The ‘Crisis’ That Isn’t A Crisis At All

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

One of the big news items this week has been a shortage of infant formula.  Now, if you think about this one, it defines a problem that I have mentioned before, and foreshadows what the future may well come to look like.  First off, there is a very cheap and readily available solution to the problem … women come fully equipped to feed their babies without needing to spend money to buy commercial formulas!  They are called ‘breasts’ and most women have two of them, thus are able to produce enough milk to feed their offspring for the first few months of life.  No other species on the planet requires commercially produced products to feed their young.  But even if, for one reason or another a woman is not able to breast-feed her newborn, there is another simple solution — regular milk with a bit of corn syrup added.  When daughter Chris was a baby, we did that more than a few times when we couldn’t afford tinned formula.  So, this shortage of infant formula is a non-crisis that has been blown way out of proportion in the media.  It’s laughable, but what it portends is not in the least bit humorous, for it shows our lack of creativity and resilience when the going gets tough.

Just a few days ago, I commented to a blogging friend that the day will come when all those billions of dollars the wealthy have hoarded will have zero value to them.  There will come a day when wits and knowledge will be the de facto currency.  If you haven’t read it, I strongly suggest the book One Second After by William Forstchen.  It is a chilling tale of an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) hitting the U.S. power grid and what life would be like in the seconds, hours, days, and weeks after.  Things we don’t even think about, like being able to get a prescription for a life-saving drug such as insulin, the ability to buy food, find potable water, stay warm, and more.  The premise of an EMP hitting the power grid, or a super-storm taking out power for a long period of time, or a nuclear weapon deployed … is not at all far-fetched.  If we cannot even remember how to feed an infant without tinned formula from the supermarket, how on earth would we survive with … no supermarkets, no refrigeration, no internet, no lights, no heat, etc.?

The people who will survive will not be those wealthy people who are used to having their laundry done, meals cooked & served, houses cleaned, and every other thing done for them by servants.  The people who will survive will be those who know how to grow their own food, who are resilient enough to survive without such luxuries as automobiles, electric lighting and air-conditioning.  Will those same people who cannot even figure an alternative to commercial infant formula be able to find food and water to keep their families alive?  Not the families of those who have lived their lives believing that they are somehow ‘special’ and that their money entitles them to special treatment.  It will come down to survival of the fittest, not of the richest.

Imagine Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk being on the same playing field with all the rest of us, their billions of dollars sitting offshore in a Swiss bank, or invested in whatever high-yield stocks they own, and they have access to not a single dime.  And even if they did, there is nothing that anybody could do for them – their dimes and dollars have no value to anyone, and thus no value to them. The only things of value will be food, water, and shelter.  Will humans work together for the greater good, or will they backstab and nitpick in an attempt to rise to the top of the heap?

So, back to the shortage of infant formula … this ‘crisis’ as it’s being called, is in part due to the very people who are now crying about not being able to find formula!  You see, back in 2020 when the supply chains were tied in knots due to the pandemic, greedy people fearing a shortage bought infant formula in massive quantities and hoarded it.  People had plenty, so they didn’t need to buy it for a year or so, which led to depressed sales, supply exceeded demand, and thus the producers cut back on production.  Standard laws of supply and demand, Econ 101.  This, coupled with a recall by the nation’s largest producer of infant formula, has resulted in a 43% decrease in availability.

No, the temporary shortage of infant formula is not a ‘crisis’ by any stretch of the imagination, but we should see this as a lesson, looking into the future where other, more important things are at stake, and begin preparing for the day when there is a real crisis.  Learn to grow a few healthful things, walk more and drive less, become less dependent on modern conveniences and technology.  Be prepared.  I am not a conspiracy theorist, nor a doomsayer, but let’s face it, my friends, there are so many ways available for an enemy such as Russia to retaliate for what they perceive as our improper intervention in their affairs and … what better way than to shut off the electricity? The technology exists, has existed for many years.   And please … stop obsessing over the shortage of infant formula … it is temporary and not really important, for there are viable alternatives.  There are no viable alternatives for food and potable water.

