Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by OGinparadise on Saturday February 09, 2013 @05:42AM
(#5192279)
Think of the building and infrastructure industry! Paint with this and via, trillions saved (and lots of jobs lost) over time
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by chii on Saturday February 09, 2013 @08:26AM
(#5192471)
those jobs aren't lost - they are just not needed anymore!
Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by steve-howard on Saturday February 09, 2013 @07:43PM
(#5194812)
That's how structural unemployment works; as I recall economists are pretty sure it's a good thing. Unfortunately because its positive effects are general (everyone gets slightly better off) and the negative effects are local (a few people don't have careers any more), nobody else seems to see it that way.
Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by OGinparadise on Saturday February 09, 2013 @09:52AM
(#5192663)
Such nitpicking makes a lot of difference to an unemployed person.
Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by nathan_long on Saturday February 09, 2013 @03:30PM
(#5193887)
It should. The appearance of a new technology creates value which will be shared by society in some way. If a solar breakthrough removed the need for gasoline, oil workers would lose out in the short run, but every car owner would have more money to spend on other things, so jobs would be created elsewhere. Whereas if oil just disappeared, value would be lost overall.
Re:Next Time Your Mom Says Don't Go Out in The Rain, Spray Y...
by fennecfoxen on Saturday February 09, 2013 @12:15PM
(#5193104)
Indeed! But it makes a lot of difference to whichever schmucks who had to pay that person, too. Perhaps a few million homeowners spending a few hundred dollars less on painting services every year could buy something more meaningful than a guy standing around on a ladder fixing paint jobs that don't need to be broken.