At this point, it would probably require a total collapse of the US Dollar first, followed by a tough depression.
What's scary, is that I think that's going to happen ANYWAY, only the government is going to use their "order out of chaos" tactic and swoop in to reap the rewards of taking another precious part of our original independence.
I smell "Problem-Reaction-Solution".
Read about that. And read about the "Totalitarian Tip Toe", too. It's quite eerie, when you compare it what's been going on over the last 10 years specifically.
The sad thing is that a depression, even a bad one, is not much more than a confidence shaking correction in prices. If people were willing to allow wages to correct at the same time as the rest of the prices in an economy, it wouldn't hurt nearly as much.
-Joe