It wasn't a depression-era bank run. But it was a bank run. And problems with Britain's Northern Rock are a sign of more financial turmoil to come.
The media has billed this a "subprime housing crisis" but there is an even bigger untold story at play here. This crisis is linked to the same money market lunacy that has fueled the rapidly-growing global economy - and some of our global environmental woes by extension.
In the latest episode of the credit crunch, Britain's Northern Rock has faced difficulty securing funds from international money markets due to the US subprime lending crisis. Northern Rock is a small lender, but it demonstrates how even a small bank run can have a negative effect on consumer confidence, justifiably driving us to take out everything we have before it vanishes.
But in our debt-based fiat system, the worst thing we could do for our financial security is withdraw all of our money. What the system drives us to do is build more credit-financed malls and buy more and bigger homes and cars - with as many huge loans as possible - just to keep it from collapsing (here's a video that gives a good background to this, though I disagree with their prescriptions).
I wonder if we might, just maybe, consider re-engineering our system so that it stops "thriving" on debt and mass consumption? It wasn't always this way, after all. This lunacy began after the end of the Nixon shock - during the Vietnam war. Before that, money was a stand-in for gold. Now money stands in for nothing but money itself.
This credit crunch started in the housing market because the housing market is one of the world's primary sources of money-making. These are literally the trees that money grow on - and one of the largest incubators of ecologically-unsustainable, high-entropy growth economics.
For the interim, our solutions are still based on our "more, bigger, better" understanding of the world. Several governments have promised to inject more cash in the system. And now banks are contributing, too.
By the way, under this twisted arrangement, the kind of gross government debt we see in the United States is actually "good" for the economy - for the moment - making the war in Iraq "good" economic policy.
Back in Britain, the government is also considering increasing deposit protection - up to £100,000 - to deal with the recent run on the banks. Though at £210,578 (BBC), the average price for a British home is worth more than double what it's protected for.
One last thing. As I was reading an article related to the British credit situation, I noticed an ad next to the headline: Firstplus - a secured home loan provider - is offering 7.9% APR on a homeowner loan! But hurry, the offer ends September 30th!!! Unbelievable.
The media has billed this a "subprime housing crisis" but there is an even bigger untold story at play here. This crisis is linked to the same money market lunacy that has fueled the rapidly-growing global economy - and some of our global environmental woes by extension.
In the latest episode of the credit crunch, Britain's Northern Rock has faced difficulty securing funds from international money markets due to the US subprime lending crisis. Northern Rock is a small lender, but it demonstrates how even a small bank run can have a negative effect on consumer confidence, justifiably driving us to take out everything we have before it vanishes.
But in our debt-based fiat system, the worst thing we could do for our financial security is withdraw all of our money. What the system drives us to do is build more credit-financed malls and buy more and bigger homes and cars - with as many huge loans as possible - just to keep it from collapsing (here's a video that gives a good background to this, though I disagree with their prescriptions).
I wonder if we might, just maybe, consider re-engineering our system so that it stops "thriving" on debt and mass consumption? It wasn't always this way, after all. This lunacy began after the end of the Nixon shock - during the Vietnam war. Before that, money was a stand-in for gold. Now money stands in for nothing but money itself.
This credit crunch started in the housing market because the housing market is one of the world's primary sources of money-making. These are literally the trees that money grow on - and one of the largest incubators of ecologically-unsustainable, high-entropy growth economics.
For the interim, our solutions are still based on our "more, bigger, better" understanding of the world. Several governments have promised to inject more cash in the system. And now banks are contributing, too.
By the way, under this twisted arrangement, the kind of gross government debt we see in the United States is actually "good" for the economy - for the moment - making the war in Iraq "good" economic policy.
Back in Britain, the government is also considering increasing deposit protection - up to £100,000 - to deal with the recent run on the banks. Though at £210,578 (BBC), the average price for a British home is worth more than double what it's protected for.
One last thing. As I was reading an article related to the British credit situation, I noticed an ad next to the headline: Firstplus - a secured home loan provider - is offering 7.9% APR on a homeowner loan! But hurry, the offer ends September 30th!!! Unbelievable.
Labels: bank run, credit crunch, debt, mass consumption, subprime housing crisis
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