The end of work

Future history books might look back on the late 20th century and early 21st century as one of the periods of the greatest concentration of wealth. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Just look at New Orleans. In the CR, the recent labor-code and bank-fees controversies can be seen simply as a battle of state regulation vs. the free market, but there are also long-term societal implications. Jeremy Rifkin, a U.S. author, spoke in Prague this month of the "end of work." No major companies are hiring, he said. Instead, they're automating so that workers aren't needed. Those who own the means of production - or the ATMs - are getting richer, while more and more of the population is falling by the wayside. Ultimately, it's the Right and the rich that have the most to lose. For their own sake, they had better find a solution to this Marxian conundrum.