All kidding aside, if someone has the room and resources I fully support a doomsday bunker. The Airstream parked out back seems like a good idea but typically only for mice to survive the winter.
The odds of a societal breakdown last peaked during the Cuban Missile Crisis. At the end of the Cold War (thank you for your service) very few "normal" people were thinking about what if scenarios. Sadly since 2008 very few of my friends aren't discussing "what if" scenarios.
The odds?
I'm still a believer that things for the most part have always seemed "Bad". That the odds life will just continue as is, as long as you and I are alive, are pretty high. Our kids lives? Our kids, kids lives? That's beyond my pay grade.
The world and the U.S. will deal with stuff as it comes along. I look at Japan, Germany, South Korea, Vietnam and I'm blown away how far those countries have come since their wars and total collapse of society.
My takeaway... Nothing stays bad forever unless it does aka North Korea, Cuba, Haiti, etc... No doubt we are living in interesting times.
That said:
I'm playing the cards I'm dealt. If the stock market tanks and doesn't come back, that means the country has failed. The United States of America isn't the federal, state or local governments. It's the thousands of businesses, massive to small, that make things work. Businesses that are forced to compete have changed the world mostly for the better which some falsely argue isn't true because they have no clue. The businesses that are not forced to compete have changed the world mostly for the worse. That would include most governments.
Takeaway, if the U.S. stock market collapses and does not rebound money will not be worth anything as hyper inflation will quickly destroy all savings. The law of supply and demand is a bitch and she will force everyone to their knees at some point.
So many basic things to think about and it's easy to go down a rabbit hole with your freeze dried food, guns, bullets and toilet paper. As friends have argued the need to prep, FEMA has quietly gone from recommending being independent for three days after a "disaster" to being independent for seven. I'm at two months with only winter as something I'm still trying to figure out.
The bottom line? The 30% increase in costs over the last three years has clearly hurt low income and fixed income Americans. It has caused great concern to those who have saved their entire lives. However, everyday life in America is still pretty awesome. We have to remind ourselves just how lucky we are to live with 333+ million people who for the most part are all agreeable. It's crazy that nearly all Americans concur with our fundamental founding principles and what's truly important in life. The bourgeoisie battle cry of diversity of everything but thought will one day fade away and be replaced by something else.
It's true that America is blessed. We have an overly friendly neighbor to the North who's biggest offenses are slant drilling for oil under our shared boarder and harvesting large lobsters. To the South, we have a wonderful "semioutofcontrol" country that routinely kills it's politicians. For example during the 2024 election cycle 37+ Mexican politicians seeking office where killed. How is that not a story?
We have vast oceans protecting our East and West coasts. Enough farm land to feed the world and more natural resources than any country on the planet. No doubt the United States is uniquely blessed.
However, I believe American's greatest strength comes from being built by people who left their place of birth, and their ancestors to seek opportunity and freedom. We are a country created by those who didn't want to settle for the status quo. We are a country built by people who risked everything. American was built upon the backs of those that could get things done. America's fundamental core philosophy may just be meritocracy overrides everything. Meritocracy is what we should celebrate not innate qualities that we a born with that can't be controlled.
Should we be building doomsday bunkers? Maybe, but I would suggest that we take steps to be self sufficient for two months and then get down to work needed to ensure that one day we don't wake up to country that nothing works.
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| This table shows the max income that is subject to FICA taxes. At the turn of the century any income over $76,200 wasn't subject to social security taxation. Today that cap is $160,200 and will continue to grow with inflation... Don't listen to the narrative. Inflation is very real! |
