Critique of out with the old in with the new
by: Ken Tisch
In the afore mentioned blog the pros and cons of the rapid advances technology were discussed. The argument of efficiency vs humanity was introduced. It piqued my curiosity by making me wonder what effect some of the pros and cons will have long run on the economy.
Perhaps the easiest side to address is the technology is a good thing side. It does make the average joe able to get more stuff done in a day than was dreamed possible 60 years ago. By this efficiency the company saves time and money and is able to reinvest more into expanding the company potentially hiring more people and getting bigger and bigger (the same could be said for the economy at large. It has also made it easy to buy and sell via the internet and electronic money, they even say that in afew years well all have little chips with bank accounts on em and all we'll ever need to do to buy anything is swipe a card or even our hand! The possibilities for economic growth here are tremendous!
On the other hand technology has a bad side as well. Because its made things quick and easy it could be argued that the average person is much more lazy and apt to cut corners than before which of course can lead to a decrease in the quality of goods produced. It also causes health problems since one can literally do everything without hardly ever getting up there are major problems with obesity and diabetes in recent years. These health issues cause all sorts of prices to rise and can affect the performance of a workforce.(great for low fat food suppliers and self help novelists though ;)... ) It has also opened the doorway to a new menace cyber-crime and identity theft which is responsible for millions of lost dollars per year.
Before I go there is one point that Im quite neutral on. Technology raises the bar in terms of education. Back 60 years ago one could support a family with a job that merely required a highschool education but now one needs at least a BA in order to live comfortably. This means that more people will get higher education so they can live the life the want. On the one hand if everyone is better educated then woohoo better people to run the country. But if everyone is educated what happens to the value of a BA diploma?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Out with the old, in with the new
As times have changed we have become more and more dependent on technology. Computers are are doing jobs that would have taken hundreds of people to do. But is this good for our nation? Will be lose knowledge, experience and hard work for an easy click of a button? Sure computers are helping companies produce their products quicker and cheaper but are they helping the economy at all. More and more people are losing jobs to technology and we are forgetting how things used to be done, with hard work and determination.
In this comic strip from www.cartoonstock.com it shows a boss explaining to four of his workers, the new factory manager. It shows exactly what is occurring in today world. This follows the basic rule of supply and demand. With the advancement in technology firms are able to reduce the number of workers and wages and are able to produce more products for a cheaper price. This is allow the firms to decrease the price of production and increase the amount of production. With an increase of production price the firm can lower their price of the product, increase the consumer's demand and because it is cheaper and easier to produce the supply of the product with also increase.
More importantly, is this advancement in technology helping out the nation economically? Sure it is lowering prices of products which allows consumers to go out and spend money but with the decrease in jobs it makes spending money very difficult. We are in very difficult times financially right now and as more and more people lose jobs due to technology we are only going to be put into tougher times. The demand for jobs is becoming lower and lower and the demand for technology replacing those jobs is only increasing. They makes companies more money and more products at a lower price. Who would blame them? No one. However, it is truly hurting more people than it is helping.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Heroin: the dark side of supply
Recently we all have been hearing about the drug wars in mexico on the news, the violence, the immigration issues, the spilling over of the problem into border states such as Texas or Arizona. But has anyone dared ask the questions "how did it start?" or "What are the ramifications within the drug market?" Sadly Ive not the time to go into significant detail but a good coverall is the heroin market and whats been going on there recently.
Heroin was originally introduced to the US in the 1970's from the middle and far East but since then times have changed. South American producers have now taken over as the main provider of heroin to the US and have improoved production, they are now able to make a far purer (purity is a measurement of how much of what you buy is actually heroin not just fillers like sugar or dried milk) product than the orientals ever could by improoving how the poppy plants are processed yielding a product that is consistantly 50-80% pure. This makes the drug all the more potent allowing more and easier ways to take the drug with desired results as well as increasing the danger of overdose and addiction. Another reason for the rise in heroin supply is the scarcity of cocaine and meth, two substitute products that are becoming less common thus allowing heroin to step into their place.
To put it in fun economic terms the "supply curve" of heroin is shifting out and the demand for it is rising. New technology and easy access to willing buyers fosters growth and higher outputs for the producers and sellers. The decrease in demand and supply for two of it's substitute products allows for even greater expansion. The last big help in the equation is its quality. A dealer can sell the product for low prices and still get large returns because after one or two sells at $10 each you will have a VERY loyal customer who is very happy to have the euphoric product which he/she can choose how to take and get a deadly powerful high, and besides once theyre hooked you can jack up prices because the product just became inelastic. However if the product is so pure that your customers easily OD ou wont have any demand for the product and so the maryj. and coke guys start comin into your turf. On the flip side though, because of all the violence goin on down there i'd imagine it to have a detrimental effect on the heroin market because the product is more dangerous to make and transport.
There you have it, the supply side of heroin and all the wonderful things that come with and effect it.
Dam it feels good to be a gangsta
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