rather than allowing a massive reduction of working hours to free the world’s population to pursue their own projects, pleasures, visions, and ideas, we have seen the ballooning not even so much of the “service” sector as of the administrative sector, up to and including the creation of whole new industries like financial services or telemarketing, or the unprecedented expansion of sectors like corporate law, academic and health administration, human resources, and public relations.I do agree with the professor's observation that there are not enough people "making, moving, fixing and maintaining things," but I disagree with his explanation that the reasons are the "ruling class" trying to keep the masses placated or "right-wing populism" and "Republicans" "mobilizing resentment."
As an accountant I have spent much of my career filling out (or directing a staff to fill out) a plethora of forms that have nothing to do with helping our business but everything to do with giving government bureaucracies their raison d'être.
For example, companies with a national scope not only have to fill out income tax forms by state but also sales and use tax returns by county (there are over 3,000 counties in the U.S.). There are the voluminous rules of Sarbanes-Oxley that require public companies to map out the work flow and responsibilities of every employee, a "bulls***" task because the charts are obsolete the day they are completed in the era of hope and change. Each agency of the government--e.g.,Environmental Protection, Department of Labor, Internal Revenue, Health and Human Services--has its own inviolable requirements and arcane language.
Every competent accountant I know would rather spend her time measuring product profitability or performing capital budget analysis or running scenarios for the strategic plan. Put the blame where it lies, sir, or better yet, and you do seem like a smart guy, work in a business and see for yourself. © 2013 Stephen Yuen
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