-- Europe, at least "Old Europe" is a beacon to the world. It takes care of its people.
-- Dramatically, America grinds up its people for the sake of commerce
The more cynical view is probably that every ruling elite gives up the least it can to retain social order. The big discovery of the past 100 years has been that social order can be most cheaply maintain by passifiation through incessant entertainment. There's no need to put us in chains if we willingly chain ourselves to iPods 12 hours a day until we go home to become completely passified by the lastest Michael Jackson update or plug or genitalia into our 40th viewing of a James Bond re-run.
It's not that Europe is "good" an "America" bad -- each pays just what they need to pay to prevent the workers waking up and marching in the streets. Keep the beer cheap, the condoms available, and most importantly, the controversies of the day wholly irrelevant to the real issues, and we keep the peace -- enough peace for the security of those who count, and enough countrovery to keep the rabble busy with the wrong topics. The world is coming to an end; let's get really upset about stem cell research for crissake.
But the MOST cynical point of view is also the least political, which is my point of view. To analyze in terms of "elites" who seek to passify or divert or grind up or whatever implies a level of high planning and long range thinking that appears not to exist. If anyone was that much in control we might be okay. Most likely greed and decisions operate ad hoc group by greedy group; and the narcotic the wide screen feeds us all.
The biggest and strangest aspect of the entire peak oil question is who really understands the problem and is doing something about it, and who understands and are doing nothing, and who half undertand. Al Gore proably really is sincere when he makes impassioned speaches about Global Warming; and if someone like him can so miss the fires of hell burning the timbers under his feet, how can we blame the rest of our politicians? He's not a stupid man, and I refuse to believe his complicity in our doom is thanks to some blood oath to the illuminati; so either I am nuts (along the rest of the peak oil gang, which I fervently hope); or something more strange is going on which is beyond my understanding. How could he go so wrong?
Clearly, MANY scientist "get it", although in many cases assume the demise of fossil fuels won't cause a crisis for decades. Others see the crisis much nearer, but what are the going to do except make crackpot posts like this one? And how can any of us create the needed sense of urgency when so much of the world is delusional; in particlar entire fuel cell industry which gailly strives with poor success to create a device for which there is source of fuel that will not deplete our resources faster. (Actually not the ENTIRE fuel cell industry; I read of an interesting effort use the methane producde by sewage processing centers; which on a small scale makes perfect sense).
Ideally, there should be an action plan, a series of transformations -- not just gloom, but what to do TODAY. It would be a crude list, because the real list requires as step one making a better list starting off with Matt Simmons' idea of surveying oil wells to find out how dire the situation really is, so we can plot a course from where we are to where we need go. But with that information a list could still be made up pretending we had that information.
1. Immediately withdraw all troops from Iraq. The result will be a horrible civil war, Iran will dominate the region (as it will anyway) and Americans will be perceived as giving up as we did in Vietnam. All true. But that will all happen anyway, and withdrawing now will save 10 years, and if Europe or someone wants to try to keep the piece or carve up a piece of te action we'll be happy to give them the chance. Let China save the day, that might be interesting. Meanwhile we save $2billion dollars a day, and apologize for being lying imperialists, and save what face we can. Pay reparations to all those we humiliated at Abu Graib, and punish those responsible at the highest level in Neurenburg trials fairly conducted on an international basis. Those photographs will resonate for what's left of our history with the shame of arbeit macht frei; only we knew nothin, we knew nothing, it was only people NOT following orders.... Hopefully we will be acquitted but without an international trial we have no honor.
2. Stop Federal funding of highways, except for the most important E-W and N-S route. The money instead immediately goes to hi-speed railroads, and to reviving the wimpy little lines which when abandoned killed little once self sustaning towns in Kansas.
3. Raise gasoline taxes by $5 and use the funds apportioned among alternative energy ideas from the mundance (more efficent windmills) to the nuts (cold fusion ought to resoved one way or the other) to the long range (geothermal is possible EVERYWHERE free and hot, if you could figure out how to dig deeply enough and not recreate Pompeeii).
4. It's a free, country, sure, and I would allow anyting whatsoever to be broadcast with appropriate warnings and ratings ways to block it for those not interested; but there ought to be a way to encourage youth to be interested and excited about science and piano playing instead of voluntarily plugging their brains into the death box.
5. Call in the heads of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Tell them they suck. Give them the choice of effective nationalization WWII style, or as a partially federally funded plan to shut down for a year, and to reopen as manufacturers of electicity producting windmills and hybrid cars. Throw into the mix an offer not to incarcerate the executives who have been pushing fuel cell cars and SUVs for 10 years. Ask if they want to see the FBI files on their mistresses.
6. Do a study calculating the energy that would be saved if land used to feed cattle were instead used to grow grasses for biomass. Do a similar study for grains used for alcohol. Balance the violence that might result from removing alcohol and cattle from the american diet by replacing them with inebriates grown on marginal land not fit for growing much else.
And for the second week of my administration....
Hmmmm, and I thought I went nuts only temporarily... :)
- Charles |
