On recycling we're mostly on the same page, only you may have missed the part where recycling paper is not just pointless but harmful - when paper hits the land

On recycling we're mostly on the same page, only you may have missed the part where recycling paper is not just pointless but harmful - when paper hits the landfill it sequesters the carbon out of the air and into the ground. Recycled paper remains in circulation, thus reducing incentive for tree growers to plant more trees [3]. Medical errors kill a huge number of people [1]. It's less of a problem for you of course if you don't have a need to be near a doctor. Flu kills tons of people too, mostly those with immune system problems, mostly the elderly [2]. Agree on car deaths. Everything else on that list is much smaller. Of note, police killings (both justified and not) are on the same plane as bathtub drownings (less than 2x difference). Crime is way down, as you noted. It wasn't an euphemism though, it's a question of whether one would allow an unsupervised child outside. There was never a safer time. Civil liberties are on the march. 10 years ago gays could not marry, 20 years ago they went to jail for having sex, 70 years ago they were mutilated, earlier still they may have been killed. Black kids today face injustice, 50 years ago they were not allowed to enter school (or bus), 100 years ago they were facing the klan, 150 years ago there were considered property. Women today have higher earning power than men, 50 years ago they were chased/laughed out of any medium-to-high-paying job, 100 years ago they could not vote and they employment prospects were worse still. Divorce was an option for women 100 years ago. Protesting against the war 100 years ago would send you to jail for sedition, that is to say 100 years ago we did not have the freedom of speech. The progress is dramatic. Zimbabwe shows us that fiat can be messed up, but does it show that it is inherently messed up? There is a small number of conditions that allow fiat currency to be rock solid. Detractors usually point out fiat is only viable due to trust (unlike gold) and people may just stop wanting it one day. They forget that fiat is always in high demand by the people who must have taxes, and this captive audience cannot stop wanting. Well, that was fun! Would you like to go on? I might have messed something up here, and surely have some hangups of my own. [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading... [2] https://www.verywellhealth.com/deaths-from-flu-2633829 https://www.verywellhealth.com/deaths-from-flu-2633829 [3] http://www.paperbecause.com/paper-is-sustainable/paper-truth-or-fiction http://www.paperbecause.com/paper-is-sustainable/paper-truth...