Whose Oil Should We Use First?

The graphic above is from our friends at Wiki.  It shows the world's proven oil reserves.  Darker = more.  Let's assume this is reasonably accurate and close enough for our purposes.

First, it's important to understand that oil is running out quickly.  We're at peak world production now, meaning plus or minus perhaps five years.  During the latter part of this century world oil production will be a fraction of what it is today. We have increasing demand pursuing a finite resource and there's only one way that can end.  If you don't believe this, you don't understand exponential growth.  Go here and learn.  It's a little arithmetic lesson by physicist Al Bartlett. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY&feature=related 

Of course, you can bat your eyelashes and titter something moronic about never being good at math.  Cute dosen't fix stupid, but that's okay.  You'll be happier if you don't know what's really going on.   

Oil is food.  Agriculture is the process of converting petroleum into food.  World population already exceeds the carrying capacity of the earth by at least 4 billion people. That's how many people eat today only because of oil production.  No oil, no food.  And there are lots more people arriving every day. 

A lot of us have been concerned about the levels of oil imports and the national security implications.  I made some noise about that here, the other day.  I've listened to T. Boone Pikens and wondered why the government isn't listening.  Well, I think I figured it out. 

Imagine you're elected President and you're suddenly confronted with what our intelligence planners know; oil is going to be very, very scarce in only a few decades.  Those intel folks understand exponential growth vs. finite resources every bit as well as Dr. Bartlett in his video.  From a national security standpoint, it's very important to be the last country standing with oil  It makes far more sense to hoard your own reserves now and buy foreign oil in todays dollars, which will be worth less tomorrow through inflation. We're still in deep trouble.  We're still running out.  But the rest of the world may run out before North America does.  We'll fend off mass starvation longer. We'll be able to defend ourselves longer. 

So why doesn't anyone talk about ths?   

Do you want to be a President or politician who stands up and starts telling America that the world really is running out of oil, and your children and grandchildren may well face starvation and a collapse of civilization as we know it?  Do you want to try to explain why we need population decline, not growth?  Or economic contraction rather than expansion? Welcome to recession, the new normal. Would anyone listen?  Is anyone listening to those who are saying it now? 

The data's all there, folks.  It's all available.  Do the math for yourself.  Every major news outlet fails to do the math, or else does the math and then lies for their own purposes. 

Don't drink the kool-aid.  Do the math yourself.