Michael Butler's Blog

Michael, Thom Hartman’s writing is a cascade of essential information. When you see all of this so neatly tied together you want to yell: “of course”! However, lurking in this essay is a critical fact not discussed. The great material success of the advanced nations (also the birthplace of the mega-corporations) can only continue with massive inputs of materials and labor. Whether it is the fish filet from decimated oceans at the restaurant, the hardwood from the dwindling rainforest, the copper wire from the open pit mine in Indonesia, the diamonds from deep mines in Africa; there is another price to be paid. We take the cornucopia of goods and services for granted. Whether they come from the small local business or the giant retailer—the devastation is the same. There is virtually no recognition of this reality. The leading nations are right now all about ramping up “growth”; and that is in a world that is inexorably heating up for a catastrophe, and that is destroying every essential for modern life and survival. As I look at the world around me, I keep asking myself: but what will this look like without the energy, without the seemingly unlimited food stuffs, without the constant stream of products? Without some kind of major technological breakthroughs there is no way things will continue; nano level physics, for example. One writer was giving a talk on this subject and an audience member said: “Oh, the Wharton School of Business will deal with all of this kind of thing”. And the writer said: “You don’t get it, there won’t be a Wharton School of Business.” Pat