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Topic: The Cult of Economic Growthism
| Author | Message |
| UGoGirl | Posted – 3/25/2007 10:49:55 PM | show profile Republicans, Democrats, they all claim to be first in line as the party that promotes economic growth. Every city, state, and country, like mindless idiots, has to put up the mantra of increased economic growth. It doesn't matter if the growth is better, all that matters is more. More people buying things (regardless of need or ability to pay), and more things produced and consumed. This obsession with constant growth is a big part of the story of why we're: 1. As a country and as individuals way over our heads in debt. 2. Depleting resources (fossil fuels, other natural resources, etc.) at unsustainable rates. 3. On the road to making our only home unable to sustain life to the level we've become accustomed to. By it's very definition, constant growth is unsustainable. There's only so much life, depletion of resources, etc. that the planet can sustain. And in coming years, the growth rates that we've experienced over the last 200 or so years due to the availability of cheap energy, will also be unsustainable. |
| j.hodl | Posted – 4/6/2007 6:38:40 PM | show profile The main problem with constant economic growth is that after a while it begins feed off the growth that came before it. It pulls economic assets from one community to another, often leaving the older community worse off. What should be done is to maintain and expand the economy is existing areas. New uses should be found for older buildings and have them brought up to date instead of tearing down the old and replacing them with modern junk. One cannot help but admire the craftsmanship that went into older buildings, which are often sturdier than those that replacement (18-inch-thick walls in the basement instead of 9-inch walls). They can be modernized at much less cost and energy than building new, yet still provide the same number of construction jobs. Renewing existing communities can stop the expansion outward, thus saving farmland that can be used to grow renewal fuels for our cars and public transportation. |
