I imagine that economic collapse will be swiftly followed by the United States and by extension the entire world turning into a barren wasteland with biker punks riding souped up motorcycles and driving armored cars with mounted machine guns, and Mel Gibson going on a rampage and killing everyone.

And zombies. Lots of zombies.

In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.

I'm counting on the aliens to save us.

We, as a race, put far too much stock in our abilities to actually change things.

WE NEED A PLANETARY BAILOUT!!! ONLY THE ALIENS CAN SAVE US!!! I WANT TO BELIEVE!!!

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. -Benjamin Franklin

Okay...so now we have aliens AND zombies. Who will win that fight?

Aliens have the superior technology, but then those zombies just keep coming... Here it is, zombies will turn the aliens into more zombies, and then zombie aliens will invade the rest of the universe and the resulting blockbuster film will generate enough revenue to jump start the economy.

Aliens ain't even worried about zombies. They'll incinerate them with their mondo death-rays of death. There won't be anything left but zombie dust. And, sure, that dust might move around threateningly, but it's still just dust.

We need the aliens people. Now more than ever.

See, that's where the zombies have the advantage. The aliens will think zombies are just humans, and will nonchalantly saunter down to Earth, and as soon as one of those b--tards gets bitten in the neck, they won't know what hit them.

Because you know they'll take that bitten alien back to the ship, where it will die and become a zombie alien, and it'll take the alien doctor by surprise, bite a major artery, he/she will bleed out in moments and now there are two, and the sickbay/infirmary will be overrun in a minute or two, then the entire ship. It'll be intergalactic armageddon.

Shoot, we're building a Will Smith trilogy here.

Well, ok, the aliens have the disadvantage of not having seen the eleventy thousand zombie movies we've made, and so they aren't aware of how the deal is supposed to go down. HOWEVER, you are assuming that the pernicious zombie virus will infect the aliens. This is a big assumption. I believe that our saviors (the aliens) are immune to all this hoodoo. They are made of technology and magic and will not abide a living death. The aliens are immortal and cannot die. If something cannot die, it cannot be made undead. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

And, yes, we should all put our heads together and build a blockbuster. Or at least a good B movie.

That thought did occur to me, but I was operating under the assumption that the aliens were vulnerable to all of the same viruses, etc. that we are. I suppose they could have immunity.

Or they could theoretically have teeth-proof skin.

I observe what is happening and try not to think of how it will affect me. I just enjoy life as much as possible.

Klaatu barada nikto!

I love how some of you guys are trying to have a somewhat serious conversation about this topic as Drinky and I steer it back to zombies and aliens, while Joey Fingers wisely plays both sides. :)

I just came out from the millennium end of the world this year. Now I have to take cover again?

The next doomsday isn't scheduled until December 20, 2012, so we have a few years to prepare.

Here are some things that might be keeping the aliens from coming here to save us:

http://www.hobo-bonobo.co.uk/topten/topten-25.htm

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft.

Meltdown would suck, but correction shouldn't be thought of as cleansing. There is a stark difference from diappointing to devastated.

I've received confirmation of imminent alien arrival. WE ARE SAVED!!!

http://10-14-08.blogspot.com/2008/09/faqs-asked-about-10-14-08.html

I take offense at all this negative talk about aliens. ;)

THEY ALREADY WALK AMONG US!!!

Hey--I'm legal! :P

Come Dec. 21, 2012, I'm sure there'll be another vague ancient calendar and/or religion that will forecast the apocalypse as nigh.

Though the aliens may have superior technology and merch market dominance, here's evidence that zombies are gaining some traction, Zombiecon: http://zombiecon.com

Here's another fun doomsday/utopia coin-toss scenario: The Singularity

Transhumanists predict that in the next several years humanity will be saved by advancements in things like artificial intelligence and nanotechnology which will fix everything from poverty to global warming. Naysayers predict humans will end up getting annihilated in the technological tidalwave or as pets/slaves of "the machine". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

Ray Kurzweil has analyzed the possible scenarios and advocates that with good planning we can prevent the dystopian ones. And he's, um, pretty smart, so I'm going to go with his plan.

How do the geese fit into all of this?