A look at planetary carrying capacity
 

I thought you might find this interesting.

http://www.hydropole.ch/Hydropole/DB/Silent_Lie.pdf

There are a few assumptions in the article that weaken the whole thing. Namely that US population growth is a problem and that the US should lead the way in reducing it's population as a lesson for the rest of the world. Why should the US do this?

And anyway, there is negative population growth in some countries now, so any projections for growth are highly speculative.

Yes, we equate productivity with energy usage, and others accuse the US of having flagrantly wasteful lifestyles. Everyone in the world should live like I do. A home, a car, a job, food, etc. That so many in the world do not is not my fault. Nor is it the fault of the US. Because we have so much isn't the reason others have nothing.

Resources are finite. Resourcefulness is not.

Overpopulated? Yup
 

Obviously we have too many flippin' people on the planet as a whole, and in America in particular. Just think of how your work commute has grown slower, your wait in lines longer. And just think how that vast oversupply of workers allows Big Business to dictate terms to its peons. ("You don't want this dirty, dangerous, 10-hour-a-day job, even though it doesn't pay enough even for a frugal and single person to live on, and you'd use up two hours every day commuting? Fine. Somebody else will. Next!")

If ya can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em. And the earth is quickly getting to the point where the inhabitants can't feed 'em.

We need two signs, one poking up from each pole, large enough to be seen from space:

"Occupancy by more than 1 billion persons is dangerous and prohibited by law."

We passed a billion a long time ago.

fertility clinics...

I know. Six billion now, I think? Five billion too many.

Yeah. Last thing we need. If your house is overrun with roaches, you don't want to help the little buggers breed, do you?

If having a kid is in your stars, it'd happen without in vitro fertilization. If you need IVF, it's a sign you should adopt, or should put that money into something else and go on with your life.

Fertility clinics are about as sensible as handing out salt pork to dehydrated people in a lifeboat.

People do seem to like to live in groups. Take New York, for instance. Why do people choose it? And, let's face it, it is a choice. I live where there is a similar climate and almost no traffic. It's actually very pleasant to get on the freeway here. You can really travel, even during rush hour.

Actually, I never considered it my duty to contribute to the gene pool...one of me is quite enough:kiss:

Everybody outta da gene pool
 

Good for you, Mistress. Most people seem never to question the drive to produce a clone of themselves. I was aware of the issue a long time ago. When Samantha announced to Darrin on "Bewitched" that she was expecting, I recall thinking (at age 12, mind you), "That's gonna ruin everything."

It's a paradox: The ones most likely to question the need to reproduce are almost always ones whose genes we probably could use in the pool (e.g., brighter than average).

Smart people don't like sex.

B

And thus the "Roe effect"?

The planet has lots more capacity that may never be exploited because people kill each other so efficiently. Famine should never be a problem in the modern world - because grain supplies are so large - but it is, because politics gets in the way of distribution of food. Then there is abortion and regular old murder, and of course, war. All of those things pretty much limit expansion greatly.

The problem isn't really population growth, it's population decline. If you have fewer and fewer people to do the work, then your aging population will really suffer. They'll just have to take us out back and shoot us at, oh, maybe age 65, 70? Pick a number.

No, smart people love sex. It's the hassles of getting to it, and of dealing with the aftermath (unwanted kids, STDs), that can be a problem.

In my experience, the higher the IQ, the higher the sex drive. It may be sublimated or repressed, but it's usually there.

Good thing, too, or the human race would be even dumber than it already is.

men-oh-pause makes you smart...er