[extropy-chat] Psychology of investments in infrastructure

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Damien Sullivan
...
> Being spread out more evenly would reduce the quality of life for me,
> and for many others who have been moving into re-gentrified areas by
> choice, because of our preference for pedestrian-friendly areas...

Ja I can envision most existing high density city infrastructure being
conditioned for high-luxury use.  Actually it requires little insight: they
may be going that way already.
...
> 
> Who's the "we", here?  The government most extropians don't like?
> 
> -xx- Damien X-)

We are the proletariat and we vote.

I had an insight while doing the whole maternity ward thing this weekend
which led to my comment about the population in Europe and North America
tripling in the next fifty years.  In that maternity ward, there were about
a dozen mothers, but Shelly and I were the only yellow-haired oddballs.
There were a couple of Asian ladies, but the rest all spoke Spanish.  

In Taxifornia, most native English speakers pick up basic Spanish by seeing
signs posted in both languages.  Everywhere in the maternity hospital,
everything had Spanish.  But I saw something I had never seen in America: a
sign posted in Spanish only.  

Along the lines of a previous discussion of basing our fears on statistics
and logic, a single criminal launched the practice of taking off our shoes
when we get on a plane.  Likewise, five criminals launched an industry by
dressing as hospital staff and stealing a baby from the maternity ward:

o  Felicia Scott (Tuscaloosa, AL, 1-31-96); 
o  Margarita Flores (Fresno, CA, 10-98); 
o  Kimmi Hardy (Keokuk, IA, 1-1-96); 
o  Darci Pierce, an adoptee (Kirkland AFB, NM, 7-7-97); 
o  Michelle Bica (Ravenna, OH, 10-4-00).

Now they put a band on the baby's ankle that sets off an alarm if that
device wanders from the nurse's desk.  They post a sentry by the exit to
lock down the door and stop everyone if that alarm goes off.  The sign I saw
posted in Spanish only was not a trivial buenos dias, it was a very
important message demanding that no one carry an infant past this point, for
it would set off an alarm.  Important message, Spanish only, Stanford
hospital.

So my comment about populations in Europe and North America tripling in
fifty years has to do with infrastructure: if we build it, they will come.
If we don't build it, they will come anyway, for the infrastructure that is
already here.  People will pour into North America from South and Central
America, people will pour into Europe from Africa and the Middle East.  We
have a choice on how the new populations will be accommodated.

spike