There tends to be a lack of realism in survival scenarios. Some of it borders on wishful thinking - as it would be nice if all the cities, their sins, and the government that bred them would collapse in one big heap or down a hole and never bother humanity again. Unfortunatly, it is never so easy. Only God could offer such a path (but it appears He is a libertarian and so we are left to our own devices).


I have heard of the "I'll just go hunting" thing many times, and many years ago thought that way myself. Ever been on heavily pressured hunting land? You won't even find tracks or other spoor. Forget it. You would have a better chance of eating maggots. But maggots come about from feeding on dead things and there won't be any.

But at the same time, I do not suspect that the human race will go "Road Warrior" for any extended time if there is a so-called societal collapse. Such a collapse can be said to have already occured, and kept in check by our police state. The truth behind that is we don't lock up our real criminals and when something like a hurricane wrecks a city, these wards of the state run wild. I suspect that the thug class is as important to government as cattle is to a rancher and so they cannot be eliminated through incarceration or rehabilition. Government needs incidents like New Orleans to scare whitey into wanting more police state.
On the one hand we have examples like New Orleans - which is a micro of collapse - and on the other hand is the recognition of real human spirit that is known to exel when certain factors are removed. What made societal collapse in New Orleans occure? Look at who was adding to the havoc and see what the largest influence was in their lives: government. This was the welfare/thug culture. Could such people exist without the culture created by the welfare state? Have they before? Can we wonder then if that is the intention of the welfare state; to create a culture that will lose its self control when things go awry, and permanantly ensconce the need for governments in the minds of all so deeply that it becomes genetic - like the Eloin.

Collapse is coming and not because of biblical measure, or lack of morality, or End Times. It's coming because we have an empire-like state that is overspending itself. History has shown this to be the case that no state can wage perpetual wars, and perpetual welfare and keep going. Such state also prints more fiat money to finance itself. I recall an article that implied the money system adds to moral decay because it is a form of rot and irresponsibility that starts from the top - that a house costs so much more to buy because of fiat money that one must do so much more to get one - including becoming a lying cheating a-hole.

Collapse cannot be stopped, as history shows. I don't care how much one loves America, it's going down and for reasons that other civilisations went down. It's on life support. But you can only print so many dollars, fight so many wars, give out so much welfare, and borrow so much money, before the chickens come home to roost. Has anyone ever seen how much a tank unit or air force squadron uses in fuel? And yet the fuel comes from the lands we are waging war in. Hello?

Like Rome, America is not invadable by ordinary means. Parts of it can be sacked and will. Some will argue that parts of it are being sacked in the form of handouts to illegals and fraud. Someone told me once, when talking about an in-law who was bragging about collecting on all his pensions and SSI payments and taking in more money in retirement than when he was working, "Sometimes I think the economy is being raped by the older generation. We will never have it as good." Didn't we just start paying for all those prescription drugs for these people?

When WWII started, the government had roughly 10-20 percent of it's "income" in payouts to pensions and social security. It still took 6 months to mobilize the military. Now that payout is more than half. If another real Hitler comes along (not someone in a turban sitting on fields of oil that the warmongers tell us is hitler) we are screwed.


But without the federal leviathan in place, I think the future will be brighter. Each state has it's own government, guard, Militia :-), courts, and all the other trappings of a small nation. The only problems that could come up would be the introduction of state income taxes where there are none, and those states depending on the federal boob for money for certain programs will have to find the money elsewhere or end those programs. Much is said about the corruption of state programs, and the control people in the states have over their programs, because of influence that comes with federal money and the insidious "federal mandate" that is used to tell states what to do "or else no money for (insert program or project)".


What I fear most is not what is going to happen, but what happens as a reaction to it. Recall when the feds shut down over a budget dispute in the 90s and how there was much wailing and gnashing of the teeth by all those who thought they were doomed without a central government. Add to this mix the military-industrial complex that stands to lose a lot of money. And the cultures of socialism and nationalism (left and right) that will blame every little problem on the lack of central government; and what these factions will do if big problems come up, such as Aztlan trying to take the southwest by force. Imagine what certain political factions will do to cause further disruption and offer up their politicians as the cure for the problems. These are the ingredients for a dictatorship, the nesting ground for another Hitler. Someone who will appeal to all (nationalists and socialists) and a savior of sorts who will bring back the air-conditioning (I fix AC systems and you don't need a government to cool the house), the cable TV, and make the trains run on time.


I don't envision a Mad Max scenario, one big dramatic collapse, and ooga booga peace from then on. It's going to be slow and painful, like getting stitched up without painkiller by a military doctor (this I know). The government, the leviathan, will not go without taking out as much of what it fears as possible. Like a dying man it will deny it's own doom and seek targets of blame instead. And when it's gone those who loved it will do anything to bring it back. Those who hated it will do anything to bring what they will think is the safeguard from it hapenning again but will still be bringing back the same thing because so deep will be their hatred that they become what they hated so much. Those who depended on it will vote for the worst of the worst who promises the most. There will be more to fear, more stupidity, and more risk.

And if you are hding out in a cabin the whole time, it's only a matter of time before someone comes to take you away.


Survivalism has to be more than hiding in the woods.