Star Trek Economy

[Az]

And yes, I believe an expansion to space is positive, as well.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by DanS
Over the last century, the free industrialized world has decreased its working days in a week by about 1.5. Sometime in the future, we will move to shorter work weeks, with it taking an increasingly long time to remove each day (i.e., moving from 6 days to 5 days is a 17% reduction, but 5 days to 4 days is a 25% reduction, and so on).

Working days and hours has decreased - we all have more leisure time, but will that continue? It seems to be that we are working more hours a week than 10 or 20 years ago, but still far less than 50 or 100. It may be perception, coupled with the media telling us we are working too hard.

[Az]

Oh, no, some people work truly horrible ours today.

My mom for example. 11 hours a day, on many occasions.

EDIT: and no overtime.

[Az]

oh, and nice DanS, DanS.

[Dis]

TNG economy sucks and is unrealistic.

I think at least in DS9 they actually had money. This was more realistic.

[Dis]

Originally posted by The Viceroy
But what about sewage systems ? people will still need to clean the toilets ?? or are we saying we would have to reach a level of technology which means all meanial tasks are delt with automatically ?

if you have transporters and replicators, it's safe to say you can destory waste completely.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Azazel

Even when everybody is showered with material and service goods through automation, we will have to work some to pay the bills. Otherwise, the system wouldn't work. We wouldn't be able to decide who gets the particular goods and who doesn't in a self-sustaining manner.

"to pay the bills"?

What bills? With plentiful energy, there is no need for bills.

I cannot believe energy is plentiful.

This is proven by the fact that there have been TNG episodes about mining Dilithium crystals. One colony was having difficulty or something like that.

But the point is the crystals still have to be mined. And there is competition for them (Klingongs, Romulans etc.).

Although I suppose once you mine enough dilithium crystals to run the mining equipment, you would be self-sustaining. And the mining operation would be "free" But eventually they will run out of crystals.

[Az]

That's because you've got to have competition for resources in any decent movie.

Plus, while recycling is great, you need to expand the amount of material you have in circulation to suit the needs.

Some day, perhaps, we'll be able to build the elements we need, etc. but that's so very very far away.

I cannot believe energy is plentiful.

Sure it is. Just look at the amounts of energy needed for some of the stuff they constantly do in Star Trek, like warp, etc.

Fusion power will certainly be harnessed, and I am sure more and more forms of transforming matter into energy will be understood.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by DanS
Even if you didn't ration by price, you would have to ration by some other means. For instance, the commies try to ration by force.

Your talking about an advanced communist society that is really only hypothetical.

[el freako]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Working days and hours has decreased - we all have more leisure time, but will that continue? It seems to be that we are working more hours a week than 10 or 20 years ago, but still far less than 50 or 100. It may be perception, coupled with the media telling us we are working too hard.

It depends on where you are,

Average Hours worked per year in 1982, 1992 and 2002 with the US in 1982=100%

USA: 100% 101% 100%
Japan: 116% 109% 99%
Germany: 93% 86% 80%
France: 95% 91% 86%
UK: 96% 96% 94%
Italy: 94% 91% 90%
Canada: 99% 97% 98%

[DinoDoc]

Bah! I'd rather live in the TOS days where people worked for a living. Rather than that commie crap!

[alva]

It's about doing work one would actually enjoy, nothing to do with 'commie crap'

[DinoDoc]

The Ferengi appealed to me more than the humans in the TNG universe.

[alva]

Somehow, that doesn't suprise me.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
The Ferengi appealed to me more than the humans in the TNG universe.

You'd keep your own Mom locked up at home naked?