- Welcome to Kevin's Thoughts on the Human Race's Future.
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#41
Reference Links and Recommended Reading / Agroecology - more on sustaina...
Last post by KevinC - Oct 13, 2019, 10:38 PM #42
Reference Links and Recommended Reading / Sustainable Agriculture
Last post by KevinC - Oct 13, 2019, 10:07 PM #43
Population / Population Control - Step 2 (i...
Last post by KevinC - Oct 13, 2019, 12:22 PMIncarceration will need to be radically modified.
Basically, any armed agression towards another individual results in the death penality, and happens quickly. Since the societal goal is to reduce the population, mistakes will be tolerated in exchange for faster resolution. Perhaps a period of 3-12 months unless its undeniable. e.g. Who started a fight could take awhile to resolve, but a mass shooter is executated almost immediately. Something will need to be done to avoid fraud so that three people can't purjure themselves and have someone exectuted. Of course, in that example, if they did, and they were caught, they too would be executed.
All other crimes against victims are settled via restitution.
Lots of grey zone here, but the default should be the death penality. For instance, I drunk driver who kills someone dies. Period.
Bottom line: People will need to become much more responsible for their actions.
"Cruel and unusual" clauses will need to be clarified in cases of the state putting someone to death. Personally, something like the gullotine, although messy, is at least absolute. Suffering, for a matter of minutes, when your guilty of killing someone else, will be acceptable. So hanging (easy to do), or drowning, or other relatively quick methods might be used.
Basically, any armed agression towards another individual results in the death penality, and happens quickly. Since the societal goal is to reduce the population, mistakes will be tolerated in exchange for faster resolution. Perhaps a period of 3-12 months unless its undeniable. e.g. Who started a fight could take awhile to resolve, but a mass shooter is executated almost immediately. Something will need to be done to avoid fraud so that three people can't purjure themselves and have someone exectuted. Of course, in that example, if they did, and they were caught, they too would be executed.
All other crimes against victims are settled via restitution.
Lots of grey zone here, but the default should be the death penality. For instance, I drunk driver who kills someone dies. Period.
Bottom line: People will need to become much more responsible for their actions.
"Cruel and unusual" clauses will need to be clarified in cases of the state putting someone to death. Personally, something like the gullotine, although messy, is at least absolute. Suffering, for a matter of minutes, when your guilty of killing someone else, will be acceptable. So hanging (easy to do), or drowning, or other relatively quick methods might be used.
#44
Governance / Agriculture
Last post by KevinC - Oct 10, 2019, 09:39 PMCouple of issues here, based on previous post and postulations.
Artificial fertilizers are neither sustainable nor practical once oil reserves are depleted. When they go, mega farming is going to have a lot of new challenges. We are going to have to unwind a lot of politcal decisions made here in the USA at least, and likely worldwide. For instance, the USA cold-war farm boom led to excessive grains being produced, which lead to:
1) Farm support payments
2) Government food charts recommending massive grain consumption (remember the food pyramid?)
3) USDA certified meats being graded by how much white fat was contained, the more the better... fat that only comes from feeding cattle corn (grass fed cattle have yellow fat due to their content of fat soluable vitamins).
4) Dependancy on selling excess grain overseas (violates the local food principle)
Note we have the technology to solve many of the worlds food problems... and can do it improving local practices in sustainable ways. For instance, many societies depend on sweet potatoes for their primary calories. However, the varieties grown are subject to a fungus that reduces yields by 90%. I'm under the impression GMO technology could solve (has already solved?) that problem, but local governments refused to allow GMO into their countries - they rather have their populations starving and easier to control.
Personally, I think the government need to encourage at least 10% of the population to be involved with farming. Below that level and the general population losses touch with food reality... like the woman that posted in a newspaper: "Hunters should be ashamed of themselves, they should buy their meat at the grocery store like everyone else - where no animals are harmed."
Artificial fertilizers are neither sustainable nor practical once oil reserves are depleted. When they go, mega farming is going to have a lot of new challenges. We are going to have to unwind a lot of politcal decisions made here in the USA at least, and likely worldwide. For instance, the USA cold-war farm boom led to excessive grains being produced, which lead to:
1) Farm support payments
2) Government food charts recommending massive grain consumption (remember the food pyramid?)
3) USDA certified meats being graded by how much white fat was contained, the more the better... fat that only comes from feeding cattle corn (grass fed cattle have yellow fat due to their content of fat soluable vitamins).
