ustxtxb_obs_1984_04_06_50_00010-00000_000.pdf

.\\.1-1 and Associates 502 W. 15th Street Austin, Texas 78701 REALTOR Representing all types of properties in Austin and Central Texas Interesting & unusual property a speciatty. 477-3651 E CRACKER JACK by Lawrence Wright Directed by Mac Williams “Low Politics Make High Theatre” PARAMOUNT THEATRE APRIL 18-22 8 P.M. Tickets $10.$8.$6 Tickets arc available at the Paramount Box Office, \(TTM outlets. or by calling Charge-a-Ticket at 477-6060. Performances arc partially funded by the Texas Commission on the Arts. Life Insurance and Annuities Martin Elfant, CLU Suilie 4223 Richmond, Suite 213, Houston, TX 77027 OF CANADA ON REAGAN THE MAN AND HIS PRESIDENCY . By RONNIE MINER Name Address City State Zip The Texas Observer 600 West 7th Austin, Texas 78701 Send us $20 and we will send you an autographed copy of Ronnie Dugger’s acclaimed book on Ronald Reagan. \(Postage included; Texas residents Good books in every field JENKINS PUBLISHING CO. The Pemberton Press John H. Jenkins, Publisher Box 2085 Ell Austin 78768 higher job growth. Moreover, it is estimated that some high-tech occupations will be among the fastest-growing. Of the Bureau of Labor Standards’ ten fastest-growing industries in 1980-1990, five are directly related to high tech \(data processing and machine mechanics, 93.2%; computer operators, 71.6%; computer systems analysts, 67.8%; office machine and cash register services, 59.8%; and computer programindirectly related to high tech. Indeed, a major problem in assessing the impact of high tech is its ubiquitousness the traditional occupations and industries that make it will use high tech. We, therefore, do not have “high tech” and “smokestack” the smokestack industries also will use high tech. Some experts argue that the market will limit the introduction of high tech, so estimates of the theoretical displacement are unrealistic. A Carnegie-Mellon study estimated that robots will displace one million workers by 1990 and three million by 2000. But Robotics International said robots would only displace 440,000 by 1990, and 22,000 actually would be dismissed because the rest could be reassigned or taken care of by attrition. Moreover, some economists point out that the market will limit the introduction of technology. Indeed, in this view the market is the reason we don’t use more robots and that Japan uses four times as many as we do \(although the use of robots is expected to grow from 200 in 1970, 1,300 in 1979, and 5,000 in 1983 to 120,000 by costs low relative to labor by keeping interest rates low. On the other hand, rising interest rates in the U.S._ have caused capital costs to rise faster than labor costs; as noted, wages actually declined in real terms all during the 1970s, and we had the smallest increase in wages of any industrial country. Another reason for fewer robots in the U.S. is that workers can be more easily laid off than in any other major industrialized country, making labor a variable cost. Thus, we don’t use more robots because it is cheaper to use people in some jobs and more difficult to fire robots. Robots, therefore, will displace mid-level people because it will not pay to use them to displace low-wage workers, and robots cannot do the work of high-income managerial, professional, and technical workers. The pessimists argue that high tech will destroy more jobs than it creates. They say it will create massive unemployment. In a May 1982 statement to the House Committee on Science and 10 APRIL 6, 1984