I have become so angry today at the damage that the state education has done and writing my message in response to Harry that I have given up writing my usual essay today. Instead, I will confine myself to FW. So here's an addendum to my previous posting to you/FW.
Here are three of my experiences wearing my (mild) inventor's hat.
When I worked for Courtaulds 45 years ago I had to sign a secrecy agreement with them (that any of my ideas belonged to them). After a few years,I had an idea of applying a strong magnetic field to the spinning jet in rayon manufacturing. At the same time I was organising the scientific workers union (secretly at first). When they heard this, Courtaulds prevented me have paid leave to take a doctorate (even though they'd promised it to me). I had a family with children and couldn't afford to do it off my own bat. So I left some months later, without telling them of my idea. I didn't pursue it with any other firm -- too much bother, and besides I got caught ujp in the environmental movement then. It was only an idea after all (though with a rationale behind it). Many years later I discovered that this was being done somewhere (I've forgotten where). It produced a fibre with interesting properties. Not a great best-seller but profitable. (Soon afterwards, Courtaulds sent me an ex gratia payment. Quite what for they didn't say but I think it was because they were then fighting a battle against a take-over by an other firm. One of the other firm's trade unionists was going into print fequently on the matter and I think Courtaulds wanted to persuade me not to do so [I would have been in favour, of course]. But I wasn't interested by then. Soon afterwards, Courtaulds lost the fight. I chuckled.)
About 15 years ago when I had ventured into architecture, I devised a system of building a steel-frame house (though conventional in appearance) starting with the roof (so that the following trades could work underneath immediately and whatever the weather) and raising it on hydraulic jacks. I reckned it would save 20% or so of final costs. I sent this in the usual way (sealed enveloped, etc) to a major UK house-building firm and they said they weren't interested and I then dropped the idea. Two years later, I came across an article of a Japanese firm doing precisely the same as I'd suggested -- the illustration was almost identical to the illustration in my own proposl and left no doubt in my mind that somehow they had acquired my method (not necessarily immorally from their point of view). I'm glad to say that the system didn't become economic (at least, I don't think it did, because it doesn't seem to have developed further).
About five years ago I had an idea of writing Japanese/Korean/Chinese script by "playing" a keyboard rather like a piano -- "8-note chords" signifying crucial junctures of the script on an 8 x 8 grid. Toshiba were very interested and in fact I had an interview with their Director of R&D when he was over here on a visit to one of his factories. I felt confident that had the idea been taken further (which it wasn't after a few months on their part) I would have been treated honorably.
I'm not an inventor. Like most people I have ideas from time to time and I'm sure that some of them could be useful. But most people don't pursue their ideas because the odds are that they will be stolen from them. The proportion of inventors who actually succeed in being treated honorably by a large firm is very low from what one hears constantly. This is not due to the patent system itself, of course, but it's a close cousin to the culture that business adopted since the patent system was brought in. Other quite satisfactory legal frameworks could have evolved IMHO if the patents (and copyright) system had not come into existence. The original patents were favours from the king in order to establish a monopoly and that's what they've fundamentally remained in spirit. Harry will be much more eloquent on this matter.
Patents are anti-liberty. What about (as often happens) several individuals inventing something independently in different regions/countries? If one gets a patent, why should the others be penalised? Many, many investors (Arthur C. Clarke's satellite idea, the inventor of the Salk vaccine) have given ideas to the world without recompense -- commercially they've been worth billions. We must thank our lucky stars that some of our greatest inventors don't give a toss about money and are too fascinated in developing their next idea to waste any further time on their previous one.
Keith Hudson
At 10:02 08/12/03 -0500, you wrote:
Once you get rid of the patent system which includes copyrights how would you pay people for their creativity?
