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Population boon. More People Means More Prosperity (An argument against the Malthusians out there)
Boston Globe ^ | 07/20/2011 | Jeff Jacoby

Posted on 07/20/2011 7:24:27 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

DAVID AND VICTORIA Beckham were overjoyed by the birth last week of their fourth child, a baby girl they named Harper. “We all feel so blessed and the boys love their baby sister so much!!!’’ the former Spice Girl exulted to her vast following on Twitter. A few days later she posted a picture of her husband cradling his new daughter, with the tender comment: “Daddy’s little girl!’’

Whose heart wouldn’t be warmed by the Beckhams’ delight in their newborn?

The Observer’s wouldn’t.

In a remarkably churlish article on Sunday, Britain’s influential left-leaning newspaper (the Observer is the Guardian’s sister Sunday paper) pronounced Harper’s parents “environmentally irresponsible’’ for choosing to bring her into the world. Headlined “Beckhams a ‘bad example’ for families,’’ the piece was a blast at parents who raise good-sized families. “One or two children are fine but three or four are just being selfish,’’ Simon Ross, executive director of the Optimum Population Trust, told reporter Tracy McVeigh. “The Beckhams . . . are very bad role models.’’

McVeigh also quoted natural-history broadcaster David Attenborough, who recently “made a passionate speech about how the world’s baby-making was damaging the planet.’’ Fifty years ago there were 3 billion human beings, Attenborough had lamented. “Now there are almost 7 billion . . . and every one of them needing space. There cannot be more people on this Earth than can be fed.’’

Has there ever been a more persistent and popular superstition than the idea that having more kids is a bad thing, or that “overpopulation’’ causes hunger, misery, and hopelessness? In the 18th century, Thomas Malthus warned that human population growth must inevitably outstrip the food supply; to prevent mass starvation, he suggested, “we should sedulously encourage the other forms of destruction,’’ such as encouraging the spread of disease

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: malthusians; population
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1 posted on 07/20/2011 7:24:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

The latest Malthusian is none other than New York times Columnist : Thomas Friedman who recently wrote the article: “The Earth Is Full,’’ ( a play on his best seller — The World is Flat).

His quote: “we are currently growing at a rate that is using up the Earth’s resources far faster than they can be sustainably replenished.”

Read the column here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=4&ref=columnists


2 posted on 07/20/2011 7:26:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (u)
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To: SeekAndFind

As always, we must observe: If you think there are too many people - Mr. Ross, Mr. Attenborough - kindly eliminate yourselves. I guarantee you’re lifestyle is higher on the carbon-hog scale than my family of 12 is.


3 posted on 07/20/2011 7:27:19 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Public schools = TSA: incompetent, abusive, anti-American. Why are we putting up with either one?)
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To: SeekAndFind
The latest Malthusian is none other than New York times Columnist : Thomas Friedman who recently wrote the article: “The Earth Is Full,’’ ( a play on his best seller — The World is Flat). His quote: “we are currently growing at a rate that is using up the Earth’s resources far faster than they can be sustainably replenished.”

If Friedman took one for the team and offed himself, then I might be impressed.

4 posted on 07/20/2011 7:28:04 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

Great article bump


5 posted on 07/20/2011 7:29:09 AM PDT by Tribune7 (We're flat broke, but he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will magically save us.)
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To: SeekAndFind
The larger the population, the more people at the high end of the standard distribution for intelligence and other desirable attributes.

Those are the people who figure out how to do things that make life better for us all.

6 posted on 07/20/2011 7:32:16 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." - Bertrand de Jouvenel des Ursins)
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To: SeekAndFind

Convince the Muslims of that first, d-bag.


7 posted on 07/20/2011 7:33:22 AM PDT by jdsteel (I like the way the words "Palin for President" make progressives apoplectic.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Depends on the kinds of people...


8 posted on 07/20/2011 7:34:57 AM PDT by varmintman
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To: SeekAndFind

Yes, just think of how well our economy would be now if the 50,000,000+ babies that were slaughtered in abortuaries since 1973 were alive now and buying cars, clothes, cereal, homes, needing schools, factories, computers, and on and on and on. It’s just terrible what we’ve done to our previously very successful country. We should be grossly ashamed of ourselves.


9 posted on 07/20/2011 7:36:19 AM PDT by laweeks
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To: SeekAndFind
"Thomas Friedman avowed in his New York Times column that “The Earth Is Full,’’"

That guy's brain is fried.

The Island of Manhattan is Full.... of liberal retards - I'd agree with that.

10 posted on 07/20/2011 7:37:43 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: laweeks

RE: just think of how well our economy would be now if the 50,000,000+ babies that were slaughtered in abortuaries since 1973 were alive now and buying cars, clothes, cereal, homes, needing schools, factories, computers, and on and on and on..
___________________________________________________________________________

I’ve heard liberals argue that had these babies grown up, they would pose a BIGGER PROBLEM to society because most of them were unwanted and their parents would be neglecting them. Hence, they would be on welfare, gangs, drugs and cause all sorts of societal problems which will accelerate the downward spiral of this country (Note: this is not my argument, I’ve just heard it given several times)


11 posted on 07/20/2011 7:39:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (u)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Depends on who is breeding. If Welfare mothers are breeding like rabbits and those with high intelligence only have one child, civilization will soon end.


12 posted on 07/20/2011 7:39:31 AM PDT by Blackandproud
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To: SeekAndFind

I believe that Malthusian theories would hold validity in a socialist society. There reaches a point where it becomes impossible to balance the distribution of resources in a planned society at certain levels of growth. For the sake of efficiency and “crop prices” one year you create incentives for farmers not to grow, and several years down the line you have shortages that prevent you from feeding everyone.

This is a primary reason as to why the battle for capitalism is so important. Where socialist planning fails, capitalist ingenuity allows growing societies to thrive. Sure, people don’t get equal slices of the pie but the overall pie is bigger. There’s plenty for everyone.

Socialism, on the other hand, sees natural human freedoms as inherently “irresponsible.” This is why a socialist society cannot help but be dystopic when fully realized.


13 posted on 07/20/2011 7:39:51 AM PDT by MWS
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To: laweeks
"...and buying cars, clothes, cereal, homes, needing schools, factories, computers, and on and on and on."

How many on welfare programs?

14 posted on 07/20/2011 7:40:44 AM PDT by verity (The Obama Administration is a Criminal Enterprise.)
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To: Blackandproud

If we didn’t have welfare programs, we wouldn’t have “welfare moms,” and it was those of “high intelligence,” your liberals with their 0.8 children and Harvard PhD.s, who put in the welfare programs.

Maybe “intelligence” is a little different from what we think, especially if it’s divorced from character.


15 posted on 07/20/2011 7:44:17 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Public schools = TSA: incompetent, abusive, anti-American. Why are we putting up with either one?)
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To: Tax-chick

Whenever I hear someone complain of overpopulation, I ask them to show some leadership and “go” first.


16 posted on 07/20/2011 7:45:10 AM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: Retired Greyhound

So does anyone with any common sense.


17 posted on 07/20/2011 7:46:05 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Public schools = TSA: incompetent, abusive, anti-American. Why are we putting up with either one?)
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To: Blackandproud

At least the evil eugenicists of yesterday were proposing a solution that would leave useful groups in tact.

These new generation claustrophobics don’t seem to have a problem with the exploding Muslim populations.


18 posted on 07/20/2011 7:51:20 AM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: SeekAndFind

Its not the gross number, its the percentages within:

More productive people = more prosperity

More parasitical people = less prosperity


19 posted on 07/20/2011 8:03:10 AM PDT by SampleMan (If all of the people currently oppressed shared a common geography, bullets would already be flying.)
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To: SeekAndFind

So more illegals in drug gangs and more welfare recipients mean more prosperity??? Maybe for the Democrat party, but that’s all!!!!


20 posted on 07/20/2011 8:05:55 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
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