Should we ban children?

[RA1]

Mama Earth is beginning to feel the strain with 7 billion folks weighing her down. Before we really make her angry should we make some real attempts to limit the population? When Mama Earth gets angry it can be ugly. She can unleash famine, disease, pestilence and much, much more. All have some effect on the general population. That is reducing it.

Therefore should we prohibit "straight marriage" except in unusual circumstances? Of course, marriage is not the point. having children is. So what I really mean is to prohibit straight relationships. China, a country I ordinarily would not try to emulate, has passed prohibitions on anything other than one child per married couple. It has not worked. The population of China is increasing. If a totalitarian state cannot control its' birth rate, how much chance does a democracy stand? Not much.

My suggestion is to make gay relationships mandatory. Then we can wonder if we are dating a straight guy in the closet. If the population diminishes sufficiently we can do some test tube stuff. Replacements may be necessary but not any time soon.

Just a thought. Any others?

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

My suggestion is to make gay relationships mandatory.

You would also have to hide all the turkey basters.

But if we don't do something soon, we can sit back and wait for the viruses to do it for us -- the total H. sapiens biomass now seems too rich a host to pass up. If not some mutation of the emerging MERS virus (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57586716/scientists-on-mers-deadly-virus-may-linger-longer-than-once-thought/), then possibly some future variant of Ebola that does not kill quite so quickly, thus allowing time to spread before the host population is wiped out. Or etc., etc.

Failing that, of course, collapsing food stocks and water supplies loom.

A global population of 1.5 billion to 2 billion people is one commonly cited estimate of what the planet can realistically support, if we want any kind of sustainable life worth living.

[wayout]

We better hurry up plans to colonize other planets. Otherwise, things are going to get awful nasty.

[Guest zipperzone]

At my age, it does not matter that much - but I'd hate to be a 20 year old today.

[TampaYankee]

I think this is a nonstarter, not only the mandatory homo-sex but going the way of the Shakers. That solution achieves the same outcome as the problem it is trying to solve.

Jonathan Swift had a much more practical, if modest, proposal. .

[RA1]

That, of course, was the inspiration for my original post. And, while many gay folks do "eat" each other, there seems to be plenty left over for seconds or thirds.

My post was definitely tongue in cheek although the underlying problem is certainly real enough.

Best regards,

RA1