REH
----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 3:01 AM Subject: RE: [Futurework] NYTimes.com Article: For Middle Class, Health Insurance Becomes a Luxury
> Arthur, > > We could start by getting rid of the patent system that > articially raises drug prices along with the bottom lines of the > huge drug companies. This money helps them pay off Congress. > > If you saw the Bill Moyer show on Friday you would appreciate why > Eisenhower originally intended to call it the > military-industrial-congressional complex. > > Of course the other privileges should also go - primarily the one > that gives some people the ability to collect Economic Rent - or > rather an amount much higher than economic Rent, because the > price mechanism doesn't control Rent. Thus it becomes something > known throughout history - rack-rent - the path to poverty for > generations of peasants. > > So, we are back to the problems in the article. If the basics are > not dealt with, such problems will always be with us. But as > Thoreau said: "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of > evil to one who is striking at the root . . . . " > > So, I'll keep striking, perhaps to little avail, leaving the rest > of you to get sweaty hacking away at those branches. Of course > there is great benefit to doing that, That's the psychological > uplift that reformers get even if nothing of consequence is > accomplished. I know - I've been one. > > So, work on a dozen or a hundred programs designed to ameliorate > rather than end misery. It passes the time. > > Harry > > PS It costs $266 a month for a 59 year old to join Kaiser. That > $275 for Ms Pard's nine year old seem a bit stiff. > > > ******************************************** > Henry George School of Social Science > of Los Angeles > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > Tel: 818 352-4141 -- Fax: 818 353-2242 > http://haledward.home.comcast.net > ******************************************** > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2003 4:45 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Futurework] NYTimes.com Article: For Middle Class, > Health Insurance Becomes a Luxury > > So, Harry P., how do you deal with this?? > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2003 3:38 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Futurework] NYTimes.com Article: For Middle Class, > Health Insurance Becomes a Luxury > > > This article from NYTimes.com > has been sent to you by [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > For those who are not NYT subscribers. > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ > > FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: IN AMERICA - IN THEATRES NOVEMBER 26 > > Fox Searchlight Pictures proudly presents IN AMERICA > directed by Academy Award(R) Nominee Jim Sheridan (My Left > Foot and In The Name of the Father). IN AMERICA stars Samantha > Morton, Paddy Considine and Djimon Hounsou. For more info: > http://www.foxsearchlight.com/inamerica > > \----------------------------------------------------------/ > > For Middle Class, Health Insurance Becomes a Luxury > > November 16, 2003 > By STEPHANIE STROM > > > > > > DALLAS - The last time Kevin Thornton had health insurance > was three years ago, which was not much of a problem until > he began having trouble swallowing. > > "I broke down earlier this year and went in and talked to a > doctor about it," said Mr. Thornton, who lives in Sherman, > about 60 miles north of Dallas. > > A barium X-ray cost him $130, and the radiologist another > $70, expenses he charged to his credit cards. The doctor > ordered other tests that Mr. Thornton simply could not > afford. > > "I was supposed to go back after the X-ray results came, > but I decided just to live with it for a while," he said. > "I may just be a walking time bomb." > > Mr. Thornton, 41, left a stable job with good health > coverage in 1998 for a higher salary at a dot-com company > that went bust a few months later. Since then, he has > worked on contract for various companies, including one > that provided insurance until the project ended in 2000. "I > failed to keep up the payments that would have been > required to maintain my coverage," he said. "It was just > too much money." > > Mr. Thornton is one of more than 43 million people in the > United States who lack health insurance, and their numbers > are rapidly increasing because of ever soaring cost and job > losses. Many states, including Texas, are also cutting back > on subsidies for health care, further increasing the number > of people with no coverage. > > The majority of the uninsured are neither poor by official > standards nor unemployed. They are accountants like Mr. > Thornton, employees of small businesses, civil servants, > single working mothers and those working part time or on > contract. > > "Now