“A truth is simply the truth. It cannot act or imply different. Bothersome to some, perfectly acceptable to others.” — Article by John Cox
America’s Wild Horses — America’s Public Lands, show us a not so exclusive and ongoing paradigm of “scarcity-economics” alive and well. This overabundance and waste shows us all the tremendous conflict such a false-premise provides us, as our existence on this plant threatened just as often, daily now – and continues, largely due to apathy or acceptance of such a false premise or ideology of scarcity-economics.
We can use one example of many, many more — bothersome, for quite some time now and the controversial wild horse issues on our Public Lands, is the fact we are seeing a large overabundance of beef on today’s commercial markets. Continuous USDA statistics show us unnerving details of reality – 38% of commercial beef thrown-out from United States market-outlets yearly – 93 billion tons produced commercially, throw-away amounts = 35.34 tons (app.) of beef wasted . . .
Wild Horses Die, our environment threatened — much of it destroyed – but there is more, much more negative, and based on what is termed by many nothing more than scarcity-economics, or yet another false premise for few to obtain a lot of profit and a lot of power – mostly through fear-based ideology.
To say we are sacrificing America’s Wild Horses is and remains an understatement. We are, in reality, not only sacrificing billions of dollars’ yearly to support an industry that provides “overabundant amounts of beef commercially in the U.S.” and to the American Public, but more billions of dollars of taxpayer money (i.e. welfare ranching) to Public Lands Grazing (PLG) of cattle and sheep that in truth supply less than 1% to this same over-abundant market.
The fact is, Welfare Ranching gives nothing to America, nor are they an icon of historical America – but more of an oxymoron within America. They are and simply remain, mooches off of America’s Federal Lands. To assume anything differently, is preposterous and false.
Another unwanted truth, most of PLG-welfare ranchers and their agricultural or beef product — PLG export margins as high as 48% throw-away amounts of overabundant beef within foreign markets, yearly (the deception is that wild horses overpopulate our Public Lands and as we are currently led to believe; but in truth it is cattle, within an 1,800 to 1 ratio – cattle in reality are extremely over-abundant all the while destroying ecological zones, our environment, and public lands over-all, and more added daily onto Public Lands) . . . “Scarcity-Economics” at its falsified and false-premise best . . . and more industries involved, this one simply highlighted here . . .
Scarcity-Economics
To appeal toward an ideology, such as “scarcity-economics” is neither the natural way of living, nor is it consistent with fact. We simply develop this mind-set, mostly from what we are told, that there is “not enough” and the laws of modern industrialized markets have been devised to concur with this idea of “not enough” . . . and yet, this equates to scarcity-economics. Scarcity-Economics nothing more than a false premise, and American’s starting to take-issue at such a devastating premise built on falsified information and no fact in reality.
We’re challenged at every aspect of this situation, or mind-set, but ignore it most often. But as soon as we start asking questions, or faced with such situations as sufficiency, and this is the nature of our present knowledge, we remain faced with the same challenge – which is – false-premise versus fact.
Much of the information is available to everyone, all, and that includes government agencies, politician’s, and taxpayer’s – all. Again and again, it all comes back to our commitment; There is an economic premise of scarcity and, somehow, that premise of scarcity has governed our decisions.
This is the way it is . . . The danger? Once a premises accepted, all of the laws of economics automatically evolve – The Law of Supply and Demand, The Law of the Least Useful Unit (wild horses on public lands for example), and mostly the things learned in colleges, and the economic-androids sit and nod their heads, and say, “Okay. Sounds good.”
It is the shape of the world. This is the situation and we accept it – for decades now. Ironically, in all the hubbub of right and wrong, humane and inhumane, we have accepted this scarcity-paradigm as reality – as we nod our heads again and think, how moronic, and then do nothing about it. No one denies it. We are all hooked on scarcity . . . the “What If” syndrome, rather than living in Reality.
