Yep, that is the big question: what is the best way to help those that have economically fallen off the bottom rung of the detritus ladder?  Bereft Indian farmers self-ingesting pesticide, newborns being found dead in the Zimbabwe sewers, the crisis in Sudan, people freezing from lack of natgas heat...on and on until the mind reels.  Yet, detritus entropy dictates that this will only get worse with the passage of time.  The 'trickle down' theory doesn't apply to energy as it can only be burned once.

When the US welfare and Social Security system collapses: how will we treat our elderly, sick, and disabled?  The recent EnergyBulletin article talks about the possible future difficulty in replacing a worn-out water heater--How about the decision of choosing between feeding Grandpa or feeding your child?  Will it be wiser to spend your money on family health insurance vs. spending it on heating oil when it is bitterly cold outside?  What percentage of Americans will take in another family that cannot afford their own housing and the energy to run it?  How willing are we to decrease from using 25% of the world's oil to the world average?  Isn't that inherently fair?

Bob Shaw in Phx,Az  Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?