011 11:53:47 AM

I really hope you're right. Most days, I'm inclined to be more pessimistic than that, but your expectation may be right. Only time will tell, but for now all we can do is hope, work, and pray. Thank you for your encouraging thoughts.

Phssthpok says:

on 3/24/2011 12:20:19 PM

When the state govs. start to collapse, who's going to enforce all those zoning ordinances that prevent people from producing their own food?

Why not start now?

Andy says:

on 3/24/2011 12:33:13 PM

The bombings of London leveled the vast majority of that city? I don't think that's correct. It did a good bit of damage but not to the majority of the city.

Robb Allen says:

on 3/24/2011 12:41:30 PM

"By the end of May 1941, over 40,000 civilians, half of them in London, had been killed by bombing and more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged in London alone."
From Wikipedia, so... grain of salt and all that.

My history, of course, ain't all that, so I'm willing to concede that the majority wasn't demolished. However, the point is still valid - I don't think the majority of the US is going to collapse. A LARGE portion, yes, but we *can* recover.

Unfortunately, I don't see much of a way out of this that doesn't involve everything crashing down. I think the Luftwaffe are already en route. We're just waiting for the bombs to fall.

Figuratively speaking, of course.

markofafreeman says:

on 3/24/2011 12:53:06 PM

Reminds of a quote that I don't remember the source of: "Gold is the corpse of wealth." I'd modify and just say that "Money is the corpse of wealth."

Homer says:

on 3/24/2011 12:58:59 PM

Do not underestimate the resiliency or industriousness of Americans. I'm not saying that we won't crash at some point, but I question whether what others describe as "crash" won't actually turn out to be "slight-to-moderate temporary decline." Which, I'll admit, we're already in.

Life will be tough for a while, and get even tougher for a while, especially for some, but in the long run we'll win. And by "we" I mean "the people;" there's nothing in our country's history that suggests the people won't prevail. I'm confident liberals (and Democrats) won't care much for the "prevailing," but welcome to Planet Earth, American Division.

Tasso says:

on 3/24/2011 1:14:41 PM

I think The Blitz may be a bad analogy. The Brits were facing an intractable enemy, but an external one. While we may find ourselves walking for groceries through bombed out neighborhoods, there will be no air raid sirens to give us warning. The bombers will be among us, union thugs with government mandate. The Government Will Not Collapse, though you will pray for it on endless nights of screaming and breaking glass.

Think Warsaw, not London.

Retardo says:

on 3/24/2011 1:27:41 PM

"The government and all the leeches fused on, sucking for dear life" are much better organized than productive people, and will take what they want.

I don't think it'll be as bad as Ukraine in the 1930s, because I don't think they'll screw up the means of production anywhere near as badly. But when resources are scarce to fight over, the parasites will make out better than most. It's getting to be their world.

Nobody ever said life was fair.

Retardo says:

on 3/24/2011 1:29:05 PM

s/scarce to/scarce enough to/

Kevin Baker says:

on 3/24/2011 3:26:35 PM

While we may find ourselves walking for groceries through bombed out neighborhoods....

You're assuming there will be groceries.

And something to buy them with.

Timmy says:

on 3/24/2011 4:39:58 PM

The Soviet Union staggered on for a very long time before it collapsed. I hope the reset comes quickly and democracy's replacement is something better than Putin.

doubletrouble says:

on 3/24/2011 9:46:27 PM

I like the thought, but I don't think so.
The people of London, America, & most of the world were a different breed then. They had integrity, honor, responsibility, & resourcefulness; they were unlike much of America today.
Sure, we still have folks that meet that description, but what will happen when the cities self-destruct? What will the people, who trust in their government checks, do when the gravy train stops? I have a RIGHT to cable TV, damnit!

I’m willing to wager that the skill sets necessary to move on & “get their lives back in order” no longer exist in many localities.
When millions of unskilled folks are cut off from their income, with no idea what to do without government help, it’s going to be a very unpleasant scene.

Robb Allen says:

on 3/24/2011 9:50:40 PM

Eh, I'm still willing to believe that deep inside, the American Dream is still there. Maybe it's just an ember in many people, but I think it's still there

When the very mechanism that was used to take from the haves (i.e. the Government) has collapsed and unable to siphon off the money to give to the have-nots, I have a feeling that outside of dense urban areas, the have-nots will be SOL. In denser areas where they riot and loot, they'll end up destroying any chance they have at long term survival.