There is a definition of The Law of Supply and Demand that fits here quite appropriately. An economist by the name of Samuelsson, puts it: “When the rich man’s dog gets the milk that the poor man’s child needs to avoid rickets, is the system working badly? No. It is working as it is designed to do – putting goods in the hands of those with the most money or dollar votes.” (e.g. Super-delegates are dollar votes, make no doubt, an excellent term in Reality)
Do these facts sound reprehensible? Absolutely! In reality, it is colloquially well put and it certainly accepts the current economics – the exchange situation in our world. We have given up.
Since we all accept this false premise – there’s not enough – and since our world is governed with this false situation, the gaps increase between nations, between ethnic races and people, between the special interest groups receiving the benefits, and those who do not, between the mind sets of the older generation compared to the younger generation – and oddly all generations conform to it . . .
“. . . and if the scarcity doesn’t exist, by damn we will make it exist. Our science tells us we can manipulate things to make it exist. We call it job-security. . .” — Anonymous Research Scientist, Dept. of the Interior
It is this gap, within its many faces, that is, undoubtedly, our threat today. Because it is this gap, expressed in:
- The ecological zone and environmental destruction;
- The wildlife kill-off (i.e. 48% of our nations wildlife killed) since 2000 (mostly for ranching and over-abundance);
- Wildlife sent to extinction in the thousands (mostly due to corporate expansion upon land — or price increase of limited or extinct species, which ultimately remains, and mostly for bar-room brag);
- Wild Horses on the way to extinction (all for ranching and over-abundance, oil industry over-abundance, foreign land leasing, and on and on of false premise of necessity);
- Short-sighted humans do not see nor understand our own extinction within a few decades to come, as well, and all due to scarcity-economics.
Yes, the ultimate situations of empathy toward scarcity-economics exists as well, sadly. Often it is expressed in war or violence, or superiority – in a one-person superior over another-person mentality, and forced upon anyone with a different method toward life, or toward independence that does not include the scarcity-economic mind-set.
Yes, when noted as fact, it becomes quite obvious our system, both the false-premise of a functional system for all, remains sacrifice-economics, is indeed and in truth non-functional, as well as the facts that represent this paradigm as a one and only “fixed-system” is also untrue. So yes, change is inevitable, and it is simply a matter of an over-all adjustment in mind-sets – the seed has been planted . . . change must develop . . .
Sufficiency Economics
Ironically, the situation for change in “Sufficiency” can be accomplished. Odd to many who have discussed this situation, was the fact of how easy it can be done, without change to any group or any class of people. So the BMW people need not change to the truck crowd, or visa-versa, as one of many examples.
The fact is that neither over-abundance nor sacrifice need to happen, at all. The change is within the better use of what we have, and maintain a balance of necessity. This, Simply, creates sufficiency, an adequate or appropriate abundance of supply, within a manageable form. Currently, there is too much on the market, and simply mismanaged as well, due to simply too much – for example, way too much beef and way too much sacrifice, especially when considering the amounts thrown-away on a yearly basis (per USDA statistics).
“Someone many years ago stated, “Use what you need, leave the remainder for others. Can the human mind-set make this a reality?”
The fact is if we break through these basic constraints, which by the way is something our generation and this up and coming generation has been saddled with – the acceptance of scarcity – simply the implications alone will provide intent to move forward, to a more substantial and more manageable paradigm of sufficiency. Then it more than ever can become placed into action.
Abundance is an odd term. We can have abundant necessities within our life right now, that indeed can be classified as sufficient. My point being is – that with us common folks, nothing really has to change.
The mind-set of corporations, or the faulty misinformation to conduct birth control of a harmless species, for example the wild horses on public lands, and absurdly be led to believe 1 horse can do the damage of 100 cattle, remains preposterous and simply untrue. But based on the scarcity-economics paradigm, and fear, this can become true because a horse remains less than a cow mathematically, so the horse, despite true or not, needs to go – The Law of the Least Useful of scarcity-economics will indeed have its ways.
