X-Message-Number: 28057
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: economics
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 23:37:27 +0100

>> According to the New Scientist poll, just under 30% of those polled said
>> that they would go for it if it was free.
>
>Interesting! And how many if you have to pay?

after the resulting publicity, as with any other cryonics publicity, very
few actually signed up. Not zero, but relative to the 30% very near it.

>If people prefer to lynch a handy scapegoat instead of going through a
>legal process, then it is their choice also.

"the rich", ie those richer than the speaker or writer, have always been
handy scapegoats, especially if they can also be identified by some other
characteristic. Often immigrant workers who work harder than the natives and
thereby amass money become victims of this sort of thing, especially after
several generations. This has gone on in Europe for thousands of years, not
just the 20th century.

The problem with worries about the 200 or so richest people, is how this may
be resolved. It could be resolved by methods that reflect on everybody and
start a long dark age. Programmes against "the rich" in Russia at the
beginning of the 20th century impoverished the whole nation and had
repercussions throughout Eastern Europe and indeed the whole world.

The question which remains unanswered in my mind is how the riches of these
200 would be managed if they were deleted from the scenario. It is easy to
say "use 1% to educate everyone" but this still has to be managed. There
would still have to be Mr Bigs at the top -- such as despised characters
like Bush and Blair. At least with rich individuals who have got there under
their own power there is less politicking and arguing, they just get on with
it.

Gates decided on malaria and didn't have to waste years arguing about it. It
was just a shame that he didn't decide on defeating the ageing process. But
if a group had taken (ie stolen) the money, is that the sort of organisation
that would be desirable to manage an anti-ageing programme?

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

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