Economic Disarray
Posted on Feb 2nd, 2008
by 
Rich
Rich
Money. What is it? Where does it come from?
The Economy. What is it? Where did it come from? What sustains it? Growth. Material growth. How much more can humankind "grow"? How much more can the planet sustain?
It seems that if the Economy collapses, growth will slow down. Or is it that as growth slows down the Economy will collapse?
Either way, the Economy seems unsustainable to me.
Here is what author and blogger Jim Kunstler has to say about the future of the Economy:
"The "housing bubble" implosion is broadly misunderstood. It's not just the collapse of a market for a particular kind of commodity, it's the end of the suburban pattern itself, the way of life it represents, and the entire economy connected with it. It's the crack up of the system that America has invested most of its wealth in since 1950. It's perhaps most tragic that the mis-investments only accelerated as the system reached its end, but it seems to be nature's way that waves crest just before they break."
Here is a summary of what Kunstler says we should start doing right away:
- Stop all highway-building altogether.
- End subsidies to agribusiness and instead direct dollar support to small-scale farmers, using the existing regional networks of organic farming associations to target the aid.
- Begin planning and construction of waterfront and harbor facilities for commerce.
- In cities and towns, change regulations that mandate the accommodation of cars.
- We'd better begin a public debate about whether it is feasible or desirable to construct any new nuclear power plants.
- We need to prepare for the end of the global economic relations that have characterized the final blow-off of the cheap energy era.
- We'd better prepare psychologically to downscale all institutions, including government, schools and colleges, corporations, and hospitals.
- Take a time-out from legal immigration and get serious about enforcing the laws about illegal immigration.
- Prepare psychologically for the destruction of a lot of fictitious "wealth" -- and allow instruments and institutions based on fictitious wealth to fail, instead of attempting to keep them propped up on credit life-support.
- Prepare psychologically for a sociopolitical climate of anger, grievance, and resentment.
Please take some time to read the full blog here.
Access: Public
collapse
March 2008 