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From: rstevew@armory.com (Richard Steven Walz)
Subject: Re: Does Automation Take Jobs Away?
Organization: The Armory
Date: Mon, 1 Aug 1994 02:46:01 GMT
Message-ID: <Ctu50s.K9@armory.com>
References: <Ct8z84.np1@mozo.cc.purdue.edu> <CtMDG2.E1D@armory.com> <31cgig$cit@tribune.usask.ca> <1994Jul30.162517.193@rgfn.epcc.edu>
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In article <1994Jul30.162517.193@rgfn.epcc.edu>,
Michael S. Miner <ac343@rgfn.epcc.edu> wrote:
>Henry Choy (choy@cs.usask.ca) wrote:
>: Richard Steven Walz (rstevew@armory.com) wrote:
>: : Again you push me to categorize you...
>: : <Scissors beat paper-Miner>   ...your equation
>: : works.
>: How does this prove anything about socialism? If the world turned
>: socialist these people aren't going to guarantee you that they will
>: learn how to read.
>: --
>:         Henry Choy                       "Math class is hard" - Barbie
>
>  I think you may have just made the point behind all of this.  What
>system guarantees anything?  Does automation in different systems displace
>different people?  More to the point, did the mechanical reaper(combine)
>fail to work in countries where farmers were poor?  I don't think so.
>  When we replace a person with anything/one that is more effective, then   
>the replaced person is worse off.  That temporary displacement is less 
>bothersome to me than the general lack of improved standard living for
>the rest of the farmers society.  Wonder how many would be starving if
>we were still harvesting all produce by hand?
>Michael S. Miner                         ac343@rgfn.epcc.edu
--------------------------------------
You'd be surprised how much produce IS harvested by hand, but that's not
the point.

The displacement *I'm* worried about is becoming more NON-temporary!!! You
can call someone on assistance "displaced", but what do you call them when
they are working hard at a lower paying job 5 years later, still requiring
public assistance, and the automation that phased them out has provided
record earnings for the company stockholders who do nothing!!! In other
words, all you tax-payers out there: You're paying the family assistance so
that that company can simply ignore their tax obligation and make millions
on the backs of the displaced workers and their families whom we can't
afford to re-train to compete at their previous equivalent level!!!
Companies who automate or restructure should be forced to set aside trust
funds to defray the cost of re-training workers to their equivalent
economic earning power, or they should have to go under to those who can!!!
There is such a thing a white collar and even stockholder "deadwood" as
well, you know!!!
-Steve Walz   rstevew@armory.com

