Stu Savory had a post about NEETs (No Education, Employment or Training), a British term for those on the dole. I sent him this note:
I wonder about this whole thing. We automate factories so fewer workers can produce more goods. Businesses want more H1-B Visas so they can hire engineers from India and China. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor. One in a million may win a lottery of some sort (an actual lottery, or become a sports or movie star, or a business mogul). One in a hundred may land a "good" job, one that pays enough to buy a house, a car, health insurance and send your kids to college. What about the rest? They're screwed. Why even try, you just get kicked in the teeth by those on top who are only really interested in maintaining their position.
"Get a job" sounds good, but what if there aren't any jobs? And what about jobs that just slowly strangle you? They don't pay enough to pay for your living expenses, much less any savings. What's the point?
Something is seriously wrong with Western civilization, but I am not sure what it is.
I am all in favor of public works projects to put people to work. I think what we need is a grand construction project, like building a pyramid. Maybe that's why the pharoahs built the pyramids: they needed something to keep the unemployed masses occupied.
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