| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 618.1 |  | CGVAX2::MICHAELS |  | Thu Nov 03 1988 14:35 | 3 | 
|  |     I'd pull the plug on the electricity and tell everyone
    
    "Don't worry. Be happy."
 | 
| 618.3 |  | LEZAH::BOBBITT | lunatic fringe | Thu Nov 03 1988 15:02 | 8 | 
|  |     I'd re-emphasize creativity and the arts, and perhaps get more people
    into volunteer work for various things.  
    
    Or I'd siphon them off into R&D for more cool things that we could
    export, thus improving the GNP.
    
    -Jody
    
 | 
| 618.4 | Let Me Say This About That | CSC32::D_SMITH |  | Sat Nov 05 1988 15:07 | 2 | 
|  |     I'd invent a job that did not require any expertise, and knowledge,
    or any understanding at all. I'd invent politians.
 | 
| 618.5 |  | COMET::BRUNO | The Shropshire Slasher! | Sat Nov 05 1988 17:00 | 7 | 
|  |          Fine tune the manufacturing process for the machine.  Begin
    exporting the machine to foreign countries.  Employ the displaced
    workers in the packaging, shipping, manufacturing, banking, and
    all other support industries which will pop up after the machine
    hits the big time.
    
                                      Greg
 | 
| 618.6 | Invalid premise | MINAR::BISHOP |  | Sat Nov 05 1988 17:49 | 22 | 
|  |     One of the premises of .0 is wrong:
    
    We are told "there just isn't anything for them to do."
    
    The desires of humanity are infinite.  There are always things
    that people want done.  Perhaps there are no people currently
    engaged in some of them, but if you free up 50 employables, then
    there are always things they could do (though not necessarily at
    prevailing wages...).
    
    You don't need to imagine an island and a machine: consider the
    agricultural revolution in the US over the last century and a bit:
    in 1840 more than 80% of the population was employed in agriculture;
    in 1940 less than 20% of a much larger population was employed in
    agriculture.  Yet the "extra" people were employed at new jobs,
    and both the total wealth and the per-capital wealth of the US
    increased.
    
    Real history clearly shows us that increasing the productivity
    of workers does not create unemployment.
    
    			-John Bishop
 | 
| 618.7 |  | RANCHO::HOLT | I'm more than chopped liver.. | Sun Nov 06 1988 13:03 | 7 | 
|  |      
    re .4
    
    Its so fashionable to bash politicos. Pity no one can come up
    with a better instrument for excercizing power. 
    
    You'd rather just have Caesar, then? 
 | 
| 618.8 |  | COMET::BRUNO | VOTE! or forever hold your peace. | Sun Nov 06 1988 21:00 | 5 | 
|  |     Re: .7
    
         He was a wimp.  I'll take Chaka Zulu.
    
                                   Greg
 | 
| 618.10 | Elect a solution | HOTJOB::GROUNDS | CAUTION: Yuppies in road | Mon Nov 07 1988 18:46 | 4 | 
|  |     RE: .4 (politicians)
    
    Ah yes... the ultimate public works project!!!  What would we do
    if all those folks were unemployed?
 | 
| 618.11 | ....just like we do here at Digital | CGVAX2::WOOD |  | Wed Nov 09 1988 13:35 | 2 | 
|  |     Give 'em Notes files. 
    
 |