We do not need to maximize wealth creation in every sector. More wealth is indeed created in the transport sector with an auto centric, suburb to suburb commuting model than would be created with a mass transit centric model.
Our wealth maximizing auto based transport system is a bad bad thing.
1) The system trashes the planet. oil spills, CO2, wars for scarce oil, huge wasting of space, pollution from drilling, smog. And on and on and on.
2) Wealth creation possibilities overall are unlimited hence there is no reason to maximize wealth in any given sector. I think a case could even be made that *minimizing* wealth per sector should be a goal: that means humanity has the resources to undertake the maximum number of tasks. Lets say the number of persons employed in transportation is decreased from 25 million to .5 million. Some would say this would be a disaster. But what if the 24.5 million who "lost their jobs" in the transport sector are doing other things that are not being done by *anyone* at the present time - like implementing a nanotechnology cure for cancer and hundreds of other tasks - and lets say the .5 million people still employed in the transport sector are able to move people as fast and with as much convenience as now. Lets say the new transport sector is massively more efficient and uses a fraction of the energy that it does now. This would be a very good thing!
Moving from the current auto/oil/steel based transport system to a much more efficient transport system is not likely to happen with our current socio-political-economic system barring some sort of a great depression 2 type disruption.
Decreasing the size as I have suggested above means decreasing power, clout, influence. Decreased CEO paychecks for the top guys. Fewer jobs *in the sector*. That just isn't going to happen without a fight or disruption. People are to greedy and short sighted.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment