As I’ve said and written too many times to count, the Greatest Depression is just getting started. The stock markets have experienced a bear-market rally analogous to the 48 percent rally of 1929-1930. But contemporary unemployment figures indicate serious structural damage to the industrial economy, and even mainstream pundits have started to figure it out: “Most of the jobs lost will never come back.”
Duh.
I’m headed to the mud hut for a long weekend. Comments on this blog, the absolute cluelessness of the mainstream media, and my email in-box suggest I should issue a reminder or two before I leave.
Jean-Francois Bernier of Quebec asked a couple questions in response to a recent post. It occurs to me that I’ve given hints about my relocation efforts, but I haven’t revealed the whole tawdry story in one place. This post corrects the oversight, if it was one, if you’re interested.
Oh, the conundrums faced by TPTB.
Consider Ben Bernanke and the other goons at the Federal Reserve Bank: They have to raise interest rates. But they can’t. If they raise them, thereby strengthening the declining American dollar, they destroy any hope for economic growth. And if they don’t raise them, the dollar plunges straight down the toilet (the flush kind, not the composting kind).
Nearly three years ago, I rounded up 30 people for a conversation. The goal: create a community of friends who would survive and perhaps even thrive during the post-carbon years ahead. The conversation lasted about 18 months, after which we were down to 3 of us (counting my dog).
A couple days after returning from a trip across the pond, I departed Tucson for northern California. As suggested in my latest entry, I have multiple goals for this trip: (1) There’s no better time than June to avoid the Sonoran Desert; (2) I’m seeing the world while I can, before the Empire dissolves; and (3) I’m facilitating the Fall of Empire, one gallon at a time. In addition, I’ve been asked to speak at the monthly meeting of the Willits Economic LocaLization group (WELL), arguably the people best prepared, at least in this country, for the collapse of civilization. If you’re in the area, drop by the Willits, California community center Monday, 23 June at 6:15 p.m. for a discussion titled, “Thriving in the post-petroleum era.”