So how much longer has America got? Really?

We're involved in several wars. Our economy isn't doing fine. Obama said so himself.

Europe is collapsing slowly... will America just continue to function as normal? In this globalized world, that seems to be the most unlikely situation. The purchasing power has been on constant decline since the establishment of the federal reserve (which isn't going to likely disappear, regardless of who's president).

What about peak oil? When the ramifications of our dwindling *conventional* oil (this still acknowledging there is plenty of oil left in the ground) runs low... what then?

This amidst a whole host of environmental issues we're facing - dirty water, too much waste, GMO crops pests building up immunities to pesticides leading to potential mono-crop disasters - etc.

Anyone got a decent time-frame? Or an idea of one? Preferably with evidence to back it up. I'm curious what fellow ATS'ers think about the time we have left.

reply to post by Deflagration


36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

- Matthew 24

Your guess is just as good as anyone's.

IMO, only inertia holds us together now. Soon we will fall. It is a given. However, no one knows exactly when.

If I had to "guess"... I would say

August 9, 10:11 am 2012 EST


Maybe....

Best guess I would take a stand on is that Novembers presidential election shall be our last. Regardless of who gets in. Well though if its Ron Paul then he might help slow the decay some, but either of the other two are too locked into the system, it will trash out in the next term.

None!!!
America has expired years ago..... what you see today is a decaying shell of America. Americans are zombified by MSM into believing they still have a country!!!

reply to post by Deflagration


How long does the US have left before collapse?
3 days guaranteed, here's why.......
Well maybe 3 centuries or more I dunno, nor does anyone else either.
No sense worrying about it, just make sure you own a piece of dirt in which you can put your plants and possibly do some hunting and you're good.

After the great wars and the rebuilding, America will be great. The Phoenix will rise out of the ashes. America will see its first commuter bullet train and deserved 'futuristic' cities. Many things need to happen but america will not be refurbished untill it is destroyed.

It could unravel at any moment. I think we might get another year or two though before it does. I also think that it is still technically possible to save the US. I don't see it happening, though. No politician is willing to do the tough things that are required.

The US will probably remain relevant on the world scene for a long time to come. There is still a lot of wealth here in private hands, even the middle class. I think that will cushion our fall for a time before it gets really bad. But it may not depending on how bad off the dollar gets.

I believe the world wants us to not fail yet. They need to find the successor of the dollar to dump their money into. They don't want another kink in the cog of the world economy right now. They may not get a choice, though.

End analysis: we are finished and running on momentum.

Don't be ridiculous. The U.S. has decades left at worst. Sure, the U.S. is not going to be the uncontested powerhouse it was from 1950-2000 (what thing happened in 2000....) - China, Germany and India (and maybe Russia again) will rise, but the U.S. debt issue is overblown. The U.S. still has somewhat healthy GDP to debt ratio, and has the ability to pay the debt back if it focused on exports and manufacturing again. It also has pretty strong natural resources and wealth that not every country has, and most European nations are without, due to their longer histories.

The U.S. military is not as bullet proof as the U.S. would have you believe, but if used wisely and sparingly, is still pretty damn formidable, and still counts for a lot in resource-hectoring terms. The petro-dollar is not the only resource which the U.S. military leverages. The U.S. essentially inherited England's sea empire which it could no longer afford to maintain, minus India and a few other places, and will continue to leverage it.

Notice I am not saying the U.S. is not about to experience the same collapse as Europe- the U.S. WILL be drawn in too.... and derivatives are going to sink her as well... but since everyone is sinking together, China, Germany and the like included, I think the U.S. will still be able to lean on many of its old tricks post-collapse.

The collapse wll destroy our current banking system, that is assured. But something other than Mad Max is on the other side- the banking problems are all imaginary... none of the bank's money was ever real, so it won't take them long to invent the imaginary solution afterward. There will be a couple years of abject squallor, then the magic solution of more imaginary money to save us... it is all shuffling of 1's and 0's on paper and in computers, and isn't about to stop this year. The derivative debt may be "unpayable", but the capital, machines and factories will still remain, and the banks and financiers will find a way to get them working again, with a new system they can control; it is how the world works.

Originally posted by caterpillage
Best guess I would take a stand on is that Novembers presidential election shall be our last. Regardless of who gets in. Well though if its Ron Paul then he might help slow the decay some, but either of the other two are too locked into the system, it will trash out in the next term.

Not that it matters, but I'm still not convinced the last election was not the last.

