The odd growth fetish

Something about the American ethos says that we must always, always grow. Most economists think this too. However, in a planet of finite resources, that just does not make sense. It can't continue ad infinitum.

Today, I got an invitation to spend $25 to buy a GOP 2006 calendar, with inspiring images of GWB smiling with the troops. (I subscribe to their fascist bile newslist under a pseudonym.) At the bottom is a quote from Ronald Reagan: "There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder."

I'll admit that some humans do have a great capacity for curiosity. However, in a material world, there will be limits to growth, no matter how much we might not want them to exist. Keep an eye on hydrocarbons, kids; we're in for a rough ride.

On that note, why does gasoline have to be so goddamned cheap again? If we went up to $5 or $6/gallon, the economy wouldn't instantly collapse, but we would suddenly have strong incentives to conserve much more fuel, and look for alternatives. (I am not, however, optimistic enough that conservation or alternatives will save our bacon in the long run.)