As I've said, it's entirely possible to misjudge a risk and put too much of your resources into managing it. In fact, the possibility of misjudging risk is itself a risk. Lots of people have done it and regretted it. A good example is Y2K. I have a family member who got involved in prepping for that, and guess what, it put a real dent in her finances. She would have been better off today if she had put the money in a mutual fund rather than canned food and supplies. It turned out that there was indeed "something wrong" with her decision to prep.
You could take out a billion dollar liability policy on your car and work extra hours to cover the extra premium, but that would be a mistake rather than foresight or prudence. The fact that something "could happen" or even has happened wouldn't be enough to qualify such extra coverage as wisdom. And it certainly wouldn't give you grounds to lecture your neighbor about how it's irresponsible to stick with a normal policy, or to fantasize out loud and at length about how screwed he'd be if the improbable worst case came to pass.
Likewise, in my opinion, it's not necessarily the best use of your time and money to maintain a stocked shelter where you can take refuge if the government decides to hunt you down. Besides the fact that it's very unlikely to happen, just think about what you're saying here. If you are truly serious about putting the plans and preps in place to be able to make a no-kidding stand against the government, or even just hide for any length of time, then you're talking about a very large commitment, because you don't just go about something like that casually.
Such a level of commitment would carry a very real risk of misallocation. What if you had put that energy into, I don't know, finding a better job? What if you had spent the time with your kids? What if you had put the money into investments? In other words it's not just obvious that there's "nothing wrong" with putting those resources into your bugout shelter instead. Sure, something "could happen", but it probably won't, and you're trading off some opportunities that probably would have a real benefit.
BTW, since you mentioned the Soviet Union -- how many Russians were able to get through the collapse without resorting to a bugout shelter or extensive preps? My guess is about 99.9% of them. So what is the lesson there?
Fine. Others feel differently. Great country we live in, eh? Great thing, freedom.
That's their right nand perogative.
My point is that the vast majority are not a bunch of wild eyed crazies who have given up on the country and are putting their head in the sand. And a general judgement about them like that should not be made. not only is it just wrong to judge others that way whom you do not know or have never met, it is a mis-representation of the majority of them, and a sever underestimation of them too.
There may well be some who are that way. Too bad for them.
But, there will be many, many others who will be taking that opportunity, should the SHTF, to get ready to fight back, resist, and try and restore America. And that is nothing but good.
And if it never comes down? So what? Who is hurt by them being ready? No one except those who may fear them being ready.
As you say, in your opinion it's not a good use of their time or resource. But it is their time, and their resource and really none of your or my business how they choose to use it. They can do with their stuff whatever they will as long as they are not hurting anyone. And storing food, water, ammo, etc., or having their own cabin or place in the woods hurts no one.