onlooker wrote:What will be the initial straw that will break the Economy's back? Perhaps something exogenous to the Economy?
Going back to some of the original questions that started this thread. I believe that the many costs of sustaining the American Empire and attempting to achieve total global hegemony are what will cause the coming economic collapse of the USA.
This speech by US Air Force Major General Cameron Holt, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, dwells on some aspects of this issue.
Full disclosure: Some parts of this speech will be extremely disagreeable to American exceptionalists.
"Watch Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition (Contracting), deliver a sobering and impactful talk on the threats America faces, misaligned incentives in defense contracting, and ..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyxJ36I2dLo