It is worth noting on the first Friday in October when:
The front page of WaPo’s Business Section has stories on persistent economic worries (employment, factory orders), risky trading practices, Pearlstein’s column is titled “Greed is Fine. It’s Stupidity That Hurts” and the big story is “Pinched and Watching Pennies: Long a Bulwark of the Economy, Consumer Spending Stalls” that:
The only systematic, overarching strategy to achieve to sustainable economic prosperity – as well as social stability and physical (ecological) sustainability – is to evolve functional human settlement patterns.
Dysfunctional human settlement patterns are the driver of the Mobility and Access Crisis. The Chevron ad on page A-5 of WaPo says: “I will leave the car home more.” How can the smiling model do that when Large, Private Vehicles are the only way to get to Jobs / Services / Recreation / Amenity?
Dysfunctional human settlement patterns are the driver of the Affordable and Accessible Housing Crisis. The right size house in the right location would allow citizens to work for Regionally competitive wages, achieve competitive levels of productivity and enjoy a quality life.
Dysfunctional human settlement patterns ARE the Helter Skelter crisis in the Countryside. They have driven up the speculative price (not value) of land for urban land uses to the point that those who want to farm cannot afford to do it. That is especially true in the R=20 to R=100 Radius Band where fresh, secure food could be produced for the urban population.
A sustainable Countryside outside the Clear Edge provides the air, water, food, fiber and biological diversity necessary to support urban life and an urban civilization. An attractive Countryside also provides Recreation / Ameinty that supports those who choose to live in the Countryside and pay all their location-variable costs.
AOL, shooting themselves in the foot with advertisers by the way, today profiles 43 Top Ways to Waste money. The list includes a lot of good ideas – do not buy new cars, do not buy big houses, do not spend money creating mown grass pollution (aka, lawns), do not buy things you do not need, do not fight wars on false pretenses, etc.
Taken together all 43 are the “good” ideas – if they had been implemented in 1973. However, Business-As-Usual has resulted in a nation-state economy dependent on wasting natural capital, importing energy and cheap labor and begging for loans from foreign investors.
In 2008 the 43 good ideas – and all the Green Greed one can pile on the roof – will make some feel better. These ideas may keep a few from falling over the edge but the overall trajectory is still down.
EMR