The Crash Course - Chris Martenson [3]
In Part VI (Convergence), Chris, like the good economic futurist he is, lays out three possible scenarios that cover a very short period of time: starting now (2011) and taking us clear into 2015 and beyond. He sketches out the impact debt, declining oil production, loss of faith in the U.S. dollar, and war will have. The more profound scenario divides our history into two eras: BO and AO. Before Oil and After Oil.
And then you realize by Part VII (What Should I Do?) that the end of the “1,800-mile Caesar salad” will actually be better than you might think.
Chapter 28 (The Opportunities), the most important chapter in the whole book, talks about the opportunities before you, before us. My personal favorite, as executive publisher of Agora Financial, is this: Invest defensively.
Like Chris, I have three children. And I care about the world they will inherit. It’s why I’ve made enemies in Congress, put sweat and tears into the book Empire of Debt, and took on the extra challenge of making the story of our credit-addicted government and economy into the documentary I.O.U.S.A. I salute Chris as a fellow fighter on the battlefield for our future.
One thought of his that you can take to the bank: “The next 20 years will be completely unlike the last 20 years.”
As you read this book, I say to you, prepare to be surprised.
—Addison Wiggin
Author of Demise of the Dollar, Empire of Debt, and Financial Reckoning Day;
Executive Producer, I.O.U.S.A.;
Publisher, Agora Financial, LLC
Acknowledgments
Where do I begin thanking all the people who helped make this book possible? This book represents the most intellectually rigorous and honest work of my life. Without the persistent efforts of my wife, Becca, who has ever urged me see more, try new things, go deeper, and question the ways in which I might be wrong as well as right, this book and the rest of my work would have been pale shadows rather than my best, if they happened at all.
Our three children, Erica, Simon, and Grace, deserve thanks for their tremendous patience throughout my arduous process of researching and creating both the Crash Course video and this book. I apologize for having spent our entire 2010 family vacation in a tent in Maine, working on a laptop instead of playing with them on the beach. My family’s unflagging, unconditional love and support sustains everything I do.
I’d like to thank Judy Hyde and Helen Armstrong for their love, early and ardent support, and for trusting my reckless business decision to give away the Crash Course video series for free.
I am a storyteller, researcher, and data hound who needs to acknowledge the extent to which this book rests upon the work and ideas of others. I owe Michael Browning for invaluable conversations over the years as my early thoughts took shape, to the folks at ASPO and TheOilDrum.com for helping me to deepen my understanding of Peak Oil, and to the blogosphere in general for bravely exploring essential subjects when the mainstream media wouldn’t go there.
I’d like to thank the individuals whose donations over the years have funded the considerable work and research necessary to write this book. Special thanks go to Michael Höhne, Erik Townsend, Arthur Tunnell, Mark Klarich, Melissa Wedig, Carrie Pine, and the many others whose sizable donations have allowed my staff and me to invest our time in this work.
I’d especially like to thank my staff, as each member was instrumental in bringing this book to fruition:
Amanda Witman, for her unparalleled gifts as an editor and her masterfully organized working style, and who helped me hone and housekeep this book to within an inch of its life.
Megan Walsh, for her immense competence, intensive project management, help with research and editing, and coordination in weaving together the multiple components of this book.
Jeanine Dargis, for her diligent work in building the charts and graphics, and her patience in fielding the most irksome requests.
Ron Shimshock, for bringing both