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Who can save us… McCain or Obama?
By admin | September 25, 2008
If you’ve read any of the articles on this blog, you probably already realize that this question is a red herring. I don’t believe either of these guys can save the United States and thereby the rest of humanity.
Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t because I think they are both a couple of clowns–typical politicians who talk about change and then get right back to business as usual. On the contrary. This is the first time ever that there have been two candidates who I really liked and admired. I’m totally impressed by Obama’s clear-headed rationality and presidential poise. And I truly admire McCain’s heroism and devotion to this country. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter which way the election goes.
And don’t assume that I’m saying they will both be completely ineffectual because the system is so much bigger than one man, blah blah blah. On the contrary, I think the president, through the policies he pushes and the people he empowers has a huge impact on the course our country takes. The last eight years have proved that point in spades. I believe the American public as well as leaders around the globe will all react very differently depending on who is elected and the steps they take.
But it doesn’t matter. No matter what, we’re going down the tubes.
The end of civilization is a fait accompli. It’s all over but the shouting.
Of course I don’t expect you to give any credence to such an outrageous statement without some pretty compelling arguments in its favor. So here goes…
Rather than talk about the doom and gloom scenario of the U.S. sliding into depression, getting pushed around by Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia and eventually striking back militarily in order to reassert our dominance and thus triggering WWIII, I’m going to discuss a more positive path.
In a best case scenario, the U.S. sucks it up and gets to work. We dive headlong into the core industry of the 21st century–green energy production and distribution. Things are hard for a while–lots of stories of heartache and misery.
But out of the mire emerge heroes and tales of triumph! We innovate and lead the rest of the world to the development of forms of energy we only imagined before. Energy is literally as abundant as the air we breath. And all this virtually free energy “fuels” a resurgent economy like none the world has ever seen!
If ever there was a doubt that the U.S. had the moxy to overcome any obstacle it was laid to rest through this latest feat.
And of course the rest of the world goes along for the ride. China, Russia, and other countries are determined to keep pace and they develop miraculous technologies of their own. Diseases are eradicated. Hunger abated. Children educated.
And naturally we all feel deserving of the best things that life has to offer. We still love our stuff. Gradually our consumption increases as we all reach for the good life that has been denied to us for so long. We work and spend and consume enthusiastically, confident in our knowledge that technology has finally allowed us to master the human condition.
Of course there are still problems. Human nature is a ingrained in our DNA and we just can’t help repeating the same old behaviors. Powerful people still abuse their positions. Lazy, careless people still mismanage their lives. There’s still poverty… Environmental problems… Crime… Immorality… Troubled youth… Same ol’ stuff.
But for the most part, life is GOOD! And there’s lots of cool stuff and experiences to have for those who really want it. So we indulge ourselves. And we compete. And we devise new systems to get ahead. And we bend the rules. And we push the limits. And we ignore the signs that we’re veering off course.
And next thing you know we’re confronted by another crisis that we didn’t see coming.
Only this time it catches us even more unaware because the issues are so complex they make the mortgage meltdown look like tinker toys. And this problem is so much greater than anything we’ve seen before because the global integration is complete and the shear volume of collective wealth is beyond our comprehension. When the bottom drops out from that dizzying height the full weight of 10,000 years of civilization will come crashing down so fast and so hard that it will be unrecognizable the next day.
I’m not predicting this is going to happen during the time that Obama or McCain serve as president, but I wouldn’t trade place with either of those guys for $700 billion.
Technorati Tags: bailout, catastrophe, civilization, election, end of the world, mccain, obama, president
Topics: Economy, Politics, Society |