4) Dependancy on selling excess grain overseas (violates the local food principle)
Note we have the technology to solve many of the worlds food problems... and can do it improving local practices in sustainable ways. For instance, many societies depend on sweet potatoes for their primary calories. However, the varieties grown are subject to a fungus that reduces yields by 90%. I'm under the impression GMO technology could solve (has already solved?) that problem, but local governments refused to allow GMO into their countries - they rather have their populations starving and easier to control.
Personally, I think the government need to encourage at least 10% of the population to be involved with farming. Below that level and the general population losses touch with food reality... like the woman that posted in a newspaper: "Hunters should be ashamed of themselves, they should buy their meat at the grocery store like everyone else - where no animals are harmed."
#45
Governance / Growth
Last post by KevinC - Oct 10, 2019, 09:05 PMThis topic fits both under Governance and Population, but I suspect its mostly Governance, so I'm posting it here.
Problem: Between a massive decrease in our population and a shift to 100% recyclable products, consumerism is going to plummet.
Companies, cities, and social organizations are all going to have to learn to deal with reduced populations and still feel healthy.
Perhaps companies could shift towards making the most reliable products for the lowest cost instead of focusing on making the most profitable products. One potential law previously hinted at would be that all companies had to buy back and recycle their products. Companies like Apple are doing that today, so its not a completely insane idea. However, doing so for items like major appliances would be costly, so making better appliances that lasted longer would help reduce that cost.
Side note: For those oldies amougnst us, like me, we can remember when appliances like washing machines and refrigerators would last for AT LEAST 20 years. Now your doing good if you get 5...
Problem: Between a massive decrease in our population and a shift to 100% recyclable products, consumerism is going to plummet.
Companies, cities, and social organizations are all going to have to learn to deal with reduced populations and still feel healthy.
Perhaps companies could shift towards making the most reliable products for the lowest cost instead of focusing on making the most profitable products. One potential law previously hinted at would be that all companies had to buy back and recycle their products. Companies like Apple are doing that today, so its not a completely insane idea. However, doing so for items like major appliances would be costly, so making better appliances that lasted longer would help reduce that cost.
Side note: For those oldies amougnst us, like me, we can remember when appliances like washing machines and refrigerators would last for AT LEAST 20 years. Now your doing good if you get 5...
#46
Governance / Taxation
Last post by KevinC - Oct 10, 2019, 08:55 PMDeath and taxes - two things we can be pretty sure will always exist.
In the future, it is highly likely any form of government is going to have to tax is citizens to pay its expenses.
Every person should benefit from their labor. Every person should benefit from their investments. However, in order to reduce income inequality, those two items should not be taxed at the same level. In the USA, as of 2019, income has a variable tax - lets call it 35% between state, local, and federal taxes (likely low if you include sales tax, personal property tax, real estate tax, state tax, and federal tax as a short list). Investment tax, in particular long term capital gains, is only 15%. This has lead the the wealthy getting wealthier faster than the working masses - which will eventually lead of revolution.
Currently little can be done in the USA about this, since the wealthy tend to run the government, either directly or via proxy (campaign contributions). The argument is that if capital gains taxes are raised, Corporations will simply move overseas. Since this forum is suggesting some form of planetary governance, that problem should disappear.
While we are on the subject... taxing savings and providing tax relief for things like mortgages makes no sense either. If you want a richer society, you must encourage savings, not debt.
In the future, it is highly likely any form of government is going to have to tax is citizens to pay its expenses.
Every person should benefit from their labor. Every person should benefit from their investments. However, in order to reduce income inequality, those two items should not be taxed at the same level. In the USA, as of 2019, income has a variable tax - lets call it 35% between state, local, and federal taxes (likely low if you include sales tax, personal property tax, real estate tax, state tax, and federal tax as a short list). Investment tax, in particular long term capital gains, is only 15%. This has lead the the wealthy getting wealthier faster than the working masses - which will eventually lead of revolution.
Currently little can be done in the USA about this, since the wealthy tend to run the government, either directly or via proxy (campaign contributions). The argument is that if capital gains taxes are raised, Corporations will simply move overseas. Since this forum is suggesting some form of planetary governance, that problem should disappear.
While we are on the subject... taxing savings and providing tax relief for things like mortgages makes no sense either. If you want a richer society, you must encourage savings, not debt.
#47
Population / Population Control - Step 1 (b...
Last post by KevinC - Oct 10, 2019, 08:42 PMFirst and foremost, birth control should be freely available (as in free to anyone needing it).
Hopefully that will greatly reduce the incidents of unwanted pregnancies.
Although I feel abortions are tragic, I woman should not have to host another entity in their bodies if they don't want to. Society will need to choice the level of support it wishes to provide to attempt to save an unwanted unborn fetus. e.g. medical advances occur all the time, and younger and younger fetus may be saved - but not for free. Society, through the government, via taxes, should pay for what they believe in.
