Good to hear from you!
The 2013 Qtr4 GDP was revised up 0.2% on health care purchases, i.e. forced BOcare policy purchases. Did the report factor in less retail spending because of these forced health care purchases? No!!!
Well, we have passed step 3 and are somewhere in step 4. There's no doubt the science is complex, but if you attempt to follow it our situation is fairly clear. The real questions center around how bad it will get if we continue on a bau path, take moderate measures or go on a global crash plan to stop it. To paraphrase someone (I don't remember who, but many have made the point) the highest and best use of our remaining fossil fuel is to use it to figure out how to live without it.We are learning more about the consequences of continued injection of CO2 and other ghgs, and the news isn't good. The more we look, the more we discover that its worse than we thought it would be. See Mark's latest post for a recently discovered example.
Not only are we killing off fisheries and coral reefs in the oceans with acidification, but it turns out to be a positive feedback for more warming.
As I have pointed out before, we have lived through countless economic collapses and always manage to muddle our way through and come out the other end with a new system that lasts for a while before it too collapses. Bad things happen along the way, but our fundamental primary "wealth", the earth, is still there to support us.
We haven't been here before climatically. There is a very real issue as to whether we as a species can survive that kind of environmental collapse and there is certainly the question of how many other species will survive. We are already in the 6th great species extinction thanks largely to human behavior. How much damage can the earth absorb before it quits supporting us? Nobody really knows. Therefore, the cautionary principle should dictate our behaviors.
What I know for certain is that this has been the coldest snowiest winter I have seen since I moved here 32 years ago. I have never seen the Great Lakes 90% ice covered before. It remains to be seen how my fruit and nut trees survived the winter since nothing is even close to moving out of dormancy. The ground is still frozen. 13 of the 14 warmest years on record globally have occurred in the 21st century. Fisheries and coral reefs are dying globally. Ice is melting faster than predicted by those alarmist scientists globally.
He/she is probably right…so far. But the addiction is now turning on us, as addictions tend to do, and apparently we can see nothing to do but increase our dosage. I fear for my children.
Doug
Glad to see you back DIAP. Although I don't recall the precise language used, my strong impression is that he attributed an unexpected increase in shipping to online buying instead of brick and mortar shopping. Certainly harsh weather toward the end of the holiday season could have contributed to that trend.Doug
And I though it was only us Irish who talked about the weather so much because it was a safe subject in a small parish ! Actually, the weather in Britain and Ireland in recent months has been the wettest in historical records with flooding and encroaching of record high waves on previously untouched areas. Climate change is no longer scorned in these islands, now even politicians voluntary bring up the subject in conversation.
I rarely get excited about new inventions, but I stumbled across this generator and I think it is just amazing.
It's simple, low-impact, high potential to be produced cheaply due to few moving parts, and I can see high-utility value from this tool. The only problem is this guy is not selling them yet.
http://www.hydro-electric-barrel.com/index.html
This video is 2 years old so I am wondering if the company went out of business?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUtAkVC9c0U
ICMicroGen website down ( the company who planned to produce it)
It's really helpfully discussed. Thank you for the great post.
You'll find out that if you actually sit down and apply the math, your contributions plus employer's contributions will fall far short of what you get back out. All you have to do is live 'til you're 82. The fundamental reason is that politicians have been buying the votes of greedy people like yourself[Moderator's note: Calling other users greedy is an unacceptable attempt to ratchet the conversation up into emotional territory, which is not helpful. It is contrary to our forum rules. Furthermore, it is not something that you would likely do in person – it is an abuse of the anonymity of the internet. This is a warning.]
for decades, and as the time gets closer, the greedier you get, trying to protect your little nest egg.
If you want to opt out of the system now, then just opt out. No need to complain to anyone on this blog or anyone else, for that matter. Just get out, and then you won't have any reason to complain. Kapish? [Moderator's note: Ahem . . .]
Of sensibility.The weather in winter has had a bad impact on the economy. In early April we were in a holding pattern to see if the economic indicators will turn up. Mid April, they are now doing so. Common sense said they would. But during the lull, the naysayers made their hay, again.
If you haven't gotten on the train by now, it's too late. Once more the negativity had cost you money, but no big deal, everyone's got their kerosene lanterns to keep them company, right? <grin>. Don't worry, it'll come back around again, and you'll get another shot, but at a higher price.
Don't let life pass you by. As others on this blog have noted, for 40 years they've been predicting armaggeddon and it just hasn't happened. What will you do when you're 60 and still waiting for redemption?
The same thing could be said about the so called collapse. How long do we keep waiting for it, rather than getting off that horse and jumping on a different one, that runs toward a positive outlook and prosperity for oneself and the rest of humanity? Many have vacated this corral. Ask yourself, who gains from preaching this negativity?
osb272646
Thanks for the remarks. Based on my own subjective and purely anecdotal evidence, now that the weather has finally improved, New England folk seem to be out and about and spending.
The most important reason I come to Peak Prosperity is that many, if not most, of the participants are not just "doom and gloom" but are looking for ways to live life in a more balanced way. They are willing to share their knowledge and experience gained in pursuit of the same. Maybe because I have already gone over the "sixty" hill and am heading down the other side, I have a some what different outlook on things. Taking the long view, I try to prepare myself and my family for whatever may come, but more importantly I try to focus on making a life that is sustainable and personally rewarding. It is a balancing act but you can work on both things at the same time. A lot of what people call "prepping" is supportive of sustainable living.
I think I would be doing a lot of what I have done in the past few years, even if there were no threat of dramatic economic or environmental upheaval.
Good luck in your endeavors.
JT