Though there are risks, I'm happy about rising gas prices.

[datz510]

My 1.5 cents on the matter.. I believe we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to energy costs going up.

With recent events unfolding, it is only a matter of time before Israel strikes Iran's nuclear processing plants. When this happens, the Straight of Hormuz, which is under mostly Iranian control will be shut down. 40% of the world's oil passes through this narrow waterway. Needless to say, the effects on the world economy would be devastating for whatever length of time Iran decides to block this waterway.

I am by no means a doomsayer, but looking at the world today, I really do feel its just going to take a mere straw on the proverbial camel's back to alter civilization as we know it.

Most of us, i know are a resourceful bunch. I have learned the skills I need to be self sufficient for the most part. I can do gardening, metal fabrication, home repairs, auto repairs, and use what I have on hand to make my ideas a reality. The barter system will eventually again become a way of life, as it was in the great depression. I view my motored bike as a glimmer of hope that given the possibility of hard times ahead, I can still go about my business and take care of my household.

Thats my take on the matter. I think its all going to unfold within the next 6-12 months and it'll either be a great relief or we will be in for the shock of our lives when bad goes to worse.

Hang in there, folks..

 

[Mountainman]

I hate to say it - but - there is nothing good about the rising cost of gas. What else do we consume that comes close to the cost of gas -- let's say milk which is about the same price.. If gas goes to 10 dollars a gallon - what will be the price of milk - close to 10 dollars a gallon - with the cost of trucking and all... As much as I like the idea of the common man and lady riding MBs -- it would mean that we are in for some very sad times if it came to that - and that may be what's coming.. Happy Riding from - Mountainman

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Yes, the risks are awful. Though my posts have been pretty optimistic on this subject, the comments of datz and mountainman need consideration.

Datz touched on something that has worried me for some time; in places like the Middle East there are several ways that we could tumble into a disaster almost overnight. If Iran were to close the Straits of Hormuz we would have some choices that are simply horrible whichever way we went. Or if someone were to smuggle a crude nuclear device into, say, Tel Aviv I'd be willing to bet that we'd immediately see about a half dozen cities (Damascus, for instance) suffer retaliatory bombings. Such a thing would probably cut oil production by about 90%. We might survive it if we can secure the other sources of oil in the world, but that's not guaranteed at all.

And I'm sorry to get darker and darker here, but it had better be faced up to: If anything happens to stop those trucks from making deliveries to our Krogers and Safeways and Wal-marts, etc, then we are faced with a pretty immediate bloody free-for-all in which widespread cannibalism is a real possibility. After things calm down the only "items" capable of doing any work or getting anything done will be human beings. In other words, we'll settle down into a slave economy.

We can't rely on gardens;even if one avoids starvation and fends off marauders long enough to gather a harvest, it won't be enough to last a year.
The Amish have the infrastructure to get along without mid-east oil, it's true.
But they'll be over-run with desperate refugees from the cities trying to take what they've got. I'm sure they'll make a valiant last stand, but they'll be ruined by it as well. Maybe it'll take longer for them to go under, but they won't escape.

What worries me most about it all is that I see so little evidence that people are facing up to possibilities like this. I promise that I'll be just as happy as anyone if it all does not come to pass. But the very fact that a scenario like this is even vaguely possible is a crisis in itself. But I find few people who are willing to acknowledge the matter. I'm assuming that our leaders are considering stuff like this, but they're giving no indication of it. They should be spelling it out and telling us that we need to take these things seriously.

I can see that within this forum there are people who are thinking about matters like this and I'm glad.

But try to discuss these sort of things with your neighbors or co-workers; they'll only get mad at you and refuse to even consider it.

and I'm not a prophet of doom. I don't think that the horrible world I described above is inevitable. But I think it's a fairly real threat and that it should be treated as such.

so I guess I ought to clarify my thoughts on this subject a bit;
IF we don't eat and enslave each other, THEN rising energy costs could be a good thing.

