Wonderful post!

There's a lot to unpack here, so in no particular order:

Fee.org is a Libertarian Think Tank. It was founded specifically to spread free-market capitalist ideas. It is funded by big businesses and billionaires, including the Koch brothers, who benefit directly from libertarian policy. It's about as biased as it gets.

Claims about poverty rates are often obscured by using different definitions of poverty, by alternating between poverty and extreme poverty whenever convenient, by using direct wages instead of a more accurate purchasing power, or an even more accurate quality of life.

In point one, the author basically states that species extinction has all but stopped, and somehow that's to capitalism's credit. But it's essentially the same as saying that capitalism has already been as damaging as it could be in this regard, which is hardly a good thing to credit it. The author then tries to give capitalism credit for the good works of pro-environmental social movements in developed countries. Ironic.

Point two follows the exact same skewed logic: forestation is bad, but it's good because we're almost done with it, and pro environmental social movements are taking over. Sonehow, mysteriously, still giving credit to capitalism.

Point 3 starts off with an argument that has become so cliche that it has memes about it. It's okay that we live in poverty, because at least we have a microwave and a TV. Luxuries have gone down in price, but necessities continue to rise. He then warps historical poverty rates by failing to account that in most of history, most people didn't have a monetary income, but directly produced their own necessities through farming and trade. The author then assumes, with no direct evidence, that we will be able to innovate our way out of any future food shortage problems. I hope they're right, but it's pretty foolish to stake all of humanity on wishful thinking. It's also fundamentally dishonest to give capitalism credit for scientific advances, which is a recurring trend here.

@DonThiebaut great analysis with support!

This article directly contradicts the fee.org article above, by stating that these gains are due to government intervention and nonprofits, not capitalist enterprise.

Studies of population growth and decline indicate that when a population feels economically secure, the birth rate drops. In places without Social Security, etc,, your children are your insurance and your retirement.

@Krish55 Precisely. African men, for example, have many children because it's MANLY. However, those who own farms can't divide them enough to provide for each child. Game drops off because of heavy predation by humans. Suddenly, nobody has enough to eat.

I would struggle with those facts too in my small community of 1200 or so. The truth is that they brought it on themselves by spending all their money on meth. At my city hall the clerk tells me that some people do not pay the utility bill because there was not enough money to pay it and also pay cable TV. Then these people all run around talking and lying to each other. I stay mostly in seclusion.

@Fanburger, @DenoPenno Without a doubt, the urban poor in many countries exhibit gross dysfunctions. However, these are symptoms of the problem of poverty, not the cause of such poverty itself. The overall social poverty - as opposed to the individual ones - has a social history of dispossession and exploitation that has produced the dysfunctions you mention.

@Fanburger
Ha. We do. But just our Firemen and Police.

@bigpawbullets, @Krish55 Personally I do not see meth use as a symptom of the problem of poverty. It's hard to think I have no money so I'll get high.

@DenoPenno Then you weren't being creative and empathetic enough. The rationale is not as simple as 'I I have no money so I'll get high'. It's more like ' I have some money, but no future job prospects, and my job keeps me miserable and overworked, so a little meth will help me get through the day.' I've seen it before.

@DenoPenno it's an Escape, like religion.

@DenoPenno make sure you are not seeing the connection because you choose not to! Dysfunctions are not the result of thinking, they are the result of reacting.

@Fanburger you are distorting what I said intentionally. I'm talking about the social cause of poverty. Obviously individuals have choices on the individual level. This does not negate that there is a social cause of poverty overall.

@DonThiebaut yes! Those without empathy blame the weak while emotionally thriving on reflected Glory by worshipping the rich and Powerful!

@DonThiebaut A little meth would help me get through the day too, but I like my money. Buy meth here and there and you are flat broke. If you are that irresponsible I do not pity you.

@DenoPenno The point isn't 'screw the meth heads', it's 'let's have a system that's not so shitty people would rather be meth heads.'