Vito wrote:

Jonathan Ganz wrote:

Ultimately, the only way to improve the situation is for US
workers to be even more productive. ...

Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

The bottom line is what an item costs to produce, which includes labor
but many other costs we'd rather ignore. For example, our draconian
environmental statutes add more to production costs than does labor for
many industrial operations such as chrome plating. These regulations are
a major reason heavy industry has fled the U.S. Moreover, increasing
per-worker productivity requires automation which costs money and itself
puts people out of work. That new robomachine that allows one operator
to do the work of ten not only costs big bucks, which must be added to
the items it produces, but puts nine workers on the street. It may be
more profitable to move to a 3rd world country than raise the capital to
buy the new machine, especially if buying it means downsizing anyway.

Now consider what happens when productivity becomes so high that
everything is made by machines, without labor. Without jobs, nobody can
buy anything and without sales there are no profits and ...

I believe it was Isaac Asimov who wrote a story about such a
world. In that world, poor people were forced to eat, drink, and
consume TVs, cars, clothes, etc,etc. A poor person was fat and
busy 'working' all day at destrying his appliances, clothes, etc,
while only the rich could hire people to consume their quota, and
had any liesure.

Until some po' folk decided to use robots to consume for him!

It's a little silly, but robotic production does imply that soon,
there will be no work for anyone!

That is where the redistribution of wealth, welfare, and the
service economy came from. Tax the robots, until they revolt?

The only reason there is any want anywhere in the world is
because some of those (most?) who run industry seem to think that
the way to 'win' is to either get richer than their niegbours, or
to make them all poorer by any way they can.

What value are huge numbers in a bank account?

Conspicuous consumption, overpowering competitive urges, and
status seeking is the real enemy.

Governmental departments are full of people motivated to
aggrandize their departments, and seek control over their
patrons. Tax and revenue departments are the same, even with
'free trade.' Screwing those you don't like becomes a sport for
some. Making people pay uneccessary tax is a feather in some
(dunce?) caps, on the same low par with racial discrimination.

True humility and service is the solution. A tiny home made
sailboat or land sailer in every garage, right next to the
chicken coop, could pacify the world. Status would come from
getting the most from the least. I favour roller skates and
'smart' umbrellas, or inflatable catamaran water skiis and an
inflated, semi-rigid wing sail, all built around a folding lawn
chair with led navigation lights and micro power personal
stereos.
Sell your tungsten stocks, now.

There should be no taxes paid, if all governments want to spend
on is war. Voter revolution and free universal health care are
the answer, under the guise of fair weights and measures and
purity laws. Tax rich businesses' profits, not poor people. Vive
liberty! Brainwash the young! The hand that rocks the cradle
rules the world! Women, this is all your fault, you should have
taken over the world long ago!

Well, maybe they did, and vanity rules clandestinely, blamed on
men, while women cultivate inheritances? Why DO women live
longer than men?

This thought is just a silly over extension of what should be
natural truth.

Outlaw lawns! Grow oats! A hydrogen balloon in every attic!
Solar cell and water preheater shingles on every roof! Insulate,
damn it! Evaporative air conditioners CAN replace trees! The
water cycle is the most important.

Ah! that felt good.

\
Bare it, and grin :-}
/

BTW, I just found out my new to me retriement mobile home cottage
mountainside back yard, never been logged, is about 1/5
evergreens, and most of those are hemlock. All those little
bushes are rare 'ground hemlock', supposedly the source for
taxol, an anti-cancer drug. It's the micro climate, rocky
mountain soil and river fog humidity, north east of a 500'
mountainette, I think. How much is a 2.5 foot butt hemlock tree
worth?


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