We are wealthier than we think. All of the stuff we get on the net for example. It doesn't show up in national income accounts or as personal income. (on the other hand neither do the social costs show up except in unrelated areas such as health, morbidity, etc0.
Yes the intangibles use energy and such but my guess is that (based on my own experience) I am "wealthier" with IT for example than without it. and the cost of the computer and internet connections yield far higher benefits than my out of pocket costs. I am also more productive. When in the work force before computerization and the net I had between two and four research assistants. After computerization and the net I was able to maintain the same output without research assistants. From: futurework-boun...@lists.uwaterloo.ca [mailto:futurework-boun...@lists.uwaterloo.ca] On Behalf Of Steve Kurtz Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 2:24 PM To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION Subject: Re: [Futurework] [Ottawadissenters] The Fed Has Wasted Trillions and the US Remains in Depression and the US Remains in Depression Arthur and Natalia, Note the comment by Matutinovic I posted. He specifically mentions the necessity of including tangibles ( physical limits) in an adequate economic theory. BTW, the idea of de-materialization of human economies is bogus. Energy is matter; and every aspect of human throughput uses it. Energy use p/cap continually rises. (until a supply limit is reached) Steve On Sep 10, 2013, at 1:51 PM, D & N wrote: Agree completely with this apt observation. However, policy builders who are currently in charge would naturally strive to revise the framework to more generously accommodate the bankster methodology feasting upon intangible economies. Isn't it time to create a sound system of values based in sustainability? Wasting time and money to come up with policy which more accurately reflects a flawed destructive economy has no merit. I realize I must be overlooking some aspect to intangibles that cannot be easily assessed or categorized, but are now essential in a modern functioning society. I'm generalizing about the real world in which people work 238 times as hard as the CEO for the same pay, yet the CEO earns most of their salary and bonuses based in fiat financial transactions, whereas the common worker's poor wages are genuine exchange of labour for food and rent--if that. Natalia On 09/09/2013 1:21 PM, Arthur Cordell wrote: Time to change. If we have moved from an economy of tangibles to an economy of intangibles then the economic theories created in a time of tangibles may no longer work, in fact may be proving dysfunctional. arthur
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