Free Markets and Total Annihilation

Eventually, another asteroid is going to slam into the earth and wipe out much of life. Those who live will envy the dead, at least for a while until the planet stabilizes or species adapt to new conditions. This happens now and again to all planets, and it has happened to the earth several times, so it is natural and not to be feared. It’s just nature’s way of shuffling the deck. Some species will die out, while others will find opportunities in the catastrophe. This is pretty much the free market on a cosmic scale, and those species that survive will just be those that can seize the eon, so to speak.

Of course, this assumes that a super-volcano eruption doesn’t get us first. Or man made weapons of mass destruction. In any event, whatever happens is probably for the best. Besides, what with all our constant inventions and improvements, we are bound to come up with ways to live without sunlight or organic foodstuffs.

I have been trying to think up ways to make a profit from the business of deflecting asteroids from impacting the earth. How would you get paid for this? The best business model I have come up with so far is to develop the ability to move asteroids, threaten to send an asteroid or two down on desired clients, and collect money from them not to do it. That way, you don't have to wait for an asteroid to threaten the earth naturally, and you will have some leverage with your clients. This is a classic win-win. The whole earth gets asteroid protection, and the investors get paid to do it. The only problems might be if a company claims to have asteroid moving technology but is really bluffing or if too many asteroid movers get into the business. Of course, the free market would make sure that the optimum number of asteroid movers was in operation at all times. Nobody knows how, but it does this.