Economic

Child Poverty In America Is Absolutely EXPLODING – 16 Shocking Statistics That Will Break Your Heart

If the U.S. economy is improving, then why is child poverty in America absolutely exploding?  If we are experiencing “economic growth”, then why are more than half of all children in major U.S. cities like Cleveland and Detroit living in poverty?  If we are the “greatest economy on earth”, then why are one out of every four American children on food stamps?  The shocking statistics that you are about to read below should absolutely break your heart.  Tonight, millions of precious American children will go to bed without any dinner.  Tonight, millions of American children will shiver as they try to go to sleep because their families cannot afford any heat.  How bad does child poverty have to get before we all finally admit that our economic system is completely failing many of the most vulnerable members of our society?  If you want someone to blame, you can blame Congress, the Obama administration, the Bush administration and the corrupt Wall Street bankers.  But most of all, blame the Federal Reserve and the debt-based monetary system that the Fed administers.  Our economy is in the midst of a long-term decline and is slowly but surely dying.  Many of those that are suffering the most from this decline are children.

The following are 16 shocking statistics about child poverty in America that will break your heart….

#1 Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007.

#2 According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, 1.6 million American children “were living on the street, in homeless shelters or motels, or doubled up with other families last year”.

#3 The percentage of children living in poverty in the United States increased from 16.9 percent in 2006 to nearly 22 percent in 2010.  In the UK and in France the child poverty rate is well under 10 percent.

#4 A higher percentage of American children is living in poverty today than was living in poverty back in 1975.

#5 The number of children living in poverty in the U.S. has risen for four years in a row.

#6 There are 10 different U.S. states where at least one out of every four babies is born to a family living in poverty.

#7 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.

#8 According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4% of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1% of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6% of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6% of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.

#9 In the United States today, more than 35 percent of all African-American children are living in poverty and more than 33 percent of all Hispanic children are living in poverty.

#10 There are seven million children in the United States today that are not covered by health insurance at all.

#11 Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

#12 It is being projected that approximately 50 percent of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18.

#13 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.

#14 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.

#15 In Washington D.C., the “child food insecurity rate” is 32.3%.

#16 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.

So why are so many children suffering so badly?

Well, one reason is that millions of parents are unemployed.  The government tells us that the official unemployment rate is 8.6 percent, but when you take an honest look at the numbers the truth is that the situation is much worse than that.

A recent Washington Post article included the following quote from Ed Luce of the Financial Times….

“According to government statistics, if the same number of people were seeking work today as in 2007, the jobless rate would be 11 percent.”

The U.S. government has artificially reduced “official” unemployment numbers by claiming that millions upon millions of Americans have “left the workforce” over the past 4 years.

In addition, millions upon millions of American parents have been forced to take crappy, low paying jobs because they simply cannot find anything else.

At this point, the share of the economic pie being taken home by U.S. workers has fallen to record lows.

For example, the following comes from a recent CNBC article….

The labor share — the amount paid to workers instead of businesses and other income-earning entities — was reported to have fallen to 57.1 cents on the dollar for the business sector, its lowest level since it was first reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1947.

Median household income in the United States has fallen for several years in a row, and yet the cost of household basics just seems to keep going up and up.  For example, electricity bills have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.

American families are being squeezed by this economy, and millions of children are feeling the pain.

Every single day, large numbers of American families get dumped out of the middle class and into poverty.  According to the latest figures, extreme poverty in the United States is now at the highest level ever recorded.  The number of good jobs continues to shrink and the poor are getting poorer.  Things are really bad in America today, and unfortunately it looks like the economy is going to get a lot worse in the years ahead.

But most Americans still do not understand what is happening.  One of the biggest problems we are facing is something called “normalcy bias”.

The following is how Wikipedia defines normalcy bias….

The normalcy bias, or normality bias, refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

Most Americans still believe that things will eventually return to “normal”.

After all, every time the U.S. has had a recession in the past we have always recovered and gone on to better things, right?

Well, the cold, hard truth of the matter is that this is not just another economic downturn.  There are a whole host of very bad long-term economic trends that are ripping our economy to shreds.  We are a nation that is drowning in debt even as our economic guts are being ripped out.  The greatest economic machine in the history of the world is being destroyed right in front of our eyes, and most Americans don’t even realize it.

Sadly, most Americans are so brainwashed by the mainstream media that they are not going to believe you the first time that you tell them about all the statistics that point to a coming economic collapse.

Many of them are going to have to be hammered with articles like this time and time again until they finally get it.

America is in a massive amount of trouble, and because of the economic mistakes that we have made millions of children are going to needlessly suffer.

Please share this article with as many people as you can.  The more people that we wake up, the better off America is going to be.

The Tim Tebow Comeback Story Continues But There Will Be No Miracle Comebacks For The U.S. Economy

Never in the history of the NFL has there ever been anything like this.  Today, Tim Tebow engineered yet another miraculous 4th quarter comeback.  Almost everyone has been expecting this unprecedented string of comebacks to come to an end, yet Tebow just keeps pulling off miracle after miracle.  It seems like nearly every week now we are talking about another unbelievable Tim Tebow comeback.  It is truly a great story, and what is wonderful about Tebow is that he is not out to glorify himself.  He is very humble, he always recognizes his teammates and he is a terrific role model for a generation of American youth that is in desperate need of one.  Unfortunately, there is not going to be a similar comeback story for the U.S. economy.  It is late in the 4th quarter, we have accumulated over 50 trillion dollars of total debt as a nation, and our economic guts are being ripped out at a rate that is almost impossible to believe.  The game is essentially over and we are headed for an incredible amount of economic pain as a nation.

We desperately need a “political Tim Tebow” to come along to dismantle our current debt-based economic system.  But instead, the corrupt politicians in Washington D.C. just keep patching up our current system and hope that somehow it will recover.

Unfortunately, this is about as good as things are going to get for the U.S. economy.  The federal government and the Federal Reserve are already pushing things to the “red line”, and all of that effort has not accomplished much.

We have been experiencing “economic stagnation” for much of the past year, and there is not much more that they can do to improve things under our current system.

Right now, the Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates as low as they can go.  They can’t go any lower.

Right now, the federal government is borrowing and spending unprecedented amounts of money.  Federal spending cannot go much higher.

Right now, we have already seen tax cut after tax cut and virtually none of them have been paid for.  Any additional tax cuts will just send our budget deficits even higher.

Right now, we have already seen unprecedented intervention by the Federal Reserve.  They have done just about everything short of dropping huge bags of money over the countryside from helicopters.

The federal government and the Federal Reserve have done just about everything that they can possibly do to “stimulate” the economy, and yet things just keep getting worse.

So what is going to happen when the federal government and the Federal Reserve quit stimulating the economy?

As I wrote about the other day, when evaluating the future of the U.S. economy, it is vitally important to look at the balance sheet numbers and the long-term trends.

When you do that, you suddenly do not feel so good about the upward “blips” that we have seen in the economy lately.

Yes, the “official” unemployment rate recently went down slightly.  But as Mac Slavo recently pointed out, even with the recent “improvement” the truth is that the “real” level of unemployment in the United States is still well over 20 percent.

And all of the long-term trends indicate that we heading for a massive amount of trouble.

The number of good jobs continues to decline.  Even though our population is rapidly increasing, there are 10 percent fewer middle income jobs in the U.S. today than there were a decade ago.

In recent years, the employment to population ratio has been steadily declining.  At the start of the recession it was at 62.7%.  Today, it is at 58.5%.

Household incomes continue to go down as well.  Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.

So why is this happening?  Well, as I wrote about recently, the United States has the worst balance of trade in the entire world by far.

Wealth, jobs and economic infrastructure are pouring out of this country and very few politicians are trying to stop it.

An average of 23 manufacturing facilities were shut down every single day in the United States last year.

That represents a huge amount of lost jobs.

So do you hear any political candidates talking about how they are going to stop this from happening or about how they are going to get all of those lost jobs back?

Overall, the U.S. has lost a total of more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities since 2001.

So how can an economy be great when it is constantly bleeding huge amounts of economic infrastructure?

We have become way too dependent on other nations for the things that we need.

How much trouble would we be in if Saudi Arabia suddenly decided to quit shipping us oil or if China suddenly decided to quit shipping us cheap plastic products to sell in our stores?

Right now, businesses are absolutely racing to get out of the United States.  Big corporations are shipping as many jobs as they possibly can out of the country.  Our insane economic policies have turned American workers into tremendous liabilities.

One economist from Princeton University is warning that 40 million more U.S. jobs could be sent offshore over the next two decades if nothing is done to stop this.

So why aren’t more politicians screaming and yelling about this?

Without good jobs, Americans are falling out of the middle class in staggering numbers.

Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.

So is that a sign that things are getting better or that things are getting worse?

A higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty than has ever been measured before.  Not only that, 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.  That was also a new all-time record.

So are those signs that things are getting better or that things are getting worse?

The American people generally do not understand why these things are happening, but they are clearly getting frustrated.

A recent Gallup poll found that an all-time record 76 percent of all Americans believe that most members of Congress do not deserve to be reelected.

But when election time rolls around, they will probably send most of them back to Washington D.C. anyway.

Our politicians keep kicking the can down the road, but time for doing that is running out.  The unprecedented “stimulus” efforts by the federal government will be coming to an end sooner or later.

In a recent article, author Bruce Krasting listed a whole bunch of reasons why the economic can is not going to be able to be kicked down the road much farther.  The following are some of the things that he says are scheduled to end by the beginning of 2013….

A) The Bush tax cuts on those making more than $200k will expire.

B) The Bush tax cuts on those making less than $200k will also expire.

C) The Patch on AMT will expire.

D) The 2% payroll tax holiday will expire for all workers on 12/31/12 (I’m sure the current holiday will be rolled for another year)

E) The 99-week extended unemployment benefits die on 12/31. (The emergency benefits will also be extended for 2012)

F) There will have to be a budget that is approved. Alternatively, a series of continuing resolutions is required to avert a government shutdown. We have not had an approved budget in over 900 days.

G) 2013 is the first year that there will be mandatory caps on discretionary spending. These limits will result in a YoY decline in government spending.

H) The Federal Reserve has promised to keep interest rates at zero into 2013. While it is possible that the Fed could continue the madness for even longer, the reality is that interest rates have nowhere to go but up.

I) By January 2013 it will be painfully evident that the country’s key social programs, Social Security and Medicare will be running in the red at a pace that is far higher than anyone considered possible. The need for dramatic changes in these programs will have to come onto the table. The implications of this will be significant.

J) In 2013 the issues of Fannie, Freddie, FHA and the Federal Home Loan Banks must be addressed. The problems at the housing agencies has festered too long.

K) The country will face another debt ceiling extension. The last time cost us our AAA.

Sadly, we will probably not have to wait until 2013 to feel a whole lot of economic pain.

The reality is that a 15 trillion dollar debt and trillion dollar yearly budget deficits are not sustainable.  We have created a situation where a horrible crash is inevitable, and there is no way that our current debt-based system can be fixed to keep a nightmarish collapse from happening.

During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.  That is a recipe for national financial suicide.

Meanwhile, despite what you may have heard, the European debt crisis has not been fixed.

Not at all.

The truth is that none of the fundamental problems were fixed by this recent “agreement” as Ambrose Evans-Pritchard recently noted in one of his columns….

There is no shared debt issuance, no fiscal transfers, no move to an EU Treasury, no banking licence for the ESM rescue fund, and no change in the mandate of the European Central Bank.

In short, there is no breakthrough of any kind that will convince Asian investors that this monetary union has viable governance or even a future.

Germany has kept the focus exclusively on fiscal deficits even though everybody must understand by now that this crisis was not caused by fiscal deficits (except in the case of Greece). Spain and Ireland were in surplus, and Italy had a primary surplus.

For many more reasons why Europe is headed for big trouble, please read this article: “22 Reasons Why We Could See An Economic Collapse In Europe In 2012“.

When Europe goes down, it is going to have a devastating impact on the United States.

Meanwhile, the economies of China and Japan are also steamrolling toward recession.

There is simply way too much debt in the world, and a great day of reckoning is coming.

Combined, the industrialized nations of the world borrowed more than 10 trillion dollars this year, and that number is expected to soar even higher next year.

Jim Cramer of CNBC stated recently that the global economy is at “DEFCON 3, two stages from a financial collapse so huge it’s hard to get your mind around.”

Most Americans don’t understand this yet.  But hopefully we can get more of them educated while there is still time.

The global financial system is a big shell game.  It is a gigantic mountain of debt, leverage and risk.

You would have thought that we would have learned some key lessons from the financial crisis of 2008, but we didn’t.

Back in 2002, the top 10 U.S. banks controlled 55 percent of all U.S. banking assets.  Right now, the top 10 U.S. banks control 77 percent of all U.S. banking assets.

Today, the “too big to fail” banks are larger than ever.  The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.

So instead of doing something about the “too big to fail” banks, they are now more “too big to fail” than ever.

As big banks and big corporations have come to dominate our economy more than ever before, wealth and power have also become much more concentrated….

*The wealthiest 1 percent of all Americans now own more than a third of all the wealth in the United States.

*The poorest 50 percent of all Americans collectively own just 2.5% of all the wealth in the United States.

*The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal to the bottom 30 percent of all Americans combined.

*Overall, the wealthiest one percent of all Americans have a greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent combined.

It would be wonderful if we could send a “Tim Tebow of politics” to Washington D.C., but instead the Democrats and the Republicans look like they just plan to give us more of the same.

Are the Republicans really going to nominate someone who co-sponsored 418 bills with Nancy Pelosi?  The truth is that the latest “anti-Romney candidate” is almost a clone of Mitt Romney.

Newt Gingrich is essentially an older, ruder version of Barack Obama.  If you are counting on him to “save America” then you are going to be incredibly disappointed.

Sadly, we just do not have nearly enough men like Tim Tebow in America today.  The following comes from a recent profile of Tebow that recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal….

While at Florida, Mr. Tebow became well known for spending his summers helping the poor and needy in the Philippines. He also spoke in prisons and appeared to accept every opportunity to volunteer. He encouraged his teammates and classmates to follow his lead.

You can see video of Tim Tebow speaking to a group of prisoners at the Lake City Correctional Facility while he was still attending the University of Florida right here.

Unfortunately, there is no “Tim Tebow comeback” on the horizon for the U.S. economy at this point.

But when the U.S. economy does get worse, we can take a cue from Tim Tebow and be very generous with those in need.  There are going to be a lot of people that will be really hurting, and those of us that have been blessed should do what we can to help them out.

A lot of people say that my site is all about “doom and gloom”, but telling the truth to the American people is never a bad thing.

We do not do ourselves any favors by sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything is going to be okay.

There is going to be no miracle comeback for the U.S. economy.

A horrific economic collapse is coming.

You better get ready.

What Is The Best Country In The World For Americans To Relocate To In Order To Avoid The Coming Economic Collapse?

Millions of American citizens have already left the United States in search of a better life.  As the economy continues to crumble and as our society slowly falls apart, millions of others are thinking about it.  But moving to another country is not something to be done lightly.  The reality is that there are a vast array of social, cultural, economic and safety issues to be considered.  If you have never traveled outside of North America, then you have no idea how incredibly different life in other parts of the world can be.  For those that are unfamiliar with international travel, it can be quite a shock to suddenly be immersed in a foreign culture.  In fact, no matter how experienced you are, choosing to relocate to a new country is never easy.  But things have gone downhill so dramatically in the United States that picking up and moving to a foreign nation is being increasingly viewed as a viable alternative by millions of Americans.  A lot of people have decided that they simply do not want to be in the United States when the excrement hits the fan.  So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to in order to avoid the coming economic collapse?

For each person, that answer may be different.  A lot depends on how much money you have and what your career situation is.  A lot depends on what stage of life you are at and what your family situation is.  Moving to another country can be very complicated and it can be a lot of work, but there are millions of people that have found it to be very rewarding.

When it comes to leaving America, a lot of people out there have some really strong opinions.

Many people believe that leaving the United States at this time would be abandoning our country in its hour of greatest need.  They are convinced that virtually everyone should stay and fight to turn this country around.

Others believe that there is no hope for the United States at all and that leaving this country is the only rational thing to do.  A lot of Americans have decided that the best future for their children and their grandchildren is going to be found in another part of the globe.

Still others are waiting to see what is going to happen during this next election.  Most people would agree that 2012 is going to represent a huge turning point for the United States, and if the election goes the wrong way it could move America down a road from which it will never recover.

But whatever you believe, the reality is that more Americans than ever seem to be interested in relocating overseas.  This appears to be particularly true of younger Americans.

A recent CNBC article contained the following amazing statistics….

*According to the U.S. State Department, 6.3 million Americans are either working or studying overseas.  That is the highest number that has ever been recorded.

*According to one recent survey, “the percentage of Americans aged 25 to 34 actively planning to relocate outside the U.S. has quintupled in just two years, from less than 1 percent to 5.1 percent.”

*That same survey found that 40 percent of all Americans in the 18 to 24 age group are expressing interest in relocation outside of the United States.  Two years ago that figure was only at 15 percent.

So why are so many Americans looking to relocate?

Well, our economy continues to get worse and worse.  If you have not heard yet, it has been announced that an all-time record 46 million Americans are now on food stamps.

How much worse can it get?

We just keep setting new record after new record.  Shouldn’t the government just put us all on food stamps and get it over with?

A lot of Americans want to escape this country before they get sucked into the vortex of poverty that has trapped so many other American families.  2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.  In addition, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the percentage of Americans living in extreme poverty today is higher than has ever been measured before.

As poverty and despair spread across the United States, the fabric of our society is breaking down.  As I have written about so many times, the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is starting to disappear.

Mob violence is becoming increasingly common in America.  The following example from earlier this week comes from a story in the Blaze….

New York City firefighters came to the rescue of two NYPD cops who were outnumbered and getting pummeled by 50 angry female teenagers on Tuesday.

The Firefighters  from the FDNY opened up on the violent crowd with a “deluge gun”– which is a high-powered, truck-mounted water cannon–finally causing the mob to disperse.

As society breaks down, the government is becoming even more repressive in an attempt to maintain control.  Paranoia has become standard operating procedure and we are all considered to be potential terrorists.  Sadly, the United States is rapidly being turned into a totalitarian “Big Brother” police state.  Millions of Americans are not excited about living in a giant prison and they are starting to look for alternatives.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to pile up the biggest debt in the history of the world and spend money on some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.  If you can believe it, over the past 10 years the U.S. government has actually spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars on genital pumps for old men.

