There are many approaches to the three main crises threatening civilization today, namely, climate change, peak oil and economic crisis. The problem is that most of them won't work. Weak and cowardly Most responses to these huge problems are too little, too late. For example, even though stimulus (spend more) and austerity (make big cuts) take opposite approaches to fixing … [Read more...]
Growing up in the first Great Depression
It seems that gone are the days of finding Grandma's thrifty old ways and viewpoints amusing and charmingly old fashioned. But are we missing out on not only a resource that's much needed today in hearing about how our grandparents used to live, but also simply tuning into and honoring the wisdom of the elders? As the US faces an uncertain future, financially as well as in … [Read more...]
A course to keep you from crashing
If you still think professional economists have any authority left to talk about finance, debt and banking, remember that most of them failed to predict the Great Recession of 2008. Then consider how many of those same financial experts have been saying on and off since the crash that the economy has entered a recovery, even if only a "jobless" one. Recovery? … [Read more...]
America isn’t broke just yet
Peak oil, which will bring the end of economic growth, may bankrupt the United States sooner than anybody thinks. But in the meantime, when our problems are more about finance than energy, there still seems to be plenty of money to go around if you can get your hands on it. Rich people have always been first at the line for government handouts, but ever since Ronald Reagan, … [Read more...]
The shock doctrine hits climate change
"Only a crisis produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around," said free-market saint Milton Friedman. Today, as the world reels from recession, unemployment and civil unrest all while facing an oil shock and worsening symptoms of climate change, Friedman's disciples hope to capitalize on today's … [Read more...]