Our society is based on constant growth, bigger is better, and the need to increase profits from year to year.
This concept of continuous growth must find new sources of wealth among corporations. Although we are told that we live in an economic society which thrives on competition, in truth, competition leads to large corporations buying out smaller companies, thus creating a monopolistic situation in which the large corporations control prices, wages and the level of employment.
Not wanting any government intervention, these companies exploit and pollute our society for the sake of profits.
Today, our society is facing depletion of resources, lead, arsenic, mercury, sulfur, chromium, and various dioxides are in our water and in the air.
This has created health problems such as increasing cancer rates, other diseases, and increasing number of deaths among the population.
Chemical spills, oil spills, run-off of chemicals used by farmers affect millions of people world wide. In addition, this “progress” has led to deforestation, erosion of plant species and the destruction of bird and animal habitats.
It has also led to current climate change which our federal government either ignores or denies.
While the one percent elite bask in their millions of dollars of income, and fend off any attempt the government may wish to intervene (supporting our federal government’s view of environmentalists as eco-terrorists), our society, health, resources, animal and human life are put at risk.
Can one really call this progress?
Bob Abrahams
Nelson