Archives for September 2013

“Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain’t coming back.”  We have been hearing about disappearing middle-class jobs even before Bruce Springsteen danced with Courteney Cox in 1984. An old theme? Well, some say this time really is different.

A Person: The words below are from Bob Rice, Managing Partner, Tangent Capital, from an extraordinary Bloomberg radio interview.

An Idea: “The problem is that we are coming into a period in society, I think, where, not everyone needs to be fully employed all of the time to make the economic output what we want it to be”  

“This time really is different…there’s never been a period in human history like this so people can’t just point back to the industrial revolution and say, ‘Well that only changed the nature of the jobs, it didn’t eliminate jobs.’  It’s true, in the past it’s always been true, that’s why the economists are discounting this phenomenon right now.”

“I’m afraid that we’ve hit an elbow curve in the technology revolution that is irreversible” 

I agree with Rice — technology is awesome, enhanced productivity and profits are great. As usual, there are winners and losers in economic shifts but how do we deal with a new normal of broader underemployment and lower-wage employment?

The dots are easy to connect.  Formerly middle-class dads and moms having three and four jobs combined just to pay the bills. The empty neighborhoods in bankrupt (and technology rich?) Detroit and 13% unemployment in Puerto Rico.  Like Rice, I’m an optimistic guy but sound the Scooby alarm (Ruh-Roh) and Listen to the interview.

261

Bob Rice Bio

Follow Bob on Twitter

Follow on Bloomberg

60 Minutes Piece on Technology Innovation

Why Workers Are Losing to Machines

 An Idea: If you do it right, once should be enough!

A Person: Bryan McSweeny played third base for the defending Pony League World Champion Brockton team in 1954 and headed north to Bowdoin College a few years later on a swimming scholarship. In Germany, he and his Army buddies would fill a VW Bus full of wine every weekend to ski Austria hard and après ski it harder. He has won a ton of sailing races in a Shields named CUCHULAIN and a custom Baltic 50 named BULLY.  He also won all the joke telling competitions at the bar.  Ask him about “Deducibility” or “51!”.

In addition to the athletic gifts, Bryan retired after building a successful orthodontic practice and is a proud father of four great kids.  He speaks with an easy command (taste and knowledge without the snobbery) about the model-year Porsche 911 you want to own, great wine you can get at Costco, the best place to see the impressionists in Philly and the symphonies that will knock your socks off.

At his freshman Bowdoin Convocation, he recalls a Dean welcoming his class to the college. “Gentlemen,” the Dean solemnly intoned, “You only go around once…but if you do it right, once should be enough!”  Marvin Hagler was marvelous but it’s Bryan “Once will be Enough!” McSweeny that put Brockton on the map for me.

223

Bryan is a talented photographer – technically advanced with a great eye.  Check out his work here.  A show of his new works will be on display at Uncle Jon’s Coffee in Marion, MA this fall.

Hey everyone, Carpe Diem with Green Day!