And Then There was Darkness

All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land ...  Ezekiel 32:8

There is an Absolute Point of Failure. It represents a circumstance that will obliterate an existing society, culture or nation. A climate change is believed to have caused the civilizations of Mesoamerica to disappear. The Russian Revolution bought the aristocracy and its system of things to an end, ushering in the Soviet Union. History is replete with the occurrence of absolute points of failure. 

It has been driven home that America has an absolute point of failure in the form of electric power. Everything is based on the ubiquitous availability of power. The recent hurricane made clear a significant long term power failure would bring an end to our way of life. There is no work around to the layers of our society built over a century relying on electric power. Imagine nothing computer based working. Imagine no cell phones because they have to be electrically charged. Imagine no television or movies. Imagine the nightmare with totally electric homes. Imagine a hospital without power. Imagine vehicles not running. The pumps and the delivery systems for gas depends on electricity. Remember the slogan, "trucks bring you your life"? Worst, imagine when the batteries run out. It would be a world of combustible heat and light. 

So much of our civilization is tied to technology. Technology must have electrical power. Even a 10% reduction in the availability of electricity would result in massive brown and blackouts. It would also mean a several hundred percent increase in the kilowatt rate and corresponding increases in the costs of products and services. Just think about everything costing at least 1/3 more. Some things would no longer be available.

America’s military and financial might is built on technology. Reduce or eliminate much of the power that services that technology and the America dominance multiplier effect is gone. More importantly service economies, like America, will be plunged into the third world. Countries in the second world today with local manufacturing and production based on labor will move to the new first world. Emerging countries like China that still has large numbers of people in a second world economy will dominate. 

What are we doing about the American Absolute Point of Failure? Nothing. I hope I do not have to say, “…told you so”.