Everyone should understand Argentina's infamous corralito event in the early 2000s and the awful crisis that followed. In those days, most Argentines held money in dollar-denominated bank accounts, and when the country could no longer maintain the peg holding the Argentine peso at parity with the US dollar, the government "corralled" that money: freezing accounts, automatically converting dollar deposits into Argentine pesos (at a new, much lower exchange rate of course) and limiting withdrawals to a paltry amount per week.
For a while there was almost no money available to anyone at all. Most people lost most of their savings--while elites, informed of events ahead of time, got their dollars out of the banking system and out of the country. The author describes the resulting social collapse as an event "that turned most of the middle class in this country into poor, and turned most of the poor into desperate homeless creatures."
Please remember: any fractional reserve banking system in any country can do something similar to you and your family. Americans have already forgotten all about the infamous gold seizure and dollar devaluation of the 1930s, a great taking that wiped out the wealth of millions of Americans. And when events like this happen, you can often get a "SHTF" (shit hits the fan) moment in your country, where things you formerly took for granted--like access to physical currency, access to food and water, even your personal safety--go right out the window. Surviving the Economic Collapse goes over what people's experiences were during Argentina's 2001 crisis, drawing out useful rules, heuristics and practices for readers. This author was actually there and lived through it, distinguishing him meaningfully from most armchair preppers and survivalists.
A general recommendation to readers of this or any book describing post-crisis situations (see for example A.D. White's short and sobering book on the hyperinflation that followed the French Revolution): don't be too pedantic about differences between one country and another, or between one crisis and another, or between one historical period and another. What we have to do is "look for the rhyme" and file away useful parallels and analogies in the hopes that we'll be able to apply the right insights and practices at the right time while doing our best to be prepared. Every collapse and every currency crisis is going to look slightly different. The author captures this idea with a facetious quote: "Foolish Latino, what happened with your petty little country will never happen in America." Again, look for the rhyme and try to draw parallels.
Forgive me for one final thought about being prepared. I don't want my wife, the moment she sees some assailant running towards her with ill intent, to have the all-too-fleeting thought, "gee I really should look into a self-defense course one of these days. It'd be great if I knew how to handle a weapon!" I don't want that to be her last thought a few seconds before she's attacked. I need her to have had this thought already, months or years ago, long before an attack ever happens. Increasingly, then, I try to think about "preparedness" as broadly and in as many life domains as I can: personal safety, economic safety, physical health and fitness. Even mental health is a domain in which to be prepared: if there's ever a time to have already cultivated a resilient, "happy warrior" mindset, it's long before when times get much tougher, long before a generalized increase in psychological pressure begins breaking people down, crushing them.
Perhaps we can even expand this idea to the ultimate domain and prepare for our own deaths, to come to terms with death, to accept and not fear death. What we are really practicing here, ultimately, is how to stay in the game--however the game may go--and play it well and decorously right to the end.
I thank this author for a provocative and useful book.
[Usually here is where I tell readers to read no further, but in this case I encourage you to read on and pick up as many ideas as you can. The average reader should be able to get to the bottom of this post in about 20-25 minutes, give or take.]
Notes:
9: Notable that the author's grandparents fled the 1930s Spanish civil war to go to Argentina, and then his parents did the exact opposite, fleeing Argentina in the early 2000s during the Argentine crisis.
10: "Awareness? Mindset? An understanding of how important survival and preparedness are, regarding all aspects of life? How criminals operate and how to avoid them, and how to prepare myself in my home to defend against them? Those mental skills I acquired out of necessity."
11: "...inflation was making our currency less valuable by the hour."
11: "Cash is definitely king during the first stages of an economic collapse, when the banks, ATMs and credit cards are not functioning... this generalized madness [during the Argentine economic crisis] lasted during most of 2002. Order was restored in the capital cities in downtown areas first, and then spread to the more affluent surrounding suburbs." [Worth thinking about where order will be restored first, and why or why not, in the places you might choose to live.]
12ff: The infamous "corralito" where the State limited withdrawals to 250 pesos per week, which at the current "true" exchange rate (not the government enforced exchange rate) at the time was about USD62.50. The average income at the time was equivalent to $250 a month, but it was $841 (!) a year before. "The Argentine worker went from being the best paid to being the worst paid worker in Latin America in just a couple months." [I think all people should understand the mechanisms of the corralito, what drives things like this, how the elites will have inside information and will be able to extract their money first and even get their money (and themselves) out of the country first if necessary, what happens afterwards, etc.] Note that many people in Argentina had dollar denominated bank accounts which were taken from them and replaced by soon-to-be worthless Argentine currency that had already dropped in value and soon would collapse catastrophically. The entire banking system in the country as a whole was fully unable to handle the conversion, everyone was under-reserved. [And that's what always happens in a fractional banking system with a phony one-to-one currency exchange peg.]
13: Note also that there were winners and losers: if you had a dollar-denominated loan in Argentina now it was only in pesos, so it dropped by two-thirds. Most people were losers, however, because the economy crashed spontaneously.
13: The author talks about how "one to one" was the expression people used, as in "before one to one" or "after one to one" as in "I bought this leather jacket before one to one, I could never afford it now." "'Dude, you've just been to Europe?' 'No way man, I went before the crisis.' ... Only the elites can afford international travel these days."
15: On staying together and unifying as a family unit, when "most families can't go through Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner without fighting." [If you think about the idea of "first world problems" and how poorly the typical latte-drinking American deals with them, you can see as a society we are singularly unprepared for situations like what Argentina went through. Further, the typical American family has long been fully atomized by artificially imposed political divisions that it literally can't even make it through a Thanksgiving dinner. The author is correct here and it is sobering to think about.]
16: "The problem is, there are just too few writers out there that have actually gone through a social and economic crisis, and even fewer that experienced it in a western capitalist country that was once one of the top five most powerful nations on the planet like I did... I offer first-hand knowledge regarding these issues."
17: On going "from sheep to sheepdog": growing into an adaptable, capable being with greater awareness.
18: The 1990s period of "sweet money" when many Argentines traveled a lot in the USA, when the USA was cheap to them.
19: "This book is self-published and my literary skills are limited." [Note here the difference between those who can offer help, and those who can write well; the difference between a slick-looking book and a book that actually contains useful, real-world information.]
20: Level-on-a-level type problems that come with social decay and Fourth Turning-type situations: "The rate of poverty levels, combined with a lack of belief in a better future, creates a new level of apathy. The plethora of problems that come out of the economic crisis will go from a significant increase in crime levels, medium scale epidemics due to a lack of hygiene because of the general poverty, and lack of information and experience dealing with these issues, just to name a few."
26: "You have to be one peppy and cheerful son of a bitch, if you want to make it through a crisis." On how being a doomer or a fear-monger works against you during hard times. "Real survival is about being extremely positive and resourceful... If survival and preparedness are making you part ways with those you love, converting you into a bitter and lonely person, you are doing things wrong and you'll go nuts."
27: On being a survivalist who has fancy tactical gear and has spent big bucks on guns but doesn't even have a week's worth of water stored in the house. On guys who are more into buying stuff than putting into practice a survival philosophy, or worse guys with spoiled kids and a wife who's not even on board with them.
28: "Little House on the Prairie syndrome": where people learn 19th century skills that have no application to urban survival.
31: On how signs of weakness will be exploited by others in a violent and ruthless society. On being emotionally tough. Also on washing away any indoctrinated courtesy or social behavior in a post-crisis environment, you must be able to react violently if threatened.
32: On being obese as a sign of weakness; also it's utterly pointless if you're a great shot but you can't run 100 yards at a sprint to escape from somebody.
34: The rule of three, you can't live three minutes without air, you can't live three hours without shelter in extreme weather, you can't live three days without water, you can't live three weeks without food.
35ff: The author makes some interesting points here on rural areas ("the country") not being as good a place as you would think during dangerous times: there will be fewer police and emergency services, there will be less security. In Argentina some of the worst home invasions happened out in the country. If you think like a criminal you're going to attack that house way out by itself in the country. "In terms of security, you'll be much safer in a good neighborhood than living alone with no neighbors."
36: Interesting offhand comment here about Rhodesian farmers, how over 4,000 of them were killed when SHTF (shit hits the fan) happened in Zimbabwe. [I recommend When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin for excellent reading on this very topic!]
