Of course, this is not a question of GDP, but of employment, or idleness. Machines are beautiful creatures, (as long as they don't involve deflagrants or explo

Of course, this is not a question of GDP, but of employment, or idleness. Machines are beautiful creatures, (as long as they don't involve deflagrants or explosives) and they make everyone richer. But people are people, and the differences between a stupid employed person, and a stupid unemployed person are tremendous. Even when their bellies are equally full. The unemployment rate of post-graduate-degree holders is about 2 percent, and the rate among high school dropouts is almost 20 percent. This will not change. It will get worse. There is an aristocracy emerging of the intelligent/educated and the rest. It will get worse and worse, until you have 80 percent, then 85 percent, then 90 percent of the population economically useless. These predictions have been going on for decades (see "Player Piano" by Vonnegut). They are just now coming true.