I'm never wrong either. That said, I hesitate to soothsay economic devastation. Two reasons.

1) The economy will not capitulate entirely until the American Puritan work ethic is entirely toast.

2) If the death rate of working-age people is high enough, whatever downturn happens will be muted.

So I think you're right to predict the economy will slow down, and that they will seek new ways to get people to take the mark, but total economic devastation is not in the cards for a while. The gov may find other ways to incentivize taking the mark.