37ff: After SHTF, it's likely that even more people will move to the cities, looking for work. The author suggests living in a small town, not a large city, ideally a community close to a moderately-sized city. Also keep good medical care in mind. Further interesting blurb here on how because of monoculture/crop specialization with agriculture, you can't even necessarily get good food out in the country! They'll ship a broad range of foods to the cities first: see the conversation the author has here with his dentist who would move from a small agricultural town to a more urban area in part for this reason.
39ff: Ideas for home security: reinforced exterior doors; think like a burglar--how would you break into your own house? Motion detector lights; motion sensitive cameras (like the ones hunters use) set up on the home exterior; an alarm that calls to your cell phone; burglar/security bars on windows; interesting idea of applying security film onto your windows (a shatterproof film or safety coating you can do yourself) so the window will hold together even if it breaks; place thorny plants under your windows; have two safes:one a decoy holding some cash and papers and envelopes and some cheaper jewelry. Also creative idea on making sure your house is much safer than any of your neighbors, "The less secure home is the one that gets robbed." On having a perimeter fence ideally iron with spikes on top at least 7 feet high all around the house.
41ff: On security discipline in the house. "All the security measures taken in your home are of little use if your family doesn't incorporate security discipline as well." On keeping exterior doors closed and locked at all times, no one opens any door unless 100% sure of who's on the other side; peepholes and intercom cameras installed; having "fake trash" for your neighbors to set outside for you so your home appears occupied when you're not there, etc.
43ff: Very interesting section here on having dogs both as guards and noisemakers when someone approaches; the advantage of smaller dogs; pros and cons of the Jack Russell terrier; pros and cons of various big dogs; a long section about the Dogo Argentino dog which is unbelievably fearless, but also can play around the house with children, keeps attacking even after being shot, but requires an experienced, sophisticated dog owner.
46ff: The "gray man strategy": on going unnoticed, don't wear brands that are easily identified, avoid looking wealthy, blend in to the background, etc.
48ff: On identifying threats: often robbers, carjackers or kidnappers will be better dressed than you are. Attractive women can be good criminals because people let their guard down around them, want to talk to them, etc. Don't look for action movie stereotypes of bad guys.
52ff: On vehicles: note an interesting thought here about motorcycles and the idea that when SHTF happens everything starts slowly eroding and degrading, including street signs, the way people drive, etc., thus statistically speaking motorcycle riding (which is already dangerous to begin with) gets much less safe and offers much less physical protection than a car. It's also a lot easier to "motorcycle jack" someone then to carjack someone. These are good insights worth thinking about.
56ff: On driving in high crime areas during tough times; driving techniques here are significantly different from how we all learned how to drive. Politically correct driving will get you killed: the author gives examples like if you stop when someone stands in front of your car, or if you stop and gets out when something hits your windshield, you might next get shot or carjacked. On programming yourself to keep driving no matter what, because bad people will do things to try to force you to stop. On not stopping at traffic lights in "complicated" parts of the country at night, and also even during the day. Also on keeping this in mind when you have a green light: other people may not stop at their red light.
60: Regarding kidnapping, serious kidnappers will spend months studying their targets; thus change your route and avoid patterns.
61: Discussion here of different evasive driving maneuvers like the forward 180 turn, the reverse 180, S-driving (pretending you're swerving left and right as if you're a drunk driver in order to create space in traffic), etc.
63: More here on gear and supplies, "...for many guys buying 'survival' stuff is the equivalent of buying shoes and purses for women." On the idea of buying things to make you "feel safe" (kind of like buying insurance to make you feel like you're protected) as opposed to actually doing something tangible about your safety.
64: Thoughts and ideas on food storage: 6-12 months as a goal, storing them in mylar bags or 5 gallon food grade buckets to protect from rodents, rotating your stock, etc.
65-66: good idea here for an LED headlamp flashlight so you can have both hands available to work, also if there's lots of power outages, a solar charger or a hand crank charger.
66: Alcohol gel to have handy when there's no water. People don't appreciate this during normal times.
67: Matches, Bic lighters, alternative means of cooking, warm clothes and blankets.
