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It's often stated that American energy use is 4 times the global norm. As American workers become less and less relevant in the global, financially-led economy, its cheap energy-based 'lifestyle' will also become a drag globally. There's little incentive to build a fundamental alternative - mass transport, city clusters, whatever - to reining in the current status quo. More likely is an ongoing impoverishment of a greater percentage of the population, kept in check at least in part by subsistence state programs. An ever growing pool of dumb rednecks, to put it impolitely.
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
Why not let people themselves decide where they want to live, and to decide for themselves what kind of vehicle to buy, how big of a house to buy, and how far away from their work-place they want to live? It is all about FREEDOM.
Government planners should not have any invisible hand in deciding where people and how people are to live. It is all about FREE CHOICE.
City clusters lead to outrageous land costs. Those outrageous land costs lead to outrageous housing costs and outrageous rents. That leads to the impoverishment of residents of the city. Poverty leads to city paralysis which leads to city decay.
When cities die, their businesses move-away. People move-away. The tax base contracts, etc.
Why is this so hard for planners to understand? Let people do what-the-hell they want to do!
If I were in the United Kingdom where 0.3% of the population own 66.67% of the land, I would emigrate so fast that your head would spin. I would never work so that the gentry in the UK might have their green lands and open space, not for university endowments, nor to preserve church-dedicated lands, nor habitat for rare and endangered species, nor for land to be held by government, nor for land to be held by the monarchy, not for golf courses, nor for riding clubs, nor for uncompetitive and subsidized farms, nor to preserve the holdings of land speculators, nor to preserve a system of influence-pedaling, connexions, and bribes funneled to government officials.Last edited by Starving Steve; June 18, 2011, 07:29 PM. -
Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
Isn't that exactly how the various messes around the world were created? By people doing what-the-hell they want to do? Which generally is having their cake and eating it to? By banksters seeding and promoting the practices you describe above? By fiduciarily corrupt politicians doing what they're campaign contributed to do?Originally posted by SSComment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
People ignore that the US actually already HAS a much larger strategic oil reserve. we just invade Canada if need be...
Then again, after the fiasco in Libya, the canuks may just kick our ass in the end.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
Many of us on the 'tulip accept the idea of peak cheap energy. More peak cheap oil.
In a macro economic sense, will energy distribution be increasingly distributed on a for-profit basis, with minor political adjustments? It would seem that the political economic factors that allowed American consumers to eat their fill at the energy trough are over - for them. No Cold War, outsourcing the production economy, financialization ... it comes down to, "who are these people and why should they get so much energy?"
An ever-weakening hand.
The "American lifestyle is non-negotiable" misdirection play be damned.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
I continue to find these comments offensive. Please don't try to defend it as "humour".Originally posted by doom&gloom View Post
As a "Canuck" who is a great shot ... I say come on over.
How would you feel if I said ...
You know ... Canada should become more friendly with China and Russia. We should build a missile defence network together, and make sure the Imperialist USA isn't going to try and invade every country on the planet who is rude enough to have their oil under our ground. In fact, we should discuss the merits of a pre-emptive strike - since their citizens already clearly feel that they should invade us.
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
I believe it comes with half a century of Pax Americana. Canadians aren't aloneOriginally posted by Fiat Currency View PostI continue to find these comments offensive. Please don't try to defend it as "humour".
As a "Canuck" who is a great shot ... I say come on over.
How would you feel if I said ...
You know ... Canada should become more friendly with China and Russia. We should build a missile defence network together, and make sure the Imperialist USA isn't going to try and invade every country on the planet who is rude enough to have their oil under our ground. In fact, we should discuss the merits of a pre-emptive strike - since their citizens already clearly feel that they should invade us.
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
Pax Americana has been a wonderful thing for the world. A case in point is the Middle East where 50-years ago, the people of most nations there travelled by camel and lived in poverty, ignorance, darkness, and starvation. There were few cities, no roads, no oil, no water, no plans, no dams, no power plants, no skyscrapers, no de-salinization plants, little in the way of agriculture, a short life-span, and basically nothing.Originally posted by don View PostI believe it comes with half a century of Pax Americana. Canadians aren't alone
Yes, Pax Americana was also good for the Americans, that's understood. But think about what might have happened in the world without Pax Americana.
Remember, fifty years ago, the southern border of Saudi-Arabia was undefined, and the southern half of Saudi-Arabia was unexplored and unmapped..... That is how it was.
Half-a-century ago, much of the Sahara Desert in Africa was unmapped and unexplored. Even the Sinai Desert was still mysterious. Not that very much has changed since 1961 in the Middle East, but the point is that a few things have changed, and have changed very much for the better.
Not everything was done by the Americans. The Russians built the Aswan Dam, a remarkable achievement. The British helped to develop the Persian Gulf states. The Russians and the Chinese currently are developing what used to be the vast wasteland of Soviet Central Asia. China is helping to develop Mongolia right now. Vietnam is being developed by China right now....... But over all, the world has much to thank America for, not to mention 50-years without the misery of another world war.Last edited by Starving Steve; June 19, 2011, 06:42 PM.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
oh relax, you obviously missed the punch line at the end.Originally posted by Fiat Currency View PostI continue to find these comments offensive. Please don't try to defend it as "humour".
