The Economy

The Financial Crisis Of 2008 Was Just A Warm Up Act For The Economic Horror Show That Is Coming

The people out there that believe that the U.S. economy is experiencing a permanent recovery and that very bright days are ahead for us should have their heads examined.  Unfortunately, what we are going through right now is simply just a period of “hopetimism” between two financial crashes.  Things may seem relatively stable right now, but it won’t last long.  The truth is that the financial crisis of 2008 was just a warm up act for the economic horror show that is coming.  Nothing really got fixed after the crash of 2008.  We are living in the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world, and it has gotten even bigger since then.  The “too big to fail” banks are larger now than they have ever been.  Americans continue to run up credit card balances like there is no tomorrow.  Tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities and millions of jobs continue to leave the country.  We continue to consume far more than we produce and we continue to become poorer as a nation.  None of the problems that caused the crisis of 2008 have been solved and we are even weaker financially than we were back then.  So why in the world are so many people so optimistic about the economy right now?

Just take a look at the chart posted below.  It shows the growth of total debt in the United States.  During the financial crisis of 2008 there was a little “hiccup”, but the truth is that not much deleveraging really took place at all.  And since the recession “ended”, total credit market debt has gone on to even greater heights….

So what does this mean for the future?

Well, if a small “hiccup” in the debt bubble caused so much chaos back in 2008, what is going to happen when this debt bubble finally bursts?

That is something to think about.

Sadly, most Americans seem oblivious to all of this.

If you go out to malls in the wealthy areas of America today, people are charging up a storm.  In all, Americans charged a whopping 2.5 trillion dollars on their credit cards during 2011.  Way too many people have already forgotten the lessons that we all learned back in 2008.

Of course some Americans pay off their credit cards every month, but way too many Americans are not doing that.  Today, Americans are carrying 793 billion dollars in revolving credit balances.

And student loan debt is an even bigger bubble than credit card debt is.  As I have written about previously, total student loan debt in America is rapidly approaching a trillion dollars.

So it looks like U.S. consumers have not learned to stay away from debt.

That is not good.

Well, what about the banks?

Has the financial system learned any lessons since 2008?

No, not really.

Sadly, the “too big to fail” banks are now even bigger than ever.  The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.  If they were to fail today, they would be even more of a threat to our financial system than they were back in 2008.

And our major banks continue to be very highly leveraged.  In fact, major banks all over the world are absolutely swamped with debt.

The following statistics come from Zero Hedge….

The U.S. banking system is leveraged 13 to 1.

The Japanese banking system is leveraged 23 to 1.

The French banking system is leveraged 26 to 1.

The German banking system is leveraged 32 to 1.

These are insane levels of leverage, and they are just inviting another major financial crisis.

Do you all remember Lehman Brothers?  The fact that they were leveraged so highly is what did them in back in 2008.  When the value of their holdings declined by just a little bit they were totally wiped out.

Well, during this next financial crisis large financial institutions are going to be wiped out all over the world.  Major banks all over the globe are going to be crying out for more bailouts when things take a turn against them.

They are making the exact same mistakes that they made before, and they are going to be expecting more government handouts when things go bad.

Will we ever learn?

So obviously the banking system has not learned any lessons.

What about the federal government?

Well, if you follow my blog regularly, you know that I love to write about how horrific U.S. government debt is.

Unfortunately, over the past four years things have gotten so much worse.

Back in 2008, the U.S. national debt crossed the 10 trillion dollar mark.

Just recently, it crossed the 15 trillion dollar mark.

So now we are in a much weaker position financially to respond to another major financial crisis.

Just check out the chart posted below.  This is a recipe for national financial suicide….

During fiscal 2011, the Obama administration stole close to 150 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour.

At the moment, the legacy of debt that we are passing on to future generations is sitting a grand total of $15,351,406,294,640.49.

But keep in mind that it is going up every single hour.

Meanwhile, our ability to service that debt is declining.  We are rapidly getting poorer as a nation.

During 2011, the amount of money that left the United States exceeded the amount of money that entered the United States by more than a half a trillion dollars.

This gap is called a trade deficit, and it is absolutely ripping our economy to shreds.

For a moment, imagine Uncle Sam standing next to a giant pile of money on a map of the United States.  Then imagine a half a trillion dollars being taken out of that pile every single year.

So why haven’t we totally run out of money yet?

Well, it is because we borrow those dollars back.  In order to maintain our false standard of living, our federal government, our state governments and our local governments have to go out and beg the rest of the world to lend us our dollars back.

Sadly, our government schools have “dumbed-down” the population so much that most of them don’t even know what a “trade deficit” is anymore.

Meanwhile, our economic infrastructure is being gutted like a fish.

Look, I know that I go over this point over and over and over, but it is absolutely imperative that we all understand this.

The half a trillion dollars a year that leaves this country every year could have gone to support businesses and jobs inside the United States.

But instead it is going to support businesses and jobs on the other side of the world.

The consequences of this are absolutely devastating.

According to U.S. Representative Betty Sutton, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day closed down in the United States during 2010.  Overall, more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities in the United States have shut down since 2001.

Even many so-called “American companies” have been bought up by the rest of the world.  The following comes from a recent article posted on Economy In Crisis….

RCA is now a French company, Zenith is a Korean company. Frigidaire is a Swedish company. IBM’s Personal Computer Division—with its 500 patents—is now a Chinese company. Westinghouse Nuclear Energy’s major shareholder is Toshiba—a Japanese Company. Lucent Technologies, a former research division of AT&T, along with all the patents acquired from the beginning of the phone system, is now a French company. In 2008, Brazilian-Belgian brewing company InBev purchased the iconic American brewer Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser. With the sale of these manufacturing companies, the future profit and technologies all belong to foreign entities.

