Canary in a Coal Mine?

Mr. Ventura,
    You should be interested to know that your article has made the rounds among the Peak Oil crowd [“Letters@3am,” April 29].
    The main reason why I write is because I happen to live in Henderson, Nev., just outside of Las Vegas. I've already begun to see the effects of the coming collapse.
    Fewer and fewer of the "Monster RVs" that Las Vegas has been known for are seen on the roads. More people are driving conversion vans or are towing travel trailers. Many of the larger RVs are either being put up for sale or donated to charities for tax write-offs,
    Several of the casinos located off of the Las Vegas strip are gearing for attractions aimed at the locals (such as multiscreen cinemas, Irish themed pubs, dance clubs, and bowling alleys), in case gasoline gets too expensive and the Californians stop driving out here.
    A local new car dealer is running a unique promotion: Buy a new (selected-model) Chevy, get free gas for a year! One "locals" casino was running a special promotion. Among the prizes you could collect with enough points earned on your "Player's Slot Club Card" was several gallons of gasoline!
    I agree with you about major desert cities vanishing back into the sands. There will be a time when people will talk about Las Vegas the way they now talk about Atlantis. Right now, people don't want to admit there is a problem with our energy resources. Somehow, they reason, technology, free enterprise and/or the government will get us out of this mess (especially since it appears that they certainly got us into it), or Jesus will come down from Heaven and take all the saved with him during the rapture to avoid the tribulation.
    Sometimes, I feel like a canary in a coal mine.