General Discussion

BeyondGeography

(39,339 posts)

27. Americans wanna party and they always find a way

Sat Nov 24, 2012, 03:49 PM

Nov 2012

Me, I'm looking forward to community-based economics and the end of growth. The combination of technology, electricity, plumbing and efficient transportation rationally organized and sensibly consumed is more than enough to sustain us for many years to come, if, as Roger Waters once said in another vein, we all pull together as a team. Some deep blue parts of the country will get it and the usual suspects will claim a socialist conspiracy. Me, if I never get on a plane to sleep in a hotel cell room again I will be one happy man.

Then again, the loveliest part of the slowdown (the part when the new reality is not just inescapable but seen as a new sort of opportunity) will happen when I'm retired anyway. So, to you kids out there, embrace your regional/local futures. I think you'll have a better chance at happiness than many of us market-chasing postwar hamsters.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

28 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

If These Two Brilliant Investors Are Right About Future Growth, The World Is Screwed [View all] FarCenter Nov 2012 OP

If the planet and its resources were growing in size, then this "growth" model might make sense. NYC_SKP Nov 2012 #1

+1 villager Nov 2012 #2

This Pentagon report on dwindling resources was leaked in 2004.... OldDem2012 Nov 2012 #3

Space - the final frontier aletier_v Nov 2012 #13

Climate change presupposes a continued economy capable of extracting and burning hydrocarbons FarCenter Nov 2012 #15

Both John Kerry AND Lawrence Wilkerson made public statements about the facts that year. patrice Nov 2012 #21

even worse: dixiegrrrrl Nov 2012 #28

There is no reason for continued growth in the first place. RC Nov 2012 #4

Some examples would be useful ... GeorgeGist Nov 2012 #9

Mom & Pop businesses. RC Nov 2012 #25

I was always taught that the only thing that will keep growing indefinitely is an untreated cancer. Buns_of_Fire Nov 2012 #5

You can't have infinite growth on a finite planet. JaneyVee Nov 2012 #6

It shouldn't take long for AI ... GeorgeGist Nov 2012 #10

Why not? One need not remain stagnant in technology, e.g. WinkyDink Nov 2012 #12

The US is in better shape to handle a huge deficit than Europe and Japan... Kolesar Nov 2012 #7

Competition for resources affect our economy? I know it's only a small piece, but what about patrice Nov 2012 #8

OK GeorgeGist Nov 2012 #14

Legalizing it would make it a new economic resource for the middle-class & lower. patrice Nov 2012 #20

Resources are getting less abundant and more expensive and the middle class ChisolmTrailDem Nov 2012 #11

Which resources? Copper? Bauxite? Iron ore? Gold? Water? Trees? WinkyDink Nov 2012 #16

The most obvious is oil. A few years ago a barrel of oil was $10 ChisolmTrailDem Nov 2012 #22

phosphorus, potassium, helium, cheap and less noxious forms of fossil fuel energy, antigone382 Nov 2012 #26

or - They are evil Santas, trying to break it the way that Reagan supposedly broke the USSR & patrice Nov 2012 #18

Plenty of resources off-planet aletier_v Nov 2012 #17

an economic prescription for machine wars in space. NO thank you. Some? maybe. but . . . patrice Nov 2012 #19

IOW, under highly limited, rock-solid, absolute international terms with significant patrice Nov 2012 #24

The Genius Who Invented Economics Blogging Reveals How He Got Everything Right And What's Coming Nex Tobin S. Nov 2012 #23

Americans wanna party and they always find a way BeyondGeography Nov 2012 #27