[lbo-talk] A Case for a Higher Gasoline Tax

[Chuck]

andie nachgeborenen wrote:
> Read Jared Diamond's Collapse, not as good as his
> Guns, Germs & Steel, but helpful in understanding this
> question, which really goes to unintended consequences
> of actions that are rational on an individual or
> group, sometimes class, level. It's chilling to see
> how many times rich, stable, and prosperous societies
> have rapidly fallen apart and, rather than being
> replaced by a superior revolutionary alternative, have
> descended into poverty, violence, genocide,
> starvation, and cannibalism. Pace Old Whiskers,
> Mankind evidently often sets itself problems it cannot
> solve. Hope that brightens your day.

Diamond's argument in "Collapse" boils down to: "What was the person who 
cut down the last tree thinking?"

Good book. I plan to write a review soon.

Chuck