[sittinguy]

Since I found out about peak oil, alot of things have changed for me. I really started thinking about my family and thier needs if TSHTF, I kinda miss the days when I used to just come home and watch star trek. I almost had enough cash to buy a new motorcycle. I gave it up to help get out of dept, and begin my simple preparations. I watch CNBC way to much, and I am more confused than even on what the hell is going on.

But here is the signs I,m thinking of.

Giant jewelry stores are being purpose built, and people are buying.

New cars everywhere, and I,m not talkin cheap cars, BMW's Mercedes, Corvets, GT 500s WTF

Traffic sucks, $3 gas doesen't seem to be a problem

2 more Starbucks are getting built localy, we already have 3.

I am really starting to believe in the plunge protection team (PPT) is holding the market up.

Everyone that bitches about the war, I ask them,"do you want your kids/grandkids to have gas?? The answer is always yes. and I see the gears turning in thier head

My property value is STILL double what it was since I bought, even though it was triple for a while, its not bad.

Big corporations that lost thier asses, Still payed out FAT bonuses to CEO's WTF

No small bisinesses have gone out of bisiness, Tattoo parlors popping up everywhere Theres is a freakin popcorn shop down town,,, and they are making money WTF.

Berneke farts and the market goes up.

We all know that lowering the rates is the wrong thing to do, lets bail out the dumbasses and make the rest of us doing the rite thing pay for it.

Someone give me some good DOOM to chear me up please.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sittinguy', '
')Someone give me some good DOOM to chear me up please.

[sittinguy]

Most of the people that think that taking out a 2nd mortgage will fix thier problems are the same ones that think they should run up thier cards and get what they want and then file banruptcy. The only thing I can think of is to get dept free, and let the world go to hell

[Lighthouse]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', '
')Well oil touched $100 a barrel a week and a half ago. That was quite a milestone. ...

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sittinguy', 'g')ive me some good DOOM to chear me up please.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sittinguy', 'g')ive me some good DOOM to chear me up please.

[Eli]

Your main problem is that you are watching too much CNBC, they are the biggest market cheerleaders.

Here is some doom 10,000 people applied for 400 jobs at a Wal-Mart outside Atlanta.

Seriously enjoy the fact that things are not that bad right now, really they are not that bad. Be thankful that we have been early in calling the collapse.

You have to pull the curtain back and take a closer look to discover that we are dancing on the edge of a blade.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'Y')ou have to pull the curtain back and take a closer look to discover that we are dancing on the edge of a blade.

[I_Like_Plants]

sittinguy you make some very good points. It's amazing how the US economy is still holding up so well. mcDonald's stock is up, and I can't say I haven't helped, since those sausage mcmuffins are so hard to stay away from lol.

All I can say is, the powers that be are scared shitless of a fast crash, as they should be. So they're going to try to bring it down slowly, while they try their best to keep Joe Sixpack convinced everything is fine. And their best is pretty darned good.

And also the economy is a very large thing, and there's just one hell of a lot of inertia and "flotation" left in the Titanic before it actually goes down.

Americans will still be buying bling while their children go hungry, that's an established fact.

[Kingcoal]

The thing is that as long as oil is available and dollars are good for it, inflation doesn't really matter. That's what Cheney meant when he said that deficits don't matter. They don't, as long as the dollar is taken as payment for debts, both domestic and foreign. While the dollar isn't worth much, it still is accepted for payment. How many times can I say that? The US has told the world in no uncertain terms that refusal of the dollar is an act of war against the US. Refusing the dollar amounts to bullying the biggest, baddest, kid on the block. Dealing with the bully (US) is so far more profitable than challenging him. To those enfranchised, it's far smarter to work with the bully, because he'll take care of you and make sure you profit, though not as much as him. It's like the old druglord saying; "silver or lead." The meaning of the saying is that you can either go along with the program and get paid silver or be killed. Notice that it isn’t "gold or lead." The "gold" is reserved for the bully.

The problem is that it is a control system based on many nations needing something they don't have; oil. What happens when they don't need oil anymore? The control system has to change over to whatever the new thing is. That's the way the GWB administration thinks. That's why they push the "hydrogen economy" or biofuels. They need whatever it is to be a fuel so that the control system can be restructured to control it. Electricity, which is probably the most likely replacement for vehicle power, can't be controlled in the same manor. In other words, the way the neocons look at it, the US needs to keep the world addicted to oil as long as possible to preserve the status quo.

