A great article on ZeroHedge written by the folks at Alt-Market. Brought up a great real life point as to why going on your own, or just you and your family, is probably a bad idea in times of widespread collapse. Using the example of Argentina in 2002 (collapse actually occurred in Dec of 2001) went relatively unnoticed in the US as we were reeling from the attacks of 9-11.

Argentina was in the midst of total collapse, driven by banker fraud and extreme currency devaluation in tandem with government mismanagement and corruption.

Sound familiar?
The results sound like something from a fictional apocalyptic novel (items in bold are my emphasis).

First, cities exploded with rioting and violence as Argentinian police and military attempted to crush all dissent. Soon after, displaced refugees from population centers along with roving bands of thieves flooded into the countryside, wiping out isolated farms, murdering families, and hunting down any small group of survivors weaker than themselves and flush with supplies. The authorities (and I use the term loosely) were too busy trying to suppress civil protests to bother protecting those who were caught unprepared.

This behavior is part and parcel of economic destabilization, regardless of the time or place in which it occurs. Only nine years ago, a very modern and technologically savvy nation of people, nearly cannibalized itself. Those who survived and thrived did so through family aid and substantial existing wealth, or, the tactical building of communities for the purpose of mutual defense and alternative trade. Farmers armed themselves and formed regional groups along with security measures. City dwellers formed neighborhood watches and barter networks when the mainstream economy disappeared. The bottom line; lone wolves and isolated country families were nothing more than tempting targets at the onset of the breakdown in Argentina.

Let me hit that last sentence again...
"The bottom line; lone wolves and isolated country families were nothing more than tempting targets at the onset of the breakdown in Argentina."

The purpose of prepper groups is to gather like minded people together to gain knowledge and prepare for the worst. What seems to lack is a concerted effort to pursue the 'strength in numbers' mentality. Though there are many groups that get together for events, most of the effort is centered around BOBs, EDC, etc.. Though these are important, a more critical aspect would seem to be the formation of local communities of strength. More of the...ok I have bugged out now what? This seems to be the area of largest weakness.

I see many mention they have land far away or plan to travel to some remote area. As the example of Argentina shows, this almost turns out to be a death sentence. Realistically, anyone who has had to evacuate due to hurricane knows how the roads get. Travel time that normally took 4-6 hours easily turns into 24+hrs. Now add roving bands looking to take what you have and you are trapped on a road, in your car with your family. Not a good position to defend from.

I encourage everyone to read the article completely.

Getting worried...

Ok I'm not quite panicked yet, but perhaps my anxiety factor is rising. It seems almost as if there is a concerted effort by the US Government as well as some Wall Street "insiders" to paint a more rosy picture than really exists. I believe they are hoping things will turn around, but things aren't.

-Claims that unemployment numbers are improving are a gross fabrication. People continue to loose jobs....very few gaining jobs. Additionally, once someone stops looking for work, gets a part time job (because it is all they can find) or falls off the extended rolls, they aren't counted anymore. Hidden in yesterdays CBO report was a scare little number...2.3 million MORE people will be unemployed. How the heck is that an improvement?


- Claims the stimulus is working....but it isn't.

-Along with the new report from the FDIC on an increase in failing banks and those on the verge of failure, comes the obvious attempt to hide action behind the scenes. Bailing out banks with money that is itself debt money (remember we (the government) are $11.7 trillion in debt already and rising) seems somewhat insane.

So it begs the question....does the US Government and Wall Street have their heads up their fourth point of contact or are they merely stalling and preparing behind the scenes for what seems to be the inevitable economic collapse of the US?