Posted on 09/19/2008 1:46:48 PM PDT by Publius804
Reinventing America
I am not known as an optimist. I am more than willing to point out that the glass is half-empty. So my friends were not surprised when, during the general euphoria over the collapse of the former Soviet Union in the early 90's, I said, “We are looking into our own future, 10 or 15 years from now.” Of course, the statement seemed absurd. The West had “won” the Cold War, and America was the world's only super-power. International hegemony was in sight, and there were no credible opponents. The economy was booming, and the internet revolution was just getting started. And indeed, 10 years have past, and now 15, but we have not collapsed.
Nevertheless, there is a sense of foreboding. Hegemony seems far off (thank goodness) and the world is full of opponents. We can rattle our sabers over Georgia, but can't really do much about it, even if Sarah Palin becomes the new Dick Cheney. We seem to be bogged down in wars we cannot win, debts we cannot pay, an economy that is a long way from producing what we need, a government mired in chronic incompetence and corruption, a politics with not only no solutions, but no real awareness. We are facing major failures in health care, infrastructure, finance, housing, manufacturing, education, and any other area you care to name. Indeed, searching for the bright spot seems to be a task not worth the effort.
Comes now Dmitry Orlov with Reinventing Collapse, a comparison of the US/SU (United States/Soviet Union) at the moment of collapse. Orlov grew up in the SU but has been in the US since the 70's. He is an engineer and a leading theorist of the “Peak Oil” movement.
(Excerpt) Read more at distributism.blogspot.com ...
I pretty much agree, except the part about the current administration. It is a bit over the top.
I don’t know much about distributism, all I know is Chesterton and Belloc were distributists.
It’ll probably seem stupid today, but maybe I should rent Rollover tonight...
First, we CAN win wars, we just largely lack the political will and fortitude to do what it takes to do so. When we approach a conflict with a politically correct mindset, we set ourselves up for a hard battle, if not to lose it altogether. Oh, for the courage of conviction that we had in WWII.... But I'm afraid we won't see that again without a new breed of politicians in the mix.
If it’s anything comparable to “peak oil”, it’s not worth your time, especially if you have to skip to the middle of it to find the so-called “analysis”.
Although I am a fan of both Belloc and Chesterton, Distributism seems but a pipe dream. I am not knocking these two great minds. They lived in a very different world than we do now.
Having said that, I agree with the aims of this philosophy. I see it as a noble attempt to reconcile capitalism with the preservation of human dignity.
Anyway, pessimism sells. To steal a line from Mark Twain, reports of the US demise are greatly exaggerated.
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