So, yes, things aren't that bad - yet. The US would rather see cheap oil, of course, but as long as the petrodollar is king, the control remains in place. At the end of the day, it's all about control.

[Pops]

Look at these grain prices... (click on the "C" on the right to get an idea of their history)

Corn for example...

The dollar decline has something to do with this (since we are in a world economy) but I suppose that matters little to those of use getting paid the same dollar wage we were a few years ago.

Remember, corn and bean prices especially relate to every meat, egg and dairy product you will buy - corn touches just about EVERY food product you buy.

Doomy enough?

[sittinguy]

Thanks, I especially like the 10,000 for 400 jobs, and the silver or lead quote, very nice.

[Falconoffury]

Granted, it's still 10 moves until check mate, but things are certainly starting to slide. The reason why most industries in the economy appear to be healthy is because consumer spending is still fairly strong, and job losses have been relatively minimal and we still have job growth. Banks are having difficulty loaning to each other, but consumer credit is still strong. Aside from people losing their homes to foreclosure, the chaos is still behind the scenes.

Before you know it, banks will start restricting withdrawals as they have to expose their losses from CDOs. The Fed will probably keep going to the rescue, extending loans at special discount rates. Inflation will deepen. Don't forget that all those retiring baby boomers will be collecting social security, which of course will be even more inflationary. Finally, our foreign benefactors will get fed up (get it? ), with the worthless dollars, and start trading with other, more profitable countries.

The word that will define the future of the USA is "inflation". Ben Bernanke has already said that he will not allow a great depression to occur, so we'll get a Weimar Republic instead. It's all coming, we just aren't sure about the order or magnitude that all our problems will manifest.

[Eli]

Mc D's is now down 6% by the way. And I read a article that says the retail sales collapse has created Anarchy in that sector. Other than buying stuff on credit, what is it that we do in the US?


OH and I would like to add that I used to be able to go to lots of places and use my debit card and get cash back. Multiple stores are now limiting the amount to 20 bucks. I think that is telling.

[Lighthouse]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Falconoffury', 'G')ranted, it's still 10 moves until check mate, but things are certainly starting to slide. ...

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Falconoffury', '.')..The reason why most industries in the economy appear to be healthy is because consumer spending is still fairly strong...

[I_Like_Plants]

That's a good article Zardoz. They've finally called a spade a spade and admitted that the Xmas season was "a bloodbath" for retailers lol.

My own spending is 1/10th what it was. I'd expect the average 'Murrican to cut back about a third - which as precarious and leveraged as the economy is, should send us right down the hole.

[paimei01]

What will people do when they cannot make useless things to sell them to get money to buy other useless things and give money to others ?
All this "economy" is a game, destroying the planet and capturing people's minds

What do people really need ?
Shelter - if we started building with a plan like a war plan, in one month every people on the planet would have shelter - house. Not a mansion just shelter. I like the model of the long houses used by American Indians

Food ? Less than 3% of all the population in developed nations work in agriculture. So there is enough food.

Done, all problems solved, this destruction of the planet and of the human spirit in this "economy" must end

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('paimei01', 'W')hat will people do when they cannot make useless things to sell them to get money to buy other useless things and give money to others ?
All this "economy" is a game, destroying the planet and capturing people's minds

What do people really need ?
Shelter - if we started building with a plan like a war plan, in one month every people on the planet would have shelter - house. Not a mansion just shelter. I like the model of the long houses used by American Indians

Food ? Less than 3% of all the population in developed nations work in agriculture. So there is enough food.

Done, all problems solved, this destruction of the planet and of the human spirit in this "economy" must end

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('paimei01', 'W')hat will people do when they cannot make useless things to sell them to get money to buy other useless things and give money to others ?
All this "economy" is a game, destroying the planet and capturing people's minds

What do people really need ?
Shelter - if we started building with a plan like a war plan, in one month every people on the planet would have shelter - house. Not a mansion just shelter. I like the model of the long houses used by American Indians

Food ? Less than 3% of all the population in developed nations work in agriculture. So there is enough food.

Done, all problems solved, this destruction of the planet and of the human spirit in this "economy" must end