> Depressing information like this, coupled with the sense of powerlessness turns people off and relegates stories like this to the politically aware fringe of society.

Even as a fairly politically-active person, I succumb to this exact sense of powerlessness. It's absolutely the key problem.

> I have an idea for a start-up that could do interesting things with this notion, but between time contraints and not having a partner in crime I fear it will never happen.

If you're comfortable sharing, I would love to hear it. It's a problem domain that really needs some attention and effort.