Ideal population (Denver, Pueblo, Grand Junction: credit, good schools, college)

[krock1dk]

Colorado's current population of just under 5-million is good. I think anything over definately 7-million is too much. The western and mountain states were meant to be sparsely populated and it needs to stay that way. If Colorado becomes too populated, its cities will start to lose their quaility of life as crime, traffic, etc increases. What is currently the 'pull' factors of Colorado could rapidly become the 'push' factors I just mentioned if the state doesnt maintain population growth. Just look at Arizona. True, Arizona may have about 6.5 million currently, give or take, but Phoenix and Tucson already have more cons than pros. Dont necessarily know about Tucson, but Phoenix's decades long population growth has created 'urban chaos' in many ways: over-run with illegal immigrants, too much crime, pollution, too much traffic that has caused the pollution, not enough jobs for the people, and eventually not enough water. Just to name a few. Phoenix is almost literally on the eve of become hell's largest suburb. Phoenix used to be nice, but no longer. I live in Phoenix and should know. I hope the people of Colorado dont let happen to them what happened to arizona.

[krock1dk]

For the person who wants Pueblo to hit 1,000,000 is not being rational. Do you know how many one-million is? Having 1-million residents would make it the size the city of San Jose CA is today. Metropolitan wise, you are looking at about as big as the Salt Lake City area. With 1-million people goes a lot of problems: traffic, crime, pollution, cost of living, etc. Besides, there aint nearly enough water to make Pueblo have a population that big anyways. One million is ten times too big. Pueblo is now what it should be. It seems this person is speaking out of tremendous ignorance.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

For the person who wants Pueblo to hit 1,000,000 is not being rational. Do you know how many one-million is? Having 1-million residents would make it the size the city of San Jose CA is today. Metropolitan wise, you are looking at about as big as the Salt Lake City area. With 1-million people goes a lot of problems: traffic, crime, pollution, cost of living, etc. Besides, there aint nearly enough water to make Pueblo have a population that big anyways. One million is ten times too big. Pueblo is now what it should be. It seems this person is speaking out of tremendous ignorance.

I was the person that said I would like to see the Pueblo metropolitan area hit 1 million people. However, that is long term growth and if we do it right there is no reason to think Pueblo could not be a great metro area at a million people. I know Denver was and Salt Lake City is a nice as well. That being said short term I think Pueblo should focus on more manageable growth in the area of 250,000 to 300,000 people then worry about being larger later when the city can prove it can grow right. One last thing, water wise, Pueblo has more then enough so that is not a concern.

[krock1dk]

Personally, I think the population of the US and the world is already too high. I mean look at how many people around the world are starving to death or whatever. All cities have way too much traffic, pollution, crime, etc. Just about every state (and maybe every country) is over-burdened with backed-up social assistance programs (unemployment, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc). Do we really need more people? Thats why I think the world desperately needs a series of massive natural disasters, so there would be more food for the rest of us. Thats a fact. Is less population a bad thing? No!! Trust me, the fewer people in the world, the better. Do we really need more pollution, crime, hunger, starvation and disease? NO

[john4355]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Personally, I think the population of the US and the world is already too high. I mean look at how many people around the world are starving to death or whatever. All cities have way too much traffic, pollution, crime, etc. Just about every state (and maybe every country) is over-burdened with backed-up social assistance programs (unemployment, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc). Do we really need more people? Thats why I think the world desperately needs a series of massive natural disasters, so there would be more food for the rest of us. Thats a fact. Is less population a bad thing? No!! Trust me, the fewer people in the world, the better. Do we really need more pollution, crime, hunger, starvation and disease? NO

So what do you propose as a solution to the global overpopulation problem, genocide?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by john4355

So what do you propose as a solution to the global overpopulation problem, genocide?

