The problem with the traditional approach to collective solutions is the one you've already alluded to: government is the problem, not the solution. Therefor, you develop a private network of family, friends, and neighbors, and organize them into a survival team.
It can be challenging, because even this late in the game, a lot of people do not realize how precarious our situation is, because it is not a topic for their nightly television viewing which forms their model of reality. Keep the faith, maintain a powerful sense of purpose, and be a little chummier than is the norm.
I live in a odd little place. 23,000 in the county, with a 2 towns roughly totaling 13,000 as the anchor, for most of those. I live in the poorest county, of one of the poorest states. If you visited here, it could easily become apparent why this is. Few people have ANY drive here, even basic ones like the drive to live. This is a welfare town, in a welfare state. As much as this area votes republican, it actually makes little sense when you know the people. They expect daddy, to always be there, just a bit more then most imo......
My friends and family in ohio where I am from are not much better. Heck they thought I was nuts for wanting to grow my own food. Now that they know I think our system is likely to fall most of them lost what respect they had for me......
So this puts me in a precarious situation. A network of family, friends, and neighbors, would be ideal, but its not likely in my situation, unless things become much more obvious, while people can still prepare.
So the way I am trying to rectify this personally, is saving seed for the community at large, and I talk about these things when I can, with the idea I can gather good people when it comes to that. My only real concern is safety. I know how to account for food, water and shelter. This is where I hope others will come in.
I have no intention of trying to "save" my community at large, but I do hope to use a church or knights of columbus, as a point to pass out seeds, and ideas on how they might use them. I am forming my own list of peoples strengths and weaknesses, and who I would like to have in my corner if possible. I know this is NOT ideal, but I do not see a alternative, at this point for my situation. Depending on how things play out, I am thinking it should be relatively easy to find people to join us. If this does not prove to be true, it might also be possible, since I WILL have a way to it, that later on I will coax someone else to help...... If that doesnt pan out, we are ready to do things ourselves.
I know none of that is ideal, but neither is moving back to ohio, where I know more people. For one, things are likely to be much harder there, due to the sheer number of people. Especially when cattle are included, there will be animals for hunters here, for a LONG LONG time..... this simply is not the case in ohio, imo.
One major thing I am thinking is, the low population coupled with the difficulty in living here is a major advantage in a way. Why? well basically, one has to assume people will need to flock to water sources here. Or a hand pumpable well in the very least. I know the majority of these sources of water, and I can do without them. I will be able to thrive without them in a few short years. My land is remote, and besides a few ranchers, and other landowners, no one has roots there. Meaning the local hunters, do not go there, nor would anyone think of retreating to a remote place, not known to have water, when other nearby areas do have it. So any grouping of people I can gather has a good chance of being enough. VERY unlikely more then a few stragglers, could EVER end up there specifically, without being heavily supplied, and looking for something everyone knows does not exist there, namely water. This I hope gives an advantage, should things get that bad. Because I CAN make it there just fine.
2010 will be harder than 2009. 2011 will be a little harder still. We're using 2012 as our "last chance be prepared for system crash" date.
I agree totally. Our "leaders" (both in gov. and business) seem to have no clue that the REAL base to a economy is not a bank, but the workers who use the banks. They have painted us into such a corner, even coming right out and talking about this very real issue, itself could crash our dollar, and then our fragile system of just making deadlines to fill store shelves, likely to follow. So I agree with your timetable and see little chance of redirecting that course, even if we had leaders actually addressing these issues most ignore.
