My statement about making a choice between Wall Street and the Politburo was intended as irony.

Ah, sorry. Now I see. Difficult at times to get such subtleness in a forum.

I would rather return to village style tribalism rather than live under a system of serfdom as either a slave or a master.

As is my position.

In a world of declining fossil fuel supplies banning the production and sales of such vehicles will collectively enrich us, and the people who voluntarily give up such destructive activities should be supported by the community until they can find new jobs.

And that is the Big Unknown. It all depends if governments can have control over the collapse. I don't think it will be possible, but they will try (and fail). Chaos is going to rule, and rationings will be imposed. It will be a whole new era.

Richard Wakefield

It all depends if governments can have control over the collapse. I don't think it will be possible, but they will try (and fail).

It’s not really a question of what governments are going to try to do; It’s a question of what you and I are going to do. Governments will try to preserve the status quo for as long as possible even though doing so will destroy the middle class. When a majority of the population realizes that middle class security is disappearing from the world then the real fun will begin. The transformation that follows will indeed be chaotic, but a new order will come into being only as a result of people rolling up their sleeves and doing the hard work of creating it. The era of being passive consumers is coming to an end. You had better decides what it is that you really believe in and be prepared to go to the streets to promote and defend it.