Steven Vincent Johnson wrote:
IMO, at some point as automation continues taking over most of the
dredge work we may eventually have to transform our entire economic
infrastructure into a highly sophisticated computerized welfare
state. IOW, everyone gets (is entitled to...) a minimum "allowance"
that guarantees that everyone can purchase all the basic necessities
of life, like food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and perhaps
even a little pocket change for an occasional show. For those who
remain ambitious, or find personal meaning in pursuing careers one's
basic "allowance" could be increased by certain percentages based on
what additional contributions they are able to generate for the
benefit of society.
That seems unnecessarily complicated to me. I do not see why we could
not have a hybrid socialistic-capitalistic system, similar to what we
have now, only with different proportions of money. Everyone would be
on welfare to some extent, getting enough money to cover food, rent,
education and internet expenses, as you said. Some people who are
hard working and ambitious would earn a lot more by the various
methods people use today: working for corporations, setting up their
own companies, trading stocks, selling artwork, playing baseball,
racing cars, inventing, vying for research grants at the NIH, and so on.
There would be no shame associated with accepting this welfare money
because everyone would get it, automatically, as a birthright. We
feel no shame going to the public library, sending our kids to public
school, driving on public roads, touring the Smithsonian, or -- in
Japan or Europe -- using national health care. Of course we pay for
these things, but even a poor person who does not pay as much as he
benefits feels no opprobrium in a public library.
We would all be "trust fund babies," like wealthy young people today,
who feel no shame spending large allowances provided by their
parents. On the contrary, many of them feel pride in having money
they did nothing to earn or deserve. In a very real sense, we are all
trust fund babies already. We inherited most of the physical
infrastructure of the world and nearly all of hard earned knowledge
and know-how. Our ancestors left us printing presses and vaccinations
for free. Those alone are worth more than all the money in the world.
If you have writing, good health and enough food, you can rebuild a
ruined industrial civilization in a decade, as the people in Japan
did after WWII. *
Some people would take advantage of this welfare and do no work their
entire lives. They would contribute nothing to society. Some of the
today's trust fund babies do no work. That is a problem but it has
not bankrupted society. Able-bodied public welfare recipients no
longer have that option. Lifetime benefits are limited. Many crocked
stock brokers, bankers and others do negative work, extracting huge
sums from society by devious means. Even if large numbers of people
in the future spend their time browsing the internet, watching movies
or having sex rather than working, I doubt that will be an economic
problem. There are many people today such as the extremist cold
fusion opponents and AIG and ENRON executives who I wish would do
that sort of thing rather than going to work and causing trouble for
the rest of us.
It will not be an economic problem, but it will be a spiritual
problem, as George Orwell described. I would rather have spiritual
problems than poverty, unemployment and other economic problems.
- Jed
* FOOTNOTE: Unlike the Europeans, Japan was not covered by the
Marshall plan and did not receive financial assistance from the U.S.,
only food and political freedom. The food was essential, but they
supplied all other materials, labor and expertise to rebuild the
country. Actually, during the Occupation the U.S. government charged
the Japanese government for the food, shelter and upkeep of the
occupying allied troops, and they still do. The total budget amount
for the U.S. military presence in Japan 2011 was reported on NHK last
night. It bothers me that the U.S. has, in effect, mercenary troops
guarding Japan.
