I liked this quote
All the additional labor serves luxu­ry and wealth, in contrast to the original labor that served the necessities of life.”

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-community/steady-state-economy-ponzi-scheme-zm0z11zsto.aspx

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One of the earliest re­corded treatises on economic expansion was written by Arabian philosopher Ibn Khaldun in 1377:

“When civilization [population] increases, the available labor again increases. In turn, luxury again increases in correspondence with the increasing profit, and the customs and needs of luxury increase. Crafts are cre­ated to obtain luxury products. The value realized from them increases, and, as a re­sult, profits are again multiplied in the town. Production there is thriving even more than before ... All the additional labor serves luxu­ry and wealth, in contrast to the original labor that served the necessities of life.”

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-community/steady-state-economy-ponzi-scheme-zm0z11zsto.aspx?page=2#ixzz1hfB85tWg

So what do we do when population growth is no longer sustainable?

We must create new systems for dis­tributing value and maintaining pros­perity for a stable human population. But we’ve never had to do that before. Maintaining prosperity in a stable popu­lation will require new tools.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-community/steady-state-economy-ponzi-scheme-zm0z11zsto.aspx?page=3#ixzz1hfBioMFF