luddites!

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: luddites!
>   From: Brad Parker <brad at heeltoe.com>
>   Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 13:15:00 -0400
>     To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>
>"Jeff Davis" wrote:
>>
>>Well, your own example proved the existance of productivity gains - 3 people
>>with a machine could produce as much as 10 people without the machine, ergo
>>the 3 people are more productive.  If you give 9 of those workers the
>>machines, and keep 1 around to do maintenance on the machines, the whole group
>>is nearly 3x as productive.
>
>yes, but what if the 7 people who loose their jobs leave town and the town
>goes belly up?
>
>if you measure at the planet level it all probably makes sense, but at a
>local level it's not so clear.
>
>20,000 unemployed textile works in NC who won't ever be retrained may
>have a better understanding of this effect...  (but only in NC).
>
>-brad

I cannot argue with that. Nor did I say that it was pleasent.  I will say 
that technological change has been responsable for several migrations and
those that didn't now commute a distance that took as many as 3-4 days by
wagon at one time.  

The wholesale movement of production from one local to another of far lower
employement is older than automation and has always come with a social and
economic price that automation alone did not always entail.  It's very 
different to have ones job change then the facility disappear completely.


Allison