In article ,
says...
Even I am more optimistic than that - I think there probably is a way
to exploit space to make a bundle that no one has thought of yet.

And that way will only be found by people looking for and working
on answers, not someone that simply collects negatives.

Assuming they are actually working on it, rather than deluding
themselves with dreams of asteroid mining, joyrides, and other such
dead ends.

Dead ends? The last of the Earth's easily accessible soft iron deposits
were depleted during World War II. We're now mining taconite and
recycling steel in order to keep up with the demand for iron. Eventually
(granted, in a future that's far enough removed that none of us here will
ever see it), we will *need* to go off-planet for iron. Assuming we
insist on using iron to make new buildings, machines, etc.

Do you propose that we wait until the last mines are drying up and we
can't junk the old stuff fast enough to keep up with demand for new stuff
to start *thinking* about going off-planet for more iron? If so, I'd say
your thinking is reminiscent of most of the short-sighted politicians and
corporate officers in the world today. So, if that's the conceptual
company you want to keep...

--

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for | Doug Van Dorn
thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup |