What makes a Dark Age?
For me, a Dark Age occurs with three conditions exist. First, economic institutions break down and then are controlled by the central ruling authority, making the people dependent on the local ruler in order to survive. Second, primitives and barbarians gain power in regions holding natural resources, and are able to defeat the civilized powers to a point where the civilized powers have to give in either economically or militarily. Third, belief is mired by scientific falsehoods that help cause a stagnation of technological progress.
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is my belief February 2009 marks the beginning of a new Dark Age for society if we do not reverse the current trends.
On my first point: The ’stimulus’ package, like the first TARP plan before, and any such similarly constructed plans in the future does exactly what I postulate above. Government, by controlling who is allowed to make money and removing jobs from the private sector in order to feed public largess takes control of the economy. If you do not believe this, it has been estimated by the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation that the obligations in both bills, along with the expected increases in the regular budget, the United States government’s debt will be larger than the entire world’s Gross Domestic Product.
The reason the barbarian mercenaries turned on Rome, and thus caused the first era called the Dark Ages, was the value of money dried up. Rome had been taxing its citizens to a point where they could tax no more, then was unable to pay the mercenaries that had become the armies of Rome (created since the Legions were even more expensive).
Secondly: With the current administration’s public rhetoric, the Bush Doctrine attempting to thwart the power grab by those technologically inferior to the West will be stopped. Afghanistan, as well as other regions, will revert to control to those who do not like any of those who are considered civilized. We are already held hostage on oil because the Obama administration refuses to explore our own soil for the abundant minerals and wealth found here. Other commodities such as aluminum, uranium, and even coal will eventually reach similar states. Batteries have nickel-cadmium ore, a mineral that is mined. Plastics are petroleum-based. The computer I am typing this on has silicon and glass (both derived from sand), gold, copper, glass. I am forgetting many, many more than these. Eventually, if we do not work on getting our own reserves, we will end up dependent on the barbarians.
Thirdly, you know what belief I’m going to target: global warming/climate change. Because of global warming, the Obama administration and others that follow along will prevent that exploration mentioned in part two. Removing sand from the beaches may harm some rodent in San Francisco. Drilling and mining are blanket bad, as is further development of nuclear power. You can’t make batteries as their toxic chemicals are worse for the environment than the gas burning pollution they replace in the long run. Let alone like I mentioned above – nickel and cadmium are mined. Battery casings are either plastic (petroleum) or metal (mined). What is so sad is many scientists oppose the fact global warming even exists, let alone whether it is either significant or that we actually know what the heck we are doing when we attempt to ‘reverse’ it. Despite the rhetoric, nothing is confirmed. Al Gore’s computer models have been proven to be flawed, as very critical components were left out of the data model.
All in all, the world is going to suffer for decades as they gleefully follow along with Mister Hopey-Changey and his cohorts. I have no desire to live my last half of my life as the Roman commoners did in 477 after Odaoacer took over. At this point, we must get off our fannies and resolve to make a difference. It is no longer enough to just subscribe to some mailing list or community like the Top Conservatives on Twitter and do nothing. That nothing will translate into a stagnant society for not only your later years, but for your children and grandchildren as well assuming they survived the inevitable epidemics and wars perpetuated by the Dark Age in which they live.
