[ExI] Is the USA doing too much to prevent COVID-19?

Keith Henson hkeithhenson at gmail.com
Mon May 4 17:54:15 UTC 2020


Darin Sunley <dsunley at gmail.com> wrote:

> Clearly, yelling at them online, degrading them, and demanding they get
onboard with the 21st century social progress movement like their coastal
betters will win their hearts and minds!

> Also, they should obviously learn to code,

I don't think anyone will miss the sarcasm.  Nice reply.

There is one interesting example in recent years, the Irish Republican
Army.  The support for the IRA just faded out over a period of years.
Why?  And can this happen in other places?

I have argued that the underlying reason the IRA faded out was that a
few decades back, the Irish women went from way over replacement (~4
kids) to the European average of around two.

Eventually, economic growth got ahead of population growth improving
income per capita.  My contention (based on the stone age war model)
is that the improving income per capita and the brighter future view
it engenders shut off population support for war or related civil
disruption.

As to how the economic prospects for the red states might be improved,
that perhaps could be done with federal policies.  But the problem and
potential solutions would need to be widely recognized.  That would be
really hard given how difficult it is to get these ideas across--even
here.

Keith


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