Like Brian, I, too've read that the "average distance an item of food has travelled to our supermarkets is 1500 miles"...which translates to immense raises in basic food costs as oil goes up in price.

I admire the Amish for their Self-Sufficiency (& ability to successfully "live off the land".) I just don't picture the Average American wantin' to park a Horse in their garage & shed the Bigscreen & Internet..to help balance the Budget.

Things We COULD Do:
1) Shed maybe HALF the 1000 Military Bases the US funds...& cut WAY back on Manpower-Deployed. (Costs a Mil-a-Year to send & equip a single US Marine in a FWD Base in Afghanistan.) Maybe MORE Predator Aircraft-Bought + a Hiring Freeze?

2) DEA costs us $3 Billion a year AND meanwhile California's getting serious Tax Money IN from their bit-by-bit legalizing Marijuana Cultivation/Use. It isn't THAT hard to get illegal drugs in ANY city in the country anymore..so why not just Legitimize it ALL...& sell it (with Major Taxes applied) from State or US-run Liquor Stores. (High-Enough markup to "warehouse" the addicts...& at least get 'em off the streets.)

3) Why Not a National Lottery? States sure do well-enough with 'em. It'd MORE than pay for itself..& give us non-participants a bitta Tax Relief. Maybe US Casinos, too...(Why should the Seminoles make ALL the spare loot?)

4) While we're busy taxing all this "Sin", let's make a Federal Tax high-enough on "Guzzlers" so that 60MPG Car-of-the-Future gets here SOONER.

5) Mandatory Cloth Shopping BAGS...to replace all that costly-in-the-Long-Haul "Paper or Plastic" we just toss away.

6) Penny-a-Plastic-Bottle Bottled-Water Tax...just THINK of the Fed Loot THAT'd Generate, while conserving the amount of Plasic wasted-annually IF it impacts sales...(prolly won't).

Yep..things CAN slowly Turn-Around...IF we only face The Problems and TRY to do something to Change The Way Things Are Going. (& Soon..heh!)

All JMO...Gotta get off to work..so I can eventually pay ALL my Back Taxes!

Best Wishes/Big Hugs,
Stan