If, by some chance, a flying saucer, one of the real pretty ones with the shimmering colors, came to my house and a little bitty alien handed me 10 billion dollars, no strings attached, what I would do with it?
After taking care of me and mine and my loved ones (as anyone would do), I'd go on a very public mission to try and convince America to change their ways in the face of Peak Oil and the New Depression.
With an initial budget of a couple billion or so, I'd set up a large advertising agency, getting the best people that could be found in the field, and then launching a HUGE ad campaign educating the public about Peak Oil, the conundrum of infinite growth in a finite world, and how the culture of materialism is leading us as a nation to great hardship and woe.
Imagine 3, 2-minute spots during the airing of the Superbowl. A clear synopsis of the concept of declining energy and the probable affects it will have in the years ahead. Of course, it would contain suggestions on how to cope, such as riding public transit, living close to work, only buy what is needed, save money instead of taking on debt, etc. Imagine the impact that would have upon this country.
It'd scare a lot of people for sure, but scaring people into action is what I'd be hoping for.
I'd also put up billboards in every major city with messages such as "Debt is bad, Saving is good" and "Save what oil is left, Ride a train today", simple, but catchy slogans that millions of people would remember.
And in the fall and early winter, I'd be running TV commercials around the clock preaching "the real reason for the season"...not to push a particular religious message, but to convince people that the holiday season really shouldn't be a time of mass consumerism. Keep the lights and parties and time with family, but lay off with the rampant gift-giving. These commercials would be like the tear-jerking Hallmark ads of the 1970s (anyone remember those?), along with crowds of people singing feel-good songs and the like. I'd have my folks pull out all the emotional stops I could, as I think this is one area that has the most potential for rapid paradigm change.
Another major aspect of my campaign would focus on family issues, namely promoting the idea that time, not material things, is the best thing to ever give a child. I would encourage parents to teach kids to shun the siren call of the material culture, and stress old-timey values such as learning practical skills, becoming independent at an early age, etc. I'd promote the "village" model of raising kids...I don't think anyone on here that's under the age of 40 that's ridden a city bus alone as a child, or riding a bike downtown, or played in the woods without fear and adult supervision. I'd try to bring those days back too, as that's the kind of kids we need to be raising to become the post-peak adults of the future.
And when the money was all gone, I'd take my huge stash of gold and silver and go off to live on my totally off-grid compound to live out the rest of my days in peace. Or so I would hope.
What I'd like to ask, however, is what you folks think would happen if such a scenario really came to pass. What if someone like Buffet, who just donated $2bn to charity, got the "peak oil bug" and strove to educate the American public of the coming shortage of energy? Would the economy simply fold up shop, ending the show right then and there, or would there be a massive change in how we collectively do things in an attempt to cope what's about to overtake us?
![[smilie=BangHead.gif]](https://udev.peakoil.com/forums/images/smilies/BangHead.gif "BangHead")
Then stop driving to work, duh..... 
lol
