> And if we reached a point where people couldn't even get money out of ATMs,
> we're talking about complete social breakdown.
And in a country like USA it would mean a civil war. People have a tendency to freak out too much, like post 9/11. I don't see the Argentinean-style civil protests and spontaneous grassroots organizations. I'd bet on dog-eat-dog. (I write this with sadness.)
Come on, sure it would be hard on people, but it would not mean a civil war. --Exactly who do you think would be fighting who? The government would be doing all they could to get people access to their money, and while there will always be idiots out there, the population isn't quite as stupid as you might like to believe (even though a majority technically voted for Bush once).
And in a country like USA it would mean a civil war. People have a tendency to freak out too much, like post 9/11. I don't see the Argentinean-style civil protests and spontaneous grassroots organizations. I'd bet on dog-eat-dog. (I write this with sadness.)