To: ayn rand who wrote (22075 ) 8/16/2009 4:21:58 PM From: axial 1 Recommendation Respond to Thank you. The decline of the US middle class has been the subject of foreign commentary, too.Der Spiegel: Crisis Plunges US Middle Class into Poverty Message 25595601 "When oil hit $147, we hit the limit of what economies could sustain; millions of people were marginalized, especially (but not only) in the US. At a certain price point, it's true that different forms of energy become "cost effective." But here's the reality: at a certain price point, increasing numbers of consumers just can't afford it. Period. Then you get demand destruction, just as we saw when crude hit $147. Transit systems suddenly became overloaded. Food costs soared - agricultural shipments from California went up over 20% to end-users. The price of plastics soared. WHO issued desperate pleas for help as millions starved in Africa. Rush hours disappeared, as people just stopped using their cars. They turned down the heat everywhere: at home, in offices." Message 25801566 "In our lifetime, we've witnessed an explosion of historically unprecedented abundance. Many still don't understand that this was a short "blip" in time, and view many aspects of their existence, including the availability of personal transport as an entitlement. However we can now foresee reversion to previous norms.increasingly large portions of society will be marginalized: forced to adapt, as the cost of energy consumes increasing portions of their income for heat, light, transportation, food, water, infrastructure, education, raw materials: indeed, for every aspect of their existence. " Message 24840770 Commutes Speed Up as Fewer Drive Message 25602547
