I am by no means an expert, but there has been a significant amount of studies done on the estrogen in our water levels increasing:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2854760/

Detection of estrogens in the environment has raised concerns in recent years because of the potential of these compounds to affect both wildlife and humans. " The incomplete removal by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) of excreted endogenous estrogens and prescribed estrogens leads to their introduction into surface waters and potentially into drinking water sources that rely on surface water. Estrogens, specifically estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and ethinyl estradiol (EE2), have been detected in numerous studies of wastewater influents and effluents. (Several links to the studies of the levels of estrogen in waste water are then provided after this quote).

This study in 2009 concluded that kids are exposed to more estrogen in milk and food than water, so it shouldn’t be a problem to worry about. However, at least imo, it never looked at overall levels of estrogen intake increasing from all combined sources as water has certainly added to it at least marginally.

So that’s all to say, I’m not 100% behind this being all true, just that there’s actually quite a bit of valid scientific studies that have proven there’s now more estrogen in our drinking and waste water that seems to be at least corolated to our medical use of it.

So! It’s actually kinda crazy how accurate your professor might be. Because progesterone, the chemical in birth control, does indeed break down into estrogen under the right circumstances. The components of broken down progesterone pass through the body via urine, enter the water system, and - this is the important part - is far too small and difficult to be collected or filtered out of the water.

So people taking birth control have absolutley added an insane amount of estrogen to the water supply. And most tap water now does have low levels of estrogen in it because people have been taking birth control for 60+ years.

In that same time, the average age of puberty has continued to fall.

So, it sounds a bit wild, but that theory is far more feasible than most realize.

I know you’re saying this as a joke, but art theft and related crime has been on the rise since the pandemic. And there has been quite a lot of art recovered from dying old mobsters and conmen.

Here’s the current FBI case list, and it’s WILD:

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-crime/art-crime-news

More Than 50 Years After Theft, Stolen John Opie Painting Recovered and Returned to Rightful Owner

The FBI was contacted in December 2021 by a Washington County, Utah, accounting firm acting as a trustee for a client who died in 2020. [An old mobster] The client had hired the firm to liquidate his residences and personal property. While appraising the painting for auction, it was discovered to likely be an original Opie stolen in 1969 from a private residence of the Wood family in New Jersey.

From a case in February of this year:

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Dombek, Boland, and Joseph Atsus were part of a larger nine-person conspiracy which lasted over 20 years and whose goal was to break into multiple museums and other institutions and steal priceless works of art, sports memorabilia, and other objects.

I’d argue it’s an idea that’s easy enough to convince others to vote for. Anything with “tax” in it, has and will be weaponized. Realistically, a wealth cap may not be the best solution, but its the only one simple enough that propaganda has a hard time twisting. It’s an easy sell to those with a 5th grade reading level.

Absolutely agree!

Limit the amount of capital that can be individually owned. Wealth cap. Sociopaths are going to sociopath, make it so they can’t have more money than a government and there wouldn’t be so many problems.

From my perspective, no VC investment is a huge plus.