There's all sorts of doomsday scenarios that are possible...even worse than the debt. For example, in the mid 1800's there were massive solar flares that melted telegraph wires in the U.S. We are expected to get these types of flares again sometime in the next hundred years. Flares of the same magnitude that melted telegraph wires would basically wipe out all unshielded computer chips, which would disable nearly everything .... electricity, water, cars, and wipe out all electronic currency, banking, all industry, communications, all government services. It would be Mad Max time. The only medium of exchange would be force. In time, roving bands will kill you for your food and water unless you are living in some invisible hiding place.
Currently, even in spite of this knowledge, the majority of personal and business computers and all the mechanical devices with embedded computer components (all electronics, almost all machinery) are not shielded. The debt is small potatoes in comparison.
In the absence of some natural disaster like killer solar flares, regardless of the debt, the government cannot allow safeguards like FDIC, and Social Security to fail, because if they do fail, then society goes up like a burning city during a blackout. At that point it's every man for himself, and currency of any kind is basically worthless.
I'm still working my way through that first movie link. Interesting info, but I wish they had a shorter version.
Oh, as long as people are stocking up on gold and silver, grab some extra non-perishable food too. That's covered in my Wealth Protection articles. Even if the economy never fails, other natural catastrophes can make a can of food temporarily be worth its weight in gold. Ask anyone who has ever been through a bad hurricane.
