The concept of FINITE:

[gates]

until we can warp to another planet THIS is what we have to deal with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite

[carguym14]

Lighten up gates-there will be survivors.

Most of us peasants will be sacrificed,but take comfort in knowing that the ruling class will survive.

[Eric Bryant]

You mean that our benevolent creator will not always keep my gas tank topped-off, my bank account full, and my credit line ever-expanding? Damn, that sucks.

[gates]

the lack of response to this thread speaks volumes...

[Nick H.]

Okay, I will respond......

My concern in regards to the reality of our finite resources, finite land area and finite everything is that it is incompatible with anything exponential.

We have an economic system that depends on a certain percentage of growth each year. The fractional reserve banking system REQUIRES growth to function. We need growth in GDP, we need growth in individual income, we need growth in consumer spending, etc. This CANNOT go on forever. We can argue about how much room we have for people to stand on this earth or how much land it takes to grow the food for each person or mine the minerals and dispose of the wastes generated by each person, but the bottom line is that exponential growth CANNOT continue forever.

Right now, we have the baby boomers all thinking of retiring. They want to stop working, sell their investments and live comfortably with world class medical and vacations. We don't have a similar generation of up coming young workers who can work hard to buy those assets and thus pay for the boomers retirements. This is one of many things that is interfering with exponential growth right now.

If you look in nature, most things that take off with exponential growth end abruptly and often disastrously when they reach their finite limits. Population explosions in any other specie are a prime example. Do we really believe our own specie is so superior that we can avoid that?

I fear the intelligent people on earth are cutting back to one or two children while the less intelligent and irresponsible are breeding like rabbits (and voting). As resources dwindle, the generations that follow will not be responsible enough to plan ahead and avoid disaster (Maybe we are already there). Will my great grandchildren inherit a world that looks like Africa and Pakistan and or will they grow up in a "star trek" world of modern conveniences?

When the infinite growth required of exponential systems like our economy and the world's population growth collide with the finite resources on planet earth, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. I just wish I had a clearer picture of it so I could better prepare my descendants for what is to come.

[wall.e]

From nature to man made ,this is the world we live in. Improvise your tactics to best deal with the situation <SURVIVAL>

You can't control the current situation it is simply too large and complex the people who are will find this out and then it will all break loose. Then nature will simply rebuild again...history demonstrates this over and over again.

[gates]

DING! DING! DING! - we have a winner - Nick those are the EXACT reasons for this thread - people need to understand that our situation is not sustainable and will be morphing into something else.

[Douglas S Graham]

Smart people not reproducing, stupid idiots breeding like rabbits.
NAILED IT.

And the stupid foooks voted for the idiot running the show.

I'm glad I'm not 18, what a world the younger folks have to not look forward to.

[superjc]

Hey guys I got a sneak preview of the new US currency:

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5564/idiocracymoney.jpg


Good thread Gates: this is THE crux of the matters at hand.