Ok. I'm not here to burst your bubble or call you ignorant or anything like that. But I have been reading about TEOTWAWKI for 20+ years and have given this a lot of thought. This is why I don't think a TOTAL and SUDDEN collapse of the US or world will happen. A partial collapse, yes that is likely, or a slow decline, also likely.
The answer: greed.
Too many people rely on the general population to work (which means "generate taxes") and buy things so they can earn millions of dollars each day. Even in the financial (like stock) market, people depend on others to buy and sell stock so they can profit from that transaction.
You can't support greed (of CEOs and politicians) without commerce, and you can't have commerce (people buying things) without jobs.
Now it's certainly likely that the US economy will continue to contract in the next 30 years. Even though the baby boomers are retiring, we still have more people than jobs, even in Michigan, the worst state in the US if you look at many factors (job growth, unemployment, general economy, number on welfare, etc.)
However, prudent people will, of course, prepare for hard times, which I do believe are ahead. I'm not quite middle-aged, so I have plenty of time to experience hard times.
And there it is.
