frankly, what I think we're doing here, is documenting the last gasps of democracy. Updated

[malthaussen]

323. Obviously I agree with you.

I didn't pick my handle out of a cereal box, even if I did misspell it. Had we known each other 40 years ago, we could have had a drink or two.

Our politicians and economists, however, even the most progressive, still make noises about "Restoring the Middle Class," and in perpetuating a model that ignores the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Now, the more optimistic sci-fi writers will still give out the "when we need it, we'll invent it" crap, which is really whistling past the graveyard IMO. But barring a pretty immediate method of plundering the solar system's resources, we are in for one hell of a wake up call, the only question is when.

Mr Malthus was discredited because it turned out to be possible to use technology to increase crop yields to an unprecedented degree. But not only is there a point of diminishing returns, we are already pushing the envelope on productivity in many fields. Today, it seems to me, we are in a Test-to-Destruction to see how much juice we can squeeze out of the human fruit. And once we reach that limit, things will turn pear-shaped very quickly.

-- Mal