68: Generators; the "ice box" method for keeping food cool (have large water bottles frozen at all times, place them in your fridge to keep food cool during a power outage).
69: On antibiotics, have extra duct tape, also self-soldering rubber tape; other household supplies like bleach, detergent, soap, etc.
69-70: Interesting passage here where the author talks about being asked "What would you want to have if you could go back to before the crisis?" His answer is interesting: "knowledge." Again, the time to think about self-defense or any of these issues is not the moment it's happening, it's many years before.
70: Thoughts on getting things you would consider really necessary when the opportunity strikes, at yard sales or pawn shops, etc., On having backup things like appliances--or even a car--because "when inflation hits you hard almost everything goes up in price, and stuff starts breaking just when there's little money around to purchase a badly needed replacement." [This is a big part of what Americans have trouble conceptualizing about what happened in Argentina: not only was there a hyperinflation/currency collapses, but also a sort of sudden Fourth Turning where everything started to break down.]
71ff: Long list here of things that the author keeps in his bug-out bag, including super glue, a lighter, floss, a box cutter, salt/fast food packets, a roll of coins, effervescent hydration tablets, rope, etc. [Note the idea here of a candle with four wicks that the author made himself using paraffin in an old tuna can: he claims that with the four wicks lit it boils a cup of water in 10 minutes. Interesting idea here.]
76: The "three is two, two is one, and one is none" rule for having extras of things.
80: Nice quote here from general George Patton, "pressure makes diamonds," the author and his wife use this quote often: they're talking primarily about psychological pressure, which usually crushes people.
81ff: Sobering, appalling story here about Barbarita, a malnourished girl in Argentina who, interviewed on the news, shows the utter failure of Argentina as a country. It's worth pulling up some of the videos of her from 2002, very worth it. Go to YouTube and search Barbarita Argentina, or see videos here and here.
83: On canned tuna, a near miracle food, with protein, fats, really long shelf life, etc. Get it in oil for the extra lipids.
84: A nuance here with brown rice: on how it spoils much more quickly than white rice because of the fat in the grain's outer layer. White rice will store for years.
84ff; Other examples of foods that store well for very long time (note this is somewhat repetitive of earlier in the book): lentils, dried pasta, canned tomatoes, sweetened condensed milk (this has lots of protein, calories, fat and carbs, was used in US Civil War as field rations).
86: On having multiple methods to cook something; again citing the quote "three is two, two is one, and one is none." Also a funny blurb on making an asado (barbecue) grill out of a shopping cart, an example of the resourcefulness of the Argentine people.
90ff: On water and when the water runs out, "there's no warning, you just turn the faucet and nothing comes out, or dirty water trickles out. That's how we learn we're out of water." Again, the point here is to be ready and ahead of the game with stores already in place. "If right now you think you are poorly prepared in terms of water, allow me to be a total ass about it and tell you yes, you are. Everybody is, pre-crisis. Not having enough water stored ahead of time is one of the most common mistakes survivalists make."
95: Using bleach to chlorinate water: use 2 to 4 drops per liter or 8 to 16 drops per gallon, stir the water, let it rest for 30 minutes. It should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn't, repeat and leave it for another 30 minutes. Also note that bleach diminishes with time so rotate your bleach storage once a year.
96: Boiling and distillation as working methods as well but these methods require fuel. Distillation is the most helpful because it removes heavy metals and harmful chemicals as well as all microbes.
98ff: On fighting: on having guts but also brains; on having the will to fight, a drive to destroy your adversary. The author tells quite a striking story here of three girls and a boyfriend in Belgrano, a wealthy suburb of Buenos Aires, who never fought back when one single man entered, raped one of them and then stole all the teens' money and cell phones, despite being significantly outnumbered: the author uses the story to make the point that people can be either soft and not used to violence, or they can be the opposite. "And remember: sheep get eaten by the wolves, people."
102ff: The author makes an interesting point here that Brazilian jiu jitsu, while effective, only lets you take one guy to the ground: if you're fighting against a group you can easily be kicked the head by a buddy of the guy you've taken down. However, if you're a boxer who knows how to quickly apply good hand speed you can brawl with a few attackers at once and buy some time to escape. Thus Brazilian jiu-jitsu is just one of a set of tools.
