01-03-2017, 05:41 PM
Quote:I'm retired, so this has a minimal impact on me personally, but it also seems axiomatic that continuous productivity improvements coupled with Moore's Law technology improvements will translate at some point into a virtually zero cost of production environment. Why would people be employed in that case, unless there is some heavy-handed mandate from government to do so?
One should always be careful of linear extrapolation. Particularly when that leads to claims like "zero cost of production environment", which would imply zero material costs and a negligible price as well (as in a competitive market margins tend to fall towards the production cost).
Quote:I'm not claiming we're there yet or even close.
I'm pretty sure you said within the next 20-30 years, which is pretty close. I can go back and quote you if you like, but if you are willing to drop the claim why belabor the point. So, since this is not apparently that close, do you have any further objections to my claim that manufacturing can and should be brought back on shore?
Quote:Yet the horizon is not infinite, and trends are not abating.
I question the extent to which the trend you mention is pointing inexorably in the direction you think it is. But we'll see.