Journal Number 9

A free market economy is great for the individual but as a whole not so great. If someone has the ability to make an extra dollar, or get ahead of the competition, most people will do so without thinking of the long term effects to a resource or an area. The example from Wikipedia of cows grazing is a perfect example, if the farmer can make more money from one cow he doesn’t care if that extra cow destroys the field for other farmers since he will only see the benefits. As a society though we all love this idea though, personally I do also, but it does not provide the perfect sustainable environment. Sometimes you need some sort of watchdog, or regulations on the exact amount of what can be used by each person to continue a resource for a long period of time. Its not something people like to hear, but as the oil consumption rises, and food supplies begin to deplete we may need to have some sort of control taken over some items if we are to use them in the future. The problem is, if I decide to cut back on how much oil I sell to customers, someone else will up their supply to make up for the new demand, consequently taking away the benefits of sustainability. I don’t think that we need more government control, I feel that is our right as people to make our own choices, but in some situations we must be protected from ourselves and realize that for the whole system to benefit and for us to personally benefit later down the road we must have some sort of intervention slowing us down.