Politicking

Obama's speech set off a storm of political dialog in this household. I'm a skeptic of the Euro mindset, don't think its Capitalist vs Socialist Godzilla Show is smart enough to keep pace with technology (nature sets the pace, while we humans struggle to stay not too retarded).

However, if we want a safety net, then I think "school" rather than "work" should be another default, "work/study" being life long. The lie we tell ourselves, that first we go to school and learn it all, and then we get a job, and know it all, is just that, a lie. We need to oscillate (perhaps chaotically) between work mode and study mode, from cradle to grave.

The one thing no Big Sister has the right to promise is an uninterrupted career with no plans to adapt or learn new tools. Rather, there's a way to get retrained, as a math teacher (even if you're already a math teacher), as a tool user of some kind (yes, art counts as tool use).

If all Capitalism has come to mean is neo-Malthusian jungle "tooth and claw" type rhetoric, an atavistic throwback, then I don't see much chance of attracting top talent. However, not every speculative investor type is at the mercy of those reflexes, so I'm not gonna pre-judge.