Our government is drowning in debt, our businesses are drowning in debt and American consumers are drowning in debt.  At some point this entire house of cards is going to come crashing down.

Are you sure that you want to be living in the United States when that happens?

If you do plan to move outside of the United States, there are a lot of things that you need to consider….

Money

It is a lot easier to move to another country if you are independently wealthy.  Since most of us are not, you will likely have to consider how you will pay for the lifestyle that you plan to have once you move.

There are some countries (like many of the nations of northern Europe) where the cost of living is extremely high.  If you plan to move to Europe that is something that you will need to plan for.

There are other nations where the strength of the U.S. dollar is a huge benefit (at least for now).  If you have a sufficient bankroll saved up there are some areas of the world where you can literally live like a king.

Jobs

Unless you are retired, you will need to consider what kind of job you are going to work once you move.  If you do not speak the language of the country that you are moving to that is going to really limit your career options.

Also, you will need to keep in mind that wages in many areas of the world (especially in the third world) are much lower than in the United States.

Laws

Americans are often shocked to learn that the rights that we enjoy in the United States do not apply in the rest of the world.

You need to evaluate whether or not you can live with the laws that will be imposed upon you in the country that you choose to relocate to.

For example, I would not have the same freedom of speech to write the things that I do in a lot of other countries.  There are many countries that actually hunt down and arrest bloggers like me.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that huge taxes or huge fees are often imposed on those moving to a new country.  You may actually have to pay a tax on whatever possessions you bring with you.

Security

In many areas of the world you will not be able to count on the police coming to help you if a crime is committed.

Even if police are available where you choose to live, that does not mean that they will not be corrupt.

So it is imperative that you come up with a security plan.  Keep in mind that in many countries the ownership of guns is either banned or is severely limited.

Family

If you choose to relocate overseas without the rest of your family, you probably will not get to see them very often at all anymore.

It will be important for you to evaluate whether you will be able to take long-term separation from your family or not.

Also, it can be very lonely living overseas in a foreign nation where you do not know the language.  In many countries Americans are deeply hated so you may find it difficult to make friends.

Culture Shock

This is something that should not be underestimated.  Moving into the middle of a foreign culture can be absolutely shattering for many people.  A lot of Americans have absolutely no idea what life is like on the other side of the globe.

If you are thinking of moving to another country, it might be a really good idea to visit it first so that you can get a feel for what you are getting into.

So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to?

I am not going to answer that question myself.  Instead, I want to ask my readers to help me answer that question.

Over the next couple of days, I am going to take comments that readers on my site leave and I am going to post them at the end of this article.  Many of them are extremely knowledgeable, and hopefully they can help all of us learn more about what life is like on the other side of the world.

So if you would like to participate in this debate, please post a comment at the end of this article on The Economic Collapse Blog with your opinion.  Please tell us what country you think is best for Americans to move to and the reasons why you think that it is the best.

This should be a fun debate, and I am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.

***Reader Comments***

godsofold:

I believe that the good Lord and our Founding Fathers blessed us with a wonderful country. As such, I believe we owe it to both to stay and fight to get our nation back. I’m an 11 year Marine Corps Vet, I served in the first Gulf War and in many different operations. I’ll be damned if I’m going to run when it seems what our country needs most is for us to stand up for it. I don’t believe now is the time. Soon, but not now. Things need to get MUCH worse for a great portion of the people to wake. There has to be some finite trigger that sparks that light bulb moment for the Average Joe to finally make a conscience effort at understanding the dire situation that we’re all facing. So, I won’t be leaving. I’ll stand my ground like many others around me will. Though we very way may lose, I couldn’t bear to stand in front of the Lord and say I did nothing. That would be the epic failure.

Semper Fi

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bobcat:

My family settled in the piedmont foothills of NC in the early 1800s. That is where I was born. That is where I live and that is where I will die.

That being said, this country ain’t what it used to be. You mentioned, “Americans are often shocked to learn that the rights that we enjoy in the United States do not apply in the rest of the world.” I’m shocked at the rights we no longer enjoy today that used to enjoy 30 years ago.

There really isn’t anywhere to run anyway. The neoliberal globalist banker agenda is being carried out in all countries. Their fate will be similar to ours.

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Kaye Art:

I am one who doesn’t believe in countries and borders. But I find it amusing that Americans who have invested so much in keeping people from troubled countries out of America are now looking at some of those countries to relocate, as if planet earth was set up solely for them. The reason they have such difficulty in other countries is because they are unaware that there are other people and cultures on earth who have just as much right to the freedom of this planet as them. As a relocation country I could recomend Zambia. It is a beautiful peaceful country in central Africa with a simple improving economy and very friendly people it has no oil so is unlikely to be bombed by Nato and America. But before you come it might be good to check out what a Zambian has to go through just to visit America let alone live there. I am not anti America in any way I am for all people but it is time for us to wake up!

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A Viking in Asia:

Relocating to another country is a huge decision, and for any number of good reasons (family, career, sense of obligation, etc.) may not be the right thing for many. Also, some people do not handle big changes and new settings well, and relocating to another country is probably not the best option for them either. But for those who do think it’s right for them AND are open to making big changes in their life, the ‘right’ country to relocate to will depend on your motivations.

I myself am an expat in my mid-30′s living in Mongolia. My primary reasons for relocating were 1) excellent business opportunities, 2) existing family ties to the country, and 3) a desire to see and experience more of the world. It also helps that in general attitudes towards Americans are friendly there, and firearms ownership is allowed (not as unrestricted as most of the US but much better than most countries). But what’s good for me would not be right for many; for people who heavily favor things like warm climates and metropolitan lifestyles or who can’t tolerate a rougher standard of living, Mongolia would be a terrible choice. So the ‘right’ country depends hugely on the person and their desires, and the good thing is that there are many options out there, whether in Asia, South America, Central America, etc. It certainly HELPS to have lots of money, but is not necessary in many places. I myself am far from rich and have only modest savings, but managing expenses carefully and staying out of the consumerism debt lifestyle made all the difference in making relocation possible.

Now as to avoiding the coming economic collapse, I don’t think relocating to any one country will let you ‘avoid’ it. Some may fare better than others but I’m betting all will be affected to some degree, even here in Mongolia where banking and high finance is not nearly as entrenched here as in many countries. Furthermore, I think it’s unwise to have the sole motivation for relocation being “to get away”. Except in the most extreme circumstances (like being a refugee) one needs to have good reasons beyond that to relocate, or else they’re likely acting out of fear and making a mistake. So I think it’s better to rephrase the question “Where is the best country for my life and needs, that will also allow me to prepare and better endure the coming economic collapse?”.
Finally, I expect down the road at some point after the big crunch (or perhaps “slow grind”) comes, if I prove to be successful here I will be in a better position to help my family and communities back in the US. IMO if we continued to stay in the US, our opportunities for helping our families and others would be much, much smaller.

—–

Armel:

Maybe instead of leaving the continent, we should just reconsider the political boundaries with respect to values, freedoms or lack thereof. Igor Panarin has been predicting a breakup of the US for the last decade. Perhaps it’s time that those of us with similar values stick together via relocating—sort of a ‘safety in numbers’ move, if you will….conservative, Constitutionalists in one designated area and liberals in another area, each area being treated as separate, sovereign entities, entirely different countries, who cares as long as they are distinct. There are too many left versus right arguments going on in this country…if we can’t get along, let’s just bid adieu and part ways, at least for a while.

—–

horhey:

This is a really fun blog, there is so much to the final equation. The culture thing was it for me. When I was 16, my folks moved to the Philippines. I grew up in SoCal, 7/11s on every corner. Every thing one needed an arms length away. In Manila the smog gag was nasty. Jeepneys ran on …….seemed like kerosene. Black smoke everywhere and humid. We ended up on a small island, beautiful but primitive. Power out daily, cold showers, Tagalog was not a first language or second are any. 2 years to learn, and gone now. It was a real tough wake up call. Best long term experience ever, it at the time gave parents grief. If you have a family and want to move, make sure your kids know the whole picture. Not the one you want to paint. Funny to read this Michael, just talking about this subject tonight.  People soon will chose…Canon fodder, run for the hills, or just bail. Whatever is coming, it’s soon to arrive.

—–

Gutter Economist:

NOT GOOD

If you have a survival plan for living in the USA or offshore, don’t discuss it in public.

Before leaving the USA like a group of cowards, we should force all of the democrats and republicans out of Washington.

BAD

After trashing the USA and subjecting the rest of the world to our military, why would any American be welcome in any other country?

UGLY

Avoid the Northern Hemisphere – one nuke would cause severe problems here due to prevailing winds.

If you don’t leave the USA by year end, you may be too late. In fact, it is already too late to move most of your wealth offshore.

If you do move offshore, don’t count on electronic banking such as social security transfers.

Get a passport immediately while you still can.

—–

Greg:

I have 2 young children. And while pledge allegiance to the U.S. that comes below my God and my family. If the point comes I will take my kids and as much as I can carry and leave with no regrets.

—–

Already Gone:

why run away like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs? i agree with godsofold that we need to stand up for this country. if people are leaving because they like culture/way of life in a different country that is fine other people in other countries come here looking for the same. we as a society are responsible for what is happening we trusted the government to do the right thing and it backfired. okay,so we are going to learn a valuable lesson and yes it is going to hurt but to leave because they do not want to be here when shit hits the fan to me is running away from responsibility. i would rather stand beside somebody who is not afraid than to be next to somebody who will run at the first sign of trouble. How could a person develop confidence, trust and dependence with these type of people? Maybe the grass is greener on the other side of the hill. But running away will never solve anything so if they want to go let them go. Who needs them or wants them?

—–

Gary2:

yes things will be better in 2012 when Obama easily wins reelection and we veer far left and hopefully become more like the Scandinavian countries. 2012 will be the year of taxing the rich hard(finally). He can’t run again so what the heck.

I have these idiot relatives who go to Norway on vacation and just go on and on about how good everything there is-universal health care maternity leave and a ton of valuable gov services. They then come back here to WI and I say I want it to be that good here and they cry socialism.

I encourage all conservatives to move to another country we will be better off with you and your selfish world view gone.

—–

EndOfAnErrorOrEndOfAnEra:

Michael, thank you for everything you do and I look forward to your articles each day. Coincidentally, just prior to reading your latest post, I was researching New Zealand as a potential destination for myself and my family before the excrement crushes the fan. Then I read this:

http://www.infowars.com/nz-food-bill-to-make-growing-food-a-government-privilege-rather-than-a-human-right/

The sheeple need to wake up to the fact that what is happening in America is only a part of a much larger, carefully orchestrated effort by a global oligarchy to bring about a one-world governance. Period. There is no other place to hide nor should there be. America MUST be protected and preserved. Therefore, I will stay at home and stand side-by-side with patriots like godsofold and fight to return America to the virtues of its founding. No other society in the history of the world has enjoyed the freedoms and prosperity that this country has over its short 235 year existence or “experiment” as some like to call it. I just can’t imagine turning my back on that.

—–

Crystalcrew:

Relocation is a tough one as fewer countries welcome Americans. Westerized countries are becoming increasingly crippled by NWO regulations so that leaves less delevoped nations who aren’t targeted. Uruguay? Panama? Dominican Republic? Costa Rica? I guess we have to see where the power elite is hiding. Anybody know?

—–

Cinderella Man JD:

Michael, Theres no place like home as Dorothy says. Im stayin right here in Central Montana where men are men and sheep are scared. Thank you godsofold for your service. Both my mother and father are Marines. Even though you may die the Corps is forever so you will live forever!!! (from Full Metal Jacket). No this is not the time to run from our problems. We must make our stand here and now against the tyranny that is being thrust upon us. America is worth saving, once all the bums, useless eaters, and illegal aliens are gone all that will be left is the prepared and the holy. Believe me people the great culling is at hand and no where on earth is going to be safe. Im staying out here in the country raise my crops and livestock, build a wall and set up landmines to keep the zombie hordes from the cities out. They might get me in the end, but I will go down fighting. So dont move to another country. They have more nasty diseases and inscects and dangerous people and wildlife you can imagine. Hell I didnt like the American south with all the roaches and new snakes I saw when I went down there to visit my brother. I love it here in Montana. We have problems but not everyone could live here especially when its -70 windchill and blowing snow. Its a hard country but its worth it to be away from the insanity of the cities. Millions will be freezing and starving to death before this decade is out, mark my words. The fight for freedom is on! LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD!!!!

—–

Matt:

I’ll go to any other country that has a Constitution equal to or better than ours? How many of those are there? Oh, none. Case closed. I ain’t goin nowhere. Good luck to those of you that do – you’ll need it.

—–

David:

Some people like China and S. Korea, and they like to go and teach English.

—–

Charlie:

I’m a proud American Freethinker and Atheist. I’ll stay and fight.

—–

Ben:

All I can say is, I think it is cowardly to leave the United States. If you are not a natural born citizen and you have family overseas, I can see leaving. But if you were born here, enjoyed all of the services this country has to offer and then “cut and run” when things get bad? You have no heart. You have no character. And you are a coward. Plain and simple. Sound harsh? Sound unfair? Well…life is hard sometimes, life is not fair. Did you expect life to be easy? Most people in this country take too much for granted and the minute their “comfort zones” are infringed upon they look for something else to bring them back to their little “area” of comfort. If you are in this country and living here then I would bet you are doing better than 5.5 billion people in this world. Hell, even a homeless person in this country has it better off than half of the world’s population. So you are here, you have enjoyed the fruits of this nation and when it is in trouble, you cut and run? Do you do that with your family and friends too? Because by my estimation…that is COWARDLY! I cannot say it enough! And I don’t give a good ******** about what you think about this post. If you are a person who leaves when the going gets tough, then don’t expect to come back. I would fight and die for this country. I would fight for my family and friends and their children would have a better life. I would even fight for someone who was thinking about leaving this country. That is how committed I am to it. Do NOT EVER forget that this is the greatest country the planet has ever seen. You, me and everyone on here are a part of it.

Why do you want to throw that away?

—–

DaShui:

So, I guess our ancestors were losers for leaving Europe to come to America?
However I live overseas now, unless you marry one of the locals, moving overseas is a bad idea, especially to a non western european nation.

—–

Darien:

Is this a joke? Throw in the towel and leave the USA? First of all, I am staying put, this is my home and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Second, how many countries will accept masses of Americans with open arms, like we have? Instead, we must fight. We must jail all of the big businessmen and fake leaders who have commited treason and put into office those who have the citizens of the USA first, everything else last. We must demand repayment from the hundreds of countries we rebuilt, especially Japan and Germany who were the real winners of WW2. We must stop the imports form China, mexico, India and the hundreds of other countries whose workers pay ZERO US taxes. We must pull our military out of Europe and the *************** in the Middle East and instead fortify the shores of fortess America. I could go on and on, but won’t. This is our home, lets defend it and the good people who live here.

—–

David:

“BTW, my mother works 32 hours a month, my father works 44 hours a month, I work 60 hours a month and, in Chinese money, we make almost $2900 American a month.

Forgot to mentions. If $2900 American in China doesn’t seem like a lot, let me put in buying power.

I can have lunch and dinner (meal and a coke or juice) on less than $3 and still have leftovers since buying food from a restaurant is cheaper than cooking yourself (the same when I lived in Korea).”–Steven Katz’s son who is a teacher in China, and lives with his mother and father in China

—–

Words of the wise:

Lol good luck getting citizenship in another country as they actually enforce their citizenship laws unlike the banana republic. Nice of you to act like a typical ignorant american who knows nothing about any other country and pretends they are all hellholes compared to your banana republic. For all your talk in the end you are no better at trying to run away but it’ll all be for nothing as this collapse will have an effect on most of the world and nobody will be truly safe.

—–

Rancher:

I am a natural born Citizen here and my lovely wife “legally” immigrated here many years ago. We retired early and debt free at 50 or so. We like the rights we have here in the USA but they are slowly being eroded away. Our Nation is changing and the direction it is headed is not pretty for the future of once hard working or current hard working American Citizens.

There are many wanting to minimize or eliminate our right to keep and bear arms, store supplies, openly post our opinions and so much more. I am not here to rant about all those subjects as much as the financial trend.

I am not going to pick up a weapon and go to war against this Government in any way shape or form. I know better to kick against the “pricks”. I do try to educate myself and we do vote all the time. That is my weapon here. But the ammunition which is provided to vote on most often is just “Meet the new boss, much the same as the old boss” choice. I also refuse to get into politics as it ruins people and everyone I know going into that arena has changed and not for the good either.

Politics is no longer an office for a servant to temporarily serve in. It is now a means to prosper and gain wealth for life. It is corrupted. That corruption also has it’s eyes on other people’s wealth as a way to spread it around to buy votes.

It is more and more common place to hear discussions about the need to begin yet more wealth redistribution so the less hard working can more easily enjoy the things they did not earn but should be entitled to regardless. Not happening. I will refuse to stand by and let politicians and law makers devise more and more ways to drain away what we have set aside for ourselves. If fighting against that requires we take our savings and relocate away from the ability for this government to seize it or destroy it …we will. I owe no allegiance to corruption in government and thieves.

Let me say this again and I am not sorry to either. I have willingly paid my taxes 100% on what we have yet for many that is still not enough as we still have a pile left so to speak. Being our remaining pile is larger than theirs and some others we must now be subjected more and more to many peoples beliefs and intentions that we spread our remaining wealth around yet more to level the playing field for others. Again, not happening.

You see we expect to live for sometime yet and I will refuse to ever go back to work someday to support us because others have taken away our rights to prosper and keep it. What we are allowed to keep is challenged all the time and the amount only drops. More and more I am having to spend money to protect our wealth from seizure.

Therefore I am deeply concerned that in or out of desperation the politicians and leaders of this nation will either confiscate said wealth and or print more “FIAT” money to the point they undermine all our net wealth and collapse the dollar into having such a low value we are all broke again. That is just another threat to us. I do not take kindly to being threatened.

So we are beginning to look into picking up all our toys so to speak and go play in someone else’s back yard. I would be looking at the central American Continent at this point. No where specific but I am convinced one or more countries will begin to see the wisdom of setting up their laws and the such to ensure the wealthier Citizens from America and other nations which are attempting to take their personal properties… to relocate to there. It only makes sense to me. Other nations create the means to attract our industry and companies…why not those with the money as well? Being that the top 5% here are the cash cows for the rest and are paying for most everything around here things around here they will be seen as the solution to fund the future even more. The 50% and growing number of none federal tax payers will vote to see to that take place. Keep my freebies and entitlements coming regardless of the damage it is really doing.

