eugenia

I'm not totally averse to the eugenics idea.  It would have to be done in a rather more, unh, nuanced fashion than in the past, to say the least.  I'd emphasize more 'negative' eugenics-- mostly along the lines of not allowing people to have children they can't support.  About the only 'positive' eugenics attibute I think might be worth pursuing would be IQ.

In any case, though, such policies should not be implemented on a top-down basis. Rather, they should be done on a bottom-up basis. Any eugenics actions should be parent-driven, parents looking out for the best interests of their offspring.

get with the program.

In the US, we've got a lot of third-world people living in a putatively first-world country.  First-world people are civilized, educated, and responsible.  Third-world people need to get with this program.  If they can't handle this, maybe they should be living somewhere else-- or at least not reproducing.

bumper stickers

left sticker:

People
shouldn't have children
they can't support . . .

right sticker:

. . . So people
on welfare
shouldn't have children.

Thomas Friedman:  'Friends don't let friends go into finance.'  (By way of saying we need more scientists and engineers, not more investment bankers and hedge-funders.)

a political choice

For the US to remain a first-world nation will require a political choice.  Of course, to do nothing is also a choice-- to allow the third-world drift to continue.

the main point

If there's a linchpin to this proposal, it's that science and technology must work their way into the mainstream of American popular culture.  In the first place, they should be at the center of our educational system.  A  basic understanding of the scientific method, which I don't think most Americans have, is essential.  Things like, oh, say, evolution and climate change would then become common knowledge.


It's not enough for this change to take place in the educational system, though.  Americans must become known as a people whose culture includes a basic understanding of science and technology.  All Americans should be conversant with these things.  This would replace the trashy, imbecilic popular culture we see on television today.  In the nineteenth century, Americans were known for their 'Yankee ingenuity.'  We need to get back to that.

urban

First-world societies are urban.  The cities are the center of national life.  But first-world cities are not hollowed-out shells like Detroit or Cleveland or parts of LA.  They are clean, safe, and affluent.  This is where the great universities and corporations are located.  The crime rate is low to nonexistent.  Public transportation is fast, safe, and abundant-- a pleasant experience for the rider.  There are no slums.