There is no lack of understanding how to motivate people while giving them something to do that gives them meaning and purpose. There are pockets of cultures that promote this; some in education, some in companies, some in sports teams, etc. But then there's the problem of greed. When Kirk Douglas, in the movie "Wall Street" said: "Greed is good," he spoke of a culture that gives unbridled permission to take as much as you can, and as long as you can, while you can get away with it; meaning before you're caught breaking laws or ethical guidelines. Now, that culture is much more predominant than the former. That's our problem.

P.S. Welcome to the P&R board! Preach it sista!

from Mexico? I say that facetiously. Though you do make an interesting point about immigration. I'm very very very pro immigration, but we need to be a bit more selective. I wonder if we replaced the 12M current illegals with 12M from Asia, would there be a difference? Would there be a difference in the performance of our public schools? I could go on and on and on with some creative immigration ideas, but I'm already going to be branded anti-hispanic.

-- Modified on 5/16/2011 9:43:57 PM

Okay, first let me say I believe all who want to should be gainfully employed with a job they do not hate with every once of their being. That being said, I know this isn't the land of moonbeams and sunshine so this may not be feasible.

Now, if you were a farrier or horse salesman when the Model T became popular you might have slowly gone out of business. Or a scribe when the Gutenberg Press changed Europe, you fate might have been the unemployment line. None of these individuals were unworthy of work, or lazy. They just happened to be craftsmen in trades no longer necessary due to technology.

The world is still like that today. Once day coal miners and oil rigs workers numbers will dwindle as those resources run out and new technology or new energy sources become the norm. Factory workers will fall by the way side as more precise and smarter computerized robots take over assembly and manufacturing (as if this isn't already happening.) A global economy opens up a company's products to the world and also the world's workforce to that company.

Now, I am a business owner - and a capitalist, or a least a person who benefits from capitalism. But having said this it does not mean I look at the poor and struggling and simply say "Get a jog. I did." It makes me wonder, what happened to our great nation. Our vast sea of inventors, creative beings and ambitious children. I know they are still here - so what keeps them from striving? I believe the answer is nothing.

In places like Silicon Valley teenagers like Mark Zuckerberg change the world with a "friend request." In New York City, some young math genius creates a derivative which turns nothing into millions if not billions of dollars. In California, some half baked kid, with artistic talent creates a graphic novel, that has the depth of Chekhov with an entertainment factor of "Iron Man." Whether you like these inventions/creations or not, you have to admit they shape our lives, culture - for better or for worse.

Wanting to protect jobs is a noble cause, but perhaps efforts might be better spent in education. Preparing youth for the jobs of tomorrow, not yesterday. Countries that invest strongly in education out perform the US in areas like math and science all the time. This breaks my heart as I know how huge a role math and science have and continue to play in my life. Knowing about the world around you and how it works I believe is part of understanding yourself and how you can best use your talents. It's leads and individuals to confidence, growth and their potential to improve their community.

I see a new Renaissance on the horizon. I see potential in ever flaw or problem. I remember that the vaccine for polio and the millions/billions it saved didn't come because from corporations, or the governments jobs program, but rather the son of immigrants who wanted simply to share his invention, his talent with the world.


Sorry - did I just get a little preachy? LOL

Having said that, better go out and buy some Nomex underwear!  But I do agree with you and it's actually the reason why I'm not at all gloom and doom about the Good ol' USA.  Guys like Zuckerberg, the founders of Google and many others are inventing the businesses of the future, creating billions of wealth, tens of thousands of jobs, millions in tax revenues.  Why are they doing it here?  Because with all our flaws we have the best combination of brains, and business environment to start a new venture.  People worry about illegal immigrants but forget about all the smart, well-educated people moving here from Europe and Asia because this is still the best place to succeed.  We will be all right.

It's nice to see a local DC provider post a thread here (a first perhaps?), but our problem isn't that we lack inventors, or even entremanures. It isn't even that 50,000 factories have closed or relocated since the passage of NAFTA. It's that this country is not creating wealth anymore.

Comics and facebook might be nifty, but what is it's real social utility? The music industry today is smaller today then it was in 1973. Thousands of businesses related to that industry is now hurting big time, everything from recording studios to equipment manufacturers are all having to downsize or go out of business. It's not because of digital downloads, but because music consumers don't have the disposable income to purchase music anymore.

While automation can create wealth for a society as a whole, it can only do this if the fruits of that automation is allocated to everyone. Unfortunately, capitalism don't work that way. Rather, we have an economy that assumes that the earth is an infinite resource as well as an infinite trashcan. And as we are just beginning to deal with this reality, engaging in energy resource wars, our goal is the waste of this blood and treasure in order to produce cars we can't sell to China because they don't meet their fuel economy standards and tennis shoes with lights in them.

What's worse, is that the United States needs $2 trillion dollars of investment in infrastructure just to play catch up with Brazil, and one of our only two political parties considers a 700 billion investment in infrastructure to be the worse scandal in American history. Meanwhile, the same political party belives abortion, and removing the 14th amendment right to Due Process of Law in order to screw over Hispanics are more pressing issues.

This country is doomed.

-- Modified on 5/17/2011 9:02:01 AM

Jonas Salk just happened to be the child of Russian/Jewish immigrants.

