"By 2,000, the machines will be producing so much that everyone in the U.S. will be independently wealthy. With government benefits, even nonworking families will have, by one estimate, an annual income of $30,000 to $40,000... How to use leisure meaningfully will be a major problem" - prediction in Time magazine, February 25, 1966
Oh, where to begin... This is on a par with the apocryphal phrase often attributed to the head of the US Patent Office, Charles Duell, in 1899, that "everything that can be invented has been invented". This is an issue that we usually evolving from science fiction - the prediction is not placed far enough in the future. Witness 2001: A Space Odyssey, on one hand - we were supposed to have far-ranging space vessels by this point. On the flip side is Star Trek, where the handheld communicator that allowed Captain Kirk to call the ship is now laughably outdated by a $100 smartphone...
The timing of course coincides with Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" as part of the "Great Society" nonsense that sought to, depending on who you ask, either end poverty or keep the poor voting Democratic for the next several generations. One look at the state of poverty and voting trends today to see which side was right... It's interesting, is it not, that even in 1966 Time magazine was planted firmly in the back pocket of the Democrats.
Media bias: shilling for Democrats since the grandparents of the 99%ers were smelly hippies...
That is all.
1 comment:
Since a household on welfare has more disposable income than a household earning $60K/year, the times article isn't too far off. Looks like they got exactly what they wanted.
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