What would you do if the USA suddenly Collapsed?

I've been thinking over that question wondering honestly if the USA suddenly collapsed tomorrow or within hours, what would I do? and to say out of all honestly , I wouldn't know. Thats why I'm asking the ATS community on what they would do. What would you do, fellow americans, if the country you grew up in suddenly went chaotic?

I would pop open a beer, lean back and watch the show... then i would start gathering foor food and ammo as the economic collapse would spread across the pond and probably sever EU for good.

i would lock and load... defend my home and wait it out... not much you can do if it were to happen,

Same as above - not alot i can do about it.

It looks more and more like the USA is going down the pan every day. All anyone can do it wait for it to come. I don't mean sit back relax and then freak out when it does happen being aware that it is possible and being ready, or atleast having a plan will help.

I'm outside the US but if you guys go down we all go down, so this topic is important to everone.

It depends what you are talking about. Are you talking about economically, politically, militarily, scientifically, etc. It would be a different scenario from each of these downfalls.

This is why we have homeland security..(god help us)....anyways..Fema (god help us again)...would surely have plans for us when all the young tuffs are out terrorizing the local good christains and nuns..I suppose I will be standing in line getting my big block of government cheese...I hear if you eat to much of the cheese you will get "all bound up"...I hate to think of that..ouch..........anyone have a good way to get of being "all bound up"..?..........

well honestly I was leaning more towards the ever-so collapsing dollar(economically) , but just how would you defend yourself from such a thing? stock up on food? hide away in a cave? etc

Well unfortunately it will probably continue to happen in the same bit by bit scenario that we are currently facing. One big giant push would make it much more difficult to accomplish. It would create disaster for the NWO. It is much easier to watch as the sheeple slowly become indoctrinated to the rules engaged by the patriot act and Patriot act II. But in the event that worst case scenario does occur, there are more people ready to defend the constitution than what they could ever imagine, I suppose...

Remember the Boston Tea Party?

reply to post by StJames

If we had an economic collapse, such that as happened during the 1930s, then I guess we would be forced to go through some harsh times again. Also our nation would be vulnerable for terrorist and foreign intruders. China would have their chance to invade Taiwan, Russia would have their chance to show that they are better than us, Terrorists will cheer, and major markets around the world will get hit big time.

What would I do? Not lock and load thats for sure. The whole notion of the wild west reach for a gun security is a crock. Look at Italy... they haven't been able to manage a working government for decades and the place is not falling apart.

If the federal and state governments collapsed tomorrow... nothing would change. Most of society is managed on the city/village/neighborhood level and life would continue as is unless a bunch of crackpots with guns tried to make themselves the law or enforce authority.

Vigilante action is just as destructive as any other gang activity.

I live in Canada, and if the US collapsed I would start investing in gold and I got water/food at last 6 months. We will not get hit fast, but we will feel it within the next 2-3 months. Lock and Load? hell no, I would just be condoning extreme violence, but I will have a few bats and such lying around in case.

My Opinion

Well the Native Americans could buy all the land back for some beads if the dollar collapses!!!

Maybe they could sign some treaties for the land? in exchange for food? and lodging at the casino hotel?

Thats my opinion

I'm trying to imagine what forces could cause a "collapse, overnight" of any nation.

A state is a collective organism, the sum total of behaviors of millions of people, and thousands of institutional actions.

HOW would the dollar be worth . . . zero? It could be worth a little bit less every day, but that's not the same thing as zero. Who would declare it worthless. If someone did, I'd be collecting dollars, for the antique and curio market.

If the dollar DID magically go to zero, does this mean that companies will quit delivering their services? of course not. The electric utility isn't just going to "go out of business" because the dollar is now "worth zero." They would do what people do in any economic emergency.

Mint their own private currency.

Likewise oil. It won't just magically dissapear one day, but we'll see lower and lower oil, giving entrepeneurs and pirates a chance to enter the market.

If the USA "died" tomorrow, the states would step up in a minute. Sure, they have been dormant since FDR basically appropriated the states rights in 1936. But if the feds couldn't or wouldn't provide services, look to your local states to begin doing so.

And I doubt many of America's enemies would be invading, when they could do better by cutting lucrative private deals with individual states. If the feds were gone, so would be the fed trade policies, and suddenly america would be a truly FREE market. . . . maybe even causing some local economic upturns!

Now, I'm not saying it would be a walk in the park. But America has survived having its capital invaded and the white house burned by occupying troops. I bet the USA would survive any "collapse" you can imagine.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


Several of my friends still adorn their cars with "Texas Secede" bumper stickers.

The first country to fall apart if the US fell economically will be our southern neighbor, Mexico. They are so dependent on the US economically that they won't last a month without the money sent from the 10% of their adult population now working in the US. They'd also face a flood of those same workers returning home because they couldn't find jobs in the US. China and India would suffer tremendously and their economies would likely collapse within months after a US collapse.

It would be interesting to see how the rest of the world shakes out.

My Opinion

America's not that important that the whole world will fall just because America's economy collapsed.

Most likely America will get back up on it's feet in 10 years if ever such a thing happened.

Fear not, oh people from the colonies.
I will organise collections and deliveries of Tea, Marmite and Branston Pickle and ensure it gets dropped on areas of habitation to feed the hungry US of A
Never let it be said that us Brits let our friends down.

Originally posted by Chorlton
Fear not, oh people from the colonies.
I will organise collections and deliveries of Tea, Marmite and Branston Pickle and ensure it gets dropped on areas of habitation to feed the hungry US of A
Never let it be said that us Brits let our friends down.

Chorlton, do me a favour, and drop some over my side of the states, trying to get pickle over here in my area, is like trying to get blood from a stone. people look at me in wonder and i feel like i just stepped off some ufo! also picklilly wouldnt go amiss either!!!

when i can find it, i sort of fall over from the price they charge..eg for a toffee crisp, count on it being around the $1.99 mark!! at least, thats the price in the world market store around here!!

Personally, I don't see a collapse happening as a single event. In other words I don't believe that while I'm having my moring coffee that the news will broadcast that the economy has collapsed.

However, we all should be aware that the dollar is sinking lower on a daily basis. Our internation purchasing power is therefor declining. I can imagine a situation where the US finds itself in a situation where the dollars just isn't worth much. Perhaps we'll have double digit inflation or worse.

I don't think that this will bring about a breakdown of our civilization. But it could bring about a depression like in the 1930s. So, what would I do if I see this coming.

First, I'd make a major costco run and buy as much storable food as possible. I'd also purchase any tools and/or other implements that I could see needing in the next decade.

I'd make sure that my garden was once again yielding up to it's potential. Basically I'd try to ride out the bad economic times as comfortably as possible.

I know that feeling. When I was stationed in Suffolk,UK back in the '90's, I couldn't find fresh made menudo anywhere.

[edit on 26-9-2007 by crgintx]

Well depending on the severity of the collapse, I'd probably do what I'm off to do this weekend... Taking the young ones fishing and camping.

Thank God I don't live in the inner city somewhere USA. Those people will suffer the most. Individuals like myself that can hunt, fish, and have food and ammo stores up to their eyeballs should weather the collapse much better.