Not that it makes a difference here, but my friends who are Russian Jews say back home "Jewish" is more about politics for them than it is a religious denomination. Not sure if this was the case with Salk's family. But if one understands the history of Russian Jews especially after the revolution, it might make sense as to why he choose not to profit from his invention/discovery.

But it's not so simple as just building a fence.  Drugs also come north and guns go south.  Mexico is practically a NarcOcrasy, if there is such a word.  Then there's also the fact that a lot of Hispanics really do perform work Americans no longer want to do.  How many unemployed would there be in America if actual Americans were willing to do day labor or lawn work instead of sitting on their asses collecting unemployment?  Gawd! Now I sound like Glenn Beck!  But, yes, if we had 12 million Asians there might be a difference.  Though I think we already get a lot of Asian illegals, mainly Chinese smuggled in to work in kitchens, AMPs and the like.

-- Modified on 5/17/2011 9:48:14 AM

You said "we have an economy that assumes that the earth is an infinite resource as well as an infinite trashcan." The economy does not and cannot do this - people do.

I am not sure of your personal experiences or what you do, but my experience in life is "If you want to survive, you have to adapt." I am sure 15 years ago an escort could work hotel bars and such and be very successful. But with the internet and ladies' website, a guy can now go online and "order up" the exact girl he wants. Why would he hang out a bar hoping to find a working girl he may or may not like. So an escort who wants to continue to be successful, doesn't have to abandon bars/clubs, but she may will need to find a way to use this new medium.

I am an optimist - but not for the reasons you might think. I only need to look at others' and my own success to know the potential is there. Why does one music label/studio/artist flourish while another one dies? The simple answer is the successful one had a product which was popular and under high demand.  

As far as politics and the government, those leaders were elected. They are a sign of what some find the priorities of the day. And when voters change their minds, politicians will change. They are crafty at adapting, changing colors, ideals and such all the time - anything to stay in office. Is it right and/or ethical? That's up for debate, but it is a form of survival.

So my cynical friend, do you have or plan to start grassroots movement? I want every frustrated person to get involved. If something is not good enough, we all need stop focusing on the problem and get to working on the solution. That's why America is so great and not doomed - the opportunity to make a difference and make things right is always there.

People make up an economy. But good intensions aside, it don't matter, because all of our existing institutions are broken.

It's estimated that within 10 years, the music industry will be gone. The entire industry. Actual guitars, amps, & microphone manufacturers will be replaced with video games.

This country as a whole isn't moving forward. It's falling behind. Check this out.

http://gothamist.com/2011/01/10/photos_swedens_stunning_subway_stat.php#photo-1

Our politics has ceased to actually function. Our gov't is based upon representation. The implimentation of the People's Will through their elected representatives. When polled, some 80% of the people want to increase taxes on wealthy people. The rich get tax cuts instead.

Elections are now so stage managed by the public relations industry, that it has ceased to even remotely resemble a democratic process.  

I have been involved in grassroots movements continually since I was a teen, and what I've concluded is that it is literally impossible to solve anything. Our system is broken. Not tattered, not damaged, but broken.

I would wager, given the way things are going, that the best bet for survival and adaptation, is to keep your passport handy.

This country is not investing in the right things; infrastructure, education, healthcare, research, etc. We have pretty much dumbed down the population with our goofy education system in K-12. It is sad state of affairs when 80% of the high school students are not prepared for college and they are in remedial classes.

Wealth concentration in the hands of few, (400 families) doesn't drive innovation because they are sitting fat, dumb and happy. The investment activity they undertake are mostly speculative which in turn makes ordinary persons life even harder.

Indeed, Wall Street produces lot of profit so does many companies by producing goods in China. I am not saying that we have to bring manufacturing back. I am saying, we need to produce hi-tech products to keep our standard of living and to do that, we need an educated workforce, government and private sector investment scientific research. Future will be driven by educated work force, science and technology and whomever wins the game, will be the super power of the future.

I do not believe it is going to be China and I do not believe China will be able to keep manufacturing for the world. Their population is aging and in the next 10 years over 40% of the population will reach 70 years of age and they do not have replacement workers due to their one child policy.

How would china deal with that is anyone's guess at the moment since it is closed society with an autocratic political system.

I'm not sure why it matters that Facebook doesn't make steel or something that pollutes the atmosphere. And what about Google?  They have totally revolutionized research of all kinds.  Why, in this post-industrial age, should we worry if the growth comes from info-tech?  You sound like a Luddite.  Besides, the jobs, wealth and taxes created all look the same in the economic numbers.
As for the music industry, you are partly right.  But even in its diminished state, there is wealth to be made in that business.  If not, then why did Warner Music Group just change hands for a couple of billion?  I have a relative in the business (in A&R) and he's doing extremely well -- income in the six figures on his way to seven).
Lots of smart people are immigrating here.
Yes, we have big problems.  No, we are not doomed.

-- Modified on 5/19/2011 12:20:56 PM

Willy, clearly you have some experience in music (at least I hope so).  But sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and can lead to the wrong conclusions.  Yes, the music biz shrank drasitcally, and we all know why.  It wasn't because people don't like music any more.  My A&R friend works at the grass roots of the business, finding new talent, helping them get the resources to record their music, etc.  His business is booming.  And he's with a major label, not some digital start-up.  Music does, and always will, live.