Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come
1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.
2. The
Check.
Britain
is
already
laying
the
groundwork
to
do
away
with
checks
by
2018.
It
costs
the
financial
system
billions
of
dollars
a
year
to
process
checks.
Plastic
cards
and
online
transactions
will
lead
to
the
eventual
demise
of
the
check.
This
plays
right
into
the
death
of
the
post
office.
If
you
never
paid
your
bills
by
mail
and
never
received
them
by
mail,
the
post
office
would
absolutely
go
out
of
business.
3. The
Newspaper. The
younger
generation
simply
doesn't
read
the
newspaper.
They
certainly
don't
subscribe
to a
daily
delivered
print
edition.
That
may
go
the
way
of
the
milkman
and
the
laundry
man.
As
for
reading
the
paper
online,
get
ready
to
pay
for
it.
The
rise
in
mobile
Internet
devices
and
e-readers
has
caused
all
the
newspaper
and
magazine
publishers
to
form
an
alliance.
They
have
met
with Apple,
Amazon,
and
the
major cell
phone
companies to
develop
a
model
for
paid
subscription
services.
4. The
Book. You
say you
will
never
give up
the
physical
book
that you
hold in
your
hand and
turn the
literal
pages. I
said the
same
thing
about
downloading
music
from
iTunes.
I wanted
my hard
copy CD.
But I
quickly
changed
my mind
when I
discovered
that I
could
get
albums
for half
the
price
without
ever leaving
home to
get the
latest
music.
The same
thing
will
happen
with
books.
You can
browse a
bookstore
online
and even
read a
preview
chapter
before
you buy.
And the
price is
less
than
half
that of
a real
book.
And
think of
the
convenience!
Once you
start
flicking
your
fingers
on the
screen
instead
of the
book,
you find
that you
are lost
in the
story,
can't
wait to
see what
happens
next,
and you
forget
that
you're
holding
a gadget
instead
of a
book.
5. The
Land Line
Telephone. Unless
you have a
large family
and make a
lot of local
calls, you
don't need
it anymore.
Most people
keep it
simply
because
they've
always had
it. But you
are paying
double
charges for
that extra
service. All
the cell
phone
companies
will let you
call
customers
using the
same cell
provider for
no charge
against your
minutes
6. Music. This
is one of the
saddest parts of
the change
story. The music
industry is
dying a slow
death. Not just
because of
illegal
downloading.
It's the lack of
innovative new
music being
given a chance
to get to the
people who would
like to hear it.
Greed and
corruption is
the problem. The
record labels
and the radio
conglomerates
are simply
self-destructing.
Over 40% of the
music purchased
today is
"catalog items,"
meaning
traditional
music that the
public is
familiar with.
Older
established
artists. This is
also true on the
live concert
circuit. To
explore this
fascinating and
disturbing topic
further, check
out the book,
"Appetite for
Self-Destruction"
by Steve Knopper,
and the video
documentary, "Before
the Music Dies."
7. Television. Revenues
to the networks are
down dramatically.
Not just because of
the economy. People
are watching TV and
movies streamed from
their computers. And
they're playing
games and doing lots
of other things that
take up the time
that used to be
spent watching TV. Prime
time shows
have degenerated
down to lower than
the lowest common
denominator. Cable
rates are
skyrocketing and
commercials run
about every 4
minutes and 30
seconds. I say good
riddance to most of
it. It's time for
the cable companies
to be put out of our
misery. Let the
people choose what
they want to watch
online and through Netflix.
8. The "Things"
That You Own. Many
of the very
possessions that we
used to own are
still in our lives,
but we may not
actually own them in
the future. They may
simply reside in
"the cloud." Today
your computer has a
hard drive and you
store your pictures,
music, movies, and
documents. Your
software is on a CD
or DVD, and you can
always re-install it
if need be. But all
of that is changing.
Apple, Microsoft,
and Google are
all finishing up
their latest "cloud
services." That
means that when you
turn on a computer,
the Internet will be
built into the
operating system.
So, Windows, Google,
and the Mac OS will
be tied straight
into the Internet.
If you click an
icon, it will open
something in the
Internet cloud. If
you save something,
it will be saved to
the cloud. And you
may pay a monthly
subscription fee to
the cloud provider.
In this virtual
world, you can
access your music or
your books, or your
whatever from any
laptop or handheld
device. That's the
good news. But, will
you actually own any
of this "stuff" or
will it all be able
to disappear at any
moment in a big
"Poof?" Will most of
the things in our
lives be disposable
and whimsical? It
makes you want to
run to the closet
and pull out that
photo album, grab a
book from the shelf,
or open up a CD case
and pull out the
insert.
9. Privacy. If
there ever was a concept
that we can look back on
nostalgically, it would
be privacy. That's gone.
It's been gone for a
long time anyway. There
are cameras on the
street, in most of the
buildings, and even
built into your computer
and cell phone. But you
can be sure that 24/7,
"They" know who you are
and where you are, right
down to the GPS
coordinates, and the
Google Street View. If
you buy something, your
habit is put into a
zillion profiles, and
your ads will change to
reflect those habits.
And "They" will try to
get you to buy something
else. Again and again.
All we will have
that can't be
changed are
Memories.
19
Facts About The
Deindustrialization
Of America That
Will Blow Your
Mind
The United
States is
rapidly becoming
the very first
"post-industrial"
nation on the
globe. All
great economic
empires
eventually
become fat and
lazy and
squander the
great wealth
that their
forefathers have
left them, but
the pace at
which America is
accomplishing
this is
absolutely
amazing. It was
America that was
at the forefront
of the
industrial
revolution. It
was America that
showed the world
how to mass
produce
everything from
automobiles to
televisions to
airplanes. It
was the great
American
manufacturing
base that
crushed
Germany
and Japan in
World War II.
