a173df9f   
   From: Alienthe@hotmail.com   
      
   David Walker wrote:   
      
   > 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.   
      
      
   I have heard this argument many times, many places but I am not   
   entirely convinced. Is it really necessary to know much more   
   than it takes to do the job at hand? I am all for increasing the   
   level of knowledge, I believe it is important to keep democracy   
   working but just for doing a job, well feel free to convince me.   
   And yes, I know that the Japanese have stated that a highly   
   educated workforce is one of the keys to their success.   
      
   I am however more convinced that skills and knowledge at the   
   managerial levels are important and overlooked.   
      
   > 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.   
      
      
   I have known of places where everything that was not bolted to   
   the floor was immediately stolen and what was bolted down   
   disappeared next day. Sure, that is not conducive to productivity.   
      
   > 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.   
      
      
   Education and career structure varies around the world. Just   
   to return to Japan (for that extra Cyber-point) the time at   
   University is a time of freedom. It is murder to get in to the   
   elite universities but once in life is actually rather good and   
   many have a job as well (or "arbaito" as they call it). These   
   can often be mundane jobs, yet after graduation they might go to   
   the ministries or megacorps. On retiring many start a corner   
   shop or something similar. The point is, their career path is   
   changing across time, while otehr countries it is more or less   
   set and continue at the same level. It seems to work for them,   
   why don't you think it will work in the West?   
      
   ==<)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)