[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Perhaps if the US is lucky, we will suffer the same economic fate as Japan's. Slow but steady decline that will prevent total collapse.

What's wrong with collapsing and rebooting, at least in comparison? This would get all the layabouts off the dole, and blow up the government bureaucracy.

[palmer]

It would also negate your worries about all the cash you have saved. It will be sacrificed to the god of monetary stimulus (which just prolongs the decline much like Japan).

[buckalfa]

Total collapse is the only way out from our financial house of cards. Then a reboot as you say. The big question is would the inevitable military dictatorship be benign enough to allow the reboot to happen?