Re: The Future of Work

[Ray Evans Harrell]

Heavens!   Am I agreeing with Harry?    No.   He is making a different point, however I do think that his use of the language is more accurate.   We are not overpopulated.     But we are severely under efficient with ill used forms of public transit and most cities with illogical dwellings and poorly thought out transportation systems.     We tend to use the old adage which goes, "it is cheaper to leave an open hole for someone else to die in or fill up then it is to leave it in a comparable state to what we found."    It seems the only buildings that we demolish these days are the architectural masterpieces that remind us of the good side of our history.       Instead of a comprehensive national policy that would make our resources efficient we are stuck in a wasteful market structure that depends upon waste for competition and competition for the energy to get anything done.   It doesn't work.   Let us just consider the trees or what we call the "Standing People."   As for the amount of tree cover Ehrlich is simply inaccurate as Harry said.   But Harry is totally bonkers when it comes to what constitutes good forest management which American European dudes are really bad at.     The real forest that brought such plenty in 1492 had largely gone to seed with the animal balance destroyed by the time of the 1776 revolution.  The Indian population was reduced from 33 million at its peak to under a couple of million in 1776 and less than a million in 1900.   With the keepers and their methods gone the national Forest resources in 1776 were in an uncultivated mess.   So comparing today to then is no contest.    Today's tree farms are, however, as Ehrlich states, poor substitutes for real forestry management.   But why?     I could compare it, as I have in the past, to the growing and harvest of that wonderful delicacy "Wild Rice."     Wild Rice like good wine grapes, needs an old plant to give a superior product.   The Ojibwa move out into the lakes and bend the plant, shaking the rice gently from the stalks.   Being careful not to break them so next years harvest will be even better.   Idiots from Anthropology departments call that "Hunter/Gathering" but that is another story.   I would call it conservation or if I was German I would call it simply "Forestry."     After removing the rice from the stalks they then "finish" it, removing the husks in a wire mesh basket over an open flame that pops the husk off of the rice and inflates the rice slightly.    The finished product is superb.    But today you can go in gourmet shops all over America and buy a commercial wild rice that is thin, harsh and difficult to cook.   It is served in all of the finest restaurants and it is to real wild rice, what the McDonald's burger is to a piece of prime beef.    Why is this commercial, market oriented product so bad?     1.  the consummers don't know the difference and love the romantic idea of "Indian Rice." 2. they don't finish the product properly so it never puffs.  3. every year they cut the stalks and take them back to the plant where the rice is removed.    Freedumb!    What is the difference if you have the right to play the piano but lack the skill?      So the problem with the tree farm forests is simple.   Dumb citizens who think a tree is a tree is a tree.    Ehrlich gets a point on that one.     REH ----- Original Message ----- From: Harry Pollard To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Ray Evans Harrell Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 2:31 PM Subject: Re: The Future of Work Steve, I looked at the Ehrlich's bit and he hasn't changed. I noticed a bunch of statements that were inaccurate - essentially opinions stated as facts, but that's all. For heaven's sake, don't use him to "prove" that the US is overpopulated. Which of course, it isn't. No matter how the Zeepoppers redefine overpopulation to fit their agendas. It won't be overpopulation that destroys us - it will be us. Harry Steve wrote: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ray, This is a very common mis-perception:   Japan has too many people on too little land with no natural resources.   America has fewer people and almost unlimited natural resources. It is claimed by scientists that US is the most overpopulated country due to highest per capita consumption of goods & services. It trails Canada only slightly in per cap energy consumption. US imports most of its oil. Quebec provides something like 25% of N.E. US electricity, I think. Water tickles from the North are likely to become a deluge as the Ogalalla aquifer depletes (25 yrs till dry) Steve A quick google search: page 1 only Searched the web for US most overpopulated .   Results 1 - 10 of about 14,100. Search took 0.29 seconds. www.fs.fed.us/eco/eco-watch/ew921116 ...MostOverpopulated Nation ** --- Comments: Paul and Anne Ehrlich team-up to help us... 13k - Cached - Similar pages www.fs.fed.us/eco/eco-watch/ew921120 ... A Response by Doug MacCleery "The Most Overpopulated Nation" (Eco-Watch, 11/16 ... implications of formula on the US situation. Ehrlich is suggesting ... 12k - Cached - Similar pages [ More results from www.fs.fed.us ] The MostOverpopulated Nation ... its cities to eliminate most commuting can be even ... these caveats, let us give some personal ... for our huge, overpopulated, superconsuming, technologically sloppy ... www.npg.org/forum_series/ehrlich.htm - 32k - Cached - Similar pages Forum Papers-Population ... 25. The MostOverpopulated Nation, by Paul R. and Anne H. Elrich. 26. The Kingdom of the Deaf, by Lindsey Grant. 30. The Los Angeles Riots and US Population ... www.npg.org/forums/forum_pop.htm - 21k - Cached - Similar pages [ More results from www.npg.org ] Why We Need to Stabilize US Population ... the US has done more damage to the world's environment than China and India combined! Paul Ehrlich has called the United States the mostoverpopulated country ... www.diversityalliance.org/docs/whystabilize.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages Sierra Club - Maryland Chapter ... environment than adding 332 million people to India. The US is the mostoverpopulated country in the world. Yet, we unabashedly celebrate our rising consumption ... maryland.sierraclub.org/uspopulation.html - 12k - Cached - Similar pages III. Population growth in the US ... It is the opinion of the Sierra Club, incidentally, that the US is the mostoverpopulated nation on Earth. This claim is based on a comparison of consumption ... www.orst.edu/instruction/bi301/usgrow.htm - 4k - Cached - Similar pages Is the USOverpopulated ... Compared to most other countries, people in the US... food, minerals and metals. Since the US uses so many of the ... some people say this country is overpopulated. ... www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/math_inv/population/articles/ is_the_us_overpopulated.htm - 8k - Cached - Similar pages Carrying Capacity Network Publications ... The Population Connection--Vol. 2, No. 6. The MostOverpopulated Nation--Vol. 2, No. 8. Is Immigration Good for US Labor?--Vol. 2, No. 9. 500 Million Americans by ... www.carryingcapacity.org/pubs.html - 17k - Cached - Similar pages LEARN THROUGH LEAGUE ... Thus, the US is the mostoverpopulated country in the world. Yet, we unabashedly celebrate our rising consumption, and we either ignore our popu lation growth ... www.lwvbaltimore.org/LTL.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages -- http://magma.ca/~gpco/ http://www.scientists4pr.org/ Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist. Kenneth Boulding ****************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of LA Box 655 Tujunga  CA  91042 Tel: (818) 352-4141 Fax: (818) 353-2242 *******************************