DEATH OF A CIVILIZATION VI

12/02/2008

DEATH OF A CIVILIZATION VI


It is not something I have not discussed before, we are doomed, at least the life and the life style as we know it today. We failed to see how the economic crisis was developing. Even those who saw it coming did not foresee the whole picture, and the consequence and causes there off remained unexplained. I tried bit no one wanted to listen to the bad news.

When I stated that the computer in front of you may be last one you will ever own, it is not hyperbole. It is the fact that you are just not aware off, not yet.

Washington’s efforts at reforming, stabilizing, boosting the economy may work in the short run yet, but they are doomed. The fact remains as the population keeps increasing, fewer and fewer people are needed to perform the actual “work”. That is the problem today with the social security and Medicare already. It is not that we only have two workers to support each retiree, it is that more workers are not needed to perform any gainful “functions” and thus have reasonable income to base the tax on.

You can see the problem, if you can relate one to the other, in the auto industry. As the leaders of the three auto makers are in Washington again, hats in hand, their problem is not that they flew in on private jets, (the whole idea is a created distraction form the real problems) the problem is that they need fewer workers ( read automation and technology) and pay them less now , and to make less in profits, ( TO COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL MARKET), and thus the contributions to support the retiree’s pensions and health care have fallen. It is the same problem in social security, fewer workers, lower wages, and more beneficiaries. At the same time, it would be funny, were it not so ironic that the congress and the senate are accusing the auto makers of mismanagement and poor planning, is it not the kettle calling the pot black!

Their are others on the right, who want to blame the unions for all that is wrong with the American industry, auto or other wise. For one I would like to have a look in the congressional parking grages and see how many are driving small electric cars or Austin Coopers. And two I would ask them as to how much they had predicted the rise of health care costs and how much they had tried to control these or the housing costs or the education inflation. Was not Bush pushing for a social security monies to be invested in stocks? How well did any of us plan for the future, indvidually or as a nation. Of course the auto business is in the dumps, but not all of it on its own. It wonders me to hear those with perfect health benefits provided by some one else to be talking about the health care costs of the auto workers. Do we not live in a society where we want eighty year olds to be treated for cancer at a cost of millions so they can live a few months longer? Do we not want to keep those in permanent vegitative state to "live" for ever on machines? Why not advocater mercy killings. Why not shoot a few wokers a day after their shift is over, we could even have lottery, (may be Neal Boortz will agree). Or we could pay more for workers, even the useless ones, or we could vote to control population growth.

Blame it all on the advances in health care and advances in computers and robotics. What makes you live longer, and even supposedly healthier is what is killing you !