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Re: Brashears on Hanson
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Subject: Re: Brashears on Hanson
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From: charliew@hal-pc.org (charliew)
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Date: Sun, 08 Dec 96 15:49:39 GMT
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Article: 17097 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: alt.agriculture.misc, alt.org.earth-first, alt.politics.economics, alt.politics.greens, alt.save.the.earth, alt.sustainable.agriculture, sci.agriculture, sci.econ, sci.energy, sci.environment, talk.environment
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Organization: Houston Area League of PC Users
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References: <5840b9$g2p@news1.io.org> <5850e9$6pg_001@pm1-81.hal-pc.org> <Pine.A41.3.95b.961204163414.13254A-100000@dante07.u.washington.edu> <585cb3$a9c_001@pm6-75.hal-pc.org> <32A8AAAB.7FC0@xmission.com>
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Xref: newz.oit.unc.edu alt.agriculture.misc:6728 alt.org.earth-first:7253 alt.politics.economics:94986 alt.politics.greens:24459 alt.save.the.earth:27204 alt.sustainable.agriculture:17097 sci.agriculture:16970 sci.econ:61625 sci.energy:59879 sci.environment:114264 talk.environment:80471
In article <32A8AAAB.7FC0@xmission.com>, Jim <msteitz@xmission.com> wrote:
(BIG CUT)
>I also believe we have become hipersensitive to our own material wants.
>When people support extravagant ecnomic growth, even when it requires
>that our planet face biological meltdown, something is wrong.
Indeed, something is VERY wrong. In the U.S., there is a continuing drive
to produce more efficient workers. High efficiency results in more goods
and services produced per worker. If there is not enough demand to consume
all of these goods and services, people are fired. Thus, compulsive
consumerism is built into the free enterprise system.
Just for a moment, assume that each worker is responsible for consuming his
own "production". It should be obvious that to keep his job, this worker
must necessarily find ways to use more resources as he is forced to produce
more. And don't think that this worker has the choice of slowing down.
With competition in the marketplace, and many unemployed people waiting to
take this worker's job, he has no choice other than to work as hard and
fast as he can.
I didn't make these rules, but to remain employed, I am more or less forced
to live by them. Despite this, I prefer free enterprise to other economic
systems, because there is more freedom of choice and individual
accountability.
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