Think Kurzweil … or else think Firesign Theater :-)
From: Eric Walker
In macroeconomic terms, I worry about two trends in the US
-- the growing number of aging people who do not have provisions in place
for retirement… These trends lead me to think that the US may end up with a
large population of desperately poor old people. What are the next
generations going to do with them? Are they going to make gated communities
so that they can enjoy prosperity while the old people languish? Is a basic
income going to be put in place in order to manage the situation? Is
immigration policy going to shift to ensure a continued influx of young
people? Whatever happens, I think it will be a challenging situation to
deal with.
Assuming that the elderly begin to vote as a bloc (and why wouldn’t they
increasingly do so as it becomes clear that they control the outcome of many
elections?) … then the percentage of poor old people cannot get very high
before things change.
AARP will likely become the biggest PAC out there, if they aren’t already.
What does this mean?
Worst case (or best, depending on one’s POV): there is at least half a
trillion annually which could be skimmed off of Defense, and we would still
be stronger than our enemies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
Nevertheless, that does not need to happen, with an updated version of the
“regrooving” formula, not to mention “Solyent Green” … which is a bit crude
(as in Crudités) … but hopefully leaning more towards Kurzweil’s Hi-Tek
vision. We are almost there with the technology thanks to Moore’s law. Maybe
by 2020.
The solution which makes the most sense to this cynic is some form of
enforced “digital immortality” but maybe not exactly as Ray would have it.
Provide an artificial brain (highly advanced PC) … plus the most important
part which is a convenient “enabling” mythology, where the elderly person is
led to believe that he or she can experience a function degree of
continuity… pain free – and your problem is basically solved … for less than
the cost than a yearly Prescription for many of the needy-greedy meds.
Actually there are probably a few of us here on Vortex who would personally
volunteer for this … well, in a few years, Porgie.
Jones
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