There has been a lot of talk about peak oil recently, but to me the more relevant issue is peak idiocy. The peak oil thesis is that the world will soon be reaching its peak oil producing capacity, and production will start to go down. U.S. oil production peaked in the early 1970s, and has been declining since. The amount of oil in the world is finite, and the amount that can be extracted at anything near today's prices is much less than the overall amount.
The peak idiocy thesis© is that the stupidity of the U.S. government, and the people who have supported it, can only go on for so long before it collapses. The Bush Administration has pursued ridiculous policies (most notably the war in Iraq), and has refused to acknowledge mistakes, and has rewarded the worst bunglers (Bolton, Wolfowitz, Rice) with promotions. This detachment from reality can only go on for so long. Eventually, society is overwhelmed by reality and the idiots are recognized as such.
It is of course possible that the idiocy will continue for many years yet, with the eventual consequences being correspondingly tragic. However, there is some hope today that the nadir has been reached, and that the country is on to Bush's idiocy. Bush's popularity is now down to about 40%, gas prices are skyrocketing, layoffs are up, wages are stagnant, and the stock market is sputtering. Moreover, some honest government officials (e.g. Patrick Fitzgerald) are investigating administration crimes. Am I too optimistic in thinking that we have passed the point of peak idiocy?
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