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I wonder if anybody ever has thought of a solution... why, we'd need massive growth (to increase the tax base), a reduced population, and the ability to complet

I wonder if anybody ever has thought of a solution... why, we'd need massive growth (to increase the tax base), a reduced population, and the ability to completely eradicate some debts. As if you were removing the people who lent you money in the first place. You know what fits that description? A bit of war. And that's exactly where we're heading. (Middle East is not going to get better. Refugee numbers will become staggering as climate change destabilizes even more countries. Russia has its eyes on Ukraine and the Baltic states. Europe is militarizing to counter that. Pakistan/India is about the same as it ever was - so, precarious balance, with nukes on hair trigger. China would like nothing more than a Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. North Korea is about as bonkers as the US)

perilunar 9y ago
Yeah, but we want to reduce the population old people, not young people. Maybe an intergenerational war.
- tremon 9y ago
  Strictly speaking, we want to reduce the ratio of nonproductive vs productive people. Culling the old is not the only way to do that, and certainly not the best. (edit: and we definitely need better language. "nonproductive" need not be synonymous with "having an income to support oneself", since there's still many productive activities that are not rewarded monetarily)
  - thriftwy 9y ago
    Even productive old people can't bear children. Even non-productive young people can bear children. If you "cull" young people (by war) you make the problem worse by having even smaller working-age population later. Of course you can lose and have incoming invading horde which may solve the problem, FSVO "solve".