>Erik wrote- >I think the article asks a good question, which is how the economy >can be modified to deal with these sorts of things.
I think one of the deficits of this article is the potential population decline in the future. If you look at the trend of lack of replacement rate in many civilized countries, this might dovetail fairly well with the fear many industries have of losing an employment pool. >One solution was >outlined in _Beggars in Spain_ by Nancy Kress, with the "donkeys" and >the "livers". For me, that is something of a nightmare scenario, but >it does seem to be a likely outcome. Haven't read this yet. >But I'd much rather see most >children acquiring an education despite the fact that an education is >not REQUIRED in order to live. But how to motivate people to learn? The >only answer I can come up with is to continue to balance cooperation >with competition. Don't give the "livers" everything they want. Provide >a minimum safety net for free (nutritious but not desirable food, >minimalist housing and clothing, basic medical care, etc.) and set up >an economy where people must still compete if they want more than the >minimum. Medium of exchange would be based on whatever is still scarce >(land, energy, creative thinking, etc.) Cooperation and competition do drive people to work together. Here in the South, many companies are finding a lack of suitable technically trained workers. First the initiative was started to bring local community colleges in line with industrial needs for CAD training, etc. People know they can get local training if they want a job or if they are out of work. The local universities have helped to create partnerships with lesser developed areas to raise the general level of education by strong community based needs research and corporate involvement/committment. Dee _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
