people are no where near as stupid, or as selfish, as you appear to think

Do the words "Blackwater", "Halliburton" and "the Bush administration" ring a bell for you? Apparently not.

If your statement were based an a realistic appraisal of the facts - instead of wishful thinking - we would not be in the situation we are in now. Nor would Bush have been elected (twice), nor would the the U.S. have invaded Iraq or launched a global, perpetual war for oil .. . I could go on but hopefully you get the point.

It should not be forgotten that the situation the US (and not only the US) is in now has been made possible by rising, pre-peak oil production/consumption. Post-peak, the legitimacy of the current regime faces erosion. Some can scamper away in fear of the results of this loss of legitimacy. The brave will stand and fight for a better way of doing things.