An article on folks preparing for life to change as oil and other goods get scarcer.
Another article explaining the cost of gas, that includes a reference to the falling dollar.
This is all stuff I've been reading about for awhile in alternative media - interesting to see it hit the Associated Press.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Late Spring in NH
After so many months of posting our snowy pictures, I thought I'd show you what late spring in our yard looks like. The leaves have only recently been fully unfurled, a bumper crop of dandelions are in full bloom, and the ferns are popping up in the woods.
And the daffodils are waning, but not completely gone.
Note the "sagging" iron railing in the background - those were straight last fall - the snow falling off of the roof and piling up there (that door is rarely used) somehow caused that to happen!
And the daffodils are waning, but not completely gone.
Note the "sagging" iron railing in the background - those were straight last fall - the snow falling off of the roof and piling up there (that door is rarely used) somehow caused that to happen!
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Importance of Decentralization
From today's Downsize DC dispatch:
Everyone is feeling the pinch of increased gasoline prices. But that's nothing compared to the rate at which the cost of first class postage has risen. The average price of gasoline has increased 1,400% in the last 89 years, but the price of a first class stamp has risen 2,100%.
There are many reasons for this. Here's a big one: Government is a monopoly. It has no incentives to economize. Another problem is that spending decisions are made for political reasons, not because the social benefits outweigh the costs. Here's another example, that relates to the first one . . .
The U.S. Postal Service has purchased more than 30,000 ethanol-capable trucks. This has caused their gasoline consumption to rise by more than 1.5 million gallons. A Postal Service study found that the new vehicles get as much as 29% fewer miles to the gallon.
Aren't you glad we have the government to solve our energy and environmental problems?
The American people are partly to blame because when they look to the politicians to solve problems they are appealing to the most wasteful, incompetent, and often harmful institution in the world -- Big Government.
The solutions to our problems can't come from the top-down. They can't be dictated by monopoly government. They must and they will come from the bottom-up. Solutions are found when creative individuals can profit by responding to the demands of consumers. Today's higher prices are the inventor's and the entrepreneur's signal to get to work.
The knowledge and ideas we need to solve our problems can't possibly be concentrated in Washington, DC. Knowledge and creativity are decentralized resources, dispersed across the entire world population. This is why the worst errors are centralized in the halls of government, while most of the truly viable solutions are decentralized.
This is true even of our environmental and energy problems. While the politicians are floundering in error, with their top-down mandates for mass-produced ethanol and farm subsidies that drive-up the cost of food, the decentralized sector of our economy is busy creating real solutions.
We recently reported on a breakthrough in solar power technology by Sunrgi. Their new solar cell technology concentrates the energy of sunlight by a factor of 1,600. But within days IBM announced a similar technology that concentrates sunlight by an even larger factor -- 2,300.
Everyone is feeling the pinch of increased gasoline prices. But that's nothing compared to the rate at which the cost of first class postage has risen. The average price of gasoline has increased 1,400% in the last 89 years, but the price of a first class stamp has risen 2,100%.
There are many reasons for this. Here's a big one: Government is a monopoly. It has no incentives to economize. Another problem is that spending decisions are made for political reasons, not because the social benefits outweigh the costs. Here's another example, that relates to the first one . . .
The U.S. Postal Service has purchased more than 30,000 ethanol-capable trucks. This has caused their gasoline consumption to rise by more than 1.5 million gallons. A Postal Service study found that the new vehicles get as much as 29% fewer miles to the gallon.
Aren't you glad we have the government to solve our energy and environmental problems?
The American people are partly to blame because when they look to the politicians to solve problems they are appealing to the most wasteful, incompetent, and often harmful institution in the world -- Big Government.
The solutions to our problems can't come from the top-down. They can't be dictated by monopoly government. They must and they will come from the bottom-up. Solutions are found when creative individuals can profit by responding to the demands of consumers. Today's higher prices are the inventor's and the entrepreneur's signal to get to work.
The knowledge and ideas we need to solve our problems can't possibly be concentrated in Washington, DC. Knowledge and creativity are decentralized resources, dispersed across the entire world population. This is why the worst errors are centralized in the halls of government, while most of the truly viable solutions are decentralized.
This is true even of our environmental and energy problems. While the politicians are floundering in error, with their top-down mandates for mass-produced ethanol and farm subsidies that drive-up the cost of food, the decentralized sector of our economy is busy creating real solutions.
We recently reported on a breakthrough in solar power technology by Sunrgi. Their new solar cell technology concentrates the energy of sunlight by a factor of 1,600. But within days IBM announced a similar technology that concentrates sunlight by an even larger factor -- 2,300.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Ecology vs. Economy?
This is interesting. Many people advocate population reduction as being important for the environment, but how many people understand the implications of shrinking population on the economy - specifically the financial well-being (or even just survival) of the elder generations? In this interesting article, a German writer discusses this problem:
"There is nothing complicated about finance. It is based on old people lending to young people. Young people invest in homes and businesses; aging people save to acquire assets on which to retire. The new generation supports the old one, and retirement systems simply apportion rights to income between the generations. Never before in human history, though, has a new generation simply failed to appear."
Yikes!
I don't like his statement towards the end that "free markets give them the sort of economy they deserve." I think I understand what he means, but I don't like people referring to what we have as a "free market". When you've got an intrusive centralized Federal government like ours, we definitely don't have a "free" market.
"There is nothing complicated about finance. It is based on old people lending to young people. Young people invest in homes and businesses; aging people save to acquire assets on which to retire. The new generation supports the old one, and retirement systems simply apportion rights to income between the generations. Never before in human history, though, has a new generation simply failed to appear."
Yikes!
I don't like his statement towards the end that "free markets give them the sort of economy they deserve." I think I understand what he means, but I don't like people referring to what we have as a "free market". When you've got an intrusive centralized Federal government like ours, we definitely don't have a "free" market.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Last Little Bit
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
Well, here we are on May 1st, and this is the last bit of snow left in our yard. It held on pretty well - through several 70+ degree days during Holy Week! I guess my prediction on April 10th that it would take "forever" to melt was a bit off. As much fun as it was in the winter, by now we are glad to see it go!
BTW, if you've been following my snow posts this winter, Concord, NH fell short of the all-time snow record by 4 inches this winter!
Well, here we are on May 1st, and this is the last bit of snow left in our yard. It held on pretty well - through several 70+ degree days during Holy Week! I guess my prediction on April 10th that it would take "forever" to melt was a bit off. As much fun as it was in the winter, by now we are glad to see it go!
BTW, if you've been following my snow posts this winter, Concord, NH fell short of the all-time snow record by 4 inches this winter!
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