Post: #1

Quote: 1. Israel - The US will have too much on its place domestically and internationally to worry about this non-strategic land.
2. Southern California- 20 million people packed into an area with no food or water along with huge wealth and racial differences, will tip this area into massive unrest.
3. London - With the collapse of the Anglo American empire the British subjects will come face to face with the reality that they are living in a 1984 nightmare.
4. New York City- A collapse of Wall Street would have devastating consequences on the surrounding area. Those that once lived high on the hog, suddenly wonder where there next meal is coming from.
5. Any Major City - Too many people, totally dependent upon the highly complex systems that the dollar enables will be left completely unprepared for this collapse. Desperate people do desperate things when food and fuel stop coming into dangerous areas.

Not sure how much of this is just plain old fear mongering, but the narrator raises some interesting points. Some are saying that the US empire is on a decline and that impending doom is eminent.

What's the alternative? Living an ascetic existence in the great outdoors like Eustace Conway?

Post: #2

I hunt and fish as a hobby, but back in my brain somewhere, I know that those skills could come in handy someday if the shit hits the fan.

Post: #3

Um, the Deutsche mark hyperinflated and was replaced within two years. Afterwards, the people of Germany went on to conquer the rest of Europe within 8 years.

People think that the death of a currency means the death of a country. No it doesn't. It means that whatever you have is wiped by a percentage, around 50% or more.

It's like everyone getting divorced.

But it doesn't mean the end of the world, or the end of the country. In fact, America might be so rich that even after a 50% devaluation, we'll still be on top. That's how rich we are right now.



As far as the best places to be - I think the best places to be might be in cities, because cities will receive the most government aid in the form of whatever new currency is developed to replace the old, dead currency. Think about it: was Berlin the worst place to be after the mark died? Not really.

Also, if the dollar hyperinflates, it will be a good time to jump back into the stock market. A good dji etf will do wonders.

Post: #4

@Sam - I like the optimism. I'm more inclined to think along those lines. I even think America's best days are ahead. I'm sure people during the Great Depression thought the country was done for good, only to see America emerge into the greatest power the world has ever known.

Post: #5

(03-18-2012 01:37 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  . I'm sure people during the Great Depression thought the country was done for good, only to see America emerge into the greatest power the world has ever known.

Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

Post: #6

(03-18-2012 02:14 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 01:37 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  . I'm sure people during the Great Depression thought the country was done for good, only to see America emerge into the greatest power the world has ever known.

Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

As you probably should. I see your home country is the UK

Post: #7

(03-18-2012 02:38 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:14 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 01:37 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  . I'm sure people during the Great Depression thought the country was done for good, only to see America emerge into the greatest power the world has ever known.

Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

As you probably should. I see your home country is the UK

The U.S. split the atom. That made us the greatest power ever known.

Post: #8

(03-18-2012 03:02 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:38 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:14 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 01:37 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  . I'm sure people during the Great Depression thought the country was done for good, only to see America emerge into the greatest power the world has ever known.

Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

As you probably should. I see your home country is the UK

The U.S. split the atom. That made us the greatest power ever known.

Not just militarily, but economically too. The postwar boom came after the Great Depression.

Post: #9

(03-18-2012 02:38 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:14 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

As you probably should. I see your home country is the UK

Touché.

I'll go with the Mongols.

Post: #10

Two places you definitely shouldn't be with a dollar collapse are Cambodia and Ecuador. Both contries use the USdollar as there national curreny. There will be chaos/killings and riots in the streets there when the dollar bursts. There will be gigantic 3rd world chaos.

Post: #11

(03-18-2012 12:01 AM)scotian Wrote:  I hunt and fish as a hobby, but back in my brain somewhere, I know that those skills could come in handy someday if the shit hits the fan.

Working in the Canadian oil sands, you might not be in the worst possible place if/when the dollar collapses. Probably some great hunting and sportfishing spots, eh? Thinly populated too.

Reminds me of an article I read some years ago in Fur-Fish-Game magazine; it was about the decimation of wildilfe in the United States during the Great Depression.

Down here we have people enough that damned near anything which walks, crawls, flies, or swims will be eaten if the people get hungry enough. And there's a lot of people, too - the U.S. Census Bureau estimates 313 million Americans at the moment, as compared to 127 million in 1935.

(03-18-2012 04:08 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  Two places you definitely shouldn't be with a dollar collapse are Cambodia and Ecuador. Both contries use the USdollar as there national curreny. There will be chaos/killings and riots in the streets there when the dollar bursts. There will be gigantic 3rd world chaos.

YES.

This is an aspect of dollar collapse that is almost never talked about. Haven't been to Cambodia or Ecuador but I have seen the U.S. dollar commonly trading hands in the Caribbean.

I'm also curious to see U.S. austerity measures affect the third world, as food/health aid doesn't come.

Post: #12

When will this collapse happen? In what year?

Post: #13

I definitely would not want to be in a big city. Especially a city that has prevented law abiding citizens from arming themselves. Those people will be at the mercy of the armed criminals. When SHTF, you can't just run to the hills because the people already in the hills will relieve you of your belongings.

Post: #14

Pretty sure I wouldn't want to be anywhere where there are people and a lack of food.

I'm pretty big into the 'survival' theme as a lifestyle, in 18 months from now I hope to have a well stocked cabin in the woods that'll fit me and my family, enough physical stuff to survive the 'intervening period' and enough social clout that when things start rebuilding I'll be doing better than when it started.

