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-- Solution to most our problems.
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Solution to most our problems.
It is strange to think about it, some might even go as far to say it's sadistic. However, after think about all the worlds problems, too much pollution (all kinds), not enough food, not enough space, not enough money, not enough resources, to many people dieing. I figured most if not all of these could be solved if we just got rid of a lot of people I mean it's going to happen in the next 50 years a mass die off of humans on earth. However, if we wait for it to happen instead of doing it ourselves then we will have a chance of loosing people important to the existence of our survival such as scientists, leaders, engineers, teachers. Or we could speed up the process and save us the trouble. I am still 10% for it 90% against it but it's just a thought.... I only have the 10% becuase I know it would solve a lot of problems, but I am 90% against becuase I am all for peoples rights and stuff.
none of those are true though, there's plenty of space
pollution easily solved by science
food obviously by science as the act of growing crops using irrigated water is very very inefficient. 90% of water is evaporated into the air
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| Originally posted by DJ UD ....all the worlds problems |
This is not an innovative idea. Some Australian guy won a prize for writing about this couple decades ago - introduce a disease that will wipe out a good chunk of the world population.
Radical idea, but there a lot of problems due to the high human population. And there's no solution in sight to fix the many problems ranging from pollution to sustainability to environmental destruction to decrease of resources. Why? There's simply no money to be made in those things.
IT IS a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants: who as they grow up either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.
I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom a very great additional grievance; and, therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.
But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars; it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them as those who demand our charity in the streets.
As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of other projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in the computation. It is true, a child just dropped from its dam may be supported by her milk for a solar year, with little other nourishment; at most not above the value of 2s., which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner as instead of being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands.
There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us! sacrificing the poor innocent babes I doubt more to avoid the expense than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.
The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom; but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remains one hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, how this number shall be reared and provided for, which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; we neither build houses (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing, till they arrive at six years old, except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier, during which time, they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers, as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.
I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve years old is no salable commodity; and even when they come to this age they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half-a-crown at most on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriment and rags having been at least four times that value.
I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.
I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hundred and twenty thousand children already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine; and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in the sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom; always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.
I have reckoned upon a medium that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, increaseth to 28 pounds.
I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.
Infant's flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolific diet, there are more children born in Roman Catholic countries about nine months after Lent than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of popish infants is at least three to one in this kingdom: and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of papists among us.
I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar's child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, laborers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants; the mother will have eight shillings net profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.
Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.
As to our city of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.
A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every country being now ready to starve for want of work and service; and these to be disposed of by their parents, if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friend and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me, from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable; and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission be a loss to the public, because they soon would become breeders themselves; and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice (although indeed very unjustly), as a little bordering upon cruelty; which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, however so well intended.
But in order to justify my friend, he confessed that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanazar, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality as a prime dainty; and that in his time the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty's prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court, in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.
Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed, and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken to ease the nation of so grievous an encumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known that they are every day dying and rotting by cold and famine, and filth and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young laborers, they are now in as hopeful a condition; they cannot get work, and consequently pine away for want of nourishment, to a degree that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labor, they have not strength to perform it; and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.
I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance. For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation as well as our most dangerous enemies; and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their advantage by the absence of so many good protestants, who have chosen rather to leave their country than stay at home and pay tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.
Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to distress and help to pay their landlord's rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.
Thirdly, Whereas the maintenance of an hundred thousand children, from two years old and upward, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a-piece per annum, the nation's stock will be thereby increased fifty thousand pounds per annum, beside the profit of a new dish introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom who have any refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among ourselves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.
Fourthly, The constant breeders, beside the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year.
Fifthly, This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns; where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection, and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating: and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.
Sixthly, This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards or enforced by laws and penalties. It would increase the care and tenderness of mothers toward their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the public, to their annual profit instead of expense. We should see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond of their wives during the time of their pregnancy as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, their sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.
Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barreled beef, the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well-grown, fat, yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a lord mayor's feast or any other public entertainment. But this and many others I omit, being studious of brevity.
Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for Infant's Flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses, and the rest of the Kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.
I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the Kingdom. This I freely own, and 'twas indeed one principal design in offering it to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or I think, ever can be upon Earth. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: of using neither clothes, nor household furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: of quitting our animosities, and factions, nor act any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: of teaching our landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shop-keepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.
Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, till he hath at least some glimpse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.
But as to my self, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expense and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, the flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.
After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion as to reject any offer proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, as things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for an hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, there being a round million of creatures in human figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock would leave them in debt two millions of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession to the bulk of farmers, cottagers, and laborers, with their wives and children who are beggars in effect: I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold as to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food, at a year old in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes as they have since gone through by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of entailing the like or greater miseries upon their breed for ever.
I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.
"Planet Earth is loaded with room.
We could put the world's entire population into the United States. Doing so would make our population density 1,531 people per square mile."
Sure, I mean why do we feed the homeless? Why do we send aid money to Africa? It seems like a free Darwinian society is the answer to our ills!
Jesus im sorry i even said anything.
urban living is much less wasteful than suburban living. we're at a point in human civilization where we can't just use resources and throw them away. it's just one of those turning points like when man invented written language so ideas could be recorded.
...then start over... 
Lebezniatnikov, there's absolutely no way I can read all that. Its too big. 
At least bold the key statements ... I am too tired to concentrate on some book-reading right now
More people = More resources needed and provided
More people = More inventions & new ideas
Sustainability usually meets the demand for existence, however there's definitely interference entering the equation which might end that tradition.
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| Originally posted by DJ Shibby More people = More resources needed and provided More people = More inventions & new ideas Sustainability usually meets the demand for existence, however there's definitely interference entering the equation which might end that tradition. |
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| Originally posted by Magnetonium In this system, in order for it to work, you cant have everyone happy and rich and so on. For example, there have to be a huge number of poor workers sweating their asses off to give huge profits for the small group of guys on the top. If they receive anything good and elevate the status, that would surely affect the ones up the wealth ladder, wouldn't it? |
^^ well said
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| Originally posted by Capitalizt Absolutely not! Milton Friedman had a great quote on this subject: �Most economic fallacies derive from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another.� In the real world, there is no fixed pie. It is perfectly possible for society as a whole to increase their wealth and improve their well-being. The fact that there are a few people with a huge amount of wealth does not prevent the the population from gaining it on their own. They haven't stolen from the poor...On the contrary the products and services that made them so rich are what make life easier for all of us! In a free market, no transaction is made unless both parties believe they will benefit from it, and the fact that people like Bill Gates and Michael Dell can become billionaires through voluntary exchange means that their ideas and products have made the public HAPPY. They have satisfied the demands of the people and profited greatly from it. Sure, Gates and Dell might be rich assholes with more money than God, but when you look at what they have done for modern societies, it's hard to claim they don't deserve it. Their products have brought technology and global communication to the masses.. Cheap home PCs and versatile operating systems have made the population as a whole more educated and informed...They have saved time for individuals and greatly improved the productivity of millions of businesses. The wealth created for society by these inventions vastly outstrips any personal fortune gained by the inventors. Everyone is lifted by the inventions and innovations of people like Bill Gates. There is no fixed pie. Sure, he may earn much more money than the rest of us, but we all benefit from his success. |
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| Originally posted by Capitalizt Absolutely not! Milton Friedman had a great quote on this subject: �Most economic fallacies derive from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another.� In the real world, there is no fixed pie. It is perfectly possible for society as a whole to increase their wealth and improve their well-being. The fact that there are a few people with a huge amount of wealth does not prevent the the population from gaining it on their own. They haven't stolen from the poor...On the contrary the products and services that made them so rich are what make life easier for all of us! In a free market, no transaction is made unless both parties believe they will benefit from it, and the fact that people like Bill Gates and Michael Dell can become billionaires through voluntary exchange means that their ideas and products have made the public HAPPY. They have satisfied the demands of the people and profited greatly from it. Sure, Gates and Dell might be rich assholes with more money than God, but when you look at what they have done for modern societies, it's hard to claim they don't deserve it. Their products have brought technology and global communication to the masses.. Cheap home PCs and versatile operating systems have made the population as a whole more educated and informed...They have saved time for individuals and greatly improved the productivity of millions of businesses. The wealth created for society by these inventions vastly outstrips any personal fortune gained by the inventors. Everyone is lifted by the inventions and innovations of people like Bill Gates. There is no fixed pie. Sure, he may earn much more money than the rest of us, but we all benefit from his success. |
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| Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN funny how you skipped all the anti-trust convictions. because bill etc LOVE your free market SO much that they do whatever they can to fix it in their favour. yeah, wonderful people you're adoring here. and i cant believe people are taking this thread seriously. the initial post was full of idiocy. |
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| Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN funny how you skipped all the anti-trust convictions. because bill etc LOVE your free market SO much that they do whatever they can to fix it in their favour. yeah, wonderful people you're adoring here. and i cant believe people are taking this thread seriously. the initial post was full of idiocy. |
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| Originally posted by Capitalizt The antitrust cases were basically nonsense, encouraged by a bunch of incompetent companies who couldn't compete and embraced by a bunch of socialist pansies in government. Windows was developed and owned by Microsoft, so they had every right to exclude competitor's products from the installation. If those companies were angry about it, they were free to develop a competing OS and let consumers decide which is best. Bill Gates made the decision to bundle Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player with Windows. Competitors thought this was unfair, and these were the main complaints in the antitrust cases.. His domination of the browser market forced Netscape, Opera, and other companies to evolve their business and eventually offer their browsers for free rather than charging for them as they did. The same goes for companies like Real Networks who used to charge $$ for Realplayer. People always had the option to install and use these programs on Windows machines, but they cost money to buy. Now all of these products are $0.00, and you can thank Bill Gates for blazing the path. |
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| Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN yeah, there was nothing to the allegations which is why court after court around the globe ruled against microsoft's business practices |
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| Originally posted by Capitalizt Well unfortunately, most of the world is on your side of the political spectrum. |
courts interpret anti-competitive law and make their findings. this has nothing to do with politics.
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| Originally posted by Capitalizt Absolutely not! Milton Friedman had a great quote on this subject: �Most economic fallacies derive from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another.� In the real world, there is no fixed pie. It is perfectly possible for society as a whole to increase their wealth and improve their well-being. The fact that there are a few people with a huge amount of wealth does not prevent the the population from gaining it on their own. They haven't stolen from the poor...On the contrary the products and services that made them so rich are what make life easier for all of us! In a free market, no transaction is made unless both parties believe they will benefit from it, and the fact that people like Bill Gates and Michael Dell can become billionaires through voluntary exchange means that their ideas and products have made the public HAPPY. They have satisfied the demands of the people and profited greatly from it. Sure, Gates and Dell might be rich assholes with more money than God, but when you look at what they have done for modern societies, it's hard to claim they don't deserve it. Their products have brought technology and global communication to the masses.. Cheap home PCs and versatile operating systems have made the population as a whole more educated and informed...They have saved time for individuals and greatly improved the productivity of millions of businesses. The wealth created for society by these inventions vastly outstrips any personal fortune gained by the inventors. Everyone is lifted by the inventions and innovations of people like Bill Gates. There is no fixed pie. Sure, he may earn much more money than the rest of us, but we all benefit from his success. |
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| Originally posted by Magnetonium Wealth distribution, throughout history, has never been fair. |
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| Originally posted by Magnetonium So, you're telling me than everyone can be rich and successful at the same time ... under the current system. Even today, the gap between the rich and the poor increases. And for a huge number (billions) of people no matter how hard they try they will not be able to become rich and successful ... like if you are born into a poor family in Indonesia, as a random example. |
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