It's amazing to listen to the pundits on what's wrong with America, or Euroland, or Asia these days.
Consider:
APPARENTLY, THE "SINE QUO NON" FOR LATTER DAY ECONOMIC ENLIGHTENMENT IS---OPPRESSED WORKERS!!
In the US, jobs are poorly paid, and benefits hard to come by.
Consumer Debt is high and getting higher every day.
Yet, that state of affaires is considered to be: ENLIGHTENED ECONOMIC POLICY!
THE WORKFORCE IN THE US IS CALLED: "FLEXIBLE."
READ: SCARED STIFF OF LOSING THEIR JOBS.....THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE....AND THEIR CREDIT CARDS!
According to this New American Economics:
Euroland is "uncompetitive" because of its labor laws to protect their workers.
Euroland needs to be more Flexible!
They need to "reform" themselves; to have a more "dynamic" labor force.
But geeze, they already have 10% unemployment!
How much more "dynamic" and "flexible" can they get?
Europeans are attached to their welfare state, and moreover they are not as materialistic as Americans;
Eurolanders prefer more time off for vacations, leisure, and their infamous "Cafe Life Style." Think Starbucks, only 24.7.
But, with Universal Health Coverage for one and all, Europeans can AFFORD to sit around in Cafes all day and night!
EUROPEAN WORKERS HAVE MORE LIFESTYLE CHOICES AVAILABLE TO THEM;
SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.
AND, TRUTH BE TOLD, IT'S THE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE THAT KEEPS MANY EUROLANDERS FROM LOOKING FOR WORK!
THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE 10% "UNEMPLOYMENT!"
THAT'S THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET ABOUT AMERICA AND EUROPE THAT NO ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT!
My sense is that if the US had universal health care, the American unemployment rate would go up as well, OVER-NIGHT.
In fact, my theory on this is that:
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE IS GOOD FOR A 5% INCREASE IN THE OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATES! AS PEOPLE DROP OUT OF THE LABOR MARKET TO PERSUE LEISURE ACTIVITIES.
EUROLANDERS JUST DON'T HAVE TO WORK AS HARD, OR AS LONG TO GET WHAT THEY REALLY WANT.
IT'S NOT THAT EUROLAND IS "WRONG."
AND, THAT THE US IS "RIGHT."
EUROPEANS ARE NOT AS SHOPPING ORIENTED, NOR AS CONSUMPTION DRIVEN AS AMERICANS.
IS THIS REALLY "WRONG?"
WHAT IS "RIGHT' ABOUT LIVING YOUR LIFE TO PUSH A CART AROUND WALMART THREE TIMES A WEEK?
OR, TIFFANY'S FOR THAT MATTER........
FRANKLY, I THINK THE US SHOULD TRY BEING A LITTLE MORE "WRONG" FOR A WHILE!!
YOU KNOW, A LITTLE LESS LIKE CHINA AND INDIA, SO BELOVED BY TOM FRIEDMAN AND WALL STREET! AND A BIT MORE LIKE EUROPE
EUROLAND HAS MADE A LIFESTYLE CHOICE BASED ON QUALITY OF LIFE, NOT QUANTITY OF CONSUMPTION.
AMERICANS ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER THE LASH OF HIGH CONSUMER CREDIT, AND SPOTTY HEALTH CARE COVERAGE.
AND OUR WONDERFUL "FLEXIBILITY" MEANS THAT A MEXICAN OR CHINESE PERSON COULD TAKE YOUR JOB AT ANY TIME---JUST FOR THE ASKING!
DYSTOPIA, SWEET DYSTOPIA!
THE AMERICAN WORKER GETS MORE AND MORE LIKE THE ASIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN WAGE SLAVE EVERY YEAR.
BUT, WHO DECIDED THAT THIS WAS "GOOD?"
NOT ME.....AND PROBABLY NOT YOU EITHER.
IN 1953, SCI-FI WRITER, FREDERICK POHL, WROTE A CLASSIC BOOK CALLED "SPACE MERCHANTS."
IT WAS ABOUT A FUTURE DYSTOPIA WERE EVERYTHING IS CENTERED AROUND CONSUMPTION AND ADVERTISING, WITH A HUGE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR.
WELCOME TO MR POHL'S DYSTOPIA!
Postscript: You can probably find "Space Merchants" at your local paperbook exchange. If not try:
http://www.abe.com
