Just Thinking?

[Dennis1209]

All through out history, there has never been a nation, country or kingdom that didn't fall economically when their currency was fiat and script, and their people's realized it was worthless. Sound familiar, think it can't happen here?

Anyway, when this happens here in the good ole USA, and a 55 gallon drum of dollar bills won't buy a loaf of bread, consider this...

Would you get out of bed and go to work and not get paid for it? In a national emergency and a society breaking down, would you leave your family to go to work? Just pondering. Thinking a pimple on an elephants butt, Katrina...

What do you think would happen during a financial collapse with say, prisons and jails?

With literally millions of violent felons in our system, what would happen to them when the correctional officers abandon their positions in favor of protecting their families, property and try to squeek out an existance?

Would they be released to reek more mayhem on society? Left in prison / jail unattended and un-supervised? Military take over the jail / prison system?

With no satisfactory immediate compensation available and perhaps a promise of future benefits, would you go to your job?

What would you do?

Edited February 5, 2012 by Dennis1209

[Guest NYCrulesU]

This is exactly why I prepare to be fully...or atleast as much as possible...self sufficient. That is with food, water, supplies and most importantly guns and ammo.

[JPR1959]

If society completely falls apart, no one has enough supplies to last long enough. Unless you have a fresh water source on or near your property, you'll die of thirst. What's going to happen to our dams? Nuclear power plants? Refineries? Do you work for free, or do you work to help your fellow countrymen? Love thy neighbor will probably go out the window in today's society. I pray we don't ever get ourselves put into that scenario.

[BluewaterTactical]

Dunno but I hope it never gets that way. In the research that I have done supposedly the military will take over "police state". I would think in my situation that if going to work produced nothing in the monetary way. I would stay home and take care of my family. I then hope I prepared enough ammo wise and food wise that I can at least make a good showing.

[Guest NYCrulesU]

It's my belief that it WILL come to that. It's the direct we are heading.

If I'm wrong? Oh well, all I did was waste some time and money.

But if I'm right? Yay me.

[DaveTN]

This thread belongs in the Zombie Apocalypse section, not in the National Politics and Legislation section.

Would you get out of bed and go to work and not get paid for it? In a national emergency and a society breaking down, would you leave your family to go to work? Just pondering. Thinking a pimple on an elephants butt, Katrina...

Depends…. Does my side of this conflict/emergency need military aircraft? If they do I’ll go to work, if they don’t… not much point.

What do you think would happen during a financial collapse with say, prisons and jails?

With literally millions of violent felons in our system, what would happen to them when the correctional officers abandon their positions in favor of protecting their families, property and try to squeek out an existance?

Would they be released to reek more mayhem on society? Left in prison / jail unattended and un-supervised? Military take over the jail / prison system?

What would you do?

Here are some stories of what happened during Katrina. You can make your own decisions on their accuracy.

Left to Die in a New Orleans Prison | Hurricane Katrina | AlterNet

ACLU: Prisoners at Orleans Parish Prison Left Behind During Hurricane Katrina

Katrina Jail Lawsuit: Jury Awards Tourists $650K - CBS News

What would you do?

Just enjoy the rest of the movie and not try to decide if it could actually happen.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Author Robert Heinlein seemed no more talented at predictions than anyone else, though at least he was entertaining at it. Heinlein wrote a short 1952 article "Pandora's Box" listing predictions of the near-term future, later expanded with additional comments and back-tracking in 1966 and 1980. Of course the future is anybody's guess and anyone can play. It may be a safe bet that none, zero, zilch, nada wanna-be prophets or futureologists will score more right than wrong.

One idea in the article that always "rung true" to me-- Dunno if this item is substantially wiser than many things Heinlein was wrong about (from his 1966 revision)--

But our currency has been going through a long steady inflation, and no nation in history has ever gone as far as we have along this route without reaching the explosive phase of inflation. Ten-dollar hamburgers? Brother, we are headed for the hundred-dollar hamburger — for the barter-only hamburger. But this is only an inconvenience rather than a disaster as long as there is plenty of hamburger.

There was also this cheery quip (unmodified in his later revisions) from the original 1952 article--

We'll all be getting a little hungry by and by.

The doctor says it will kill you but he don't say when.

Assuming both incomes and prices stay in-sync, then in some (not all) respects, it doesn't matter how many zero's they tack on to the significant digit of a dollar bill. It wouldn't change much if a burger costs $5,000, assuming that the minimum wage has risen to $7,250 per hour, and also assuming we have near-full employment.

If price inflation outstrips wage inflation then of course it will suck big-time.

Any inflation at all, especially rapid inflation, will distort many things.

Rich folks will have to be very selective in their holdings in order to remain rich. Well, that is also true for middle-class folks. Assuming everything tracks, po folks don't have anything anyway, so their situation will remain about the same regardless of inflation.

Investments might be extremely unlikely to track inflation, so if you are stuck with financial instruments yielding in the 1 to 5 percent range, but price inflation is in the double digits (or worse), then you can kiss your paper assets goodbye.

Owners of real estate and possibly durable hardware and commodities, will most likely be very lucky people.

Assuming you finance a very expensive house you really can't afford, and buy the thang right before inflation gets serious-- Assuming you stay employed-- Assuming your salary manages to track inflation-- Then the bank will lose its shirt on your loan, and you will be able to pay off a really nice house in the future for chickenfeed!

[Dolomite_supafly]

I suspect some of the jails will release all of their inmates. Other prisons might leave inmates to die in their cells. At that point it isn't really going to matter who is on the inside or outside because there are going to be people just as bad on the outside. And at that point LE will not be concerned with anything but their own families, which is how it should be. So roaming bands of thugs are going to emerge almost over night to loot and kill. And it is these thugs that are going to prey upon those people/families who leave their current location in hopes of finding a better one.

If the economy collapses so will your ability to work. Just because you can show up to work doesn't mean that work is still going to be there. And what are you going to work for? Food, water or some other commodity. In the past few years people have showed up to work on Monday morning only to find the doors shut on their place of employment. Money is going to be worthless as well as precious metals initially.

Water, food and protection are going to be the most valuable commodities after any type of disaster or collapse.

Electricity controls every aspect of life for those living in population centers and when that electricity stops so does nearly every thing needed to survive in an urban enviroment. Water will no longer come out of faucets and heat or A/C will be gone. Refineries and gas pumps will no longer work rendering most cars useless within days. Without water there will be widespread disease in urban centers as people can no longer dispose of bodily fluids in a sanitary manner.

People will die of dehydration first, second will be disease and finally starvation. That is if they are able to protect themselves from those who are going to be looting and killing. It will be just like in some other third world country in which roaming bands of people control food and water through fear and intimidation.

If you want a good indication of how every urban center is going to be just look at New Orleans, Baton Rouge or any other major Gulf Coast city a few days after Rita/Katrina.

For me I am going to stay where I am, in a very rural area, with my wife and protect my assets. I do need more supplies but overall I am probably better prepared than most city dwellers.

Dolomite

[mcurrier]

This thread belongs in the Zombie Apocalypse section, not in the National Politics and Legislation section.

This kind of thinking is what will leave most people unprepared...but, to each thier own.