I think people may have to get used to a vastly lower standard of living... we've just been living beyond our means for far to long to avoid that... but I think very few people will actually starve to death (the same as in the Great Depression). I think the real threat will come from the massive central power grab and loss of individual liberty that inevitably accompanies desperate times. If you want to ensure your basic survival, you should make sure you have some marketable skills that can earn you a living even in near 3rd-world conditions (even if I can't do any lawyerin' in the post-SHTF world, I can still turn a wrench!). Having emergency food and water reserves is a good idea for getting yourself through relatively short-term trouble like a major natural disaster, but like SMS said, unless you have the land and resources to sustain it indefinitely, it is not a long-term solution.
But beyond your basic survival, you will have your liberty to worry about. I suggest, for starters, educating yourself about different resistance movements from recent history and contemporary times. If there is going to be a fight, it will not be like many are picturing it. Learning about how things have actually gone down in real life, and about what worked and didn't work in various situations, would be valuable. Networking would be a good idea... hooking up with like-minded people (locally and across the country) and making reciprocal arrangements to aid and shelter one another if in need. Obtaining encryption software (which can be had for free) and SECURELY distributing keys to those with whom you wish to be able to securely communicate is not a bad idea. Information is important, and is one of those things that tyrants always try to deny to their victims... maintaining a way of accessing the internet without using easy-to-control central infrastructure would be smart (if you have one of those big old satellite dishes in your yard, don't get rid of it!).
Another idea that wouldn't be too bad is to have an escape plan for leaving the country. Unfortunately that might be your best option at some point.
But beyond your basic survival, you will have your liberty to worry about. I suggest, for starters, educating yourself about different resistance movements from recent history and contemporary times. If there is going to be a fight, it will not be like many are picturing it. Learning about how things have actually gone down in real life, and about what worked and didn't work in various situations, would be valuable. Networking would be a good idea... hooking up with like-minded people (locally and across the country) and making reciprocal arrangements to aid and shelter one another if in need. Obtaining encryption software (which can be had for free) and SECURELY distributing keys to those with whom you wish to be able to securely communicate is not a bad idea. Information is important, and is one of those things that tyrants always try to deny to their victims... maintaining a way of accessing the internet without using easy-to-control central infrastructure would be smart (if you have one of those big old satellite dishes in your yard, don't get rid of it!).
Another idea that wouldn't be too bad is to have an escape plan for leaving the country. Unfortunately that might be your best option at some point.