Sufficiency is more of a “Balance” between Supply and Need. It is very possible to maintain, and manage appropriately effective supply to accommodate necessity, and remains accomplishable within a present context of both the term and life of the current market. Moderation is always beneficial, and here very much so, within an appropriately abundant paradigm. So we can now use the term “abundance” quite eloquently and informed, rather than a form of leading people to a wrong conclusion from misinformation. Scarcity-economics, or a fear-based paradigm, is simply used in order to accumulate more product to the market, which in over-abundance provides scarcity within its natural resource environment, but truthfully merely appeals to aspects of product waste within large volume (i.e. in food supplies for example). This is what we can term as an ascertainable, or mathematical as a realizable fact.
Probably here it would be good to use the term “realization”, as a key element in “not-producing” to an over-abundant situation and accumulation. Because of the fact “all” humans can benefit, is oddly knowledge that divides many people. And yet, it is the fact of over accumulation and its necessity, yes scarcity-economics mind-set strikes again, is truthfully the cause of wars and human dissatisfaction toward other humans and animals alike . . . Interesting complex of issues when researched. . .
Sustainability and Sufficiency Co-Exist
So how do we go about this? One resolution, or option of many others available, and far more definable as truth when compared to the untruth of scarcity-economics. We set forth that all the world is the marketplace, and that there is availability to supply all of the world, when managed with nature and sustainability a priority for consistency, then incorporated with sufficiency of product. Accumulation simply destructive and non-resourceful toward replenishment of product, as well as other apparent problems.
In the beef example above, there existed over 35 tons of beef yearly thrown away, due to selective market values – which did not have to be produced at all, in reality. This tonnage, in reality, and if managed properly, could have fed many others in 2/3ds of the world markets now ignored – or many see these markets as non-profitable, so people starve. Yes, people starve, another direct development of the scarcity-economic mind-set, and the over-accumulation of product and “let it rot” mentality, as long as profits obtained for a few. Have you had enough yet?
The interesting situation here is the present channels and present means of distribution do not change. What does change is Priorities. Competition takes-out the useless and non-necessary entities of, for example agricultural producers. Those who destroy their lands or environments, and expect taxpayer money, for example to cover them, or simply move to other sections of Public Lands, would be inappropriate and non-feasible.
The aspect of accumulation gone from the sufficiency-economic paradigm, so sustainability once again becomes the paramount concern for producers of agricultural products, rather than just implied, as currently the implication provides more of America’s lands destroyed under false premise, as well as the Global Warming crisis.
Conclusively
There is quite a bit more to get into and within this particular paradigm of economic-sufficiency, but all of it very positive, as it has got to do with human mind-set and priorities of humane significance, rather than riches or power based false premise. The cohabitate-situation, and respect toward wildlife, ecological systems, and other humans, and within a Humane Context, is the way of the future – out of necessity.
We as human’s are on the road to destruction, where self-destruction of our species is a “truism” indeed – all scientific and other information is pointedly showing us this to be a fact. Many choose to ignore this situation.
The fact is the Earth, once we are gone, will simply replenish itself over a time-period. The only difference being is the fact we, the human species, will simply not be here. Over time the ruins of our civilization will deteriorate, and afterward, simply will be gone.
Sustainability and Coexistence a very important paradigm to consider, right now. Oddly, respecting all life on this planet a very substantial and very easily accomplished methodology – it is human mind-sets that remain difficult, obtrusive, and certainly apathetic to what our situation is currently on our planet.
So many things outright broken by us and within nature, and our representative management systems simply and neglectfully ignore, through improper management paradigms, this reality.
Oddly, many people fear, or ignore the positive, in order to maintain the negative situations so apparent to many others. . . One-day change will happen, and our world can become extraordinary again . . . – John Cox, The Cascades
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