Bret Cahill wrote:
>>>>> "Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the
>>>>> fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first
>>>>> existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher
>>>>> consideration."
>>>>> -- Lincoln
>
>>>> Lincoln lived in a time when labor was much more of a fraction of
>>>> production than it is now.
>
>>> "Labor" includes more than just stacking boxes. �It includes all kinds
>>> of desk bound paper pusher services, accounting, law, music, writing,
>>> high tech . . . .
>
>> That is true *now*. It was much less true *then*.
>
> Introducing new types of labor hardly changes the truth of the Lincoln
> quote.
>
I have never encountered *anyone* who denies that labor
is a declining factor of production before. Surely it is
clear that if one equal unit of labor produces
N times as much as it did, the values system surrounding
that labor must be different?
If you are saying "labor is all there is", may I direct
you to the show "How It's Made", where they show just
how much *is* done by machines? Certainly, that's
labor stored and leveraged, but this is a much more
sophisticated arrangement, and "labor is all there is"
is a gross oversimplification in nobody's self interest.
>> When they said
>> "work" in 1830, they meant mainly in foot-pounds.
>
> Even before then everyone was aware of steam replacing human
> _physical_ labor.
>
But nothing at all like what it is now.
>>>> And his derivation is 100%% correct -
>>>> capital without labor is utterly meaningless.
>
>>>> To the tread title: a child asks "Mommy, why is there a Mother's
>>>> Day and a Father's Day but there is no Children's Day?"
>
>>>> "Because every day is children's day."
>
>>> My mom tried that one on me back when I was a kid but later I found
>>> out that in Mexico, an enlightened country, they do in fact, have a
>>> children's day.
>
>> Ah well.
>
> Check out my new sig.
>
>
> Bret Cahill
>
>
> "Fun is the father of invention."
>
I like that. Nice. I would add the corollary "ego
is the eccentric black sheep uncle of invention."
> -- Bret Cahill
>
>
--
Les Cargill
