Joyride to Infinity
Foretelling the Next 50 Years
(From the back cover of the book)Among educated people there is a division of opinion
about our economic future. Most believe that today's prosperity will continue
indefinitely. A few see calamity around the next corner. Who is right? And why is this
division of opinion so one-sided? These are questions to be explored in this book.
Government agencies release findings only on
questions that are politically acceptable. Politicians cannot be believed because they
will not be elected if they tell unpleasant truths.
Professional prognosticators, who dwell in
think tanks and claim to provide scholarly, unbiased opinions, ordinarily must tailor
their findings to please their patrons or the clientele they serve. No one will pay for
bad news of more than temporary duration. Long-range predictions beyond the next
presidential election must always be favorable if funding is to continue.
News media are not much help in revealing the
future. They report news of the day, along with such common wisdom as will not deeply
offend their advertisers or their, readers. If informed opinion appears occasionally in
the news, it will not be recognized amid the noise.
For those seriously interested in our
country's future a decade from now, there is no organizational source of information
within the political power structure that is not committed to optimism.
The primary sources of information that are
free to consider the controversial topics that directly relate to the future of our
economy and our civilization are university professors and a few investigative reporters.
This book studies the opinions of some 140 professors and investigative reporters who
claim expertise in various aspects of the future of mankind and who give detailed reasons
for believing what they say. |