50 thoughts on “The ‘Crisis’ That Isn’t A Crisis At All”

    • Probably so, but unfortunately politicians are a necessary evil if we are to try to maintain a democratic republic. So, I’m pretty sure we better just work harder on educating people not to keep voting against their own best interests.

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  3. Brilliant Jill. You’re right, another made-up crisis. The other one in waiting soon? The border. Be prepared for non-stop visits from GOP and media at the border, screaming and complaining about Biden’s “failed” policies. And of course, all the while, they have NO solution, nor do they want to try and find one. It’s deja vu-all over again.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oh yeah, I’ve been hearing the rumblings about the border, especially from the likes of Greg Abbott et al, but thus far it hasn’t seemed to gain momentum. No doubt you’re right, though, and it will. Sigh. Beam me up, Scotty!

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  5. Pingback: The ‘ CRISIS ‘ THAT ISN’T A CRISIS AT ALL. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  6. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    Think about this!! … No baby formula? … “The people who will survive will not be those wealthy people who are used to having their laundry done, meals cooked & served, houses cleaned, and every other thing done for them by servants. The people who will survive will be those who know how to grow their own food, who are resilient enough to survive without such luxuries as automobiles, electric lighting and air-conditioning.”

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          • Hi, sweet friend!! I still blog but less. My positive, lighthearted posts are few.
            We just got back from PR. Planning a return by July. We’ve been considering going back permanently but the hassle … 😳 … sell here, pack, across the ocean & unpack! Not getting any younger!! I think Nov will be a major determinant!
            My heart isn’t here anymore! Who knows … tight hug!! Love you back!! 💞

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            • Yeah, I find it harder to do the Jolly Monday and Saturday Surprise posts these days … there is a weighted darkness hanging above us all, I think, but still … we need to laugh sometimes to maintain a bit of balance.

              Oh yes, I did see some of the pics you posted on Instagram of your time in PR! I don’t blame you for wishing you were there permanently, and I certainly understand about the hassle. Heck, we’ve lived in this townhouse for 24 years, mostly because the very thought of packing up all our detritus and moving, even just a few blocks away, defeats us! November will indeed be a tipping point for many of us, I think. But the one I’m even more concerned about is November 2024, when the people of this nation might very well hand over the reins of power to a dictator and shred the Constitution. If they do, then I will be doing everything in my power to leave this country for good. Tight hugs to you, dear soul sister! 💖

              Liked by 1 person

              • Tight hug … I think both Novembers are very important!! The 2024 begins with the 2022, I think … We’ve live in this house since 2006, in FloriDUH since 1999!! … a lot os stuff has accumulated and we aren’t getting any younger!! Tight hugs!!

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                • Isn’t it amazing the stuff we hang on to? I could start a library with the books I have, and Chris still has Natasha’s baby clothes, even though Natasha is now 27!!! Time for some major cleaning and minimizing!!! Big hugs and much love!

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  8. I’ve heard of that book one second after, there’s also a sequel called One year after and the third in the trilogy is called the final day. Have you read those as well?
    I wish there waw more support for breast feeding in this country, it’s free and much better for the infants, at least for the first 10 weeks of life. After that it more of a bonding experience more than for nutrients, according to our family doctor we took both kids too when they were little.
    Speaking of the money having no value, I’ve come across some people on twitter who talk about getting gold and my question to them is always, how are you going to trade with that?

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    • I’ve read the second in the series, but not the final one. I was looking at it the other day, thinking I should read that soon.

      You’re right … the benefits of mother’s milk have long been documented and proven.

      Ha ha … yes, the gold standard ended long ago in this nation. Can you imagine going to the grocery store and trying to pay for your purchases with gold nuggets? You’d be laughed out of the store. And this whole ‘crypto-currency’ thing is another scam that’s going to leave people in a lurch, probably sooner than later, for there is nothing there … it’s like spending money on air.

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    • So true! Those who have never had to deal with adversity of any sort — and Donald Trump hasn’t — are among the most ill-prepared. It does bring a smile to my face just thinking about him rambling around demanding that somebody get him back online, and demanding his Big Mac!!!

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      • And some members of his extended family.
        One other point.
        If there was ever a time Russia should not pull that stunt, it would be now. There are those in NATO and The West in general who for one reason or another are just itching to payback.

