Yes, and I realized how difficult it was for you and I very much admired you for doing it the way you did!
And yes, I'm aware that Waterside Plaza being built in the middle of the East River might have sounded like a neat idea 50 years ago but now in these days of global warming and rising water levels doesn't seem like such a great idea. M From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ray Harrell Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 10:01 AM To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION' Subject: Re: [Futurework] AlterNet: Is Our Future Going to Be Keeping Rich People Happy in a Servant Economy? That was the artist as a begger. I could never quite get into it myself. I don't beg well so I self funded what I did. That was fine but now it isn't. Did you see what the weather did to your old apartment complex? REH From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of michael gurstein Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 12:21 AM To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION' Subject: Re: [Futurework] AlterNet: Is Our Future Going to Be Keeping Rich People Happy in a Servant Economy? When I was living in New York a number of years ago I happened to be in part, moving in certain "alternative" circles. These were, at the time, concerned with things like various of the non-establishment arts, free clinics, emerging environmental issues, legal aid and so on (and as well alternative consciousness types of things. The issues and the people were just outside of what was acceptable (at the time) to the conventional (foundation) donors, so much of the funding came from wealthy folks through personal foundations. What I saw there was quite astounding--a whole category of "courtiers" whose behaviour would have been quite familiar at the court of Versailles or the Henry's in either the UK or Spain--bowing and scraping, formal deference in meetings, the use of specific honorifics associated with the donors, strategic decisions based on donor's personal whim and caprice and so on and so on. At the time I was very grateful for Canada and Canadian funding through things like the Canada Council and the various grants programs of the Federal Government (for women, youth and so on and so on. Of course, Harper and his gang eliminated all of this (although much of it had been decimated under the last days of Chretien and then Martin's regimes. And so yes, we are shifting to an economy of servants and at a slightly higher social level, one of courtiers and courts surrounding the rich and their political lackeys. M From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Keith Hudson Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 7:33 AM To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION Subject: Re: [Futurework] AlterNet: Is Our Future Going to Be Keeping Rich People Happy in a Servant Economy? Sally's right. The rise of temporary workers fits with a possible recreation of a personal servant class. (As in the 19th century?) But this was only possible in a world of the new industrialist rich and a new professional middle class who were living off the profits of mass produced goods and a large consumer market which was building upwards from classes at the lowest levels of poverty. Today, we're in an entirely new situation with a declining consumer population, Most parents can't afford to buy both the requisite number of status goods (in and around their house) and also to raise and educate enough replacement children. The previous "growth" economy of America, Japan and Western Europe started slowing down seriously 30 years ago, Mean wages in all these countries started declining in the late '80s and the only way governments kept their GDPs growing (that is, notionally) was by unleashing credit and allowing the banks to run riot. Keith At 21:01 08/11/2012, you wrote: Is Our Future Going to Be Keeping Rich People Happy in a Servant Economy?
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