On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 7:16 PM, Eugene Coyle <[email protected]> wrote: > Carrol,, > > Agreed that How to cut working hours in the USA is a hard question. But lets > get on with it. One step forward is to get the idea of a permanent cut > nationally in the standard working hours into respectable discourse. I keep > trying to stir up the issue on Pen-l in the hopes that progressive economists > will begin to give talks about, write about, and teach about the importance > of cutting working time. > When I talk about working less -- for the same pay -- people seem > universally to agree that it is a grand idea. But they also agree that it is > unachievable. Of course it is achievable. In fact any possibility of > returning to full employment at good pay depends on it. That realization > will come, why don't we hasten it along by getting the respectable discussion > going? > And the issue is not only full employment. As I see it, the only > reasonable approach to dealing with climate change is through cutting working > time, and leading the world in shifting aspirations away from stuff and > toward life. Of course we are not leading the world now -- we are well > behind Europe and other parts -- but we could become leaders if we hurry. > Once the discussion has educated the public a bit your question How? > remains relevant. But that will be answered -- not by me, of course. > > Gene Coyle
Yes it is something to move towards. But the reason you don't get much response even on the left, is that it is not something you can reasonably advance on its own. It can be one of many demands. Or it can be a demand you make after other demands are won. But I can't see the work week being cut without other things that advance social equality happening either at the same time or first. So it only makes sense in context with other ways of advancing social equality. The same for global warming. The effects on the environment of cutting the work week depends on how it is done, and upon what else is done at the same time. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