103: Basic points on combat/defense:
React violently, the fight may only last seconds
Keep your guard up
Keep your awareness level high
Expect the attack (your unreadiness is what your attacker assumes, your readiness is the one thing he won't expect!)
Stick to simple moves and strikes
Be tough enough to withstand punches
Go for the neck especially when grappling
106: Muggers will go for women, then older people, then children, and then finally weak looking men, in that order of preference.
107ff: On rape, and on how the overall vibe of lawlessness will lead to a growing number of predatory behavior. Note on pages 108-109 there is tremendously useful advice, written by a rape victim from a well-off neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
110ff: Extensive section here on knives: a knife "won't jam, it won't run out of ammo," it requires no paperwork, etc. For training/practicing with knives you can use felt tip markers and wear old shirts to see where you "cut" or "get cut."
119ff: Useful insights here on staying away from bullshit, dance-like combat techniques (like learning the "eagle's claw of destiny" ninja trick or whatever) when it's much more important to learn basically two key things: basic stabbing and slashing techniques, and also disarming an opponent with a knife. Keep it very basic. On the "stitching machine" technique, furiously quick multiple stabs whenever there's an opening; nothing is a "death ray," which means you need fast and multiple strikes.
129ff: Unconventional weapons: chairs, bottles, a baseball bat or a pipe, pens, pencils and scissors, umbrellas, nail clippers or a small file, keys, brass knuckles, a piece of rope or a necktie.
132ff: Discussion of handguns and how if you have pushback or resistance against the idea of owning a gun, yet you live in a violent society (or a society that is about to become violent), you're basically finished, "mentally castrated" as the author phrases it. In Argentina the author quotes a newspaper article from La Nación that 9 out of 10 people could say that either themselves or a direct family member were victims of a crime in the 8-9 years after the crisis. [Here you want to think about the environment we may find ourselves in as things deteriorate, not generalize from the safter environment we had in the past.]
137ff: Types of handguns, single action, double action (SA/DA), revolvers with SA or DA, etc. Gun safety basics ("there is no such thing as an unloaded gun"), target identification, etc.
147ff: Self-defense shooting tips, on developing your awareness, the best situation is to avoid the situation; on learning situational awareness: who's in front of you, who's behind you, what are they doing; study people's hands, check their waists, check your six, practice carrying your FA; note also that just having a weapon often will defuse any situation.
156ff: On stopping power and what type of round is best, 9 mm is sufficient.
157ff: On revolvers vs pistols, and the value of having more rounds available. You're not going to know how many rounds you are going to need.
160ff: Also an interesting discussion here on shotguns and having an less-than-lethal (LTL) ammunition (e.g., birdshot). On liabilities of a shotgun in close quarters combat: the gun is too big and unwieldy, you have to use two hands, you can't use your leading hand to move around, open doors, perhaps deal with an attacker, etc.
171-2: Interesting discussion here on body armor, slipping it on as you grab your FA during a home defense situation, or having it in a post SHTF situation when you are doing something potentially risky, like selling your car for cash.
182ff: Section here on finances after SHTF, starting with this sobering quote: "Foolish Latino, what happened with your petty little country will never happen in America," where the author describes pushback he gets when describing what happened in Argentina during the 2001 crisis [Americans in particular simply can't wrap their minds around what happens all too frequently in many other countries].
183: It's really striking to hear the author talk about how the peso went from 1:1 versus the US dollar to 3.5 to the dollar, then 4.5 to the dollar in 2009 around the time his book was published. Today in 2024 the Argentine pesos is 922 to the dollar. [!!!]
183ff: Cash is king: it works when banks and digital money are down, it can let you buy groceries and gas. On bringing a 100 USD bill with you at all times, if not two.
185ff: On having a safe as well as a backup safe. "Burglars expect to find one safe at most."
187: The author tells a story about a guy who was very well prepared for a crisis but was hospitalized in 2002 for 2 weeks... and because he lived alone, squatters moved into his house and picked it clean, including "the doors and toilets."