They will force those who still retain some wealth to move away to just protect that wealth. Now I realize that I spend a lot of time on the subject of money and financial wealth. Jesus mentioned it more than any other subject in the New Testament. Go figure? But the thought of having our hard work and sacrifice taken from us or destroy from within with FIAT money so as we must return to the work force and also can not leave any for our children is our current greatest reason to consider leaving this nation someday.

It is not unpatriotic to protect the results of your life’s hard and smart work. It is called survival.

—–

JMorcan:

“Many people believe that leaving the United States at this time would be abandoning our country …”

Wrong, wrong, wrong – it’s the country (government) that has abandoned its citizens. I would feel no regrets on leaving, other than that my country has been irreparably destroyed and that the politicians and corporations who did so aren’t being punished.

—–

Sepo:

That’s an easy answer, right where I am at, Alaska, or moreover Southeast Alaska. There is a bounty of natural food… it is easy to self-sustain, you can greenhouse garden nearly year-round. I only ask that “you all” stay down there in the lower 48 so it doesn’t get crowded up here!

—–

John Rambo:

If you’re a young man, Thailand is the best place to be. Tons of beautiful sexy young asian women, you can get jobs easy at different companies if you have a degree, and the cost of living is cheap.

Thailand is the best country, in my opinion.

—–

Ms. Wiseman:

When you are persecuted in one city (or country for that matter), pack up and head for another. I remember reading that in the Bible some time ago. It is NOT cowardly to leave. On the contrary, it is quite the opposite as our ancestors before us can attest to that. It takes men (and women) of valor to move to a country, sight unseen, and build an entirely new country from the ground up. You say you will stay and fight but while you are fighting you are feeding the beast with what it needs to survive and defeat YOU – namely you vote to give those who rule over you its power, you “allow” them to take even more of your hard earned money via taxes and fines, you allow them to trick you into believing that money is wealth (it’s not, it is debt), you participate willingly in THEIR economic system which is just one big pyramid scam, you send your children to be educated and socially engineered by those who rule over you. Get real. YOU are the government and you are complicit in your own slavery. The only way to defeat the beast is to starve it of the power and money it needs to survive and that involves shunning, not voting, not participating in their political and economic schemes, and fleeing. The USA is NOT a country – America is the country. Some will stay and fight, which is fine, but it is also totally fine to pack up and leave each person living in accordance with his or her own God ordained conscience and free will. The USA is a corporation dependent on a populace willing to work for slave wages or no wages at all. Think about it.

—–

Cleo:

If you move, you can kiss your 2nd Amendment rights good bye, but we may kiss them good bye anyway if we elect another big govt D or R

—–

Joseph:

I was able to obtain citizenship and a passport of an EU country based on ancestry. |I moved to Germany. Physically, the country is beautiful, from the northern coasts and shipping centers, to the mountains and the growing regions. Germany is a large land area with about 80 million people.

Socially: English is broadly spoken here and that is helping the transition. Germans are a friendly people, well educated, hard working and civil. They also believe in following rules, obeying the laws and letting other people get on with the lives.

Economically: The GDP has been growing at about 3.5 percent for the last few years and their unemployment rate is very low. They need more workers to keep the economy growing, especially those with skills. They have a well educated work force, good social benefits, health and medical benefits and other advantages to their workers. And for all those drains on profitability, only China, with half the world’s population, exports more products than Germany. Sounds like hard work and value added products are the key to Germany’s success on the balance of trade and economic fronts.

Politically: They have stayed out of the illegal Libya slaughter and have tried to keep out of as many foreign entanglements as possible. The government is also resisting the bankers demands to issue EU bonds and print money. Germany has a clear memory of what hyper inflation can do to a country and what sort of evil can arise as a result. They want to avoid that and would rather go their own way then destroy all that they have worked for. This is the right of any sovereign, whether nation or person.

Defensibility: Germany has a strong military and an incredibly strong armaments industry. They are the second largest exporter of products (consumer goods and industrial machines) in the world and in terms of arms exports are second only to the US. This means there will be no drone strikes inside of Germany. This means Germany will not be invaded over a weekend like Haiti, Panama, and countless other smaller countries were. German’s want to be left alone to live there lives and go about their. They want to leave other people alone to let them live their lives as they see fit. The German tendency to follow rules is supported by a vigorous democracy with multiple parties trying to address the needs of the population and create coalition governments that are responsive to demands.

Recap: get an EU passport if you can and then get yourselves to Germany. Or get a work visa and find yourself a sponsor and a job. We need good people and talented workers. I am finding they prefer not to bother any other peoples and we ask not to be bothered by other peoples. We keep our lives and our businesses run as best we can, according to our own desires. Just what more can you ask for from life.

—–

REED RICHARDS:

Question:

RUN WHERE?

There is no where to run. Western style and western run central banks control every nation on earth to this point execept for Iran and North Korea. And should a small oasis of tranquility be found, it will be that, a small oasis.

Prior to the nuclear plant meltdown, Japan would have been the best place for expats to migrate to. Although a bit pricey, there is not the widespread repression that is the amerikan police state. Learn the language and you should be fine. Japanese will not bother foreigners for the most part. In fact, they will not take much notice of you at all unless you were to do something stupid to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. Other reasons pro and con to being an expat in Japan include:

Pros:

1. Very low crime rates in comparison to amerika
2. Friendly pepole
3. Culturally exciting to behold
4. Abundant supply of vending machines for various coffees, snacks, and even beers

Cons:

1. A bit pricey
2. Drive on left side of the road and roads are much smaller than in the asylum states
3. Small scale for homes (smaller houses where only small furniture will fit and you do can not have huge western style furnishings)
4. A bit harder to adjust and fit into Japaneses society unless you marry into a japanese family and have good friendly relations with inlaw host family

Japan, as long as you live outside a certain radius of the nuclear plant meltdown and can avoid fallout, would be my ideal place to move to outside of the ASA.

—–

Csaba:

Lot of good comments !! I can say that a lot of people STILL don’t know how good we got it here in the US ! Ask anyone immigrated here from eastern Europe or Africa !! We think this is bad ?? Think again !! Where I’m from they take close to 50% of your paycheck on taxes If you a honest small business owner you have to pay close to 70% tax on your profit ! Gas cost close to $9 a gallon , food prices are the same as here in the US just your avrage monthly salary is between $400 $600 a month !! I can go on & on but I’m sure you guys get the picture ! So before you start packing up look around & realize that this is still one of the best places to live in the world !!

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3atm3:

look out for yourself/Family first, there is no God to save you….& there is no Government to save you. Chile would be a fine choice!! Large Middle Class/ The Government fears its Citizens NOT the other way around/ Chile Welcomes ALL Foreigner’s/ sound Medical Field/ English speaking attorney’s available and Land ownership is encouraged.

—–

Urban Survival Guide:

It’s really interesting to read how people plan to survive the upcoming economic collapse and police state.

If you’re going to stay in the U.S., do everything you can to get out of the major cities, which will become death zones when water and food supplies are shut down.

If you must stay in the city, be prepared with lots of extra food, as big of a garden as possible, water and water filters such as a Katadyn, guns and ammo…

Strengthen your bonds with like-minded people, so that you can support each other with different skill sets. Lone wolfs won’t fair well.

But don’t tell others about your preparedness plans, otherwise they will know where to go to steal your stuff for their family.

—–

MRXSANDIEGOCA:

I am too old and going to go down with the ship; however, my advice to the young is to look elsewhere.

—–

ron:

I know of a perfect country that I spent time in, but I don’t want any sissified yanks moving there and screwing it up, so I’m not telling. We have firearms, good land,water,and lots of wild nature. The thugs down the street are what we all have to worry about first. Learn traditional weapons-axes,archery,slings and slingshots. They are easy to make and quiet. Be in shape. Avoid stupid people. And of course, show some balls. We outnumber them. This is a global wide agenda-moving will only prolong the inevitable, and in the end, you’ll just be another foreigner in an unarmed nation.

—–

eric:

Ive been considering this the past few months and plan on a move within 1-2 years. My default is Canada, because it’ll be the least culture shock, and familiar to me. However Id love to hear thoughts on whether or not Canada would be the same as the US? How much protection would I have being in Canada is the US dollar collapses and/or the US enters WW3? My real choice was Chile, and I plan on making a visit after re-learning Spanish. i really don’t know too much about this country, but it looks appealing. Thoughts on there? I do have others on a list, but I’m very serious about moving and am saving up for trips to visit. Any thoughts on this would be great, as I’m just starting the process now.

—–

bobinsherwood:

If you intend to leave the US, you better have some seriously mad skills/talent. Most countries DEMAND exceptional performance from their employees especially foreigners or it’s “Hit the Road!” I seriously doubt 1 in 50 Americans have the “Right Stuff” to thrive in a foreign country much less survive.

—–

boeing engineer:

I have lived abroad for more than 20 years, in 3 different countries. Asia, Middle East, and Europe. As bad as it’s getting in the USA, you’ll soon discover that without loads of money, it’s even worse abroad.

The alternative is to find a place to live in the USA where the impact of government oppression, which is what really is at issue, is least. That’s the American Redoubt. The Rocky Mtn states are still operating most like the USA did 50, 100 years ago.

—–

El Pollo de Oro:

I’ve done a considerable amount of business travel in Europe, and I’ve known plenty of American expatriates who were quite happy living in France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands or Sweden and had no desire to come back. They went overseas with an open-minded attitude and assimilated, which in many cases, meant learning the local language and learning it well. Speaking English exclusively puts you at a major disadvantage in parts of Europe. If you aren’t proficient in Italian, you’re going to have a hard time adjusting to life in Roma or Milano perche ci sono molti italiani che non parlano molto inglese. Meglio imparare molto italiano se un americano abbia voglia di abitare in Italia. And France is very difficult if you aren’t proficient in frances. In the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, on the other hand, most of the locals speak English fluently. I’ve known Brits who spoke only rudimentary Dutch and got along fine living in Amsterdam. Unfortunately for Americans, Europe’s immigration and employment laws make it very difficult to immigrate. And with the economic crisis in the PIIGS countries, anti-immigration sentiment is bound to increase in Europe.

As for Latin America………ten mucho cuidado, jefe. Some Latin American countries are relatively safe and have very good infrastructures. Travel in parts of Chile, Uruguay or Argentina, and you’ll feel like you’re in Europe. But in other parts of Latinoamerica, violent crime is pandemic. If you have a lot of money, getting kidnapped is a very real possibility in El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico or Honduras. Desperate people do desperate things, and there is a lot of hardcore desperation in much of Latinoamerica. The carjackers, kidnappers, muggers, gangbangers and violent home invaders in Caracas and Guatemala City mean business.

Of course, there is also a lot of hardcore desperation in The Banana Republic of America, where things are ugly and bound to get a whole lot uglier. When the former USA decided to join the Third World and become a banana republic, it was a very bad decision.

—–

cvt htm:

Do you know how sailors knew their ship was sinking? All the rats jump ship. My previous comment is indicative of my opinion on the matter. Why are we considering other places to live, if we’re just going to die anyways? I would much rather die a free man, than with a harness on my back. Not many options available to those of low income, a gun, ammo and food sound cheaper than a plane ticket, radiation bombardment and “rape” from a strong armed stranger. So I will Die where I was born, Protecting those of whom I love.

—–

Lisa:

When the dust settles, and the banks own every country, it probably will not matter where one lives.

I know a good number of people living abroad, families and singles, in different countries on different continents. Most have residential permits. There are always positives and negatives living abroad. There is no perfect place to live.

One aspect almost no one addresses in expatriation is personal religious liberties.

—–

Jack Pat:

The biggest thing I see when I travel to other countries is that Americans, Germans, and a few other nationalities do not respect other peoples and other countries. They break in line. Insult the food, women, etc.

Watch HGTV HouseHunters International. Everyone wants granite this and that, instead of using local materials and supporting the local economy (save for the one ex-pat gringo real-estate agent and his importing buddies). It reminds me when I met a Brit from Nottingham who had a Japanese bike, although the Raliegh Bicycle Factory was literally across the street from his house.

Fast forward on a country where a few importers are bypassing local workers to obtain cheap and/or trendy foreign made goods. What happens? Local craftsman is put out of work, and the “trendsetting” American is stuck with poor-quality chic goods.

Also 70 years ago people did one or two things, ate only a few things. Now instead of being a hunter with a quality made rifle or guitarist had a quality handmade guitar, or a wife with a black pot that will last 170 years, we have 100 hobbies and our money is stretched to the point we can only afford cheap things. Same with food, instead of raw pigs, chicken, eggs, flour, milk, veggies, and eggs, we are eating olive oil thats nit even olive oil, greek yogurt thats not even yogurt,
etc.

Living a simple life supporting quality manufacturers is no longer cool.

I am looking to exit now! I left a while back and if I had a job overseas I would be out

Your pain is self-chosen.

—–

mondobeyondo:

The local Home Depot here is piping in Christmas songs in Spanish over their PA system. And there’s a guy outside who has a little “roach coach” push cart thing, where he sells tamales and enchiladas.

Yup. Estamos la Ciudad de Mexico del Norte. Bienvenidos! You’ll find pinatas on aisle 3.

—–

Steve:

I have visited, invested, and heavily researched Fiji as a possible destination. I have not moved yet, but I am saving up for it with physical Gold and Silver coins (planing to leave when silver breaks $100/oz). Fiji does have some advantages:
English is the primary language, No Military value – too far from everything for Fighter planes to reach, No Developed Oil Reserves for the Military Industrial Complex to Steal, Most developed economy of the Pacific Island Nations, Gold/Silver,/Copper are mined there, Food independent – while they do import some food not raised there, they produce enough to feed the population, no one there is starving, the country was nothing but friendly towards Americans, the climate is warm, rainfalls are plentiful enough to raise any food crop, no poisonous land snakes/spiders/vines, few bugs, the country is very open to foreign investment, Average family yearly income is 7,00 US dollars – so you can live there cheap, at least 50 years behind America’s police state actions against their own citizens, relaxed atmosphere, the capitol Suva has just about everything you could want/need with a population near 100k, only 850k people on all of the 330 islands, the five largest islands have a land mass of New Jersey, Plenty of Room, 7% of the land mass is Free Hold Land – You buy it and it is yours – no renting from the government (No Property Taxes – ever), Located in the main shipping lanes between Australia and Los Angeles, California – so parts and materials not made there can be acquired, All the infrastructure you have come to expect in America, Rail, Paved Roads, Airports, Cement, Asphalt, Hardwares, Internet, Cell Phones, Schools, College, Medical School, Hospitals (clean), Chiropractor, Dentist, Optometrists, Mail, Banks, etc…, Protection from Tsunami’s due to the coral reefs surrounding the islands, Clean drinking water, Hot springs, No one is starving nor desperate, yes they have coups every decade – but less than 10 people died in the last 4 coups, No other country is eyeing it for take over, and the best reason of all – it is located in the southern hemisphere. When a prolonged war, Natural or man made Disaster, EMP, riot, protests, etc… occurs in the USA, those several hundred Nuclear Power Plants rely upon the grid for power to the cooling pumps. After the power goes out, the cooling pumps are powered by diesel generators with about 2 weeks of fuel. Any disruption in fuel – Fukushima 2.0. It takes 4-6 months to cool a reactor after shut down. Winds will carry the radiation everywhere north of the equator. China and Russia are arming themselves, US is dismantling the Nuclear war heads. Who is China building this massive war machine for ? Why does China need the Largest Army, Air Force, and Navy in the world ? Are they afraid of Tibet or Mongolia ? Think about it.

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cvt htm:

I’m personally interested in Ecuador, A tribe more famously known for “head hunting” or “shrunken heads” well in all actuality they haven’t shrunk any heads for generations. This tribe threatened to reteach their young about the significance and importance of their gruesome practice, upon the workers and ceo’s of a gold mine,that they were indentured to. My position is, this group of natives have successfully driven these globalist bastards. If I want to preserve my freedom, I must become a part of a force that will actually defend themselves.

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mondobeyondo:

I think it boils down to this…

I’m willing to fight and possibly die for my country, against enemies foreign and domestic. But I will definitely NOT stand by and watch my country rob me of my wealth, my health, evict and starve me and my family, and incarcerate or possibly even kill me. It’s not that far fetched either. Just have the feds label me as a “terrorist”, or a threat to “national security”, and a friendly FBI agent will be knocking at the door. (Hopefully a good looking one, like Clarice in “Silence of the Lambs”). The “terrorist” guy who was killed by a drone in Yemen was a U.S. citizen, but that didn’t matter. Yes, he was an al-Queda operative, but he should have caught, extradited and subjected to “due process under law” as a United States citizen, born in the state of New Mexico.

If we meet the enemy, and it turns out to be us (thanks, Pogo!) then it may be time to head for greener pastures. Americans generally have the wrong idea about ex-patriation. They think moving to Paris or Buenos Aires or Moscow or wherever, is like packing up the kids and van and driving from Chicago to Miami. It is not.

There’s a different language to learn. A different culture. It’s expensive to move overseas. Hopefully those who are considering it know what they are getting themselves into.

In any event… *sigh*… if you live in the Midwest, Norway might be nice. It’s cold and snowy, and from what I hear, the people there are friendly, just like North Dakota. And there are probably good jobs and better opportunities there. It definitely helps if you know Norwegian, and if you like the pop group ABBA. (Yes I know. ABBA’s Swedish. Close enough!)

Me? I’m gonna stick it out and fight it out as long as I can. But damned if I’m going to wait until the exits start to close, while the screaming mobs wave their flags and shout “God Bless America!!”.

Screech……. Clank.

—–

Steve in Iowa:

I love this country just as much as anyone else here, but I do have to say something that’s been itching the back of my brain for awhile now.
I find it funny to see ex-military here saying how it would be cowardly to abandon ship. Where are you guys while the Constitution is being trampled on? Did you take your oath to the Constitution seriously? You call me a coward all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you FAILED to protect and defend the Constitution from any and all domestic enemies. You want to blame someone for the mess we’re in? Blame yourselves for blindly following orders (just like the Nazi’s), and letting our Liberty and God given rights be slowly eroded on your watch.

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SteveO:

I already have a 2nd bank account in Belize and am transferring money down there slowly. I am looking to purchase some property there and maybe retire. I might be retiring there sooner than I planned.

