"I only pointed out that what you are ACTUALLY wanting here, is that all of Earth's resources go towards space colonisation."
More slander from a mod.
Where did I say we should use all of Earth's resources for space colonization? Are you kidding me, wornstrum? I would tend to expect better from you. What brought you to this conclusion?
"Are we, as the people of many nations, not able to determine how we spend our accumulated wealth, or do certain projects (space colonisation) take precedence? Simply put, are you for or against the current spending of wealth in the world? Why/why not?"
What an intelligent, tricky little question. Why would you think to ask it, I wonder? Because you are assuming I am in favor of controlling resources and using ALL of them for the purpose of space colonization. You are caught up in the dichotomous way of thinking that Yell and Kemp are: that there are only two choices, control the economy or allow for a free market. Yet you, like them, are under the illusion that there is any free market. How you could possibly be of the opinion that there is any such thing as a free market while you are living in China of all places where EVERY significant aspect of the economy is controlled? Can you not see, Wornstrum, that as China's economy continues to grow, China's tendency to control its economy requires the rest of the world to control theirs too? This is aside from the matter, really, since all nations have tended to control and manipulate the most significant aspects of their economies regardless of their political systems. You, like Kemp and Yell, use the term 'free market' as a tag phrase to toss about by people who have no idea what it is, can't prove it exists, and yet do so because their idea of the idea fits their misguided ideological political framework. The free market is a fantastical notion which hasn't really applied in any significant way for at least 50 years now, and people like Kemp and Yell and Einstein use it as justification policies that have horrific effects on humanity all over the world. These effects because they implement policies based on their false assumptions.
Take a look around your neighborhood there in China and ask yourself, is there a free market at work here? Notice also how China's economy isn't very different from anywhere else? You have your Mcdonaldes, buses, subways, malls, etc., mom and pop shops, and maybe a few more street vendors than elsewhere, but it is pretty much the same as anywhere on the surface. Well, guess what, it's not just a surface-deep similarity. It is of course government-manipulated, controlled, a bit more so than some countries and less so than others, but controlled nonetheless just like everywhere else. Where's your free market? Just as it is an illusion in Australia, so too it is an illusion in China, but just more obviously so. Your dichotomous way of thinking doesn't fit with how the world really works, Wornstrum. There is no dichotomy; there's no choice between controlled economy or free market, only choices between varying extents of controlled-economies.
What is the purpose of the control? What is the end result? Well, obviously, funneling increasingly outrageous amounts of wealth to the rich for which they would invest in...what? Nothing in particular really: commodities of various sorts from time to time, real-estate, various equities - just production, growth, for the purpose of simply getting wealthier, more. There's no objective or purpose or aim or even thought as to how resources should be used. This brings me to your other fallacy:
" Are we, as the people of many nations, not able to determine how we spend our accumulated wealth"
Your fallacy is that there's no determination being made on how to spend it. The only determination being made is to spend more of it: more roads, more cities, more planes, trains and automobiles, more apartments, more sprawl, for no apparent purpose other than growth.
Don't try to say I am against growth. I certainly am not against it. I am for far more growth than we are experiencing. I am against the hindered growth we are experiencing. I have often said it is a crime that we are effectively rendering the basic needs necessary for people to breed artificially scarce through the control of our economies. I am thoroughly and completely against this neo-malthusian 'mal'practice.
Instead, we should using our wealth to create a civilization where every nation of every form of government can afford to send anyone who wants to to the stars. And I believe this would happen with less control over economies than governments currently demonstrate.
