[Culturechat] Jim Kunstler's Thoughts, upon returning from Europe

[Vance Roy]

On 21.12.2004, at 01:56, Bob Bestor wrote:

> Kunstler speaks only of what's wrong with America, not what's right.
> It's quite amazing that a society of fat, TV-addicted, mall shoppers 
> has produced most of the technological advances the world has seen in 
> the past 50 years, developed the vast majority of life-saving and 
> life-enhancing drugs, won the battle against fascism and communism, 
> and produced the most Nobel Laureates, 270 - more than Germany, 
> France, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, USSR, 
> Denmark, Spain, Japan and Australia, combined.

I am a believer in cycles. Things come and go in cycles of various 
lengths. A few seasons for a sports team to be at the top or bottom of 
their form is an example. When it comes to civilizations, one has to 
run the timeline out much further, perhaps several centuries or longer.

I wonder if the USA isn't on the decline. I am not being unpatriotic 
here, just being realistic. I am not a doomsayer, but I wonder what 
happened to that spirit that I remember prevalent during WW II? I know 
USA demographics have changed, but the country has always been made up 
of various ethnic groups, so I can't blame that change.

I live in a diverse country too. It is into it's eighth century. Every 
year people buy more cars in CH. Fuel here is expensive. I have a car 
and yesterday gasoline was $4.78 a gallon here. That doesn't stop 
anyone. I go to the next village in my car to a larger store to buy 
most groceries. I could walk to a local store and certainly live well 
on what I buy there. Why do I do this? Because I am a product of the 
car age. Public transport here is alive and relative to the USA, doing 
very well. If I want to go to Luzern or Zurich, I ride the trains, but 
for shorter trips I go by car. What price will gasoline have to reach 
before I sell my car? I haven't a clue, but I expect that time may 
come.

My children are well off and self sufficient. That's great, but what 
about my grandkids? I don't know. I get little comfort from knowing 
that likely, my grandparents worried about me. When all the oil is 
gone?

Will they look at interstate highways as relics?

Will all the concrete car parks have a use?

Where will all the goods transport/freight employees work? What about 
those commuters? Where will they work? What will that do to a great 
economy?

How will people get about? Especially in countries/areas with little or 
no mass transport.

How will goods get to market and at what price?

New forms of energy to fuel all our needs are decades or centuries away 
from being practical and within reach of the average consumer.

Are the powers that be (politicians) really on top of this? You know 
the answer to that, I think.

I don't have answers, and I don't believe Kunstler does either.

Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch

God loves stupid people. That is why he made so many of them.