The problem is not population growth, but... sorry if I sound like a Nazi, who is reproducing. The power elites are promoting the population growth of the ignorant and easily manipulated to have the votes at the polls to prevent the majority of rational voters from having the majority of the votes to provide the mandate needed to look into, and control, the abuses of the power elites.
This is why environmentalism is not getting anywhere. Its why Bush is in the Whitehouse. And now they are trying to add millions more of illegals to the franchise. I've worked in the fields with Mexicans, and they are sociable hardworkers. But they are not well educated, and dont even speak the language, so demagogues funded by the power elites will be able to speak to them in spanish, pandering to their ethnicity and religion, that those of you who only speak English, dont even know it is going on.
Yes, they will vote "Democratic". But that party now represents the interest of rich lawyers, not the middle class much less the working class. (bread & circuses)=(beer & baseball). Read Machivalli; power elites have always done this. History shows the elites corrupt republics to further enrich themselves. It shows how this destablizes the economy and leads to financial panic, anarchy, and/or revolution. It also shows that the power elites never read history, which is why they are still repeating it.
There has never been an empire as rich and powerful as this, so its a moot point how long the over exploitation which results in "failed states" can go on before it leads to a critical shortage of some essential resource. Which has often caused financial panic and civil disorder. But in the meantime, its clear that the elite control of the mass media will mean that nothing we, who are paying attention, can do will result in a sufficient political mandate to reduce exploitation and environmental damage. If you read Jared Diamond's "Collapse", but then apply the insights from studies on group think, you have a good idea of what is coming.
As the elite's mismanagement of the resource base creates shortages, the cost of that management actually *INCREASES*. The power elites become even more exploitive to increase their share of the pie so as to reassure themselves that "progress" is still going on. Given that the global economic pie is so large, I cant say when this will destabilize the system. Altho we can expect more failed states, with more violence and genocide. We see the starvation in places like Darfor, but dont consider how the food they would otherwise import, is left in the global market to be shared out by the remaining global population.
Because of hurricanes hitting China, and drought in Australia, the global grain supply is down to less than 60 days, and is entirely reliant on the northern hemisphere, primarily the North American crops coming in. If the destabilization of the weather from global warming results in crop failure, the proverbial schitt will hit the fan. The average couch spud sees the rise in gas at the pump, oblivious to the rise in petroleum products to agribusiness, or how that will result in some land taken out of production because the profit potential has declined. The fact that this sort of thing tends to lead to global famine is not their problem.
http://dc-pc.org/fertilty/fertilty.html shows my position on population growth has been out there for quite some time... to deafening silence. Liberals do not like to think about it. But as I've been saying, ever since the birth control pill, smart women have used it thinking they could teach the craft to the airheads. Unfortunately, they were wrong about that. So, at the same time that the supply of competent nurses, teachers, social workers, & therapists have been declining, the supply of the client classes has been rising, and now case loads are headed thru the roof.
Head Start and all the other social programs have not worked nearly as well as hoped, and now with the human genome data and other scientific analysis, we can see that intelligence, ie the talent to succeed in nursing school, is handed down on the mtDNA. I have also noted, that if what you want are stupid kids, raise them on soulfood. It may have been nutritious at one time, but when concocted from the ingredients agribusiness provides, no longer as the trace elements and micro nutrients to maximize mental development. And now, the boomer social safety net women are nearing retirement with no supply of nearly enuf competent young women to replace them. Without their case work, we can expect drug, alcohol, and domestic abuse to rise dramatically. We can gang warfare to also rise, and this could, if ascerbated with economic decline, lead to all out genocidal warfare.
Psychologically, as Diamond notes, a homogeneous population can pull together at times of crisis. But if there are minorities, then what happens is that demagogues arise scapegoating, and the violence slides twards civil war & genocide. The power elites have tried to promote "diversity" knowing that it creates factions that they can play off one against the other to prevent a mandate for significant policy from forming.
But we are where we are, and we do not have the power to get the attention of the people who could benefit. They are mindlessly watching TV, not reading your postings. But at the polls, their vote counts just as much as yours does, and since they are in such vast numbers, we end up with jackasses like Bush in power. By 2008, it will prolly be too late for any competent leadership taking over to do anything to stabilize the sitation and move twards a sustainable system.
The smart money is already getting out of town. I see their starter castles and mcMansions going up all over my neck of Ozark woods. Former military and civil service men and women are investing in hobby farms trying to find a market niche in agriculture, the last hope for economic survival if their pension funds dry up. Smart young women already realize that the social security system will not be there for them. So, what will be? The client class women dont even have to think about it. They give birth to as many kids as possible, with the instinctive expectation that some of them will be competent enough to take care of them later on in life.
So.. what do you think smart young women should do?
Sustainable population
Linear Mode