Utopian tech?

[ish mailian]

Not everyone viewed job loss as a promise of more leisure or education
time.  The government and business countered anxiety but failed to
invest in real solutions for the most vulnerable workers. Without
unions the workers are more and more like Bartelby working for a John
Jacob Astor.

Remarks Upon Signing Bill Creating the National Commission on
Technology, Automation, and Economic Progress.
August 19, 1964

Technology is creating both new opportunities and new obligations for
us-opportunity for greater productivity and progress--obligation to be
sure that no workingman, no family must pay an unjust price for
progress.

Automation is not our enemy. Our enemies are ignorance, indifference,
and inertia. Automation can be the ally of our prosperity if we will
just look ahead, if we will understand what is to come, and if we will
set our course wisely after proper planning for the future.

That is the purpose of this commission. I hope and I expect that its
work will benefit the workingman and benefit the businessman, and
serve the interests of the farmer and the professionals and all of our
people in America.

On Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 7:18 PM, Krafft, John M. <krafftjm at miamioh.edu> wrote:
> Not to argue with Monte, for sure, but also, remember when robots were
> supposed to take over all the unpleasant jobs and leave us _all_ so
> much more time for education and cultured leisure? "Job loss" was a
> promise, not a threat.
>
> John
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