Oops #1

Missed yesterday's writing, double-post today to make up for it.

The replacement facility for the US to research particularly nasty things is going to be in Kansas.

Kansas State University conducted an aggressive campaign to win DHHS selection as the future home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a $650 million award that will replace the deteriorating institute at Plum Island, New York. One might hope that the caliber of their research might rise accordingly, once that animal disease reesarch facility - located in the middle of America's bread basket and cattle country - starts its operations.

So, follow me here as we step into the end of the United States.



2017 - NBAF comes on-line after two years and $100 million dollars of cost overruns.  It is located in the heart of Tornado Alley.

2018 - The facility has a minor emergency, as a small amount of bio-toxin escapes the containment area.  A report shows that the containment area has flaws, necessitating an additional $75 million in upgrades and repairs.

2020 - The NBAF receives the final materials from the Plum Island facility.  Decommissioning Plum Island will eventually take 10 years and 358 million dollars, as a New York State Senator demands the use of unproven and costly "but safer" methods of decontamination.  Opponents attempt to point out that this is just an attempt to keep Federal money flowing into the state, to compensate for the loss of money and jobs from the closure of the Plum Island facility.

2025 - An EF-4 tornado rips through the facility.  Deadly materials are scattered throughout the heart of the country's food production, including grains and animals.  Thanks to winds and storms, the material is hurled hundreds of miles away.

2026 - Crop and animal losses are in the billions of dollars.  Entire sections of prime farmland are quarantined off.  The cost of basic foodstuffs quadruples.  Major corporations, such as Monsanto and the Ethanol Producers unload their war chests to lobbyists, in an attempt to get the remaining land sectioned off for their use, thus maintaining profitability.  Food riots are sparked as the news reaches the general public, and the initial shortages of flour and rice hit the big box stores.  The top 2% of the US population leave the country over the course of the next couple of years, moving a total of 3.8 trillion dollars out of the economy.  Food from the US is banned world-wide, in fear of the contagions spreading.  Riots begin outside the US.

2027 - Non-National grocery stores shut down, due to the large corporations buying up all the available food supplies.  Unemployment jumps to 28%.  The age of the "Convenience Store" comes to a close, as high gas prices (due to Ethanol subsidies, amongst other factors), unemployment, and the scarcity of food outside of big-box stores shuts down the industry.  This causes another round of layoffs.  Canada and Mexico halt border crossings.  Other nations quarantine all travelers from the United States, and then ban personal travel to the US outright due to the cost of building quarantine facilities.  The loss of income from the United States affects the world-wide economy.  China successfully moves the 'world currency' from the Dollar to the Yuan. 

2028 - The general awareness of the National situation causes widespread riots, looting, as State and Federal Governments run out of money for unemployment.  The US enters a state of Hyperinflation.  Army and National Guard units are deployed to maintain order by a new President, whose first Act upon entering office is to declare Martial Law.  Shipments to the US of consumer goods drops 90%.  Food riots are now a world-wide issue.  The UN moves it's operations to Bern, Switzerland, but is incapable of achieving anything.
Attempts are made in the US Congress to authorize the use of nukes to restore US supremacy.

2029 - Individual states secede from the Union.  These states are the ones whose ability to produce food, such as California, have been relatively untouched.  Armed conflict occurs at the borders, as these States attempt to stop both people attempting to enter, and raiders attempting to steal.  Texas returns to being a Republic.  Martial law is declared in almost every world nation.  Africa is a war-zone, the Middle East's oil production facilities are disrupted.  South America declares itself to be a Liberty Zone, and claims all of Central America up to the Panama Canal Zone, which becomes a fortified wall.  At least one low-level nuclear exchange occurs, either India-Pakistan, North Korea against South Korea/Japan, or Israel against Arabic countries.


2030 - The mid-term elections are greeted by the lowest voter turnout in a hundred years.  The Federal Government is a shell of it's former self, presiding over the remaining 32 states of the Union.  This will last another year, before a total state of anarchy and collapse occurs.  There will be no 2032 US Presidential election.  Canada accepts Alaska's petition to join as her westernmost Province.  The Alaskan oil fields are opened up, and the Alaskan Pipeline is routed into Canada.

2031+  At some point, the United States nuclear arsenal will become a battleground.  It is inevitable that some of these nukes will be launched.  A world-wide response will ensue.