We once had the greatest economic machine in the history of the world.

Now it is being dismantled and bought up by foreigners.

When America’s economic infrastructure declines, that means that there are less jobs available for all of us.

As I wrote about the other day, the employment situation in this country is not getting better and we have never even come close to recovering from the recession that started back in 2008.

During 2008 and 2009, the U.S. economy lost millions of jobs.  Since the beginning of 2010, the percentage of the U.S. population that has had a job has remained very stable….

Normally, when a recession ends the percentage of Americans that have a job bounces back pretty dramatically.

So considering the fact that the employment situation has never recovered from the last financial crisis, what is going to happen when the next financial crisis hits?

And most of the jobs that have been “created” during this so-called “recovery” have been low income jobs.  In fact, if you look closely at the employment numbers that were released last Friday, you will find that the vast majority of the “new jobs” were part-time jobs.

But you cannot pay a mortgage and support a family on a part-time job.

Sadly, the truth is that median household income in America has been steadily dropping over the past several years.  Tens of millions of American families are deeply struggling and more Americans than ever are falling into poverty.

Back in the year 2000, about one out of every nine Americans was living in poverty.  Today, about one out of every seven Americans is living in poverty.

All of this is causing a great deal of anxiety in America today.  Large numbers of Americans know that something has fundamentally changed, even if they don’t understand the specifics.  That is one reason why sites such as this one have become so popular.  People want some answers.

And once people get some answers about what is really happening, they tend to want to prepare for the hard times that are coming.

In a few days, a new series on National Geographic entitled “Doomsday Preppers” premieres.  The mainstream media is starting to take notice of the growing “prepper” movement in America today.  It is estimated that there are at least 2 million “preppers” in the United States at this point.  Of course people are “prepping” for a whole host of reasons, but the number one concern among most groups of preppers is the economy.

As the economy crumbles, more Americans than ever have decided that it is not a good thing to be 100% dependent on the system.

Back in 2008 and 2009, millions of Americans suddenly lost their jobs.  Because they did not have any finances stored up, large numbers of them also lost their homes.  Many went from being solidly middle class to being out on the street in a matter of months.

That doesn’t have to happen to you.  Instead of blowing your money on frivolous things, do what you can to set something aside for the difficult times that are on the horizon.

A lot of those “in the know” are quietly making their own preparations.  For example, legendary film director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic and Terminator) has purchased more than 2600 acres of farmland in New Zealand and he is getting out of the U.S. for good apparently.

Unfortunately, most of us do not have the resources for something like that.  But what most of us can do is we can change our priorities and start focusing on the things that will help us survive the hard times that are coming.

So are you ready?

16 Statistics Which Show That The Number Of Americans Dependent On The Government Is At An All-Time High

A higher percentage of the American population is receiving government benefits than ever before.  Yes, there have always been poor people that have needed our assistance, but what does it say about our economy that the number of Americans dependent on the government is at an all-time high?  Every night on the evening news we are told that the economy is improving, and Barack Obama is endlessly giving speeches about the “economic recovery” that is supposedly underway.  But that is not the reality on the ground for those on the bottom rungs of the income ladder in America.  People are really hurting out there, and the number of Americans that are turning to the government for financial assistance just continues to increase.  Yes, we should always have a “safety net”, but right now our “safety net” is becoming massively overloaded as millions more Americans jump on to it every single year.  What all of these impoverished Americans really need are jobs, but the U.S. Congress and the past several administrations have been systematically killing job growth in America.  So unfortunately the number of poor Americans is going to continue to rise, and that is really bad news for a nation that is already drowning in debt.

Some people out there want to blame the poor for the statistics that you are about to read, but that is a mistake.  Yes, there are a lot of people out there that are abusing the system, and that needs to be stopped.

But many Americans that are dependent on the government are in that situation because there simply are not enough jobs in this country.

And unfortunately, the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress continue to pursue the same job-killing policies that have gotten us into this mess in the first place.  So millions of Americans that have learned to survive as government dependents are not being given the opportunity to break out of that cycle.  When there is a shortage of decent jobs, it is easy to give up.  Many tend to become more and more comfortable being dependent on the government as time goes by.

Once you become addicted to getting a government check in the mail, it can be very difficult to give that up.  There are some that get trapped in a life of government dependence for years or even decades.

The following are 16 statistics which show that the number of Americans dependent on the government is at an all-time high….

#1 According to the Census Bureau, 49 percent of all Americans live in a home that gets direct monetary benefits from the federal government.  Back in 1983, less than a third of all Americans lived in a home that received direct monetary benefits from the federal government.

#2 The amount of money that the federal government gives directly to Americans has increased by 32 percent since Barack Obama entered the White House.

#3 The number of Americans receiving Social Security disability benefits has increased by 10 percent since Barack Obama first took office.

#4 Back in 1990, the federal government accounted for 32 percent of all health care spending in America.  Today, that figure is up to 45 percent and it is projected to surpass 50 percent very shortly.

#5 The number of Americans on food stamps recently hit a new all-time high.  It has increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama first entered the White House.

#6 Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.  This is unprecedented in American history.

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

#8 Back in 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income.  In 2010, government transfer payments accounted for 18.4% of all income, which was a new all-time high.

#9 By the end of 2011, approximately 55 million Americans received a total of approximately 727 billion dollars in Social Security benefits.  As the retirement crisis becomes much worse, that dollar figure is projected to absolutely skyrocket.

#10 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.