We have 3 months (give or take a month) until the government defaults on it's loan payments and has to raise the debt ceiling again. This could either be another crash like the last one or the final crash that ends the USA as we know it. Thank the liberals and closet liberals in conservative disguise that continue to expand the size of the government and it's welfare programs.

reply to post by libertytoall


Hmm, I seem to remember last time we were faced with this, the debt ceiling was raised and we all turned out "okay" over here. Why can't that just happen again?

I'm still convinced dark times are ahead though, and soon, I'm just unsure of when.

reply to post by joeraynor

Don't be ridiculous. The U.S. has decades left at worst. Sure, the U.S. is not going to be the uncontested powerhouse it was from 1950-2000 (what thing happened in 2000....) - China, Germany and India (and maybe Russia again) will rise, but the U.S. debt issue is overblown. The U.S. still has somewhat healthy GDP to debt ratio, and has the ability to pay the debt back if it focused on exports and manufacturing again.

Wow all I can say to that is ignorance is bliss i guess...

People living in Western Europe, decades after Rome collapsed still thought they were living in the Roman Empire.

I think the economic collapse will start in Europe. Then spread over all the Western world. I think the North American Union will be formed, but will fail mostly because of desertion by key financial, political and military assets.

I think Europe will be divided by Russian and Arab forces. North Korea will smash South Korea with the help from China and eventually China will dominate Australia and Japan.

I think whats left of the USA will be split between several different new nations, mostly based on red and blue boundaries but eventually the Blue nations will dominate the red nations.

When will this happen? Perhaps 7 days after Europe crashes.

reply to post by LDragonFire

I think whats left of the USA will be split between several different new nations, mostly based on red and blue boundaries but eventually the Blue nations will dominate the red nations.

I am curious why you think the bloated blue welfare states will dominate the red more rugged individualist states that tend to be more agrarian based and independent minded?

I am thinking the blue states will implode when all the handouts and freebies are cut off where rioting will kill of a lot of them?

Farmers will just farm for themselves and their communities and there will be a lot of new farmers too...

reply to post by hawkiye


I think there will be multiple blue nations and multiple red nations, I see Texas doing ok, they might exspand into Mexico, as for welfare states:
RedStates Are Welfare Queens

I think the more northern states will dominate because the same reasons they dominated in the civil war.
Edit to add= larger populations, more rail lines, roads and industry.

Originally posted by LDragonFire
reply to post by hawkiye

 

I think there will be multiple blue nations and multiple red nations, I see Texas doing ok, they might exspand into Mexico, as for welfare states:
RedStates Are Welfare Queens

I think the more northern states will dominate because the same reasons they dominated in the civil war.
Edit to add= larger populations, more rail lines, roads and industry.

edit on 15-6-2012 by LDragonFire because: (no reason given)

edit on 15-6-2012 by LDragonFire because: (no reason given)

So you think States like CA and NY are less welfare queens then bread basket states where they know how to farm? You don't think the big cities in those states and others will implode? Also states like Idaho Montana Wyoming eastern Washington and Eastern oregon all more agrarian with very little welfare except in Washington an Oregon.

i think your list does not apply here because federal benefits could mean lots of things. Like grants and loans to police departments and schools etc. I am talking about populations where the peoples livelyhood is paid for by the state and or feds. For Instance Idaho is one of the hardest states for a person to get on welfare and there is a limit and your done forever.

reply to post by hawkiye


Your the one that brought up welfare and the facts support that 15 out of the top 20 welfare states are red states, sorry if you have issues with that.

If a collapse happens do you think any of these states are still going to us mechanized farming? Do you also think tree hugger blue states will suddenly forget how to raise organic crops?

What side will be hurt the most cotton farmers or veggie gardeners?

So how long has people been saying that end is near?

Seriously,

I believe that the rest of the world will burn before the US.

Everybody thinks that they know what is going to happen and after reading the same old replies month after month it is obvious to me(LJ01) the the end is a fictional "thing" made up to instill fear into the american people.

I personally believe that the folks that run this country(whomever that might be) will not ever let anything happen to this nation on a scale that most speak about around here.

When it really comes down to a situation where the life and death of this country is on the line, all otpions will be excercised to protect the integrity of the United States of America. Anyone who does not see this is really missing the real picture of what is really going on.

The people in power will keep the power, at all costs. Maybe with a new slogan(something more catchy than time for change, or we believe), but we as a nation will prevail.

So the one';s that are saying that America will fail are the one's that are really kidding themselves. I have came to this conclusion after years of reading the same old crap day after day, month after month.

It will not happen, our 600 to 700 hundred billion dollar military budget garuntees this.