Decentralization

John Robb writes...

My future opportunity, and yours, is being diminished by a state that doesn't value decentralized energy and prefers to spend its coin on military power.

The sad irony is these concerns and strategies were being addressed in the 1970's at least. I remember reading a pamphlet in the early 1980's called "The Indefensible Society" about this idea. As it turns out the web has an excerpt from that pamphlet.

Because moving in the direction of decentralization and the development of planetary villages is different from the direction our society has been heading during the past century or so, it is likely to be dismissed at first glance as impractical and utopian. Yet in reality it is eminently practical and well within our means as a society. And not only is it appealing and workable at a human level, it also can provide creative and effective solutions to problems that presently seem both unsolvable and out of control, such as the arms race.

Of course the original 20th century arms race is over. (On the other hand the US is spending $1 billion USD per week on Iraq.) The problem now is at least as dangerous as the arms race.