300 million
It is estimated the U.S. population will exceed 300 million sometime in October, well excluding illegal immigrants at least.
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/pop/stats-us.php
The world population is just past 6.5 billion.
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/pop/stats.php
So we're at like 4.6% of the world. Do we have a population problem? Will all our land and resources?
In fact, yes, I believe so. Sure I can be swayed by the arguments of driving across country and seeing all the open spaces - plenty of room to PUT people, but less clearly can we provide for their consumption, at least after world fossil fuel resouces go into permanent decline, sometime in the next 10 years for oil, maybe 15 years for natural gas, and maybe 50 years for coal, all dependent upon how fast the rest of the world tries to catch up to our U.S. consumption.
I accept necessity is the mother of invention, but necessity is also the mother of dictatorships and might-makes-right morality.
I accept the characterization that the 20th century was the century for the masses, a time when temporary abundance encourages a free-for-all orgy into consumption, but this pattern must change sooner than later in our new century, where the left-behinds will not just be the majority in the rest of the world, but advance into the U.S. as well.
I'm a worrier, and for good reason. I accept "The party's over" for the majority, but I also expect THOSE WHO CAN CONTINUE will not end the party just because the majority can't hope to play anymore.
It is curious, since if we believe the "information superhighway" will continue, it appears to be a "flattening" technology that equalizes the field and allows all players access to the game.
Well, if I'm permitted to speculate the future, given my lack of faith in the federal government to control its own spending, or moderate consumer debt, I expect that sooner or later there will be a crash - a point where those with the power to do so will offer a "first strike", sacrificing a small amount of their wealth to destabilize faith in the U.S. currency, and cause a domino effect as everyone with any power will withdraw what they can into something more secure, and the government won't be able to respond. Then magically a solution will be offered to "save" the U.S. currency in a way that pulls power, overtly and covertly further away from democratic influences. Basically the largest corporations will start trading using their own collective currency, even if it is still pretended to be under the name of U.S. dollar standard.
Well, how can it be any other way? Those in government now are milking the system into bankruptsy, KNOWING something is coming, and figuring to get what they can sooner than later. Then when the U.S. debt is unpayable, and SS is defaulted, something new must be proposed.
It doesn't even need a conspiracy. It is collective knowledge that the system is broken, and can only get fixed by MANY losers, and a FEW winners. Everyone capable of being a winner will stake their claim, and hope for the best. Us lowly folk will get what we deserve for not be power players - nothing.
Well, I started on population, and then money? 300 million people probably means 200 million "losers" when the SHTF, really more like 280 million losers, but only 200 million totally dependent people meekly looking for ANYONE to lead them to their next meal when the government has nothing to offer.
I would like to think reducing immigration, closing the borders will somehow help us transition when the second great depression happens, but maybe it doesn't matter - 200 million - 300 million - 400 million. I can accept at present immigrants can offer net gains in our collective standard of living - cheap labor and all that. And we'll need a slave class perhaps someday anyway, so maybe it's like a game of musical chairs, and the last group when the SHTF will start the game as effective slaves if they're not there.
Really horrid thoughts, from someone quite comfortable in life, and scared and uncertain what the future may bring, or what I'll have to fight for.
And in my xenophobia, language/cultural barriers are most scary. When I find I have to cooperate with my neighbors and find a quarter can't even speak my same language reasonably, and poverty itself is scary to defend against. What do I say to neighbors who have no work and no food for their children? If they decide to riot in anger against phantoms, and makes things even worse, who am I to tell them to keep their place and wait for the government to save them? Will my composting/gardening suggestions help them? Will it pay their mortgage? Their loan shark debts?
No 300 million in it self offers no perspective - just a number - in a world time bomb of known destination, but uncertain fuse.
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/pop/stats-us.php
The world population is just past 6.5 billion.
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/pop/stats.php
So we're at like 4.6% of the world. Do we have a population problem? Will all our land and resources?
In fact, yes, I believe so. Sure I can be swayed by the arguments of driving across country and seeing all the open spaces - plenty of room to PUT people, but less clearly can we provide for their consumption, at least after world fossil fuel resouces go into permanent decline, sometime in the next 10 years for oil, maybe 15 years for natural gas, and maybe 50 years for coal, all dependent upon how fast the rest of the world tries to catch up to our U.S. consumption.
I accept necessity is the mother of invention, but necessity is also the mother of dictatorships and might-makes-right morality.
I accept the characterization that the 20th century was the century for the masses, a time when temporary abundance encourages a free-for-all orgy into consumption, but this pattern must change sooner than later in our new century, where the left-behinds will not just be the majority in the rest of the world, but advance into the U.S. as well.
I'm a worrier, and for good reason. I accept "The party's over" for the majority, but I also expect THOSE WHO CAN CONTINUE will not end the party just because the majority can't hope to play anymore.
It is curious, since if we believe the "information superhighway" will continue, it appears to be a "flattening" technology that equalizes the field and allows all players access to the game.
Well, if I'm permitted to speculate the future, given my lack of faith in the federal government to control its own spending, or moderate consumer debt, I expect that sooner or later there will be a crash - a point where those with the power to do so will offer a "first strike", sacrificing a small amount of their wealth to destabilize faith in the U.S. currency, and cause a domino effect as everyone with any power will withdraw what they can into something more secure, and the government won't be able to respond. Then magically a solution will be offered to "save" the U.S. currency in a way that pulls power, overtly and covertly further away from democratic influences. Basically the largest corporations will start trading using their own collective currency, even if it is still pretended to be under the name of U.S. dollar standard.
Well, how can it be any other way? Those in government now are milking the system into bankruptsy, KNOWING something is coming, and figuring to get what they can sooner than later. Then when the U.S. debt is unpayable, and SS is defaulted, something new must be proposed.
It doesn't even need a conspiracy. It is collective knowledge that the system is broken, and can only get fixed by MANY losers, and a FEW winners. Everyone capable of being a winner will stake their claim, and hope for the best. Us lowly folk will get what we deserve for not be power players - nothing.
Well, I started on population, and then money? 300 million people probably means 200 million "losers" when the SHTF, really more like 280 million losers, but only 200 million totally dependent people meekly looking for ANYONE to lead them to their next meal when the government has nothing to offer.
I would like to think reducing immigration, closing the borders will somehow help us transition when the second great depression happens, but maybe it doesn't matter - 200 million - 300 million - 400 million. I can accept at present immigrants can offer net gains in our collective standard of living - cheap labor and all that. And we'll need a slave class perhaps someday anyway, so maybe it's like a game of musical chairs, and the last group when the SHTF will start the game as effective slaves if they're not there.
Really horrid thoughts, from someone quite comfortable in life, and scared and uncertain what the future may bring, or what I'll have to fight for.
And in my xenophobia, language/cultural barriers are most scary. When I find I have to cooperate with my neighbors and find a quarter can't even speak my same language reasonably, and poverty itself is scary to defend against. What do I say to neighbors who have no work and no food for their children? If they decide to riot in anger against phantoms, and makes things even worse, who am I to tell them to keep their place and wait for the government to save them? Will my composting/gardening suggestions help them? Will it pay their mortgage? Their loan shark debts?
No 300 million in it self offers no perspective - just a number - in a world time bomb of known destination, but uncertain fuse.
posted by Ares Olympus at 2:52 PM
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