Many people talk about manufacturing moving to robotics and how that will destroy all the jobs...
But, what about the other end?
What if no one needed anything manufactured any more?
Let us take the now, ubiquitous, toaster.
There was a time when homes didn't have electricity, where toasting some bread meant holding it over a fire.
Hell, we didn't even have sliced toast before Betty Grable.
So, a lot of toasters needed to be made.
300 million americans, so about 300 million toasters.
The things used to be scarce and was quite the show piece in the kitchen.
Now it is ubiquitous, and if you really wanted a toaster, i am sure you could knock on three doors, in any neighborhood, and someone would give you a toaster.. or two.
And if we built toasters like we did back in the 50s with actual modern technology (MOSFETs, digital timers) that one toaster per person would be all that was ever needed.
Lets say we made the ultimate toaster, and it could always be repaired.
So, there comes a time when you no longer need to manufacture toasters.
Now, even the robots are out of work.
This situation may seem weird, well, because all the "economics" classes have stated that people's appetites are insatiable, but it is not really the case.
Many people are going without a car now.
This would be unthinkable back in the 50s, where the car was seen as the ultimate in personal freedom.
And the things that has most people buying a new one every year are computers and smart phones, however, these are reaching the limits of what is needed. The iPhone of a few yeas ago already reached the limits of what a human eye could see. Soon, the processing needed to push to that resolution will be achieved... and then, nothing.
There is no more need of bigger, faster computers.
The things they have super-computers doing is actually pretty blah. And in all the cases it turns out with a little programming insight, it could be done on a personal computer.
So, in many ways we are coming to the end of the manufacturing as both job and need fulfillment.
What will we do then?
First off, get rid of mortgages.
The only reason that 60% of us are still working is because the mortgages have to be paid.
We are paying over 3 times the house cost to a bank who provided nothing.
- No labor
- No materials
- No money
Once homes are the possession of the people living in them
Then we have to worry about food.
But with things like piped water irrigation, timed sprayers, motorized tillers, growing your own food has never been easier. In fact, there is a book on how to grow all your own food with 10 hours per week.
After this, what is necessary?
Enough to keep the power and water on.
And these can best be handled by locally providing them.
We see all kinds of stores closing.
The malls are shutting down. And now, even the electronics super stores are disappearing.
Every "analyst" is saying this is because of on-line shopping.
But that is not all of it.
There is a global financial slow-down... and it is not just the economy.
People are getting to the point of enough.
Tiny house / apartments do not allow for lots of stuff.
So, you keep what is essential and beneficial and discard the rest.
And with this shift comes an ever shrinking pool of stuff-buyers.
The conclusion of which is, the end of capitalism. (as we know it)