Fragile Supply Chain
We have gotten quite used to getting what we want, when we want it, in this country. If a store doesn’t have exactly the item we want, right down to size and color, we mumble about how the place has gone downhill…never mind how odd our request might be. And in this age of online shopping, we’ve gotten further spoiled…click on quantity, click on shipping method, and before you know it, the goods are delivered right to your door. We do it so often, we sometimes forget what we’ve ordered when a delivery is made.
The pandemic last year exposed some problems with what we now know is called the supply chain…but given the nature of the economic shutdown, and a very real new illness, it’s surprising that things weren’t far worse than what they were in terms of shortages and inflation.
But twice now this year, we’ve seen the impact of breaks in the supply chain from an energy standpoint…earlier this year, power outages in Texas during a cold snap…and now, an attempted hack on the computer system of a key pipeline, leading to folks running out of gasoline for their vehicles in North Carolina, Georgia, and other spots.
Tough luck for them, you say…and then you hear that gas supply from other states not directly affected by the pipeline such as Ohio is being diverted. Deliveries to states that have gas are being redirected to states that don’t…and without scaring you to go fill up your tank here while you can and before the price goes up…we may all feel the pinch of this.
The Texas situation perhaps could have been avoided with better planning and execution, but who will be next? The current situation is a product of outside sabotage, and if it’s this easy to cripple a major supplier of energy…imagine what might happen.
We’re complacent, in so many ways…and that’s exactly when we’re most prone to attack by bad folks.
