The Soapbox

Joined: 01/04/2001 Posts: 27159
Likes: 34521

What's this?

Who knows how it will look?

Not the way you just described, because the future is simply unknowable. So yes, Detroit and the entire world of the 1950s no longer exists. And we live with new challenges and new opportunities. In the 1950s, you could exist very stably in the middle class with a HS diploma. Quite soon thereafter that stopped being true. And the way we think about higher education today is under fire and evolving.

Bottom line, the skills required constantly change and evolve. We can't really plan for it, because we don't know how it will play out. We need to build in flexibility. That can be harsh. Means companies have to be able to fire people and evolve. The article at the top talks about % of the workforce in agriculture dropping from 40%+ to 4%. Of course, if we bucked that trend as Carter wanted, that number would probably be 0% and we'd have no food security, because agribusiness would've died in this country.

Something similar is now happening with mfg. Nobody knows where tomorrow's jobs will come from (when we were in a panic about Japan in the 1980s, nobody knew about the Internet yet), but as long as we don't stand in the way, I have complete faith they will come from someplace. Maybe among the examples Balz mentions, in addition to things we couldn't possibly imagine right now.

(In response to this post by 81_Hokie)

Posted: 04/27/2016 at 1:25PM

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Current Thread:

Mirage of a Return to Manufacturing Greatness -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 09:14AM

See Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave (1980) and Future Shock (1970). ** -- Seattle .Hoo 04/27/2016 11:01AM

Good calls - Future Shock, written mostly in the 60s I think, could apply -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 1:14PM

First rule of forecasting: all forecasts are wrong. ** -- WaxHoo 04/27/2016 4:18PM

Good article, good post -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 10:37AM

It seems like you are promoting the status quo -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 3:13PM

If you define "status quo as promoting free trade in general over -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 4:06PM

Pandering to ignorance is a huge part of election campaigns in -- SixerHoo 04/27/2016 10:20AM

Not accurate to say that our govt has not created an unstable environment -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 09:48AM

It's cheap labor & automation. All else is at the margins.** -- WaxHoo 04/27/2016 10:53AM

So how does 15$ min wage help with that ** -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 5:11PM

Why are you asking me ...? ** -- WaxHoo 04/27/2016 7:26PM

** -- WaxHoo 04/27/2016 10:52AM

Just once, why don't you try processing a set of facts and coming -- SixerHoo 04/27/2016 10:26AM

Are you denying any of those items in the list? -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 3:09PM

I was a partner in a business for decades. NONE of the things on your list, -- SixerHoo 04/27/2016 5:06PM

LMAO this might be one of the silliest posts i have ever read -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 6:27PM

Oh no! Another taxes dont effect business poster -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 5:19PM

Did you even read that post? ** -- 111Balz 04/27/2016 8:22PM

Who said laws and regulations don't affect business decisions? -- SixerHoo 04/27/2016 5:59PM

Or they can move jobs offshore and not have to worry about govco -- TomKazanski 04/27/2016 6:23PM

Clearly you didn't read the article linked in the OP. ** -- SixerHoo 04/28/2016 07:11AM

The tide is inexorable. -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 10:07AM

Couple of comments -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 10:56AM

Couple of replies: -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 11:27AM

I certainly agree with -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 12:07PM

IMO you've devoted way too much effort to that last paragraph. -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 12:55PM

I guess I would just say -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 1:24PM

I would rather you be right about China, all things considered. -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 1:36PM

You raise an interesting point with regard to our "exponential export -- Hoos Operator 04/27/2016 11:14AM

Yes but I am one who thinks -- fishhoo 04/27/2016 11:33AM

Reading Donald's victory speech, I as struck by how he went -- Shenhoo 04/27/2016 10:50AM

Good post. Likely a sizable portion of our workforce does need new skills -- 111Balz 04/27/2016 10:26AM

One issue is that the jobs are so stratified. Absolutely, we can lead in -- 81_Hokie 04/27/2016 10:39AM

Who knows how it will look? -- hoolstoptheheels 04/27/2016 1:25PM

Knowable? Of course not but people make predictions. The trend is that as -- 81_Hokie 04/27/2016 4:20PM

Well, there are reasons, but they are not as currently profitable -- 111Balz 04/27/2016 6:30PM

We all want American jobs/ American wages for all w/ Walmart prices on all -- TpkeHoo 04/27/2016 09:24AM

The labor force need jobs that warrant high wages. ** -- WaxHoo 04/27/2016 11:19AM

That's a good line about the Verizon workers ** -- KCHoo 04/27/2016 09:19AM