it's hitting people who look like you and me, dress > like you and me, drive nice cars and live in nice houses > but can't afford $1,000 a month for health insurance for > their families," said R. King Hillier, director of > legislative relations for Harris County, which includes > Houston. > > Paying for health insurance is becoming a middle-class > problem, and not just here. "After paying for health > insurance, you take home less than minimum wage," says a > poster in New York City subways sponsored by Working Today, > a nonprofit agency that offers health insurance to > independent contractors in New York. "Welcome to > middle-class poverty." In Southern California, 70,000 > supermarket workers have been on strike for five weeks over > plans to cut their health benefits. > > The insurance crisis is especially visible in Texas, which > has the highest proportion of uninsured in the country - > almost one in every four residents. The state has a large > population of immigrants; its labor market is dominated by > low-wage service sector jobs, and it has a higher than > average number of small businesses, which are less likely > to provide health benefits because they pay higher > insurance costs than large companies. > > State cuts to subsidies for health insurance to help close > a $10 billion budget gap will cost the state $500 million > in federal matching money and are expected to further spur > the rise in uninsured. In September, for example, more than > half a million children enrolled in a state- and > federal-subsidized insurance program lost dental, vision > and most mental care coverage, and some 169,000 children > will lose all insurance by 2005. > > "These were tough economic times that the legislature was > dealing with, and the governor believed in setting the tone > for the legislative session that the government must > operate the way Texas families do and Texas businesses do > and live within its means," said Kathy Walt, spokeswoman > for Gov. Rick Perry. > > She noted that the legislature raised spending on health > and human services by $1 billion this year, and that > lawmakers passed two bills intended to make it easier for > small businesses to provide health insurance for their > employees. > > Those measures, however, will not help Theresa Pardo or > other Texas residents like her who have to make tough > choices about medical care they need but cannot afford. > > Ms. Pardo, a 29-year-old from Houston, said that having no > insurance meant choosing between buying an inhaler for her > 9-year-old asthmatic daughter or buying her a birthday > present. The girl, Morgan, lost her state-subsidized > insurance last month, and now her mother must pay $80 > instead of $5 for the inhaler. > > Rent, car payments and insurance, day care and utilities > cost Ms. Pardo more than $1,200 a month, leaving less than > $200 for food, gas and other expenses. So even though her > employer, the Harris County government, provides her with > low-cost insurance, she cannot afford the $275 a month she > would have to pay to add her daughter to her plan. > > When Morgan's dentist recently wanted to pull a tooth, Ms. > Pardo hesitated. The tooth extraction proceeded, but: "I > had to ask him, if you pull this tooth, will it cause other > problems? Because if it does, I can't afford to deal with > them." > > Lorenda Stevenson said her choice was between buying > medicine to treat patches of peeling, flaking skin on her > hands, arms and face and making sure her son could continue > his after-school tennis program. "There's no way I will cut > that out unless we don't have money for food," she said. > > Mrs. Stevenson's husband, Bill, lost his management job at > WorldCom two years ago, when an accounting scandal forced > the company into bankruptcy. They managed to pay $900 a > month for Cobra, the government policy that allows workers > to continue their coverage after they lose their jobs, but > when the cost rose to $1,200, they could no longer afford > it. > > When their son, a ninth grader, needed a physical and shot > to take tennis, Mrs. Stevenson turned to the Rockwall Area > Health Clinic, a nonprofit clinic in Rockwall, a city of > 13,000 northeast of Dallas. The clinic charged her $20 > instead of the $400 she estimated she would have paid at > the doctor's office. > > "I sat filling out the paperwork and crying," she said, > tears streaming down her face. "I was so embarrassed to > bring him here." > > A salve to treat her skin condition costs $27, and she pays > roughly $50 a month for medications for high blood pressure > and hormones. She does without medication she needs for > acid reflux, treating the conditions sporadically with > samples from the clinic. > > Carol Johnston cannot afford even doctor visits. A single > mother in Houston, she lost her job in health care > administration in May and said she was still unemployed > despite filling out 500 to 600 applications and attending > countless job fairs. > > Cobra would have cost $214 a month, or more than one-fifth > of the $1,028 in unemployment she gets a month. As it is, > her monthly bills for rent, car, utilities and phone exceed > her income. > > She got a 12-month deferral on her student loans, and Ford > pushed her car payments back by two months. The Johnstons > rely on television for entertainment and almost never use > air-conditioning, despite Houston's muggy, hot climate. > > Now Ms. Johnston's 16-year-old son is losing the portion of > his insurance that covered treatment for his learning and > emotional disabilities because of state cutbacks. > > Ms. Johnston herself does not qualify for Medicaid, the > government insurance program for the indigent, because her > income is too high, the same reason she qualifies for only > $10 a month in food stamps. "I worry, I worry so much about > making sure my son is safe," she said. > > As for her own health, Ms. Johnston has two cysts in one > breast and three in another but has had only one aspirated > because she cannot afford to check on the others. "Do I > have to move to Iraq to get help?" she asked. "They have > $87 billion for folks over there," she said, referring to > money Congress allocated for military operations and > rebuilding. > > Experts warn that allowing health problems to fester is > only going to increase the costs of health care for the > uninsured. "As Americans, when are we going to realize it's > cheaper to save them on the front end than when they get > cancer and show up in the emergency room?" said Sandra B. > Thurman, executive director of PediPlace, a nonprofit > health clinic in Lewisville, Tex. > > Many hospitals and neighborhood clinics here say that the > well-heeled are now joining the poor in seeking their care. > Emergency rooms are particularly hard hit, since federal > law requires them to treat anyone who walks through their > doors for emergency treatment, regardless of whether they > can pay. > > Public hospital emergency rooms are even harder hit, since > private hospitals will move quickly to shift uninsured > patients to them. And clinics for the poor are also seeing > an increase in demand. > > A clinic run by Central Dallas Ministries charges patients > $5 for a doctor visit, $10 for medication and $15 if > laboratory work is needed, but often settles for no payment > from many of the 3,500 patients it treats each year. > > "I'm not real optimistic it will get a lot better," said > Larry Morris James, executive director of Central Dallas > Ministries. "Demographic and economic trends tell you that > it's probably going to get worse." > > For Irma Arellano, the problem has already hit home. Mrs. > Arellano is a secretary in the Royse school district > northeast of Dallas, which provides her health insurance > for $35 a month but offers no discounts for her three > children or husband. > > Two years ago, the Arellanos paid $269 a month to insure > the family. The price jumped last year to $339 and this > year to $780, more than their monthly mortgage payment. > > Her husband works for a small landscaping company that does > not offer insurance. So Mrs. Arellano is insured, but her > husband, Jose, and their three children - Jackie, 16; Joe, > 15; and Anthony, 13 - are going without insurance. > > The Arellanos' income, which ranges from $2,800 to $3,200 a > month, makes them ineligible for state-subsidized > insurance. Their basic expenses run $2,000 a month or more. > > > "I'm one of those people in the middle," Mrs. Arellano > said. "We don't make enough to pay for insurance ourselves, > but we make too much to qualify for CHIP," the > government-subsidized program for children. > > So her children were recently at the Rockwall clinic for > the physicals they need to participate in after-school > sports, paying $25 instead of the $100 or more Mrs. > Arellano would have paid at the doctor's office. > > The family has catastrophic insurance, but Mrs. Arellano is > uncertain how much longer she can afford it. Mr. Arellano's > income typically drops in the winter, and his wife is > hoping the children will then qualify for the state > insurance program. > > Even so, newly initiated regulations require families to > reapply for the insurance every six months, rather than > once a year, so they are not likely to qualify for long. > > "I'll take what I can get," Mrs. Arellano said. > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/national/16INSU.html?ex=1070015 > 089&ei=1&en > =71a5f688d394a03d > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.548 / Virus Database: 341 - Release Date: 12/5/2003 > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
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