Comments on: Your Plans for When Gas Costs Too Much?

By: SB

SB — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 21:16:31 +0000

This topic should be retitled
“What are your plans 15 years from now when massive oil based inflation causes society to self destruct”

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 09 May 2005 20:58:33 +0000

Well, I can live without my car, or at least incredibly high priced gas, because I occassionally walk to work. I could always ride a bike. I have an electric scooter, but I imagine the electricty from my wall isn’t generated by hydro or windmill, it’s probably made with oil.
Plastic is a concern, although there are corn based plastics out there.
I think bigger concerns would be how our agriculture is dependant on petrol. Cows don’t graze, the food is brought to them. Corn is fertalized by machines that run on petrol. No petrol to make corn means no cheap and plentiful beef or platic made from corn.
The lettuce I already pay too much for in the store comes from California, or maybe Chile. It isn’t getting here on a sailboat.
Without oil I’m pretty sure my food and commodity prices (clothes made from cotton farmed by oil based machinery) would skyrocket.
I live in the Northeast. My house isn’t really designed with a fire place in mind. I don’t have a forrest nearby to chop wood from, and the government won’t let me grow hemp. Coal and natural gas aren’t in too much of a better posistion than oil. How would the coal get to my house anyway? On a donkey drawn buggy?
I imagine American life could become more community based, with local products and community friendly sidewalks and bike trails.
But America is very big. It relies on the constant travel and trade between its coasts. Would there be an America without oil? Would America still be a superpower? I doubt we’re going to see electric hybrid tanks or jet bombers. Plus we wouldn’t be able to economically crush our enemies by undercutting their economies with inexpensive foods through farm subsidies. Not to mention our other sanctions would be rather toothless with a weakened military.
I doubt America will go first. What little economic prosperity other oil dependent nations have would probably crumble first, creating giant power rifts leading to terrible things like war and famine.

I figure when it all goes down I’m going to live in a city fueled by pig shit and ruled by Tina Turner. I’ll form a symbotic relationship with a simple minded brute riding on his shoulders to and from work.

Break a deal, spin the wheel!

By: matt

matt — Fri, 06 May 2005 00:28:48 +0000

i figure my car has two maybe three years left in it. so on the heartbreaking day it a)dies a horrible sad death b) runs out of that magical combustible substance we call gas. i?Äôm gonna drift it down a hill towards the nearest river and find a bridge to park it under. than i plan on traveling via improvised raft ( possibly made of pool toys and old college text books that they won?Äôt buy back from me) . i?Äôve always wanted to be able to honestly say i live in a van down by the river

By: Ansel

Ansel — Thu, 05 May 2005 21:01:44 +0000

I’ve nearly perfected my perpetual motion machine…

By: Clay

Clay — Thu, 05 May 2005 17:53:05 +0000

Well, since I don’t have a car, I’m not really worried about that. However, air/boat/train travel will also cease, and that ain’t cool.

I’m probably most concerned that everything that’s made out of plastic will be in scarce supply — aren’t most plastics petroleum based? I hope that the ramifications of skyrocketing plastic costs don’t shut the entire world down. Maybe I’ll buy some solar panels and slap ‘em on top of my house.