Belize has some of the best banking laws around, simple to open an account in person, not too expensive with a lawyer. English is the official language, warm weather, pristine beaches. Medium to low cost of living depending where you land. Could live on a boat too.

—–

N. Daniels:

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15)
2 Corinthians 6:14Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

The preceding are just an encouragement to all who read them to hurry up and get out, but to move much farther than just to another country, move to an entirely new kingdom. This entire world belongs to the evil one and I moved out some time ago. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world, if my kingdom were of this world, then, would my disciples fight”. I refuse to fight for something that has already been prophesied to fail.
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.”
Definitely time to leave. Thanks for your blog.

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Robert Stone:

Any country is better. go where you have an open door, a desire and first research of potential for work, get used to the customs and thinking, and do whatever you have to do to make it. be prepared to have culture shock to wake you up out of your American thinking and brainwashing. You aren’t better than third world countries… they are.

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Jeff:

I was disgusted with the life in the US and left years ago. Since then I lived in 3 countries,
here are my experiences:
1. Canada – very peaceful, fairly prosperous country where neither I nor my family members have ever met a single mean Canadian. That might be different in the burgeoning immigrant populations.
Negatives – economic interconnection with the US and dark and bitterly cold winters from October thru April.
2. Malta – an English speaking island nation in the Mediterranean which is just a ferry ride from Italy. Enchanting scenery, especially in the North of the main island and on the smaller island of Gozo (3 bedroom there with seaview can be had from 100 euros a month). Violent crime is practically non-existent there. Excellent place to retire or live if you are wealthy already otherwise you need to find a source of income from outside the country. Flights to London can be on sale for less than the taxi ride to the airport.
3.Israel – starting with the negatives; a difficult place to live, which could have been every bit as picturesque as Italy of Malta but is not due to lots of ugly old apartment buildings dating to fifties and sixties and ubiquitous industrial plants. People here work very long hours with 12 hour shifts common. Many staples here cost a multiple of what they do in the US, but some like fruits and veggies are cheaper. Health care is very good and advanced and coverage is literally just as inexpensive as the internet. The biggest plus here is that the country is one huge Silicon Valley where lots of people with new ideas get very wealthy very quickly. Foreign investors generously fund Israeli ingenuity. Now also there is the expected windfall from the huge recent gas and oil finds near the Israeli shores. The language here is obsolete by 2000 years, but English is widely spoken especially among the educated people.

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JohnnyinthePedros:

Vote for Ron Paul and stay and fight.

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JustanOguy:

Interesting Article Michael. For about 1/3 of my life I lived in foreign countries in Europe and Asia so much of what you bring up hits the nail right on the head.

After a couple of years… you always want to move back to the U.S…. Not just my opinion but the majority of other U.S. Citizens that you’ll find all over the world.

Not too long ago… I was recently offered a job in a foreign country but passed for now primarily due to family reasons. It was Certainly a very attractive possibility and from my visit, I came across many other U.S. Citizens moving there because it’s so darn cheap… a complete bargain for the quality of life that goes along with it. I honestly really liked it… the laid back lifestyle where family is more important then money certainly appeals to me.

However, something about living in Las Vegas (Oh yeah… I’ve lived all across the U.S. also) is pretty exciting with all of the people that live and visit here from all over the country and world so it’s tough to leave.

And… As a couple of others have mentioned… bailing out right now and letting the goons win is weak.

Fact of the matter is that people have been too tolerant with the minority that push their distorted views or want everybody’s lives to be as miserable as theirs.

Time to stand up and boot them out back to the rocks they crawled out from underneath…. and let them leave the country if they don’t like it.

I’ve travelled around the world… there is no Utopia. Many countries would sink tomorrow if the U.S. handouts ended…

For the past couple of years I’ve become a much more generous person to other people I don’t know… but my guns are loaded… and my Passport with some gold and silver is ready.

I’d prefer to stay and spread my message that Washington D.C. and Wall Street are one in the same and that’s why the rest of the country is getting screwed…

2012 will indeed be the deciding factor… Time to take the garbage to the curb.

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Kevin2:

Stay in the US and relocate within it. Move to where the energy, food, and self reliant culture is. Get a trade that is useful for those areas, electrician, welder, certified automobile mechanic to name a few. Move to a rural or small town and make friends with the neighbors. When in Rome do as the Romans do. You don’t believe in God? Well if 90% of your neighbors do tell them otherwise and attend Church with them.

If your thinking of moving to another nation that nation may be one of the self reliant states. Remember the USSR broke up. It can very well happen here too. If it does be in the good part.

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Thiagarajan TVS:

Michael,

Relocation may be a temporary solace, but going
by your articles which I read regularly and
going by the reports in the dailies, every
economy will be affected by what is ha0ppening
in Europr or USA.

As I pointed out in my correspondence with you
more than six months ago, we are all overlooking
the one who created us. Unless we rea;oze tjos
and plan to take corresctive steps, we have no
other option but to allow the world economy to
collapse.

If we dont believe in God ( I know you dont like
this word), we have to believe in our leaders!

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Ragnar:

Good topic… one that I have considered myself in recent months in light of our current situation. I love my country but have become increasingly distrustful of our government. That being said, the principles upon which our nation was founded are second to none.

In doing some research on the topic several months ago I came across the following on the James Wesley Rawles’s website survivalblog.com. It is an interesting concept in which he advocates relocating to the northern rocky mountain states. Specifically Eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The local government is minimally intrusive, population density is extremely low and the values of the local populace are typically libertarian/conservative. Wyoming, for example has zero income tax and zero corporate tax. Here is the link to the American Redoubt of Rawles:

http://www.survivalblog.com/redoubt.html

To the individual who stated that selfish conservatives would bring the downfall of our society, I would respond with the following: In a free, capitalist society selfish individuals who produce for their own self-interest create benefit for all.

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Prepared Pastor:

There is a state in the U.S. that already operates much like a third world country despite plentiful water, natural resources, and inexpensive (but fertile) land. It contains no nuclear reactors and most of it is outside the fallout zone potential targets. It has a high population of elderly who will not live long after TSHTF. Like third world countries, the cities are very much like other cities in the U.S. The countryside, however, is geologically separated by the oldest mountain range in the U.S. making much of the state inaccessible by automobile. The U.S. Census Bureau has designated WEST VIRGINIA as the ‘least typical’ (most backward) of any state in the U.S. It’s relative nearness to New England eliminated it from consideration for many people, but the truth is the mountains will stop the majority of unprepared folks from getting too far in and the community will take care of the rest.

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DaVid:

Anyone interested in Patagonia, Argentina as a place of escape which was during WWII for Germans, Jews, and everyone else who saw the handwriting on the wall then, and those who feel the same now, feel free to email me. In your email include something about your background and what you are looking to accomplish. Remember, it is not only better but it’s a matter of life-and-death to be 2 years or 2 months too early than to be 2 minutes too late. MF Global is a clarion warning shot across the financial bow of the United States of ponzi schemes (i.e., banking holidays and lockdowns). They are locking down the US with NDAA (indefinite detentions without due process) and the soon-to-be activated FEMA Camps.

—–

karen:

World War 111 is on it’s way, Russia and China are preparing as we speak, you can research it on the web, Syria will be envolved, Chine already has thousands of troops on the India border Isreal and the US will be envolved and so will Europe. The war of all wars, FEMA is activating prison camps. The economy is crashing all around us and most don’t even have a clue, huge sun flares will hit earth and most have no clue check out NASA.

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This_Is_My_Turf:

First off, you have nowhere to run and hide since the siege engine of the earth IS the USA. USA hosts the United Nations, Babylon on the Hudson. USA hosts the Federal reserve cartel. USA hosts the CIA, the DOD.

USA has been hijacked by a handful of Offshore operators, and engineered a system for which to employ traitors amongst us (like congress). Remember, The traitors in congress and the white house got hired via your “consent” the voter.

It is your fault that it is the way it is. CONUS is flooded with offshore folks who came here RUNNING from the problems and corruption in the country they originated in. They did nothing to overturn the oligharcs there, and they will do nothing to change things HERE.

I would suggest preparing yourselves HERE, and dealing with the oligarchy on this soil as it was done in 1775, as it was done in 1812, as it was attempted in 1860′s.

This is my turf, I am not going anywhere THE ENEMY is going, or some of us are going to die in the attempt.

State secession at legislative level, formation of organized and unorganized defense forces, and eliminating property tax on homes and land, and then the seceeded state outlawing any form of central banking is the most efficient order of operations.

What allows the central bank to survive is property tax on your homes and farmland, and that most evil social security number that tags you like cattle.

The “BIG EXPERIMENT” has proven itself to not work, it is time to return to confederated states and not empire (union).

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DirtyCar:

I am not American and have lived all over the world. I would recommend anybody who wishes to leave the US to check out Santiago in Chile. Good economy, good healthcare, lots of Starbucks and it’ll feel like home. Its one of the few countries in the world where US culture is still a thing to aspire to. English is widely spoken.

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Owen:

There is no hiding place down here. This will soon be apparent to all. We are in the end stages of a war that began before mankind set foot on this planet. Jesus is returning soon to rescue those who have placed their trust in Him for their eternal salvation. Endeavor to be part of this group. You were created for that decision and everything rides on what you decide. All else is folly.

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William:

Well, well, the Smirking Chimp Bush and the failed Obummer have left us with grim choices. Either run, or stay and become a slave. There are not enough willing to die to stay and fight, if it came to that. Welcome to the Gulag. And, be SURE to vote in Nov of 2012 and reelect the very same cretins in the US Congress……..you know, the ones like Kyl or Sessions or McConnell or Cantor or Hoyer or Pelosi. You get what you vote for.

—–

Ray Davis:

I see lots of interesting quotes about staying and fighting, how leaving is cowardice, etc.

Folks, we lost America.

The mainstream media is so corrupt that even my 9-year-old can tell we are being fed lies. The treasury has been looted. Our politicians are bought, threatened or blackmailed and they have delivered us to the dark side. Wall Street can now openly steal our individual property without consequences. The military and police are being prepped that “we” are the enemy.

I don’t see a lot of the American Republic remaining …. do you?

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joe:

My wife and I have lived outside of the USA for most of the last 20 years so this is a subject upon which I feel I have some expertise. This is the reality-there is no perfect place and no place that will offer you complete safety. Our last country of residence was Guatemala where we lived on a large estate with a 5 person staff. We recently moved to the mountains of North GA-where we have no staff (for economic reasons-the cost are too high here). So why? Latin and South American countries have more poor than North America. In the event of a world wide collapse, they will rise up and the wealthy will be targeted. Europe and Asia are too expensive. Thinking about an island paradise. Forget it. We lived on our boat for four years looking for that paradise. It doesn’t exist. Yes, there are places that are currently less expensive to live. However, you would not be reading this blog unless you believed the world is in an immediate threat of economic peril. We not like the current state of politics or culture in the USA but as much as we dislike it, the USA (or Canada) likely remains the best place to hunker down, as long as you select somewhere away from metro areas.

—–

Granite Prepper:

To all who say leave the country while you can…..that’s just weakness leaving the body!! I say good riddance to those who won’t stand and put skin in the game. Did our founding fathers run when it got hard?? Did they move to another country?? HELL NO!! The time is now to stand and be counted

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Robert:

I live in Brazil now and have for a long time as I moved here after I married a Brazilian, but what I have seen here since 2008 when the recession (depression) hit the states, people who where older than fifty where being fired and replaced with people in there 20s as the owners didn´t have to pay as much. And these people who lost their house, job and there pension went south, and they are married to a foreigner many packed up and left for the home country of their espouse. Some already had a vacation home in the espouse´s home country or not, but at least that was a roof over ones head that the banks could not take away. If one is over fifty and does not speak a second language, it will be diffucult to speak in a second lanuage at this age and ones espouse will always be their translator.  But nonetheless when I talked to some of these Americans they are happy that they moved too Brazil, because they lost everything in the states, their espouses are working even if they are not and when I asked if they feel if they have more freedom here than in the states, after thinking about it the response is here in Brazil there is more freedom, I believe here in Brazil ones does not talk about having freedom it is just here, but in the states, since one is a child it is almost pounded in ones head or shall I say brainwashed that one has freedom and democracy, which nowdays the two not exist, maybe a hundred years ago freedom and democracy existed in America, but not anymore.

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Mainuh1:

You can run but you can’t hide from the global collapse set to thin the herd. Before long the nukes will be flying as the resource grab kicks in to high gear.

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ross:

1.Some where where the locals share the same culture and language as yourself. Not being racist but in an emergency, if you cant connect and make friends with the locals, your going to be in trouble.

2. Near the coast so if there`s ever food shortages you can go fish

3. A good climate, not too hot or too cold if you cant get fuel to heat your home.

4. Any of these could be Europe or USA

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FrankyFreelance:

All Americans who are pondering jumping ship should be given a mandatory examination to test levels of intelligence, common sense and general obnoxiousness.

All of those who score low on the first two and high on the last should have their passports confiscated and be forced to go down with the ship.

PEACE

—–

Paul:

China is a good place,

if you are a quiet person and don’t mind people closer to you than you are used to.

Living in China is cheap, if you don’t mind eating rice and local produce and don’t insist on Western food and western food labels every day. An apartment in a secured compound for western people can be had for USD300 per month for two bedrooms. Add USD5 for a shuttle bus to the city center, or USD 0.50 for a subway trip to downtown.

China’s economy is growing at a rate of 8% every year. And most of the money is not spent on consumption but on investment in infrastructure.

Tax is about 30% for a western-level salary.

If you are friendly to the police they are friendly to you. If you shout at them because you think you are of a superior race, you have a permanent place at the end of the queue.

Foreign news are blocked in China, but who in America watches foreign news? There are about 200 TV channels, 20 of them with war themes, when the economy is going bad, this will increase to 150 channels with war themes, 20 with shopping, 20 with sports, and some drama stuff.
CCTV9 is for Westerners to tell them how good and geat China is.

Most Chinese in China speak Chinese. Not all of them speak Mandarin (Putonghua), but their local dialect. And most of them know white and black people only from TV. So people WILL STARE at you. Every day, wherever. They might have heard that black people have heavier equipment and will check out whether the rumours are true.
A Chinese girlfriend wants to know your job and how much you earn. That’s before the first date.

Compared with America, crime is not existing in China. The worst thing that can happen to you at night is that someone with an electric bicycle knocks you down because there isn’t any streetlight, he doesn’t use any light and you don’t hear him coming.

—–

Hans:

Just remember that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence because there is more manure there!
If things collapse, you probably stand a better chance amongst your own people (better the devil you know….!!!)
During a collapse, people in other nations not responsible for that collapse will first look out for their own. Do not expect too much sympathy.
If you have children, persuade them to study and qualify in stable neutral countries. Do not place all your eggs in one basket. Also look at obtaining physical assets in safe countries. I believe a big collapse is due, but I am not sure whether Europe or the US will go first. By creating currency out of thin air and with the dollar being the reserve currency of the world, I do believe that the US can postpone the inevitable slightly longer than the Eurozone.

—–

Henry:

Your best solution is to stay yet become very wealthy. That’s what I’m working on 24/7 myself. I have already picked up my family and made a major geographic for the purpose of trying to escape to freedom, and I learned very much that the NWO is deeply entrenched in every place you could possibly go. The only escape is up, at least for a generation or two more anyways. Freedom today comes through financial wealth – embrace that reality, venture out, and make it work for you.

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nchris:

I’m with all those who want to stay here and fight for this country. As I’ve thought about this there is a problem, however. I’ve been a hunter & gun owner since childhood and would come to my country’s defense against those who we would all agree fall under the description of “domestic enemies”. But does that mean I’d be drawing a bead on my neighbor down the street who is a National Guard member, or local law enforcement officer? These are the very people to whom we express our gratitude and support. This is a big part of the problem for those who want to stay and fight. Fight against whom? The people who need to be brought down & eliminated will be able to hide behind the military & police forces. And those people in uniform, especially police forces, are being indoctrinated to see the “domestic enemy” not as their corrupt leadership, but the constitutional citizens trying to defend their rights.
The only way our freedom survives this is if the military leadership sees the truth and turns on the political and financial thugs that are designing our destruction.

Every totalitarian government eventually has to protect itself from its own citizens. Notice the change in defense spending? Used to be weapons systems like jet fighters, submarines, etc., now it’s weaponry and survellience to fight “terrorists”.
There is a storm coming.

I like the idea of giving the liberal/socialists their half of the country and the conservative/freedom lovers the other half. Pretty soon the liberal side will implode anyway.

—–

r.bitting:

Can a man hide himself from the hand of the Almighty God? Run if you want, but you will not save yourself. It’s a far, far better choice to run to God, and not from him.

—–

Arrandaman:

I left the USA in 2010. Two years after I realized that the government has the American public scattered and mentally inadequate to deal with what needs to be done. The divisions are so drawn in America that no one will unite to fight against the oncoming corporate slavery.

Ive been living in Australia and it is bad over here just not as bad as the USA. One can actually make money here as an average worker.

A rally call needs to be made to take down the lobbyists and career politicians that are owned by the financial institutions. Until we go backwards to find the constitution as it was written we will always be enslaved. A slave wage system is in place and our lives and freedoms are at stake. Treason is being passed down daily in congress by the president and they all need to be brought under control of the people.

—–

Marco Polo:

I’ll quote from the words of Jesus: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This is found in 3 of the 4 gospels, so it must be a pretty important concept. (See Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24) As it applies to this conversation, I would say it means that if you’re trying to find the safest place to live just to protect yourself from harm, good luck! The safest place to live is right in the center of God’s will. He promises to take care of His children. This does not mean you will not die, as there have been plenty of martyrs (as well as probably many more that have been spared from being a martyr), but I would rather die while doing God’s will than die while trying to find the safest place for me to live. We will all die sometime, so 100 years from now, the thing that is going to matter is whether you responded to God’s love for you and did what He asked you to do.

Having said that, I travel almost constantly for work, and I’ve been in about 20 countries so far. I have never found another place that I would rather live–it’s going to be interesting if that changes.

Two places that come to mind that are very easy to get around in are Hong Kong and Singapore. They have an incredible transportation system. You don’t need to own a car. But I don’t know how easy it is to move to one of these places.

Is there any country you can move to without getting permission? Maybe Canada?