As a "Canuck" who is a great shot ... I say come on over.
How would you feel if I said ...
You know ... Canada should become more friendly with China and Russia. We should build a missile defence network together, and make sure the Imperialist USA isn't going to try and invade every country on the planet who is rude enough to have their oil under our ground. In fact, we should discuss the merits of a pre-emptive strike - since their citizens already clearly feel that they should invade us.
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
Statism is just a distraction from the endemic problems in the Western World.Originally posted by Fiat Currency View PostI continue to find these comments offensive. Please don't try to defend it as "humour".
As a "Canuck" who is a great shot ... I say come on over.
How would you feel if I said ...
You know ... Canada should become more friendly with China and Russia. We should build a missile defence network together, and make sure the Imperialist USA isn't going to try and invade every country on the planet who is rude enough to have their oil under our ground. In fact, we should discuss the merits of a pre-emptive strike - since their citizens already clearly feel that they should invade us.
The majority of Americans are against wars and foreign involvements; yet the Military Industrial Complex thrives and keep growing bolder amidst broken and corrupt economic and political systems.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
I am relaxed, and no I didn't miss it - I can read. In fact I read so much - I regularly spot trends long before others. ;-)Originally posted by doom&gloom View Post
Just take a moment to think about some of the recent threads here on iTulip.
20% of what has happened in the last 3 years would have been dismissed as unthinkable only a decade ago. Another 50% of it would have been dismissed as "crazy talk" or "conspiracy theories".
If you are an American, somehow you & your fellow citizens have let a select group of what appear to be Super-Russian-Like-Oligarchs completely co-opt your Currency, Country, Constitution, Legal System, Military Industrial Complex, Political Complex and so on ...
"Conflicts" are already ratcheting up around the Globe - more to come I'm sure.
Ultimately we all decide if things get bad enough whether we make a stand in our bunker or where our line is, or do we flee to Uruguay or some such place. It's a testament to how far gone things are, that intelligent people have to think/plan like that.
I'm merely requesting civil discourse regarding invading another's country - whether in jest or not ... just as I have done on other topics about Jews or Muslims etc.
I don't really know what Anonymous or other recent movements stand for - but it is a bit hopeful to see that some Americans are waking up and trying to change the system from within. It's the $USD, US Debt and US Military etc. that are at the heart of everything. That means it's ultimately up to US citizens to do something about it all - hopefully before things get much worse. I notice today that ICANN will now sell new top level domains for the Internet (like .toyota .coke) for a mere $185K.
I prefer peace, but I am prepared to defend.
Peace be with you.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
FC, you have to understand that "Americans" are not to blame any more than say Canadians and as such, we cannot take the moral high ground.Originally posted by Fiat Currency View Post
For example isn't Canada involved in Afghanistan alongside the Americans? Isn't Canada part of NATO? Isn't Canada bombing Libya right now? Isn't Canada awarding multi-billion dollars contract to American contractors for F-35 fighters jets etc. etc.
As I tried to explain with my earlier post in this thread; the Oligarchs are from the Western World and are just as pervasive in Canada than in the US. As such, it is unfair to blame American citizen for something we ourselves are not doing.
Above all, we need to understand that the Oligarchs' battle field is global and that those who wishes to oppose them must do so on the same level.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
There is much truth in what you speak, but some twists as well. I for one do not support the current US stance in many parts of the world. I show my displeasure by investing part of my money abroad, simply because I do NOT trust my government anymore -- Republicans and Democrats alike.Originally posted by Fiat Currency View Post
I pains me to say that if the SHTF in a big way, I will NOt stay to defend a kleptocratic system, I will leave for Uruguay, or Argentina, or Brasil, or somewhere else. As we have seen other governments around the world use whatever force is necessary to suppress their people, I would fully expect our Homeland "security" apparatutus to roll en force against our own citizens. Like you say, things you would have never imagined years ago have now already happened.
As a Canadian, if the US were truly to target your country, there would be little you could do besides guerilla warfare on our own soil. (Just be sure not to say "eh" all the time). Having the worlds biggers superpower on your border has allowed your country to spend basically squat on military and be treated like our little brother. But a pissed off big brother could do the unthinkable in a statist induced haze.
Certainly I would not be in support of such a thing.
Don't forget, there is always a basis of truth in such "jokes" and stereotypes. Jokes about Jews, Poles, Blonds, etc always have a grain of truth that is exploied to begin with.Comment
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Re: Michael Kreiger ; Oil S&D
If the United States launches an unprovoked invasion of Canada (as in you didn't allow the Chinese to place nuclear missiles in Saskatchewan AND target our cities)Originally posted by Fiat Currency View Post
I will oppose my government - with armed force if necessary.Comment
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