#11 Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.  Today, one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid, and things are about to get a whole lot worse.  It is being projected that Obamacare will add 16 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls.

#12 The U.S. government now says that the Medicare trust fund will run out five years faster than previously anticipated.

#13 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.

#14 It is being projected that entitlement spending by the federal government will nearly double by the year 2050.

#15 Right now, spending by the federal government accounts for about 24 percent of GDP.  Back in 2001, it accounted for just 18 percent.

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

Once again, I am not blaming the poor.  Almost all of us know of someone that is on government assistance.  Most of them are not dependent on the government because they are lazy or because they want to cheat the system.  Most of them have just had their dreams crushed by this horrible economy and need a helping hand.

It is incredible how anyone can run around claiming that the U.S. economy is heading in the right direction with all of this going on.

Yes, things are going fairly well for the boys and girls down on Wall Street, but for the vast majority of Americans things are looking quite bleak.

For example, things have gotten so bad that the state of Florida is actually considering using ballparks and sports stadiums as shelters for the homeless.

But when it comes to so many people being financially dependent on the federal government, there is a major problem.

The problem is that the federal government is absolutely drowning in debt.

So why don’t our politicians just explain to the American people that we need to start cutting back and reducing the size of some of these programs?

Well, if any of our politicians try to do that they won’t get elected next time around.

The truth is that the American people are deeply addicted to government money.

Any politician that proposes significant cuts to Social Security or Medicare is a goner.

Every poll or survey that is done on this subject shows that the American people are overwhelmingly against cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare.

So politicians will just keep spending money like there is no tomorrow, and the American people will just keep sending them back to Washington.

But just like we saw in Greece, a day of reckoning comes eventually.

There will come a time when the federal government will not be able to steal 150 million dollars an hour from our children and our grandchildren.

There will come a time when there will not be enough money for all of these growing social programs.

So once the government checks stop rolling in, what is going to happen then?

If The Economy Is Improving….

Everywhere you turn these days, someone is proclaiming that the economy is improving.  Barack Obama is endlessly touting the “improvement” in the economy, the mainstream media is constantly talking about “the economic recovery” and an increasing number of Americans seem to be buying into this line of thinking.  A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 37 percent of Americans believe that the economy will improve over the next year, while only 17 percent of Americans believe that it will get worse.  But is the economy actually improving?  Not really.  At the moment things are relatively stable.  Some economic statistics are improving slightly and some continue to get even worse.  However, it is very important to keep in mind that one of the biggest reasons why things have stabilized is because the federal government is pumping more than a trillion dollars a year into the economy that it does not have.  The Obama administration is engaging in a debt binge unlike anything America has ever seen before, and yet many economic indicators are still in decline.  So what is going to happen when the federal government stops injecting gigantic waves of borrowed money into the economy?  That is a frightening thing to think about.  The best efforts of our “leaders” in Washington D.C. are not accomplishing a whole lot.  The Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates as low as they can go and the federal government is spending unprecedented amounts of money.  But even with the federal government and the Federal Reserve pushing the accelerator all the way to the floor, the economy is still not improving much at all.  Millions upon millions of Americans out there are anticipating some sort of a “great economic recovery”, and they are going to be bitterly disappointed.

But right now there are some “bright spots” in the economy, and you are bound to run into family and friends that will repeat to you the nonsense that they are hearing on the television about how the economy is recovering.

When they try to convince you that the economy is getting better, ask them these questions….

If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?

If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama entered the White House?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in “extreme poverty” at an all-time high?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?

If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?

If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?

If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining?  Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?

If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?

If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?

If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of “long-term unemployed workers” stay so high?  When Barack Obama first took office, the number of “long-term unemployed workers” in the United States was approximately 2.6 million.  Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.

But there is some good news.

When Barack Obama first took office, an ounce of gold was going for about $850.  Today, the price of an ounce of gold is over $1700.

The era of great prosperity that America has enjoyed for so long is coming to an end.

In fact, our long-term economic decline is about to accelerate.

So enjoy this “bubble of hope” while you can, because it won’t last long.

As I have written about previously, many are warning that Europe is on the verge of a nightmarish financial crisis that could potentially plunge us into a global recession even worse than 2008.

So let us hope for the best, but let us also prepare for the worst.

Just because the economy is about to go through hard times does not mean that you have to go through hard times personally.

Right now, you can decide to make an investment or start a business that will thrive in a tough economic environment.

Victory often goes to the most prepared.  So don’t just sit there while the storm clouds gather.  Instead, this should be a time when you are gathering resources and developing a gameplan for the coming economic chaos.

Those that choose to have blind faith in “the system” are going to be tremendously disappointed in the years ahead.  Just because you have a job right now does not mean that it is always going to be there.  Just because your stock portfolio is doing well right now does not mean that will always be the case.

Hopefully we all learned some important lessons from 2008.  The global financial situation can turn on a dime.  When markets fall apart, they tend to do so very rapidly.

Ultimately, the debate about whether the economy is improving or not is going to be ended very emphatically.  When the next wave of the financial crisis hits, there will be no doubt about what direction things are going.

Don’t let the next wave catch you by surprise.

Now is the time to prepare.

The Man Without A Plan

Barack Obama is a man without a plan.  When you are young, they often tell you to “fake it until you make it”, but Barack Obama is taking this to ridiculous extremes.  Barack Obama has absolutely no idea what he is doing when it comes to the economy, and yet he continues to give speeches in which he declares that he is the man for the job.  The State of the Union speech the other night was just abysmal.  The federal government is spending way too much money, and yet Barack Obama is proposing even more government spending.  Entrepreneurs and small businesses are being taxed into oblivion and yet Barack Obama is proposing even higher taxes.  Our economy is being strangled to death by crippling regulations, and yet Barack Obama is proposing a vast array of new regulations.  Barack Obama always gives a nice speech, but it has become appallingly evident that he is totally out of ideas.  So our country will continue to drift aimlessly along without a direction and without a plan until the next financial tsunami comes along and makes things even worse.

