Who's writing this script? Stephen King?

I have 1/4 acre of land. Is that enough for me to secede?

Peter Griffin did.

See the last page, Figure 17 of Robert Ayres on "Economic Growth and Cheap Oil", http://www.cge.uevora.pt/aspo2005/abscom/ASPO2005_Ayres.pdf, i.e., with 3 projections of economic growth depending on efficiency.
Then read page 15, where he says:

"Our result suggest that at least the distinct possibility that US economic growth may peak, depending on the rate of increase of efficiency f in the future decades. The standard model, of course, implies that economic growth will continue indefinitely..."

Apparently enough senators prefer the lower line on Ayres' chart...