Why Unregulated Capitalism Naturally Creates Poverty; And How To Fix It

[PoliTalker]

Aquifers May Be Latest Casualty

"A recent study by USGS found that its rate of depletion accelerated sharply over the past decade with declines from 2001 to 2008 accounting for 32 percent of the cumulative depletion over the course of the entire 20th century. In places, water table levels have fallen 160 feet since the mid-20th century."

" "You see different approaches to monitoring and controlling water use as you look across the High Plains," she said. "In Kansas, you have water metering; in Oklahoma, it's referred to 'mining for water,' and the state has the ability to regulate the amount of water pumped."

Texas, however, stands out for its relative lack of regulation. "The rule of capture has existed here since the 1940s," said the Texas Water Development Board's Hopkins. "Essentially, the biggest straw wins.""

""They've gone ahead with 'We're going to deplete our resource.' That's an assumption in the regional water plans," she said. "What they're trying to do now is manage that depletion in such a way that they can adapt to it.""

""Major rivers that run dry and do not reach the sea anymore during the dry season include the (1) Colorado in the southwestern United States, (2) Rio Grande along the border between Texas and Mexico, (3) Yellow River in the Northern China, (4) Nile in the middle east (5) Ganges and Indus in South Asia, and (6) Amu Darya and Syr Darya in five countries that were part of the Soviet Union.""

Major rivers that do not reach the sea anymore

 

[PoliTalker]

When water becomes a critical issue, who is going to feel the brunt of that?

The rich?

I doubt it.

Capitalism and unchecked population growth will suck up all the water from the rivers and use it to grow food which will be priced out of reach of the poor.

 

[PoliTalker]

One 6 oz serving of steak requires 674 gallons of water to bring it to you.

1 egg = 52 gallons.

Food Item / Serving Size / Water Footprint
Steak (beef) /6 ounces / 674 gallons
Hamburger /1 (includes bread, meat, lettuce, tomato) / 660 gallons
Ham (pork) /3 ounces / 135 gallons
Eggs / 1 egg / 52 gallons
Soda / 17 ounces / 46 gallons
Coffee / 1 cup / 34 gallons
Wine / 1 glass / 34 gallons
Salad /1 (includes tomato, lettuce, cucumbers) / 21 gallons

The "water footprint" of food is enormous!

Clearly, we cannot continue to do this and double the world population.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

We should be using solar to desalinate water not produce electricity...

 

[Drummie123]

When water becomes a critical issue, who is going to feel the brunt of that?

The rich?

I doubt it.

Capitalism and unchecked population growth will suck up all the water from the rivers and use it to grow food which will be priced out of reach of the poor.

Capitalism will find a way to feed the most numbers of people because it will be in the Capitalist's economic interest to do so.

The miracle of capitalism works when practiced.

 

[PoliTalker]

Hello T. A. Gardner,

We should be using solar to desalinate water not produce electricity...

Agreed, but we need to be careful. We could increase the salinity of the ocean. That would probably have some negative consequences. We depend on healthy oceans for our survival.

We may have to include more sophisticated engineering to avoid putting extra salty water back into the sea.

That would generate way more salt than is needed.

We would then have to figure out what to do with the salt.

Better plan:

Reduce the number of humans who live on planet Earth.

Determine the optimal number, form a plan to stick to that number or below.

We need to get better organized as a collective of humans on a planet.

We have to stop fighting one another and realize everything we have in common, including concerns for the sustainability of human life on
Earth going forward.

 

[PoliTalker]

The days of pretending things are limitless are over.

We have to make our capitalism work for us as a collective.

Capitalism does not do that naturally.

We are going to have to regulated it toward that goal on a world basis.

 

[PoliTalker]

If we take all of these concerns into consideration, we can eliminate poverty and create a prosperous enjoyable planet for all.

This will be a huge awakening and enlightenment for humanity.

We are going to have to control birth levels.

It will be OK.

Every couple can have 2 children, no problem.

Large families have to become history.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Hello T. A. Gardner,



Agreed, but we need to be careful. We could increase the salinity of the ocean. That would probably have some negative consequences. We depend on healthy oceans for our survival.

