Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL, Chicago) on the House floor Friday, said, "A few short weeks ago I came to the House floor after having purchased an iPad and said that I happened to believe, Mr. Speaker, that at some point in time this new device, which is now probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs. Now Borders is closing stores because, why do you need to go to Borders anymore? Why do you need to go to Barnes & Noble? Buy an iPad and download your newspaper, download your book, download your magazine." While he is exactly right that new technology often causes unemployment, what he doesn’t seem to understand, tragically, is that this is a very good thing for the overall quality of life of the people in the society because it means the work which previously required people to do it. When we like these effects, we call it “labor-saving.” When we dislike these effects, we call it “causing unemployment.” Indoor plumbing eliminated water-carrier jobs. CDs eliminated record-making jobs. And all sorts of blacksmiths lost jobs when automobiles displaced horses (not to mention horses). As he so rightly grasps, Americans aren’t getting less information because Borders is closing stores. They’re just getting it differently (and more efficiently, if you ask them). This is an improvement in overall quality of life for the society. And now the challenge is to find something else productive for all the people whose labor technology has rendered unnecessary.
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