I don't think anyone "prefers" genocide, war, famine, or disease as way to lower the population, but that is exactly what we will get if we don't start figuring out a way to lower birth rates worldwide. The equation is simple: either you lower birth rates, or raise death rates. If you're not for the latter, then you must support the former. Or you can blindly keep believing that we can continue to use finite resources to try to support an exponentially increasing population. Doing that, of course, is simply choosing raising death rates by default.

Which is the greater danger - nuclear warfare or the population explosion? The latter absolutely! To bring about nuclear war, someone has to DO something; someone has to press a button. To bring about destruction by overcrowding, mass starvation, anarchy, the destruction of our most cherished values-there is no need to do anything. We need only do nothing except what comes naturally - and breed. And how easy it is to do nothing.

-Isaac Asimov

[sterlinggirl]

From the strictest humanitarian viewpoint, any attempt to stop the processes by which over-crowded cities purge themselves is not a kindness.

- Robert Heinlein

I like this one too.

[CosmicWizard]

To anyone who thinks Colorado is currently overpopulated, pack your bags and move on. IMO, unless you are willing to reduce the population by moving out of Colorado, your whining and complaining ( under the guise of caring about Colorado ) is nothing more than utter hypocrisy. You are a part of the very problem that you perceive. Practice what you preach and get out of Colorado to lessen the strain on the overloaded resources.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

To anyone who thinks Colorado is currently overpopulated, pack your bags and move on. IMO, unless you are willing to reduce the population by moving out of Colorado, your whining and complaining ( under the guise of caring about Colorado ) is nothing more than utter hypocrisy. You are a part of the very problem that you perceive. Practice what you preach and get out of Colorado to lessen the strain on the overloaded resources.

Listen, Cosmic, I was born here--and I haven't contributed AT ALL to population growth because I haven't had any children. So, take that comment and stuff it! One of the reasons I'm childless is because I do care about this place--more than most anyone, I suspect. I also put my money and my effort where my mouth is--I do volunteer work every year to help preserve this place, along with its history and heritage. In fact, while other people are off somewhere else screwing off on their vacations, doing that volunteer work is where I spend most of my vacation time. I'm glad to do it because I think it's important to give back something to this place that I love. So, I DO practice what I preach. What I don't need is somebody telling me that I'm not doing enough to "offset" my presence here.

[Idunn]

There is a certain rationale in moving. On a personal level, one could find a place where problems are not as severe. With the understanding that these issues are global, nearly universal across this planet, and more dire elsewhere. Then also to know that a significant part of this equation has not to do so much with the number of people per se, but in the per capita resources they use. In this regard the US is more overpopulated than many poor African countries, not because we rub elbows more closely, if this too an issue, but because we consume a disproportionate amount of the world's resources. It is literal fact that if every person on this planet lived by average US standards, that it would take the resources of about 6 Earth's for them to do so. The corollary of that is for us to live in this manner requires a good many other people to have a much lower standard of living. I use term advisedly, as high standard of living is not only dictated by resources used, but also in how wisely. Nevertheless, as I've mentioned before, if in increasing our and the world's population, we should understand this means more and more people must live with a lower standard of living. If memory serves, I believe the statistic is at 9 billion people this Earth's population must live at the level of present day Ethiopia.

Besides which, while moving might actually improve an individual's personal life, even lesson the strains on a place such as Colorado, it comes at the expense of someone and somewhere else. As we all live on a single planet, this in a sense a zero sum equation, and moving people about without decreasing their number or demand on resources, more likely adding to this, is akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

One last note pertaining to Colorado. If the very people most concerned with and aware of these issues were to leave, what would be left? A collection of all the others who have no idea or could care less and, as witnessed to date, will exponentially increase their size and demand on Colorado's resources until Mother Nature at last washes her hands of them all. Perhaps some few of a different disposition should remain to try and forestall such an eventuality, to educate and encourage all others in wiser choices. This isn't even an anti-business, anti-freedom, far left liberal, or anything else position. Simply a reminder of the position we presently face in a world of infinite possibility but finite resources. At last the hope and wish that every last person on this Earth, and Coloradan, might enjoy a fruitful, happy life of abundance.