Speaking of....

[featherynscale]

My father called today to tell me that my sister had another kid. Other people in my family are totally taking up for my non-breedingness.

EDIT: But it's a better story than that. They said that she had not had another kid because she particularly wanted another kid, but that she was allergic to birth control pills. Because, you know, that's your only option.

Comments

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Arguably, it's an even more perfect example of why people who cannot think should not be having babies.

The difference is subtle...

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Subtle, yes, but distinct.

However, logically speaking, if they won't think, we can't stop them from breeding without thinking. The only option I see left is to just try to keep the numbers even, at least.

You're essentially talking about an Arms Race, Lex.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind overpopulated.

Re: You're essentially talking about an Arms Race, Lex.

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

We've got plenty of surface area for people on this planet, and I see no reason we couldn't spread out to orbital stations, under sea habitats, and off world colonies.

Re: You're essentially talking about an Arms Race, Lex.

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

"Plenty of surface area for people," sure, but not enough room to generate the resources they use, nor dispose of the waste they generate. We're having enough trouble with those two problems now.

As for outer space.... we're still having trouble with the reliability of getting a handful of trained specialists out and back safely. The twin problems of atmosphere and vacuum are rather large.

How about this: Let's send out the people who can't think first.

Re: You're essentially talking about an Arms Race, Lex.

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

That would work, but we're also talking about things on a generational scale. Roughly one generation ago, people in Japan had a hell of a time communicating with people in the US, and having a human being walk on the surface of the moon was a pipe dream.

When we find we need something done, it tends to happen quickly. I genuinely think we will not find alternate fuel sources until we're out of petroleum, and we won't recycle in significant scale until we have no place for the trash. The increasing the population means the need shows up sooner, so we'll have to deal with the problems sooner.

Since the population will be increasing either way, adding people who can help would do more good than not adding anyone.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

we can't stop them from breeding without thinking.
I have a modest proposal, actually...

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Does it involve...clocktowers?

I understand that this makes me a bad person.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Nope. There are no projectile weapons involved in this plan.

I was just thinking about a public policy shift in healthcare, in which county or city clinics would provide vasectomies and tubal ligations on the government's dime. That probably doesn't go far enough, though, so the logical next step is to offer a monetary incentive for people to get fixed, and do a public awareness campaign around the incentive. I'm thinking this would, at the very least, go a long way towards reducing welfare enrollment rates and crime in poverty-ridden areas in the next generation. Also, I think that if you would rather have $500 than a child, you should get the one and not the other. Hell, I'd take that offer. Eugenics begins at home, yo.