Our Threatened Freedom

Are We Running Out of Space

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Political Studies

Lesson: 51-169

Genre: Conversation

Track: 051

Dictation Name: Vol. D - Part 12 – Are We Running Out of Space

Location/Venue: Unknown

Year: 1980’s – 1990’s

[Dr. Rushdoony] This is R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom. Are we running out of space?

On all sides today, we hear a great deal of talk about over-population. Such talk is not new. Not too long after World War 2, some so-called experts predicted that by 1975, over-population would lead to massive worldwide famines. A book was published to set down these forecasts. Other predicted that by the end of the century, or by 2020 at the latest, there would be standing room only. Is this true?

The facts indicate that the world is really very much under-populated and far from running out of space. Anyone traveling by air over any continent will see mostly empty space. Some farm lands, and here and there are human settlements, cities. In the United States, only two percent of all the privately owned land is used for housing. Remember, much of our country is, especially the west, is federally owned. Only three percent of all privately owned land is used for commercial, industrial and recreational development.

But this is not all, as more and more advances are made in farming and productivity increases, the amount of land needed for farming decreases. Many farms in New England and the East have reverted to woodlands, and many southern farms are now tree-farms.

The United States, on less and less land, not only feeds itself, but is a major world resource of food. Old Russia, under the czars, was the bread-basket of Europe. Now under the Soviet dictatorship, it is a major buyer in the world food market. With each decade, its food problems have grown worse, and there is at present a serious food shortage in the Soviet Union.

More than a generation ago, {?} studies showed that there is a close correlation between freedom and productivity. A free country is a productive country. It uses space more wisely, and it increases the utility and productivity of land and resources.

We are definitely not running out of space. We are, however, showing signs of running out of common sense. When we create imaginary problems, we cannot deal with our real ones. Ancient Greece talked about over-population in its last days, and so too did the dying Roman Empire. In both cases, the problem was a tyrant state which blamed its problems on the people problem, not on itself.

The idea of over-population is also a dangerous racist myth. If we say there are too many people, we will next say that there are too many people of some race or group we dislike. Such an assumption leads to ungodly and explosive social implications. We have seen in recent years abortion promoted amongst some minority groups, such hatred is a threat to freedom and order. We have enough problems today without creating or promoting imaginary ones.

Land economist statistician Homer Hoyt says, and I quote, “Even in our most densely developed urban areas, there is more land than we will ever be able to use for housing, shopping, and industrial development.” Unquote. It is time to junk imaginary problems and deal with the real ones.

This has been R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedom.