Praxidice – I agree if we as a people are unable to recognise that it is not possible to continue to take from the planet at the current levels the serious problem we have will be the downfall of the human race and will change this planet to a point where life as we know it no longer exists.

I would however like to think that as a civilisation we have the ability to produce less and have more. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but if you think about it. If we stop making all the crap that we don’t need and share the value of essential production more proportionally the majority of us would have more. Those who get less are getting too much now anyway.

The new pope said we need to stop working for money, instead have money working for us or words that effect. I hate to say it but I tend to agree with him and he has an imaginary friend, wears a dress and a funny hat. The Rolling Stone’s said “Your as slave to money then you die”, which is equally true.

Producer - The new pope said we need to stop working for money, instead have money working for us or words that effect.

Have you noticed that the vast majority of people who make statements like that have never once in their whole life had to think about actually supporting themselves ?? I haven't had reason to read up on the life and times of this pontiff but I'd be surprised if he had any personal acquaintance with 'work'. The 'holy' roman church certainly has no shortage of money working for it being one of the biggest landowners on planet earth. Assuming catholics still regard the bible as authorative, one wonders how the organization rationalizes its status with Matthew 21:12.

Your point is quite valid re the take take take mentality of the human race as a whole. I've always argued that the word 'developer' should really be 'attila' after the famous barbarian, since their real line of business is rape and pillage. Furthermore, the erstwhile 'deadly sin' of greed has been transformed into something highly desirable, particularly by legal leeches, public company CEOs and suchlike bottom-feeders. Even the highly desirable ideal of reducing atmospheric emissions has been highjacked by the lunatic fringe who claim that several hundred years frantic pumping who knows what into our ecosystem whilst busily destroying the natural regulation system doesn't amount to outright environmental vandalism. Don't get me started on the carbon tax male bovine dropping.

to be continued

continued

As I've suggested elsewhere, I believe a major financial crash is far more imminent than an environmental reckoning, mind you anyone with a plurality of functional grey cells couldn't help notice signs Mother Nature / Gaia is not happy. I've chosen to act as if both a financial crash AND an environmental reckoning are looming, consequently I expect to be somewhat better placed than the average mug to weather the storms. A particularly attractive point about a major financial upheaval is the certain end of human parasitology. That said, given their total lack of anything vaguely approximating ethics, one doesn't need to be a clairvoyant to predict a rebirth of highway robbery (in addition that is to the form practiced by folk in blue uniforms and driving vans mit cameras inside)

Producer "Shockadelic – Look at the big picture, specifics distort."

But you must deal with specifics.
It's all very well to rabbit on about "parasites", but it was proposed to put income limits on individuals.
You cannot tax, legislate or regulate vague generalities, you must deal with specific people or acts.

Creating more bureaucracy to deal with "parasites" only exacerbates the problem.
As praxidice predicts, there will be an economic/environmental day of reckoning soon.
One doesn't need to do anything about "parasites".

Shockadelic – With respect I disagree.

The way we approach the current situation is dealing with symptoms of the disease and ignoring the disease itself.

For example, the much debated carbon tax is an attempt to deal with the symptom of global warming caused by the release into the atmosphere of carbon from vast deposits of stored carbon. This is dealing with the symptom.

The disease is the removal and burning of stored carbon sources. The cure is to stop removing them and stop burning them.
The reason we dig them up is to fuel unsustainable growth within a finite system. Logic would suggest if we reduce the unsustainable growth we would also reduce the requirement to remove stored carbon.

This poses the question, how do we control unsustainable growth?

Growth’s primary driver is the pursuit of the holy dollar. We applaud those who are able to accrue vast amounts of it especially if they do very little for it. One of the easiest ways to accrue vast amounts of the holy dollar is to have some low paid mug remove carbon deposits and burn them. The trick is to sit back with your bean counters, consultants; shareholders etc. etc. and do nothing. All we have are parasites with snouts in the trough producing nothing and raping the planet in the process.

Now you see how complex the above has become and I’m quite sure you are able to wedge a side argument in at a number of areas. This is only one aspect of our complex society. It is in the interests of the parasite to facilitate this discussion as it draws attention away from the cause, greed.

Cont.

Cont.

I say the core issue is too many non-productive parasites being rewarded with a disproportionate and undeserved amount of our productive wealth!

The solution (very condensed version) – Personal income per annum (from all sources including gambling and fringe benefits) should be limited to a range from not only a minimum, but also to maximum linked to sustainable GDP. Income goes up goes up and down with productivity. We share the pain and the wealth. I call it Productionism.

This controls greed, over production, underproduction, and sustainability, rewards the productive, enables but controls non-productive activities and reduces growth. Most importantly it distributes productive wealth proportionately without stifling productivity.