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"They will concentrate on major intersections and highway interchanges where non-MUY suburban commuters must make daily passage to and from what forms of employment still exist. People making a living will still be using those roads to get to where they earn their daily bread."

Thanks for the ping, Tainan. Howdy, Travis. How's the water and thick oxygen? ;-)

I see a common assumption from the comments of many about the fictitious, continuing affluence of the government-supported middle class (bless their bureaucratic hearts and incomes from government). Much of the middle class has already been laid off and foreclosed with many more to fall before food stamps would be completely cut off, IMO. That occurrence, already in progress for some time, might significantly change the whole scenario.

Most of the increase in crimes in my sparsely populated locale and other western states over the past year or two has been driven by deposed individuals of the middle class (laid off, foreclosed, etc.).

Or let's pose the scenario that debt is run up all the way to bond collapse, repudiation and currency adjustment. In that case, nearly the whole remainder of the middle class (mostly government employed/pensioned/funded) would suddenly be out of work, house and all, and might also be barred from food stamps along with their ethnic neighbors. Many of the wealthy would lose their investments along the way, and many, during the end of the default process. Who would be more likely to riot--those accustomed to being poor or those much more proud and unaccustomed to being poor?

Imagine the likely bond collapse to come and the many government-supported folks to be laid off in much larger numbers. Who would be rioting?

Have fun. Enjoy the slide. Big government can't proceed with bigness without sustainable revenues from big manufacturing. Maybe the new/political/regulator class would be rioting along with their ethnic, also-government-supported friends. And really, most of them--"quasi-military" officials and the vast majority of REMF-y military folks included--can hit the broad side of a barn. But few of them qualify "expert" (which small military award does not necessarily designate experts). Maybe they need to buy much more ammo for the ranges.

Imagine a continued, slow descent into poverty for most of us--a descent without unprecedented magnitudes of violence to accompany the fall. Imagine seeing only gradual increases in crimes and many of them done by people who formerly plotted and schemed in offices rather than producing anything of value. Humbling thoughts?

Just another perspective (macro-economics, history...) and some possibilities. I'm no prophet. I gotta tell ya, though: these scenarios are fun to read and do instigate some thoughts. Thanks, buddy.

Oh. One more thing. Loved the mention of Rwanda. Maybe everyone should stock up on machetes and cultural attitudes of "developing" countries. ;-)

At 5,600 words, I was constantly trying to keep the focus narrow and just on the EBT cards failing leading to massive food riots. I could have spent another 1,000 words describing the dozen ways the EBT failure might manifest, but decided not to. The point is, mathematically, our debt-fueled binge partys is going to end sooner or later, no matter what the politicians and food stamp recipients wish would happen. And when it does, the food will not go to the urban cores, and food riots on a scale perhaps never seen before will happen. We have climbed way out on a slender branch with the food stamp and welfare version of bread and circuses. When the music’s over, there will be hell to pay.