... well, maybe followed by a mass die-off, maybe not. But when it becomes necessary to work out a new way of doing things, in a monetary production economy, we get one of those Great Depressions.

The last one was especially harsh ... a severe Depression is much easier to live through for a much larger portion of the population when 80% or more of the population can get 80% or more of what they need to live comfortably within their local community.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.