I read James Howard Kunstler's latest article on his site called Dreams

[jwirr]

Die Hard. As usual it is good. He is suggesting that there is big trouble in the future and the best thing President Obama can do is tell the American people the truth about the mess we are in. (First can someone do a link since I do not know how to do that.) Then I would like to know what we here on DU think that "truth" he should be speaking is exactly? I know what JHK thinks it is and I agree but what do the rest of you think?

[villager]

1. The end of consumerism. Living in a sea of "stuff." Out of season food available at all times

Indeed, the fantasy that one can live oblivious to weather, seasons, soil, etc.

All about to come to an end -- the hardness of the landing is the only question...

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. The truth? Most people can't handle the truth, don't want to hear it.

Would deny it if they were told it. The truth: America's superpower status is unsustainable, the much-vaunted American way of life is not sustainable, and future generations are going to be a lot worse off than their parents were and will have to learn to get by with less. No-one wants to hear that.

[grasswire]

5. especially not the xmas shopping season

I believe after that's over, when many more retailers will go under and new mortgage crisis will hit, then reality will begin to pierce our national credit-driven dream.

[phantom power]

6. The last president who tried to tell the truth to America lost to Reagan the next election.

[jwirr]

8. That is of course the problem - no one wants to know the truth - I

am afraid of it myself but I have always believed that it is best to know where you are at. For those of us trying to prepare for the future it is vital. So they ignore him at their own peril but they will never be able to say that he stood up there telling us "everything is okay" while the ship was sinking and the hole was to large to plug.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Is this the link you wanted posted?

http://kunstler.com/blog/2009/11/dreams-die-hard.html

[jwirr]

9. Yes, thank you. Some things this old foggy just doesn't get!

[Hello_Kitty]

4. Is it this one?

http://kunstler.com/blog/2009/11/dreams-die-hard.html

Just copy and paste the URL.

[GliderGuider]

7. Obama cannot speak the truth.

There are a number of reasons for that. The first is the unvarnished truth would panic the world if people actually believed it (the real truth IMO is so bad that most people simply wouldn't or couldn't believe it). Second is that it would serve no useful purpose - this truth is something that people have to come to on their own. The third reason is that even if he wanted to do something so monumentally foolish the people who actually own the presidency would prevent him -- it's not in their interests.

So, there will be no presidential truth-telling in the near future.

What truth is there for him to tell? The truth is that we are in way over our heads. Humanity is facing a perfect storm, a converging crisis of ecological damage, global warming, resource depletion, food and water shortages, economic collapse and social instability. All these storm fronts are set to collide within the next decade. There is nothing we can do to prevent it from happening, in the large sense. The forces we have unleashed are out of our control. The best we can do is try to mitigate some of the most likely local problems, and prepare ourselves for a long period of unpredictable, accelerating troubles. Most of the things we will do to try and address any particular problem will tend to make others worse.

That's not a truth you can tell people -- not if you want them to stay functional and cooperative.

[jwirr]

10. I had thought of the panic. Would the same hold true if he suggested

changes that would help? I do not really see him doing that either. The little things I see as positive are Michelle's garden - both the organic aspect of it and the idea that we can help to supply our own food; rail improvements (not necessarily the fast rail); returning reproductive help to developing nations; some of the stimulus, like the weatherization part; tax credits for energy improvements, etc.

I suppose he would be laughed out of town if he really started moving us toward self-sufficiency. Damned if he does and damned if he does not.

[GliderGuider]

11. He can suggest helpful changes without telling the truth about why

There are any number of reasons he could give for any particular policy change that would leave the veil covering the big picture in place.