At 00:44 10/11/2012, Ed wrote:
Keith, I can't figure out whether you're being an optimist or a
pessimist. Why do you see the 99% becoming the 10%? Will it be
because they have risen into a state of contentment or because we've
gotten rid of them in some punitive way?
I'm actually trying to be realistic. Assuming that, by the "99%" you
meant the average guy/family, I meant that, for the last 30 years,
parents have been unable to afford to raise enough children (2.1 per
woman) to maintain their numbers. There's no evidence that this is
likely to change in the next 30 years.
Keith
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:[email protected]>Keith Hudson
To: <mailto:[email protected]>RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME
DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION ; <mailto:[email protected]>Ed Weick
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 7:07 AM
Subject: Re: [Futurework] AlterNet: Is Our Future Going to Be
Keeping Rich People Happy in a Servant Economy?
At 10:48 09/11/2012, Ed wrote:
Decline of unions; technological displacement of skilled workers;
jobs sent off to where they can be done more cheaply; rise of the
financial sector; political power of the 1% and subservient
governments; universities and colleges crammed with young people
who have nothing else to do = growth of the servant class. But
wait! What about the growing anger of the 99%, revolution & chaos?
Because they (the 99% -- more exactly, about 80% of present
populations) have no economic firepower against other power-holders,
Furthermore, the "99%" will become no more than 10% well within a
couple of generations.
Keith
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:[email protected]>Keith Hudson
To: <mailto:[email protected]>RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME
DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 10:33 PM
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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