And the American people are starting to clue in to the fact that Obama does not have a plan and does not have anything new to say.  Just check out how the audiences for his State of the Union addresses have declined each year….

2009: 52.3 million

2010: 48 million

2011: 42.8 million

2012: 37.8 million

His ratings are falling almost as fast as the ratings for American Idol are.

It is amazing how Barack Obama can use so many words to say so very little.

He always tickles our ears but then he never delivers the goods.  Toward the beginning of his speech the other night, he made the following statement….

“Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last—an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values”

Well, that sounds pretty good.  Except for the fact that everything he has done for the past 3 years has been the exact opposite of that.

It is almost as if he woke up that morning and decided that he would try the whole “do the opposite” thing once made famous by George Costanza on Seinfeld.

Obama says that our employment situation is getting better, but that is not really true.  The only way that the federal government can claim that there is an 8.5 percent unemployment rate is because they have decided that millions of Americans that have been unemployed for a long time should not be considered “part of the workforce” any longer.

If the number of Americans that were considered to be part of the workforce was the same today as it was back in 2007, the “official” unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to approximately 11 percent.

Sadly, the number of Americans that are dependent on the government continues to soar even higher.

Since Barack Obama took office, the number of Americans on food stamps has actually increased by 14 million.

Things have not gotten better for average Americans.

They have gotten worse.

In fact, 10 million more Americans have fallen below the poverty line since 2006.  And in 2010, more Americans fell into poverty than ever before.

A lot of people out there are really hurting, and the American people deserve some real answers.

But instead, Obama was saying stuff like this the other night….

“I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place”

Oh really?

What is Obama actually doing about the things that caused the last financial crisis?

The “financial reform” bill was a complete and total joke.  Obama has been shamefully soft on the big Wall Street banks that caused the last crisis.

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 now they are more of a danger to the financial system than ever.

And not a single Wall Street executive has gone to jail for what they did during the last financial crisis.

Thanks Obama.

But of course Obama was never going to seriously go after Wall Street.

After all, they are the ones that fund his campaigns.

Most Americans don’t realize this, but 3 of the top 7 donors to Obama’s campaign in 2008 were “too big to fail” banks.

And the Obama administration has been absolutely packed with ex-Wall Street bankers.  Last year, Michael Brenner wrote the following about the composition of the Obama administration….

Wall Street’s takeover of the Obama administration is now complete. The mega-banks and their corporate allies control every economic policy position of consequence. Mr. Obama has moved rapidly since the November debacle to install business people where it counts most. Mr.William Daley from JP Morgan Chase as White House Chief of Staff. Mr. Gene Sperling from the Goldman Sachs payroll to be director of the National Economic Council. Eileen Rominger from Goldman Sachs named director of the SEC’s Investment Management division. Even the National Security Advisor, Thomas Donilon, was executive vice president for law and policy at the disgraced Fannie Mae after serving as a corporate lobbyist with O’Melveny & Roberts. The keystone of the business friendly team was put in place on Friday. General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt will serve as chair of the president’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

During his State of the Union address, Obama also promised to bring manufacturing jobs back to America….

“Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs”

That sounds great, except for the fact that Obama has been doing everything he can to get more American jobs shipped out of the country.

The Obama administration has been aggressively pushing new “free trade” agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia.  The Obama administration has also made the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“the NAFTA of the Pacific“) an extremely high priority.

And of course we have all seen how wonderfully the first NAFTA worked out.

Our “free trade” policies have been an absolute nightmare for the American worker.

During 2010, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day shut down in the United States.  Overall, more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities in the United States have shut down since 2001.

We are bleeding jobs at a pace that is hard to believe.

Amazingly, the United States has lost an average of 50,000 manufacturing jobs a month since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Yet Obama promises more of the same and that is  supposed to help?

During his speech, Obama correctly noted that many foreign manufacturers are heavily subsidized….

“It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours, only because they’re heavily subsidized”

So are we going to deeply penalize those that have been cheating?

Are we going to warn them that we will stop trading with them unless they stop?

Of course not.

Obama is going to do next to nothing to stop what China and other predatory nations are doing to us.

Today, the United States spends approximately 4 dollars on goods and services from China for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States, and the U.S. trade deficit with China in 2010 was 27 times larger than it was back in 1990.

But the Obama administration doesn’t seem to care much about these things.

In fact, just check out what U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told Tim Robertson of the Huffington Post about the Obama administration’s attitude toward keeping manufacturing jobs in America….

Let’s increase our competitiveness… the reality is about half of our imports, our trade deficit is because of how much oil [we import], so you take that out of the equation, you look at what percentage of it are things that frankly, we don’t want to make in America, you know, cheaper products, low-skill jobs that frankly college kids that are graduating from, you know, UC Cal and Hastings [don’t want], but what we do want is to capture those next generation jobs and build on our investments in our young people, our education infrastructure.

Oh, but Obama now says that he is going to toughen up on trade….

“I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections”

Oh boy – “inspections” – yeah, that is really going to have the Chinese shaking in their boots.

Meanwhile, the Chinese just keep hitting us with new tariffs.  According to the New York Times, a Jeep Grand Cherokee that costs $27,490 in the United States will now cost about $85,000 in China thanks to these new tariffs.

So is Obama going to hit China with tough new tariffs in return?

