Trade offs

[infrogmation]

One detail of life being different: paper plates and plastic or styrofoam cup at most restaurants.

Most places can't get people to work as dishwashers even at twice the pre-Katrina wages. Unskilled labor can make much better money in demolition and construction.

I miss draft beer in real glass, but one aspect of the cheap labor shortage that makes me smile: Uptown Wal-Mart, which the company finally built after much local objections, is still closed and they announced it won't be reopened any time soon, as they can't find people willing to work there. Meanwhile the locally owned stores along Magazine Street are jumping.

Comments

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

Ok, that's cool. I always love seeing human capital being diverted to more productive uses. I'd like to think that later on this will make people look at their china and think "What a luxury! Later on, a real live human will have to spend half a second throwing this into a machine to wash this!" but sadly, most people don't think in economic terms, and fail to fully enjoy the decadence they indulge in.

Whereas, every time I drink a beer I am still amazed by the fact that I am using a drinking vessel that is higher quality than 99.99% of those produced in human history, and when I'm done with it, I'm not going to lovingly preserve it, I'm going to throw it in the recycling bin, where it will eventually be melted down and made into more of the same.

What good is wealth if you don't enjoy it?

[jennconspiracy.livejournal.com]

wow - sounds incredible.

how's your house coming along?