Any woman seeking an abortion should be required to attend basic sex education classes, complete with a section on how she can obtain the afore mentioned birth control going forward.
Of course, birth control for men should be equally available.
Secondly... society must STOP paying women to have babies as they are effectively done when on welfare. The more children a single welfare mom has, the more she is paid. Its insane.
Hopefully that will greatly reduce the incidents of unwanted pregnancies.
Although I feel abortions are tragic, I woman should not have to host another entity in their bodies if they don't want to. Society will need to choice the level of support it wishes to provide to attempt to save an unwanted unborn fetus. e.g. medical advances occur all the time, and younger and younger fetus may be saved - but not for free. Society, through the government, via taxes, should pay for what they believe in.
Any woman seeking an abortion should be required to attend basic sex education classes, complete with a section on how she can obtain the afore mentioned birth control going forward.
Of course, birth control for men should be equally available.
Secondly... society must STOP paying women to have babies as they are effectively done when on welfare. The more children a single welfare mom has, the more she is paid. Its insane.
#48
Self Evident / Growth
Last post by KevinC - Oct 08, 2019, 08:13 PMIf the population is going to (presumably over a significant period of time) decrease by a lot, as this forum suggest it must, an economy based on growth is going to have to evolve.
Corporations, who today are either seen as growing, with increased sales year over year, or as dying are going to have to adjust. Instead of profit being the only measure of a Corporations value, other things are going to have to come into play. I'd suggest concepts like "sustainability" (e.g. How much of their product is recyclable, do they other to buy back old product and recycle them in exchange for new products, etc.) and "social impact" (number of people gainfully employed, employee happiness, etc.) are going to need to develop meaningful metrics.
Government might help using the only tool they really have: taxation. Perhaps taxes could, at least in part, be based on things like the percentage of products that are 100% recyclable, or the percentage of manufacturing products whose waste are recycled into other industries.
Corporations, who today are either seen as growing, with increased sales year over year, or as dying are going to have to adjust. Instead of profit being the only measure of a Corporations value, other things are going to have to come into play. I'd suggest concepts like "sustainability" (e.g. How much of their product is recyclable, do they other to buy back old product and recycle them in exchange for new products, etc.) and "social impact" (number of people gainfully employed, employee happiness, etc.) are going to need to develop meaningful metrics.
Government might help using the only tool they really have: taxation. Perhaps taxes could, at least in part, be based on things like the percentage of products that are 100% recyclable, or the percentage of manufacturing products whose waste are recycled into other industries.
#49
Reference Links and Recommended Reading / Luck and prosperity
Last post by KevinC - Oct 08, 2019, 04:34 PMHighly suggested: Malcolm Gladwell "Outliers"
https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-The-Story-of-Success/dp/B001LNK9C4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=outliers&qid=1570570458&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-The-Story-of-Success/dp/B001LNK9C4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=outliers&qid=1570570458&sr=8-1
#50
Self Evident / Plastics (sub-topic of Recycli...
Last post by KevinC - Oct 08, 2019, 04:22 PMOver the past few decades we have all seen articles about plastics in our environment - often accompanied with photos of fish, ducks, and other wildlife caught in beer can 6-pack plastic trash. Clearly this is bad.
More recently there has been publications that plastics are now found in every environment monitored on the planet - from ocean bottoms to mountain ranges.
Recently microplastics have been in the news. For example: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-microplastics-1204133
Microplastics are of a particular concern to me, for by definition, they have relatively huge surface areas. My concern is simply: something, likely bacteria in nature, is going to evolve to eat plastics - and will do so voraciously. If it becomes airborne (and it likely would via ocean surf), imagine the impact! All plastic packaging dissolves - from milk to blood bags. Cars fall mostly apart.
We need to greatly reduce the amount of plastic in our environment, the same way we have (finally) started to reduce antibiotics. Going back to glass for fluid containers would be a good start...
More recently there has been publications that plastics are now found in every environment monitored on the planet - from ocean bottoms to mountain ranges.
Recently microplastics have been in the news. For example: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-microplastics-1204133
Microplastics are of a particular concern to me, for by definition, they have relatively huge surface areas. My concern is simply: something, likely bacteria in nature, is going to evolve to eat plastics - and will do so voraciously. If it becomes airborne (and it likely would via ocean surf), imagine the impact! All plastic packaging dissolves - from milk to blood bags. Cars fall mostly apart.
We need to greatly reduce the amount of plastic in our environment, the same way we have (finally) started to reduce antibiotics. Going back to glass for fluid containers would be a good start...