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Originally Posted by AZCivic
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As for the comments about the US having a sustainable population of 40-100 million, that would be based on current technology. I'm sure 500 years ago they said the sustainable population was 1 million, and at the time it was probably true. If you want an example though, look at Japan and many European countries that are already declining in population. The only reason the US isn't in decline is our massive influx of immigrants. Our population will level off and decline some day too, especially as living costs increase due to the fact renewable resources will drive up the cost of living and make it less affordable to have kids.
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actually, most of the more highly developed countries' populations are decreasing due to lower birth rates. that's what happens when standards of living increase and they are no longer based on agrarian economies where having lots of kids available to "work the farms" is necessary, or where diseases kill off so many newborns and youths that a high birth rate is needed to compensate.
yeah, the US population is increasing, and there are lots of people who want to move here. one view of why?: look at Mexico and note the differences in how hard it is to own land, start a business, etc., there, compared to the USA. it's incredibly hard to do things there, compared to the US. if Mexico made it easy to hold title to land, start a business, etc., their emigration numbers to the US would fall like a rock. see what freedom does to inspire people?
and, back to the original thread, if you don't do
all the numbers for ethanol, including subsidies, depletion allowances, windfall profits tax, and all the other market-distorting things Congress does to the energy business, hold off a bit before concluding it is or isn't good, bad or ugly.
