You know the more I think about it, the more I think you guys are right, it's about energy, not money/gold that will matter.

The cost of energy will be the key factor in how we proceed from here on in.

If we look at the carbon tax, there are many saying it has had little effect, and they are to some extent right, except where business's relying heavily on energy are concerned, as they are doing it tough,as almost every business that uses high volumes of energy have passed the costs on.

So perhaps the answer lies in finding an affordable way to not only produce energy, but to store and deliver it as well.

I guess one day we may well buy a nuclear tube of energy from the ON LINE supplier and simply plug it in to either the home, car, boat, what ever. It's real Jetsens stuff when you think about it.

But then again, how many 50 year olds expected to one day have a phone that talks to you, that is small enough to fit in you pocket, amd can connect you to the world at a press of a button.

Rehctub, I think the problem with the carbon tax is that you do not see
its effect after the compensation because it trickles down like a fine
shower, but you can still get soaking wet.

You are right about storage, that would change everything.
Just like if we could build 20 nuclear power plants in the next ten years.
All our worries would mostly be over.
The problem is we cannot afford them. The greenies won't be a problem
they will just be shoved aside by the public demand for the govt to do something.

Wow, reading this it sounds like there are some of you who DON"T have a couple of gold bars buried under a hibiscus down the back yard.

If not, why not. At the current interest rate we receive, it is earning better returns than money in the bank, just sitting there, doing nothing.

Rehctub I'm not all that enthused with all this miniatured technology. For me the old stuff, well moderately old, stuff was better.

No instant connection to the rest of the world for me. First I have to go find my glasses. That can take a while, & with out them, I can barely see those bloody buttons, let alone find the right one to push.

Then I have to find the phone. It could be on a table, covered by a couple of flecks of dust, hung in the wardrobe, in the pants I wore to town, or on the clothes line, after yet another trip through the washing machine.

Nah, phones were better hung on the wall, with a handle to wind, to get the operator, & they were more fun.

One of the best nights I ever had was because of one of them. When I was doing my flying training at Uranquinty, I rang the PMG operator to put a trunk call through to my mum. Long story short, after some difficulty with a lousy line, I ended up with a date with the operator, & long suffering mum missed out again.

At least I didn't, OAWH, those Wagga Wagga switch girls were something else. Once you knew one, you knew them all,---sort of, like, you know, hay.

Congratulation on a very interesting post. I've followed it with great interest and I would like to congratulate you all on the fact that so far it hasn't deteriorated into a child-like spat of "I'm right!" "No, I'm right!"

I rarely ever post here these days because I got sick of the arguing, however I do still read through posts that catch my eye.

I do agree with the supposition that worldly affairs will eventually take a serious nose dive. It's all a giant ponzi scheme propped up by dubious financial manipulations, however as a poster pointed out, our entire future is dependent on energy reserves. I'm convinced that the power brokers will keep the ponzi scheme going until the cost of energy tips the balance and the whole rotten lot will come crashing down. It's all about the energy! It's been argued that the cost of energy was the main cause of the 2008 GFC and for good reason.

As a side note, as someone mentioned, the US Government forbade the holding of gold during the Great Depression. I'm sure our Governments have learned this lesson from history too, so what's to stop them from forcing you to hand it over? Every tried to buy gold or silver without leaving a paper trail? Even an Ebay transaction leaves a paper trail through Pay Pal. If you go out and dig the stuff yourself, it has to be assayed prior to the conversion to cash and it's an expensive process!

Good post. Food for thought!
Aime.

We disagree on most things, Arjay, so this will not come as news to you. I think you are looking through the wrong end of the telescope here:

>>I think the best precious metal is silver... By comparision to gold, silver should be trading at $280 per oz instead of $28 per oz.<<

Once again, you are measuring the price of a commodity and confusing it with the use of that commodity as a means of exchange.

By all means, invest in silver. Or gold. Just like any other investment - stocks, shares, pork belly futures - there is a market that reflects the value placed on that investment by its participants. But the attractiveness of that investment does not automatically qualify it as a basis for value exchange. Or "buying stuff", as we like to call it.

The goldseek.com link that snake provides tells exactly that story, describing the mineral in terms of its investment performance, but deceptively promoting it, via its headline, as "currency". That is a sales trick, designed to give it a legitimacy it does not have.

All you have to do is compare the size of the world economy to the amount of gold in circulation, to conclude that never the twain shall meet.

@ Bazz
"""
and indeed what
would a bankrupt US government be able to do anyway ?
"""

Print money out of thin air just like they do now. It worked for Lincoln!

@ snake
"""
My point about reverting to "living in a cave" was probably an exaggeration
"""

I knew what you meant :) In the event of a total collapse, things would be very different this time around. More than 50% of people would be dead in the first few months. Bankers, lawyers, Public Servants, anyone that really doesn't have a productive bone in their body. There are so many resources laying around unused all over the world at the moment, the remaining people wouldn't need to transport, mine, or build anything for years.

@ Arjay
"""
If a really big collapse happens,they'll probably go to war with Russia/China.
"""

The collapse will come after America descends into civil unrest. It's my belief there are forces within and outside of America trying to force America into civil unrest to remove the last vestige of a truly free society. If America goes down, it's the end of Western civilization as we know it.

About Gold:

I don't know why everyone thinks gold is the answer? It's always been subject to manipulation and has been inflated throughout history by fractional reserve banking.

Fractional reserve banking is the problem. It should be outlawed throughout the world. It gives too many an unfair advantage and allows the ones with that advantage to manipulate everyone else.

As one very rich fellow once said:
Give me control of a country's money and I care not who makes its laws!