The Great Substance Abuse Rush of ‘08
It has recently been reported that the face value of the American penny is less than the value of the copper used to make the penny. Talk is now being heard of returning to the days of the World War II era steel penny in order to conserve copper. For years drug-involved people have been ripping copper wire out of public schools and other basically abandoned buildings to sell for scrap. Who knew they were on to something?
Speaking of drugs, this sudden spike in metal prices has an eerie similarity to the behavior of the oil and gas market. Let’s sum up. Persons addicted to a drug (oil and gas) have little of it available to them at a price they can afford to pay (arm and a leg). In a desperate measure to feed their substance need they scrape together whatever resources they have in order to satisfy their addiction, even if it means seriously undermining their way of living (you call this living?).
They then give their resources to front men (Citgo and others) almost totally controlled by an international drug cartel (OPEC and non-OPEC countries) which charges anything they wish out of individual greed and knowing that the addict is hopelessly dependent on them. Methadone (biofuel, solar, wind, geothermal, and cow flatulence) is available but it costs more, is severely regulated, in short supply, or has bad side effects (has a bigger carbon footprint or smells worse than oil) and does not produce that long-term industrial strength high that heroin (light, sweet crude) does.
Entering a 12-step program (drilling domestically, using nuclear power, and developing other competitive energy technologies such as coal and shale oil) which have been shown to work (proven technology) is not even a consideration since the addict has not yet hit bottom (sustained rolling blackouts, incurred massive unemployment, or experienced food riots) which in the addicts foggy thoughts would be less destructive than the alternative (harming a snail darter, polar bear, or some guy named Bruce who wants to marry a sea otter).
Such is the insanity of addiction and so it will remain until, like all addictions a bad ending occurs or the addicted kick their habit for good.
Speaking of drugs, this sudden spike in metal prices has an eerie similarity to the behavior of the oil and gas market. Let’s sum up. Persons addicted to a drug (oil and gas) have little of it available to them at a price they can afford to pay (arm and a leg). In a desperate measure to feed their substance need they scrape together whatever resources they have in order to satisfy their addiction, even if it means seriously undermining their way of living (you call this living?).
They then give their resources to front men (Citgo and others) almost totally controlled by an international drug cartel (OPEC and non-OPEC countries) which charges anything they wish out of individual greed and knowing that the addict is hopelessly dependent on them. Methadone (biofuel, solar, wind, geothermal, and cow flatulence) is available but it costs more, is severely regulated, in short supply, or has bad side effects (has a bigger carbon footprint or smells worse than oil) and does not produce that long-term industrial strength high that heroin (light, sweet crude) does.
Entering a 12-step program (drilling domestically, using nuclear power, and developing other competitive energy technologies such as coal and shale oil) which have been shown to work (proven technology) is not even a consideration since the addict has not yet hit bottom (sustained rolling blackouts, incurred massive unemployment, or experienced food riots) which in the addicts foggy thoughts would be less destructive than the alternative (harming a snail darter, polar bear, or some guy named Bruce who wants to marry a sea otter).
Such is the insanity of addiction and so it will remain until, like all addictions a bad ending occurs or the addicted kick their habit for good.
posted by tovarich at 2:17 PM
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