2) I could go on this if it were possible to pull data showing that democrats are less likely than republicans/others to give money. Otherwise, they’re just trying to access large pools of capital/resources that would otherwise remain self-serving if not for a mandatory tax. That’s not selfish unless they themselves are unwilling to pay the taxes they are seeking to levy.

3) I believe this one… but unless EVERYONE believes it, AND decides it’s not a good system, then the system remains. Alternately something changes like the environment’s/society’s ability to sustain growth, or revolution/conflict borne of inequality, and some other source of quantified value comes in to replace current non-asset-linked value. Thus, we revert to a limited “gold standard” type of economy and start seeing the same painful contractions and inflationary expansions of pre-bretton woods. Or society collapses and small community-based currencies emerge… then consolidation happens, and broader currencies develop… and we start all over again. #BSG

4) Would have to entail a major worldview shift from freedom/markets to centrally planned/controlled economies and societies. Likely would require a massive watershed event to destroy current system (enormous war, catastrophe). Certain technologies would have to be preserved and controlled by a ruling elite. Rest of society would have to be so disconnected as unable to coordinate. Global nature of the world would need to be completely unraveled or else empires would squash out the inefficiencies of these types of societies (my opinion).

5) We’ve already blown past it. Luckily there seems to be a GDP-to-birthrate effect and increasing wealth+education will continue to lower birthrates. Countries like Italy will try to import labor from countries still growing in population. Before population controls, likely that governments try massive reproductive health campaigns and prophylactics. Less invasive. You have just read the #FreeMarketsWillSolveIt argument… other argument is that if the planet is so stressed, there will be serious environmental/societal repercussions in the forms of droughts, famine, disease, war that naturally force population attrition. Sad/scary. This is the #NaturesFreeMarketWillForceASolution argument.