By Donald A. Collins | 28 June 2019
Church and State
My wife and I watched for 2 nights on NBC the debating by the 20 Democratic Presidential hopefuls. Most of them seemed to be claiming that Trump’s treatment of the immigrants on our Southern border was a Republican crisis now admitted as an urgent crisis by both parties.
I suggest one would do well to recall the book published in 1995 by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) entitled “The Immigration Dilemma—Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons” by Garret Hardin with a forward written by Charles Munger, Warren Buffett’s long time investment partner. Both these rich oft castigated billionaires have pledged to give away most of their fortunes to improve life on our planet.
Hardin’s thesis was that Earth’s common grounds needed protection from overuse, which created the admittedly crucial crisis admitted by most of the Democratic debaters, Climate Change!
None, please note, of the 20 hopefuls in their opening debates on NBC on June 26 and 27th who while embracing climate change as a priority issue said Climate Change grew from the surfeit of human numbers on Planet Earth! Neither does Donald Trump nor countless other world leaders! But reputable scientists have shown that irreputable damage to our fragile planet’s ecosystem may occur if urgent action is not taken now.
I was born in 1931 when world population was 2 billion—double the number here in 1901 when my father was born. Since 1931 until now almost another 6 billion have been added! The resources to fulfill the basic needs of the present numbers are clearly inadequate but the call for more growth on our finite planet goes unabated!
The immigration issue has the same root!
Do Americans want no reasonable control of our borders so we can go from 180 million people here in the US as of 1970 to 330 million now to 500 million or more later in this century which will further erode our fragile democracy?
Both parties have finessed the issue for decades for their own political purposes but now we need to fix our enforcement. The immigration issue likely will elect the next president as it did in 2016!
As for the climate fix, circumstances have made urgent attention to finding alternative sources of energy mandatory.
The impossible scenario of another nuclear or even “conventional” war now is understood by all—I bet even Chairman Kim and the Iranians do as well.
The current celebration of the anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s giant step for mankind symbolizes the issues we face perfectly, but apparently the governing persons of the world will keep ignoring the facts until solutions become even more tenuous!
The obvious tools of birth control which would allow safe, economical solutions are already ready to be provided, but the dangerous biases of religious zealots against providing full education and access to the reproductive needs of women have not been overturned. Ignoring these crucial women’s rights lies at the base of this problem; to repeat: Massive religious bias keep obvious solutions from proceeding faster.
Clearly the message of our unsustainable human numbers has not gotten the traction needed, but as the climate change issue gets worse, perhaps before being too late to fix, our leaders around the world may come to their senses. Is that too optimistic? Hope not.
Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC., has spent over 40 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013.
From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013
By Donald A. Collins
Publisher: Church and State Press (July 30, 2014)
ASIN: B00MA40TVE
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The Origin of “Limits to Growth” – Interview with Dennis Meadows
UN biodiversity report: What extinctions mean for humanity | DW News
Vatican control of World Health Organization population policy: An interview with Milton P. Siegel
Bill Clinton talking like Trump on immigration
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Great piece, Don. It is a shame that while all the Dems talk about the need to do something about Climate Change (and it's not just in the USA, of course, and we need to get back as signatories too all treaties on Climate Change), it is a lost opportunity that the discussion on women's reproductive rights is not linking the prevention of unplanned pregnancy here and abroad with reducing carbon footprint and reducing the impact of climate change.
Jeff
Your right …no politician mentions over population we now have over 7 billion people. Some folks still think its great to have more that 2 children.!! why? jan