BobFL - Thanks! Definitely, very interesting. It opens up discussion on several issues, such as:

1. Guns and Butter. There's no question that wars spur inflation, but wars are not unilateral. As a result, they have proven to be inevitable. Sad truth is that small wars occur so that larger ones are avoided - and while that may not be comforting or desirous, it is real.

2. Demographic Pyramid. The why the current pyramid has been turned trapezoidal is crucial to any correction. As this is an historically unnatural phenomena indicates that society did this to itself via an unnatural act. I can only think of one, and the mathematics of what an additional 40-50 million under-30 persons would mean to reforming the pyramid are obvious. So, we may have placed ourselves in a no-other-choice situation - import 30 million or so immigrants to fill in the holes in the demographic pyramid foundation.

3. Augmenting the Oil Supply. I can't dispute Mr. Martenson's numbers. However, he seems to view alternative sources only in a one-for-one substitution for oil, especially in his description of the nuclear option. It would seem that more logical that all of the alternatives need to go forward full-throttle, with each mitigating to some degree our current oil dependence. It won't solve it, but some is definitely better than nothing.

4. The Paper Money Printing Press. When the collateral remains the same, and the printed money supply keeps growing, then it takes more of the latter to buy the former. So, were the bailouts nothing more than economic artificial respiration applied to a bleeding economy (e.g., wrong first aid technique considering the injury)? If so, the worst is yet to come.

Would definitely recommend taking the time to view Mr. Martenson's crash course. It does provide interesting history and disturbing view of today and tomorrow.