Hey Scott,

First let me say that your 4 points are not false but they are incomplete.

1. The horror show that is our world is perhaps marginally better then 20 years ago. It’s an insult to the poor to say that their lives are improving at the same pace as technology. To counter your argument I’ll list some data at the end which is lengthy.
2. I absolutely agree that the political process sucks which I explain at length in my book. In short, the problem isn’t political it’s financial and the banks are in control which is like a greedy chicken without a head at the helm.
3. 😒Ok, previously emergent and dominant life forms are now extinct. We are intelligent, I’d like to give my kids a good shot at a decent life.
4. It may be true that historically the poor are last to benefit from an economic boom and the first to get wrecked by a bust. But it sure isn’t fair. The question is why do we except such an absurd economic system. We have AI in toys but the economy is somehow too complex to understand. The truth is that’s what the bankers want you to believe.
5. I’m not going to predict the collapse of society but it seems to me that there’s a simple equation to predict a spontaneous recession followed by collapse. The number of jobs (value) lost to technology minus the number of jobs created by the economy. Given the length of time it takes the job market to recover keeps extending, it seems time is running out.

Here’s some points on how well the poor are doing:

1. Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day.
2. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
3. 805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat. Food banks are especially important in providing food for people that can’t afford it themselves. Run a food drive outside your local grocery store so people in your community have enough to eat.
4. More than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water. Diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene kills an estimated 842,000 people every year globally, or approximately 2,300 people per day.
5. In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5 were stunted (reduced rate of growth and development) due to chronic malnutrition.
6. 6. Preventable diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia take the lives of 2 million children a year who are too poor to afford proper treatment.
7. As of 2013, 21.8 million children under 1 year of age worldwide had not received the three recommended doses of vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
8. 1/4 of all humans live without electricity — approximately 1.6 billion people.
9. 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day.
10. Oxfam estimates that it would take $60 billion annually to end extreme global poverty — that’s less than 1/4 the income of the top 100 richest billionaires.
11. The World Food Programme says, “The poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty.” Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.