Posted on 05/20/2012 7:41:45 AM PDT by Kartographer
Systemic risk. I guarantee that most ordinary folks have no idea that if trucks stopped rolling all across America, within a short period of time nearly all Americans would all be in a life-threatening situation from major delivery shortages. 70% of all freight that is moved in the U.S. is done so by truck. You (we) depend on that ‘stuff’ for our survival. A major disruption in truck travel would immediately impact seven major industries, and would bring America to its knees within days due in part to “just in time manufacturing”, zero-inventory, and the fact that our modern way of life is entirely dependent upon unimpeded distribution chains.
(Excerpt) Read more at daily-survival.blogspot.com ...
Didn’t we have some OWS types plotting to take down a bridge in Ohio? And a few years back there was a group called Green Anarchy promoting the destruction of bridges and other infrastructure.
” to see if someone is doing a bit of ‘training’ for terrorizing the trucking concerns traveling the interstates. “
There are probably “choke points” that could be taken out and cause a lot of disruption.
There are in every industry.
And still, about 3 million Americans starved to death during the Great Depression—during a time when half or more Americans lived on farms.
After Camille struck MS in '69 we had no power in the area for weeks. There was only one station that had a back up generator. It led north out of Gulfport on Hwy. 49. The line there was three miles long. The owner decided to raise the price to $1.00/gal since he was the only game in town.
The Harrison Co. Sheriff came in and arrested the jackass for gouging, took him to jail and took over operation of the station.
Point here is that loss of power has an IMMEDIATE effect in all sectors whereas, truck stoppage gives folks a little bit of time to do something even though it is a very short amount of time.
What you describe is a perfect example of what will happen if an emergency happens like this.
People panic. There was a 3 day supply but due to panic, everyone was rushing out to top off their tanks and caused a panic which led to more people rushing out to get gas which kept a bad situation worse.
While you may be right there, perhaps you need to realize this isn't about a recession/depression.
It's about other factors that could stop the engines of the country mid-stroke.
Possibilities: EMT strike from foreign country - at least 2-3 we know of who have been working for years to develop and deliver to the US
Solar flare like the one in the 1800's that blew up telegraph transformers and equipment in offices - about the only things 'on line' at that time. Now every thing is 'online' - including gas pumps. The sun just came out of an unprecedented few years of ZERO suns spots. Right now, the sun is alive with sunspots - including one increasingly active sun spot - so huge and active that the NASA scientists are calling it The Monster Sunspot." - and it's throwinf out giant solar flares - if the eartrh takes a direct hit ???
There's also that pesky little EO that dear leader recently and quietly signed into law allowing him - and even him alone - to declare Martial Law - for ANY REASON he deems - thereby immediately taking over total control of ALL resources, from food, to gas, to distribution to confiscating foods in your home. Under his 'laws', if you have storage foods, it is no longer "storing", it's "hoarding' and you are a FELON.
Are you getting the picture yet?
If not, I suspicion you need to check your gray matter cells and/or you, like a long time acquaintance of mine, (who works in a gun shop!) suffer from deep denial as to what is going on in this country. He said to me yesterday, in all seriousness, (in reply to my remark that dear leader has been super great for one industry - guns & ammo.
He quickly admitted that guns/ammo sales had NEVER been to brisk as since dear leader donned his crown - but, he finds it a dilema since, in his words: " (dear leader) is the one president that has NEVER made any move towards gun control, in any way, EVER."
I was speechless.
(One of my sons is a long hauler. Ask the long haulers what they think of the tumbleweeds blowing through totally empty storefronts in shopping malls straight across the country.
there is already a GREAT decline in goods being shipped - even with WalMart. Best Buy is done. Staples is closing across the country. JC Penny's is collapsing - Walmart is even closing stores. Trucks can only deliver what there is to deliver.
So keep you head in the sand, or up dear leaders nether regions, wherever it is - just consider you'll have no right to bang on neighbors doors for food. Consider the parable of the virgins and the oil lamps.
"Warehouses" are history. They are now but "distribution" centers - with ONE DAYS supply of goods.
Ask any trucker.
Trucks bringing in supplies for distribution back up to the docks on one side of the building - goods are unloaded and loaded straight into outgoing trucks on the other side of the building.
There is only ONE place left in the country with more than 2-3 days of food on hand: In peoples homes - at least, the smart ones.
And if you're caught IN THE CITY WTHTF, you ain't getting out.
The prudent will have gotten outta Dodge BEFORE -
that’s for certain sure
Stop drinking or get some sleep.
Here’s the deal, the entire trucking industry doesn’t need to shut down for the economy to stop. Only the fuel haulers need to shut down. The truckstops and c-stores would all run out of fuel in 2 days maximum. Without fuel, the rest of the trucks stop within a day. Where do the fuel haulers get fuel? The refineries. So, really to shut the economy down all that would be needed would be to lock down the relatively few refineries.
I’ll be getting an auto standby generator running on propane, probably next year.
I can always flush toilets with water in the meantime..
I have an old artisian well that I’m going to be hooking a manual pump up to soon.
People haven’t a clue what truckers go through, what kind of ‘life’ it is on the road, how egregious the abuses from the trucking outfits, and just how VITAL they are to us, each and everyone.
The gov’t stays up nights devising ever more restritioncs on them - thought up by people who haven’t clue one what’s involved.
Truckers are in the top five catagory of our HEROES - but totally unsung. Drivers on the highway haven’t a clue hos to drive around the big rigs, how to compensate for off track, how many feet it takes for a big rig to stop or shift lanes.
It aught to be part of driver training, a prerequisite to getting a license: a course in how to drive around big rigs...and get off your damn cell phones, put your make up on and read your mail at home, etc etc.
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Artesian well, that’s nice - isn’t that the kind the water just comes out of, sort of like a spring? You might want to think about a storage tank too.
And, as a result, the cars towards the front of the line drained the station’s tanks dry at probably 25 cents per gallon.
Then, the cars further back, instead of being able to buy a few gallons at $1.00 per gallon, got to buy zero gallons at 25 cents per gallon.
If North America utilizes all of it's hydrocarbon resources we would have no need for war, except to protect what is ours.
It would not be hard to mess with bridges - if not bring them down, at least drive a whole bunch of trucks and cars on them, douse with gasoline, and set them afire. Even I, a non-terrorist, can think up stuff like that.
Actually, they were able to keep trucks of gas coming in from out town. When they ran out, it was briefly.
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