But now we are
witnessing the
deindustrialization
of America .
Tens of
thousands of
factories have
left the United
States in the
past decade
alone. Millions
upon millions of
manufacturing
jobs have been
lost in the same
time period.
The United
States has
become a nation
that consumes
everything in
sight and yet
produces
increasingly
little. Do you
know what our
biggest export
is today? Waste
paper. Yes,
trash is the
number one thing
that we ship out
to the rest of
the world as we
voraciously blow
our money on
whatever the
rest of the
world wants to
sell to us. The
United States
has become
bloated and
spoiled and our
economy is
now just a
shadow of what
it once was.
Once upon a
time America
could literally
out produce the
rest of the
world combined.
Today that is
no longer true,
but Americans
sure do consume
more than anyone
else in the
world. If the
deindustrialization
of America
continues at
this current
pace, what
possible kind of
a future are we
going to be
leaving to our
children?
Any great nation
throughout
history has been
great at making
things. So if
the United
States continues
to allow its
manufacturing
base to erode at
a staggering
pace how in the
world can the
U.S. continue to
consider itself
to be a great
nation? We have
created the
biggest debt
bubble in the
history of the
world in an
effort to
maintain a very
high standard of
living, but the
current state of
affairs is not
anywhere close
to sustainable.
Every single
month America
goes into more
debt and every
single month
America gets
poorer.
So what happens
when the debt
bubble pops?
The
deindustrialization
of the United
States should be
a top concern
for every man,
woman and child
in the country.
But sadly, most
Americans do not
have any idea
what is going on
around them.
For people like
that, take this
article and
print it out and
hand it to them.
Perhaps what
they will read
below will shock
them badly
enough to awaken
them from their
slumber.
The following
are 19 facts
about the
deindustrialization
of America that
will blow your
mind....
#1 The United
States has lost
approximately
42,400 factories
since 2001.
About 75
percent of those
factories
employed over
500 people when
they were still
in operation.
#2
Dell Inc.,
one of America
’s largest
manufacturers of
computers, has
announced plans
to dramatically
expand its
operations in
China
with an
investment of
over $100
billion over the
next decade.
#3
Dell has
announced that
it will be
closing its last
large U.S.
manufacturing
facility in
Winston-Salem ,
North Carolina
in November.
Approximately
900 jobs will be
lost.
#4 In 2008, 1.2
billion cell
phones were sold
worldwide. So
how many of them
were
manufactured
inside the
United States ?
Zero.
#5 According to
a new study
conducted by the
Economic Policy
Institute,
if the U.S.
trade deficit
with China
continues to
increase at its
current rate,
the U.S. economy
will lose over
half a million
jobs this year
alone.
#6 As of the end
of July, the
U.S. trade
deficit with
China had risen
18 percent
compared to the
same time period
a year ago.
#7 The United
States has lost
a total of about
5.5 million
manufacturing
jobs since
October 2000.
#8 According to
Tax Notes,
between 1999 and
2008 employment
at the foreign
affiliates of
U.S. parent
companies
increased an
astounding 30
percent to 10.1
million. During
that exact same
time period,
U.S. employment
at American
multinational
corporations
declined 8
percent to 211
million.
#9 In 1959,
manufacturing
represented 28
percent of U.S.
economic output.
In 2008, it
represented 11.5
percent.
#10
Ford Motor
Company
recently
announced the
closure of a
factory that
produces the
Ford Ranger
in St. Paul ,
Minnesota .
Approximately
750 good paying
middle class
jobs are going
to be lost
because making
Ford Rangers in
Minnesota does
not fit in with
Ford's new
"global"
manufacturing
strategy.
#11 As of the
end of 2009,
less than 12
million
Americans worked
in
manufacturing.
The last time
less than 12
million
Americans were
employed in
manufacturing
was in 1941.
#12 In the
United States
today,
consumption
accounts for 70
percent of GDP.
Of this 70
percent, over
half is spent on
services.
#13 The United
States has lost
a whopping 32
percent of its
manufacturing
jobs since the
year 2000.
#14 In 2001, the
United States
ranked fourth in
the world in per
capita broadband
Internet use.
Today it ranks
15th.
#15
Manufacturing
employment in
the U.S.
computer
industry is
actually lower
in 2010 than it
was in 1975.
#16 Printed
circuit boards
are used in tens
of thousands of
different
products.
Asia now
produces 84
percent of them
worldwide.
#17 The United
States spends
approximately
$3.90 on Chinese
goods for every
$1 that the
Chinese spend on
goods from the
United States .
#18 One
prominent
economist is
projecting that
the Chinese
economy will be
three times
larger than the
U.S. economy by
the year 2040.
#19 The U.S.
Census Bureau
says that 43.6
million
Americans are
now living in
poverty and
according to
them that is the
highest number
of poor
Americans in the
51 years that
records have
been kept.
So how many tens
of thousands
more factories
do we need to
lose before we
do something
about it?
How many
millions more
Americans are
going to become
unemployed
before we all
admit that we
have a very,
very serious
problem on our
hands?
How many more
trillions of
dollars are
going to leave
the country
before we
realize that we
are losing
wealth at a pace
that is killing
our economy?
How many once
great
manufacturing
cities are going
to become
rotting war
zones like
Detroit
before we
understand that
we are
committing
national
economic
suicide?
The
deindustrialization
of America is a
national crisis.
It needs to be
treated like
one.
America is in
deep, deep
trouble folks.
It is time to
wake up
|