Sustainability question
Adam Smith, whose economic theories we have lived this past century or so, was not the only economist of the 17th century.
There was parson Thomas Malthus, who predicted that most human beings would live in poverty because they would breed faster than they could grow food. By and large his predictions held good ever since for the indigenous populations of the Third World. For the industrialized economies his prediction was delayed for a century by the discovery of oil, which made it possible for two farmers to grow food for 100 people.
It is not much of a logical step for the neo-Malthusians of today, on the basis that nothing in a finite world can grow forever, to generalize on the original prediction that mankind would eventually outbreed his limited resources of all kinds. Are the current inflationary food prices and food shortages the shades of Malthus?
Although we don't quite see the end of oil yet, we do see the end of the profligate use of such fuels because of their effect on the atmosphere. There are other resources showing shortages, particularly water, which some predict will be the basis for wars in the not-distant future.
R.E. Reinert
Traverse City
Water legislation bills
Water legislation will be discussed and decided on in our Michigan House and Senate soon.
The house bills (HB 5065-5073) limit the water that can be withdrawn for commercial use to a total of 1 percent. But the Senate bills (721-728) would allow up to 25 percent to be withdrawn for private sale.
Think of all our Michigan communities and individual wells that depend on our surface and underground aquifers for their water source. Already they have been drawn down in some places. Are we going to let our water go for someone's private gain? Water is a public trust!
Contact our House and Senate: Sen. Michelle McManus for 35th District (Leelanau, Benzie) at (517) 373-1725; Sen. Jason Allen for 37th District (Grand Traverse, Antrim) at (517) 373-2413; and Rep. David Palsrok for House District 101 (Leelanau, Benzie) at (517) 373-0825; or Howard Walker for House District 104 (Grand Traverse, Kalkaska) at (517) 373-1766.
Marian Gyr
Empire
Suicide policies
Our nation's energy policies, bullied as they've been by enviro-radicals, are rapidly leading our nation and our way of life to an early and untimely death. If continued, these policies will mean a dark hard future for our children and grandchildren.
I love clean water and fresh air. I've never met anyone who doesn't. In that sense we are all environmentalists, but the radical environmentalists are forcing a false dilemma upon us. According to them we must choose between a clean environment and plentiful energy when the truth is we can have both.
With today's modern, clean drilling techniques we could successfully and cleanly recover the 10.5 billion barrels in ANWAR and the 115 billion barrels off the Florida coast. But the radical environmentalists in and out of our government have stymied the recovery of this oil, forcing soaring fuel prices and extreme economic hardship on us all.
The continuation of these suicidal policies will lead to the death of our way of life and sentence our grandchildren to a life of unending hardship.
Terry O'Neill
Boyne City
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