Of course not.

Meanwhile, our economy continues to bleed businesses and jobs.  According to Professor Alan Blinder of Princeton University, 40 million more U.S. jobs could be sent offshore over the next two decades if current trends continue.

But if you listen to Obama, he makes it seem like many of our industries are in better shape than ever….

“We bet on American ingenuity, and tonight the American auto industry is back.”

Yes, the American auto industry is no longer on the brink of bankruptcy, but it is not “back”.  Just consider the following stats….

*In 1970, General Motors had about a 60 percent share of the U.S. automobile market.  Today, that figure is down to about 20 percent.

*Back in 2000, about 17 million new automobiles were sold in the United States.  During 2011, less than 13 million new automobiles were sold in the United States.

*Japan builds more cars than anyone else on the globe.  Japan now manufactures about 5 million more automobiles than the United States does.

*Since Alan Mulally became CEO of Ford, the company has reduced its North American workforce by nearly half.

*In the year 2000, the U.S. auto industry employed more than 1.3 million Americans.  Today, the U.S. auto industry employs about 698,000 people.

Obama bailed out the auto industry, and they responded by sending even more of our jobs overseas.

During his speech, Obama declared that there will be no more bailouts….

“No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts.”

That is kind of funny because Obama is basically the all-time champion of handing out bailouts.

If Barack Obama and John McCain had not aggressively pushed for the Wall Street bailouts back in 2008, they never would have happened.

And once Obama became president, there was a seemingly endless parade of bailouts and “stimulus packages”.

So what do you honestly think he will do when the next financial crisis happens?  Do you think he would actually be able to resist the temptation for more bailouts?

Obama also says that he wants to spend more money on training for American workers….

“Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job.”

But the American people already have enough training.  There are tons of college-educated Americans that are among the ranks of the unemployed right now.

What the American people need are jobs.

Unfortunately, jobs are leaving this country at an unprecedented pace.

Back in the year 2000, more than 20 percent of all jobs in America were manufacturing jobs.  Today, about 5 percent of all jobs in America are manufacturing jobs.

Not only that, but our incomes are also going down.  Because U.S. workers now have to compete for jobs with workers that make slave labor wages on the other side of the globe, pay in this country continues to decline.

A recent White House reported entitled “Investing in America: Building an Economy That Lasts” actually bragged that our trade policies have driven wages in America down.  The following chart is from that report….

The Obama administration has been very good for the largest corporations.

For the rest of us, not so much.

But Obama now says that he wants America to be a place that encourages entrepreneurs and small businesses to thrive….

“It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.”

Unfortunately, the reality is that the federal government is strangling entrepreneurs and small businesses to death with taxes and crippling regulations.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006.  Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.

That is not a good trend.

And right now small businesses are extremely hesitant to bring on new workers.

One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers in the coming year.

So obviously what the Obama administration is doing is not working.

During his speech, Obama also spoke of developing our own energy resources….

“A future where we are in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.”

Hopefully most of those watching laughed when they heard this, because this had to have been a joke.

America is absolutely swimming in oil and natural gas, and yet the Obama administration has blocked the development of those resources at every turn.

Instead, Obama has been very busy trying to push green energy companies on us, but they have had a nasty habit of going bankrupt.

During his speech, Obama also spoke of the need for “comprehensive immigration reform”.

But apparently Obama’s idea of “immigration reform” is to grant “backdoor amnesty” to the vast majority of the illegal immigrants in the United States and to continue to leave our borders completely wide open.

The consequences of such a policy are very serious.  As I wrote about the other day, there are now 1.4 million gang members living inside the United States, and that number has risen by an astounding 40 percent since 2009.

The last thing we need is more “immigration reform” from Barack Obama.

Of course the “class warfare” part was the centerpiece of Obama’s speech the other night.

Referring to it as the “defining issue of our time”, Obama said that now is the time to hit the wealthy with higher taxes….

“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”

This is going to be what Barack Obama is going to base his entire 2012 campaign on.  He is going to try to tap into the economic frustrations of the poor and the middle class and he is going to try to get them to blame the rich and the “party of the rich” (the Republicans).

But taxing the rich is not going to solve our problems.  If Bill Gates donated his entire fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit for about 15 days.

The truth is that the ultra-wealthy are always several steps ahead of the U.S. government.  The global elite are hiding 18 trillion dollars in offshore banks, and they are absolute experts at avoiding taxes.

No, the people that always get hit when taxes are raised are small business owners that try to do things “by the book” and middle class families that are barely scraping by.

What we need to do is to get rid of the income tax system entirely.  It is deeply corrupt and it is full of thousands of loopholes.

Trust me, I know.  I used to study this stuff.

But Obama seems to think that taxing the rich is the solution to all of our problems….

“We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference – like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit.”

Oh really?

If we just accept Obama’s plan the deficit will be fixed?

That worked out so well during his first term.  During the first three years of the Obama administration, the U.S. government accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.

The truth is that Obama does not plan to fix anything.  Barack Obama’s proposed 2012 budget projects that the national debt will rise to 26 trillion dollars a decade from now.  And his budget numbers are ridiculously optimistic.

Not that our tax system does not need reform.

If we are going to have an income tax system (which we should not), then it should at least be fair.

There is no way in the world that General Electric and Mitt Romney should pay a lower tax rate than you and I do.

In a previous article, I noted some of the big corporations that have made enormous profits and yet have paid less than zero in taxes in recent years….

What U.S. corporations are able to get away with is absolutely amazing.

The following figures come directly out of a report by Citizens for Tax Justice.  These are combined figures for the tax years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

During those three years, all of the corporations below made a lot of money.  Yet all of them paid net taxes that were below zero for those three years combined.

