There may be some merit to your and e's assertion, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is completely right, or even a major part of the problem. We have just as many examples of systematic devastation of resources by private enterprises who rape the land (or water, as the case may be) for short-term profit and then move on to leave others to clean up the mess. Fisheries are perfect examples. The destruction is not only irreversible but avoidable. A full and long term exploitation of the resource might have been carried out which would have provided harvests in perpetuity with just a little planning and sound management and a little less short-term profit.

You and I have already degenerated into an argument about whether or not this is happening without considering any other, non-ideological factors which might be at play here. Perhaps an exploration of how to organize the management of these resources could be carried out without first having to fall into the same tiresome right vs left dichotomy. I simply refuse to accept that everything that's wrong with the universe is either a fascist or collectivist conspiracy and that I have to choose sides. This thread threatened to start off with that conflict, and frankly, I'm fed up with it.

As for the rest of this thread, I no longer have my heart in it, and I apologize to the folks in Space for subjecting you to it. I will even apologize to Mr e for losing my temper. Good night.