Letters to the Editor
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This Isn't Your Garden Variety Recession
We're all used to the idea that every 6 or 10 years there is a downturn in the stock market as values are "corrected". Other kinds of business enterprises may go sour, but we are confident that it is just part of the "business cycle" and in a couple of years, if not months, the whole thing will turn around and happy days will be here again.
This time, the downturn is not so much about money, although the way we have let the banks and government abuse the value of our currency is incredible. The main component of the downturn, only starting to be recognized, is the end of cheap energy. Cheap energy in the form of petroleum and natural gas is what makes our economy go. It fuels the machines that supply us with food, clothing, and housing. Without it, we're really in a bind.
The those in the petroleum industry have known about this problem for over 50 years, even to the extent of knowing the decade in which it would occur. The fact that our national leadership has been so dishonest with the American people and offered so little assistance in preparing for this catastrophe is unconscionable.
Oh, enjoy your beans. In just a few short years you will be feeling lucky to find them in the stores.