When the Oil Runs Out

The Average Man must admit that he has it pretty good. Beautiful house in the 'burbs, lovely wife, cute kid, reasonably fun job. So naturally I worry that it could all be gone tomorrow if our economy tanks or war hits our shores.

I've long thought that most of the problems we Americans face right now revolve around our addiction to oil. Even worse than the environmental and health issues are the horrible political alliances it forces us to keep, and wars that are justified to obtain it. There are smart and clever solutions out there for ending our dependence, like the Apollo Alliance, but unfortunately our mass media and our leadership are just as addicted to the oil economy as the rest of us, and so bold solutions (at least peaceful ones) seem to rarely get mentioned.

But I just read this mind-blowing interview with a man named James Howard Kunstler, who forecasts what life might be like here once cheap oil is no longer available. It ain't a pretty picture, but it's necessary to think about if we want to minimize its impact on our lives. Remarkably, he's a pretty down-to-earth and even funny guy, in spite of the bleakness of the subject. Maybe it's an if-you-can't-laugh-you'll-cry kind of thing...