—–

Marco Polo:

I wonder what happened to those jews who decided to stay the course in 1938-42 Germany. There are 6 million less to tell that story. If your gut tells you to jam, I say listen to your gut. That having been said, while there is no shame to staying or leaving, there will be penalties paid for making the wrong move. Either way, there are pluses and minuses. Regardless of where you go or decided to be, there will be a price to be paid. In the end, we need to face the fact that we are in matrix. You are scr@wed regardless of where you are. The only thing that modifies this calculus is if you happen to be (as some have said) independently wealthy.

—–

Erin:

It is naive to think that people will not relocate as jobs and public services go down the tubes. Given the ability to move, people will move just for a better school, a better job or a better standard of living. Detroit is an example.

We are a nation of immigrants, moving out of the country is part of the cultural DNA. It should be noted that every individual that leaves costs a small fortune in lost revenues, it is the usually the best and brightest that jump ship.

—–

Alex Linhares:

Brazil or Chile should be considered (I am Brazilian, and I love the US, and I am extremely concerned about the unfolding scenario).

I have been through hyperinflation, serious crime sprees, govmnt default, bank confiscation of money in ALL accounts (google president Collor), you name it.

Brazil today is stable, and even the crime situation is improving rapidly. Record low unemployment, skilled people actually make MORE here than in London, NYC, or Tokyo due to the deep shortage of skills. We’re a country of immigrants, from Japanese to Africa to all parts of Europe. We love people and foreigners in general. Three world events are on the horizon here: Rio+20 (2012), the soccer world cup (2014), and the Olympics (2016 in Rio).

The weather is nice, there is plenty of rainfall (food), you can own guns (if you must, but in the large cities the educated people will frown upon you), you can say whatever you like about our pathetic corrupt politicians.

We hardly import any oil. 90% of cars run on sugar cane ethanol. The biggest oil discovery of this decade has been here (though it’s hard to get and our politicians can f*ck things up to the point of having the deepwater horizon disaster seem like a disney movie). Electricity is generated by dams (also some nuclear).

Unbelievably, we have gotten rid of hyperinflation, crime is getting to lower standards (Ipanema’s human development index is *higher* than the scandinavian countries). People are overall happy with life, and foreigners make friends here easily.

Median age of women: 28 (according to wikipedia; the same for the US is 37, for germany is 44). So lots of fertile girls around, if you’re young, and skilled you’ll have the time of your life.

We haven’t had a war in over 100 years. Nobody hates us (except perhaps a little bunch of people in Paraguai, or maybe Bolivia that see us as an empire, if you can believe that). The Brazilian passport is the most expensive on the black market, because anyone can say, plausibly, that they were born in Brazil (except Albinos, perhaps).

There are small towns in the south where you’d think you’re in Europe.

This is Pomerode, where everyone speaks fluent german:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Pomerode&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=imbgTuOCB8bMtgf05fjSBQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBQQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=702

Was that your image of Brazil?

On the negative side: It’s a welfare state full of paternalism. Politicians are corrupt (but getting caught more and more). My entire generation is inflation-hawk, so if we start importing those trillions of computer-keyboard-created-dollars-hyperinflation, we’ll have to decouple the BRL from the USD and the greenback slide (our politicians are FAR from realizing this at this point, though–which means it will me a little messy). Also a negative: you have to learn portuguese. You will also have to learn to get used to smaller cars.

I also like Chile. It’s the unknown Switzerland of the Americas. What’s their debt-to-GDP? 6%. Yes, SIX percent debt-to-gdp. So when the dominoes start falling and people start looking for countries without debt, a tsunami of money will flow into Chile. The police there is outstanding (just try to bribe them). It’s not a welfare state and has relatively low taxes. Pretty girls. Overall, awesome country.

I hope some of this helps. Since I assume people will mention Australia, NZ, etc; I just focus on Brazil & Chile. By no means do I think Brazil & Chile will turn out unscathed from the big one, but the zombie outbreaks will be tiny, if any. Food will be plentiful; cars will be running, and skilled jobs are in extremely high demand.

This is my first comment on your blog. I’ve been following it for some months now, and It’s awesome. I particularly like the fact that you link to “credible” sources. Keep it up!

Good luck to us all; I can only hope that this will not end in an unthinkable massive war.

I am a Univ Prof here and teach decision-making (to lots of Americans and Europeans in M.Sc. Programs). A sad thing in my life is that people here are so uninformed about the rich-world crisis that when I mention it, they look at me as if I were insane. For example, nobody thinks gold will have any value.

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tommcd:

The easiest places for Americans to relocate to would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand because the language is English and the culture is similar. I would avoid the UK because they seem to be in just as big a mess as the USA currently is.

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Karen:

My husband and I have relocated to Italy.  It was a well planned exit and it was not for the current economic problems. Part of the consideration was our ability to live on what we have saved though. My husband has dreamed of living in a certain area to make a certain grape into wine.  He has his masters in enology and viticulture.  His grandparents immigrated from this same area of Italy to the US.  We are able to live here much cheaper than we could in the US farming the same amount of grapes.  We will be as self sufficient as we can with gardening etc.  Almost every neighbor has a garden and many different kinds of fruit trees and nuts. We have the most efficient  heating system possible and live without many of the “standards” like a dryer, microwave, garage door opener…because electricity is so expensive.

We have many neighbors our age from many different countries also.  The Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway,Britain, Scotland, Russia, Romania… you get the idea.

My husband is a Marine, my father and grandfather were in the US Army and participated in WWI and WWII.  Though I am labeled an “expat”, I am still a US citizen living in a country with many of the same values and ideas that I have.  Considering Italy and the economy, the people here have never had a good government.  They have learned how to live by paying in cash, not having a mortgage, growing their own vegtables, buying their meat products within 30 miles,  if not actually knowing the farmer. They have an attitude of surviving without the help of the government (except for their unions of course).  This is not a perfect place, but you must make choices and decide what your priorities are first.  If you like beautiful weather, good food, great wine, people who put family first, art and architecture to die for…

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Open your eyes!:

There is but one place to run and hide, and that place is God — Yahweh Elohiym, as he identified himself in Genesis and to Moses, at the burning bush.

“Yahshua (Jesus) said to ‘love Yahweh your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and body’ then all the things that you need will be given to you as well. That does not mean religion, which is idiocy and falsehood. But he must seek him in spirit and in truth.

Five sevenths of the Scriptures are directed at America (the center piece of the House of Israel). And what is written about America is coming to pass before our very eyes.

From RRB:

” It is no accident that people from all over the world have been flocking to America in droves for over 300 years, and especially after she became a nation in 1776. She was prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah, to be a light to the world – a blessing to every nation on earth – to be nation with an east coast, a west coast and divided by many rivers! America is the ONLY nation in the world that fits any and all of those prophecies, and dozens more. And her destruction is also prophesied, for her rebellion against and rejection of God (Elohiym). From the true land of milk and honey to the Great Whore of Revelation, America is the rebellious House of Israel – the Ten Northern Tribes of the Scriptures!”

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Old School:

An excellent topic, by the way. A few thoughts from a historian/economist/prepper… First, if the U.S. collapses, the rest of the planet collapses with it. You simply can’t have the largest economy, and the world reserve currency, collapse without all the other dominoes falling as well. So will there be any intact cultures left to which we Americans could possibly flee? Once all of the follow-on convulsions play out, I do not think so. At least none that we “arrogant, fat, rich, consumerist, imperialist” former Americans would find good for our long-term health.

Realistically, for the overwhelimg majority of us, this leaves only one option: remain here in the U.S., do the best we can to survive, engage in our local commuities, and attempt to rebuild our republic one step at a time. No doubt this would be a brutal, lengthy, and costly process. It would not be the first time, or the last time, that the blood of both good and bad people is shed in the name of liberty and a better life. No escape, no magic bullets, no easy answers.

Americans today are hated by many around the world. We are also appreciated by many. Irrational biases aside, our constitutional republic has proven to be the most effective form of government at safeguarding individual liberty that the world has seen in all of its history. Our problem today is precisely what our founding fathers feared: our central government has become too powerful and is no longer accountable to the people. It has created a welfare mentality, which our founders knew would corrupt and enslave those caught up in it. It engages in Hegelian Dialects in order to strip us of our liberties. It interferes with the sovereignty of other nations while giving our’s away to world bodies.

WTSHTF we most likely will not have any place on the globe to run to. However, it very well may be both a threat and an opportunity.

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Luis:

I think moving comes down to choosing the lesser of evils. I’m very concerned with the coming economic collapse, but I’m much more concerned with the potential of another World War. We have stirred up a lot of hatred around the world over the last few decades. We currently owe China around 3 trillion dollars. How do you think they are going to react if the U.S. should default on its debt? The U.S. is starting to look like ground zero to me.

‘God would never allow a massive nuclear war to take place on this planet, let alone in the United States’, you might think. Remember, He already allowed two nuclear bombs to go off during WWII. Don’t be so sure it’s impossible.

BTW, getting into Canada, New Zealand, and Australia is not as easy as you think. I tried all three a few years ago and was not able (though I have no criminal record, am educated and with good work experience, I could not get enough ‘points’ in the assessment survey- mostly because at 48 I was deemed too old). Ironically, all three countries could care less what you’re net worth is. If you’re loaded, they seem to expect you to start a business that creates jobs- then they are interested in you. Otherwise, you had better be young and educated. I was shocked when I found this out. And here in the U.S., we let anyone over our border. It’s unbelievable…

Anyways, be careful with the Latin American countries. With the exception of Uruguay (that has a large middle class), crime can be a problem.

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SMASH THE CONTROL MACHINE:

LET YOUR KINGDOM COME!!!All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

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JBurdman7:

I dont know what your commentators are doing recommending bankrupt European countries or countries bordering bankrupt European countries. Do they think “the coming economic collapse” is for those with surpluses? Lets go where the standard of living is on the rise please!

So we have Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as resource based economies which should fare well. Add Singapore to the category for those who do not wish to learn another language.

There is Costa Rica for an inexpensive place to be with the relatively easy to learn Spanish. I suppose there are areas with significant numbers of English speakers but you will need to do your own research on that topic.
And then there is Asia! Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, S Korea, China – I would gladly read a discussion about any of the Asian options with a particular interest in Thailand.

To posters “Ray Davis” and “mondobeyondo” – brilliant posts. Please search the net for my name and drop me a note. It shouldnt be hard to find me. You are just the guys who all need to KIT for when TSHTF we can navigate out of here and start over. A lot of research is needed. No sense us all doing it independently.

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Peter E:

Hey, come to Australia!

We welcome everyone – even Prez Obama (our politicians even shook his hand unlike Russian politicians). We have a new base for marines in Darwin. So we are new target for China. However, they love us as we sell them tons of iron ore and stuff like that! Don’t let the fact that 6 nukes would wipe out 80% of the population – all of the major cities.

But sadly don’t come here if you are over 45. Almost guaranteed no one will employ you as the companies are quickly becoming “Americanised” and dump experience for cheap contract employees. It even happens in the government. Corruption is strong and if you run a business and export, the policies favour the cheap and law is ignored. For example, anti-dumping laws are ignored as it offers cheap goods for consumers. The government wont help you (or your company) if a country is imposing huge import tariffs (eg 30-100%) and fees.

We had a thriving chemical industry, but when we opened up “free” trade, exporters could dump goods here, pay no tariffs, but we had to pay huge tariffs , import duties, customs duties , etc. No help from our government – just like the US I guess so you would probably be used to it!

Oh, and our politicians are just as feeble a lot as yours.

On the good side we don’t have the intrusive body searches or revealing body scanners. If you are travelling over 12 hours on a flight to anywhere you’ll be too tired to be a problem. I think even the terrorists think that too far to go to way jihad or whatever.

The biggest shock will be if you want coffee with cream or half and half. Its white coffee and the regular stuff is black. Cream is milk. While you may regularly sprinkle the ****** expletive without thinking about it, we use terms like “bloody” and “damn”, so if someone is really intentionally stupid they’ll be called a “bloody idiot” or similar. Noone will “bat any eyelid”. And if you don’t like it, we “wont give a damn”.

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Orange Jean:

I am in love with this country and have no intentions of ever leaving!

I’m not young enough (61) or strong enough (arthritis and a few other age-related things) to imagine I could fight here in any meaningful way if it came to that. But if it did and there was anything I could figure out to do, I would. I would literally rather die here than live elsewhere. My thanks, by the way, to those of you who have served in the military… especially the Marines (I work for you guys, at NMCPHC, part of the Medical Support Command).

I believe the only place in the world a person has a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving hard times is where you are a citizen. Nope, it doesn’t always work, but I’d hedge my bet on that one. My grandparents (all of them) had a very hard time where they lived before (the Azores & Poland), and we were taught to love this country.

I did not say I love the government necessarily (tho I do believe in the Constitution), but it’s the LAND I love! I also think it’s a sacred place (even before there was a United States). I’ve lived in multiple states (Massachusetts, Maine, California, Utah, North Carolina & currently in Virginia). Some places I liked better than others, and there was some back and forth, for example I’ve moved to CA 3 x). I’ve traveled around and back and forth across the US a lot… and I can’t get enough of it!

Almost every time I’ve said to myself, well maybe next vacation I ought to go see some other country – by the time that next vacation comes around, I’ve already got yet some new place in the US I’m just dying to see what it’s like, or hankering to go back to see some place I’ve been.

The places I’ve been are fascinating, and I would most likely “head for the hills” somewhere (I love mountains especially) given the choice. I’ve got family that are too scattered (FL, NH, TN & MI and I’m currently in VA)… and while I love them, I think a bit too scatterbrained to be much help in terms of survival.

When I was younger, I used to think I wanted to live outside the US for a time, but I’ve long since changed my mind. Since 9/11? I have no intention of ever leaving this country again (I’ve been at least to Mexico and Canada a few times, plus a few places in the Caribbean)… not even to vacation.

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Cyrus:

I raised my two sons in Greece, isle of Crete. Beautiful people, great place. I have lived and worked in North Africa, south-east Asia, southern Europe. There are numereous reasons to go but the polical climate is changing in almost every country. I won’t go back to North Africa on a dare. CIA is stirring up trouble day and night. I have heard great things of old soviet republics from guys who have married women from those areas and decided to stay there instead of moving to the states. I wrote an article expressing my thoughts on it here: http://dont-tread-on.me/?p=11092 . If you are young and want a challenge the old soviet republics may be the way to go. I know a lot of friends and distant cousins who moved to Keny and surrounding area as missionaries and say they will never come back. Their children feel the same way.

Think about it long and hard. I have heard high marks for Chile and Mexico. (Mexico sounds a little to wild west for me.

Good luck what ever you decide.

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El Pollo de Oro:

I’ve done a considerable amount of traveling in Western Europe (been to Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Gibraltar, Ireland and other countries). And most of the “socialist” countries over there are really capitalist countries with somewhat of a safety net and some protections for the middle class. I always laugh my head off when some neocon clown like Sean Hannity or Rush “Pillhead” Limbaugh compares modern-day Switzerland or modern-day Germany to the old Soviet Union because some of the most entrepreneurial, hardcore capitalist people I’ve ever met live in Milan, London, Berlin, Geneva or Munich. For Hannity and others like him to say that the Netherlands or Denmark is exactly like the old Soviet Union is truly idiotic. But then, what do you expect from a guy who went ballistic and turned red-faced because Signore Obama put Dijon mustard on a hamburger? 50 million Americans lack health insurance, the country is falling apart—and Hannity is worried about what the president puts on a stinking burger. There are some intelligent people on the right who are very good at standing up to the corporatists and neo-feudalists (Alex Jones, for example), but when these neocons tell us that our only two options are people starving in the streets or a Soviet-style communist government, it shows you just how clueless they are.

Hannity should spend a week in Milan, Italy followed by a week in Guatemala City—and no bodyguards are allowed in either place. The worst thing that would probably happen to him in Milan is maybe a gypsy picking his pocket on the Metro or one of the locals laughing at the dumbass tourist who gets upset whenever folks speak to him in Italian. But in Guatemala City, Hannity might want to keep that “I’m filthy rich and you’re not” stuff to himself in case there are any DPDDTT collectors around.

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A.S.:

I am going to Israel. Actually, I am already here. I believe in Bible prophecy that when the ultimate war comes, Israel will be saved by G-d! Even if you are not Jewish, so long as you are in Israel and take the side of Israel (don’t listen to all the “evil zionist” nonsense), you too will be saved. Look at the first Desert Storm war: Sadam shot so many missiles on Israel, and only one person died (due to mental shock)! So, if you too are G-d fearing, Bible reading folk, you know the answer. If not, may G-d have mercy on you because there will NO WHERE ON EARTH WILL BE SAFE!

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emma:

No one will get away from teh economic collapse, but if I had a choice I would say Australia or Canada. the US is screwed.

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chowthen:

The real power in any country is the Central Bank. The governments are run by Central Bank so all the laws and restrictions or individual rights are by the Central Banks. So what’s the use of moving out of the US? When the SHTF comes to the US all other country in the world is affected and will probably be in even worst situation. All the ignoramus who thinks they’d be better of in an unfamiliar society can do what they want and move but don’t try to come back after the SHTF or you get hard up where you are.

As I said, the final outcome of all this after the US gets the SHTF is one world government ran by one Central Bank. Remember what Amstel Rothschild said “Give me the control of the nations money and I care not who makes the laws”

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EZ:

The question still remains: WHERE to run?

The simple answer is that there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the coming economic collapse. The Goldman-Sachs people invented a financial virus, which has infected the entire world. Even if you live in some out-of-the-way place like Fiji, when the financial system crashes, you won’t be able to buy much of anything not made locally.

My wife is originally from Russia, and our daughters have dual citizenship. My wife is an American citizen. We had several discussions about this subject, and we’ve decided to stay and fight, since the only difference between E.Europe an the USA is that we have access to plenty of weapons.

Those who think you can somehow avoid what’s coming, are wildly optimistic. If you run, you’ll always be running.

We’ll stay and fight, for our homes, our families, and posterity.

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Ted:

I”ve been all over Europe, Mexico, and the west coast of Canada, and the only place that I felt a culture shock was in Yugoslavia(back when it was called Yugoslavia). It was like going back in time a good fifty years. I have a number of friends who have traveled extensively in Asia, India, and south america, and they loved it(although they aren’t going back to Asia or India anytime soon). What I hear from people who go abroad for the first time is that they can’t believe how beautiful it is.

A lot of people have this idea that it’s dangerous to travel or live down in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, etc., and the people I know that live down there want it to stay that way. They don’t want a horde of expats stampeding down to what is increasingly not much of a secret anymore.

