ONE AND DONE/ Joel Charles Snell

The USA now has grown to around to 330 million people.  Worldwide there are about 9 billion people. One can speculate that there comes a point when too many people negatively impact the planet. Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb suggested this years ago. Unfortunately, he made predictions that did not come to fruition. Borlaug created new farm strategies to make a green revolution to get us from back then to now.

Sooner or a bit longer here in the states, most folks adopt their families to their financial circumstances. However, some continue to reproduce beyond their ability to support their children. These kids can become tragic figures who are beaten, raped, and killed. They are born into hell.

One can imagine a generous population that would support the poor so that these youngsters can make a life that is productive and happy. Indeed, cyclical poor move up the financial ladder. They are only poor during bad economic times. On the other hand, structural poor are involved in poverty for generation after generation. They usually grow sullen around 4^th grade and move into crime a bit later. Incidentally, they come in all colors and ethnic groups. They live in criminogenic neighborhoods. Gangs and territories emerge. To survive, one joins a gang. This is adult activity is similar to what their parents did.

Sometime in the future, a “tipping point” occurs and support from the wider community withdraws. To add to this is predatory elite, outsourcing, robotics and other variables to a growing uncertainty about what is rewarded.

A young female teenager gives birth to a new baby. As this is written, she has 5 years of subsidy to raise her child. Perhaps she may become pregnant again.  This is now a burden on the adult family that may surround her. Raising children is very difficult so babies can be neglected and further become stressors to extended families.

In the times of agriculture, children are really valued and usually do some kind of work beginning at age 3. Later tiny moving villages become town and country and this gives rise to city and suburbs. Children can become a costly addition. Unfortunately, children giving birth to other births mean that additional family and city no longer want struggling inter-generational families.

A number of social democratic countries in Europe and Scandinavia provide public jobs. The system still tries to stop cycles of poverty, vice, and crime.

Simply, this country is filled with a number of lonely and angry folks who are losing their way of life even if they want to help those less fortunate. Much income moves up to the top and out to private friendly banks in supportive countries.

So, the young teen has the option to get voluntary sterilization as does the father. If they do not follow the law, non-child bearing actions are taken away. Some major religious groups as well as legislatures will oppose this. However, context is so much to a debate.

Further, structural poor don’t vote. One can imagine that in the near future. All of above may come to pass.