Yes, I don’t see how future deep spending cuts can be avoided. There’s not enough manufacturing (besides agriculture and natural resources) to support such a wide array of social and regulatory offices (which, in turn, keep small manufacturing starts and other small developments from happening). We’re being shut down to an economy reliant on agriculture, as oil and other commodities will be shipped to foreign countries when no longer afforded by many Americans.
Some of us have taken notice of living conditions in countries with agricultural/commodities economies, and they aren’t pretty: Mexico, as it was during the ‘60s, for example (not tourist reserves but the “old market” areas).
IMO, various constituent groups depending on government at various levels for incomes have already begun to turn against each other in a feeding frenzy for remaining flows of debt/revenues. Real production is needed for sustainable revenues, but real, pro-American producers (technically inclined small starts) are shut down and terrified, mostly by local fees and regulations (oddly, from Republicans in the majority in my County in the middle of nowhere—”open space,” residential “property values,” “impact fees,” animal “rights,” zoning against small manufacturing starts even on large, agriculturally sterile properties, tourism, much dependency on federal funding,...).
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Buy shelf stable foods and weather the storrm."
Great advice! Please pardon me, if you have already been doing the following. It's also for anyone else, who might find it helpful.
Learn all that you can about repairing the vehicle(s) that you drive. Make a personal science of frugality and personal health, and save. Look around for cheap rural land parcels, if you don't already have one--places where gardening, at least, can be done.
Research, in detail, chances of having a successful water well drilled on such a place before buying. A well is a better way to go than only storing water, because harmful bacteria and protozoa do multiply in water (reason some well-fed rural cisterns should be 600 gallons instead of, say, 1500 gallons).
Also find out about local planning and building regulations at the county clerk's office. Some counties are far more free than others--at least in some states. Look for the right place as long as needed before buying (without debt). Buy building code books. Learn about building methods.
Use regular time for a study of alternative energy for heating on such a place--whatever will save money on heating fuel. For example, have a look at some free, solar/radiant heating system designs for do-it-yourself systems at low materials costs (the following free for whomever from a retired aviation engineer, find your own materials).
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/DHWplusSpace/Main.htm
There's also PV solar electricity. If cloudy weather and costs prohibit that, look into other DIY projects that involve other sources of energy. For heating, wood can also be great (with the right wood stoves), if enough wood is stored in a dry place in advance.
Learn about proper installations of septic systems or composting where allowed (human-ure, with proper sanitary procedures and time before using as fertilizer).
We should all do whatever we can to improve physical health. Exercise. I'm in my fifties and am beginning to jog again. [Did a little research first. You over-fifties: get a doctor's okay first, if you can afford it. Start and build up very gradually. If you're fat, walk every day first, until thin enough.] Remember that cartilage and bone density can take a couple of years to build up enough (gradually!). Don't dislodge a clot! See if aspirin therapy will work for you. [I do one 81 mg tablet a day (cheap), after each last meal.] Eat right. Brush teeth. Get plenty of sleep (something I didn't get much of while in the National Guard for seven years).
Hope some of that helps. My main point is that of learning all that we can about useful technologies and good health practices. I really doubt that we'll collapse as a nation in a vainglorious heap of television-like violence. ...more like a continued slide into national poverty for lack of hard, technical work.
IMO, many of us Baby Boomers have been letting fears of the ends of our own natural lives (just ahead) affect our vision of what's going on around us. Panic spreads. But yeah, being poor can be rough. For the studious and productive, though, it can bring happiness unrealized during easier times of spoiled rottenness.