My comment to the NYTimes.
This is not new, although it is nice that it is being discussed. Years ago on the Future of Work list, on the internet, we were talking about these problems on the horizon with automation, robotics and the downsizing of labor. It was estimated that eventually there would no jobs for as much as 40% of the workforce. You can innovate yourself until you are nuts but it won't work. The situation in America has come to resemble the situation in the Classical Arts where there is a built in productivity lag that makes full or even reasonable employment by highly qualified graduates of colleges and conservatories a hopeless dream. The Classical Arts have a worse employment record than Indian Reservations in South Dakota. What is required is a serious mix of government and private planning and design that is long term and that takes care of this potential 40% unemployment through public works that raises the sophistication level of the entire population. This, other than through a guaranteed income that would cut initiative and depress the creativity of the nation. The battle between socialist government design and capitalism's runaway floods must be stemmed with serious thinking. It could begin here but you have to do better Tom. You just aren't thinking deep enough. I realize this is a newspaper and not a Interactive Management conference but it's the media's responsibility to develop the reader's sophistication on these matters. That the internet is doing this is one of the problems for competition with a news media that is not keeping up. We need solid journalist professionals not pundits. REH aka Digoweli From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of michael gurstein Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 10:21 AM To: [email protected]; 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION' Subject: Re: [Futurework] NYTimes.com: The Start-Up of You What he is saying is almost certainly true but a human and social disaster... M -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 7:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Futurework] NYTimes.com: The Start-Up of You <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://www.nytimes.com/> The New York Times E-mail This <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/apps/emailthis/head_2.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> This page was sent to you by: [email protected] OPINION | July 13, 2011 Op-Ed Columnist: <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/13/opinion/13friedman.html?emc=eta1> The Start-Up of You By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN This is not your parents' job market. Workers need to be able to invent, adapt and reinvent their jobs every day. <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> Copyright 2011 <http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html> The New York Times Company <http://www.nytco.com/> | Privacy Policy <http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/privacy.html> <http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_remote.html?type=noscript&page=emailthis .nytimes.com/openrate&posall=Bottom1&pos=Bottom1&query=qstring&keywords=>
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