188ff: On having a supply of scrap gold jewelry, like gold wedding bands and cheaper gold chains, as something you can exchange with gold dealers for current money; if you walk around a marketplace (like for example La Salada, the key gray market in Buenos Aires) with a high-end gold coin or high-end jewelry you'll become a target. Instead, you walk into the store with a ring on your finger, put on a sad face and ask how much you can get for it. "You look just like another poor soul and you are not attracting unwanted attention to yourself... showing a gold coin in public will be like flashing thousand bills to people who are desperate, and who may be willing to kill you for much less."
189: Also a creative idea of having a gold chain where you can just sell links of it for smaller amounts as you need to. You can't do anything like this with a 1 oz minted gold coin.
192ff: On working during a collapse: the author argues that people ask the wrong question: "what jobs are in high demand after a collapse?" when they should be asking "How do we make money after a collapse?" Interesting thoughts here also on "affordable luxury": various examples where we might judge a purchase as stupid but people want some form of luxury they can afford, even during crisis times. The author goes over various types of examples of creative work niches here. [I think it's also worth thinking about how you get an even more extreme two-class society during periods of economic duress--the author doesn't go into this, but I think it's worth thinking through the implications here.]
199ff: Thoughts here on real estate after a SHTF event: people will need a new kind of "nice" place that they can afford that's different from what they had before. "An economic crisis means a fresh churning of this old dynamic, and this means fresh opportunities in real estate and rentals."
202: Blurb here on working inflation into a rental agreement; the author has a 6-month option for both the tenant and the landlord to break a lease if inflation increases and the parties can't reach agreement on a new rent rate. Interesting.
204ff: Bartering: this started up right away when the currency in Argentina began collapsing by the hour; and barter clubs sprung up all over the country, except they all had the same problem, the "double coincidence of wants" problem, basically.
205ff: On thinking about the guy who read somewhere that ".22 ammo was going to be the new currency after a crisis." Note that .22 was the only unregulated caliber before the crisis in Argentina, but then during the crisis the government banned private sales of .22 caliber rounds, thus this guy instantly becomes a felon, basically, by trying to sell his new "currency." Governments will quickly regulate guns and ammunition: the author reminds us of what happened in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina: guns were seized in the region. It's even more likely that governments will regulate or ban weapons after any outbreak of civil unrest. This is extremely helpful stuff here, it gets you to think.
207: Certain barter clubs created credits, a type of currency, as a medium of exchange enabling trade between two participants not willing to exchange specific services (imagine a plumber and a housecleaner but the two don't need or want each others' services at this time), note there were counterfeits made, etc., so even this didn't work, thus everybody more or less defaulted back to the Argentine peso and just got accustomed to the idea that it dropped every day. "We got used to it, and lived accordingly.
208: On making sure you acquire something that you are going to use yourself as well as potentially trade, like ammunition you would use, or canned/long shelf life food you would eat, etc.
208: The one guy really doing well in these barter clubs was the person who owned the space and rented it out to people. (!)
209: Useful phrasing here for bartering and haggling to offer a low bid but without seeming offensive: "Oh, but I was just planning on spending only X. I guess I'll have to pass."
209ff: Various other ideas here: asking for a cash discount, knowing prices, asking for discounts due to quantity, becoming a client of a trustworthy dealer who can offer future benefits to both of you, on being friendly but also non-attached, on dressing properly for the situation, on being friendly, open and ready for opportunity. The author tells a story about how he struck up a conversation at the supermarket and learned about a shipment of energy bars that were very, very cheap to the point where employees were buying them themselves and not even putting them on the shelves. He walked out with two boxes of his own.
215ff: On the explosion of private street brokers dealing in currency and money; a guy on the street whispering "cambio, cambio," or a guy with a drugstore as a sort of front business, but whose real business is buying and selling pesos, dollars, and euros. Banks and official exchange houses had limits on how much money you could convert (also there was the "official" exchange rate and the actual true exchange rate on the street).
216: Good insight here in this section on exchanging money: on the idea that after SHTF events, you're going to find all kinds of instances where crooked employees or crooked firms can reveal information about you to others: see for example a money exchanger who tells a thief for kidnapper about you if he thinks you are wealthy, they would then share the proceeds. Also the author gives an example of a company that installs burglar alarms and safes that sold this information to criminals; also otherwise "good" companies may hire crooked employees unknowingly.
