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Being a responsible imperial entity, the Domination of Eiler pays close attention to the world economic situation. It has therefore become apparent that humanity's world-system is falling apart. The only question is, how bad will it get?
- United States radio commentators have started talking in terms of "misery index", which is percentage-inflation added to percentage-unemployment. Reportedly this index has reached values similar to 1980 - which indicates an upcoming fundamental change in U.S. leadership philosophy. But it's not even close to 1930. Unemployment might be 7% now, but it was 25% then.
- Likewise, there are disasters every year, but these are not without precedent. This year it's flooding, but in the 1930s it was "Dust Bowl".
- Many U.S. jurisdictions are finding they can't afford to maintain their infrastructures: pavement, power plants, food inspections, and so on.
Indeed, it's hard to think of anything that could go wrong which hasn't. The scary thing is, it's beginning to interrelate. Now that motor vehicles are being powered by ethanol and biofuels, the fuel shortages and the food shortages are interchangeable. But floods and lack of good food inspections are contributing to food shortages too.
Still, for now the lid is on.
- Now that the U.S. dollar is cheap, exports are rising.
- Now that refined petroleum is more expensive than milk, United States citizens are finally starting to use less petroleum, and that itself has started to limit its price.
- Reportedly people are starting to change their lives accordingly. Buy less stuff, live closer to the things we need, etc. Go figure.
The main differences between now and the last Great Depression are (1) more people, and (2) nuclear weapons. That is to say, we're not as far along yet, but we're in the same sort of cycle, and the stakes are much higher.
In the opinion of the Domination of Eiler, the current world situation probably won't be the end of humanity, but it will lead to tribulation on a Biblical scale. The tipping point will be some sort of domino effect, like...
- One more major Atlantic Ocean hurricane, resulting in...
- One more major U.S. city devastated, while also occur...
- Rolling power blackouts in that part of the country, plus...
- Crop failures in more than just California and the U.S. Midwest, causing...
- Food riots in U.S. cities, leading to...
- Withdrawal of U.S. troops from overseas so the National Guard can patrol the cities, while...
- The Ganges River runs dry due to lack of precipitation, and/or...
- Tibetan protesters trigger a peasant rebellion in China, while...
- Islamic militants get bored without U.S. troops to shoot at, and try something stupid in Kashmir, resulting in...
- An nuclear international incident between Pakistan, India, and China, causing....
- A world stock market crash, leading to...
- 25% unemployment in the lucky parts of the world.
... Or something.
It's not obvious what to do about this. But traditional stereotypes of survivalism will fall apart, because the survivalist ranch compound will be consumed by wildfires at about the same time the crops fail.
Experts say, the survivalist of the future will be independently mobile. That at least the Domination of Eiler can lead the disaster preparedness exercises for. If it ever has to get out of Michigan without using petroleum, its most recent vacation shows it can make the state line in two or three days on bicycle, and eat dandelion greens along the way.
One supposes, technology might save us one more time. Some estimates say, nanotechnology will be functional within 30 years. Which is to say, much stronger materials, therefore much lighter vehicles, therefore much less fuel use. But where's the fuel coming from still?
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