grid blues

GRID BLUES
In moments of weakness when I think that there might be places better than Nevada ( even though I know better ) I might dream about locations such as Kentucky. Perhaps not that state in particular, too much Yankee contamination ( I don't hate you personally but you have to admit that after you won the War Of Northern Aggression things went to hell within fifty years- states rights triumphant would never have allowed the Federal Reserve to be created so that the US dollar would lose 99% of its value in less than a century and the entire global economy would be sucked down with that currency, so thanks whole big bunches you bastards ). And certainly not now that the state is without power for the next two weeks. In Florida when a hurricane knocked out the power, two weeks was just an inconvenience. Well, assuming you had a basic stockpile and weren't like certain ghetto areas whose inhabitants can be traced back to Obammy's birthplace of A Certain Continent That Dare Not Speak Its Name Upon Punishment Of Reeducation Camps who are so ignorant they can't figure out a used 40 ounce beer bottle can also store drinking water and so the first day of power down they line up for increased welfare water.
*
Okay, so even though Kentucky is shot through with rot from Yankee influence, I still feel for the poor slobs there living out of their dark and frigid McMansions. What a crappy time to be without power. Am I the only one who gets that feeling that we have been living through the early signs of energy infrastructure break down and it is not some soon to occur future event but already passed into history? Kind of like Peak Oil. Is it past time to admit the system is in eminent danger of not coming back on one day, turning into a Third World grid whose only reliable feature is how unreliable it is? Should you go beyond a two week power outage plan to a more permanent grid down forever plan?
*
I miss the power grid. It was so economical to run electrical power. You could watch TV all day and play on the computer all night and the power bill would be equivalent to a half hours minimum wage for the month. You could have 24/7 heat for $30 a month ( okay, not huge amounts of heat, but enough for a trailer ). Coming close to 1% of electrical usage off grid cost a hundred times as much. Yet, the cheap price of grid power is now showing up as much more expensive than thought. Our near total dependence is proving life threatening. As the population of this country explodes rapidly ( thirty years to increase 15%, now 1% a year, roughly ) NIMBY and imported fuel shortages and lack of credit for building mean the population is outpacing power generation. The grid is being overloaded and failing. On top of the decades of neglect as corporate assmunches neglected maintenance in favor of quarterly profits. On top of whatever the lawyers sucked out through litigation. And this is before electrical usage is increased when natural gas becomes scarce or heating oil becomes dear.
*
Like everything else in our country, multiple problems combine to provide "hundred year" storms. The perfect storm. Negatives feeding on each other. For now, I'm glad I'm off grid. I am not energy independent, needing propane. But stocking up for the winter beforehand does have a certain calming effect. But at least I don't have one extra worry, that of the power failing. I can already hear one of my trolls, lurching out of his hibernation, bellowing how I'm a loser for living in a trailer and staying cold all winter and how he's making millions working hard and living the good life and driving an SUV while I peddle to work, blah, blah. Your choice, live dependant on the system. I'll live in genteel poverty and insulate myself from at least some of the dangers of the system.
END
Warning! Buy My Crap Or Karma Might Take A Big Smelly Dump On You!!! www.bisonpress.com
Thanks for all the loyal minions who bought my Amazon Crap- I just cashed in a $30 credit!