In general, despite some name-calling, this has been a remarkably good conversation.  Thank you for that.  For the sake of discussion I would like to throw in some additional points (sorry if I missed these elsewhere):
1. When talking about cutting services in order to balance the budget, maybe some of that should focus on efficiency as well.  If we are going to try to draw new commercial investors, there is a pretty high level of life-style and infrastructure that we will need to maintain in order to be attractive.  The other end of the slope is that we will all be living a subsistence life-style;
2. I am not sure about the cost we pay for the resources to provide our own energy, but at the gas pump we certainly don't see the benefits of our own resources.  Any role renewables can play seems beneficial for those who's energy costs are already high.
One more thing, but out of "characters".