To the Point
Should We Blame Technology for High Unemployment?
From farms to factories, and now the service economy, workers are losing their jobs to machines. As computers become more sophisticated, how can humans learn to compete?
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenFrom farms to factories, and now to the service economy, human workers are losing their jobs to machines. The "creative destruction" that used to increase employment is working the other way around, and productivity is on the rise. As computers become more sophisticated, how can humans learn to compete? Also, President Obama announces executive action on student loans, and an undeclared, loaded gun fell out of a bag being loaded onto an airliner in Los Angeles. What did the TSA say? None of its business.
Banner image: A traveler undergoes a full body scan performed by Transportation Security Administration agents at the Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesPresident Obama Announces Executive Action on Student Loans
With the President's jobs bill dead in the Senate, he's been telling audiences about smaller measures he can take on his own. Today, at the University of Colorado's campus in Denver, it was a new program to lower payments on student loans .
Read the story7 minIs a Robot Waiting for your Job?
When two researchers at MIT started a book to be called The Digital Frontier, they were optimistic that technological innovation would increase productivity, and that would mean new jobs. Historically speaking, that has been the case. But their inquiries led in a very different direction.
Read the story37 minLoaded Guns in Checked Bags on Flights?
On Sunday, a loaded .38-caliber handgun fell out of a duffle bag being placed into the baggage compartment of an Alaska Airlines flight from LA, California to Portland, Oregon. It was turned over to airport police and the owner, who had not declared it, was allowed to take a later flight.
Read the story6 min
