a173df9f   
   From: dwalker@cs.rochester.edu   
      
   On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, ghost wrote:   
      
   >   
   > I've often wondered when the companies will move factories back to the   
   > US in order to actually put money into the market they draw from so   
   > relentlessly. Eventually someone will have to realize they can't support   
   > an economy with everything outsourced and the only potential buyers or   
   > Retail Workers with minimum wage jobs who live four to a one bedroom   
   > apartment because they can't afford rent on their own. It's a scray   
   > prospect to think about. No industry have unlimited growth.   
   >   
      
   Part of the problem with the retail situation is that the overall skill   
   level in those jobs has dropped.  Instead of the TV salesman knowing every   
   damn thing about the box he's about to sell you (and very likely having   
   some capacity to fix it), he knows slightly more about it than he does   
   about _L'Etranger_ in the original French, having never read Camus in his   
   life.  I think this is largely what needs to be addressed in order for a   
   service economy to be sustainable.   
      
   Frankly I blame a large part of it on youth employment.  I would guess   
   that close to 50% of the people in my high school graduating class held   
   jobs at the time (I'm a university student now).  My understanding (albeit   
   secondhand) is that working students were extremely rare in, say, the late   
   1960s (this is anecdotal evidence, if someone has actual statistics I'd   
   love to see them).  And of course, they usually work at Wal-Mart or at the   
   grocery store or wherever.   
      
   I guess my point is that if we're going to have a service economy, we need   
   for the jobs to be decent-paying positions requiring halfway committed   
   employees who show up on time and don't steal shit.  Instead what we have   
   is a situation where retail workers are treated as interchangeable widgets   
   in the system of the stores.   
      
   Something like this would probably require a massive revision of labor   
   laws, maybe raise the legal employment age to 18 and increase the minimum   
   wage (this is here in the States, of course).  Yeah, it would get pretty   
   restrictive, and very likely drive down sales of car stereo systems and   
   CDs, but I think in the long run it would be beneficial.  Then you could   
   actually have kids focusing on their education instead of being told that   
   they should hold a job in addition to fulfilling their roles as students.   
      
   >   
   > Eventually I will have a server. Really.   
   > ~/~ Sometimes I forget to pray I'll make it through this fucking day ~/~   
   >             www.accanthology.com ~/~ www.bitstreamnet.com   
   >                    take out the GARBAGE to email.   
   >   
      
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