If you have money, an income stream of some kind, and don’t have a record; you have a chance of getting down there. If not, forget about it. The standard of living is still pretty good in the US. As far as security, laws, and freedom go; not so great anymore.

Here’s my short list: The Bahamas, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama.

Europe is in the same boat as the US, China is following our lead, and Asia and Africa are a little iffy right now.

South america has a lot of little counties with a high standard of living, that are easy to get lost in. Their economies are stronger, you might not make as much money if you’re working down there, but your money goes a lot farther. Pretty much everybody speaks English down there, and there’s already a lot of expats to welcome you to your new digs.

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mark:

ARGENTINA. we moved here from SoCal about 12 years ago. total basket case of a country. ruled by knaves and nitwits. if we could find a better place to live, we’d leave tomorrow. but until that place appears, we stay: all rules and regulations here are ignored…people just simply do as they please, until a neighbor objects…every man for himself…exactly as god ordained.

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Old Man:

All the talk about moving out misses a huge raw reality.

What make you think other countries will approve your immigration application, and even if approved the locals will actually welcome you? That local business will actually hire a recently immigrated American packed solid with their famous arrogance, freaking constitutional rights, lawsuit at a drop of a pin, big fat dinner everyday, and talk of Uncle Sam cruise missiles coming your way the moment someone insulted you?

America today is certainly not the same as even 2 decades ago. Up to 1990, America was still a country admired. But foreign & trade policies of US government and war-by-globalization conducted by big biz execs have damaged the American brand most severely. The coup de grace was Wall Street banksters who sold many billions of fraudulent securities to foreigners, who then lost everything. Have you ever asked any of a million foreign investors who lost their shirts when Lehman and other failed how they felt? I have.

What make you think any foreign country will approve immigrations from so many Americans? Yes 99% of you who applied are very fine folks but sorry you are the victims of the devastation of US policies and reputation.

But I do suggest you go through the immigration exercise for one or two countries. You will most likely fail because all countries (except the 4th world) immigration laws are just as or even tougher than that of USA. But your exercise will let you gain a first hand appreciation of the true meaning of ‘reap what you sowed’. Such, I am sorry to say, is how far America has fallen in world standing.

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Matty:

What a joke-there is no escape! You are in the world no matter where you run. Better run to God folks. Then you can be in the world, but not of the world.

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Klean:

I feel that certain northern European countries (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark) might be excellent choices. Belgium seems extremely appealing in some ways. Canada could be more appealing if it focused on itself more than its invaluable trade partner that essentially fuels the nation. There is so much U.S. influence in every country and I feel the U.S. often forgets that it is not THE WORLD, it is a country as well.

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Kiwi:

My suggestion would be New Zealand
We got hardly any people
freshest water in the world
no dangerous species
very little military
south islands got Lots of bunnies to eat.
and the whether is mild. never to cold, never to hot.

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KingofClay:

I love the comments who refer to people as traitors or cut-and-runners who leave the United States for a better life, as – unless these comments are posted from Native Americans – they come from the descendants of people who have done just what they oppose.

I live in Sweden now as I saw the hellish fate of the USA coming a long way off. I didn’t choose to live in Sweden because of any socialist philosophy (I’m more libertarian than practically anyone) but because I saw it as a place where people can still have a future. Yes, the tax rates are high here, but I earn more money than I ever earned in the United States. And even after paying taxes for a bunch of liberal social services that I will never use myself, I still have more disposable income at the end of the month than I ever had in the United States. And that is what really matters. It just goes to show – when you live in a country that doesn’t spend countless billions of dollars on murdering people and breaking things, there is enough money left to do practically anything. Norway is the prime example of that.

I would recommend Americans move to Scandinavia with Norway being the most attractive place. All Scandinavians speak English and the truth is you can live here just fine by just speaking English without knowing a word of Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian. Start by teaching abroad at an English language school (they’re everywhere in Sweden & Norway), working on a farm in one of the many programs available, or being a cook/chef at a restaurant. Or try finding a spouse in Scandinavia.

Remember: The point of every government immigration office is to prevent people from coming to the country, not to let them in. So roll with the punches and overcome all the usual B.S. the immigration office throws at you long enough, and eventually they will give up and grant you a residence permit.

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FreeRussian:

Although it is a personal choice whether to live the country or stay and fight, I would still like to input my 5 cents. Many comments here do inspire to stay and fight, but if we examined it carefully we would come to a conclusion that brave comments come from the people who are aware and read this and alike blogs. The problem that America faces today is a symptom of a long and chronic disease that infected the country long time ago. The process of deconstruction is not triggered by the NWO puppeteers until they see that the society is completely corrupted of moral values and ready for destruction. This is the reality. The question here is this. Do you stay and die fighting, or do you leave and carry the torch of knowledge with you. The Black Friday crowd will not appreciate your death anyway; more likely associate you with a “home grown terrorist”. They get a regular brainwashing session every minute they watch the box, and they do watch it hours and hours every day. So, does it make sense to die and burry the knowledge 6’ under or try to spread it through a different location? As for myself, I left my home country when it was destroyed in 1991. Ever since I lived in Europe, Canada, States, back in Canada. But now I am thinking to leave. I try to educate people, ask them provocative questions, wake up their curiosity and thinking. But is all useless. They are either not interested or cannot get it. They are like under some kind of spell. I also know that these people are going to be used against me by the puppeteers to loot my savings and my food reserves. When the ship is sinking the rats are jumping off of the ship. The have a 50/50 chance. If they stay they have a 100% chance to die. Logic tells me that we leave the sinking ship. (50% is not that small of a chance, you surely would want to get a lottery with this chance, wouldn’t you?)

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Prepare Protect and Pray:

Excellent input! Our founding fathers and patriots have given their lives for our freedom.

How sad is it that people would rather run away than fight the evil elitists who seek to steal all of our wealth and our freedom, to setup their New World Order.

Thomas Jefferson warned “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them, will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

Henry Ford said, “It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning“.

So what’s the answer? Remove the elite bankers who own and manage the Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, etc.. And when I say remove, I don’t mean by voting or by calling your corrupt congressman, I mean by revolution.

President James Madison said “If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

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Agelbert:

Another thing I would like to add is that, absent a nuclear war, the main beef that people in the USA have is government interference in their businesses and personal affairs. From mandatory insurance on everything from cars to mortgages to “health” care, increasingly detailed car inspections designed to guarantee a good income for local mechanics and car dealers, increased taxes on food, gasolene and property along with increased government fees for services like title transfer, registration, hunting licences, park access to “public” lands, not to mention ridiculous zoning restrictions, etc. while people’s incomes are actually going down drives people nuts and makes them want to run away.

It seems we can no longer reason with our local and state governments. They just want more and more for their corporate bosses.

It seems every avenue we have to try to stretch our dollar and make ends meet has a government or corporate goon gatekeeping to make sure they get more swag from us.

Well let me tell you that, in the example of the USSR, it was much worse. When things began to unravel, not becasue of war or violence, but because people just stopped cooperating, while roving gangs did become a problem that people had to organize against, all the oppressive government restrictions DISAPPEARED! Would you like to have sheep on your quarter acre? How about chikens in your yard? A homemade wind mill that runs a generator to run a current theough an iron bar in your house for heat without inverters or anything fancy?

All this is the bright side of the gubmint biting off more than the fascist gestapo control freaks there can chew. Remember that IF the Fed is stupid enough to trash the dollar totally, the gestapo has no buying power to support their families with goods and services. That’s what happened (for other reasons) in Russia. Since the 700 trillion dollar derivatives MESS that the neoliberal agenda has created is forcing the Fed to devalue our currency to save the bacon of the banking crooks, it is inevitable that the security fascists on the front lines will get cheated and feel resentful. The end result will be more freedom from government intrusion here in the USA.

It’s not all bad, folks.

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Mark:

Switzerland

1. Highest salaries in the world
2. Lowest taxes in Europe(Canton Zug)
3. Unemployment rate = 3%

My friend is 31 and makes $140K and pays 9% total income tax. Speaks english at work, so no foreign lanaguage requirement. Minimum wage is around $50K, no joke.

Downside is that everything is expensive, but you can definately save money.

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survivingshtfmom:

Europe will be toast soon…if you think Germany is ‘safe’ think again, everyone will be trying to get in there. Asia? hmm…not with the Chinese or North Korans waiting for their chance to make a move. Japan? nope, too dependant upon imports…Canada? nope economic reasons, not to mention they don’t want us and are very strict with immigration. England? don’t think so, they are so far in the hole and depend on imports too. Ireland? in the same hole as us.

Running isn’t the answer. Staying put and doing what you can to help yourself is. Get out of the cities as far away as you can. Get some skills besides driving and complaining. Make friends with others who have real skills as you learn yours. Get some faith. Store food and water. Keep your mouth shut about your plans. I might make suggestions but I don’t tell all…loose lips sink ships you know? especially with DHS wanting everyone to rat on each other.

We are ALL in for a rough ride, one country goes and its like dominoes my friends. I just can’t figure out which one we are.

My father was a decorated Vietnam Vet, my husband was a Marine in the first Gulf War…these colors don’t run.

—–

Pastor Donald S. Eskine:

This Is What We Need To Do AS Americans!
REPENT!
14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.(2Chronicles 7:14

But You Must Know; The King Is Coming! (King Jesus)

—–

James:

If you don’t mind not living in the cities of the U.S. You probably won’t feel as much of an effect of the turmoil that will occur in the cities. If you can get a small farm and grow your own food, have the ability to sell some of the food, know how to fix and make things, can keep yourself physically fit and healthy. You should be alright. Most of the violence and lawlessness will be in the populated areas. The military and police will primarily concentrate on populated areas and not so much the rural areas. So, if you live in the country, you should be much better off.

—–

Stephanie:

Heartening to see how many people feel strongly about staying in the US and refusing to give up on her. I will NOT allow my country to be defined by the swamp called D.C. nor by those in the financial sector that have surely damned themselves to eternal Hell for how they have chosen to conduct themselves. I’m ready, willing and able to fight for her life (and mine) and fight for her I will!

—–

Agelbert:

There are a lot of serious and well thought out posts here which logically and accurately anticipate that a segment of the population will fight tyranny to the death, another segment will run and another segment will turn themselves into an amoral pretzel just to be on the gubmint’s good side. Depending on how much the gubmint squeezes the populace, this last segment will splinter into those that join the fight against tyranny and those that remain paralyzed and coopted by gubmint propaganda.

But let’s say that the squeeze is long and slow. What then? You have a home, a job and some free time now, as well as many conveniences that you will miss if you leave as well as missing family, community and cultural comfort. You must decide the point at which you are unwilling to compromise.

I have a modest retirement income. I realized about ten years ago that the greedsters and war profiteers have taken over the USA. I bought a manufactured home in a rent controlled state (Vermont), paid it off in 5 years and now can live in my 980 square feet quite decently ($415 lot rent) without fear of property taxes ruining me (about $700 for $48,000 assessment)or the gubmint or other criminals bothering me too much because I live a frugal life so I am not much of a target. I have a 15 year old car and no debts. If there is a worldwide gasolene shortage I can ride a bicycle to the supermarket if need be with no fear of being mugged as is the case in some countries. Remember that if you move, say, to Central or South America, you will need to take measures to avoid being a target of the gubmint or other criminals by living quietly without any outward bling.

I say, if you are going to have to do it there, why not just do it here? As others have said, the neoliberal assault is world wide. Why not just stay where you know the turf? Things may improve when most of your neighbors finally get it about the greedster/war profiteer takeover of the USA. You’ll have some ratfinks, sure, but at least you know the culture because it is your culture and you can more easily tell friend from foe as well as maintaining family, community and certain conveniences you are accustomed to.

Do you think all the tricks our gubmint is up to aren’t being repeated all over the planet? Do you think that you won’t have to fight the neoliberal onslaught somewhere else but without the benefit of being a member of that culture? Think again.

Finally, I disagree with those in the country that want to set up mines to keep the city folks from gaining refuge. They are Americans! What kind of future country do you want to build if you are going to start shooting desperate and needy families on sight? SHAME ON YOU! Love your neighbor as yourself is NOT OPTIONAL if you are a Christian. If you aren’t, you might as well move to Wall Street and embrace the neo-liberal greedster/war profiteering/people-are-commodities-to-be-used-and-discarded mind set.

If the city folks on the run show up, set them to work earning their keep tilling the soil, canning, picking the ticks off the horses or digging for worms. More people around defending an area means more security from human predators with guns.

Let’s stay here, treat each other with respect and work towards direct democracy. If we die trying, at least we died for a good cause.

—–

Randy:

I lost my job 2.5 years ago. My wife and I restructured our lives somewhat. We don’t buy anything we don’t need. We live mainly off our small farm and some part-time work when available. Last year we grossed around $8000. We still live surprisingly well and are very happy. One thing, it is not a life for someone lazy, or in need of an extravagant lifestyle. At one period I put 200 miles on my car in six months. We do have one thing going for us, we don’t owe anything and that is a key issue. I really think that is what individuals and the government should strive for, NO DEBT.

—–

stillcode:

This topic is very relevant to me so here are my 2 cents from my perspective.

I will soon graduate from graduate school with a degree in a medical field in which there is currently a large dearth of available workers. Job openings are available in virtually every state within the US. I will also soon be starting a family of my own. My first few years of working will be towards eliminating my student loan debt.

Many people on here have been saying how those who desert America are nothing but traitors and good riddance to them if they leave. They need to realize that the America of today is very different to the America that our founding fathers envisioned. My loyalty is first to my family, secondly to my country. If I can achieve the American dream outside of the US, I will do so.

Everyone who lives in the US is contributing to the problem by the forced taxation of our labor. Our taxes feed the beast, and it is in my moral judgment that voting with your feet and starving the beast is the better path to walk. I only see things turning around when enough people vote with their money and their feet to collapse the system, then rebuild from the ground up. Ex-patriots, whether they realize it or not, are contributing to this goal.

Realistically, what can we citizens do to change America? The voting system is broken, protesting has had negligible gains (whoop-dee-doo, BoA no longer charges $5 for checking accounts), our politicians represent the corporate interests through lobbying rather than their constituents, etc, etc, etc. Are people in any significant numbers going to express their dissent through getting off of their bums? People vehemently talk about retaking America, but then they don’t act on their words. Talking without action is meaningless. The most effective and non-violent form of protest, in our situation, is to vote with our feet.

I have had the experience of living in Japan, so I will say a few things about those thinking about moving to Japan.
As a foreigner, it will be difficult to start your own business without marrying a Japanese citizen. You can get permanent residency, but Japan is as much of a bureaucratic nightmare as is the US. Most foreigners who go to Japan work in the English language business. Going through the commercial ESL schools such as AEON is a good way to get a visa into Japan, but the working conditions are not so great. The best way to get a ticket into Japan is to go through the JET Program, however you must hold a bachelor’s degree to apply for the program. The government’s JET Program has the best working conditions (public schools from elementary through highschool) and I believe still pays 3,600,000 yen / year (approx. $40,000). If you go to Japan, don’t go if you have no intention of integrating into the culture there. Learn the language. Leave your ‘American-self’ behind. You will have a much better time interacting with the native Japanese and learn a whole different way of life and thinking there. Unless you can make a deal with a native Japanese on starting your own English school, it will be difficult if not impossible to stake out on your own.

My reason for not moving back to Japan is because my license is not recognized there.

I will more than likely stay within the US after graduation, but I am keeping my eyes open for any job postings where I can provide my future family with a higher standard of living. Places like Singapore and Dubai are particularly high on my list. I have no problem with learning another language, as I have already done so before.

For those of you who are encouraging young professionals such as myself to leave because of our discontent, I can only say that if you care about America, then you’ll consider leaving, too.

—–

Sunday:

Here’s the truth…

There is NO safe country on this planet…

The bible says in the last days, PERILOUS(another word for DANGEROUS) times will come.

Jesus warns that whoever seeks to SAVE their life will LOSE it and whoever seeks to LOSE their life will FIND it.

If you are SERIOUS about preparing for the END, and want SUPERNATURAL wisdom, visit the site below.
http://endtimepilgrim.org/etprep.htm

—–

tommcd:

The easiest places for Americans to relocate to would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand because the language is English and the culture is similar.
I would avoid the UK because they seem to be in just as big a mess as the USA currently is.

—–

Barbara:

A Single Grandmother’s Choice

The choice of which country might be best for me personally, is no choice at all. I have loved ones here, grand children whom I intend to be there for, through whatever comes our way. And I believe what’s coming will be horrific.

But think about life in another country. America is seen as the bully on the block by most countries. Now take your imaginings to a time that you have relocated to a foreign land and the Bankers have worked their evil across the globe. Do you see yourself safe in a foreign country as an American when the economy has crashed on a global scale? I think not.

And what will your life hold when your loved ones are thousands of miles away on American soil, and you are unable to help, unable to console and protect them?

My decision was to make a drastic lifestyle change, to get as far out of debt as possible, to move from a town to a homestead where there is land to grow vegetables and is far enough off-grid to protect those I love from looters and worse. For when the economy can no longer support fiat currency with nothing to back it but blind trust, when government can no longer offer food stamps and rent subsidies, those that the government has taught to depend upon handouts, whom have been made to believe are “entitled” WILL rebel. This decision was not an easy one! It has meant sacrifice for the past 8 years, and continues to be a sacrifice. But it is worth it. I believe the plans to ship our jobs overseas through trade agreements was not an economic “mistake” on the part of our leaders, nor was the economic collapse. Their plans are on a global scale, and it will be up to us to stand our ground and do whatever we can to try to salvage what’s left of America.

—–

20 Signs That The Culture Of Government Dependence Has Gotten Completely And Totally Out Of Control

More Americans are financially dependent on the government than ever before.  For a variety of reasons, there are now tens of millions of Americans that would not be able to survive without government assistance.  As I wrote about the other day, the insane economic policies of our “representatives” in Washington D.C. have created a situation where there are not nearly enough decent jobs for everyone.  So the job market has become a giant game of “musical chairs” and a lot of American families have been left out in the cold when the music has stopped.  Of course we are not going to let them starve in the streets.  There are also some Americans that simply do not have the capacity to take care of themselves.  It is certainly the compassionate thing to do to give them a helping hand.  However, with all of that said, we also have to face the fact that we have created a “culture of dependence” in this country.  Americans that are now in their prime working years have been taught all of their lives that the government is going to take care of them from the cradle to the grave.  This culture of government dependence has gotten completely and totally out of control, and now nearly half of all American households receive some form of government benefits.  As a result, our debt is absolutely exploding, everyone looks to the government to solve our problems and very few Americans seem to possess a very strong work ethic any longer.

