Posted on 01/03/2013 4:42:02 PM PST by Kartographer
Today while reading a thread in a survival forum someone explained his view on how different a collapse in USA would be compared to the one that took place in Argentina in 2001. He said that while the collapse in Argentina was like changing a tire on a Ford Falcon, what will happen in US will be like changing them all on a 18-wheeler. Changing a tire on a Falcon is a light way of putting it. Our economy collapsed, our currency lost 70% of its value overnight and the president resigned while anarchy spread all over the country. Over a decade later the place is still a mess, it simply never got back on its feet. Just last week, looting spread across 40 major cities in Argentina. My family and friends over there spend three days, including Christmas, without power or water, while roasted at 120F. We didn’t change the tire on a Ford Falcon. The Falcon went over the cliff and blew up. You could say there’s only a wreckage left of what was once a nice, shiny Ford Falcon.
Unfortunately for you guys in USA its more similar than any of us could have expected. Seems that right after getting an Obama double tap, you’ll get hit with Hillary Clinton in 2016. The shit storm your’re about to go through will test everyone’s determination and true preparedness levels. Its now and in these coming years that people will get to see for themselves what works and what doesn’t. Many such accounts have already been posted here the last couple years.
(Excerpt) Read more at ferfal.blogspot.com ...
My grandmother showed an amazing flash of wisdom the other day when some of my liberal relatives were trying to pull an “occupy” comment out of her.
My niece asked her about what the thought during the great depression when the banks were “stealing” everyone’s homes.
My grandmother said that they didn’t think of it much at all. They were too busy doing what they had to do to get by. She said it wasn’t even called the great depression till years afterward. Most of their neighbors didn’t lose their farms because they lived within their means and didn’t have much to begin with. Those who lost their farms were living on the plains and fell into debt during the drought. Urban people got hurt because they couldn’t take care of themselves without money like rural folks did.
She warned my niece that some serious pain was coming her way because of all the excess crap she has that she thinks she needs. One day it will be gone and she’s going to hurt because of it. Granny said all they ever had was a radio for the whole family they only listened to it for an hour or two at night.
Kart, you had that thread about bartering and I posted an article, but I started that with a warning of engaging in bartering. The man who wrote the article for this present thread about Argentina said this:
“You’ll start bartering for a living like thousands did in Argentina. When you realize the problems concerning bartering you’ll try making money to survive on whatever new currency replaces the US dollar.”
Knowing no one can predict how another person will act when the person’s life is draining out due to no water or no food, I won’t trust anyone to be what they were before the collapse came. At this time in my life, I’m more of a solitary person, retired without a workplace to occupy and without a large group of friends/acquaintances and no one knows what I have, so I won’t have a group of people coming around to visit and see what I have and want some of it.
I expect other Freepers do have a large group of people who will check on them or come see them, or contact them in some way and that could be a problem for these Freepers.
I believe this country is dying - it will either continue to die slowly or there will be a final flap of butterfly wings that will cause a sudden collapse in the monetary system or electric grid which brings the same thing, and then it’s chaos and panic and we are plunged into the dark ages of long ago.
I think if people don’t have what they need to survive for a long period, maybe that is a year but it could be much longer, they will die. We don’t know how long it would take for some semblance of order to come about. This man’s report about Argentina says it still isn’t happening there, chaos still rules after a number of years.
The future is uncertain but our preparations can have goals we meet and continue to set goals. If we do nothing, we leave our future to chance and that is not an option for many of us. I have insurance for my house, my car, my life, medical needs, and I have “survival” insurance.
Kart, I know you have survival insurance, and we both hope many others get it.
Me too.
Gonna be "interesting" when the citidiots start going crazy.
They don't understand what lives outside their city limits.....
That is cool, but I want to shoot a 12 gauge slug through my .22.
Being “poor” for my whole life is a real blessing.
I just had the same thought earlier today. I never felt like I was "poor" growing up though, and the experience has served me well.
Such an odd thing to say in many respects, but then I can’t grasp a mind so dark that it would call a turn on a man.
I don’t get upset about personal financial issues. I just don’t have a problem getting by on next to nothing. I shop smart, don’t have a lot of excess baggage, and I take care of what I have.
As far as gadgets are concerned, I have a baseline kindle and a tracfone.
Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I have some nice, yet unnecessary things- but I’ve done without them just fine before and I can do without them again. There is a certain sense of freedom living an uncluttered and simple life.
America is not Argentina and since we have valuable resources I woluld expect China and other very bad actors to attempt to “help” us and send an invasion force while we are vulnerable. They will want to carve us up and keep what they can take.
And seriously wouldnt we really expect Obama to invite them in to help stop the rebellion that is trying to push him out of power?
Sounds far fetched you say, but would you have ever beleived me if I told you 6 years ago we would see a dounling of the national debt and GM owned by the government?
When the meltdown comes it will be open season on America from our global enemies and we will have to fight, thats what I beleive we are in for.
bump for later
Think “Yugoslavia” circa 1991. An industrialized nation, an out of control but weak central government, and too many demographic groups who don’t like each other.
I guess you’d say I grew up without a lot of the stuff we deem “necessary” now. - We live in the country, have lots of wood for the woodstove in the winter; I do dread having to do without at least a modicum of air conditioning in the summer . . although, we didn’t have it until I was almost grown. Now, I’m 66 and extreme heat hurts; though we don’t keep it too cold in the summer. Guess I would have to get used to it. - Predicting every contingency is overwhelming.
I've no idea what that's supposed to mean.
My comment was generic in re the thread title.
And I doubt that what's left of my mind is any lighter or darker than most.
Regardless, no offense intended . . .
“Now, I’m 66 and extreme heat hurts;”
I am much older than you and heat does hurt. I can’t cool off and get hotter and hotter and then I faint. I have a way to stay cool when I lose power. I have four battery fans and rechargeable D batteries. A fan at night on my upper torso allowed me to sleep through hot summer nights after Hurricane Ike took out power.
During the day, I used spray water bottles with little fans on top that take AA batteries. Spray water with the little fan going and the temp. of the ambient air around you drops by 20-30 degrees. Spray it on your face, neck and arms and the fan makes it really cool as the water evaporates. Spray your legs for more cooling.
I made it okay through that heat with those fans and spray bottle fans. I would have been in trouble without them.
You are right. This is why my preps go beyond just stocking piling necessities. I hesitate to use the word sustainable, because of the Globalist use of the term.
However,for example, if I have flour or wheat to last for a year or two, logic asks then what? When it is gone how will we sustain ourselves? Can we be self sufficient?
We know we can grow wheat, because we have been growing winter wheat for the last few winters. We have sufficient land to be able to produce enough for our family, and have had some success with this.
A stock pile of food is great for short term, but should we go into a dark period that lasts a decade or more, we should be giving some thought to how we will do things for the long term too.
I really would like to be totally self sufficient, so I am learining new things daily, and filing how to info in my notebook, and constantly experimenting to see what I can do.
“We know we can grow wheat, because we have been growing winter wheat for the last few winters. We have sufficient land to be able to produce enough for our family, and have had some success with this.”
I have no room to grow more than a few veggies and wheat doesn’t grow here. I have enough long term stored flour (good for 10+ years) to last at least a year and have cornmeal the same way.
I bought heirloom seeds packed for long term by Walton Feed. There are big back yards of houses behind me with a significant fence between our properties. If those people left due to the bad circumstanes, I would use that yard to put in a garden. If I can’t do that, I’ll find someone close to me who has space and will grow the food using my seeds so I get part of the produce. I will figure out a way to get those seeds in the ground and growing. There is always a way.
I expect the utter collapse of the US economy would trigger a world-wide depression and attendant run on banks.
I know we are not as far along as you are on many things, but we do have more than enough grains and beans and flour for more than a year for just ourselves, and some extra for our Kids and Grandkids.
Now that winter is officially here, I will start canning meats - whatever the stores have on special till I get enough for 3 or 4 times a week for 7 or 8 people. I will also plan on 2 year rotation for home canned meats and fish.
I have quite a bit of canned stuff that I have been purchasing from the store, but it is all more expensive than what I can do myself.
You would be amazed what you can grow just in pots indoors and outside on patios. With intensive methods, you only need about 32 sq foot of space for 1 person to provide fresh food, and some to preserve to get through the winter.
I grow all heirlooms now, so I save seeds from my best producers to use next year. I know you are well prepared, and certainly ahead of my measly preps.
When we go down the chinese will go as well. Probably the only force capable of invading will be from the south (Mexico).
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