I Want My ZPG

You can't open a newspaper or turn on the TV without somebody telling you about the latest "green" energy saving idea. Everything these days, it seems, is based on how this or that will save "the equivalent of taking XX number of cars off the road" or "will cut xx number of new powerplants that need to be built".

Let's get a grip on reality, folks.

Although the government can mandate all the environmental change it wants, it's not going to matter in the long run, because the world's population keeps zooming upward. And nobody but nobody is going to tell anyone in the free world to stop having babies.

They say that Social Security is the third rail of politics. Any politico who might even suggest such a thing as limiting the number of kids his or her constituents can have might as well go stand in front of the subway train and ignore the third rail all together.

There was a time when ZPG, or Zero Population Growth, might have at least received discussion, and that was back at the very beginning of the environmental movement. In 1968 author Paul Erlich published his best-selling book "The Population Bomb" which outlined the effects of population growth on society. It had an impact on some people. The best example I have is that of my first wife. So moved with the idea, she had her tubes tied a year after our marriage.

But the 1960's morfed into the disco 70's, and then the yuppie 1980's, modern Americans, men and women both, wanted it all -- the career, the condo, the kids. And, yes, they wanted the Latina illegal immigrant to clean the house and cook the food, and a Latino to mow the lawn and wash the car... who were busy making babies, lots of babies, themselves. In the 1990's, the yuppies moved out of the condos and into their McMansions, taking their kids, cars, and undocumented aliens with them.

So, here we are in the 21st century, the North Pole is melting away, and suddenly everybody wants the world to be "green". Yet, do you hear anyone talk about population control? Nope. Unless its China, where they have a one child per family policy, which Western folks look upon with horror -- those damn Communists; how dare they!

In my life, the population of this country has nearly doubled. Something less than one percent of our nation earns its living on the farm. Yesterday I heard on the news that for the first time in history, half the world lives in cities. We grow and grow, taking more and more of our natural resources, until there is no more left to take, except by war and greed.

Still think the meek will inherit the earth? Good luck with that.

Perhaps nature will win the game first. All it will take is a new pandemic; a new plague or influenza that will knock civilization back on its knees for a few centuries. At least the survivors will have plenty of nice McMansions to choose from.

I guess we'll just have to see how things go in the final quarter.

So, Just How Rich Are You, Anyway?

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...Of course, they're trying to sell something, and I have my doubts as to accuracy...try plugging in "O" and you'll still end up richer than damn near everybody.

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Katie Couric - Poster Child For Media's Meltdown

I've never been a big fan of Katie Couric. In fact, I've never been a fan of Katie Couric, big or small. I, as a rule, don't care for people who base their careers on being "cute" or "perky" especially if it involves The News. Couric is one of them.

We all recognise that some people (sports personalities come immediately to mind) receive compensation way out of whack with reality. At least a Tiger Woods or a Kobe Bryant are at the top of their field, so some (not I) can "justify" their enormous paychecks.

It's rumored that Couric, as anchorperson, won't survive to see the end of her five year contract with CBS. Since she joined CBS a couple of years ago, her evening news program is mired in third place. CBS bet big on Couric's star power from her days at the Today show, and lost.

Now there's a new rumor afloat. CBS may "outsource" its news, and get their reporting from CNN. Edward R. Murrow is spinning in his grave.

Think what Couric's $15 million a year could buy. Assume Couric works 250 days a year (doubtful) and that she spends 22 minutes each of those days on the air. That works out to over $2,700 a minute for our perky third place anchor.

For $2,700 a month, CBS could hire a stringer with a video camera in every backwater around the entire globe. Maybe the result wouldn't be a return to the days CBS was known as the "Tiffany Network" but my bet is they'd have a damn better news gathering operation than they have now.

I can live without "perky" -- how about you?