Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to strengthen this essay in the next couple weeks because I'm unsatisfied with it, but I'm absolutely not making the change you suggest because I fundamentally disagree. The point here is that there are millions of people who believe - erroneously - that America can sit on its hands and still maintain any semblance of economic power. We can throw every potential solution in the book at these people but unless they recognize that there is a problem that needs solving - that the status quo is not a financially reasonable option - we don't get passed the starting point. Solutions can then be discussed in future essays. Conversion to new energy sources is the singular struggle of my generation. I will tell the addicts how to end the addiction,piece by piece, but first I must remove the bottle.