what we really need to go into space

--- In ssi_list@... "Valens Agnitio"

>
> A good friend of mine, a professional musician who ran the
> marketing department of a famous school of music for several years
said:
> "Val, everybody I've worked with hat is into the music has been
good, but
> the industry is evil." And he's the guy that the RIAA is
suppossedly
> defending...

I agree that the value is with the musician and not the label. The
reason I brought up RIAA is that without IP laws, that industry
wouldn't exist.

> And they keep adding more! This directly affects me, so I
understand the
> necessity despite the many times head-aches :-).

Yes, investor confidence is key.

> These are excellent ideas. Using taxing controls as means to
stimulate
> motivation and ability are excellent ways of encouraging business,
and are
> used as such on a routine basis. Perhaps these things should be on
the
> agenda?
>

Considering that the OilPeak has been reached and we're finding less
in reserves than we're consuming, and China is ascendent, I think
somebody better jump out of the short-term mentality and do some
long range planning. Of course, with a politician's horizon of only
4 years, I don't think anything will happen until crisis is upon us.

> While there is no question that the US economy may falter, I think
that the
> current potential energy is huge.

Indeed it is. That is a competitive advantage that the US possesses.
How will it be used?

> If the stewardship of our economy is handled correctly,

The political system of the US stresses the benefits to be gained
from the cash flow of government rather than through the proper
management of long term capital. It actually makes sense for Bush to
push for a Prescription Benefits Bill and offer no revenue stream to
pay for it because he'll get the benefits from the voters
immediately and leave the problems for his successors. He gets no
gain from implmenting a funding stream. He'll be charged with
raising taxes.

I don't call the system, as it's set up, to be supportive of
responsible stewardship.

> Look at the amount of liquidity being held right now as investors
> ponder the market...

Keep in mind that there is a lot of capital floating through short-
term monetary instruments, yes, but much is locked up in real
estate, which is not liquid, is in a bubble situation, and when the
larger structural issues facing the economy need to be addressed,
the remedies will pop the bubble and people may be losing that
wealth but be stuck with their debts. We may yet again see negative
equity becoming common in some real estate markets. Also, if you
look at the economic fundamentals in the market we still haven't
washed away the last bubble and the excess capacity.

> Well, demographics will be presenting similar challenges but to a
far
> greater extent in Europe and Japan. China has a diffrerent issue
with the
> lack of young females and a rigid birth control policy in effect
for several
> decades. India has massive potential, but many cultural and social
obstacles
> that will delay their big entry for at least another decade.
South America
> has its share of difficulties to work on, and the MidEast is a
foregone
> conclusion. It looks like these level the playing field a bit.

Give these reports a gander:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2437069

Here is Samuel Huntington's recent essay on "The Hispanic Challenge"
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id$95

Whether you agree with Huntington or not, he should be read. I don't
buy into the rebuttal that he's just a closed minded xenophobe. He's
a respected scholar who has data to back up his assertions. There
are some good rebuttals to his work, but people should read what he
has to say for themselves.

Look to the 4th generation education achievements and how they
compare to the rest of society. Assimilation isn't occuring as
quickly as people think.

This raises a problem for those who hold the proposition that all it
takes to achieve American levels of producitivity and wealth is to
be borne in the US and work hard to succeed. The nature of what is
means to be American is changing. This is what I meant when I wrote
that the US is going through a societal transformation. This makes
prediction more difficult.

> In the end, the American worker is one of the most flexible in the
> world, capable of switching career fields at the drop of a hat.
Europe
> cannot or will not match this ability due to their strong efforts
to
> preserve the status quo (with the notable exception of the
Brits).This will
> serve them well in the future, and certainly gives them a leg up
in the
> world economic picture.

You're invoking some hidden assumptions here. What makes the
American worker so special. Is it genetic? Is it cultural? Is it
institutional? If the past is an indicator for the future, then the
factors of the past shouldn't change. America is changing through
demographics. There are dsygenic trends. Education, which was a
social equalizer, is being defunded, so education is now more
dependent on wealth. The culture is changing. In the end, I think a
hopeful reliance on faith needs to be examined for the causes that
make American workers so flexible. Keep in mind that while European
productivity lags America, they also work fewer hours per year. When
you equalize for this, productivity almost equalizes.

TangoMan