perhaps i am alone ... no matter, page-30

May I politely disagree with a couple of points?

1. Population growth.

It is correct to state that exponential growth must ultimately cease. Although such a pattern in populations is often followed by a crash, this is not the only pattern possible. A plateauing can also occur, perhaps but not necessarily followed by a gentle decline; the evidence is in the zero population growth being experienced by some countries.

Note that the current world situation is pretty grim, but there is still hope.

2. Australia is not that bad. Poverty is now rare; those we call poor are well off compared to 50 years back. The quality of life is what we make it; opportunities still abound. People on the whole in Oz are a pretty nice bunch.

3. Politicians are a pretty nasty breed overall (not quite all!), but they always have been.

4. Even big business is not as bad as portrayed. Its faults are magnified in our eyes by better reporting; but there are constraints against their worst excesses (at least in Oz).