Ideal population

[CosmicWizard]

Fast Forward to 2060:

All 591,606 Pueblo residents have big pools, and even bigger kentucky blue grasss lawns surrounding their 10,000 sf macmansions because Pueblo has such an over abundance of water now that a Pueblo scientist discovered a way to make a permanent rain bearing cloud, perpetually hover over the Pueblo reservoir, and continuously release it's unlimited moisture into the reservoir. Pueblo now has so much water that the biggest business in Pueblo is shipping water to Africa. All 591,606 residents are shareholders in this business, and they are all millionaires.

[CosmicWizard]

OH, I forgot to mention that $1,000,000 in 2060 buys the equivalent of $1000 in 2009!

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Fast Forward to 2060:

All 591,606 Pueblo residents have big pools, and even bigger kentucky blue grasss lawns surrounding their 10,000 sf macmansions because Pueblo has such an over abundance of water now that a Pueblo scientist discovered a way to make a permanent rain bearing cloud, perpetually hover over the Pueblo reservoir, and continuously release it's unlimited moisture into the reservoir. Pueblo now has so much water that the biggest business in Pueblo is shipping water to Africa. All 591,606 residents are shareholders in this business, and they are all millionaires.

LOL

However the fact is right now with the latest purchase of some of the Bessemer water rights Pueblo has more then enough water for this kind of growth. In fact if/when Pueblo gets all of the Bessemer water rights Pueblo should have more then enough water for a city of 750,000 people and that is if we don't buy any more water.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

LOL

However the fact is right now with the latest purchase of some of the Bessemer water rights Pueblo has more then enough water for this kind of growth. In fact if/when Pueblo gets all of the Bessemer water rights Pueblo should have more then enough water for a city of 750,000 people and that is if we don't buy any more water.

And I say it again--how many acres of prime agricultural land and how many wetlands will be dried up so dumb***es in Pueblo (or name your favorite metro area) have unlimited water for their lawns? I have never seen such complete personal selfishness getting translated into such asinine public policy when it comes to Colorado's FINITE (look that up in the dictionary--apparently a lot of people don't know what it means) water resources. Stupid growth is killing everything worthwhile in this state. The people who continue to promote it--likely for their own financial gain, mostly--are a disgrace to this state.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by jkanderson521

The entitlement programs that they have structured their lives around and expect to receive were initially built on <i>their</i> parents generation which assumed an ever greater and expanding population. There are now far fewer workers to pay taxes (and that share is declining as well) and support these systems that will have more dependands than ever. However, unlike child dependents who will one day grow up and produce, elderly dependents have no option but to consume more and more until death.

Please elaborate on these entitlement programs we have structured our lives around. I must have missed the memo about having to do that. I've been working these past 40 years, contributing to social security that I hope I get to collect. And I am an older boomer. The youngest of the boomers have about 20 years left in the workforce.

The Baby Boomers inherited more wealth than any other generation in history, they had little to no wants, in the US, were the beneficiaries of a nation that was the most powerful and most wealthy. They spent and cared not about the future because they assumed as every generation before them, that their children would take care of them (except they had fewer children). However, unlike many generations before them, they cared more about themselves, than their children, they spent their children's inheritance with smugness and pride, then moved onto their grandchildrens and their great grandchildren. Yet, there won't be as many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as they expected and that outside of great war or famine has never been experienced on a global scale in human history.

That's a pretty broad brush there, pal. We did inherit some money from my parents (his mom is still alive at 90 and we are close to retirement). We had the same number of children as my parents did; one less that DH's parents. The money we inherited, along with the money that we worked hard for, went to pay for college educations for our children.

**Obviously "BabyBoomers" is a broad brush and many are not like that, but for discussions of cohorts it rings true** Check out the front page article in USA Today last Wednesday about how GenX and Gen Y fully expect to have a much lower standard of living than their parents, again, not ever expected in this county.

Damn right it is a broad brush. I agree with Cosmic. Maybe Gen X and Gen Y should raise their expectations.

How long will the younger generation slave to support outmoded entitlement models that keep them in bondage for a lifetime? Will GenX and GenY and so forth really work all that hard just to have it sucked away? Will there be a major generational war? What will become of the BabyBoomers as they become more and more enfeebled and have no real power to enforce their demands yet are fully dependent on the younger generation to toil to keep them in luxury?

Quite the hyperbole, my friend. I fully expect to support myself throughout retirement. I have no expectations that my daughters will support me/my spouse. Where do these ideas come from?

There is a fascinating book by Ben Wattenberg called Fewer: How the New Demogrpahy of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future.

No prediction is perfect, but we are closer to what he is outlining than some Population Bomb distortion by the likes of Ehrlich

That's the truth!

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait until mass starvation and world war kick in.

Sounds like you're looking forward to it.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

And I say it again--how many acres of prime agricultural land and how many wetlands will be dried up so dumb***es in Pueblo (or name your favorite metro area) have unlimited water for their lawns? I have never seen such complete personal selfishness getting translated into such asinine public policy when it comes to Colorado's FINITE (look that up in the dictionary--apparently a lot of people don't know what it means) water resources. Stupid growth is killing everything worthwhile in this state. The people who continue to promote it--likely for their own financial gain, mostly--are a disgrace to this state.

In the case of Pueblo buying the Bessemer ditch its only affecting the farms in Pueblo and more of their kids are not wanting to farm anyway so this ends up being a win-win situation.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

In the case of Pueblo buying the Bessemer ditch its only affecting the farms in Pueblo and more of their kids are not wanting to farm anyway so this ends up being a win-win situation.

You won't think it's a "win-win" situation when you are starving because there is no water to irrigate crops and no farmers to farm. Especially when energy will cost too much to import food from cross-country or from overseas. Then we'll see how smart and enlightening it was to slaughter agriculture in this state at the altar of Kentucky Bluegrass lawns and uncontrolled population growth. Oh well, maybe we can just eat each other.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

You won't think it's a "win-win" situation when you are starving because there is no water to irrigate crops and no farmers to farm. Especially when energy will cost too much to import food from cross-country or from overseas. Then we'll see how smart and enlightening it was to slaughter agriculture in this state at the altar of Kentucky Bluegrass lawns and uncontrolled population growth. Oh well, maybe we can just eat each other.

You forget about the eastern plains and Pueblo is all for the farming to stay there. In fact they want to build a new conduit to help them get water. Here is a recent article from the Pueblo Chieftain:

The conduit project is intended to provide water from Lake Pueblo to more than 40 communities along the Arkansas Valley. It initially was authorized by Congress 45 years ago as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas federal water project, which built Lake Pueblo.

The link: http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/10/16/news/local/doc4ad806704dd11427110330.txt

Pueblo is ready to move on to the next phase of its life as a urban center for Colorado and the eastern plains can more then make up the loss of any farming around here.