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Social Security running out of $$$ again......


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Ed, so much of that is wishful thinking. Bots write stories to be read by other bots, not people. If you need a bunch of content to make a search engine bot happy, a bot is your man, so to speak. Discovery by lawyers? Yeah a bot is going to question witnesses and make them sweat... not bloody likely. Even the basic facts are wrong. Horses are actually increasing in numbers in the US right now. I know you despise capitalism but it just lifted a billion Chinese out of the gutter in less than a generation, and another billion or so in India are following behind them.

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That's your opinion. I hope you're right, but you're probably not; Moore's Law is alive and well and the accelerator factor of all these graduate students sharing data and ideas is just coming to bear fruit.

 

So, when this technological plateau arrives, there will be large political considerations. THis is not picking any side, this is just to say that there will be consequences.

 

But, you say, no way. That's a relief. :)

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Well,if you accept Moore's Law as a law, rather than the conjecture it actually is, then anything is possible.

 

Things that were once luxuries are now common place. If our standard of living were stuck in 1948, and no new products were being developed, we would be in the exact crisis position that the video threatens. What actually happens is that one thing does lead to another. For example, lets say that robots make it possible to dramatically lower the cost of photovoltaic electricity. It becomes less expensive than grid power. This would free up hundreds of billions of dollars in the economy that could be used to do other things, and robots would not be crawling around on roof tops installing everything. Cars that don't require drivers don't cause drivers to be unemployed, they free up driving time for more productive purposes. What could one do with an extra hour a day?

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It's true we've lost a lot of manufacturing jobs since the 50s, but look at the tech industry. Microsoft, google, amazon, Oracle, dell, hp. Telecom. Cable/Satellite. Wireless. None of these jobs existed back in the 50s and these companies not only pay far above minimum wage they offer a lot of six figure jobs as well. A backhoe operator makes a lot more than a manual ditch digger. Wagons and buggies got replaced with cars. Did the wagon and buggy makers whine about it or did they learn how to make cars or something else that was still in demand?

 

As old jobs become obsolete, new ones are created. Auto mechanics now have to use computers. Someone has to build, program, support and service those robots on the assembly line and those are higher paying jobs.

 

Microwave ovens used to cost $1000 back in the 80s. Now they're $39. Same with computers, TVs, etc. So now we can afford multiple TVs, cell phones and a microwave instead of just one microwave or one 25" TV.

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"...Unfortunately, many young Americans who want to join cannot. Startling statistics released by the Pentagon show that 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are currently unable to enlist in the United States military. Three of the most common barriers for potential recruits are failure to graduate high school, a criminal record, and physical fitness issues, including obesity..."

 

http://cdn.missionreadiness.org/NATEE1109.pdf

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"...Unfortunately, many young Americans who want to join cannot. Startling statistics released by the Pentagon show that 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are currently unable to enlist in the United States military. Three of the most common barriers for potential recruits are failure to graduate high school, a criminal record, and physical fitness issues, including obesity..."

 

http://cdn.missionreadiness.org/NATEE1109.pdf

History of drug convictions, also.

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