Creative destruction, sadly, is the best hope I have.

True Blue Sam says:

on 3/24/2011 11:28:16 PM

London bombing post by WWII correspondent/author, MacKinlay Kantor:http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgh464rs_5fzxhhkdz

Ken says:

on 3/25/2011 12:24:19 PM

It would help, honestly, if conservatives would stop making "faith" a prerequisite. I get the fact that the Left's lack of religion goes along with their general lack of morality, and I get that we want to put rights on a higher plane than social consensus. However, when you demand that people turn one portion of their brains off permanently, you lose potential supporters, who then go over to the Leftist side.

If the good guys are going to defeat the Communists in the end, we can't be alienating people by demanding that they join fundamentalist churches, many of which literally consider it a sin to read a book that isn't about Christ. In their mind, there is no distinction between snuff porn and Tom Sawyer.

Ken says:

on 3/25/2011 12:27:31 PM

Also, the Milennial theology effectively discourages resistance, because it says that evil will win everywhere up until JC comes and pushes the reset button to make things better.

Ken says:

on 3/25/2011 12:30:00 PM

Yes, I know I misspelled "Millennial."

markofafreeman says:

on 3/25/2011 12:38:49 PM

Ken: You had me until this "...when you demand people turn one portion of their brains off permanently..."

Actually, when you insult people of faith by making a statement like, it is you who turn people away.

I don't know about you, but I've turned of nothing in my brain.

People of faith among the patriots I know make no such demand. Agree with it or not, I do like to point out this quote from John Adams:

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

But none of the Christian patriots I know would consider non-cooperation with those of no faith.

So please put down that broad brush of yours.

Ken says:

on 3/25/2011 1:01:58 PM

I should specify what I meant by turning off a portion of their brains.

Specifically, the most influential group of Christians define "faith" as belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. The Bible is a complex and occasionally contradictory document; it does not do well as a set of axioms. It is, in most cases, a good guide in how to live your life. I agree on the necessity of morality, and I am all too aware that, much of the time, atheists are living proof of the relationship between morality and religion.

Nevertheless, I still say that if conservatives keep farming out their education of the next generation to people who believe that reading Tom Sawyer is the first step on the road to eternal fire, then there will not be enough conservatives to win the crucial coming battles.

MPH says:

on 3/26/2011 10:48:35 AM

TEOTWAWKI will not occur. But, TSWHTF.

Read Surviving the Economic Collapse by Fernando Aguirre. This booked is based on first hand experience of the 2001 economic collapse in Argentina.

Tango says:

on 3/28/2011 3:23:52 PM

I think when the economy really collapses, we'll see some interesting things. There will be a HUGE surge in drug use to start with. But that will fade because there will be no real money to trade for the drugs. Once the mass overzealous usage of drugs is over with, those still sober will discover that they're screwed unless they get their acts together. They'll discover they have to find a way to get food on the table. They'll catch up with the rest of society and realize that they have to work because the .gov is NOT there for them anymore when it comes to surviving. They'll find work. Without the government oversight, people will be able to CREATE jobs, no matter how small and menial. Deflation of the dollar will happen and goods will cost LESS, at least for awhile since the vast majority of jobs will be paying lower than normal. Free Market Economics will take over.

The rest of the country will already be working hard. Even if lots of jobs go away from the collapse of federal contractor type positions, there will be plenty of other jobs springing up provided the .gov keeps their hands off of it.

You WILL see a lot of looting, rioting, and theft for basic staples. Like it was explained before, it will more than likely be short lived because only those that were not prepared will try this method before being removed from society by those that did manage to prepare when they decide they want to keep the fruits of their labor.

Once all of the massive panic finishes up, you'll rapidly see the US economy pick back up. The citizenry will have a much different view on necessities for a long time. They'll focus less on the material things in life, but instead focus on the real necessities such as food, water, shelter, and transportation. Even that will eventually return to normal and eventually, again assuming the fedgov keeps its fingers out of it (which it won't do), you will see the economy far stronger than it was BEFORE the collapse.

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