schzx (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

As a means of supporting a large population, he didn't even mention mind uploading (probably too a too out-there idea for TED, though, but not for reasons of implausibility)

ZodyZody (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

If you haven't noticed, human 'time' is not on the same plane as ecological time. What goes up, must come down; it's a basic building block of nature.

freesk8 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I'm taking a long-term view. There has been no famine in Europe since the early 1900's because of industrialization, which was caused by free market liberalization and the freedom to innovate and keep the profits. The rich employ the poor. The rich create jobs, but the poor tend not to, except for poor entrepreneurs, who create their own jobs. Trickle-down DOES work. Taxing the rich too much destroys jobs, hurts the poor, and reduces the incentive for the poor to become entrepreneurs.

freesk8 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

That's not true. Bad regulation that shielded corporate lenders from the risks of making risky loans to people who were bad credit risks is one cause. The government creating too much money supply, leading to inflation is another. Inflation is a stealth tax on the poor. Then there is the fed creating low interest rates, which inflated the stock market by encouraging too much debt. Government over-spending and taxing too. Mostly, the recession is caused by the government and bad regulation.

R055HP (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

De-regulation couoled with overpopulation is the cause of the current global recession.

R055HP (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The poor are NOT getting more food. In many parts of the world poverty is worsening. The world's ecological crises have been caused by overpopulation coupled with over-development. "Liberalisation" does not make the poor richer. The trickle-down-thoery of economics is wrong. Making the rich richer does not help the poor.

popitypop (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

agreed.. his jokes are so lame, he has to move on to hide the fact that he just told a joke so as not to lose face..

popitypop (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

yea... hes right.. parts of the world is over populated, parts of the world is underpopulated.. it aint spread out through out the entire world.. th reason y we re so freaked out is b coz of the rate of growth, we re scared tht we d b overpopulated in the near future..

kristin7858 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

he is a horrible public speaker

ExecutiveSuite (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

If you haven't noticed, humans don't generally follow the ecological route as other animal populations...