Except that, in many nations around the world, the population growth rate is negative. There is no shortage of space, or food, or energy, but the populations are aging and couples are having fewer children. This is the situation in Japan, Germany, Russia, South Korea, and almost all of Eastern Europe.

The U.S. population growth rate has also been in decline for the past 50 years, dropping from 1.7 percent to 0.7 percent, heading towards negative growth if this trend continues.

So much for "an ever increasing population" to bolster a market that always goes up.

But our population can't increase steadily forever. That trend HAS to end or even reverse at some point.

I understand increases in productivity enable support for a larger population- but that's not a bottomless well. There are insurmountable practical limitations.

Well, the US population can continue to grow until overcrowding becomes a problem, or food becomes a problem, or energy becomes a problem, or nobody wants to live here anymore. The first three seem a long way out; the fourth might arrive sooner...