Steve,
Your quote suggests why the problem will never be solved (which will prove
the prophet of doom and gloom is right). His web page is below.
Look at the mindset.
"The more people living in a country, the harder it is to provide proper
services and health care to all."
While these people are fluttering their hands in dismay at the terrible
difficulties facing them, not one hoe hits the ground. As Henry George
pointed out, every mouth comes with two hands.
The not very secret solution to the problem is to change this potty
thinking that we must find ways to feed the multitude. The way to attack
the problem of inadequate "proper services and health care" is to make it
possible for people to provide them themselves.
This would mean fewer international conferences at which people are able to
view with alarm, show worry and concern, offer portents of disaster.
(While, no doubt, sipping their martinis over a leisurely lunch.)
First, find out why the peasants are inefficient producers. Second, change
the economic structure so that people can do things for themselves -
instead of passing much of their production to the friendly neighborhood
rack-renting landlords.
This means land-reform of the proper kind - with market pressures pushing
the best producers on to the best producing land. It must begin with a land
reform that provides sufficient land for a family to live on and expand its
production.
The Taiwan experiment offered five hectare plots. Depending on the quality
of land, this might vary upward. It should not be less. Any help offered
should be advice and small devices to make it easier to produce.
There should be fewer discussions of the "changing paradigms of population
issues" (whatever they are) and more plans to put hoes into the hands of
peasants working their own land.
Now, we need not do anything practical. After all we are assured by the
Oxford or Harvard educated politicians in the Third World that everything
possible is being done. Of course the fact that they are landlords, or that
they front for the landlords, has little bearing on the fact that they fail
to carry out the important reform - letting people escape their problems
with their own effort.
One major warning! Socialism and Communism and their spin-offs have proven
themselves to be hopeless at increasing production. The international
conferences to "solve the problems" are loaded who want to "provide proper
services".
Jay's gloomy predictions will become fact if we continue to try these cute
little failed excursions into collective action.
Instead of worrying about 3 billion mouths, think of 6 billion hands and
how to put them to work.
Harry
_____________________________________-
Steve wrote:
>I suggest that this topic is a wee bit more complex than Bill Ward
>implies. There's extensive research, but a good short essay is
>available:
>http://dieoff.org/page56.htm
>
>. . . . . . . . and FYI there is a "South-South Initiative" which
>involves LDCs helping
>each other in pop. stabil. at their own request.
>
>"The 1994 conference addressed the changing paradigms of population issues
>and the inverse relationship of a nation's state of development to the
>size of its population. The more people living in a country, the harder it
>is to provide proper services and health care to all."
