Good points everywhere! Late in catching up.
The day the gold standard was replaced by the dollar, that was the day the economic collapse started. Today the USA is bankrupt, the Petro dollar is at risk. If the USA goes down, the world will slide a bit, but not as bad as the USA, not all of us all the way at least. So best you guys stop that from happening. 🙂
On trade and exporting. Our new Finance Minister made this comment in his national budget speech – tongue in cheek as he is known for, I quote:
“Service delivery, it’s like people sitting at home waiting for the delivery of bread, instead of participating in the baking of the bread. That (baking) is development. That’s what must happen – development.”
It applies to us as much as it applies to the USA. But I fear it is too late, for all of us, to swap around. Takes decades to sort it on national scales.
Re. prepping and being self sufficient. There will be more HAVE NOT’s than HAVE’s, the HAVE’s stand no chance. One has to disappear, like in you do not exist, no-one knows where you are or what you have stashed. The ultimate level in prepping, to be able to do that without anyone knowing, because the 1st person you tell in confidence, tells the next person in confidence … and so it starts. The HAVE NOT’s will rule.
The Military. I believe the military will keep on operating because of legal orders, constitution for a while. But after a while the rule of law will start to get grayer and grayer as the political power plays are played for control, until individuals are forced to make a call, follow orders or leave.
If the politicians are clever they would ensure the enlisted folks are kept well fed, lots of leeway, well armed, protected, sleep in warm beds. That way they will keep control.
Where do they get provisions from, to keep all fed, fuel for the vehicles, generators? Legal looting obviously. This will anger the folks on the ground, till they are “handled” to comply.
If the resources run out, the military will become a “gang” that needs to survive, like the rest, yet they have the biggest guns, more ammunition and lots more boots on the ground.
Military and economic collapse is a political chess game.