Jump to content

If the United States were to collapse


jurble

Recommended Posts

How would it fall apart? Let's say the Federal Government just dissipated, would authority fall to the State level, or would it continue to collapse until only local governments remained with any authoritative force?

Or let's say, it collapses to State level, which states are capable of surviving autonomously? Which states would have to form larger polities?

That is to say, if we broke the USA down to the smallest possible independently functioning nations, what would that entail?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is to say, if we broke the USA down to the smallest possible independently functioning nations, what would that entail?

Surely that would be The Individual.

Well, and his woman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Raidne

I think a small band of people will come together from all over the country unified by visions of a old woman in a corn field and they will set up a new government on a farmstead in the midwest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would build an Iron Throne of our own and bid GRRM to sit on it as our benevolent ruler. Then get our scientists to work trying to genetically engineer a dragon for him to ride. Oh, and build a big wall separating us from Canada, just in case. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would build an Iron Throne of our own and bid GRRM to sit on it as our benevolent ruler.

A throne with one of those little college desk follding out tables though. And a computer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could see possible scenarios where the US could divide into several separate nations. For it to collapse completely would require apocolyptic events.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a small band of people will come together from all over the country unified by visions of a old woman in a corn field and they will set up a new government on a farmstead in the midwest.

No, the various congresses setting up the new government would be in the midwest. The actual government seat would be in Boulder, Colorado.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a history teacher in high school that had a break down of if the U.S. were to split into regional cultures, it was pretty entertaining. I can't remember it very well anymore sadly. But I do remember the much of the West Coast was something like Hemptopia and some states in the midwest like Iowa and Nebraska were Cornuvia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the more interesting question is which states would invade which other states in order to purloin resources, trade routes, etc.

I'm sure someone in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan would bomb the Mackinac Bridge and form an alliance with Wisconsin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How would it fall apart? Let's say the Federal Government just dissipated, would authority fall to the State level, or would it continue to collapse until only local governments remained with any authoritative force?

Or let's say, it collapses to State level, which states are capable of surviving autonomously? Which states would have to form larger polities?

That is to say, if we broke the USA down to the smallest possible independently functioning nations, what would that entail?

In my opinion, the first thing that would need to occur in order for any sort of full-scale collapse of the United States to proceed would be the total collapse of our financial system.

I won't get started on my theories about how the current administration appears to be attempting to cause exactly such a collapse.

What I will say is that the states that I view as being capable of becoming self sufficient if said collapse occurred tomorrow would be Texas, New Mexico, California, Utah, and possibly Colorado. The only two that I think could absolutely go it on their own without joining into a union or agreement with the other states are Texas and California. California would have a difficult time because of their own current state of economic mess. Their own state's lack of ability to govern their economy effectively might have put them out of the running. Texas would have been fine had the gulf oil spill been stopped or cleaned up with more efficiency. As it stands, the havoc that might occur within their fishing, boating, shipping ports, and oil industry might put them in the same category as California.

There is a remote possibility that Alaska might be able to stand on it's own two feet for a short time, but I would doubt it. Too much of Alaska's produce and products have to be imported.

As I see it, there would be no way that anything smaller than a state could govern itself effectively and autonomously.

Also as I see it, in order to survive the collapse of the U.S. a state would need an abundance of Aggriculture, Industry, and Science produced within it's borders as well as access to other harvestable natural resources (such as minerals) and at least a small amount of tourist appeal.

As they say though, YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have this friend who's been talking about how "The Collapse" is nigh and how I need to start stock piling guns, ammo, food and gold. :unsure:

I have a few friends like that, and I have an entire family full of those "friends"...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just love the knowledge that Blauer has spent a significant amount of time pondering the OP's question with absolute seriousness.

Me too, he's the only one that gave me the kind of response I wanted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Me too, he's the only one that gave me the kind of response I wanted.

You're welcome, I see it as a serious and worthwhile topic to discuss... but I get the feeling that my failure to make light of the topic has somehow painted me in motley (as it were).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have this friend who's been talking about how "The Collapse" is nigh and how I need to start stock piling guns, ammo, food and gold. :unsure:

Why oh why is it always gold that the hoarders hoard? Where does this belief in the immutable value of gold come from? Clearly it's a slight step up from paper currency and does have some inherent value beyond its sparkliness. But how much micro circuitry will people be creating in their post-apocalyptic hovels? How many space shuttles are they going to need to shield from infrared light? What sort of hardy survivor type roaming the nuclear winter blasted wastelands of future-earth is going to trade good food, ammo, or radaway for a shiny bit of rock?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why oh why is it always gold that the hoarders hoard? Where does this belief in the immutable value of gold come from? Clearly it's a slight step up from paper currency and does have some inherent value beyond its sparkliness. But how much micro circuitry will people be creating in their post-apocalyptic hovels? How many space shuttles are they going to need to shield from infrared light? What sort of hardy survivor type roaming the nuclear winter blasted wastelands of future-earth is going to trade good food, ammo, or radaway for a shiny bit of rock?

Yeah, everyone knows that what you hoarde is toilet paper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...