More Time to Play Beats 'More Toys'

The danger in the past was that men might become slaves. The danger of the future is that man might become robots.

Erich Fromm

 

ARE AMERICANS THE FIRST WAVE OF ROBOTS?

Hours Worked Each Year by Country

    Norway               1399    

    Sweden               1552  

    Germany            1560  

    France                1656 

    England              1731*  

    Canada               1732* 

    New Zealand      1838*          

    Australia            1867* 

    U.S.                    1996*

 

*WHAT IT MEANS: English speakers

                                     may not be too bright. 

 Why?

Because Norway, Sweden, Germany, England  and France  work less but have living standards comparable to the US.

       

English speakers have to work longer to live as well as the others.

U.S. workers earn more, but the U.S. no

longer has the highest Standard of Living.

 

 

No, Virginia, the U.S. doesn't have the highest productivity per hour worked .

     --France does ( a 35 hour work week and 30 days legally mandated vacation). 

      Maybe Americans' productivity falls because they're overworked.

We get a double whammy - the longest commute times and work more hours.

Why not decrease our work week by the percentage that US productivity goes up each year.  With a 2.5% per year increase in productivity - you know, computers and stuff- we'd be working a 24 hour week in 20 years. I could live with that! 

We'd still get pay raises for merit, improved skills and inflation. You might say we'd just get 2% less raise than usual and that 2% we'd get as reduced time at work.

We'd keep producing as much as a nation, and each of us could improve our pay with merit pay raises. 

 

HOME

CONTACT US

Comments - read them or add yours