217: Other insights: You want to spend the collapsing currency as quickly as possible; absolutely keep your mouth shut about your personal situation because people are going to be increasingly desperate; don't leave your cars as flags indicating your home is empty or occupied, carpool to work once in awhile or have a neighbor park his car in your driveway, stay "gray," etc.
219ff: On networking and making friends: make sure you find people who are already able to function well in a functioning society, because if they can't fit in during normal times they'll be disasters after SHTF. Note also that a tiny percent of the people you thought you could depend on will actually be dependable. The author says 1%. [This also is a severe structural problem for the idea of forming groups and living together in some sort of survival collective: most people will not be dependable and so that collective will (likely quickly) collapse.] "Learn to not count much on most neighbors."
223: On professional relationships: On having a doctor relationship, not just for health issues but if you ever need something unexpected like antibiotics or have a medical emergency. Also a lawyer: "When you need one you'll need one badly!" Also an accountant: typically governments will raise taxes like crazy after a crisis. Note also the author suggests trading your shooting experience or survival experience with them because they're unlikely to know much about those domains.
225ff: On knowing a pharmacist, a black market guy, a currency broker, a farmer, someone in local government, your local police officers, successful business people--and then the holy grail: knowing a judge. Also on volunteering for the local fire department or volunteer ambulance service.
227: "I'm getting pretty good results lately when I offer to take people shooting."
228ff: "Your government after the crisis": ordinary people become desperate for a savior, usually a charismatic leader arises. In Argentina Nestor Kirchner came out of nowhere to take power after the crisis. The leader will demand more and more power in order to get the job done, and the people will believe him and grant him that power. In Argentina there were the so-called "superpowers" granted to Kirchner beyond what the Constitution enabled. Things become more medieval, like a king and his peasants [neo-feudalism again!]; you can expect increasing corruption, a loss of freedom--including of course losing gun rights, the author considers gun rights to be a "freedom barometer", quite a good way to put it--increased censorship, increased email and phone surveillance; an increasingly inefficient or even non-functional legal system, failing public institutions including hospitals and medical institutions, crumbling infrastructure, major cultural changes for the worse, professionalized criminal activity, and even more corruption. [Note that in the United States many of these things have already happened to a great degree, and we've seen it in accelerated form in the more corrupted urban centers and now more characteristic of the entire central government as well.]
239ff: The author tells a striking story of a gigantic herd of looters that went past his home; his home at the time had an iron fence and in general the looters went mostly for supermarkets and easy-to-get-at shops, but the group did actually loot some homes; also on roadblockers, people protesting things and blocking traffic.
241ff: On squatters and how they can claim that you're renting the place to them; you can't shoot them because you're not in "immediate danger" and the legal system may take years sometimes to straighten out a squatter situation; this happened to a lot of people in Argentina. "Expect it to happen in your country after an economic crisis."
242ff: On relocating to a new country, you do it when you think things won't be getting better in your country for a very long time; the author repeats the story about his grandparents fleeing Spain during the Spanish civil war, and then his parents actually returning to Spain after the 2001 Argentine crisis. On applying the "three is two, two is one, and one is none" philosophy on countries to move to: thus you want to know people who can help you in three countries; the author discusses how during World War II Argentina was mostly unaffected and went through great prosperity; on Uruguay and Chile as alternate options in South America. On the idea of learning Spanish because it is spoken in so many countries, and how learning Spanish opens up other Romance languages to learn afterwards.
245: On storing assets in foreign banks; on having a small condo in your "Plan B" country; etc.
To Read:
Matthew Bracken: Enemies Foreign and Domestic (and his "Enemies" trilogy)
Works of Roberto Fontanarrosa
Eduardo Gutierrez: Juan Moreira
John "Lofty" Wiseman: The SAS Survival Handbook
Mario A. López Osornio: Esgrima Corolla (Creole Fencing)
Don Pentecost: Put 'Em Down, Take 'Em Out: Knife Fighting Techniques from Folsom Prison
Edwin J. Sanow: Handgun Stopping Power: The Definitive Study
See also Minionreport.net for forums/discussions among survival-type people.