That said, I'm pretty sure there won't be an out and out collapse. Things'll just get a lot tougher economically and then reset. Either way, I'd like to win.

Post: #15

Cities are the WORST place to be. Within 72 hours is when the serious violence starts. Various papers have been published from the War Colleges, and they give plenty of examples to bear this out. I have guns, gold, and a getaway plan. And three months of food if I have to shelter in place.

Post: #16

(03-18-2012 01:12 AM)Samseau Wrote:  Um, the Deutsche mark hyperinflated and was replaced within two years. Afterwards, the people of Germany went on to conquer the rest of Europe within 8 years.

People think that the death of a currency means the death of a country. No it doesn't. It means that whatever you have is wiped by a percentage, around 50% or more.

It's like everyone getting divorced.

But it doesn't mean the end of the world, or the end of the country. In fact, America might be so rich that even after a 50% devaluation, we'll still be on top. That's how rich we are right now.



As far as the best places to be - I think the best places to be might be in cities, because cities will receive the most government aid in the form of whatever new currency is developed to replace the old, dead currency. Think about it: was Berlin the worst place to be after the mark died? Not really.

Also, if the dollar hyperinflates, it will be a good time to jump back into the stock market. A good dji etf will do wonders.

Germans are a special breed!
They "lost" two world wars and yet today they are a economic power.

Post: #17

5 places to do not to be:

1. Argentina
2. Equador
3. The Emirates
4. Swizerland
5. Japan

Post: #18

(03-18-2012 09:42 AM)vinman Wrote:  Cities are the WORST place to be. Within 72 hours is when the serious violence starts. Various papers have been published from the War Colleges, and they give plenty of examples to bear this out. I have guns, gold, and a getaway plan. And three months of food if I have to shelter in place.

This is why I think "the zombie survival guide" is such a good book sure its meant to be humorous, but I had always interpreted it as a guide to survive any kind of large scale societal collapse

Post: #19

(03-18-2012 03:51 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:38 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 02:14 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  Hm, I'll keep silent about that comment.

As you probably should. I see your home country is the UK

Touché.

I'll go with the Mongols.

The Mongols had the largest contiguous empire. No doubt. But that doesn't mean it was the "world's" greatest power. The US isn't trying to conquer the world in that kind of way. We use economic imperialism. By that measure, we have far surpassed the Mongols. Militarily, there's no contest.

Post: #20

(03-18-2012 04:08 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  Two places you definitely shouldn't be with a dollar collapse are Cambodia and Ecuador. Both contries use the USdollar as there national curreny. There will be chaos/killings and riots in the streets there when the dollar bursts. There will be gigantic 3rd world chaos.

Yeah. This reminds me of what happened when Ecuador changed its currency to the US dollar. That was something the elites conspired with American business interests. Many middle class Ecuadorians went into poverty after that move. Their life savings in the bank eroded tremendously as their money was worth much less now that it was USD. Poverty rates skyrocketed. That had to suck...

Post: #21

Other things to consider about hyperinflation:

- Old debts. Have a 500K mortgage? Now it's 250K. The national debt? Halved or more.

- The rest of the world would be so fucked without America. They'll go to hell if we do too, which means people will still be trying to get into our country.

- The value of American exports will skyrocket, as American goods will be cheaper to buy from overseas. It would mean the return of American manufacturing.

Post: #22

(03-18-2012 03:23 PM)Samseau Wrote:  Other things to consider about hyperinflation:

- Old debts. Have a 500K mortgage? Now it's 250K. The national debt? Halved or more.

- The rest of the world would be so fucked without America. They'll go to hell if we do too, which means people will still be trying to get into our country.

- The value of American exports will skyrocket, as American goods will be cheaper to buy from overseas. It would mean the return of American manufacturing.

None of this stuff will matter if people can't get food. Can't eat your house or your ipad.

Post: #23

(03-18-2012 06:02 PM)assman Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 03:23 PM)Samseau Wrote:  Other things to consider about hyperinflation:

- Old debts. Have a 500K mortgage? Now it's 250K. The national debt? Halved or more.

- The rest of the world would be so fucked without America. They'll go to hell if we do too, which means people will still be trying to get into our country.

- The value of American exports will skyrocket, as American goods will be cheaper to buy from overseas. It would mean the return of American manufacturing.

None of this stuff will matter if people can't get food. Can't eat your house or your ipad.

Yeah... you'll still be able to get food, it will just be much more expensive.

Post: #24

(03-18-2012 06:05 PM)Samseau Wrote:  

(03-18-2012 06:02 PM)assman Wrote:  None of this stuff will matter if people can't get food. Can't eat your house or your ipad.

Yeah... you'll still be able to get food, it will just be much more expensive.

Really? In a large urban area? Are you prepared to defend your food? Better have a lot more than a kitchen knife.

Are the food distribution centers prepared to defend themselves from the hungry hordes? Do you have enough money to cover the price of food that now has loads of security built into its cost structure?

This isn't Wiemar Germany. The urbanization we have is going to make food shortages much more acute in any WROL (without rule of law) situation.

Post: #25

(03-18-2012 01:32 PM)Mrs. Chocolate Wrote:  5 places to do not to be:

1. Argentina
2. Equador
3. The Emirates
4. Swizerland
5. Japan

Why Argentina? It has little population, a lot of food and water and the people are used to crises...