Bill James

Six Signs Economy Is Turning the Corner

We have passed Peak Oil: Less Energy = Shrinking Economy.

Option: Increase efficiency by de-monopolizing government management of transportation and power generation infrastructure design. It is too hard for small business innovation to implement ideas with Congress as a filter. We need to tinker.

The Internet boom resulted when communications infrastructure was de-monopolized in 1984.

Seven Uncomfortable Predictions for the Economy

I think you are correct. We hit Peak Oil in 2005. Net World Oil Exports peaked and have declined since, less energy, same efficiency means less economic activity.

We need to fundamentally change our energy efficiency and re-establish the sense of self-reliance. In three critical areas we need to repeat the success of communications infrastructure re-tooling by changing from central planning to distributed self-reliance:

1. Food distribution. Get everyone involved by calling on everyone to plant a Victory Garden and try to grow 1/3rd of their own food. "Many hands make light work." Self-reliance starts with the self and is an attitude.
2. Power generation. Feed-in Tariffs are needed to allow anyone to create and sell electricity.
3. Transportation. Set Performance Standards for transportation efficiency and allow innovators to fill that standard. Cars, buses, trains and planes all use about 1,000 watt-hours per passenger mile (32 mpg). Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), PodCars, JPods use about 130. Converting 85 cents of every dollar spent on oil to jobs and profits is a way to stabilize and rebuild the economy.