Although it is a good idea to blame scheme collapse on foreigners, this is better left for the end game. Blaming foreigners could lead to war, as the foreign government gladly use your threat to extort more money from their own tax slaves and things can easily escalate. Make sure you only blame countries without weapons of mass destruction if you plan to follow up on the blame with the punishment of war to send tax slave money to your friends in the military industrial complex.

Foreign wars are an ideal dumping ground for young people who you promised too much during your ascend to power (e.g. Napoleon got rid of 300.000 men trying to conquer Moscow in the winter, after a revolution in which he promised them liberty, equality and brotherhood) If you promised old people too much and have totally spent their social security money, you can monopolize health care and make sure they have to go to through your monopoly for treatment. Natural forces will make sure the job secured, income secured civil servants (you don't have to pay them much, they will get plenty in bribes from the desperate) will block efficient treatment (maybe 'block treatment efficiently' is more accurate) and your financing problem of old people will disappear.