Imagine booking passage on the Titanic.
You are excited and intrigued for several reasons, not the least of which is the luxury and safety of the vessel. Whereas, the concept of luxury speaks for itself, the degree to which the crew members of the Titanic believed their ship was unsinkable made all the difference in the world as they threw caution to the wind and failed to do their best to identify icebergs and avoid them at all costs.
The rest is history — or is it our future?
Consider some rather ominous titanic analogies to President Joe Biden’s empty campaign promise to “build back better.” That is, as a voter, some of you purchased a ticket on this vessel, while the rest of us were shanghaied. Nevertheless, knowing that we hit an iceberg and the ship is sinking, what do you think of the proclamation from Captain Joe that we have nothing to fear because as the ship — our economy — goes underwater, we are simply “transitioning” the vessel!
Of course, there is no transitioning. Our economy is simply drowning in red ink, weighed down by inflation and sinking into fiscal oblivion.
Let us consider the icebergs that sank our economy.
First was COVID. Well, not COVID exactly, but the economic shutdown initiated by the government, which deemed entire sectors of our economy as “nonessential.” Proceeding from bad to worse, our government then printed and borrowed trillions of dollars in “free money” (a luxury tax of epic stupidity) that was doled out to individuals who made more by staying home than going to work, the private sector that received forgivable loans, and the public sector that received stimulus and relief money. Hence, as the shutdown broke supply chains, the free money triggered the worst inflation we have seen in more than 40 years.
And the damage is far from over.
The biggest iceberg of all? The war on fossil fuels, which was entirely avoidable. That is, Captain Oblivious purposely rammed this iceberg!
The economic illiterates in government and their environmental cronies duped people into believing that climate change presents an existential crisis. Hence, all caution was thrown to the wind as they forced this transition that is sinking our economy in complete disregard that upward of one-half of every barrel of oil is used to make something other than fuel.
Hence, as we shut down our oil, gas and coal production and stymy future investment in this vital sector of our economy, we are simultaneously breaking the bank and the supply chain of some 6,000 products that are used to manufacture every other single product we rely on every day to live in modernity. They rammed our economy into this iceberg, full speed ahead, even though it would rationally take decades to transition away successfully and carefully from fossil fuels and their derivatives.
Americans, one paycheck away from abysmal levels of poverty, have never in their lifetime been stretched by the related costs of food and fuel as they are today. For instance, gas stations are refitting their pumps to brace for gas prices exceeding $10 a gallon, meaning many people will not be able to afford to drive to work! Here in California, our water supplies have been so squandered (50% of our water is being wasted on environmental pipe dreams), and diesel prices are so high (which begets unsustainable fertilizer and transportation cost barriers), our farmers can’t afford to plant, grow and ship our food. As they go broke, the world will go hungry.
The real transition of “build back better” has torpedoed the U.S. economy, thereby creating the necessity for a mammoth salvage operation. As the old saying goes, Joe Biden, don’t spit on us, and tell us it is raining.
Andy Caldwell is the COLAB executive director and host of “The Andy Caldwell Show,” airing 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays on KZSB AM 1290, the News-Press radio station.
