A Little History

Twenty years ago x percent of America's workers possessed  the math, verbal and interpersonal intelligence and skills required to enter the America's high income Group define here as earning at least twice the median income. Ambition and other personal characteristics were also required. College was useful but many went right to work and achieved success. Members of the Group earn more because they contribute more to their employers earnings/well-being.

Business has become really good at measuring these contributions and as a result the Group now earns more than twice the median income leaving less for those excluded from  the Group. Recently, membership has become more difficult because a fourth intelligence/skill has been added to the mix.

Geekability intelligence/skill, the ability to learn and continually update knowledge and skills related to technology such as computer software, computer hardware (laptops, mobile phones), the Internet and Social Networks are now required to join the Group. Professions that used to require some minimum levels of math, verbal and interpersonal intelligence now require Geekability and not all earlier group members poses sufficient Geekability. Being an engineer, English teacher, manufacturing supervisor, manager or any profession that earns at least twice the median income now require some degree of Geekability. The Group is now smaller because the economics teacher who learned the basics gave the same lecture for many years and the salesperson relying on personality and a ROLODEX now need Geekability.

There is a third culprit responsible for a smaller Group and the destruction of America's middle class.  Knowledge capital is temporary and burnout is a more severe problem in all professions and Geekability has enhanced the problem. Professions such as tax lawyers and medical specialists have always been under update pressure but the universal requirement of  Geekability means many more people are affected and more professionals find themselves with less pay because they just don't have the ambition required to keep up. They may keep their job but the employer will find them
out  and they will be excluded from the group.

There has also been a disappearance of good jobs causing the destruction of America's middle class. We can not educate ourselves out of this problem.  Why? Living in a Flat World means our best and brightest students are in a competitive struggle with the best and brightest from around the world and this additional supply pushes lower wages. Portable flexible cheap robots in manufacturing and robots cleaning offices decrease required hours per task dramatically lowering demand for workers.

Talent Exchanges located in the Cloud allow private contractors to bid against well-established companies for specific small jobs which lowers wages. The belief that more college graduates will raise wages has caused an over-supply of college graduates and lower wages. Finally, wages are losing the battle with profits for a share of the distribution pie. as the passage Roe-Wade caused a political union between conservatives who forgo their economic interest to fight all federal government activity to lower taxes and entrepreneurs who want low taxes to increase profit push profits to ever increasing levels.

Large increase in productivity during the last quarter of the 19th century early 20th century were shared between workers and a very wealthy inventors and financiers class.  Trust buster Teddy Roosevelt used the federal government and the help of unions to force the wealth spread more evenly and put an end to the Gilded Age. Social unrest was common. History has not repeated itself because of an unusual political alliance between money interest and conservatives who abhor Roe V. Wade and government involvement in their lives. This alliance has resulted in stagnant real wages for the middle class though there has been an in wealth  for a well publicized top 1%. A fairly large unmanaged government safety net has resulted in little social unrest. Generations predicted social unrest of a magnitude not seen for many years.

See Average is Over, Educating the Class of 2030 and Tech-based Education which show the need for drastic changes which will be difficult as many current educators do not possess Geekability and fear being forced out of the Group.

Data demonstrating how
Tech is Destroying the U.S. Middle Class

Larry Summers Demolished Robots 
and Skills Arguments

Cognitive and Social Skills
Needed for Success
so Geekability alone is not enough
according to a recent MIT study.

30 Best Tech Jobs 

Copyright 4/15/14 by 21st textbooksfree.org
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