I like to start my blogs with a picture. I thought this one was appropriate. Enjoy this blog, it's not only informative it's even a little amusing! This is a quote from the White House:
In 1950, there were 16 workers to support every one beneficiary of Social Security.
Today, there are only 3.3 workers supporting every Social Security beneficiary.
In 2008 – just three short years from now – baby boomers will begin to retire. And over the next few decades, people will be living longer and benefits are scheduled to increase dramatically. By the time today’s youngest workers turn 65, there will only be 2 workers supporting each beneficiary.
You can read more at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/social-security/
In the UK we have Secretary John Hutton pushing through parliament the Welfare Reform Bill. It will force mentally ill and chronically sick people to attend “work focused interviews” and if they don’t benefits will be cut. It is not an infringement of Human Rights says Secretary Hutton.
So if we are that desperate that we need to take such drastic action as getting chronically sick people to work or endure more poverty what is the answer to this crisis and how widespread is it? Does it just affect the USA and UK or the whole of the Western world – or even the whole world?
What do we do about it? I have two answers the first involves efficiency…..
Scrap all taxes that we don’t need like income tax, the TV licence (yes it is a tax), the excise licence on cars, council tax. I’ll think of more later….
What do we replace them with? Higher taxes on gasoline and diesel to make our roads less gridlocked. Introduce higher taxation on aviation fuel so the air traffic controllers don’t have to rack em and stack em. The skies are getting bloody grid locked. Increase VAT so manufactured goods that use up energy (being produced) and contribute to global warming get taxed more. Fund local authorities out of business rates – they may be more business friendly then.
What about all those people collecting in income tax, car tax, TV licences and council tax? Didn’t you read what George W Bush says? By 2008 we will be short of workers! Let them work – they are more capable than the chronically sick, disabled and the elderly.
But why stop there. How about using – yes you guessed it – human computation! This is where I invite you to watch the video. In this video the guy explains how you can get people to work – even old and sick people by using human computation – you invent a game that gets them to do stuff that computers can’t. Yahoo Answers has people working for free! Amazon will pay you 1 cent to do stuff that computers can’t and only takes a mind destroying few seconds….
This is the link to my blog on human computation:
http://mike10613-humancomputation.blogspot.com/
Robots ?
So we have loads of tax collectors free to do productive work. We have lots of old and sick people willing to work for free through human computation – just make it interesting enough. But what else can we do? You’ve guessed haven’t you? Yes, robots and computers. Yes, make the computers do the office work and the robots do the manual work! Simple ideas always work best. Imagine for a moment if Scrooge had a computer instead of Bob Scratchitt. A computer can do the work of a 1,000,000 bookkeepers! Besides, there are a lot of people in China hoping to do all the manual work for us for many years to come.
I know, how do you get a computer to serve coffee and a doughnut to a overweight American cop on a break. Tell him to get off his fat arse and get it himself! But Penthouse would go out of business and how about the porno business? No worries, the Japanese are working on it. They have cartoon characters that can do things you would not believe. Swinging from the chandeliers is nothing…. Manga porn is the future of the pornography industry.
I know who will clean the house. Go minimalist. Robot vacuum cleaners will get around much easier then. How about medicine? Computers and robots can’t replace doctors and nurses? They can help! They can ask questions and give the doctor a lot of information before you even see him (or her).
Computers and robots can’t replace cops? Can they? They have where I live – they call them speed cameras…. Yes, but for real crime? A computer can answer a phone and give you a crime number – just the same. But we would need some real detectives to investigate serious crimes. But again technology would make it easier. Who did it? Not me I was at the ATM at 11.37pm on Tuesday and I can prove it…. Someone got raped at midnight? I was logging in to www.hireaslapper.co.uk and I can prove it! It took my IP, credit card number and put a cookie on my computer.
Computers and robots can’t replace politicians? Ah, gotcha there! George W Bush, John Hutton or a computer? Difficult choice, maybe we should have an election……. I’ll vote robot. It still won’t work – people need personal service. I know! Elderly people need post offices and personal services rather than using ATM machines. Did that stop the government closing post offices and forcing elderly people to use ATM machines? Don’t be silly… Not everyone can buy their Lotto ticket online like you! No, but they will have to bloody learn or do without…. Some people have learning difficulties what about them? They can go in to politics the same as they always have…..
Welfare reform – I have all the answers and more. For a large consideration I’ll be a consultant to both governments. I’ll email my suggestions and brilliant ideas in on a regular basis. In the meantime you too can be part of the American dream and never worry about ever needing welfare just click one of the Google ads that promises you a new business that will make YOU rich overnight….
In the meantime, visit my tiny website if you’re not in England this is the most economical way to visit. If it doesn’t display properly buy a new widescreen monitor.
http://www.mike10613.talktalk.net
Best wishes to all my friends on every continent and incontinent from England….
Mike10613
