That is a general point about how governments manage transition. They want to protect jobs, and existing industries, not to help things to change to a better point.
as i repeat often it is well explained in "the Next convergence" as the big problems with governments. Laisser-faire and saving jobs are opposite version of the same bad decision. the good one is to help the transition by investing in asset that are too longterm for the private sector, and to help workforec to survive during the (short) unemployment period, then train them so they can move (quickly) to the new industry/economy... it is very hard where the politic system is a demagogy. for the army, remoiving the huge waste would allow much more effcient army and strongest action... In france when you want to remove on barack campus, all the local authorities panic because ther is (still) nothing to replace... not so different from what happens when you shutdown a big industry in a place where it it have no more reason to exist... we shoul help people to move, instead of preventing them to move. in france the problems are well identified (real-estate, taxes, work laws) and not at all corrected, to protect incumbent, mouse in the cheese, and other economic rent. for US army, note that big par of Army budget is in fact subsidies hidden from WTO. Free market in US is a myth. 2013/1/26 Edmund Storms <[email protected]> > Yes, Mark, this would be the best place to start. But jobs will be lost, > the only issue is which jobs. Congress does not want to cut any jobs > because these are voters. They only want to cut things that will piss off > the fewest number of people who vote. The poor do not vote so they are fair > game. Of course, a combination of increased taxes especially at the high > end and careful cuts over a period of time would be the way to go. But as > you note - fat chance. > > Ed > > > > On Jan 26, 2013, at 1:21 PM, Mark Goldes wrote: > > Ed, >> >> Huge cuts could be made in our military budget which is bloated, wasteful >> and largely redundant. (I was a USAF Officer and speak with first hand >> knowledge). >> >> That alone would make an enormous difference. >> >> Try and get Congress to approve it! Fat chance! >> >> Mark Goldes >> Co-Founder, Chava Energy >> CEO, Aesop Institute >> > >
