Economics and China

[Taem]

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All very excellent points; touche. And I fully agree that the sentiment of ending world hunger and equality is what we all desire across the broad spectrum of political ideologies. So, my only retort to your comments is that if, as a planet, we did drastically cut-back on our intake of consumable goods and non-renewable resources to extend the sustainability of our increasing population, I am most certain that without a way to supplant the lost income these mega corporations would lose due to such an act, we'd see a new Great Depression destitute our economies. A slow, graceful cutting back of commodities might work... over time, however the stock exchange is not going to take that sitting down, and I feel this is more of an all-or-nothing type deal that would take decades of a different mindset than currently runs the major countries of this world. With our (as species) track record of legislation through crisis - as in waiting until the final moment to make a decision - I am most certain we will not see anything resembling this logic until we've reached a point of no return, and then what? Some people like to say, "look at the here and now", others say, "look towards the future". Perhaps I am a bit of a dreamer, but I don't see anyway our countries will force its citizens to ever cut back on commodities now or in the future, so I'm trying to view alternatives.

It's funny, but I was discussing this very concept with my wife in the car yesterday and we pretty much agreed that the easiest and best way to go about starting this revolution is if all governments started taxing companies that didn't use recyclable goods for all products that didn't expire after 15-years, as in all products, such as cell-phones, computers, cars, etc.., would have to be designed specifically to last a minimum of 15-years, with a steep penalty per violation. All devices would be required to have a 15-year warranty that would allow faulty parts to be swapped out at minimal charge to the owner. This would be the start of weening mega-corporations to renewable resources, and allowing them time to find other ways to make their money instead of from raw commodities, such as excellent customer service and software, while also getting customers into the mindset of keeping what they have, and possibly just exchanging parts. Such as, keep your phone case and lcd screen, but swap the motherboard inside. Little things such as this could save the planet. This, combined with my vision for Mars, is my ideal situation for the future.