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By Terry Weiss, Money Morning
Investors should prepare for severe times ahead as zero growth will throw a long, dark shadow over the U.S. economy for decades to come.
That's according to famed Northwestern economist Robert J. Gordon, one of the world's leading experts on business cycles and author of Macroeconomics, a seminal textbook for economic students worldwide. He laid out this depressing scenario in a new research paper being circulated among think tanks worldwide.
According to Gordon, three separate "industrial revolutions" have led American's to falsely believe that "economic growth will persist forever:" 1) the rise of steam engines and railroads 2) the widespread use of electricity and combustible engines and 3) the computer and internet revolution.
Unfortunately, Gordon explains, a new revolution isn't likely due to six devastating conditions thwarting future growth. These include fierce global competition… unsustainable energy and environmental costs… and outrageous levels of consumer and government debt.
Gordon says anyone can clearly see that America's growth has peaked and collapsed by looking at this eerie pattern:
"Doubling the standard of living took five centuries between 1300 and 1800. Doubling accelerated to one century between 1800 and 1900. Doubling peaked at a mere 28 years between 1929 and 1957 and 31 years between 1957 and 1988. But then doubling is predicted to slow back to a century again between 2007 and 2100."
Gordon Isn't The Only Expert Seeing This Frightening Pattern
In a newly released documentary that went viral last month, a team of influential economic experts says they have discovered a very similar pattern. One they believe points to not just slow economic growth as Gordon predicts, but a massive economic catastrophe unlike anything ever seen.
The work of this team of scientists, economists, and geopolitical analysts has garnered such attention, they were brought in front of the United Nations, UK Parliament, and numerous Fortune 500 companies to share much of their findings. Click on the short video above to see the eerie pattern
And according to these experts – who have presented their findings to the United Nations, the UK Parliament and a long list of world governments – the catastrophe may happen well before Americans hit the polls in November.
"What this pattern represents is a dangerous countdown clock that's quickly approaching zero," said Keith Fitz-Gerald, the Chief Investment Strategist for the Money Map Press, who predicted the 2008 oil shock, the credit default swap crisis that helped bring about the recession, and the Greek and European fiscal catastrophe that is still wreaking havoc until this day.
"The resulting chaos is going to crush Americans."
Another member of this team, Chris Martenson, a global economic trend forecaster, former VP of a Fortune 300, and an internationally recognized expert on the dangers of exponential growth in the economy, explained their findings further:
"We found an identical pattern in our debt, total credit market, and money supply that guarantees they're going to fail," Martenson said. "This pattern is nearly the same as in any pyramid scheme, one that escalates exponentially fast before it collapses. Governments around the globe are chiefly responsible."
"And what's really disturbing about these findings is that the pattern isn't limited to our economy. We found the same catastrophic pattern in our energy, food, and water systems as well."
According to Martenson, these systems could all implode at the same time.
"Food, water, energy, money. Everything."
Dr. Kent Moors, one of the world's leading energy analysts, who advices 16 world governments on energy matters and who currently serves on two State Department task forces on energy, also voiced concerns over what he and his colleagues uncovered.
"Most frightening of all is how this exact same pattern keeps appearing in virtually every system critical to our society and way of life," Dr. Moors stated.
"It's a pattern that's hard to see unless you understand the way a catastrophe like this gains traction," Dr. Moors says. "At first, it's almost impossible to perceive. Everything looks fine, just like in every pyramid scheme. Yet the insidious growth of the virus keeps doubling in size, over and over again – in shorter and shorter periods of time – until it hits unsustainable levels. And it collapses the system."
Martenson points to the U.S. total credit market debt as an example of this unnerving pattern.
"For 30 years – from the 1940s through the 1970s – our total credit market debt was moderate and entirely reasonable," he says. "But then in seven years, from 1970 to 1977, it quickly doubled. And then it doubled again in seven more years. Then five years to double a third time. And then it doubled two more times after that.
"Where we were sitting at a total credit market debt that was 158% larger than our GDP in the early 1940s… By 2011 that figure was 357%."
Dr. Moors warns this type of unsustainable road to collapse can be seen today in our energy, food and water production. All are tightly connected and contributing to the economic disaster that lies directly ahead.
See the investigation here.
According to polls, the average American is sensing danger. A recent survey found that 61% of Americans believe a catastrophe is looming – yet only 15% feel prepared for such a deeply troubling event.
Fitz-Gerald says people should take immediate steps to protect themselves from what is happening.
"If our research is right," says Fitz-Gerald, "Americans will have to make some tough choices on how they'll go about surviving when basic necessities become nearly unaffordable and the economy becomes dangerously unstable."
"People need to begin to make preparations with their investments, retirement savings, and personal finances before it's too late," says Fitz-Gerald. 
