From: barry@netcom.com (Kenn Barry)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: Who are we kidding?
Date: 12 Dec 92 07:42:39 GMT
Organization: QQQCLC

In article <Bz3LMr.5vA@encore.com> aaldrich@encore.com (Al Aldrich) writes:
>barry@netcom.com (Kenn Barry) writes:
>>	The past gives us every reason to believe that this expansion of
>>the middle class will continue unabated, given the additional wealth
>>needed to support that expansion. Oh, not fairly; exploiting space
>>doesn't guarantee fairness, it only encourages it, by providing enough
>>wealth for everybody. But being an imperfect species with an imperfect
>>civilization, I'm sure there will be some parts of the world that derive
>>more benefit than others. But more people, a larger percentage of the
>>human population, will start living in comfort.
>
>This sounds like trickle-down economics to me.. anybody else get this?
>Do I get this right? You believe that making the middle class wealthier
>is going to benifit the underpriviledged?

	Yeah, I do. And if you want a label to scare liberals with,
"trickle-down economics" is half-hearted; we're talking laissez-faire
capitalism here, a true free market. Count on the probability of new
robber barons in our future.

	I'm a traditional liberal, and believe in a managed economy,
now and in the future, _on Earth_. But I don't know of a faster way to
pump new wealth into the system than to have unbridled capitalism in
space. What else _can_ you have, on a frontier? Who could regulate such
a vast realm? But on Earth we'll have more money to spend on those who
can't be brought into the middle class spontanously, and leg-up
programs for the poor are fine by me.

	Yes, it'll benefit the underpriveleged. You've got to appreciate
the sheer amount of wealth represented by the Solar System, and the
importance of consumers in the economic loop of a modern capitalist
system. Our economy is based on mass markets, requires 'em.

	The space resource of most immediate importance is energy,
energy from solar power satellites. More energy means cheaper energy,
and everyone benefits; the whole world's economy catches fire. It ain't
just rich folks. If you think the US suffered from high oil prices, look
what happened to the developing world. Some have debt in proportion to
their economies that makes the US debt seem trivial, and high energy
costs were often the major reason.

	A wealthy world makes for a good market and a booming economy.
It isn't that the future captains of these industries will be angels,
and won't happily make themselves obscenely rich, it's just that a
rising tide lifts all boats, and opening the Solar System should create
the biggest tidal surge in history. It won't be perfect. We may never
eliminate poverty, or even poor countries, due to poor distribution. But
they'll be _fewer_. Poverty will shrink, human misery will contract.

	If you want to see 1984 updated to reflect the true nature of
capitalism, look to Singapore: great restriction of individual
liberties, everything carefully managed and watched, but the population
is doing pretty well financially, better all the time. And money is
left freer than people. That we should worry about, but starving masses
chained to assembly lines? That's nearly a thing of the past, it's
obsolete.

-  Nothing fails like success  -             Kenn Barry
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ELECTRIC AVENUE:                             barry@netcom.com