[extropy-chat] Priorities: Longevity, food or viruses?

[Mike Lorrey]

--- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury at aeiveos.com> wrote:> 
> Now, factor in this site recently pointed out to me by Dave Kekich:
>   http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
> which discusses the problems we may face with our food supply
> when the oil crunch arrives.   [Yes, I *know* the site is alarmist
> and doesn't cover solutions under development -- but for the sake
> of discussion lets assume there will be a decline in oil resources
> and that will impact food prices because politicians generally do
> a poor job of solving problems before the develop.]

It is more than alarmist, it is absolutely false. We've discussed this
before. If these claims were true (and these same claims were being
made in the 70's) then today we should be paying $80/barrel for oil and
rationing one car per family. Didn't happen then, won't happen now,
won't happen in the future. Studies of costs of energy show that
inflation adjusted prices are at their lowest levels, historically
speaking, in the past decade, and will again once the Iraq situation is
done with.

Whenever there is a price spike (an ARTIFICIAL price spike) due to OPEC
politics or mideast military action, these malthusians come out of the
wood work, only to be proven wrong once again when things calm down.

The fact is that we are paying less for oil now than we did in the late
70's and early 1980s'. We were paying as much as 50% less prior to 911.

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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