I do have children, and I know what "lowering our standard of living" will really mean.

Some people think that somehow we could all live in geodesic dome homes with windmills and well water, and yet somehow all the things they really love like computers, Ipods, imported fruits, coffees from distant lands, fresh organic produce, and the other things they unthinkingly believe to be inherent in their very existence, would still remain.

Put all these people together in one place, and not one of them could create so much as a simple wood screw.

Those light rail trains are made from aluminum cracked from the earth by megawatts of power. Current solar panels are made in factories using tons of toxic chemicals. The medical technology that saves our lives is founded on a huge, wealthy infrastructure. You think we could keep 4.7 percent unemployment on much less energy than we use now? At least indoor work?

What are you really willing to give up? People go stay in cabins, chop wood, and cook on wood stoves for fun. They grow tomatoes in backyard gardens. It's fun because you can stop any time you want.

Go ahead. Start rationing air conditioners in Florida. Or dishwashers. Or car miles. See what happens. Bet you any amount of cash the rationing will never get as far as Washington, DC, which is also largely uninhabitable without AC.

Have you noticed that only the very rich have solar panels on their houses?