If we are simply removing ocean water and taking the salts out, that's not a problem. In fact, the brine and salts can be used in various industrial processes so it's a win all around.

We may have to include more sophisticated engineering to avoid putting extra salty water back into the sea.

There should be no need to return any water reclaimed to the ocean as brine or in a salty state if the brine is processed for chemical content.

That would generate way more salt than is needed.

Only if the brine is returned to the ocean rather than used in secondary processes to recover its chemical content. But one way to avoid rising salinity is to mix the brine with say treated waste water.

We would then have to figure out what to do with the salt.

Manganese, potassium, calcium, chlorine, and bromine all have industrial uses, among other chemicals that could be recovered.

https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/creating-useful-products-from-desalination-waste/
https://news.mit.edu/2019/brine-desalianation-waste-sodium-hydroxide-0213

Better plan:

Reduce the number of humans who live on planet Earth.

Determine the optimal number, form a plan to stick to that number or below.

We need to get better organized as a collective of humans on a planet.

We have to stop fighting one another and realize everything we have in common, including concerns for the sustainability of human life on
Earth going forward.

Then feel free to join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. You can sign up here:

http://vhemt.org/

PS: They're serious, really.

 

[PoliTalker]

Hello T. A. Gardner,

If we are simply removing ocean water and taking the salts out, that's not a problem. In fact, the brine and salts can be used in various industrial processes so it's a win all around.



There should be no need to return any water reclaimed to the ocean as brine or in a salty state if the brine is processed for chemical content.



Only if the brine is returned to the ocean rather than used in secondary processes to recover its chemical content. But one way to avoid rising salinity is to mix the brine with say treated waste water.



Manganese, potassium, calcium, chlorine, and bromine all have industrial uses, among other chemicals that could be recovered.

https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/creating-useful-products-from-desalination-waste/
https://news.mit.edu/2019/brine-desalianation-waste-sodium-hydroxide-0213



Then feel free to join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. You can sign up here:

http://vhemt.org/

PS: They're serious, really.

OK, LOL, whatever. And no, I do not share their view that the Earth would be better off without humans so we should organize ourselves to naturally die out. Humans are pretty hard on the planet, but we have a right to be here and to continue our existence. The difference is they wish to see humans go extinct; I wish to see humans strike a workable balance between our existence on this planet, and habitat destruction.

We do have uses for all those chemicals, but I don't think we need the quantities which would be generated by ever more humans operating desalinization plants for agricultural water needs.

52 gallons for one egg? Can you imagine the price of an egg doing it that way?

You'd have to take out a loan for a omelet.

 

[Into the Night]

The days of pretending things are limitless are over.

We have to make our capitalism work for us as a collective.

Capitalism does not do that naturally.

We are going to have to regulated it toward that goal on a world basis.

No closed limit. Capitalism creates wealth. There is no 'collective' in capitalism. Fascism is not capitalism. Proposing worldwide fascism is not going to work.

 

[Into the Night]

If we take all of these concerns into consideration, we can eliminate poverty and create a prosperous enjoyable planet for all.

This will be a huge awakening and enlightenment for humanity.

We are going to have to control birth levels.

It will be OK.

Every couple can have 2 children, no problem.

Large families have to become history.

Define 'poverty'. Capitalism provides an opportunity for all, rich or poor to improve their circumstances. Capitalism creates wealth.

 

[Into the Night]

Hello T. A. Gardner,



Agreed, but we need to be careful. We could increase the salinity of the ocean. That would probably have some negative consequences. We depend on healthy oceans for our survival.

We may have to include more sophisticated engineering to avoid putting extra salty water back into the sea.

That would generate way more salt than is needed.

We would then have to figure out what to do with the salt.

Better plan:

Reduce the number of humans who live on planet Earth.

Determine the optimal number, form a plan to stick to that number or below.

We need to get better organized as a collective of humans on a planet.

We have to stop fighting one another and realize everything we have in common, including concerns for the sustainability of human life on
Earth going forward.

You want to reduce human population on the Earth? You first.