How is that possible?  Well, it turns out that instead of paying in taxes to the federal government, they were actually getting money back.

So for these corporations, their rate of taxation was actually below zero.

If you have not seen these before, you are going to have a hard time believing some of these statistics…..

*Honeywell*

Profits: $4.9 billion

Taxes: -$34 million

*Fed Ex*

Profits: $3 billion

Taxes: -$23 million

*Wells Fargo*

Profits: $49.37 billion

Taxes: -$681 million

*Boeing*

Profits: $9.7 billion

Taxes: -$178 million

*Verizon*

Profits: $32.5 billion

Taxes: -$951 million

*Dupont*

Profits: $2.1 billion

Taxes -$72 million

*American Electric Power*

Profits: $5.89 billion

Taxes -$545 million

*General Electric*

Profits: $7.7 billion

Taxes: -$4.7 billion

Are you starting to get the picture?

Hopefully we can all agree that there is something seriously wrong with those numbers.

But fixing holes in the tax system is one thing – blaming America’s economic ills on the wealthy is another.

During his speech, Obama made the following statement….

“You can call this class warfare all you want”

And yes, we will hear the term “class warfare” over and over again for the rest of 2012.

Obama actually believes that “blaming the 1%” can get him sent back to the White House again.

But that isn’t going to solve any of our problems.

Instead, we should be focusing on the root causes of our economic problems.

I would love to see a president get up during a State of the Union address and declare that we need to shut down the Federal Reserve.

Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the U.S. dollar has lost over 95 percent of its purchasing power.

Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the U.S. national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger.

Thanks to the debt-based Federal Reserve system, we are going into debt at a pace that is unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Right now, the federal government is stealing 150 million dollars an hour from our children and our grandchildren.

But Barack Obama loves the Federal Reserve.

In fact, he actually nominated Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman even though Bernanke has a track record of incompetence that is legendary.

So no, nobody should be applauding Barack Obama for his absolutely abysmal speech the other night.

He is a man without a plan and he has been an absolute disaster for America.

America After Dark: Desperate Meth Heads, Rampant Human Trafficking And Millions Of Criminal Predators Searching For A New Victim

When the sun goes down every night, America becomes a very frightening place.  There are communities all over the country where drug dealing, human trafficking and gang violence have gotten so out of control that authorities don’t really know what to do about it.  In America tonight, thousands of meth heads will break into homes as they desperately search for enough money for another hit.  In America tonight, thousands of children will be sold for sex at truck stops and on street corners.  In America tonight, millions of criminal predators will be searching for a new victim.  From the top levels of the federal government all the way down to the most depraved criminals on the street, America is rotting.  Once upon a time our tremendous affluence masked the moral decay that was happening in this nation, but now that the economy is falling apart the damage to the fabric of our society is being revealed.  We have become a nation of addicts, junkies, thrill seekers and predators.  When we finally see the U.S. economy fully collapse, millions of desperate, angry and depraved monsters will take out their sick frustrations on all the rest of us.

It isn’t talked a lot about anymore, but the meth epidemic in America is getting worse.  According to PBS, there are approximately 1.4 million meth users in America.  Meth is unbelievable addictive and it can absolutely destroy your life.  If you doubt this, just check out these before and after pictures.

Sadly, there are indications that meth use is on the rise once again.  According to the DEA, meth seizures increased from 2,839 in 2007 to 6,168 in 2010.

When you take meth, it can literally make you crazy.  The following is from a recent USA Today article….

A mother in Bakersfield, California, was sentenced Tuesday for stabbing her newborn while in a meth rage. An Oklahoma woman drowned her baby in a washing machine in November. A New Mexico woman claiming to be God stabbed her son with a screwdriver last month, saying, “God wants him dead.”

Large numbers of meth addicts turn into thieves when they run out of money.  Often, they will steal just about anything they can in order to get money for their next hit.  Some things that meth addicts have stolen recently include agricultural plumbing, copper wiring and lawn sprinklers.

And making meth can be extremely dangerous as well.  U.S. hospitals are filled with thousands and thousands of uninsured burn patients that were horribly burned while trying to make “shake and bake” meth.

The following comes from a recent Daily Mail article….

It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment – a burden so costly that it is contributing to the closure of some burns units.

So-called ‘shake-and-bake’ meth is produced by combining raw, unstable ingredients in a two-litre bottle.

But if the person mixing the noxious brew makes the slightest error, such as removing the cap too soon or accidentally perforating the plastic, the concoction can explode, searing flesh and causing permanent disfigurement, blindness or even death.

A survey of key hospitals in America’s most-active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burns units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured.

But of course meth is just one of the highly addictive drugs that are plaguing our youth.  There are many other nightmarish drugs that could also be discussed.  Nearly every community in America is dealing with some sort of a drug problem, and despite the “war on drugs” this crisis just seems to keep getting worse every single year.

Perhaps even more alarming is the rise of human trafficking in America.

When I was going through school, I was taught that slavery had been abolished in the United States.

But that was a lie.

Right now, thousands upon thousands of Americans are living as slaves.  Most of them are sex slaves.  As you read this, there are women all over America that are literally chained to beds in dark rooms where men pay their “owners” to have sex with them.

The following stats about human trafficking come from a recent Detroit Free Press article….

• Human trafficking is a $32-billion industry worldwide.

• Up to 2 million people are trafficked worldwide every year. Of those, 15,000-18,000 are in the U.S.

• Eight in 10 human trafficking cases involve the sex industry; the others involve labor trafficking.

• In 2010, 2,515 human trafficking cases were under investigation in the U.S.

