What If America Collapses?

Do you have a plan?

Famously, the British punk band, The Clash asked many years ago the question we all wonder about — should we stay or should we go?

The Clash was not talking about the fall of the American empire. Yet, it works. It is something that is on many people’s minds. The United States of America is in a troubled state right now.

Is it time to move to another country? I mean, the country doesn’t even have universal health coverage. It has a shoddy safety net. What happens if things do go into a death spiral?

More than a few friends of mine have said they are considering getting out of here. I have friends in Costa Rica right now who are talking as if they might not come back. Too many things going wrong they say. The U.S. is racist and reminds them of a “banana republic” sometimes when they read about it in international media outlets.

Should we stay or should we go?

On January 6, 2021, a coup was attempted in America. Many have sought to dismiss the moment as a hoax, a failure by a disorganized group of harmless fanatics, and a riot that had no chance of succeeding.

Yet, we know now from some of the evidence obtained that whether it was coordinated or not, it was supported by the administration that had just been voted out of office. Members of that administration hoped it would work and also worked to bring about the climate for the violence that day.

Then the President who was voted out tried to manipulate the coup hoping it would work. This might not have been rock bottom but it was close.

Yet, it gets worse. That guy and his loyal supporters continue to perpetuate a lie about their coup attempt. They keep lying about losing the election. It continues to drop quicker and quicker towards the bottom.

And there is also a bigger question — what if it happens again and they are successful next time? Do you want to live in an authoritarian state that will likely slowly splinter and sputter to more chaos?

Did people leave Germany when Hitler took over?

Did people leave Chile when Pinochet overthrew the government?

I know many people who immigrated to America or their parents immigrated here. They all came here because their country turned into a crazy dictatorship or some sort of mad loony theocracy.

Do you want to live in the United States of America that is run by a dictator who suspends the Constitution and plans to rule continuously or try to do so? Do you want to live in a country where religion takes over life because the elected officials are zealots?

Such a country would be pointless. America, regardless of how history has played out, has codified into its founding documents ideas that set it apart from other nations. If it is not going to be that, then it is a useless nation.

It is a big question to ask yourself especially if you have been living in America for a long time. Where do you go? How can you go? Other countries are not necessarily begging for immigrants. Asia? Africa? South America? Europe? The West Indies?

Is your passport up to date? Do you have some cash you can put your hands on fast? Do you have any friends abroad in other countries who can put you up for a little bit while you figure things out? What the hell am I talking about?

Right, because I am an American. And no matter what any authoritarian regime thinks it will slide into power and it will be business as usual should think twice. Here you go right —

• General Strike.
• 24–7 Protests.
• No one goes to work, at all especially government workers.
• Shut the country down totally.

So there is an option. Options. Really?

But Americans are pretty comfortable as long as there is a strong wi-fi signal and the Starbucks line is short. It should be added that 26 percent of Republicans are fine with a dictator according to polls. Millions of people are okay with a dictator as long as he is a racist white dude. Check that.

America is cascading out of control. I just lived in the Midwest for 11 years and there is a lot of wastelands out there. Life is funky. Perilous. That is the America that America does not talk about much.

If things here don’t change, it won’t be such a great place to live everywhere. Life expectancy is down. Wages have been down. Selfishness is up. There is no universal health care system. Education is more and more for the filthy rich; the rest of us have to borrow or figure things out.

Dysfunction is up. Dystopia is the word I hear more and more.

America has high standards but common sense is, as Gil Scott Heron said, “at an all-time low.”

Should you stay or should you go?

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