Acute Future Shock

Yesterday, I checked a lady out of the store. Amongst her purchases were ten comic books (she was obviously buying for nephews or grandchildren.) Now, when I was a consumer of comic books, that purchase would have cost me one dollar. That would have been (when I was 12) a whole week's allowance. I could see myself doing that. Yesterday, this lady did not spend one dollar on those comic books, though. In fact, she did not spend ten dollars on those comic books. No, this nice lady ended up spending $29.69 plus tax on those ten comic books.

If the general rate of inflation kept pace with that of comic books, we should be paying about $30 for a cup of coffee at a diner...Starbucks et al would be up around $50 a cup. This is just another symptom of a much deeper malaise in our society. Think about it...

Deja Vu all over again....

I am currently reading Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat and Crowded". It is a good book, and I highly recommend it although I am currently only an eighth of my through it. What I have read so far, however, is enough to convince me that this is must reading for any American who hope to consider him(or her)self truly informed. I also have to note that some of what I have read so far could very well have been found int the Club of Rome's book, "Limits to Growth" which was publish some 35+ years ago.

So, right now I am reading about how the price of oil is directly connected to the growth and contraction of freedom around the world. What Mr. Friedman has yet to say is that it is in the interest of the oil producers to block the growth of Green Energy in any way possible. To that end, what this country really needs to do is institute a tax on imported oil that brings the price to about $50-100 per barrel above prevailing world prices. The money that flows into the government coffers from that tax should be 100% earmarked for the development and subsidizing of Green Energy sources until such time as those sources could compete on their own. I know that this is not a popular position for a number of reasons, but it is, I think, the best way to get these sources online in the shortest time humanly possible.

Thoughts, observations and warnings on and about our economy

Following are some thoughts, observations and caveats regarding the economy.

>The smell of fear is almost palpable on both Wall Street and Main Street these days. This is truly disturbing because fears like these usually become self-fulfilling. Fear leads to withdrawal, and that will lead to further economic woes. Like I said, self-fulfilling.

>OPEC has watched the price of a barrel of oil tumble by around 50% over the past few weeks. This does not make them happy. As I write, OPEC ministers are meeting to discuss cutting production to raise those prices again. This will mean that the lower gasoline prices will be ephemeral, and that the winter heating season will be truly painful for most middle-class Americans. Neither of which will do the economy any good. However, there is a silver lining in this...at least there should be one: It gives the alternative energy developers an opening. If public policy (ie. federal funds) and private money both converge, maybe we could see our dependence on foreign oil decrease over the next few years.

>Over the years, I have had my own informal economic indicators for downturns in the economy. I look at the number of homes for sale in my part of the world coupled with the number of cars out in front yards with "for sale" signs posted on them. As those two numbers increase, the economy shows more and more signs of distress. Right now, those two indicators are going through the roof. For what it is worth.

>And, finally, from yesterday's New York Times Week In Review section, I saw a piece about Japan's Lost Decade and how we are in even worse shape now than Japan was at the beginning of that decade. That was bad enough, but the even more distressing thing to see in actual black-and-white (as opposed to having an idea that this was true but no actual proof) that we are borrowing about $2 billion per day to finance our spending. I have to tell you that a family compound somewhere in Costa Rica is beginning to look better and better. Buy the land, put up a couple of houses, smuggle in enough weapons to make it very difficult for human predators to mess with us, alternative energy (solar, wind, bio) to keep us off the grid and we are set to watch the US implode from a distance. *sigh* I know, I know...not do-able at this time...more fantasy than fact, but it does show me that the fear I referenced above infects me as well. What was that old Chinese curse, "May you live in 'interesting' times."? I think that about says it for us.

Subprime

The subprime mortgage meltdown which is threatening to tank the entire global economy is absolute proof that we, as a nation, have taken a fundamental wrong turn in our moral and ethical development. What we have done is empowered the social predators among us. We have told ourselves that greed is good and that it is OK to take advantage of our fellow citizens. We have made of the dictum Caveat Emptor an excuse rather than a warning. We have bent the saying to mean that it is OK to take advantage because it is the other guy's responsibility to make sure he is not getting screwed rather than to be a warning to watch out for predators.

Roberta

Damn! Just watched Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers in "Roberta"(1935). Every now and then, one should watch one of these old flicks just to see what we've lost and how cool some of those people really were. Ginger Rodgers should make any male still above ground stand up and take notice. Jeez, the woman is absolutely amazing. And she keeps all her clothes on...and still is smoking. The flick has a couple great songs..."I Won't Dance" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" which are also worth the price of admission alone.

"Roberta" also showed some things our culture has lost, and some things that are the same now as they were 70+ years ago. Plus ca change, plus la meme chose...I think that is how it goes...Anyhow, it is worth the time and effort to watch if only to watch Rodgers and Astaire dance and to listen to the old songs.

I don't get it.

I don't get it, how the Republican candidates for President and Vice-President, can stand in front of microphones and cameras everyday and basically lie about Barack Obama with absolutely no fear of being called on those lies. They attack and smear his love of country, and his character with mounting shrillness, and there is no counter punch from the other side. McCain has done so many truly rotten things in his life that is sometimes is hard to decide where to begin, but it seems he has a "get out of jail" card for all of 'em because he was a POW for seven years. Personally, his being a POW does not give him a free ride. In fact, I saw the film "Manchurian Candidate" and it does not make me feel real comfortable witht the idea that McCain could be our President.

There will be more on this subject over the coming weeks. I'll be away over Columbus Day weekend, but, other than the two days that I will not have access to the 'Net, I'll be posting daily. Somebody has to.