From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Sun Sep 01 2002 - 11:31:19 MDT
In a message dated 9/1/2002 10:53:54 AM Central Standard Time,
d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au writes: This one fell over on its back the
moment I touched it. The trick is knowing the balance point. I repeat, with
serious intent, that Ron's parable fits one view of how the world works,
And I want to be on record with serious intent that in a world where a person
laid off from their job is regarded all too often as a person whose
productivity has been lost forever it is worthwhile to remind people that the
person still has worth. That worth extends far beyond doing the humane thing
and seeing they don't starve. It extends beyond trying to retrain them for
employment that will only drive down the wages for their coworkers in some
cases. It extends to regarding anyone that wants to work as an unemployed
asset that can be of benefit to themselves and to the community. Most
employers and investors know this so the question is why are not the
employers and investors breaking their necks to employ and train these
workers.
A personal note that I think illustrates the problem. In 1951 I left
the cotton farm and arrived in the big city (St. Louis) on a Sunday
afternoon. The next morning I hoofed over to my cousins house bright and
early. I was an underage HS dropout but on the other hand I could do basic
arithmetic reliably and I was used to hand tools and powered machinery --
i.e., I knew not to go poking my finger into spinning parts. Jobs were
plentiful as the economy was booming. My cousin took me to his place of
employment, his foreman talked to me for 10 minutes before putting me to
work. I didn't work out on my first job (too excited at my new surroundings)
but as I said workers were scarce so the foreman moved me to a radically
different kind of work where all my excited energy was an asset. Under the
circumstances I became a star. In 18 months the guy had trained me to be a
decent young machinist. He would have me set up the machines I was familiar
with, him or the inspector would check my setup and I would start production.
The serious question is, what happened? Sure, I know about the
advances in engineering after all I am an engineer -- I was out in those
shops and saw those happen. But you know what? When I was a kid in those
shops I used to sit and listen to the old timers talk about the technological
progress they had seen and how we, the newcomers, had to jump right in. Time
has passed, I have become the old timer but the conversation hasn't changed a
whit. We learned and adapted in my time, these kids coming up are just as
smart.
As to the new technology, those are only tools that we learn to use.
But, having learned to make them run does not imply for a second that we are
using those tools well either individually or collectively.
My observation is that we use the people and the technology very
unproductively.
But back to my original point? What has happened that the unemployed
are no longer viewed as valuable assets? Why aren't employers & investors
putting those people to work to make money for everybody?
Sorry for the rant folks, but this thread is on my favorite subject --
manufacturing. <G>
Ron h.
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