The lady who drove a Mercedes to pick up food vouchers.

[Mister Agenda]

Remember...this phenomena of the state dole is only going to grow because automation is rendering human labor obsolete......and that's not a bad thing.

You're right, its not a bad thing.

Its a terrible thing.

Its toxic - its basically creating a *culture* of benefits. The country imports everything and exports nothing.

Why would a country with advanced automation need to import more? Currently, we haven't reduced our manufacturing capacity, just the number of people it takes to do it.

And whatever work is required is relied upon by outsourcing it to foreign countries.

Um, whatever work is required is done by robots or other advanced automation. Perhaps you are not following how advanced the advanced automation Heywood is talking about is presumed to be. Foriegn laborers will not be able to compete with what's coming.

Living costs soar.

They shouldn't, advanced automation will make almost every product much less expensive due to reduced labor costs. It may even put small communities or even individuals in control of their own means of production, where they can make almost anything out of energy and raw materials.

Wages fall. The economy stagnates and hits rock bottom. People are relying on welfare, as opposed to working for a living.

This is a real possibility. I'd like to think it can be avoided, that a Star Trek future where people's common material needs are met for free and self-fulfillment is the rule, is possible. And maybe it is. Intelligent machines are electronics and electronics gets less expensive over time. When the common person has that kind of intelligence at their fingertips, they'll come up with things I can't imagine...maybe an economy based on creativity and social connection.

Skills of the manufacturing trade are being lost, heck the generation itself is being lost.

No one knows how to work or build anything anymore.

Not many people know how to make buggy whips anymore, either. Why should they?

You do realise what will happen next don't you?

The government starts cutting people's benefits - they can no longer afford to live or pay their rent. Then the poor really get f**ked by the ruling classes.

Why? That is, why would they do something so cruel for so little gain? And how can they accomplish this in a system where the 'ruled' class has most of the votes? I think you presume too much evil, the moustache-twirling 'let's starve the impoverished scum as soon as we get the chance!' types are actually pretty rare. Democracy gives us SOME kind of balance: the elites can't be TOO blatant or we'll deprive them of power. It's in their best interest to at least keep us in bread and circuses.