America is a sick society

[pbrower2a]

(08-01-2017, 09:14 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(07-31-2017, 02:56 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: Flyover country was on track to a better developed future with higher educational attainment, prior to being decimated by globalism.

I don't think so.  Globalism would have been replaced by automation, leading to the same end.  Industrialization impacted society in much the same way, but there was a safety valve in all those industrial jobs industrialization created.  We don't have that this time.  Working smart is good for those who have the inclination and ability.  I think the ability is there.  I'm less certain about inclination.

So long as the incentives remain remain for getting a solid education or training, people will get their educations and training. Let's remember that productivity will remain high just to produce the electronic gadgets likely to be replaced due to obsolescence.

Even if one does blue-collar work, working smart is preferable to working hard. There are still well-paid blue-collar jobs (such as machining) to be had. How important is machining? It might be necessary to replacing a critical component on a used, but generally desirable piece of expensive equipment -- like a car -- when there are no after-market manufacturers. Junk the car and buy another, or get the critical part? That could be an easy decision.

America went from being a rural society  in which many were farm workers to an industrial society in which far fewer people worked on farms. What happened to all the farm workers? They went into manufacturing which paid better and more reliably. The transition from a manufacturing economy to a service economy did not go so smoothly. Just look at all the urban wrecks -- Springfield, Massachusetts; Camden and Newark, New Jersey; Cleveland and Youngstown, Ohio; Gary, Indiana; Detroit and Flint, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Birmingham, Alabama...