PDA

View Full Version : Thinking about how bad it could get...




tangent4ronpaul
07-29-2008, 10:04 PM
I was extrapolating some data from page 129-131 of this report:
http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission-7MB.pdf

Of the 300 Million people in this country, 170 Million are employed. (there is 12% unemployment)
17 Million are in the manufacturing sector.
1.7 Million of these work in food processing.

130 Million are in school, retired, unemployed, etc.

Anyone know what the breakdown is for the non-manufacturing sector? - I'm guessing the majority of it is paper-pushers and the service industry. That's 153 Million that don't make stuff. Much of the paper-pushing is due to government regulations and laws.

We are a food superpower, leading production of the worlds 10 major crops, meats, poultry and fish. We supply over 50% of the worlds cereal grains, Canada, Argentina and Australia combined supply somewhat less than 30% combined. Most of the worlds nations do not export grain.

The failed experiment called ethanol has already caused mass starvation and food riots.

“These U.S. Exports go far towards alleviating hunger and preserving political stability in nations that lack the resources to feed their own populations”.

Hurricane Andrew resulted in a nationwide shortage of transformers for a year. We had to order replacements from overseas.

A few years ago, at a congressional hearing someone made the comment that we are not only loosing our manufacturing base as it's being bought and shipped overseas, but we now no longer have the machines to make machines. He's talking about re-tooling the country. We can't.

Supermarkets only have enough food for 1-3 days. “just-in-time” food distribution is making this worse.

Many industries are clumped together in limited geographic regions – Chemical manufacture, refining, steel foundries, shipbuilding, etc. Now the military is following suite, in the same tradition as “just-in-time” production and maximizing profit, while minimizing cost through base consolidation. In short, creating single points of failure to an attack.

We are dependent on imported oil.

Imagine a major world wide conflict, as might be kicked off by attacking Iran.

If the shipping lanes were like they were in WWII...

We now import the majority of what we use, besides food.

Both Russia and China have large navy's. Ours has gotten smaller.

China has a population problem, but lifted it's one child per family law recently. The only reason I can think of that they might do that is if they expect a major war – either in 16-20 years, or sooner to replace it's population and provide cannon fodder.

Any thoughts on this?

-n

WRellim
07-29-2008, 10:56 PM
A significant percentage (i believe somewhere approaching 30% these days) work either directly in government (federal, state, local) or for companies that are doing substantial contract work for governments (roads, computer contracts, etc.)

And probably an additional 10% work for a host of "so-called" NGO's and foundations many of which are partially supported by government grants (and nearly all of which are supported in the sense of the organization itself being "tax-free").



China has a population problem, but lifted it's one child per family law recently. The only reason I can think of that they might do that is if they expect a major war – either in 16-20 years, or sooner to replace it's population and provide cannon fodder.

Actually it is because their "one child" policy essentially (and brutally) succeeded, and now they are getting worried that as a result, their population demographic will end up "inverted" (too few young people having to support too many old people).