• Eighty-three percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking cases in the U.S. in 2010 were American citizens

Many Americans would be absolutely horrified to learn what goes on behind closed doors in America.

All over the nation tonight, vicious monsters will be selling or “renting” young children to other vicious monsters for sex.

The following story of one human trafficking victim comes from a recent Fox News article….

Today, Keisha Head is a wife and mother of three. But more than decade ago, she was the victim of a notorious human trafficker.

At 16-years old, Head says she was being sold on the streets of Atlanta for sex.

“I did not know that a normal, average man who was a preacher, who was a lawyer, who was a senator – could turn into this monster,” Head said. “That is the scariest moment when you are amongst people who claim to be normal yet they purchase you and they turn into these monsters. They rape you. They beat you. And then act as if they’re normal. These are not your normal pedophiles.”

When you push morality out of the schools and out of public life, this is the kind of thing that starts happening.

Thousands upon thousands of other women “work for themselves” on the streets of America.  Some are willing to let strangers have sex with them for next to nothing.

For example, one woman in Los Angeles was recently arrested for approaching customers at one McDonald’s and offering sexual favors in exchange for Chicken McNuggets.

A lot of really weird stuff happens in America after dark.

As the economy has crumbled, thieves all over the country have become increasingly bold and increasingly desperate.

The following are just a few recent examples….

*In Fresno, California the damage caused by thieves stealing copper wire from city street lights is costing the city approximately $50,000 a month.  So far, about 2,500 street lights have been stripped of their wiring.

*In northern Alabama, one group of crooks has been using a forklift to pull entire ATM machines out of the ground.

*A while back, a team of ambitious thieves in Pennsylvania actually stole an entire 50 foot long bridge.

Other crimes are committed by members of the government.  In Chicago, the bodies of poor people that don’t have enough money to bury themselves are being treated with absolutely no respect at all by government officials.  Just check out what Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says that he found….

“Babies are buried 10, 15 to a box.  They’re buried in there with animal remains.  They’re buried in there with arms and legs from body parts they found during the course of the year.  It is not anything that our county or society should ever sit there and say is acceptable”

Can you imagine that?

What kind of a monster would do such a thing?

Of course I could go on for ages about the sick corruption of our government officials, but that will have to be left for another day.

For now, I want to focus on another rising problem in our society.  As I wrote about the other day, the FBI says that there are now 1.4 million gang members living inside the United States.  That number has risen by an astounding 40 percent since 2009.

Nearly every major U.S. city has areas that are essentially “owned” by gangs.  Some of these gangs are the size of small armies.  For example, it is estimated that the Latin Kings have 18,000 members in the city of Chicago alone.

When civil unrest erupts in America, these organized groups of criminal predators will have a field day.  Even now, law enforcement authorities in many areas of the country are having an incredibly difficult time trying to contain them.

As things fall apart all around us, an increasing number of Americans are coming to the realization that they are not going to be able to depend on someone else to defend themselves and their families.

Perhaps that is why the American people stocked up on firearms at an astounding rate during 2011.

In some areas of the country, a firefight can potentially erupt just about at any time.  The following is from an article that was recently posted on standwitharizona.com….

Barbed wire fencing doesn’t keep illegal aliens off the property anymore. One Starr County, TX rancher doesn’t have time to worry about the illegals these days. He now worries about the smugglers protecting their loads.

“I don’t think they would have any conscience of taking someone’s life,” the rancher says.

He saw that will to kill firsthand. A smuggler shot at him on his own land.

“One round was fired at me, and it missed my head by about two feet,” says the rancher.

He says there’s only way to react.

“Fire all the rounds you have, reload, and do it again,” says the rancher.

We don’t do ourselves any favors by pretending that America is going to somehow turn around and become the safe, friendly place that it used to be.

There are millions of criminal predators in this country today that have little or no conscience.  They don’t care about you, your spouse or your children.  All they care about is feeding their addictions.

In the months and years to come, the economy is going to get worse.  As it does, all of those predators are going to become even more desperate.

Desperate people do desperate things.

America is going to become a very frightening place.  But instead of curling up into a ball and crying about it, the better response is to be strong and courageous and to get prepared the best that you can.

The Number One Catastrophic Event That Americans Worry About: Economic Collapse

Can you guess what the number one catastrophic event that Americans worry about is?  There are certainly many to choose from.  Many Americans are deathly afraid of a major terrorist attack.  Others live in constant fear of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes.  Still others are incredibly concerned that a massive pandemic will break out at any time or that World War III will erupt in the Middle East.  Yes, there are certainly a lot of potential catastrophic events that one can worry about in the times in which we live, but the number one catastrophic event that Americans worry about is actually “economic collapse”.  At least that is what a recent survey conducted by Leiflin Inc. for the EcoHealth Alliance found.  But this goes along with what so many other polls have found over the past few years.  Over and over again, opinion polls have found that the number one issue that American voters are concerned about is the economy.  The truth is that average Americans are deeply, deeply concerned about unemployment, debt, the housing crash and the steady decline in the standard of living.  It has been years since the U.S. economy has operated at a “normal” level, and many Americans are afraid that things could soon get a whole lot worse.

In the new survey mentioned above, those contacted were asked to select the top three potential catastrophes that worry them the most.

The following results come directly from the survey….

Economic Collapse: 63%
Natural Disaster: 46%
Terrorist Attack: 44%
Global Disease Outbreak: 33%
Global War: 27%
Nuclear Accident: 25%
Global Warming: 22%
Fuel Shortage: 15%
Cyber War: 8%
Famine: 8%
Oil Spill: 6%
Industrial Accident: 5%

As you can see, “economic collapse” was the winner by a wide margin.

