tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post5431181596813241790..comments2024-03-28T19:18:40.387-04:00Comments on Northern Reflections: It Makes Them WorseOwen Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-45380225027963407652017-07-18T15:03:42.972-04:002017-07-18T15:03:42.972-04:00When life is all about getting yours and letting t...When life is all about getting yours and letting the chips fall where they may, JM, things cannot end well.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-31948934415793641262017-07-18T15:00:45.944-04:002017-07-18T15:00:45.944-04:00Economists have known for a long time that healthy...Economists have known for a long time that healthy economies share resources, Mound. But our taxation system encourages hording. It's a prescription for individual illness and global collapse.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-16695641276070018782017-07-18T14:07:28.501-04:002017-07-18T14:07:28.501-04:00And still, "intelligent" people, who sho...And still, "intelligent" people, who should know better and probably do, still vote for them.<br /><br />Why? <br /><br />My theory is it's all about their investment portfolio and to hell with everyone else.<br /><br />JMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-18499745420012595332017-07-18T13:49:42.708-04:002017-07-18T13:49:42.708-04:00Yes, there's a pressing need to reduce overpop...<br />Yes, there's a pressing need to reduce overpopulation but that has to focus on the truly overly populated states - China, India and parts of Africa. In the developed world the challenge must be to reduce our overall consumption of resources. We have to curb our consumption, a process that has to be focused on the wealthiest, those who consume excessively and hoard. That begins with some degree of confiscatory taxation on the really large estates. Even Teddy Roosevelt understood that and advocated for it in 1910. There's a reason why we read story after story detailing how such an infinitesimal percentage own such a huge share of global wealth. That's not healthy for any society whether Third World or in the developed nations. The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-18176711144500422082017-07-18T13:05:01.050-04:002017-07-18T13:05:01.050-04:00We're between a rock and a hard place, Dana. W...We're between a rock and a hard place, Dana. Which means that crafting policy will be very, very difficult -- as was the case with assisted dying legislation.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-77662631600156925492017-07-18T12:55:53.748-04:002017-07-18T12:55:53.748-04:00We're also left with the problem of auto-annih...We're also left with the problem of auto-annihilation if over population remains unaddressed.<br /><br />So do we want to try and address the problem or do we want to cling to what is now very clearly a species-destructive morality. <br /><br />To me it's really that clear. Of course it's also clear which choice will be made. Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-15507624963092933352017-07-18T12:44:31.379-04:002017-07-18T12:44:31.379-04:00But we're left with the problem of who's t...But we're left with the problem of who's to be saved and who's to be sacrificed, Dana. And whether the deaths should be accelerated. It's not just a question of chance or -- as some would have it -- pure dumb luck.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-4486267641905489462017-07-18T11:56:48.072-04:002017-07-18T11:56:48.072-04:00Not really, Owen. And not in the dire circumstance...Not really, Owen. And not in the dire circumstance in which we find ourselves. We unthinkingly fixate on saving every life, on curing every malaise, on extending life, on increasing fertility...all of which exacerbates our problems. <br /><br />We can't possibly address the problem by making the problem more intransigent and yet that is exactly what we do - when we acknowledge the problem at all.<br /><br />Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-81889719877831884502017-07-18T11:19:59.702-04:002017-07-18T11:19:59.702-04:00But, as always, Dana, it's a question of ways ...But, as always, Dana, it's a question of ways and means.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-76773856435530436692017-07-18T10:41:59.450-04:002017-07-18T10:41:59.450-04:00On the other hand, as we all pretty much agreed re...On the other hand, as we all pretty much agreed recently, something has to reduce the global population.<br /><br />We can't have it both ways. <br /><br />Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-57482904767397973572017-07-18T10:36:29.666-04:002017-07-18T10:36:29.666-04:00It's all about tickle up economics, Cap -- and...It's all about tickle up economics, Cap -- and defying gravity. Thanks for the link.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-60857135655275287942017-07-18T09:56:21.505-04:002017-07-18T09:56:21.505-04:00That austerity is not a cure for society's ill...That austerity is not a cure for society's ills is well-known and backed by empirical research. Even the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/27/austerity-policies-do-more-harm-than-good-imf-study-concludes" rel="nofollow">IMF agrees</a>. Austerity economics are, however, an excellent way of transferring wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich. The Tory policies do exactly what they were designed to do, while stoking popular resentment against government and support for privatization (another successful means of enriching the already rich).<br /><br />CapAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com