And now I'll re-boot my optimism program and hope for the best.
MBer's are a pretty good crowd. Maybe we can help (a small part, but important) guide society around a few obstacles to a better future.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

Rising energy costs are never a good thing, to think otherwise is cruel.

To think that MB bikes are on the cusp of some sort of revolution is silly.

With regard to Iran, they have always been the target since day 1. Why else would we have forces bordering opposite borders in Iraq and Asscrackistan?

 

[sparky]

And I'm sorry to get darker and darker here, but it had better be faced up to: If anything happens to stop those trucks from making deliveries to our Krogers and Safeways and Wal-marts, etc, then we are faced with a pretty immediate bloody free-for-all in which widespread cannibalism is a real possibility. After things calm down the only "items" capable of doing any work or getting anything done will be human beings. In other words, we'll settle down into a slave economy.

We can't rely on gardens;even if one avoids starvation and fends off marauders long enough to gather a harvest, it won't be enough to last a year.
The Amish have the infrastructure to get along without mid-east oil, it's true.
But they'll be over-run with desperate refugees from the cities trying to take what they've got. I'm sure they'll make a valiant last stand, but they'll be ruined by it as well. Maybe it'll take longer for them to go under, but they won't escape.

I've been thinking of this scenario for the past five years, and knowing that peak oil is just around the corner (or is it already here?) makes me pretty nervous. Should I buy a shotgun? Should I try growing my own garden? Should I stock up on canned goods & Bic lighters. How the freak am I supposed to start a fire without a Bic, eh? I would not be able to live without a lifetime supply of Bic lighters, toothbrushes, tooth paste, inhalers for my asthma, and chicken. If I can't have chicken, I'd rather be dead. The world really does stop for us when there's no oil, and lots of people honestly *don't* realize this.

The Mayan calendar prolly is pretty accurate that things will change drastically in 2012, but it certainly won't be the end of life. Thinking of what life *will* be like is pretty lame, tho. I guess King George Dub has it right... "Party like it's 1999, 'cause there's nothing left to do but burn this mother down... into H ELL!!"

Reminds me of this joke, where the guy says he wants a drunken slob (or something like that) to be president instead of a religious fanatic. And he's like, "Think about it... that guy's got his finger on 'the button', and the drunk won't want to touch it himself, while the fanatic *wants* to touch it & bring us to the end." So very true.

 

[mark2yahu]

Wee the people

On the optimists' viewpoint, it's going to bring people together. I wouldn't be surprised to see people living in co-ops or communes like the hippy generation, but this time it's for survival.

This fleecing of America by you know who, is going to generate privateers' micro-breweries for plant-based oil and alcohol type fuel. Privateers with their own machining shops could design and build their own combustion engines that will run on natural gas, plant-based oil, cooking oil, and alcohol-type fuels. The car manufacturers are not on the side of the people. Therefore, the people must become independent and form their own privateer shops. Take for example, on another level, Orange County Choppers. Sure, they don't make the engines (Harley does), but bring in some big-time machining equipment and they can make their own if they wanted to.

On the pessimistic side, I was told by a friend to have a passport ready, have at least ten grand in cash and enough gas in your car to reach Mexico or Canada. Or if you're lucky, get a plane ticket out of the country. Something might happen between now and the next couple of years. That's what I've been told by a friend who was told by his relative. Something about a great disturbance. That's all I can say about it!

I'm going to rant now (ignore if you please): Wee the people need to get out of the middle east...they are adults and should be responsible for themselves, and not the United States. We have to secure our borders...that's the best way to stop terrorism. We need to stop spending 10 billion a day on some war where no one wins. We can spend 10-12 billion a day on our own people here (in Appalachia, on the reservations, on the homeless, on the unemployed who want to work!!!...On health care, on disaster relief (remember Katrina?), on alternative fuel technology, on the environment, on drilling for oil in our own borders. 10-12 billion a day on that lame war. It's suicide but wee the people aren't the suicidal ones!