So are there good reasons for the American people to be concerned about an economic collapse?

Of course there are.

Back in 2008, a financial crisis that began on Wall Street was felt in the farthest corners of the globe.

This time, ground zero for the financial crisis is going to be in Europe.  As I have written about previously, the European financial system is rapidly coming apart at the seams.  The euro continues to drop like a rock, and banking stocks continue their long-term decline.

Many people expect a “financial collapse” to happen on a particular day.  But that is not how it happens usually.  Instead, it is often like a snowball that starts rolling downhill very slowly at first but that eventually become a huge avalanche.

Right now, we are seeing the financial world come apart in slow motion.  A recent article posted on Automatic Earth included a list of the year-to-date performance of some of the most prominent global banking stocks.  These numbers are absolutely staggering….

  • BofA: -60.38%
  • Citi: -44.76%
  • Goldman Sachs: -46.41%
  • JPMorgan: -23.03%
  • Morgan Stanley: -45.24%
  • RBS: -50%
  • Barclays: -34.32%
  • Lloyds: -63.02%
  • UBS: -29.33%
  • Deutsche Bank: -28,55%
  • Crédit Agricole: -56.04%
  • BNP Paribas: -37.67%
  • Société Générale: -59.57%

But because these numbers happened over the course of a year and not on a single day it doesn’t feel quite as much like a “collapse”.

Unfortunately, things are about to get a whole lot worse.  Global credit markets are really freezing up – especially in Europe.

Considering the fact that the entire global financial system is based on credit and debt, that is a very bad thing.

Our system simply does not work when banks do not want to lend money to each other or to businesses.

Just yesterday there was an article in the Guardian that talked about how it looks like the credit crunch may be getting even worse….

“If European banks are still this concerned, it’s not a good sign,” said Karl Schamotta, senior markets strategist with Western Union Business Solutions. “That underlines the possibility that this liquidity crunch is getting worse and will continue into the new year.”

When banks cut back on lending, that causes the money supply to shrink.  When the money supply shrinks substantially, it is almost impossible to avoid a recession.  A recent article by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard detailed how the money supply in many eurozone nations is shrinking at a very rapid pace right now….

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 are very, very frightening numbers.

About the only thing propping up European banks right now is the fact that the European Central Bank is loaning them gigantic piles of cheap money.

But there is a big problem.

European banks are running out of collateral for those loans as an article in the Wall Street Journal recently noted….

Even after the European Central Bank doled out nearly half a trillion euros of loans to cash-strapped banks last week, fears about potential financial problems are still stalking the sector. One big reason: concerns about collateral.

The only way European banks can now convince anyone—institutional investors, fellow banks or the ECB—to lend them money is if they pledge high-quality assets as collateral.

Now some regulators and bankers are becoming nervous that some lenders’ supplies of such assets, which include European government bonds and investment-grade non-government debt, are running low.

So what happens when banks all over Europe start running out of collateral and can’t get any more loans?

The answer should be obvious.

As I detailed a few days ago, many prominent voices in the financial world now believe that we could be looking at a financial crisis that will be even worse than 2008.

If you want to see what happens when a collapse happens and a depression begins, just look at what is happening in Greece….

*100,000 businesses have been closed since the beginning of the crisis.

*About a third of the nation is now living in poverty.

*The unemployment rate for those under the age of 24 is 39 percent.

*The number of suicides has increased by 40 percent in the past year.

*Thefts and burglaries nearly doubled between 2007 and 2009.

Things have gotten so bad that hundreds of families in Greece are abandoning their children.

Some are taking their children to charitable institutions and others are handing them directly over to the government.

The following sad story of one Greek family comes from an article in the Guardian….

“Psychologically we were all in a bit of a mess,” said Gasparinatos. “We were sleeping on mattresses on the floor, the rent hadn’t been paid for months, something had to be done.”

And so, with Christmas approaching, the 42-year-old took the decision to put in an official request for three of his boys and one daughter to be taken into care.

“The crisis had killed us. I am ashamed to say but it had got to the point where I couldn’t even afford the €2 needed to buy bread,” he told the Guardian. “We didn’t want to break up the family but we did think it would be easier for them if four of my children were sent to an institution for maybe two or three years.”

Does that seem shocking to you?

Well, all of this is coming to America eventually.

Someday we will see American parents abandoning their children because they cannot take care of them anymore.

Someday we will see suicides absolutely skyrocket in America because people have lost all hope.

Someday we will see thefts and burglaries soar to unprecedented heights as millions of desperate people attempt to try to find some way to survive.

It is all coming.

The federal government cannot pile up a trillion dollars of additional debt every year indefinitely.

We cannot afford to see an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day in the United States shut down.  Eventually there won’t be anymore factories to shut down.

We cannot afford to keep putting millions more Americans on welfare.  At this point the government is feeding 46 million Americans a month.  Will the government eventually be feeding most of us?

The U.S. economy is getting weaker and weaker and weaker.  All of the long-term trends are absolutely nightmarish.  We are accumulating debt faster than ever, and our ability to produce wealth is diminishing faster than ever.

There is no way that things are going to be okay if we stay on the path that we are currently on.

So the truth is that Americans should be very concerned about an economic collapse.

It is coming and it is going to be very painful.

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

—–

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.

—–

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!

—–

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 !!

—–

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.

—-

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

JohnnyinthePedros:

Vote for Ron Paul and stay and fight.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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!

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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).

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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?

—–

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

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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…

—–

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!”

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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”.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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!

—–

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.

—–

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”

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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?)

—–

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.”

—-

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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….

+ More