10.07.2010

A Letter to An Old Friend...

Dear XXXXXXXXX

Thanks for the reply. It's great to hear from you.  I'm glad you found the movie Collapse interesting.

I appreciate your thoughts on renewable energy and technology.  I agree completely on the potential for it to swoop in and save the day.  My confidence fails entirely on the likelihood of that happening. I think that "silver bullet" will come along too late for most people due to inherent flaws in and policies dictated by our economic and government systems.

It blows my mind how we spend a trillion+ annually on defense and fighting "terror" because most of that money is just a necessary expense for modern oil acquisition.  That money could be crucial in shifting to sustainables, but it's going down the crapper.

It also boggles my mind how we've recently created trillions out of thin air -- adding it to the national debt and the taxpayer's bill -- yet that money goes straight into the pockets of the TOP DOGS of our economic Ponzi scheme.  A trillion dollars is enough money to put $3,333.33 in the pockets of 300,000,000 Americans.  That's a hell of a lot of money and it's all going to the big boys.  Meanwhile, the average American's dollar gets weaker because the wealthiest 1% is flooded with new cash.

If our leaders wanted to get serious about renewable energy, there'd be tens of thousands (or more) new jobs right now advertising, manufacturing, installing, and servicing solar/wind/geothermal/etc. They'd be installing solar panels along every stretch of highway in the southern deserts to fuel SOCAL, VEGAS, PHOENIX, etc. They'd be throwing up wind turbines across the plains of the Midwest and off the East Coast.

They would incentivize and subsidize renewable energy and sustainable living.  Instead they continue subsidizing oil with absurd amounts spent every year on defense, road construction and maintenance, and tax incentives for Americans to buy new automobiles.

In reality, there's nothing major in the works and renewables only account for 3% of US energy consumption. Hydroelectric makes another 3% but I hardly consider all those dams a good thing.

When I try to look at the biggest picture, I can't help but think that the BIG DOGS know exactly what they're doing. Most people assume the wealthiest and most powerful people on the planet are morons. I assume that they're manipulative and conniving: after all, the richest .5% has gotten 27% WEALTHIER since 2008... and that's just the money on the books. Meanwhile, the average American is getting fucked... lucky if they can find a shitty job where they're paid peanuts.

My guess is that our economic and political elites have taken the advice of a supercomputer modeling program and sick bastard "experts" in the field of global relations.  Also, many of them take the Book of Revelations literally and honestly believe we're living at the "end of days".

We have supercomputers and trend modeling programs capable of giving a good idea where humanity is at and where it's going.  If someone with deep pockets put this program to work analyzing the human condition and the global situation what would it say?

My guess is this: Planet Earth is dying due to Overpopulation, Overpollution, and Overconsumption. So if the BIG DOGS want to "save the planet"-- and their own selfish, sorry asses -- what do they do?

Well, both the computer modelling and the "experts" say:

*Devalue the currency.
*Consolidate wealth in the hands of less than 1% of the population.
*Cut wages, jobs, and take away social benefit programs.
*Pay lip service to "sustainability" and "green power" to keep the masses hopeful but put no real money into it.
*Saddle people with toxic debts (mortgage crisis) so they're forced to slave within the system to stay on the right side of the law.
*Jack up the cost of all basic goods: food, electricity, fuels, etc.
*Take away poor people's spending power and literally price them out of existence.
*Destabilize the world economy leading to chaos, widespread poverty, starvation, war, revolt, and a whole lot of human suffering and death.
*Feign concern and/or play dumb.
*Sit back at the mansion in a secluded spot like Jackson Hole and watch the carnage unfold.
*If the local situation gets ugly, hop in the private jet and fly off to somewhere safe.


And a few years down the road when 90+% of the world population is gone, they think they'll be sitting pretty.  But the planet will be utterly trashed and every poor person still living will know exactly who is to blame.

I think Busta Rhymes described the situation best in the intro to Extinction Level Event.... not entirely true -- and no doubt doomy -- but truer by the day.

Enjoy!