> People who think that social programs are a waste of taxpayer money have > failed to learn from history. The poor overthrowing their own nation's > government due to feeling neglected and oppressed is something that has > happened repeatedly (The French Revolution, The Russian Revolution, etc.). > If poor people feel they have no other choice, and their numbers grow large > enough, they will act. I, personally, can not believe that the nation > doesn't see a problem in having a bunch of out-of-work, disgruntled, and > desperate computer programmers in the country. If skilled, out-of-work > programmers formed a rebellion, due to the world-wide dependance on computer > and network technologies, they could potentially bring the whole > technological world to its knees without firing a single gun-shot (just > imagine something like the "I Love You" virus, but written by a huge team of > programmers, with multiple vectors and exploits, and distributed as a > coordinated attack, not just a random propagation... a deffinate > circumstance that would be devistating, and could be easily avoided by > keeping the citizens employed and contented). >
I don't object to what you're saying, but revolutions tend to be led by the educated classes, however much they may be fueled by the deprived. The French and Russian revolutions were both led almost entirely, especially early on, by highly educated but disgruntled and disaffected young men. There's a lot of contingency and luck in life, and I especially think we should be spending more on education. But I'm not sure how much the government can do (less concerned than some of the more conservative people on this list about how much it _should_ do). Tom Beck www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