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        • Agreed on all counts. Perhaps I’m naive, but I am inclined to think that all of Putin’s thinly-veiled threats are just bluster. On the other hand, if at some point, he feels backed into a corner with no way out, then all bets are off.

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            • I think I would be delighted to hear that he had been sabotaged by one of his own ‘trusted’ generals! I have once commenter … Orca Flotta … who I generally block when she goes on a Putin-lovin’ tangent, but I let her comments through last night … she called Putin some really sweet, loving names, and denigrated those who we consider to be decent human beings. Up is down, left is right, and the sun rises in the west by her standards. 🙄

              Liked by 1 person

              • And yet she consistently ‘likes’ our posts.
                Pixie blood?
                Anyway back to matters serious….
                A few papers have been running stories that all is not well within The Kremlin, I’m not reckoning on them being accurate.
                On the other hand…I’m not betting on Putin lasting.
                We shall see. We shall see.

                Liked by 1 person

  10. One of my suggestions to combat the power of wealth over the past few years has been to purposely shut down the electricity grid. That doesn’t take an EMP, or a nuclear war, though a super storm might do it, but I am talking an intentional turning off of the electricity until the mighty wealthy have fallen. It will harm everyone equally, but most of us will be able to cope without electricity. We might lose a lot of luxuries, and may have to produce our own foods again, but we will survive. The wealthy will not, inasmuch as few of them will know how to survive on their own.
    Society would change, but that is the whole point of taking the electricity away. What we call society today is a bill of goods sold to us by the wealthy of the world. We do not need electricity to survive, that is only a recently-invented luxury. But, the wealthy would no longer be wealthy, becsuse sll their money is tied up electronically. When the playing field is levelled, everyone will truly be equal!

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    • One fallacy in that is that it would not harm everyone equally, and the reality is that in just the first week, thousands if not millions of people would die, so … nah, I don’t think that’s an idea I can get behind. And can you imagine … how angry would you be if the government of Alberta intentionally shut off all the electricity just to teach the wealthy a lesson?

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      • No one knows what woul happen if electricity was stopped. It could be as you say, millions could die. But i think humans are more resilient than that. Seeing as it is not likely to happen before a lot of other things happen, it is just a hypothesus. You know I am not out to kill anyone. But I would love to see the wealthy suddenly lose their wealth–or grow consciousnesses.

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        • Resiliency goes only so far, when there is no access to food or water or medicines needed for life-threatening illnesses. Like you, though, I would love to see the wealthy taught a lesson, just preferably not at the cost of innocent lives.

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  12. If you can’t breast feed your child, for whatever reasons, there are pumps, so you can pump your breast milk & fill bottles with it to feed your child. This milk can be frozen up to a YEAR. If American women weren’t kept so horribly ignorant about their own bodies, this wouldn’t be happening.

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    • From a holistic approach, mothers who eat garlic and onions also increase lactation & flow, and as a side benefit naturally boost their newborn’s immune function.
      Breastfeeding is most certainly superior to infant “formulas”, and the child won’t develop allergies from drinking cows milk or cheap soy concoction with corn syrup…. Ugh!

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    • Another excellent solution! My daughter couldn’t breastfeed … the baby simply would not take to it … so for about 8 months, she pumped her milk multiple times a day and fed it to my granddaughter in a bottle.

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  13. Pingback: The ‘Crisis’ That Isn’t A Crisis At All | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  15. From day to day the news are getting crazier. At beginning of the pandemic we had a shortage in toilet paper, now in infant formula, but never we have had a shortage in stupid citizens or politicans. Lol I fully agree with your meaning about a future where all the wealth will become worthless, and only knowledge and the skill to improvise will count. Have a beautiful day, Jill! Enjoy it! xx Michael

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    • You are absolutely right, Michael. They seize on some story that is irrelevant and blow it out of proportion. Why? To stir the ire of the masses, to get people riled. We still occasionally have a shortage of toilet paper in the stores, as well as things like paper towels and toilet cleaner … go figure! You’re right, too, that there is never a shortage of ignorance, never a shortage of people who will believe whatever they hear without bothering to think, to fact-check. Sigh. You too, Michael, though it’s now nighttime in Germany! xx

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