"Mack Reynolds - After Utopia" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

a common level within a decade or two.тАЭ
тАЬIt was a universally popular effort,тАЭ Betty added.
тАЬEverybody pitched in. Instead of sending so-called aid to
those countries, consisting largely of military equipment,
we sent real aid and no strings attached.тАЭ
тАЬYes, yes, of course,тАЭ Cogswell blurted. тАЬBut, lookтАж
look, the population explosion. What happened there?тАЭ
Jo Edmonds, who was sitting relaxed in an armchair
near the fireplace of the living room, a drink in one hand,
his inevitable piece of jade in the other, said easily, тАЬNot
really much of a problem, given world government and
universal education on a high level. If youтАЩll remember,
the large families were almost always to be found in the
most backward countries, or among the most backward
elements in the advanced countries. Education and really
efficient methods of birth control ended the problem.
Population is static now, if not declining. It was the
European countries and Japan that first turned the
corner. In the year 1972, West Germany lost population,
the first of the advanced countries to do so.тАЭ
тАЬLook,тАЭ Cogswell said happily, тАЬcould I have another
drink? This must be the damnedest thing that ever
happened to a man. Why, why itтАЩs as though Saint Paul
woke up in the year, well, say, 1400 a.d. and saw the
strength of the church that he had founded. He would
have flipped, just as IтАЩm doing.тАЭ
 All three of them laughed at him again and Jo
Edmonds got up, slipped his jade into a side pocket and
went over to the sideboard and mixed him another drink.
Tracy Cogswell said, тАЬThat reminds me of something .
How about servants? It must take a multitude of maids
to run a house like this.тАЭ
Betty made a moue at him. тАЬNonsense. You arenтАЩt very
good at extrapolation, are you, Tracy? Why, even in your
own day in the advanced countries the house was
automated to the point where even the well-to-do didnтАЩt
have domestic help. Today, drudgery has been
eliminated. Anyone can have just about as large a house
as they want and keep it up by devoting only a few
moments a day to its direction.тАЭ
It was still all but inconceivable to him. тАЬAnd
everybody, just everybody can afford a place like this?тАЭ
It was the academicianтАЩs turn again. As theyтАЩd all been
doing, he prefaced his explanation with a laugh. тАЬGiven
automation and cheap, all but free power, and what is
the answer? Ultraabundance for everyone. Surely the
signs must have been present in your day. That was the
goal of your organization, was it not?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ Cogswell said, shaking his head. тАЬYes, of
course.тАЭ Then he added, his voice very low, тАЬJesus H.