This article is going to make a lot of people angry, but it is imperative that we all comes to grips with the fact that this is not how a society is supposed to work.  Yes, we should help those that do not have the capacity to help themselves.  Yes, the insane policies of the federal government have created this economic environment where very few people can find jobs.  We didn’t want to keep their jobs in the country, so now we are going to have to support millions of displaced American workers somehow.

However, the notion that the federal government is supposed to take care of us from the time that we are born until the time that we die is poisonous.  As you will see below, federal government handouts have absolutely skyrocketed in recent years, but this has just created an environment where people are demanding even more handouts.

The truth is that the government is not your mommy and your daddy.  The government is not there to take money away from someone else and give it to you.  The government is supposed to be the “referee” – not your own personal caretaker.

So should we just start dumping millions upon millions of people off of government welfare rolls?

Of course not.  We cannot do that, because from the time that they were babies millions of Americans have been taught to be completely dependent on the government.  If we just suddenly cut them off they would not be able to make it.  They simply have never learned how.  We aren’t going to let tens of millions of people starve in the streets.  A growing percentage of Americans have never learned how to make it on their own.

That is one of the reasons why this culture of government dependence is so toxic.  People never learn to take care of themselves.

Unfortunately, the American people have become absolutely addicted to government money.  One way not to get elected is to threaten to reduce the government checks that people get every month.  Any politician that is honest about what we really can afford usually does not get a whole lot of support.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with helping the poor, the needy, the homeless and the despairing.

But each year millions more Americans climb aboard the “safety net”.  As I keep warning, at some point the “safety net” is going to break.

The government is not supposed to be your God.  If you have problems, then you need to fix them.

Yes, without a doubt that is not an easy thing to do in this economic environment.  Our government has royally messed things up.

But life is not easy and life is not fair.  Sometimes you just have to do the best you can with what you have.  If you wait around for the government to be your savior, you will almost always end up deeply disappointed and you will never get anywhere in life.

The following are 20 signs that the culture of government dependence has gotten completely and totally out of control….

#1 If you can believe it, 48.5% of all Americans now live in a household that receives some form of government benefits.  Back in 1983, that number was less than 30 percent.

#2 Way too many Americans believe that the government should just swoop in and solve all of their problems.  For example, the plight of a single mother named Angel Adams made national headlines recently.  Over the years her relationships with three different men have produced 15 children, and she was recently found living in a single motel room with 12 of those children.

As you can see in the video below, Adams is looking for the government to come in and rescue her.  The following is what Adams told one reporter….

“Somebody needs to pay for all my children and my – for all my suffering. Somebody needs to be held accountable, and they need to pay.”

You can see news clips about this case in the video posted below….

After seeing this video, most Americans would respond with statements such as these….

*”The government needs to help that mother out”

*”The government needs to take those children away from her”

*”The government needs to keep women like that from having so many kids”

Do you see the common theme there?

Today, Americans almost always think that the solution to a problem involves the government doing something.

In America, women should be free to have as many children as they want.  But they should also not expect the government to swoop in and rescue them from the consequences of the choices that they have made.

Yes, we always need to make sure that all children have food to eat and a roof over their heads.  But it is not the job of the government to come in and control her life, and it is not the job of the government “to pay” for her to have a comfortable life either.

#3 The amount of money paid out to individual citizens by the government today is absolutely staggering.  In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income.  Today, government transfer payments account for 18.4% of all income.

#4 According to a recent ABC News report, suicides in rural America are spiking, and experts say that cuts to Medicaid are partly to blame….

Kathie Garrett, co-chairman of the Idaho Council on Suicide Prevention, says the problem has gotten only worse since the recession. “The poor economy and unemployment—those put a lot of stress on people’s lives,” she explains. To save money, people skip doctor visits and cut back on taking prescribed medications. Cuts in Medicaid have reduced the services available to the mentally ill.

“I personally know people who lost Medicaid who’ve attempted suicide,” says Garrett.

#5 By the end of 2011, approximately 55 million Americans will receive a total of 727 billion dollars in Social Security benefits.  In future years, this dollar figure is projected to absolutely skyrocket.

#6 When you total it all up, American households are now receiving more money from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes.

#7 It is being projected that the federal government will account for more than 50 percent of all health care spending in 2012.

#8 Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.  Today, one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid.

#9 According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security system paid out more in benefits than it received in payroll taxes in 2010.  That was not supposed to happen until at least 2016.

#10 The federal government is expected to “take care” of their workers far better than the private sector does.  If you can believe it, the average federal employee in the Washington D.C. area brings in total compensation worth more than $126,000 a year.

#11 Last year, federal employees “earned” approximately 447 billion dollars in total compensation.

#12 Spending by the federal government accounts for approximately one third of the GDP of the entire Washington D.C. region.

#13 The federal government spent more than 50 billion dollars on “housing assistance” in 2009.

#14 The U.S. government now says that the Medicare trust fund will run out five years faster than they were projecting just last year.

#15 The total cost of just three federal government programs – the Department of Defense, Social Security and Medicare – exceeded the total amount of taxes brought in during fiscal 2010 by 10 billion dollars.

#16 Right now, there are more than 45 million Americans on food stamps.  That means that approximately one out of every seven Americans is dependent on the federal government for food.

#17 The number of Americans on food stamps has increased 74% since 2007.

#18 Sadly, one out of every four American children is now on food stamps.

#19 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.

#20 According to one study, “64.3 million Americans depended on the government (read: their fellow citizens) for their daily housing, food, and health care” during 2009.

After reading this article, a lot of people may get the impression that I am greedy and that I am “on the side” of the rich.

That is not the case at all.

I have repeatedly written about the growing problem of income inequality in America.

I have repeatedly written about the need to reduce the power and the wealth of the big banks and the big corporations.

I have repeatedly written about how our government is run by wealthy people and almost all political campaigns are funded by wealthy people.

We need to level the playing field so that individuals and small businesses have a chance to thrive once again.

Unfortunately, a lot of people out there think that the solution to these problems is to raise taxes on the wealthy and redistribute even more money to those receiving handouts.

Number one, that will never get those on handouts on the road to a better life.  Handouts are never a permanent solution.  A good job is a permanent solution.

Number two, that will only make the culture of government dependence even worse.

Yes, we need to take care of the poor and the needy.

I am a huge advocate of that.

In the book of James, it says the following….

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

It is not the job of the government to take care of the poor and the needy.

It is our job.

If you are able to take care of yourself and your family, and you are not actively doing something to help the poor, then something is wrong.

There is nothing wrong with making a lot of money.

But there is something wrong with hoarding your wealth.

Sadly, most Americans have grown accustomed to the idea that they don’t have to take care of the poor because “the government” is going to do it.

That is another example of the “culture of government dependence”.  We have gotten so used to “the government” taking care of others that we don’t even lift a finger ourselves.

We need to stop waiting for the government to fix everything.

The government is not going to fix our lives.

The government is not going to fix the lives of those around us either.

We need to start taking responsibility for our own lives and for our own communities.

Does anyone disagree?

***UPDATE***

Here is another example from ABC News of an American that completely lost it when she realized that the government was not going to be her savior….

A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday.

We need to help the American people understand that the government is always going to end up failing them and that they need to fix their own lives.

The Worst In The World – The U.S. Balance Of Trade Is Mind-Blowingly Bad

Did you know that we buy about a half a trillion dollars more stuff from the rest of the world than they buy from us?  The U.S. balance of trade is not only mind-blowingly bad – it is the worst in the world.  It is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.  That would be an increase of more than 11 percent from last year.  As I have written about previously, the United States is the worst in the world at a lot of things, but as far as the economic well-being of our nation is concerned, our balance of trade is particularly important.  Every single month, far more money goes out of this country than comes into it.  Tax revenues are significantly reduced as all of this money gets sucked out of our communities.  The federal government, state governments and local governments borrow gigantic piles of money to try to make up the difference, but all of this borrowing just makes our debt problems a whole lot worse.  In the end, no amount of government debt is going to be able to cover over the fact that our national economic pie is shrinking.  We are continually consuming far more wealth than we produce, and that is a recipe for economic disaster.

The “current account balance” is one key indicator of how a country is doing economically.  The following is how the CIA World Factbook defines “current account balance”….

This entry records a country’s net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified.

If someone were to ask you what countries in the world have strong, thriving economies right now, what countries would you think of?

Would countries like China, Germany, Russia and Saudi Arabia come to mind?

Well, all of those nations have huge positive current account balances.  In fact, China has the best current account balance in the world at +$305 billion.

So who is on the other end of the scale?

The following information comes directly from a CIA World Factbook chart….

190 Turkey $ -48,420,000,000

191 Canada $ -48,500,000,000

192 India $ -51,780,000,000

193 France $ -54,400,000,000

194 United Kingdom $ -56,190,000,000

195 Spain $ -63,650,000,000

196 Italy $ -67,940,000,000

197 United States $ -470,200,000,000

The United States is rated dead last at number 197.

Just take a close look at those numbers for a minute.

The U.S. had a current account balance of negative 470 billion dollars in 2010.  That figure was almost 7 times worse than the next worst country (Italy).

Not only does the United States have the worst current account balance in the entire world, the truth is that no other country is even in the same ballpark as us.

We are bleeding wealth so fast that it is hard to even describe it.

But perhaps a real life example can help put this all into perspective.

One 22-year-old Saudi Arabian student has a collection of sports cars that is worth more than 12 million dollars.  Reportedly, his collection includes at least three Lamborghinis, five Ferraris and five Porsches.

And guess who paid for it?

You did.

Every month, billions of dollars go out of the United States to help pay for the insane lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy oil barons of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, dozens of major U.S. cities are degenerating into hellholes.

Once upon a time, Detroit was one of the greatest industrial cities that the world has ever seen.  It was the envy of the entire globe.

But now Detroit is an utter nightmare….

*An analysis of census figures found that 48.5% of all men living in Detroit from age 20 to age 64 did not have a job in 2008.

*If you can believe it, the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.

*Only 25 percent of students in Detroit graduate from high school.

So what happened to Detroit?

Well, just as has been happening in so many other U.S. cities, industry has been leaving at an astounding pace.

As I have written about previously, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day were shut down in the United States during 2010.

Overall, the U.S. has lost a total of more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities since 2001.

This country is bleeding middle class jobs profusely, and neither major political party seems to care.

American family budgets are being stretched tighter and tighter these days.  There are not nearly enough good jobs to go around and yet the cost of everything just seems to keep going up.

Many families are going into massive amounts of debt in an attempt to make ends meet.  According to a recent CNN article, credit card use in the United States is experiencing a major upswing once again….

Purchases made with credit cards rose 8.2% in the first quarter of 2011, 9% in the second quarter and 10.6% in the third quarter, according to First Data.

Of course American consumers were out in force on Black Friday once again this year.  They gleefully filled up their carts with cheap plastic crap made overseas, and many racked up huge credit card balances in the process.

But most of us never stop to think about those that make all of these cheap plastic products for us.

Thanks to the globalization of the economy, big corporations and corrupt governments can make stuff in countries where it is legal to pay slave labor wages and then ship their products into the United States for free.

It is important for all of us to learn what actually happens to these people that are working so hard for slave labor wages.  The following comes from a recent article in the Guardian….

At the Hung Hing factory the researcher found that the 8,000 workers put in up to 100 hours of overtime a month, far in excess of the legal maximum. Workers say they have to sign a document agreeing to work additional overtime on top of the legal maximum. The basic wage was £132 a month (up to £250 with maximum overtime payments) but wages were paid up to three weeks late.

Workers complained of inadequate training with the factory machines and last year one worker died when he fell into a machine. They said there were frequent injuries and concerns over the chemicals used. There were also complaints about the standard of the dormitories, where water for washing and flushing toilets is turned off at 10pm.

How in the world are American workers supposed to “compete” for jobs at those wage levels?

As I have written about previously, Professor Alan Blinder of Princeton University is warning that 40 million more U.S. jobs could be sent offshore over the next two decades if nothing is done to stop this.

But instead, our “representatives” in Congress just keep pushing more “free trade” agreements as the answer to our problems.  Congress has passed new free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, and the Obama administration has made “the NAFTA of the Pacific” a very high priority.

Well, if “free trade” is supposed to create so many jobs, then why was last decade the worst decade for the creation of jobs since the Great Depression?

If you can believe it, zero jobs were created between 1999 and 2009.  The following comes from an article in Washington Monthly….

“If any single number captures the state of the American economy over the last decade, it is zero. That was the net gain in jobs between 1999 and 2009—nada, nil, zip. By painful contrast, from the 1940s through the 1990s, recessions came and went, but no decade ended without at least a 20 percent increase in the number of jobs.”

But our leaders don’t care about us.  In fact, even the members of Obama’s “jobs panel” have been shipping jobs out of the United States at a very rapid pace.

The U.S. has run a negative balance of trade with the rest of the globe every single year since 1976.  During that time, the U.S. has run up a total trade deficit of more than 7.5 trillion dollars with the rest of the planet.

That 7.5 trillion dollars could have gone to support U.S. workers and U.S. businesses.

But it didn’t.  Instead, it went out of the country and it made foreigners wealthier as our own cities slowly rotted.

Now we are actually passing laws that encourage wealthy foreigners to come in and buy up pieces of the United States.

For example, there is actually a bill in Congress that would automatically give residence visas to any foreigners that are willing to spend at least half a million dollars to buy houses inside the United States.

The idea behind the bill is that this will get the housing market moving again.

There aren’t enough Americans with good jobs to buy houses, so we have now decided to beg foreigners to buy them.

How bizarre is that?

Until our horrendous balance of trade is fixed, the employment situation in this country is going to continue to get worse.

Any politician that tries to sell you on a “jobs plan” that does not address our balance of trade is either totally incompetent or is straight out lying to you.

The economic infrastructure of America is crumbling a little bit more every single day.  If something dramatic is not done, we will continue to bleed businesses, bleed jobs and bleed wealth.

Please share this information with as many people as you can.  The American people need to understand what is happening to the economy.  We need to work to wake up as many people as we can before it is too late.

Barack Obama Is Taking A 17 Day Vacation Even As America Falls Apart All Around Him

What in the world is Barack Obama thinking?  The United States of America is falling apart all around him, and yet he decides to take a 17 day Hawaiian vacation.  Does he even understand that he is the leader of the free world?  Does he even understand that this country is mired in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression?  Last year, a similar Hawaiian vacation by the Obamas ending up costing more than 1 million dollars.  Other than when I was in school, I don’t remember ever taking a 17 day vacation.  In fact, most Americans do not even get 17 vacation days for an entire year.  Yet the Obamas seem to think that part of occupying the White House is to take as many vacations as possible.  It has been reported that Michelle Obama spent over 10 million dollars of U.S. taxpayer money on vacations during just one recent 12 month period alone.  It would be one thing if they were taking these vacations at a time when America was thriving, but the truth is that the U.S. is facing one crisis after another right now.  Our debt is now over 15 trillion dollars.  If you can believe it, the U.S. government has not been operating under an approved budget for over 900 days.  More Americans fell into poverty last year than ever before.  More Americans are on food stamps than ever before.  An average of 23 manufacturing facilities were shut down every single day in the United States last year.  According to one recent report, only 7 percent of Americans that lost their jobs during the recession have “made it back” to where they were before the recession.  So perhaps Barack Obama should spend more time doing his job rather than taking extended vacations.

During this holiday season, tens of millions of American families are suffering horribly.  Any sane president would realize that this is not the time to be gallivanting off to Hawaii again.  The following short excerpt comes from a recent article in the Daily Mail…..

While most Americans are lucky to get a few weeks of holiday every year, it seems the country’s leader gets a little more freedom in the matter.

President Barack Obama has announced his Christmas vacation to Hawaii – for a staggering 17-day trip.

Obama, who visited the island just two weeks ago for an economic summit, will head to Honolulu on Saturday December 17 until Monday January 2.

But this is not just one isolated incident.  Obama has taken a whole bunch of vacations since he moved into the White House.  According to the New York Post, Barack Obama enjoyed a total of 10 separate vacations that stretched over a total of 90 vacation days during the years of 2009 and 2010.

In addition, Obama managed to find time for 29 rounds of golf during his first two years in office.

But reportedly the biggest “vacation junkie” of all in the Obama family is Michele Obama.

The following shocking excerpt comes from a different Daily Mail article….

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family’s nine-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued: ‘Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.

‘The vacations are totally Michelle’s idea. She’s like a junkie. She can’t schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next – all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans.’

During such hard economic times, how can Michelle Obama justify spending over 10 million dollars of U.S. taxpayer money on luxurious vacations?

The American people expect a president to be at the White House working night and day to solve the problems of this nation.

Sure, it would definitely be understandable to take a day or two off here and there, but the truth is that the president should be one of the hardest working people in the country.

Instead, Obama just seems to do less and less the longer that he is in the White House.  In fact, there have been numerous reports that Barack Obama barely even interacts with members of his own party in Congress anymore.

Our country is literally falling apart and we have a total lack of leadership at the top.

Sadly, there does not appear to be much hope on the horizon at the moment.

Right now, Newt Gingrich is leading the race for the Republican nomination.  If he wins the nomination, the American people will have a choice between two candidates that are almost identical in 2012.  The sad truth is that Newt Gingrich is not a conservative, and he never will be.  Rather, he is a big time establishment stooge that would keep marching America down the same road that Bush and Obama have been taking us.  When you sit down and really compare the Obama agenda to the Gingrich agenda, you will quickly find that they are almost entirely identical.  If the Republican Party nominates Newt Gingrich, it will be a complete and utter disgrace.

The reality is that we desperately need real leadership and real solutions.  Europe is on the verge of a massive financial meltdown.  If things take a wrong turn, we could easily be looking at a financial crisis even worse than the one we saw back in 2008.

Many in the mainstream media are using the word “recovery” now that the official unemployment has fallen to 8.6%, but as Mac Slavo recently pointed out, the real rate of unemployment is still up around 22 percent.

The official government numbers assume that 315,000 Americans “left the labor force” in November.  At a time when our population is constantly expanding, that seems like a shaky assumption at best.

The reality, as many of you out there are experiencing, is that times are hard and millions of Americans are becoming increasingly desperate.

For example, just check out what happened in the Sacramento area recently.  One church was hit by copper thieves three nights in row….

Members of a Carmichael church that had been targeted by copper thieves for two nights in a row managed to help nab the suspected thieves when the greedy pair returned for a third night.

Nobody is off limits for thieves these days.  If you can believe it, people are even stealing food from food pantries now.

This country is in a massive amount of economic trouble, and we desperately need some solutions.

But perhaps we should be thankful that Obama is taking so many vacations.

After all, just about everything he has done so far has ended up making things even worse.

Perhaps it is better if he simply does nothing at all.

But at some point this country is going to need real leadership and real solutions.

So what do all of you think?

Do you think that there is any hope for this country on the horizon?

Tens Of Millions Of American Families Are Living On The Edge Of Desperation – And The Economy Is About To Get A Whole Lot Worse

Have you ever been so poor that you had to live in your car?  Have you ever been so low on funds that the only place you could afford to live was a rat-infested motel?  Have you ever spent a night living in a tent city or sleeping in the streets?  If not, you should consider yourself to be very fortunate.  As the recent Black Friday madness demonstrated, there are still lots of Americans that are doing well enough to go on wild shopping sprees, but the reality is that there are also millions of American families that are falling through the “safety net” to a place of total desperation.  In a previous article I talked about the fact that the U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that a higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty than has ever been measured before.  Not only that, 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.  That was also a new all-time record.  As you read this, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four U.S. children is on food stamps.  Tens of millions of American families are living on the edge of desperation.  In many communities across the United States, there is so much despair in the air that it is almost tangible.  When you look into the eyes of many Americans these days, it almost seems as if all the hope has been sucked right out of their hearts.  Economic despair is at epidemic levels, and unfortunately the economy is about to get a whole lot worse.

Did you see the report on families that are living in their cars that Scott Pelley did for 60 Minutes the other night?

If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend that you take a few minutes to check it out.

At one school in Florida alone, Pelley met 15 children who had been living in  their cars.

The following is a brief excerpt from Pelley’s report….

This is the home of the Metzger family. Arielle,15. Her brother Austin, 13. Their mother died when they were very young. Their dad, Tom, is a carpenter. And, he’s been looking for work ever since Florida’s construction industry collapsed. When foreclosure took their house, he bought the truck on Craigslist with his last thousand dollars. Tom’s a little camera shy – thought we ought to talk to the kids – and it didn’t take long to see why.

Pelley: How long have you been living in this truck?

Arielle Metzger: About five months.

Pelley: What’s that like?

Arielle Metzger: It’s an adventure.

Austin Metzger: That’s how we see it.

Pelley: When kids at school ask you where you live, what do you tell ’em?

Austin Metzger: When they see the truck they ask me if I live in it, and when I hesitate they kinda realize. And they say they won’t tell anybody.

You can view the entire 60 Minutes report below….

Did you ever think that this would happen to America?

What makes things even sadder is that there are millions upon millions of empty homes right now in the United States.

Millions of American families have been foreclosed upon in recent years and home prices keep falling with no end in sight.

In fact, today it was reported that home prices are now the lowest that they have been in eight years.

So why aren’t people renting or buying more homes?

Well, the truth is that you can’t afford a mortgage payment or a rent payment if you don’t have a decent job.

When someone can’t find a good job, then none of the other economic statistics that many of us love to talk about so much really matter.

That is why I write about what is happening to American jobs so often.  Today, big corporations are shipping as many jobs as they can out of the country.  An average of 23 manufacturing facilities were shut down every single day in the United States last year.  Even though our population is rapidly increasing, there are 10 percent fewer middle income jobs in the U.S. today than there were a decade ago.  Until this trend gets reversed, the number of American families living in their vehicles is only going to increase.

Unfortunately, the U.S. economy is about to get even worse.

Today, it was announced that American Airlines has filed for bankruptcy.  Sadly, there will be many more companies filing for bankruptcy during the upcoming economic downturn.

As I wrote about yesterday, we really are on the verge of a major league collapse of the financial system in Europe.

Jim Cramer of CNBC says that because of what is happening in Europe, the global financial system is at “DEFCON 3, two stages from a financial collapse that is so huge it’s hard to get your mind around.”

Unfortunately, Jim Cramer is not exaggerating.  The global economy is heading for a massive amount of trouble if something dramatic is not done immediately.

This is not a drill.  Bert Van Roosebeke, an economist with the Center for European Policy, recently made the following statement about the cold, hard reality now facing Europe….

“We’re actually really running out of money”

Back during the early 1930s, the flow of credit was greatly restricted and that was one of the primary causes of the Great Depression.  Back in 2008, another massive credit crunch just about brought the financial world to its knees.

Well, now it is starting to happen again.  A nightmarish credit crunch has already begun in Europe, and nobody seems to have any answers about how to stop it.

The following comes from an article in the New York Times….

From global airlines and shipping giants to small manufacturers, all kinds of companies are feeling the strain as European banks pull back on lending in an effort to hoard capital and shore up their balance sheets.

The result is a credit squeeze for companies from Berlin to Beijing, edging the world economy toward another slump.

When there is a credit crunch of this magnitude, it causes the money supply to start to shrink.  This is already happening all over Europe as a recent article in the Telegraph noted….

All key measures of the money supply in the eurozone contracted in October with drastic falls across parts of southern Europe, raising the risk of severe recession over coming months.

Right now, we are seeing the money supply in each of the “PIIGS” nations fall at a staggering rate.  The following comes from the same Telegraph article referenced above….

Simon Ward from Henderson Global Investors said “narrow” M1 money – which includes cash and overnight deposits, and signals short-term spending plans – shows an alarming split between North and South.

While real M1 deposits are still holding up in the German bloc, the rate of fall over the last six months (annualised) has been 20.7pc in Greece, 16.3pc in Portugal, 11.8pc in Ireland, and 8.1pc in Spain, and 6.7pc in Italy. The pace of decline in Italy has been accelerating, partly due to capital flight. “This rate of contraction is greater than in early 2008 and implies an even deeper recession, both for Italy and the whole periphery,” said Mr Ward.

Those numbers are really, really bad.

But instead of doing something to prepare for the coming economic crisis, members of the U.S. Congress are focused on stripping even more of our liberties and freedoms away from us.

As I wrote about yesterday, a new law (S. 1867) is being pushed through the U.S. Senate that is extremely frightening.

If this bill becomes a law, the United States of America would officially become part of the “battlefield” in the war on terror, and any American citizen could easily be flagged as a “potential terrorist”.

Once identified as a “potential terrorist”, the U.S. military would be able to arrest you, take you to a foreign prison and detain you for the rest of your life without ever having to charge you with anything.

What in the world is happening to America?

Unfortunately, as the economy gets even worse civil unrest in this country is going to intensify and the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is going to start to disappear.

In response to the coming civil unrest, the U.S. Congress will try to pass laws that will be even more repressive than S. 1867.

Our nation has entered a downward spiral and things are going to become very frightening if this thing is not turned around.

So what do all of you see happening as we get ready to enter 2012?  Please feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below….

22 Reasons Why We Could See An Economic Collapse In Europe In 2012

Will 2012 be the year that we see an economic collapse in Europe?  Before you dismiss the title of this article as “alarmist”, read the facts listed in the rest of this article first.  Over the past several months, there has been an astonishing loss of confidence in the European financial system.  Right now, virtually nobody wants to loan money to financially troubled nations in the EU and virtually nobody wants to lend money to major European banks.  Remember, one of the primary reasons for the financial crisis of 2008 was a major credit crunch that happened here in the United States.  This burgeoning credit crunch in Europe is just one element of a “perfect storm” that is rapidly coming together as we get ready to go into 2012.  The signs of trouble are everywhere.  All over Europe, governments are implementing austerity measures and dramatically cutting back on spending.  European banks are substantially cutting back on lending as they seek to meet new capital requirements that are being imposed upon them.  Meanwhile, bond yields are going through the roof all over Europe as investors lose confidence and demand much higher returns for investing in European debt.  It has become clear that without a miracle happening, quite a few European nations and a significant number of European banks are not going to be able to get the funding that they need from the market in 2012.  The only thing that is going to avert a complete and total financial meltdown in Europe is dramatic action, but right now European leaders are so busy squabbling with each other that a bold plan seems out of the question.

The following are 22 reasons why we could see an economic collapse in Europe in 2012….

#1 Germany could rescue the rest of Europe, but that would take an unprecedented financial commitment, and the German people do not have the stomach for that.  It has been estimated that it would cost Germany 7 percent of GDP over several years in order to sufficiently bail out the other financially troubled EU nations.  Such an amount would far surpass the incredibly oppressive reparations that Germany was forced to pay out in the aftermath of World War I.

A host of recent surveys has shown that the German people are steadfastly against bailing out the rest of Europe.  For example, according to one recent poll 57 percent of the German people are against the creation of eurobonds.

At this point, German politicians are firmly opposed to any measure that would place an inordinate burden on German taxpayers, so unless this changes that means that Europe is not going to be saved from within.

#2 The United States could rescue Europe, but the Obama administration knows that it would be really tough to sell that to the American people during an election season.  The following is what White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said today about the potential for a bailout of Europe by the United States….

“This is something they need to solve and they have the capacity to solve, both financial capacity and political will”

Carney also said that the Obama administration does not plan to commit any “additional resources” to rescuing Europe….

“We do not in any way believe that additional resources are required from the United States and from American taxpayers.”

#3 Right now, banks all over Europe are in deleveraging mode as they attempt to meet new capital-adequacy requirements by next June.

According to renowned financial journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, European banks need to reduce the amount of lending on their books by about 7 trillion dollars in order to get down to safe levels….

Europe’s banks face a $7 trillion lending contraction to bring their balance sheets in line with the US and Japan, threatening to trap the region in a credit crunch and chronic depression for a decade.

So what does that mean?

It means that European banks are going to be getting really, really stingy with loans.

That means that it is going to become really hard to buy a home or expand a business in Europe, and that means that the economy of Europe is going to slow down substantially.

#4 European banks are overloaded with “toxic assets” that they are desperate to get rid of.  Just like we saw with U.S. banks back in 2008, major European banks are busy trying to unload mountains of worthless assets that have a book value of trillions of euros, but virtually nobody wants to buy them.

#5 Government austerity programs are now being implemented all over Europe.  But government austerity programs can have very negative economic effects.  For example, we have already seen what government austerity has done to Greece. 100,000 businesses have closed and a third of the population is now living in poverty.

But now governments all over Europe have decided that austerity is the way to go.  The following comes from a recent article in the Economist….

France’s budget plans are close to being agreed on; further cuts are likely but will be delayed until after the elections in spring. Italy has yet to vote through a much-revised package of cuts. Spain’s incoming government has promised further spending cuts, especially in regional outlays, in order to meet deficit targets agreed with Brussels.

#6 The amount of debt owed by some of these European nations is so large that it is difficult to comprehend.  For example, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain owe the rest of the world about 3 trillion euros combined.

So what will massive government austerity do to troubled nations such as Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy?  Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is very concerned about what even more joblessness will mean for many of those countries….

Even today, the jobless rate for youth is near 10pc in Japan. It is already 46pc in Spain, 43pc in Greece, 32pc in Ireland, and 27pc in Italy. We will discover over time what yet more debt deleveraging will do to these societies.

#7 Europe was able to bail out Greece and Ireland, but there is no way that Italy will be able to be rescued if they require a full-blown bailout.

Unfortunately, Italy is in the midst of a massive financial meltdown as you read this.  The yield on two year Italian bonds is now about double what it was for most of the summer.  There is no way that is sustainable.

It would be hard to overstate how much of a crisis Italy represents.  The following is how former hedge fund manager Bruce Krasting recently described the current situation….

At this point there is zero possibility that Italy can refinance any portion of its $300b of 2012 maturing debt. If there is anyone at the table who still thinks that Italy can pull off a miracle, they are wrong. I’m certain that the finance guys at the ECB and Italian CB understand this. I repeat, there is a zero chance for a market solution for Italy.

Krasting believes that either Italy gets a gigantic mountain of cash from somewhere or they will default within six months and that will mean the start of a global depression….

I think the Italian story is make or break. Either this gets fixed or Italy defaults in less than six months. The default option is not really an option that policy makers would consider. If Italy can’t make it, then there will be a very big crashing sound. It would end up taking out most of the global lenders, a fair number of countries would follow into Italy’s vortex. In my opinion a default by Italy is certain to bring a global depression; one that would take many years to crawl out of.

#8 An Italian default may be closer than most people think.  As the Telegraph recently reported, just to refinance existing debt, the Italian government must sell more than 30 billion euros worth of new bonds by the end of January….

Italy’s new government will have to sell more than EURO 30 billion of new bonds by the end of January to refinance its debts. Analysts say there is no guarantee that investors will buy all of those bonds, which could force Italy to default.

The Italian government yesterday said that in talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Prime Minister Mario Monti had agreed that an Italian collapse “would inevitably be the end of the euro.”

#9 European nations other than just the “PIIGS” are getting into an increasing amount of trouble.  For example, S&P recently slashed the credit rating of Belgium to AA.

#10 Credit downgrades are coming fast and furious all over Europe now.  At this point it seems like we see a new downgrade almost every single week.  Some nations have been downgraded several times.  For instance, Fitch has downgraded the credit rating of Portugal again.  At this point it is being projected that Portuguese GDP will shrink by about 3 percent in 2012.

#11 The financial collapse of Hungary didn’t make many headlines in the United States, but it should have.  Moody’s has cut the credit rating of Hungarian debt to junk status, and Hungary has now submitted a formal request to the EU and the IMF for a bailout.

#12 Even faith in German debt seems to be wavering. Last week, Germany had “one of its worst bond auctions ever“.

#13 German banks are also starting to show signs of weakness.  The other day, Moody’s downgraded the ratings of 10 major German banks.

#14 As the Telegraph recently reported, the British government is now making plans based on the assumption that a collapse of the euro is only “just a matter of time”….

As the Italian government struggled to borrow and Spain considered seeking an international bail-out, British ministers privately warned that the break-up of the euro, once almost unthinkable, is now increasingly plausible.

Diplomats are preparing to help Britons abroad through a banking collapse and even riots arising from the debt crisis.

The Treasury confirmed earlier this month that contingency planning for a collapse is now under way.

A senior minister has now revealed the extent of the Government’s concern, saying that Britain is now planning on the basis that a euro collapse is now just a matter of time.

#15 The EFSF was supposed to help bring some stability to the situation, but the truth is that the EFSF is already a bad joke.  It has been reported that the EFSF has already been forced to buy up huge numbers of its own bonds.

#16 Unfortunately, it looks like a run on the banks has already begun in Europe.  The following comes from a recent article in The Economist….

“We are starting to witness signs that corporates are withdrawing deposits from banks in Spain, Italy, France and Belgium,” an analyst at Citi Group wrote in a recent report. “This is a worrying development.”

#17 Confidence in European banks has been absolutely shattered and virtually nobody wants to lend them money right now.

The following is a short excerpt from a recent CNBC article….

Money-market funds in the United States have quite dramatically slammed shut their lending windows to European banks. According to the Economist, Fitch estimates U.S. money market funds have withdrawn 42 percent of their money from European banks in general.

And for France that number is even higher — 69 percent. European money-market funds are also getting in on the act.

#18 There are dozens of major European banks that are in danger of failing.  The reality is that most major European banks are leveraged to the hilt and are massively exposed to sovereign debt.  Before it fell in 2008, Lehman Brothers was leveraged 31 to 1.  Today, major German banks are leveraged 32 to 1, and those banks are currently holding a massive amount of European sovereign debt.

#19 According to the New York Times, the economy of the EU is already projected to shrink slightly next year, and this doesn’t even take into account what is going to happen in the event of a total financial collapse.

#20 There are already signs that the European economy is seriously slowing down.  Industrial orders in the eurozone declined by 6.4 percent during September.  That was the largest decline that we have seen since the midst of the financial crisis in 2008.

#21 Panic and fear are everywhere in Europe right now.  The European Commission’s index of consumer confidence has declined for five months in a row.

#22 European leaders are really busy fighting with each other and a true consensus on how to solve the current problems seems way off at the moment.  The following is how the Express recently described rising tensions between German and British leaders….

The German Chancellor rejected outright Mr Cameron’s opposition to a new EU-wide financial tax that would have a devastating impact on the City of London.

And she refused to be persuaded by his call for the European Central Bank to support the euro. Money markets took a dip after their failure to agree.

Are you starting to get the picture?

The European financial system is in a massive amount of trouble, and when it melts down the entire globe is going to be shaken.

But it isn’t just me that is saying this.  As I mentioned in a previous article, there are huge numbers of respected economists all over the globe that are now saying that Europe is on the verge of collapse.

For example, just check out what Credit Suisse is saying about the situation in Europe….

“We seem to have entered the last days of the euro as we currently know it. That doesn’t make a break-up very likely, but it does mean some extraordinary things will almost certainly need to happen – probably by mid-January – to prevent the progressive closure of all the euro zone sovereign bond markets, potentially accompanied by escalating runs on even the strongest banks.”

Many European leaders are promoting much deeper integration and a “European superstate” as the answer to these problems, but it would take years to implement changes that drastic, and Europe does not have that kind of time.

If Europe experiences a massive economic collapse and a prolonged depression, it may seem like “the end of the world” to some people, but things will eventually stabilize.

A lot of people out there seem to think that the global economy is going to go from its present state to “Mad Max” in a matter of weeks.  Well, that is just not going to happen.  The coming troubles in Europe will just be another “wave” in the ongoing economic collapse of the western world.  There will be other “waves” after that.

Of course this current sovereign debt crisis could be entirely averted if the countries of the western world would just shut down their central banks and start issuing debt-free money.

The truth is that there is no reason why any sovereign nation on earth ever has to go a penny into debt to anyone.  If a nation is truly sovereign, then the government has the right to issue all of the debt-free money that it wants.  Yes, inflation would always be a potential danger in such a system (just as it is under central banking), but debt-free money would mean that government debt problems would be a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, most of the countries of the world operate under a system where more government debt is created when more currency is created.  The inevitable result of such a system is what we are witnessing now.  At this point, nearly the entire western world is drowning in debt.

There are alternatives to our current system.  But nobody in the mainstream media ever talks about them.

So instead of focusing on truly creative ways to deal with our current problems, we are all going to experience the bitter pain of the coming economic collapse instead.

Things did not have to turn out this way.

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